* Kickoff temperature was 82 degrees under partly cloudy skies. The wind was out of the south at 7 mph with gusts up to 19. KU officials estimated the home-opening crowd at 33,300. . . .
- Referee Jon Bible was in charge of the seven-man officiating crew supplied by the Big 12 Conference. . . .
- The $13 million press box and $3 million MegaVision board were unveiled Saturday, and so was an inflatable plastic tunnel that wound like a blue caterpillar from the three outside lanes of the running track to the door of the Jayhawks' locker room under the southwest stands. . . .
- KU's coaches on the field and in the press box wore red shirts and blue caps. Except Terry Allen. KU's head coach went bare-headed. . . .
- Senior cornerback Chad Coellner made the key block on HenrÃ- Childs' 72-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the first quarter. Childs had a 79-yard punt return for a TD against Missouri last season. Later in the first half, Coellner was credited for partially blocking a CSN punt. . . .
- Cal State Northridge lost a 34-yard pass by punter Ethan Beck that caught the KU defense by surprise early in the second quarter. The officials flagged the Matadors for having an ineligible receiver downfield. . . .
- Kansas settled for a 31-yard field goal by Joe Garcia late in the first half after a 12-yard TD pass from Dylen Smith to David Winbush was erased by a facemask penalty against a KU offensive lineman. . . .
- Winbush juked CSN defender Rahman Sparks so badly on his 23-yard run after catching a screen pass from Dylen Smith 50 seconds before intermission that Sparks, a senior defensive back, lost a shoe after whiffing Winbush. . . .
- The first half was basically free of turnovers. Neither team threw an interception and the only lost fumble occurred when KU linebacker Andrew LeClair fell on a CSN bobble as time ran out. . . .
- Kansas recorded its first safety since 1995 when linebacker Tim Bowers tackled CSN quarterback Marcus Brady in the end zone midway through the third quarter. The '95 two-pointer was against Houston. . . .
- KU's Dion Rayford made an acrobatic interception of a Marcus Brady pass with about six minutes remaining in the third quarter. It was the first career theft for the senior defensive end who transferred here last year from West Valley (Calif.) JC. . . .
- About three minutes after Rayford's interception, KU cornerback Muhammad Abdul-Rahim picked off Brady and returned the ball to the CSN six. It was the fourth career pass theft for Abdul-Rahim, a starter in '98 but a reserve this season. . . .
- Sophomore defensive back Brandon Weir joined the interception parade with about 10 minutes remaining when he picked off CSN back-up QB Josh Fiske . . .
- Jonas Weatherbie, a red-shirt freshman and son of Navy coach Charlie Weatherbie, made his college debut late in the third quarter when he took over at quarterback with the Jayhawks ahead 57-14.. Later, former walk-on Jake Letourneau played QB for the first time as a collegian. . . .
- Fullback Tyrus Fontenot, a 5-foot-8, 230-pound fifth-year senior, scored his first career touchdown and made his first career pass reception. Fontenot, from Houston, Texas, came to KU as a linebacker. . . .
- Scott Rogers, a member of KU's 1999 recruiting class who failed to qualify, has surfaced as a walk-on at Arizona State. Rogers is a 6-2, 230-pound linebacker who played the last two years at Scottsdale, Ariz., CC. . . .
- Matt Jordan, a freshman from Junction City who is listed on the KU roster as a defensive back, played tailback late and scored a touchdown. . . .
- According to the participation chart, KU used 79 players, including a No. 37 listed as "unknown."
-- Chuck Woodling



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