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Kansas Vs. South Dakota State: Jayhawks Start Strong With 31-17 Victory

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9 Total Updates since August 27, 2012
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Kansas' Defense Comes Together After Early SDSU Touchdown

It wasn't the prettiest win in the world, but Charlie Weis and the Kansas Jayhawks will take it.

In Weis' coaching debut with Kansas, the Jayhawks edged out South Dakota State University, winning 31-17.

Kansas' defense allowed a 99 yard touchdown run to South Dakota St. running back Zach Zenner, giving the Jackrabbits an early 7-0 lead.

Kansas' defense responded, though. Senior defensive end Toben Opurum spoke of Kansas' mental toughness following SDSU's touchdown run.

"I think something like that proves how much stronger we've gotten mentally. We wanted to keep him down there, but he was able to break loose. 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.

For the latest on all things Kansas Jayhawks, head over to Rock Chalk Talk and join the discussion.

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Kansas' Charlie Weis Say Dayne Crist Was 'A Little Anxious'

Kansas Jayhawks head football coach Charlie Weis was a winner in his debut with Kansas, as the Jayhawks defeated South Dakota St., 31-17, on Saturday.

As a typical Bill Belichick disciple, Weis had plenty to criticize, but unlike Belichick, Weis offered a bit of detail and insight into what he saw out of the Jayhawks -- specifically Dayne Crist.

"There were some throws out there he'd like to have back and he was a little rusty. But to be honest with you, he was a little anxious. Remember, he went all year last year without playing. He got yanked in the first game last year, so he hasn't played in a long time. I think that he'll just get better every single week. I think he feels really good that he was walking off the field healthy, slowing it down a bunch. Some of it is his fault, some of it is other's guys fault, but I think we're pretty happy right now."

Crist was one of Weis' recruits when Weis was the head coach at Notre Dame, so there is some familiarity between the two.

Crist finished Saturday's game 17-of-36 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown.

For the latest on the Jayhawks, head over to Rock Chalk Talk and join the discussion.

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Charlie Weis Not Concerned About Overconfidence Against SDSU

Most teams would be preparing for a slam dunk with a team like South Dakota State as the season opener, but head coach Charlie Weis stressed in Tuesday's press conference that his team isn't overconfident.

"We just lost 100 in a row," Weis said. "I don't think there's any overconfidence on our part. I think we're just trying to win one and the one we're trying to win is this one."

The 100 in a row Weis is referring to is the Jayhawks streak of 10 straight losses to close out their 2-10 2011 season. Additionally, loyal fans surely still have visions of the 2010 season opener in the somewhere in their head (a 6-3 defeat against North Dakota State in another game that was intended to be a confidence booster).

With all that in mind, it's actually makes more sense for the Jayhawks to be a tad nervous more than anything. But Weis assured the media that he's going to set the tone with by keeping his cool.

"I do most of my yelling in practice," Weis said. "I reserve most of my yelling on game days for officials because they deserve it, and then for somebody that does something stupid, like getting a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct."

Weis is hoping that if he stays calm, cool and collected, his players will follow in his footsteps.

"I think that even if they are nervous, which I'm sure there will be a fair amount of that, they usually follow your lead."

The Jayhawks open the season this Saturday at 6:00 pm CT against the SDSU Jackrabbits.

For more information on Kansas Jayhawks football, pay a visit to Rock Chalk Talk.

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