KU football falls to FCS opponent Nicholls State 26-23 in overtime
New year, same Kansas football.
The Jayhawks couldn’t overcome costly mistakes, falling 26-23 in overtime to FCS opponent Nicholls State on Saturday night at Booth Memorial Stadium.
Perhaps the worst part for KU fans, though? There wasn’t flukiness to this win for Nicholls State. It didn’t include crazy breaks or bad bounces.
The box-score stats — particularly in rush yards (187-56) — illustrated a cruel reality in KU’s fourth-year under coach David Beaty: Had an outsider come to the game and not known the two teams playing, he’d have struggled to pick out the FCS team from the Big 12 one.
And so one wonders where KU goes from here. Beaty dropped to 3-34 in his fourth season at KU, which now includes a 2-2 record against FCS foes. New athletic director Jeff Long started his work with the athletic department last month, charged most importantly with revitalizing a football program widely considered to be worst among Power Five schools.
This certainly wasn’t a good first impression for Beaty, who already was atop most college football hot-seat lists this offseason.
KU still had a chance to win in overtime but went three-and-out on its first drive. That included the Jayhawks changing quarterbacks from Peyton Bender to Miles Kendrick on a crucial third-down play; Kendrick’s QB-draw went for a 3-yard loss.
Kansas kicker Gabriel Rui put through a 41-yard field goal, but Nicholls State followed with a game-winning touchdown, as Nicholls State quarterback Chase Fourcade broke numerous tackles on a 4-yard, game-winning touchdown run.
Earlier, one of KU’s biggest missed opportunities came at the start of the second quarter. Bender delivered an accurate throw deep down the sideline to the Jayhawks’ top receiver Steven Sims, who dropped it while trying to track it in over his shoulder in the end zone.
Rui followed with a 54-yard field goal, but missing out on four additional points proved to be critical in what was a close game throughout.
A sample of other miscues were most evident on one drive before the end of the first half.
Following a touchback, Beaty called timeout before his team could get a snap away. After the stoppage, tight end Mavin Saunders was called for a false start to push KU back, then one play later, center Alex Fontana dribbled a snap wide of Bender, resulting in a 14-yard loss.
Defensively, KU’s errors were easy to spot too. The Jayhawks were slow to get set during a Nicholls State 10-yard run in the first half, with defensive lineman Daniel Wise screaming, “Make the (freaking) call” to KU’s coaches loud enough that it was picked up by the Jayhawk Network’s sideline microphone.
That same issue re-appeared at the worst time in the third quarter. On a third-and-2, KU’s defense attempted to substitute when Nicholls State didn’t, leading to confusion and four frantic defensive linemen who failed to set themselves completely before a quick snap.
The result was a gaping hole up the middle, as Kendall Bussey ran 40 yards untouched to give Nicholls State a 17-10 lead.
One highlight for KU — in the first half, at least — was Bender’s performance. After earning the starting job two weeks ago, Bender was accurate with throws and also showed an ability to run when he needed to, making the types of plays that have been rare at the position in previous seasons.
He didn’t get much help. KU’s offensive line — featuring three transfers who joined the Jayhawks this summer — struggled to open up running lanes while also allowing frequent pressure on pass plays. And a unit that can’t hold up against Nicholls State has to wonder if things are likely to improve much with a Big 12 schedule not far in the distance.
Jesse Newell
Jesse Newell covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 10:04 PM.