Moments That Popped: Kansas 31, Fresno State 7

With the stage set for an epic evening of college football like it had never been set before, the Kansas Jayhawks did their part on the field to match the stellar setting around them in a 31-7 win over Fresno State on Saturday night.

The victory was the cherry on top of the debut of the brand-new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and it was never in doubt.

KU scored on its opening drive — a 9-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 21-yard TD pass from Jalon Daniels to Cam Pickett — and then led 24-7 at halftime before adding to its lead with a touchdown pass from Daniels to Keaton Kubecka midway through the third quarter.

It was pretty uneventful from there, as neither team did much over the final quarter and a half of KU's opener.

The win moved the Jayhawks to 1-0 on the season and KU will return to action next Friday night, when they play host to Wagner at The Booth for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+.

LIKES

• Jalon Daniels’ season debut – There was talk all offseason about Jalon Daniels looking sharp and being extremely locked in on preparing for the season ahead. It appears that the chatter was absolutely accurate, as JD6 looked great in his season opener, throwing catchable, accurate balls and looking to be both in sync with his receivers and in complete control of what the offense was doing. The KU QB finished 18-of-20 on the night for 176 yards and 3 TDs and also added 47 rushing yards on 8 carries. One of Daniels’ two misses through the air was a drop on his second pass of the game. And he finished the night with a QB rating of 213.4 before giving way to backup Cole Ballard to close out the game.

• 4th & 1 call early – It was a great decision to go for it on 4th and 1 in Fresno territory early on, and even better execution to pick it up. Rather than try some razzle-dazzle, the Jayhawks lined up in base offense and ran a power run set to Leshon Williams, who took the ball off the left guard and rumbled untouched into the end zone to put the Jayhawks up 14-7 and regain control for the home team. Williams had a nice debut with the Jayhawks, finishing with 57 yards and a 9.5 yards-per-carry clip on 6 carries.

• Jalon’s legs – KU OC Jim Zebrowski had no problem putting the ball in Jalon Daniels’ hands and letting him do damage as a runner in this one. The dual-threat nature of KU’s QB has always been one of the most dynamic aspects of who he is as a quarterback and it was good to see him rack up yards on the ground and through the air in this one. Some of the rushing yards were designed runs. Some were the result of him scrambling and, at other times, he used his mobility to keep a play alive before throwing downfield. Having him healthy, confident, moving well and operating as a threat in both the running and passing game is a real lift for the Kansas offense, and Saturday’s showing was a terrific start in that regard.

• Stadium full for the opener – It wasn’t just that Saturday’s game was sold out that was cool. It’s how it looked when it was. KU’s stripe-out campaign worked pretty well (more on that a little lower), and the stands on both sides, new and old, were legitimately packed with engaged KU fans who were eager to cheer on their team and take in everything the new stadium had to offer. And it was a lot. From all of the new concessions and seating areas to the new pregame experience, with music, fire and pyrotechnics and more, the scene for the opener was electric and everything that the university has wanted forever. Now, they just have to keep it and add to it in the weeks and years to come.

• Jayhawks who shined – It’s always dangerous to make a list like this because you inevitably overlook someone or leave someone out. But it’s still worth throwing down the names of a few KU newcomers who continually showed up in this one for one reason or another. Here’s a quick list…

LB Bangally Kamara is the real deal. He’s fast, ferocious and plays hard all the time.
WR Cam Pickett looks like he could be Daniels’ favorite target. He finished with 77 yards and 2 TDs on 6 receptions and 6 targets.
S Lyrik Rawls turned in a pretty solid overall game after a missed tackle or two early on. He’s a heavy hitter and plays with a ton of passion.
D-Lineman Keanan Caldwell had a couple of stretches where his size and activity inside really disrupted what Fresno State wanted to do.
RB Leshon Williams has some real power and pace in his running style. He’s a really nice complement to Daniel Hishaw and a guy who can carry the load if needed. He exited midway through the second half with an injury, so keep an eye on that.
DE Leroy Harris III had a late sack in which he absolutely erased and obliterated the Fresno QB after coming through the line untouched late in the play. Harris got a lot of praise throughout camp and delivered a great start.

DISLIKES

• Middle of the field pass defense – It mattered little to the outcome of this game, but it’s definitely something that Jayhawks are going to have to shore upin the weeks ahead and something that, no doubt, will jump out to future opponents as they scout the Jayhawks’ defense. Fresno QB E.J. Warner was pressured often, but also seemed to find ways to make a play in the middle of the field to keep drives alive, whether with good throws or a bit of luck. It makes sense that there were issues in the KU secondary, with an almost entirely new cast back there to start the season. But it’s something to watch as the season moves on.

• Missed tackles early – It really only showed up on the Bulldogs’ opening drive of the game, but Fresno State probably would not have reached the end zone and tied the game at 7 after KU’s first-drive score if not for some missed tackles in space. KU got better in this area as the game wore on, so that was certainly a good sign. But the film on that first drive will also offer a good teaching point of an area that they need to continue to focus on as the season moves along.

• Injuries – It’s noteworthy that Leshon Williams and Cam Pickett, two of the stars of the KU offense in this one, were both injured in some way during Saturday’s victory. No word yet on how serious either injury was/is, but it’s certainly less than ideal given the way both played in their KU debuts.

WHAT THE?

• Band in blue? – For the most part, Kansas Athletics’ efforts to host a “stripe out” in the opener, with every other section wearing white and blule. It looked pretty cool. Most people appeared to participate and the aesthetic in the stadium certainly popped. There was, however, one area that was curiously off – The second section of the student section in the northeast corner of the stadium. With the tiny first section decked out in blue shirts that were given to the students upon entry, the next section should’ve been white. And the top half of the section was in all white. Again, the give-away shirts handed out at entry. The bottom half of the section, which is where the band sits, was all blue, with the KU marching band wearing blue shirts and red hats for the opener. All in all, it was pretty harmless and didn’t do much to negate the cool look of the stripe-out promotion. It was just a bit surprising that the band didn’t play along.