Skipped previewing the Kansas Jayhawks football game last
week against Baylor because we all had better things to do than think about a guaranteed
loss.
This is a home game for KU, which
is nice, but what kind of advantage is it when there are barely 20,000 fans in
a stadium that seats 50,000? In Clint Bowen’s first home game as interim head
coach (second overall) the Hawks almost beat Oklahoma State, which is nice, but that was a month ago and
they haven’t looked remotely competitive since.
This week is not only a home game, it’s easily KU’s last
chance to win a football game this season. As a proud alum, I want to give them
a chance in the rivalry game against Kansas State that ends the season, but…. Well,
I suppose anything’s possible. Not likely, but possible.
Both KU and Iowa State come into
this week’s game with identical 2-6 and 0-5 records. Both nearly lost by the
same score last week, KU to Baylor 59-14, ISU to Oklahoma 60-14. Most other
team stats are really comparable, except that ISU’s offense is averaging almost
ten points a game more than the Hawks. I think teams without football programs
are averaging more points per game than KU, so that’s really not a shocker.
Where KU has some sort of advantage,
bizarrely, is defense. The Cyclones are giving up close to 38 points and 500
yards a game, KU is right around 32 and 450. I could throw numbers out that
give the Hawks a fighting chance here, but I’ve been a KU football fan too long
to try and talk myself into thinking victory before the game starts.
The Hawks could win, and it would
be a nice thing for Clint Bowen and the rest of the team, who have been
searching relentlessly for something that clicks long enough to put a W up
there. But they could easily lose.
On the bright side…. It’s
basketball season!
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| Weekly guaranteed "Bowen" picture returns |
photos courtesy: kuathletics.com, popsugar.com
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