KU Jayhawks football — after third-quarter rally — still routed by Coastal Carolina
The Kansas football team lost 49-22 to No. 17 Coastal Carolina on Friday night. With most sports books, KU did not cover the spread.
Still ... there’s some reason to not completely trust the scoreboard when measuring KU’s progress on this particular night.
Jason Bean threw for 189 yards and ran for 102 more. One of his two long touchdown runs in the third quarter trimmed Coastal Carolina’s lead to 28-22.
It was all Chanticleers after that, though, as they scored three unanswered touchdowns to turn it into a late laugher.
Here are a few other things we learned about the Jayhawks (1-1) on Friday.
Bean shows flashes
Bean showed significant progress in his second game with KU, wowing at times with his legs while also completing more passes down the field.
Bean had two touchdown runs — 34 and 46 yards — while also looking more in control of the offense while making more of his own calls at the line of scrimmage than he did in Game 1.
He also found some receivers deep, as Luke Grimm, Lawrence Arnold and Trevor Wilson all came down with 35-plus-yard grabs.
Bean also bounced back quickly after getting hit hard in the fourth quarter. He was down temporarily on the turf, grabbing his right wrist after being taken down by a blitzer following a throw, but he came to the sideline for only one play before going back in.
Defense takes step back
Make no mistake: Many defenses will struggle against Coastal Carolina’s high-powered attack led by quarterback Grayson McCall.
Still ... KU’s defense, after an encouraging effort in the opener, didn’t do nearly enough Friday to keep the Jayhawks in the game.
Coastal Carolina marched for five 70-plus-yard drives. Though KU kept the ball well enough on offense to keep this a low-possession game, the Chanticleers still easily made it to the 40s in points while converting 8 of 9 third downs.
Hidden third hurts KU
KU had a nearly flawless game with its special teams against South Dakota last week. That unit took a step back as well on Friday, though, against Coastal Carolina.
The game-changer was in the second quarter, as Alex Spillum blocked a Reis Vernon punt, then fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown. That put the Jayhawks in an early 21-9 hole.
KU also had an extra point blocked in the first quarter.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 10:29 PM.
