Jayhawk Coordinators are in Deep

I've had my bits about Kansas defensive coordinator Clint Bowen all along.  However, my focus recently has shifted to Ed Warriner and the offensive side of the ball.  Now I wonder if either is particularly secure in his position at Kansas.

The Kansas defense has failed to progress from last season, despite having significantly more talent.  Coach Mangino shifted his focus to defense after a miserable game against Iowa State. He's toyed with personnel, adjusted formations, and has at least stopped some of the bleeding.

In the games against Duke, Southern Miss, and Iowa State, the Jayhawks allowed opponents nearly 434 yards of offense.

With the recent infusion of old schemes and new youth, Kansas has allowed only 337 yards in four losses since, even with an unfortunate chunk of that yardage coming from the run late in games.

Now, Mangino has turned his focus to a dying offense.  Recently, he's implemented a few new packages, swapping positions and skimming through the talent at his disposal as well.

While confidence is still in the dirt, playing Brad Thorson at right tackle steadied the line a bit, and the new formations gave way to more creative play-calling.  Outside of one ugly drop, a wobbly pass or two, and a failure to capitalize on their opponent's errors, the offense appeared a little more motivated in the fourth quarter last Saturday.

Ed Warriner has led the Kansas offense through some very prominent times, but whispers of his stubbornness and predictability are starting to swirl.  Speculation of whether or not he'll be able to properly utilize a different style of personnel next season is raising some interesting questions as well.

Some people are starting to point fingers at Mangino also, but I put my foot down there.  What few fixes there have been to the Jayhawks' problems have come from the head coach.

Call me naive, but this season has given me even more respect for Mangino.

In fact, if I were Athletic Director Lew Perkins, I would make damn sure a coach as talented and as highly paid as Mangino had solid tools to work with, not tools of the plastic "Playskool" variety.

Remember when defense and special teams were what Kansas really excelled at?  Clint Bowen was a marvelous special teams coordinator, and Bill Young was a perfect match for Mangino.  Young had the know-how and experience that allowed Mangino to work his magic with Ed Warriner and KU's innovative new offense.

At least the Jayhawks special teams have shown some kind of improvement (you're okay for now, Louie Matsakis), but not retaining Young for a little extra cash was apparently a huge mistake.  Handing the high profile job over to a young, unproven Bowen was apparently a even larger mistake.

And who knew Warriner would turn out to be a disappointment?

It's interesting to think about how two years ago, when the Nebraska Cornhuskers were last in Lawrence, the Jayhawks dealt out a 76-39 trouncing of Nebraska.  If I remember correctly, it wasn't long after that that Bill Callahan and his coordinators were looking for new jobs.

I don't think Mangino's seat is too hot.  He's been too good not be given the benefit of the doubt at least once more.

However, I'm not so sure the same goes for the KU offensive and defensive coordinators.  The Nebraska game will not doom them, but they badly need a sixth win this season.

I think if the Hawks squeak out one more victory, their schedule gives them a fairly bowl-positive outlook. Only three teams (four if you count Iowa State) on the Hawks schedule aren't approaching, or haven't yet met bowl eligibility requirements. 

A third straight bowl game more than likely merits both Warriner (based on past achievements) and Bowen (who is still learning) another chance.

However, if Kansas loses all three remaining games (resulting in seven straight), I would be completely in favor of seeing new faces at KU next season.  Perkins and the athletic department have invested a lot of money in the football program recently, and Mangino is getting to an age where he can't handle everything himself.

Hopefully, KU will surprise everyone (even me) and sneak up on the Cornhuskers in Memorial Stadium tomorrow.  It's Senior Day, and it would appear the Jayhawks don't stand much of a chance.

Who knows?  What I do know is that winning would be the best medicine for everyone in a sickly program right now; for the fans, the players, and the coaches alike.