Kansas coach David Beaty looking for ways to spark lackluster offense
When the Kansas coaching staff convened for a meeting on Tuesday morning, David Beaty opened the floor and asked for ideas. The goal: Fix a punchless offense. Any and all suggestions were on the table, from personnel changes, to tweaking the system, to practice changes that could lead to better execution.
Beaty, in his first season, always knew that this Kansas rebuilding project was going to be an uphill battle. He understood the challenges that come with a shorthanded roster. He knew that installing a new offensive scheme would take time and care. But if you ask Beaty about his biggest disappointment thus far, he is likely to bring up an offensive unit that is averaging just 16.5 points per game.
“We haven’t been able to score at the rate I know we’re capable of doing,” Beaty said this week.
When Beaty arrived at Kansas last December, he set out to install an up-tempo spread offense that would maximize the Jayhawks’ offensive resources and attract recruits who wanted to be part of the fun. Beaty hired offensive coordinator Rob Likens from California — a product of the Air Raid tree — and he promised to keep the pedal to the floor, even as the Jayhawks prepared to duel with the nuclearized offenses of the Big 12.
“We’re never out of a game because of the way we play,” Beaty said during preseason camp.
Eight games into the 2015 season, the results haven’t quite measured up to the rhetoric. Entering Saturday’s road trip to Texas, Kansas ranks 114th in total offense (338 yards per game), 119th in rushing offense (107.5 yards per game) and 63rd in passing offense (230.5). The offensive issues are one reason the Jayhawks are 0-8 — though the defense hasn’t been much better — and the numbers have confounded Beaty, who spent the last three seasons working in Texas A&M’s juggernaut system.
“From our standpoint,” Beaty said. “We have to put the ball in the end zone. We’ve got to find a way to create some offense.”
Some of the solutions, of course, are obvious. Quarterback Ryan Willis is a true freshman. The receiving corps is inexperienced. The Jayhawks’ offensive line is patchwork. Last week, Beaty relied on two true freshman against a ranked Oklahoma team. What else can be expected? Beaty, though, points to No. 4 TCU, a program that is playing with a similar number of newcomers.
“They’re finding a way to get things done,” Beaty says. “They’ve got some experience, don’t get me wrong, but those are some of the things we have to do with inexperienced guys as well.”
In Beaty’s view, the solutions are varied — the Jayhawks must get bigger and stronger up front, they must recruit more playmakers on the outside, they must refine their execution. But for the moment, with four games left, the Jayhawks have to make do with what they’ve got.
“At the end of the day, our job is to get the ball in the end zone,” Beaty said, “and we haven’t done that. We haven’t done it enough.”
Rustin Dodd: 816-234-4937, @rustindodd
Kansas at Texas
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel
Three other story lines
David Beaty’s return to Texas: Beaty, a native of Garland, Texas, will serve his first game as a head coach in his home state. Beaty has put an emphasis on recruiting the state of Texas, and at the moment, 38 percent of the Jayhawks’ roster hails from that state. Next on the agenda: win. The Jayhawks haven’t defeated a Big 12 opponent from the state of Texas since winning at Texas A&M in 2007.
Will Jordan Shelley-Smith be healthy? Shelley-Smith, a junior offensive tackle, has been slowed because of a concussion and the Jayhawks were forced to play two freshman tackles last week against Oklahoma. If Shelley-Smith can return, Kansas should be in better shape up front.
The road streak: The most talked-about streak in Kansas football will remain that way until it ends. The Jayhawks have lost 33 straight true road games and 36 games away from Lawrence. If the Jayhawks lose on Saturday, the streak will likely continue next week at TCU.
This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Kansas coach David Beaty looking for ways to spark lackluster offense."