Here was the significance of KU Jayhawks football’s win over the South Dakota Coyotes
This was Jason Bean’s first game at Kansas, and he could feel the enormity of the moment.
It was late in the fourth quarter of KU’s 17-14 home victory over South Dakota on Friday night, and the Jayhawks transfer quarterback could sense a whole lot was on the verge of slipping away.
With 4:57 left — and his team trailing by four — the normally soft-spoken Bean turned to his teammates in the huddle.
“I told the guys, ‘Hey, let’s go. We’ve got to get this,’” Bean said. “‘We’ve got to get this for this team. We’ve got to get this for the school. We’ve got to get this for this city.’”
The speech might’ve sounded like hyperbole. In all actuality, it probably was not.
The Jayhawks, in their first game under new coach Lance Leipold, were dealt unfair circumstances. Because Leipold was hired in late April, he wasn’t able to oversee spring drills, meaning the staff was left to cram both installation and evaluation into a 25-practice period in August and September.
That reality clashed with KU’s actual schedule, though. The Jayhawks’ best chance to win all season was now, facing an unranked FCS school in South Dakota that struggled to a 1-3 record in the spring.
If KU failed on this drive ... whew, things could’ve gotten bad. Local fans might’ve stayed away the rest of the season. ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew might’ve taken a snide swipe on national TV the next morning. Players could’ve subconsciously questioned if these new coaches were worth buying into, or if all the dedication was worth it if any future results were still a telescope-view away.
So yeah ... what Bean and his teammates accomplished in a game-saving, 64-yard touchdown drive might just end up as a significant landmark in Leipold’s story at KU ... especially if he is able to someday find long-term success.
The Jayhawks — unable to move the ball consistently for 3 1/2 quarters — were at least clutch late. Bean passed for 17 to Trevor Wilson, then on a do-or-die fourth-and-10, found tight end Mason Fairchild for 20 more.
Bean then scrambled out of the pocket on third-and-9, picking up five before he drew a targeting call on South Dakota’s Myles Harden, which provided KU a crucial first down. Two plays later, Bean tossed it on the outside to L.J. Arnold, who ran 16 yards into the end zone after his defender fell down.
Pandemonium. With 1:10 left, KU had the lead again, and defensive end Kyron Johnson was getting tugged back and forth by celebrating teammates on the sideline.
“We’re going to get that ’dub,’” they told him.
His friends were right.
KU’s defense held after that, culminating in a mix of relief and jubilation throughout the 26,103 at Booth Memorial Stadium.
Assistant coach Kwahn Drake spontaneously lifted Leipold into the air after South Dakota’s final incompletion. As the final seconds ticked away, KU students streamed onto the field, looking for handshakes and selfies with players while basking in the joy of a win.
It’d been a while. The Jayhawks’ last victory was Oct. 26, 2019, meaning 677 days had passed since a feeling like this.
“To see the excitement, even from the staff members and everyone really — what it was and the excitement there — will always be memorable,” Leipold said.
And also meaningful.
The Jayhawks are staring down a likelihood that they’ll be a touchdown-or-more underdog in the rest of their games. No matter what happens the rest of the season, though, no one can take this victory away.
“We’re not going to get concerned about style points and things like that,” Leipold said. “We need to get a win.”
The next few weeks are sure to have speed bumps. KU will be playing catch-up in their program for some time, and in the short term, that’ll likely mean more punches absorbed than jabs connected.
It’s partly why Bean, when asked about the win’s significance, didn’t hold back.
“It’s everything,” he said. “This team has been needing it for a very long time. This team, we came in this summer, this fall camp, we worked extremely hard for this moment here.”
All that paid off — at least for a night — with Bean’s efforts helping to uplift a team, a school, and yes, even a city.
“Seeing everybody smiling, just seeing everybody happy, from the team, the fans, the coaches, seeing little kids running around,” Bean said, “it was just great.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
