Fan Vote for USA TODAY Sports Coach’s Play Call of the Year

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas football head coach David Beaty are up for an award at the inaugural American Football Coaches Awards show, to be televised live on CBS Sports Network on Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. Beaty is a finalist for the USA TODAY Sports Coach’s Play Call of the Year for orchestrating the Jayhawks’ camouflaged kick return against Iowa State on Nov. 12.

The award is designated to honor the play that moves immediately into lore. A play that Play Call of the Year will celebrate five unforgettable moments from the 2016 season.

Beaty and his staff, including special teams coordinator Joe DeForest, are among the finalists after running a camouflaged kick return to perfection against the Cyclones. Kick returner LaQuvionte Gonzalez laid down in the end zone as the ball was being kicked off, blending in with the blue turf as the Jayhawks were sporting blue uniforms head-to-toe. Fellow returnee, Steven Sims, Jr., took the kick off and then passed it to Gonzalez to complete the trick play.

“Joe (DeForest) brought that with him, and we felt we were going to need a momentum changer in this game and something that would help us,” said Beaty immediately following the game. “We thought we might be able to get completely out on that one. I thought it was a really cool design by Joe, and I thought our kids executed it pretty well.”

At the end of the regular season, USA TODAY Sports writers selected five plays where the head coach’s play call, not player talent or other factors, made a difference in the game. Fans can vote on the five nominees until January 6, via the USA TODAY Sports website. Once fan voting closes, the USA TODAY Sports staff will rank the five plays, with input from fan voting being one of several selection criteria, to determine a winner.