More on KU’s QB plan: Have a starter, play the backup and keep the rest a secret

Kansas coach David Beaty announced a starting quarterback last week, said on his radio show Monday that the backup would play as well, then on Tuesday said he wasn’t going to reveal any more about his plans at the position.

Got all that?

If nothing else, the quarterback usage should be an intriguing subplot during KU football’s 6 p.m. season opener Saturday against Nicholls State.

OK, let’s back up for a second. Beaty, through the team’s social media account, proclaimed last week that senior Peyton Bender would be the team’s starting QB over Miles Kendrick and Carter Stanley. Bender started eight games for KU last season, showing some inconsistency while completing 54 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“He’s so talented, sometimes he used to try to put the ball in places that it didn’t belong,” Beaty said. “And if he’ll just play by the rules, he has a chance to be a really, really good football player.”

Bender was told of the staff’s decision before a team meeting last week.

“I thought throughout fall camp, I played really well. There wasn’t really a certain point in time where I thought I was out ahead,” Bender said. “I thought Carter and Miles had good fall camps as well.”

And this is where things start to get complicated.

When talking about Kendrick on his radio show Monday night, Beaty said he was “gonna play for us in that first game. He’s gonna play for us in every game.”

The 5-foot-10 Kendrick came to KU from San Mateo (Calif.) Community College this winter hoping to immediately compete for snaps.

“He’s got some things about him that really bring a new twist to our offense, which I think is going to be really good,” Beaty said during his radio show. “We really like the kid. One of the hardest workers we’ve ever had.”

When asked Tuesday to further explain how Kendrick would be used, Beaty refused to go into more detail, citing Nicholls State coach Tim Rebowe.

“I think the best thing for me to say is that the only thing I’m going to give you, Coach Rebowe, is that he will play against you. That’s it,” Beaty said. “I’m not going to be able to tell you much more than that.”

Beaty did expand on Kendrick’s skill set, saying he had an “it” factor while also complimenting him on his throwing ability. Beaty said Kendrick had previously gotten a large number of first-team reps so the coaching staff could properly evaluate him.

The plan for now, Beaty said, is to keep Kendrick’s offensive package limited so he can absorb more of what’s being asked of him.

“We love watching him operate the offense, which is good,” Beaty said. “He just needs a little bit more time.”

Not surprisingly, Beaty also continued to preach a common theme from his four-year tenure at KU, saying the top quarterback would have to continue to validate his spot on the depth chart.

“I know you guys all want to hear who the starter is, but it’s only as good as the day is. That dude is going to have to win it the next day, too,” Beaty said. “We’d like to find stability there, but you’re going to have to earn it. I’m not just going to give it to you because somebody wants to know who the starter is. I don’t care about that. I care about what you prove on a day-to-day basis.”

The first opportunity Saturday will go to Bender, whom Beaty said Monday had “one of the most talented arms I’ve been around.”

“I’m excited to see him play behind an offensive line that has some real depth and some real competition,” Beaty said. “I think that’s going to be big for him.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2018 at 4:40 PM.