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USATSI

Kansas football has become the punchline to a bad joke over the last four years under David Beaty, and it got even more depressing in the season-opener Saturday night in Lawrence. 

The Jayhawks fell to Nicholls 26-23 in overtime in a game that looked nothing like an upset.

Colonels running back Kendall Bussey -- a transfer from Texas A&M -- rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Chase Fourcade rumbled in from four yards out in the bottom of the first overtime period to drop Kansas to 0-1 on the young season and crank up the heat on Beaty's already-scorching seat. 

How bad is it for Kansas? In three seasons and one game, Kansas has three wins -- Rhode Island, Southeast Missouri State and ... Texas. During Beaty's tenure, they've lost to FCS teams in two of his four seasons and lost to a non-Power Five team in all four. Dating back to the previous regime under Charlie Weis, the Jayhawks have lost to a non-Power Five opponent in six of the last seven years. 

Yes, it's that bad. 

Kansas used to be relevant. Well, at least in 2007 when it was a legit national title contender. Since then, the Jayhawks have fallen into a college football abyss as dark as the sky during a midwestern thunderstorm.

But hey, at least there's that one triumph over Texas in 2016 -- Beaty's only conference win to date.