Late on Saturday night, Montell Cozart affected beyond the edges of afresh laid turf, adjoin the advanced rows of the apprentice area at Memorial Stadium. A few hundred admirers remained, adequate the afterglow of Kansas' 34-28 achievement over Southeast Missouri State in the division opener at Memorial Stadium.
But as the Jayhawks pushed calm to sing the KU alma mater, Cozart could alone adore so abundant about the moment. It was a start, he thought, a jumping off point for his adolescent career as a quarterback and the Jayhawks' ever-evolving rebuilding project.
But it was not perfect. Far from perfect.
"We're activity to accumulate chopping wood," Cozart said.
For Cozart, abundant of the night was still a blur. There was a berserk atomic start, a 24-0 advance afterwards one quarter, a second-half anticlimax and a night of acquirements adjoin a acutely boilerplate directional academy from the Football Champion Subdivision.
"Sometimes aback you accept success, you get shocked, too," KU drillmaster Charlie Weis said, aggravating to explain the night's extremes.
Yes, the Jayhawks are 1-0 while they adapt to biking to Duke on Saturday. But because the aboriginal wave, the final aftereffect was a little bit shocking. Afterwards a touchdown in the final minutes, Southeast Missouri was one onside bang abroad from accepting a adventitious to abduct a win in advanced of 36,574 admirers at Memorial Stadium.
"We aloof got to stop arena bottomward to our opponent," said KU linebacker Ben Heeney, who accomplished with a team-high 11 tackles.
So how do you ascertain a acknowledged opener, anyway? For four years, Kansas has been aggravating to acquisition a acceptable answer. Remember the beauteous accident adjoin North Dakota State in 2010? Or the awkward victories over South Dakota State and South Dakota during Weis' aboriginal two seasons? Even aback the Jayhawks managed to outlive some baby academy that showed up for a analysis and a pat on the back, there was rarely annihilation beautiful about it.
But for one division on Saturday, the Jayhawks were a juggernaut. Cozart was a dual-threat catalyst, hitting chief receiver Nick Harwell for two touchdown scores. The KU aegis captivated Southeast Missouri State afterwards a aboriginal down. Kansas accumulated up 24 credibility in the division — scoring on its aboriginal four possessions. And accede the following: Before Saturday, KU had denticulate added than 24 credibility aloof four times in Weis' aboriginal two seasons in Lawrence.
As far as aboriginal impressions go, it was aloof about absolute for abhorrent coordinator John Reagan, who debuted his college-style advance breach central the track-less borders of Memorial Stadium. Then came the additional division and the additional bisected — and a ample atom of reality. Maybe Kansas isn't that abutting to above progress.
The KU breach managed aloof 13 yards in the additional quarter, and the Jayhawks bare two interceptions from cornerback Dexter McDonald to snuff out a brace of Redhawks' scoring chances.
"Once we got into the additional quarter," Weis said, "it didn't assume like the aforementioned abstract was there."
Southeast Missouri additionally appeared to acquisition a way to apathetic Cozart and KU's casual advance in the additional half. Afterwards commutual eight of 11 passes during the aboriginal half, Cozart accomplished the night aloof 12 of 24 for 196 yards passing. He accomplished with three touchdown strikes — and fabricated affluence of plays with his anxiety — but he struggled to affix on the abysmal ball, always over-throwing his targets.
"Those are my fault," Harwell said, demography some of the blame. "Montell put it area it's declared to be."
Weis, meanwhile, placed some of the accusation for the achievement allotment on the comedy calls. In the additional half, Southeast Missouri cut off some of KU's beneath routes, and the Jayhawks took their affairs deep. Weis accepted Reagan's abhorrent play-calling and the abhorrent output, but he added that the agents will charge to acquisition means to get Cozart some easier completions.
In the end, Weis says, it comes bottomward to a choice:
"Do you appetite to nickel and dime them," he asked, "or do you appetite to booty some shots for home runs?"
By the end of the night, Cozart appeared blessed with his performance, if not a little balked with some aspects. But afterwards accepting his anxiety wet as a accurate apprentice aftermost season, Cozart thinks he's able of more.
"Sometimes you accept to comedy adjoin the zebras, too," he said, pointing out acquaintance on some abysmal passes that wasn't called.
If annihilation else, Cozart's attendance in the active bold — including a artifice of advantage plays — appeared to advice accurate apprentice Corey Avery and juco alteration De'Andre Mann amalgamate for added than 200 yards hasty in their Jayhawk debuts. Mann accomplished with 121 yards on 15 carries, while Avery had 92 yards and an aboriginal touchdown.
No, Cozart was not perfect, but he did attending like a abstinent advance over Weis' contempo band of alteration busts. Perhaps that was the absolute from an asperous aperture night. The Jayhawks showed a glimpse of their promise. They additionally showed three abode of mediocrity.
"We were benumbed high," Cozart said. "We aloof got to accumulate that going."