Only the timing was something of a surprise.

Four games into his third season as Kansas University’s football coach, Charlie Weis — and everyone else — saw the writing on the wall. The Jayhawks had finished their game on Saturday with a zero on the scoreboard for the second time this year. With a record of six wins and 22 losses and no prospects for improvement in sight, Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger decided to try to cut his — and the Jayhawks’ — losses by sending Weis on his way.

It was the right decision. Clearly, Zenger had decided the KU football program would be better off without Weis than with him. Mid-season dismissals are awkward but, with KU as the projected underdog in every game for the rest of the season, the team really has nowhere to go but up.

Zenger was right to acknowledge Weis’ success with “several facets of our football program.” The team made academic progress under his leadership and he wasn’t afraid to dismiss players who didn’t measure up to his standards of behavior. However, as Zenger also noted, “we have not made the on-the-field progress we believe we should.”

Many KU fans would consider that an understatement. The KU football program has better financial support from KU alumni than it probably deserves, but the recent revolving door of coaches has cost the program. Zenger’s assessment on Sunday that “the program has lost support at all levels” was a not-so-surprising wake-up call.

The appointment of defensive coordinator Clint Bowen as interim coach may re-energize both the team and its fans for the remainder of the season. The appointment is an opportunity for Bowen, who grew up in Lawrence and played for KU, to showcase his skills as a head coach, but it seems unfair to base any decision on whether to retain him as coach on his record during the rest of this broken season against tough Big 12 competition.

If Bowen is able to inspire his players and perhaps win a game or two, he certainly deserves consideration for the job, but, KU needs to give serious thought to its football hiring strategy. Officials need to gather some input and decide exactly what they are looking for in a coach: maybe an up-and-coming talent, someone who is in demand, not someone who is looking for a job.

KU is known as a basketball school, but it shouldn’t give up on football. It’s possible, as Kansas State has shown, to turn a struggling football program around. It’s important that KU does its best to make that happen here.