KU football remains positive

Kansas head coach David Beaty gives a signal to his players during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

Saturday afternoon, after his team’s 38-13 loss at Iowa State, Kansas University football coach David Beaty talked about the need for his coaching staff and players to focus less on winning the small battles and more on winning games.

That kind of recipe could make for a long eight weeks.

Unfortunately for the Jayhawks — 0-4 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play — the four easiest games on their schedule are behind them, leaving only tough match-ups against high-powered Big 12 foes on the schedule from here until the end of November.

First up: 11 a.m. Saturday at home vs. Baylor, which opened as a whopping 38-point favorite on Sunday.

During the next couple of months, the Jayhawks actually figure to get younger rather than more experienced, with Beaty and company likely electing to play more young players, both to see what they’ve got now and also to give the youngsters valuable game reps with an eye toward the future.

Doing so could lead to more long days and lopsided outcomes, but Beaty said he was prepared to hang tough and keep the positivity flowing.

“That’s me,” Beaty said. “That’s how we do it. We put more time than the average (program) probably in what our sideline looks like. What the demeanor looks like. What the body language looks like. What their facial expressions look like. We (say) all the time, ‘Man, that man to the right and left of you, it’s worth it to keep playing for him.'”

For the most part, the players on this KU roster have done a good job of blocking out the results and locking in on individual and team improvement. But as the losses pile up and the Saturdays get scarier, Beaty knows keeping their heads in it could prove to be difficult.

“I think it’s a challenge for them,” Beaty said. “We’re the adults in this deal. We’re not necessarily allowed to have bad days. They have bad days. So the more we can keep our emotions in tune and in check … and that’s difficult for grown men. That’s difficult for us. But that’s why I hired the guys I hired. They know how to handle these young men.”

KU sophomore Joe Dineen, who despite his youth seems more like a veteran each week, said the message and tone in the locker room already has made a rough season easier.

“The coaching staff really does carry us through it,” Dineen said. “They motivate us week in and week out to come out and play really, really hard. Obviously you don’t want to start 0-4. It sucks. But the key is to just keep getting better. It’s gonna be a process, but I think we’re gonna get there.

“We have a bright future here at KU. I really believe that. With the coaching staff and all the young guys that are getting reps, that’s huge. Experience in Div. I college football is the most important thing. Now that everyone is doing that and getting snaps, I think it’ll really pay off in the future.”