Kansas interim head coach Clint Bowen leads the Jayhawks onto the field to take on West Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Morgantown, W.Va. ? When the final horn sounded Saturday night on Kansas University’s 33-14 loss to West Virginia, the dozens of Jayhawks who sprinted off the field at Milan Puskar Stadium left with one thought in their minds — We can build on that.

Some thought it. Some said it with a look in their eyes and others actually let those very words pass their lips.

It wasn’t always pretty. And the Kansas offense still has a lot of work to do. But interim coach Clint Bowen said he thought his team showed a great deal of pride by competing to the end during a week in which former head coach Charlie Weis was fired and the whole program turned upside down.

“They played hard,” Bowen said. “Did we play perfect? No. But, on our sideline, at the end of that game, kids were still into the game, they were still sticking with each other and, at the end, they were still fighting. If we keep that mentality, there’ll be improvement.”

There were plenty of easy ways to illustrate why Saturday’s game turned into the 29th consecutive loss for Kansas (2-3 overall, 0-2 Big 12) away from Memorial Stadium.

The Jayhawks were out-gained 343-84 in total offense in the first half and 557-176 for the game. They ran just one play on the West Virginia side of the 50 yard line in the first half. Senior punter Trevor Pardula set a stadium record with 14 punts. The Jayhawks gave up points to the Mountaineers (3-2, 1-1) on four consecutive drives to start the game and six of eight first-half possessions while building a 26-0 hole at the half.

But rather than hang their heads about any of it, Bowen and the Jayhawks brushed it off and kept battling. They actually outscored the Mountaineers, 14-7, in the second half. But rest easy; there was no talk of that being enough. And no one uttered the words “moral victory.” But you could tell it was a source of pride. And it started with a few words from the new head coach.

“He gave a great speech at halftime,” said junior safety Isaiah Johnson, who led KU with nine tackles and an interception. “He just told us pick our heads up, keep our heads up, keep fighting and we all just came out with even more passion in the second half.”

With sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart proving ineffective throughout the first half (4-of-10 passing for 42 yards and 5 yards rushing on 7 carries), Bowen went to the bullpen to start the second half and handed the ball to junior Michael Cummings. Cummings didn’t fair much better — the breakdowns on the offensive line continue to plague the Kansas offense — but he looked a little more polished and helped lead the Jayhawks to their only offensive touchdown, a four-yard run by freshman Corey Avery in the third quarter.

“As I told the team, as I told Montell, ‘Let’s see if Michael can go out there and give us a spark and go with him,'” Bowen said after the game.

Cummings, who prides himself on always being ready, said he sensed his chance might be coming but hardly seemed overjoyed about it.

“We were sputtering a little out there on offense so I was anticipating it, but I wasn’t sure if it was gonna happen or not,” he said. “We came here as a team and we came up short as a team.”

Cozart, who spoke with the media for the first time this season following a loss, appeared to be frustrated but not freaked out, disappointed but not done.

“I understood it,” Cozart said. “It just lets me know I gotta keep working. Mike came in and he handled the situation and did well and put some points on the board. Coach Bowen said it: They got up on us early and we never laid down.”

Even late in the game, when the outcome had already been decided, the Jayhawks fought. And Bowen led the charge. After one fourth-down stop in which JaCorey Shepherd came up with a big pass break-up — one of three on the day — Bowen raced 12 yards onto the field and met him near the numbers to show his appreciation for the play. He then got to the 10 other defensive players before they reached the sideline.

“It’s gives us a lot of energy that’s needed out there, just to know that we’ve got a guy out there who’s behind us 100 percent,” Shepherd said. “I feel like it keeps everybody in the game and that gives juice to the guys that are out there. Just doing that, it’s gonna make it a habit.”

And, really, that was what Saturday night’s loss was all about. Nobody in the KU locker room was happy with the outcome and none of the Jayhawks seemed to think that staying within 19 points in a game where their offense never really gave them a chance was anything to smile about. But it was something upon which they could build. And it began with Bowen leading the team out of the locker room onto the field and ended with the same guys sprinting their way into the tunnel.

Two years ago, after a season-ending 59-10 loss on this same field, several Jayhawks talked about how much they hated the sound of John Denver’s “Country Roads” escorting them to the locker room. Saturday night, it’s possible the Jayhawks were running off the field too fast to even hear it.

The Clint Bowen honeymoon may be over, but the hope within the program is that what people saw Saturday night is what Kansas will be known for from here on out.

“This is a process of building a foundation with Kansas football,” Bowen said. “We’re gonna show up, play hard, play smart and be tough and continue to improve and stay together.”