Oklahoma Sooners Football: Kansas Q&A with Rock Chalk Talk

The Oklahoma Sooners are on the road to face the 1-9 Kansas Jayhawks, so Andy Mitts of Rock Chalk Talk took some time to fill us in on the current state of Kansas football. Enjoy!

David Beaty (as well as KU's AD) received the dreaded "vote of confidence" from Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod this week. Is Beaty most likely on the way out, or is there a chance for him to be at KU next season?

Well first, in order for there to be any sort of success with a new hire, Sheahon Zenger needs to be removed as AD. He has now hired two failed coaches and doesn't deserve the opportunity to hire a third. But I don't see him being willing to fire Beaty. In addition, it appears that the new chancellor has been convinced that the real issue is that Beaty does not have the tools he needs in order to be successful. In short, it isn't looking good.

If a change is indeed made, who would Kansas pursue in its coaching search?

I'm not even sure that I can say who they should pursue at this point, because so many things have been a horrible disaster. The one thing I will say is that former ties to the school or a love of KU shouldn't be a qualification that should be considered at all.

Sophomore QB Carter Stanley has shown flashes of potential in recent weeks, but he's also made plenty of mistakes along the way. What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Stanley seems to be the best on the team at extending plays with his feet, but he lacks the arm strength for many of the throws that he tries to make. I can guarantee that there will be times in the game where he tries to make a throw back across his body that will come up extremely short.

Of all of Kansas' skill-position players, who is most likely to break off a big gain on Saturday?

Two guys come to mind. Khalil Herbert has had big performances already this season, with a 291 yard rushing performance against West Virginia, but he has come back down to earth with an offensive line that can't seem to open holes recently. Steven Sims Jr is a speedy receiver who already has 3 games with receiving TDs of 60+ yards.

How excited are y'all about Kansas' planned stadium renovation?

To be honest, it's hard to be too excited at this point. The money is still in the process of being raised, the renderings haven't been fully completed, and there is an overall pallor over the program given their recent performances. I think a renovation will be nice eventually, but I can't get excited when I don't really want to think about football if I can help it.

Which Lawrence bars and restaurants would you recommend to traveling Oklahoma fans?

It's been a while since I've been in Lawrence, but the Free State Brewing Company is always a good bet when in Lawrence. I've yet to go there and not enjoy the experience.

How close are we to seeing a renewal of the Border War in either football or men's basketball? Kansas and Missouri played an exhibition in hoops, which was nice, but is there any talk of a real renewal? Is that something either school wants or has hinted at wanting?

Absolutely not, and there really shouldn't be. Missouri was warned about the consequences of leaving the Big 12 when they did, and there really is no benefit to the Jayhawks to resume the series anyway. The football team is so bad that all a game against Missouri would do is give them bragging rights, and the basketball team wouldn't gain anything from playing a team that is routinely horrible. The exhibition game was somewhat interesting, but since I'm not in the KC area anymore, it didn't have quite the same amount of impact on me.

Is Kansas going to win the Big 12 in basketball for the 14th consecutive season, or will Trae Young and the Sooners knock the Jayhawks off their perch?

I'm having a hard time seeing anyone seriously challenging the Jayhawks in the conference this year. While there are only 7 players in the rotation right now, Devonte Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk are providing the senior leadership needed to get this team over the hump. Add in the standout play of guys like Marcus Garrett, and you have the recipe for another conference title.

How do you see this one shaking out? The spread is currently at 37. Will the Jayhawks cover?

Absolutely not. It was mentioned in a recent article that a Vegas bookmaker has pretty much found it impossible to find a line that people will put money on the Jayhawks for. It's hard to blame them though, since Kansas has already been blown out by at least 40 points in 3 games, and the only two games they didn't give up 38 or more points was against Kansas State and their one win against Southeast Missouri State. Kansas is going to get absolutely destroyed, so I'll say Oklahoma wins 77-7