LAWRENCE, Kan. — This was different. Not so much the win, nor the multiple 100-yard rushers, although that hadn't happened at Kansas since 2007, nor the two blocked punts, which hadn't happened for the Jayhawks since 2004. It wasn't the fact that Dayne Crist was allowed to play through his mistakes, rather than getting yanked from the field, handed a 'Dunce' cap and ordered to go sit in the corner.
No, what was really different came much later. After the clock had expired on Kansas 31, South Dakota State 17, the Jayhawks football team marched collectively over to the edge of the student section at Memorial Stadium.
The players embraced, shoulder to shoulder, like some Radio City kick line. Then they swayed, back and forth.
Then they sang.
"Lift the chorus ever onward . . . Crimson and the blue . . .
"Hail to thee, Our Alma Mater . . . Hail to old KU . . ."
They sang and swayed and grinned campfire grins, beaming and bright. A chorus in cleats, humming sweet hallelujahs.
"It was a lot of fun," senior defensive end Toben Opurum would say later, "because we haven't done anything like that before."
New era. New celebrations.
"I thought it was a good start," coach Charlie Weis, now 1-0 as the Jayhawks head coach, said when asked about his kids singing the Kansas Alma Mater, the program's new postgame wrinkle, win or lose. "Pretty good experience."
The game wasn't too shabby, either, all things considered. The Jayhawks ran the ball at will against a slower Football Championship Subdivision dance partner, with Tony Pierson (124 rushing yards) and newcomer Taylor Cox (121) sharing the load and the laughs. Senior safety Bradley McDougald collected two picks, something a Kansas defender hadn't done in a tilt since the halycon days of 2008. Notre Dame expatriate Mike Ragone, at the age of 24, in his final season of eligibility, caught the first touchdown pass of his collegiate career. Crist, another ex-Irish refugee, threw a touchdown in a game for the first time since 2010.
New era. New milestones.
"I'm very disappointed in how I played," said Crist, who was overly amped for his debut and it showed in a wild, 17-for-36 passing performance. "I left a ton of throws out on the field. But more than anything, I'm just happy that we got a win. I couldn't be more happy for my teammates, and at the end of the day, that's the most important thing."
The first impression might've been mixed, but the first offering was a thing of beauty. Crist opened the Weis Era with a rainbow up the left sideline to Kale Pick for a 43-yard gain. The Notre Dame transfer only connected on seven of his next 17 throws for 58 yards, appearing to consistently offer balls with a lot of zip but not much in, shall we say, the "touch" department.
"To be honest with you, he was a little anxious," Weis allowed. "Remember, he went all year last year without playing — he got yanked in the first game (in 2011), so he hasn't played in a long time. I think that he'll just get better every single week."
You could probably say the same for the defense, which caused some uncomfortable feelings of deja vu on the Jackrabbits' second possession. After being pinned back at the 1-yard line, South Dakota State sprung tailback Zach Zenner free up the middle of the field; the sophomore out of Minnesota found a seam and outran the entire Kansas defense for a 99-yard touchdown scamper. After watching the Jayhawks in 2011 surrender more turf than the French army, the locals gathered in Mount Oread could suddenly feel a familiar lump in their collective throats.
Funny thing, though: The Jackrabbits rolled up just 99 yards over their next 26 carries, a more-than-respectable defensive average of 3.8 yards per pop.
"I think something like that proves how much stronger we've gotten mentally," Opurum observed. "We managed to come back and get a couple stops, and we ended up winning the game. I think that shows how far we've progressed as a team — the fact that something like that could happen in a game and we were able to bounce back."
New era. New resilience.
"The whole time we've been here," said Weis, just the third Kansas coach since 1948 to open his tenure with a victory, "we've talked about becoming a tougher team."
Tougher? Yes. Better? We'll see. Perfect? Heck, no.
But if you're a Kansas fan, when you've enjoyed all of five wins in your last 31 games, you'll take it.
"Now, it was far from a thing of beauty," Weis noted. "But I think it's a good start. I really do. I think it's a good start."
New era. New foundations. New joy. They sang. They sang and swayed and smiled at the fates above. And for one night, at least, the fates smiled back.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com
