Kansas ranks 105th in total defense and 109th in scoring defense among 114 Division I-A teams.
On paper, the scores seem hauntingly similar.
- Notre Dame 48, Kansas 13.
- Colorado 51, Kansas 17.
- San Diego State 41, Kansas 13.
In every football game against an NCAA Div. I-A opponent this season, Kansas has been mashed, mangled and manhandled.
"Everybody I think is perplexed why we can't get clicking," KU senior linebacker Tim Bowers said following Saturday night's lopsided loss to SDSU. "I don't think anyone can figure out why."
Even with that 71-14 win over Div. I-AA Cal State Northridge thrown into the mix, the Jayhawks' defensive numbers are dreadful.
Kansas ranks No. 105 out of 114 Division I-A teams in total defense (441 yards per game) and No. 109 in scoring defense (38.5). Triple-digit territory is no place to be on the NCAA stat charts.
Offensively, the Jayhawks have better numbers. For instance, KU is 76th in rushing offense and 86th in total offense. But those numbers are skewed by the Cal State Northridge blowout.
Notably, in the three losses to Div. I-A foes, Kansas has run 57 fewer offensive plays than its opponents, meaning the defense has spent much too much time on the field.
Bowers, for one, wasn't blaming the offense, however, after the stunning loss to the Aztecs.
"The defense went out and didn't make any plays," Bowers said. "It just didn't happen for us."
Cornerback Andrew Davison, who seemed to be picked on consistently in the first half by SDSU quarterback Jack Hawley, couldn't fault the KU staff's decision to go primarily with a zone defense during the first 30 minutes.
"They were picking on me because we were using a lot of zone," Davison said. "I still feel if we'd have played the zone right we'd have been OK. I should have taken the slant (pass) away."
Hawley deserved some credit, though. The SDSU quarterback had a hot hand.
"They executed," Davison said. "They did a real good job of picking our zone apart. We just didn't make the plays on defense we needed to make."
Safety Greg Erb thought San Diego State's three-point loss the previous week to USC in Los Angeles gave the Aztecs an injection of confidence.
"They played a great game," Erb said. "They played great last week and almost beat USC. They were confident and it carried over."
Confidence, meanwhile, is in short supply at Kansas.
"We feel like we're a lot better than we're showing," Erb said.
Sunday, therefore, was a day of soul-searching for everyone connected with the Jayhawks' beleaguered program.
"We need to do a lot of that," Erb conceded. "We need to turn things around."
Maybe Southern Methodist will be what the doctor ordered for the ailing Jayhawks. The Mustangs are 0-3, have been shut out twice -- including a 20-0 loss to Hawaii in Dallas on Saturday -- and rank No. 111 nationally in scoring.
Kickoff will be 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
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And the winners are: Kansas University's coaches named the following award winners: Tywanne Aldridge, special teams player of the week; John Williams, defensive player of the week; Harrison Hill, offensive player of the week; Tyrus Fontenot, hit of the week; Dylen Smith's 43-yard TD pass to Hill, play of the week; walk-on safety Frank White and running back Mike Lewis, scout teamers of the week.
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Injury update: KU coach Terry Allen said Sunday that he didn't expect any players hurt Saturday to miss this week's SMU game, including running back HenrÃ- Childs, who suffered a third-quarter concussion. Additionally, Allen said backup cornerback Chad Coellner, who sat out SDSU with a hamstring pull, should return for SMU, and Allen upgraded wideout Termaine Fulton (high-ankle sprain) to probable for SMU.
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Changes: Allen reiterated Sunday that change was on the horizon. He just wouldn't indicate what kinds of changes were in the works after KU's first nonconference home loss since 1993.
"I don't know what was said in the articles (Sunday)," he said. "But at halftime, we reached a low point of all-time. We gotta dig ourselves out. We have to make some changes. We have to do that. But we can't give up the ship. We'll stay with the routine and make some changes. We have to do some real evaluating."
That evaluating, Allen said, would cover the whole program.
"We have to evaluate all of us," Allen said. "That's the head coach, the assistant coaches, the personnel. It's frustrating, but I don't want to point fingers or name names."
-- Chuck Woodling's phone message number is 832-7147. His e-mail address is cwoodling@ljworld.com.
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