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Jayhawks' upcoming opponent struggles after suspension of coach and dismissal of 6 players
EVAN RIGGS
@ EvanRiggsUDK
No football program in America is in as much disarray as Rutgers University. They have already had six key players dismissed from the team for a variety of criminal charges, and their head coach, Kyle Flood, was suspended for three games. Flood was also fined $50,000 because he asked faculty about a player's academic status, which violated university policy. There's a chance that Flood could be fired, according to espn.com.
Without their coach and six players, including starting fullback Lloyd Taylor and starting cornerback Andre
Boggs, Rutgers struggled in a 28-3 home loss to Penn State in interim head coach Norries Wilson's debut.
After the game, Wilson had what will certainly end up as one of the strangest press conferences of the season. He called on reporters one-by-one instead of taking questions.
They let Penn State run wild, with freshman running back Saquon Barkley and junior running back Akeel Lynch earning 195 and 120 yards rushing, respectively. That bodies well for Kansas and junior running back Ke'aun Kinner, who has rushed for over 100 vards in each of his first two starts.
GENE J. PUSKAR/AP PHOTO
Rutgers wasn't able to get anything going on the ground, with just 43 yards rushing on 32 attempts. Sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano did manage 251 yards passing but threw two interceptions.
Is it a sign that Wilson is in over his head as the interim head coach? Perhaps. But, that won't matter this Saturday when the Jayhawks, who haven't won a road game since 2009, travel to New Jersey to play their first road game of the season.
The fact that Rutgers is without six key players and its head coach certainly won't hurt Kansas. But the Jayhawks are still trying to find themselves under a new coaching staff and almost no returning starters from last season.
Rutgers opens as a 13-point favorite over KU football.
- Jesse Newell (@ jessenewel) September 20, 2015
GENE J. PUSKAR/AP PHOTO Rutgers interim head coach Norries Wilson, center, talks with a running back during a game against Penn State.
The Jayhawks lost their leading passer, rusher and receiver returning from the 2014 team. Former running back Corey Avery and wide receiver Rodriguez Coleman were dismissed from the team over the summer, and quarterback Michael Cummings was lost to a torn ACL in the spring. They also lost their top returning defender, linebacker Jake Love, who had to retire for medical reasons.
Before the season, Rutgers was projected to be a team fighting for a bowl game. Kansas, on the other hand, had their over/under win total set at 1.5. Despite Rutgers' losses,
ns simply asking too much for the lajhawks to win their first road game since 2009, even under these circumstances.
Edited by Leah Sitz
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