Kansas return man LaQuvionte Gonzalez (1) has nowhere to run as he is forced out of bounds on a kickoff by the Texas Tech defense during the first quarter on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

With the regular season complete and 80 FBS programs in full-on preparation mode for upcoming bowl matchups, the Kansas football team’s concerns these days focus solely on pinpointing ways to put a more successful product on the field in the years ahead.

While various issues contributed to the Jayhawks’ 2-10 record in head coach David Beaty’s second season, an area in need of drastic improvement showed up on one segment of special teams. KU only returned seven punts all season, netting a negative total of -10 yards.

Kansas was one of nine FBS teams that failed to reach double-digit returns in 2016, thanks to fair catches and non-fielded punts often ruling that aspect of the game. However, as anyone would guess, the Jayhawks’ negative return output (-1.4 per attempt) ranked 128th — last — in the nation — and figurative miles behind national leader in that category, Texas A & M (25.5 yards per return), where Beaty used to work as an assistant.

Leading up to KU’s season finale, Beaty elected to relieve LaQuvionte Gonzalez, a transfer from A & M, of his return duties due to the junior’s struggles. Gonzalez — who fumbled two punt returns in Week 2 against Ohio, contributing to Kansas losing 19 yards in the category — muffed one punt return in two straight games late in the season.

Hoping for a boost in the opposite direction, Beaty inserted another receiver, Steven Sims Jr., into the lineup as the Jayhawks’ punt returner at Kansas State. Sims neither got to show much nor propelled KU out of its negative total, though. He called for two fair catches on two K-State punts and elected not to return two others. The Wildcats’ favorable field position, Beaty pointed out, had a lot to do with that. On three of the four punts, Sims had to set up inside KU’s 10-yard line.

“So that is the most difficult spot for a punt returner to be sittin’ in,” Beaty said, “because he’s trying to figure out if it’s gonna go in (the end zone), if it’s not gonna go in. (K-State) did a good job. I thought Steven did a really nice job of makin’ decisions.”

Sims, too, entered the offseason feeling more positive about the state of the punt return unit, if only based on one game.

“It was cool,” Sims said. “I was kind of nervous on the first one, but I just listened to what Coach Beaty told me — told me my keys and stuff — and I just did it.”

The only perilous moment came in the fourth quarter, when Sims had to dodge out of the way of a punt at the last second to avoid touching it.

“That was a scary one,” said Sims after the season-ending loss. “I was tryin’ to get out of the way and draw the defenders and the ball. When it came off, it like curved toward me. So I was just tryin’ to get out of the way. It was kind of scary. I thought it touched me.”

Considering that particular close call came near the five-yard line with Kansas trying to mount a late rally, it frightened Beaty, too. Still, the coach understood Sims’ predicament.

“He’s trying to keep us from being on the one-yard line,” the coach said, “and he wants to get one and take off runnin’.”

Sims said he definitely wants the chance to return punts again in 2017. With the Sept. 2 opener versus Southeast Missouri State still nearly nine months away, there is plenty of time for Beaty and special teams coordinator Joe DeForest to continue evaluating on that front.

Regardless of which Jayhawk Beaty sends deep on punt returns moving forward, the head coach can’t deny KU, which returned 13 punts for 26 yards in his first season, has to vastly improve in that facet of the game.

“But, you know, we’ve got some good players here,” Beaty said. “We’ve gotta be better at that spot as much time as we put into that. I bet I kick a hundred and fifty balls a day to these guys — myself. My ole’ butt kicks ’em a hundred fifty balls a day. So we better be better than that as we move forward, because we’ve got too good of players not to.”