Several days later, the dust has settled. Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and the rest of their Red Raider cohorts have finished their rampage.

Having now had several days to gain some perspective on matters, it’s more than a little disappointing that I’ve seen or heard a recurring sentiment on message boards, radio shows, and amongst the general fan base: fire Clint Bowen.

It seems Jayhawk fans need to be reminded that this is still Kansas football we’re talking about. One amazing Orange Bowl campaign does not an elite program make, and this season has borne out that truth thus far. This is not to say that KU fans ought to accept losing, especially not in the fashion of Saturday’s defeat. All it means is that Kansas fans, myself included, need to have some perspective. That means realizing this season was never going to be anything like last year’s, and firing Clint Bowen wouldn’t fix anything.

This doesn’t mean I’m living in some kind of dream world either. There are stats for days that illustrate how porous Kansas’ pass defense has been this season. Matt Grothe, Sam Bradford, and now Graham Harrell have all lacerated the Jayhawk secondary, resulting in three KU losses.

To be frustrated by those results is to be a fan. To be frustrated by Kansas’ frequently nonexistent pass rush and often excessively soft coverage is also perfectly justifiable. That frustration is normal and natural. I’m a fan, and I feel it too.

It’s undeniable that Bowen makes a convenient scapegoat for those frustrations. After all, defensive performances like Saturday’s didn’t seem to happen last year. And it is worth noting that Bowen wasn’t the defensive coordinator last season. That would be Bill Young. Young has since accepted the defensive coordinator position at Miami, and Bowen was promoted from assistant defensive coordinator.

But even if Bill Young were still in charge of the Jayhawk D, things wouldn’t be going much better. Circumstances are just too different.

First of all, Aqib Talib is now playing his football on Sundays. If it’s possible for an All-American to be undervalued by his own fan base, then it seems that might have happened here. Due to his knack for picking off wayward passes, quarterbacks would often shy away from throwing the ball anywhere near Talib. That left safeties Darrell Stuckey and Justin Thornton free to provide help to Kansas’ less experienced cornerbacks, Chris Harris and Kendrick Harper.

Although not as high-profile a loss, James McClinton’s departure seems to have hurt the Jayhawks’ defense just as much. His penetration on running plays has been missed, as has the need for offensive lines to double-team him.

And then there’s the schedule. It’s been beaten to death, I know, but it bears mentioning. The fact is, Kansas did not face any offenses last season as good as the two it has faced in the last two weeks — Missouri being the possible exception.

The scary thing is, it doesn’t get any easier. Kansas faces K-State this Saturday, and though the Wildcats will turn the ball over, they’re also quite capable of putting up some big numbers. After that, Kansas takes a trip to Lincoln, Neb., to take on a revenge-minded Cornhusker team.

Then business picks up even more. The final home game of the season is against Texas and Colt McCoy. If the Jayhawks’ defense can survive that challenge, they’ll be rewarded with a game against Missouri the next week.

The frustrations have been bad thus far, and there will be plenty more to come. Quarterbacks will have all day in the pocket, and corners will give wideouts colossal cushions. Kansas will concede a lot of points. In the immortal words of Dan Hawkins, “It’s the Big 12!” And in the Big 12, just about everybody can score, and just about no one can stop that from happening.

And there’s still every reason to believe that things will get better down the road. Bowen is widely recognized as one of college football’s best recruiters — a skill that’s especially important at Kansas, a place that traditionally hasn’t been able to get a look from blue-chippers. Those close to the program also say Bowen had a lot more to do with constructing past Kansas defenses than many will ever realize. The biggest reason to expect improvement is, of course, that we’re only half done with Bowen’s first season on the job. At this point in his Jayhawk tenure, many were griping about the job Mark Mangino was doing. Patience paid off then, and it will now.

One day, that frustration will turn to elation. But it won’t be easy. The Big 12 is home to the best offenses in all of college football. And for Clint Bowen to successfully formulate a game plan to defend against them, he can’t be concerned with defending his job, as well.

— — Edited by Brenna Hawley