Last weekend, for the second game in a row, red-shirt freshman Tyler Patrick was the Jayhawks’ most productive and impressive wide receiver on the field.

Today, when the Jayhawks square off against Iowa State at 11 a.m. at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, Patrick is expected to reap the benefits of his recent breakthrough by taking a spot in the Jayhawks’ starting lineup.

Technically, Patrick was a starter last week against Rutgers, when he caught three balls for 70 yards including one on a double move that set the Jayhawks up with a first-and-goal inside the 1 yard line. But this week he saw his name listed atop the KU depth chart at one of KU’s three receiver spots for the first time in his career.

Because true freshmen and red-shirt freshmen are not allowed to speak to the media this season, first-year head coach David Beaty and quarterback Montell Cozart recently were asked what transformed Patrick from a scout team wideout three weeks ago into a budding star today.

Their answers were very similar.

“I’ve always had confidence in T-Pat,” Cozart said. “All camp, all spring, the guy has balled out and made big plays. He’s a great receiver and great with details. He’s been stepping up for us and I feel like he takes ownership and is just continuing to let his play talk for itself.”

Added Beaty: “I think the big thing that stuck out to us is what he was doing on special teams. When he wasn’t playing, he was still covering kicks for us at the gunner position and, man, he was out there showing up. He just kept working.”

After not catching a pass in the season opener, the red-shirt freshman from The Woodlands, Texas, takes nine catches and 108 yards into today’s clash with Iowa State. Both numbers rank second on the team.

Embracing the process

There’s not a soul in the KU locker room who would say the Jayhawks are pleased with their 0-3 start. But the KU players and coaches are not completely devastated either.

Because of the persistence of the coaching staff and the character of the players, Beaty’s first Kansas team seems to be full of guys who are willing to take their lumps and embrace the rebuilding process.

According to Beaty, continuing to operate that way will be critical for the Jayhawks as they navigate their way through Big 12 play during the next nine weeks.

“There’s been a lot of progress here from the day that we got here till we started fall camp,” Beaty said this week. “But, man, we’ve got a long way to go. There’s just a lot to do. It’s like I told our team, ‘I know you want five years’ worth of work in six months, but it’s not going to happen. Doesn’t work that way.’ My mom taught me that a long time ago. Just doesn’t work that way. We have got a lot of work to do and it’s going to start with one step at a time, one day at a time, and we’ll keep sawing wood. It will hit. It will hit here soon.”

Series history

Today’s game marks the 95th meeting between the Jayhawks and Cyclones on the gridiron, and KU owns a 50-38-6 advantage all-time in the series. KU won the initial meeting, 11-6, back in 1898.

In addition to trying to snag their first victory of 2015, the Jayhawks also are looking to put together a winning streak of Iowa State. Their 34-14 victory over ISU in Lawrence last season ended a four-game losing streak, but Iowa State has won the last three meetings in Ames. The Jayhawks are 22-22-4 all-time in games played in Ames.

KU’s last victory at ISU’s Jack Trice Stadium came in October of 2008, when KU prevailed 35-33.

Cyclones favored

Oddsmakers in Las Vegas pegged Iowa State a 14.5-point favorite when the betting lines came out at the beginning of the week and that number has climbed steadily throughout the week and is as high as ISU -16.5 in some places.

So far this season, KU is 1-2 against the spread, finally covering the number during last week’s 27-14 loss at Rutgers.