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• He booted a slew of players for various reasons, putting in place rules designed to impart on the team some semblance of accountability. He told new strength coach Scott Holsopple to put those left behind through the most grueling offseason workout they had ever experience.
• Weis started recruiting, laying the groundwork for future seasons while also focusing on the immediate future. He took advantage of a still-new rule that allows athletes who have graduated to transfer elsewhere and be eligible to play immediately, and managed to lure several guys who had played for him ever so briefly at Notre Dame to Lawrence.
• The biggest coup was Dayne Crist, a once-highly touted quarterback prospect.
• Crist redshirted at Notre Dame, and then made four appearances as a freshman before a knee injury cut short his season. He started nine games as sophomore before another knee injury.
• Weis was eventually fired, and new coach Brian Kelly's system hardly fit what Crist does well -- drop back and stand in the pocket. So after playing in four games as a junior, it became evident that Crist was out of chances in South Bend, and he started to look for a new chance elsewhere.
• The strong-armed quarterback has been given the reigns of Weis' rebuilding job, and the way his college experience is remembered may largely be decided by the next 12 games.
• "If you aren't ready to go on Saturday, there's something wrong with you, because it's so much fun," Crist said. "It's what you work all week for, all year for."
• Crist has taken on more than this share of accountability this season. For one thing, he's familiar with the offense that Weis runs from their time at Notre Dame, so he's been helping to tutor the rest of the team -- no easy task given the NFL-like (Continued on page 22)
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