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A row of Kansas students clap along to the fight song prior to kickoff against Ohio on Sept. 10.
Hardy: False hope reigns in football student section
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
The first boos came with 11:38 left to play in the second quarter, with Kansas losing to Ohio 22-0. The three student sections on the East side of Memorial Stadium were nearly full.
After a week when hope — even confidence — in the football program was the highest it has been since the David Beaty era began in 2015, when Kansas was favored for the third time in three years, when students painted "UNDEFEATED" and "WE [heart] DAVID BEATY" on their chests, the boos came less than 15 minutes into the game.
Then, just five minutes later, the 28,467 people at Memorial Stadium had some hope. LaQvionte Gonzalez returned a kick 99 yards for the first Kansas score of the night to make it 25-7. Ohio went three-and-out on its next possession. Gonzalez stepped back to receive the punt.
"We've got this. This is Texas State all over again," a student said, leaning on Ohio's Week 1 double-overtime loss.
That glimmer of hope was extinguished fast. Gonzalez fumbled the punt. Ohio went up 28-7. The dozen-some cheerleaders pleaded with the student section. Only a few clapped along.
"And just like that..." another student trailed off. He never finished his thought, but it was clear. Just like that, after a week when Kansas football reigned after its first win in almost two years, it fell from grace.
With two minutes left in the half and Kansas down 21 points, two guys in polo shirts and khaki shorts stood in the student section. One turned to his friend. "Wanna go?" Without hesitation, his friend replied, "Yes."
This was a game Kansas could win. It didn't seem that way at the beginning of the season, but it felt that way after Kansas clobbered Rhode Island, 55-6 in Week 1, and, by kick-off, Kansas was favored by 2.5 points across every betting site. Kansas fans could be cautiously optimistic about their football team.
But when the team returned from halftime, about half of the student section had left - the
crowd was splotchy beyond the first few rows. Much of the West side was gone, too. Kansas had totaled 21 yards to Ohio's 359. Thirty minutes in and close to half of the crowd had lost any faith in Kansas football.
But everyone left in the student section rose to their feet for the second half.
On the second play of the second half, quarterback Montell Cozart found wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. for a 74-yard touchdown. The Bobcats went three-and-out on their next drive and Gonzalez was back to return the punt.
"If they win this," one student said as Kansas was set to receive the ball, "that will be awesome."
Gonzalez muffed the punt. Ohio recovered.
Three plays later, Ohio chipped in another field goal to make it 31-14. By then, more students had left, but most who stayed were in it for the long haul. They started to fill in the gaps in the lower half of the section.
The optimists met reality Saturday Kansas football is still building, in the infant stages of competing in Division I college football."
But the Jayhawks kept giving fans a reason to keep faith. When Fish Smithson pulled in an interception three plays later, another student, sipping out of a Kansas souvenir cup, said to himself, "Just watch. We'll win this." Kansas was still down 31-21, but the crowd was its loudest. The stands were half full.
It went on like this through the third quarter. When Kansas went 76 yards in five plays for a touchdown to make it 31-21 and it went to official review, the students held their hands upright to signal a touchdown. When Ohio converted 4th-and-3 at Kansas' 30 yard-line, a student in an Andrew Wiggins jersey shirt buried his head in his hands and laughed. How funny, that he'd ever had hope in this team.
Those still left stayed after Kansas was stopped on 3rd-and-2 with 13:34 left in the game and
Cozart lying injured on the Memorial Stadium turf, but over the next 13 minutes, hope in Memorial Stadium slowly ticked away with time. Kansas was down two possessions, and Ohio used 18 plays to run off 10:03.
With 2:28 left, the few hundred students left stood shading their faces as the sun fell behind the scholarship suites. They watch sophomore quarterback Ryan Willis get hit hard as he threw, then sacked on the next play.
The "UN" and "ED" had put their shirts on. Now "UNDEFEATED" just spelled "DEFEAT."
The optimism that had built up after Week 1 was fragile. There was little hope left as Kansas took a timeout with 2:19 to play. Willis threw an interception that all but ended the game.
"Time to go home and do homework," someone said.
"I'm going to be so sunburnt," one of the letters in "UNDEFEATED" said before snapping a photo and filing out with the rest of the student section. Ohio took a timeout with four seconds. The band played a song to an empty stadium.
The whistle blew to continue play. Fourteen security guards stood lazily between the student section and the field, with no real reason to be there. No one was going to rush the field after this game.
Kansas football lost again, 37-21. A win a week ago made Kansas fans optimistic about their football program again. The optimists met reality Saturday — Kansas football is still building, in the infant stages of competing in Division I college football, even with mid-major football programs.
