The team Kansas is putting on the field this season, contrary to Charlie Weis’ preseason comments is not pile of crap. But at 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12, the Jayhawks aren’t off to a great start either.
They led Texas Tech for one quarter and hung with TCU for three, but right now coach Weis just doesn’t have the talent or depth on the roster to keep up with the conference’s better teams.
The Jayhawks are last in the Big 12 in scoring and total offense through five games. They have a brutal offensive line, which is becoming more and more of a problem for Jake Heaps, and he’s getting hardly any production from his wide receivers.
Life doesn’t get easier anytime soon for the Jayhawks, who face Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas and Oklahoma State in their next four contests. KU showed against TCU last week -- in a game that was tied 10-10 at halftime -- that it has a shot to upset somebody this season. At this point, the best this team can hope for is eventually ending its streak of 23 consecutive Big 12 losses.
Offensive MVP: It’s a shame running back/receiver Tony Pierson was injured, because he was enjoying a nice follow-up to a 2012 season in which he produced 1,051 total yards of offense. Pierson is Kansas’ leading receiver in both catches (21) and yards (327) and is averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He’s a weapon any Big 12 team would want in its arsenal.
Defensive MVP: Linebacker Ben Heeney might be among the most underrated players in the entire Big 12, and could end up being a dark horse candidate for conference Defensive Player of the Year. He’s No. 3 among Big 12 linebackers in tackles and has added 7.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four pass breakups. He could end up having a special season.