It’s a ‘new era’ for Kansas football after upset over West Virginia

For the first time since 2011, the Kansas football team is off to a 2-0 start.

Despite being nearly a two-score underdog, the Jayhawks went on the road to beat the West Virginia Mountaineers in their season home-opener in overtime. The win was the first conference-opening win for KU since 2009 and puts the Jayhawks atop the current Big 12 standings.

After two weeks of the college football season, KU also leads the nation in points per game at 55.5.

This is in large part due to the stellar play of quarterback Jalon Daniels – who has thrown for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns so far this year – while completing 70.2% of his passes.

Daniels also rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown this season (7.6 yards per carry).

Running back Devin Neal continues his impressive sophomore season as he rushed for another pair of touchdowns on Saturday and caught one as well. He’s averaging a remarkable 10.7 yards per carry this season.

While the individual performances from Daniels, Neal, and others were impressive, the most impressive thing about KU’s victory was how they battled back from adversity and closed the game.

Kansas teams of old would have folded after being down two touchdowns in the first quarter. Not this Kansas team.

The Jayhawks fought and clawed their way back to take control of the game in the second half. Then, even after the Mountaineers forced the game to overtime, KU was able to answer the call and score a touchdown on their first possession in overtime.

An interception by Cobee Bryant would seal the deal – something Kansas was unable to do in some close games a season ago.

"“I’m so proud of their resilience and how they have gone about it,” said head coach Lance Leipold after the win. “This is a good win to build off of.”"

All of a sudden it feels like a new era of Kansas football. An era when Kansas can score big, win tight games, and compete with their Big 12 foes.

There have been limited moments of genuine excitement and promise for this program the past 12 years. Now, KU fans have a reason to be excited on game days, and there is proof that change is happening for the better.

The Jayhawks have a chance to build on their early success when they head to Houston (1-1) next Saturday. If KU can find a way to win that game, they’ll be 3-0 heading into a three-game home stretch against Duke, Iowa State, and TCU.