Kansas remains winless after 38-13 loss at Iowa State

AMES, Iowa _ As Matthew Wyman peered toward the end zone and measured his steps at the 43-yard line, Kansas coach David Beaty stepped forward onto the Jack Trice Stadium grass and looked for an official.tmpplchld It was early in the second quarter on Saturday afternoon _ the beginning stages of Kansas’ 38-13 loss to Iowa State in its Big 12 opener _ but in this moment, as Beaty pondered a decision, the Jayhawks still trailed by just three points. The football rested at the Iowa State 35-yard line. It was fourth-and-3.tmpplchld At first, the decision appeared obvious, at least on the KU sideline. Wyman, Kansas’ long-range kicker, trotted out with the field-goal unit, and the Jayhawks lined up to kick. Then came the timeout.tmpplchld On a fourth-and-short from the Iowa State 35-yard line, Beaty sent out the punt team. The kick would bounce into the end zone, resulting in a net gain of just 15 yards. The decision summed up what would become another dullish performance from a rebuilding Kansas program.tmpplchld Under a bright sun and clear blue skies, the Jayhawks, 0-4, stayed winless and brow-beaten, offering few reasons for latent optimism against an Iowa State team that was projected to finish ninth in the Big 12. The Cyclones went winless in the Big 12 last season, including a blowout loss in Lawrence, Kan., momentarily keep the cellar seat for the Jayhawks. On Saturday, Iowa State and their offensive coordinator _ former KU coach Mark Mangino _ repaid the favor, piling up more than 450 total yards in an all-out demolition.tmpplchld The Jayhawks had no recourse. Kansas quarterback Montell Cozart completed 15 of 21 passes for 150 yards before leaving the game with a left-shoulder sprain. Beaty was already without the services of backup Deondre Ford, who was injured last week against Rutgers. So true freshman Ryan Willis saw his first extended playing time. Willis offered flashes of his strong right arm on a couple of accurate deep balls. But the Jayhawks’ running game was bottled up for the second straight week.tmpplchld After Kansas linebacker Marcquis Roberts returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown in the second half, the Jayhawks’ defense had matched the offense’s production.tmpplchld At this moment, as Kansas sits at 0-4 and 0-1 in the Big 12, KU fans may not want to peer at the upcoming schedule. Next on the docket: Kansas will welcome high-powered Baylor to Memorial Stadium before facing Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. If the Jayhawks were going to notch a Big 12 victory and avoid the despair of 0-12, their best opportunity for a breakthrough came on Saturday in a nearly full Jack Trice Stadium.tmpplchld By early in the second quarter, the opportunity was mostly gone.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)tmpplchld Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld