KU Jayhawks QB Cole Ballard wants one thing after KU’s loss to K-State: ‘We gotta win’
Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Cole Ballard follows the same philosophy as coach Lance Leipold.
The freshman quarterback doesn’t believe in moral victories.
So naturally Ballard wasn’t too pleased after KU’s tough 31-27 loss to Kansas State here Saturday — KU’s 15th straight defeat in this annual series against the in-state rival.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold explained his mindset after the game.
“I said from the start, two years ago, we’re not in the moral victory business,” Leipold said. “So I don’t want to start acting like I am now. Because this was a winnable football game and that stings.”
When a reporter asked Ballard if he agreed with Leipold’s sentiment, he replied: “I do. We gotta win.”
After a week of speculation about whether Jason Bean would start at QB for KU after suffering a head injury against Texas Tech last weekend, Ballard was the starter on Saturday.
“He (Bean) was available. He was cleared to play,” Leipold said. “But just based on practice time and things like that we made the decision that it would be best to go with Cole and see how that was. He (Bean) was available if needed.”
Kansas running back Devin Neal described Bean’s injury as “having good days and bad days.” Ballard said he knew all week that he’d be starting against the Wildcats — and that would be business as usual for the KU offense.
“I feel like we’re not changing our offense much,” Ballard said. “It’s the same one Jason runs. It’s the same one Jalon runs.”
Ballard completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 116 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His coach indicated that he did a good job, for the most part, besides the two picks.
“I think Cole tried to make plays,” Leipold said. “... The fourth down throw, it’s going to get thrown anyway. You’ve got to throw the ball. But the other one, I think he tried to make a real difficult throw.”
Ballard explained his two interceptions.
“Trying to make a play when I really don’t need to,” he said. “Trying to give guys a chance. I’ve got to be smarter with the ball.”
For a third-string freshman quarterback thrust into making his first college start, Ballard exceeded expectations. He threw multiple pinpoint passes in the face of blitzes by K-State.
Ballard shows little to no hesitation on the field, including when he’s running with the ball. That fearlessness seemed to earn the respect of his teammates.
“That guy laid it all out there,” Neal said. “You saw how many hits he was taking; we’re screaming at him to quit taking those hits. But, at the end of the day, he’s just a warrior and going out there just battling for this team.”
On Saturday, Ballard wasn’t happy with the result. After all, there’s no such thing as a moral victory for KU anymore.
“I felt like we had control of the game … and to lose it in the last quarter like that — everyone played so hard,” he said. “It sucked.”
