What we learned about KU football from its 59-23 home loss to the TCU Horned Frogs
Kansas football fans who kept their TVs on past a brutal first quarter were rewarded by seeing some potential hope for the future.
Those first 12 minutes though? Yeesh ... and more than enough to set KU back in a 59-23 home loss to TCU on Saturday night at Booth Memorial Stadium.
“I like us,” KU coach Les Miles said about his team afterward. “We just need to play better. We just need to be more efficient pretty soon.”
Here’s a quick rundown of events that led to TCU taking a 24-0 lead:
• Quarterback Max Duggan found tight end Pro Wells so wide open for a 46-yard touchdown pass that Duggan turned to the sideline and shrugged, as if to indicate he couldn’t believe there were no defenders around either;
• Duggan later connected with Carter Ware for a 26-yard score, with this KU blown coverage leaving no player within 10 yards of TCU’s tight end in the end zone when he caught it;
• An errant snap over the head of KU quarterback Jalon Daniels leading to a 24-yard loss, then two plays later, a KU punt turning into a 37-yard punt return for TD from Derius Davis.
To be fair, this isn’t the easiest of circumstances for KU, which played without paid spectators in the stands because of COVID-19 precautions. The team had to postpone last week’s game against Texas because of a lack of depth at defensive line, and injuries combined with opt-outs resulted in the team starting three true freshmen on the offensive line ... then also bringing a redshirt freshman walk-on in Saturday when another player went off with an ailment.
“The mistakes that you mention, from the center to the quarterback, the offensive line with three true freshmen starting in it ... I think the future is pretty bright,” Miles said to reporters. “Not as bad as it feels right now, and I say that to myself, and I’m sure that your customers and yourself all understand that.”
In all, KU had 22 players on its pregame “did not dress list,” and that didn’t include others like running backs Pooka Williams (opt out) and Velton Gardner (injury), who were key contributors early in the season.
“It’s 2020,” KU quarterback Miles Kendrick said. “You’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Perhaps, then, the good moments after that should count for a little more. True freshman receiver Luke Grimm grabbed a pair of touchdowns, including one where he deftly kept his toes inbounds on an outside throw. Kwamie Lassiter went for 116 yards receiving on his Senior Night and recovered a surprise onside kick, while running back Amauri Pesek-Hickson showed some burst in eclipsing 100 yards as KU’s featured back.
“I enjoyed some of our players and the advancement they made in really short order,” Miles said.
Kendrick — after replacing Daniels late in the first half — was responsible for most of the air-yard production, though he also was mistake-prone. He completed 10 of his first 13 passes for 153 yards before throwing a pick-six and also fumbling a ball that resulted in a TCU fumble recovery touchdown.
TCU’s early lead meant it won despite some strange stats. Duggan completed just 3 of 11 passes — and none to receivers or running backs — while finishing with 96 yards and three touchdowns. The Horned Frogs’ running game, meanwhile, racked up 337 yards while averaging more than 8 per carry.
KU, now 0-8 and 0-7 in Big 12 play, travels to Texas Tech next week.
This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 10:51 PM.
