Players say they have to own mistakes on film, move on to Oklahoma State
After the Jayhawks 42–17 loss to Kansas State, wide receiver Cam Pickett said the message in the locker room was simple. The team has to stay together and keep moving forward. The Jayhawks’ offense struggled to find consistency throughout the game, and Pickett said the team is focused on finishing the season strong in the final four games.
“Pretty much talked about just staying together and just moving forward really, and winning the four games,” Pickett said. “We still got a lot to play for. We got four games left, make it five. We still end the season 9–4. So, I just look forward to that.”
The Kansas passing game never found rhythm against the Wildcats, with tipped passes and defensive pressure disrupting timing. Pickett said the challenge came down to Kansas State’s defense forcing Jalon Daniels to scramble and throw off the timing of routes.
“You know, sometimes it’s hard. Like you said, they’re kind of getting a little bit of pressure,” he said. “JD kind of got to scramble and we just as receivers, with situations like that, just try to get open a little bit faster. It’s really just hard to catch a rhythm.”
Despite the struggles, Pickett didn’t believe the rainy conditions played much of a role.
“I don’t really think it had a factor,” he said. “It didn’t rain as hard as we might have thought, so I don’t think it really affected it.”
The team has talked about owning your play on tape after the game. Pickett said they will get in the film, correct mistakes and get back to the practice field on Monday.
“Kind of like you said, just whatever you put on tape is you,” he said. “If it’s a situation where maybe you didn’t get on the block as fast as we needed to, then you got to own it and work on it in practice or catching the ball or getting open.”
The team has to put loss behind them
On the defensive side, lineman Blake Herold had a similar message: accept the loss, learn from it, and move forward. He said the Jayhawks’ defensive effort wasn’t the issue, but execution and missed assignments were the difference.
“I mean, we come in on Monday, watch film, you just got to own it, good or bad,” Herold said. “A lot of it’s just doing your assignment, doing your job better. It’s never really our effort or attitude. It’s always something we can fix. We just got to play better football when the time comes.”
Herold does not think the team had an issue preparing for the game. It comes down to executing and performing better.
“I don’t think we would prepare any differently,” he said. “I think what we did would work. We just have to execute and play better football whenever the time comes.”
Lance Leipold talked about accountability, something Herold said the team has taken to heart but admitted Kansas State was the better team. His message was the same as Pickett’s about owning what it is on film.
“Just own it. I mean, you gotta own what’s on film,” he said. “Credit to them (KSU) for sure, they played good and executed us — but just own what’s on film and then come back ready to go. Chip on your shoulder.”
Herold said the problems were not effort. They need to get back and work on playing together, being on the same page and executing.
“I wouldn’t fault the effort,” he said. “I think the effort was good. I think it’s just execution, assignment, stuff like that. I don’t think that the effort was the issue for us today.”
The team will get back to work today and start preparing for Oklahoma State. They have to put the rivalry loss behind them and move on.
“Learn from it on Monday,” he said. “After that, you just got to flush it because it’s over now. Learn from your mistakes and move on, flush it, and get ready for the next one.”