"There was definitely more excitement [this week], and definitely a [feeling] that we can be good," Smithson said after the game. "That's what makes it really hard. We didn't play to the standard that we're capable of playing... That's a tough feeling."
When it ended, the fight song rang through the stadium. No one entertained the idea of singing along.
"You know, it's hard to win a college football game," Beaty said after the Week 1 win. "I don't care who you're playing."
Kansas football fans should remember that.
ROBERT J. DOLE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS The University of Kansas
STUDENT PROGRAMS
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TOSS OUT THE PLAYBOOK:TRUMP,CLINTON AND THE WACKY POLITICS OF 2016
Tuired Sept. 13 27-Oct. 4 18-25 Nov. 1 15-4 p.m.
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BECOMING AN AMERICAN CITIZEN
Thursday, Sept. 22 - Noon - Centennial Room (Kansas Union)
Enjoy FREE PIZZA and explore the journey to becoming a U.S. citizen with Federal Judge John Lungstrum, KU professor Cecilia Menjivar, and KU doctoral student and new American citizen Andrea Gomez Cervantes
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CONSTITUTION DAY:PROTECTING ELECTION INTEGRITY,VOTER SUPPRESSION,OR SOMETHING ELSE?
Tuesday, Sept. 13 - 6:30 p.m.
In a crucial election year, voting rights become a focal point in states and communities across the nation.The Dole Institute's 2016 Constitution Day program an annual event will bring together Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and KU Law adjunct professor and Dentons partner Mark P. Johnson for a discussion on voting rights.The program will be moderated by KU Law professor Stephen McAllister and is co-sponsored by the KU School of Law
GIANTS OF THE SENATE: DOLE AND KASSEBAUM Saturday. Sept. 17 - 4 p.m.
Longtime Senate colleagues and friends Bob Dole and Nancy Kassebaum take the stage at, the Dole Institute to discuss Congress when they served, the state of Congress today and contemporary politics.
ANIMAL WELFARE IN AMERICA
Wednesday, Sept. 21 - 7 p.m.
From household pets to the largest of livestock, improving the welfare of animals in the U.S. is everyday work for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the ASPCA Wayne Pacelle (president, HSUS) and Nancy Perry (senior vice president of government relations. ASPCA) will discuss their work in animal welfare and Sen.Dole's impressive record on animal rights.
Thursday. Sept. 29 - 7 p.m.
JOURNALISM AND POLITICS:
FORMER SEN. GORDON SMITH
Thursday, Sept. 29 - 7 p.m.
Few topics in an election year are discussed, debated and criticized more than media coverage. In the annual Journalism and Politics Lecture, former U.S. Senator and current President of the National Association of Broadcasters Gordon Smith will look at the evolving role of the media in covering politics.
10 GREATEST MOMENTS INTELEVISED PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE HISTORY Monday, Oct. 3 - 7 p.m.
On the heels of the first presidential debate, professors Mary Banwart, KU,and Mitchell McKinney, University of Missouri, team up and count down the most influential television moments in U.S presidential debate history.
DIRECTOR'S SERIES: NICK SAMBALUK Thursday, Oct. 13 - 3 p.m.
KU graduate and Purdue University professor Nick Sambaluk returns to Lawrence to discuss his new book, "The Other Space Race: Eisenhower and the Quest for Aerospace Security."A longtime attendee of many Dole Institute programs, Sambaluk will discuss the early U.S. space program and its influence on — and from — the Cold War. This program includes a book sale and signing.
AMERICAN UMPIRE: FILM SCREENING AND Q&A Monday. Oct. 17 - 7 p.m.
Producer and writer Elizabeth Cobbs will join the institute for a Q&A and screening of her documentary, "American Umpire." With unique archival footage from interviews with top U.S. diplomats, generals and scholars, the documentary examines why the U.S. became the world's policeman while interpreting the critical debates about American foreign policy in 2016.
STRONG INSIDE: THE PERRY WALLACE STORY Wednesday. Oct. 26 - 7 p.m.
The story of Perry Wallace outlines the collision of race and sports in the South during the Civil Rights movement Andrew Maraniss arrives to discuss his New York Times best-selling biography of Wallace and the unimaginable journey of the young man who courageously accepted an assignment to desegregate the SEC. This program includes a book sale and signing
2016 POST-ELECTION CONFERENCE Dec. 8-9 - Times TBD
The Dole Institute's nationally recognized post-election panel returns for one of the wildest presidential elections in recent history. National journalists, strategists and campaign veterans from both sides will analyze election results and happenings in a multi-session conference. Come to one session or all - just don't miss this chance
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