WACO, Texas _ It's a good thing for the Kansas football offense that football scoreboards don't have an option for negative numbers.
If we're being honest, the Jayhawks' effort early was worse than zero in a 49-7 loss to No. 11 Baylor on Saturday afternoon.
The Jayhawks didn't just get shut out in the first half. That would have been bad enough. They also had four turnovers in the first 31 minutes _ and five in the game _ while becoming the nation's leader with 22 giveaways.
That number has to be one of coach David Beaty's biggest disappointments as his team hits the midway point of the season at 1-5. All offseason, he preached that three factors would be most important to help KU become competitive this season: turnover margin, penalties and special teams.
While the latter two areas have seen improvement, the offensive mistakes have become more frequent.
It started Saturday with a Ryan Willis interception on KU's first drive. Baylor's Ryan Reid stepped in front of a long throw from hashmark to far sideline for a 64-yard pick-six.
The other interceptions didn't look any better. Willis' second came after he threw behind Bobby Hartzog over the middle, and a third just after halftime came when Willis failed to read Baylor safety Orion Stewart, who dropped immediately for double coverage on receiver Steven Sims before catching the pass down the left sideline.
The defeat only continued KU's misery away from Memorial Stadium. It was officially the Jayhawks' 38th straight road loss, which is the second-longest streak all-time according to College Football Reference. KU passed Wichita State, which lost 37 consecutive road games from 1964-71.
Western State's top spot appears to be within reach. The Mountaineers lost 44 straight road games from 1926-36.
KU's offensive miscues extended beyond the quarterbacks.
One on play, center Joe Gibson started to snap the ball, stopped, then fumbled his next attempted snap, with Baylor recovering the ball inside the KU 5.
The Jayhawks offensive line also was overwhelmed repeatedly, with one example coming in the second quarter when seven KU blockers failed to hold back four Baylor rushers before Willis was taken down for a sack.
Baylor quarterback Seth Russell, who originally committed to KU before new coach Charlie Weis decided to look elsewhere at the position, had four combined touchdowns with 212 combined rushing and passing yards. He played only one half after Baylor built a 42-0 lead at the break.
The Bears continued their recent dominance over the Jayhawks, winning the last seven meetings by an average of 38 points.
