KU football’s two-game win streak snapped in uncompetitive loss to Baylor

Kansas football fans — after seeing two straight wins — likely entered Saturday wondering whether these Jayhawks had a chance to fare better than past teams against Big 12 opponents.

The first result, then, wasn’t encouraging.

KU’s offense had few bright moments, while the defense struggled to keep up with Baylor’s speed as the Bears took a 26-7 victory on Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.

The Jayhawks, who were a single-digit road underdog (7 1/2 points) in a conference game for just the second time in their last 31 contests, were never truly competitive. The Bears scored touchdowns on three of their first five possessions, with quarterback Charlie Brewer finding numerous running openings against a KU defense that struggled to keep him in the pocket.

Offensively, KU was a disaster in the first half. The Jayhawks, who rushed for 400 yards in a victory over Rutgers last week, had 13 rushes for 0 yards before halftime, though that counted the negative yardage from a pair of sacks.

It all led to a 23-0 Baylor halftime lead, and KU didn’t to much to close the gap afterward.

Pooka Williams set up the Jayhawks’ only points in the third quarter. After breaking a tackle, the true freshman broke 72 yards down the right sideline, and three plays later, Peyton Bender found Jeremiah Booker for a 10-yard score.

It wasn’t enough. KU’s defense improved in the second half — forcing four punts on five Baylor drives — but didn’t do enough in a low-possession game.

Also concerning for KU fans was the return of some coaching gameday gaffes. Coach David Beaty took a timeout before another fourth-down decision in the first half, then burned his final timeout after the break prior to a Baylor fourth-and-8 with 5 minutes left when the Bears did not appear like they were going to run a play.

KU rotated quarterbacks, playing Bender, Miles Kendrick and also Carter Stanley. Kendrick was experiencing right shoulder discomfort in the second half, according to the FS1 broadcast.

KU, 2-2, will host No. 15 Oklahoma State for its homecoming game at 11 a.m. on Sept. 29.

This story was originally published September 22, 2018 at 6:01 PM.