LAWRENCE | At a time like this, excuses can seem pretty futile. So Kansas senior Justin Thornton wasn&rsquo;t going to blame his personal-foul penalty in the fourth quarter on the stroke of bad luck that placed his hand on the other guy&rsquo;s facemask during what was otherwise a pretty outstanding defensive play.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a matter of luck,&rdquo; Thornton said. &ldquo;It was the worst timing.&rdquo;</p><p>Thornton&rsquo;s penalty was one of three crucial gaffes by KU seniors that sealed their own fate on Senior Day in a 31-17 loss to Nebraska. With the score tied at 10 in the third quarter, wide receiver Kerry Meier fumbled the ball away at the Nebraska 4. Later, running back Jake Sharp dropped what looked like a sure touchdown catch. Still, the Jayhawks played well enough overall to grab a 17-16 lead. </p><p>But Thornton&rsquo;s penalty on Nebraska wide receiver Khiry Cooper negated what would have been a KU defensive stop with seven minutes to play.</p><p>&ldquo;The ref made a good call,&rdquo; Thornton said. &ldquo;I feel like that play changed the outcome of the game. They scored a touchdown on the very next play, and that hurts. I let myself down, and I let everyone else down.&rdquo;</p><p>Thornton may have felt alone after his last game in Memorial Stadium, but he wasn&rsquo;t.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my fault,&rdquo; Meier said. &ldquo;At that time in the game, we were moving, we had momentum going, and that dang fumble happened and kind of turned the game around.&rdquo;</p><p>There were so many moments when the Jayhawks, now 5-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12, could have seized this game. There have been so many moments during this inexplicable five-game losing streak that a different decision, a different action, could have prevented all of this pain. Instead, the wrong thing just keeps happening at the wrong time.</p><p>&ldquo;When it rains, it pours,&rdquo; Thornton said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;re getting poured on right now.&rdquo;</p><p>This Kansas season as we knew it, the one billed to be historic from the get-go, is now over. All that is left now is the hope that the Jayhawks can reach 6-6 and qualify for a third straight bowl game. While that would still qualify as history for the KU program, it would be a small accomplishment compared to what the Jayhawks intended.</p><p>Thornton said this five-game losing streak &mdash; the first since KU coach Mark Mangino&rsquo;s first season in 2002 &mdash; will change the way he looks at his career.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way life is,&rdquo; Thornton said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t expect everything is going to work out for you. It&rsquo;s another trial and tribulation that we&rsquo;ll go through. It&rsquo;ll help us in life.&rdquo;</p><p>All of the KU seniors talked about life after this one, and really, what else was there to talk about? Another loss? A crucial turnover and a back-breaking penalty? With two games left in their careers, the senior Jayhawks see the end of the road. They can only hope that they will salvage some meaningful lessons from this season. Long-term, that would be more beneficial to them than 15 extra practices in December.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been one of the more difficult things in my life thus far,&rdquo; KU receiver Kerry Meier said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a frustrated guy right now. A bunch of guys are frustrated. This is something we&rsquo;re kind of getting used to, and it&rsquo;s something I don&rsquo;t like. Here are five weeks in a row with the same outcome. It&rsquo;s definitely a frustrating point in our lives, especially here on Senior Day.&rdquo;