KU report card: Which areas of Jayhawks’ all around game scored as average? A couple
Andrew Parchment caught six passes for 54 yards and a second-half touchdown late Saturday night in the first game of his senior season at the University of Kansas.
He was one of the main reasons the Jayhawks were able to slice a game-high deficit of 28 points against Coastal Carolina to 11 in the third quarter.
One would figure his effort was worthy of, at the minimum, a passing grade.
Yet … “I would grade my performance as an F,” the wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said after the Jayhawks’ season-opening 38-23 defeat at Booth Memorial Stadium.
“I didn’t do enough for my team to win the game tonight.”
Specifically, he cited these areas in need of improvement: “Block on the perimeter, and be more of a leader not only on Saturdays, but during the week.”
Asked how he felt leaving the stadium after outscoring the Sun Belt Conference school, 20-10, the second half, Parchment stated: “Like a loser. I feel like I let my teammates down, feel like I let the University of Kansas down, feel like I let my family down. I’ll go back to work on Monday.”
Junior quarterback Miles Kendrick, who completed 15 of 24 passes for two touchdowns, one two-point conversion against one interception, praised Parchment’s effort.
“Andrew Parchment is a competitor,” he said. “He has a lot of passion for the game. It’s what that is. A lot of guys feel that way tonight. All you can do is watch film, make corrections to get better. He made plays. He gave his best effort.”
Here are our grades for the Jayhawks’ offense, defense and special teams.
Offense
D: Two interceptions and a fumble led to three of Coastal Carolina’s first four scores, which cost KU the game.
Injuries may have been a factor. Wide receiver Stephon Robinson and tight end Jack Luavasa did not dress for the game. No reasons were given. Meanwhile, running back Pooka Williams, who had 67 yards on 12 carries, suffered an undisclosed injury in the second half.
Also, QB Thomas MacVittie (5 of 9 passing for 20 yards and one interception; 37 yards rushing, six carries) suffered an undisclosed injury in the second half. MacVittie played the game in a jersey that misspelled his name as MacVitte, which was was made fun of on social media duiring the game.
Kendrick was effective the final half as KU mounted a mini-comeback. Meanwhile, sophomore Velton Gardner gained 81 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown and looked like a promising running back.
Defense
C: Coastal Carolina gained 318 yards, which isn’t a crazy stat.
But quarterback Grayson McCall, a redshirt freshman, accounted for five touchdowns. He passed for three and ran for two. Overall he went 11 of 18, passing for 133 yards and the three scores. He rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries and scored two TDs, too.
That’s a monumental five-TD effort. He gave KU’s defense problems much of the game.
Special teams
C: KU’s return game was OK; Jamahl Horne had three for 71 yards and Kenny Logan one for 24. Redshirt freshman Jacob Borcila made a 47-yard field goal and missed a 53-yarder. Kyle Thompson had one punt for 30 yards.
Coaching
D: The old adage of “not getting the team ready to play,” while a cliche, might ring true considering KU fell behind 28-0 in the first half.
Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell, now 2-0 versus Les Miles, won the battle of gamesmanship concerning the starting quarterback. Neither coach announced his starting QB during the week.
Coastal went with a guy who many expected to be third string. That’s McCall, who accounted for the five TDs. KU went with two quarterbacks most of the way and used freshman Jalon Daniels on the final series. KU opened with MacVittie, who along with Kendrick put up just three points the opening half.
Next
After a week off, KU will meet Baylor on Sept. 26 in Waco, Texas.
This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 3:30 PM.
