The Rock Chalkboard

The Drive: Has Kansas found a long-term answer at quarterback?
The 16th season of The Drive continues with an episode breaking down the Jayhawks' second game — a 49-22 loss to Coastal Carolina. Topics discussed include quarterback Jason Bean and areas of improvement for the Jayhawks under Lance Leipold.

How Lance Leipold handled fourth downs in Game 2
The Lance Leipold-era is underway in Lawrence, and the new KU coach brings with him his own philosophies and style on game day.

Kansas run game shows improvement in loss to Coastal Carolina
The Kansas offense only scored 22 points on Friday, but the performance was a step forward from the first week — in more ways than one. Kansas quarterback Jason Bean impressed with both his arm and his legs, and the run-game produced for the first time on the season in the Jayhawks' 49-22 loss at Coastal Carolina.

Sunday Snap Judgments and Big 12 Power Rankings
The 2021 season continues on! Week Two is over, and The Big 12 Conference had a mixed bag of results after a pretty solid opening weekend last week. Just like we have each of the last few seasons, we'll give a weekly breakdown of what we watched across the league. We'll talk The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly before getting to our Actually Accomplished Rankings. Keep in mind, it's still early in the season, and teams faced a wide variety of opponents. There will be plenty of movement in the weeks to come. Take a look below, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo gallery: Kansas falls to Coastal Carolina on the road
One of those moments: Quarterback Jason Bean took off for a 46-yard touchdown run after the Kansas defense forced a three-and-out to start the second half. At that point, the margin was six. But Kansas missed an extra point, failed to convert a 2-point conversion and went 0 for 5 on fourth down, each opportunity taking points off the board and leaving the Jayhawks well short of the total they needed to be competitive.

Kansas football at Coastal Carolina: Who stood out and who didn't...
The big takeaway coming off Friday's game was that Bean may very well have solidified himself as not only the starter for this year, but the likely starter moving forward — maybe even into next year. If nothing else, he earned player of the game honors from Phog.net.

Kansas defense, special teams falter in loss at Coastal Carolina
Kansas punter Reis Vernon found himself deep in his own territory on a fourth down early in the second quarter. The moment came after a three-and-out by the Kansas offense and a delay of game penalty with the punt team on the field.

Bits o Chalk

Matthew Stafford throws for 3 TDs as his big-play ability on display in winning Los Angeles Rams debut
"He did amazing," Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey said after the game. "His command, his swag, like everything was great. That's like a debut that probably should go down in history just the way he played."

Daniil Medvedev stuns Novak Djokovic in US Open men's final to win first major title
"First of all, I want to say 'sorry' for you fans and Novak, because, I mean, we all know what he was going for today,'' said Medvedev, a 25-year-old from Russia who lost to Djokovic in this year's Australian Open final and to Rafael Nadal in the 2019 US Open final.

Jameis Winston tosses 5 TDs, leads New Orleans Saints to stunning rout of Green Bay Packers
"That was for the city," Winston said after the game, as he repeatedly redirected questions about how meaningful the performance was for him personally. "So, shoutout to the city of New Orleans. We did that for them. We knew how much it would mean to get a great victory for that region. They've been through so much [with damage and power outages from the hurricane]. And for us to be able to celebrate this victory with them, it's just hats off to them for their resilience, because they motivated us, they inspired us to come out there and ball."

Eraser Dust

State revises marijuana advertising rules
While the Legislature put various guardrails on legal cannabis during this spring’s session, stakeholders in Montana’s marijuana industry weren’t happy with some DOR proposals earlier this year. One rule under consideration would have restricted the size of signs outside dispensaries and required signage to include a lengthy warning about marijuana’s intoxicating effects and potential to be habit-forming, among other cautions. Another would have prohibited dispensaries from advertising. Pepper Petersen, president and CEO of the Montana Cannabis Guild, which represents producers and dispensaries across the state, called the proposals a “radically conservative interpretation of the law.” In August, he said his group was prepared to sue the state over those rules.

Taco Bell Is Rumored To Be Adding These New Combos To the Menu
The combo deals introduce new savings and new menu items. The Cravings Trio allows customers to pair two premium Taco Bell items with a large drink or a medium freeze. Eligible menu items include the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito, the Chalupa Supreme, the Cheesy Quesadilla, and the Crunchwrap Supreme. The quesadilla combo, meanwhile, introduces a brand new menu item, the Cheddar Chicken Quesadilla, paired with a Crunchy Taco and a large drink.

Newsom California Recall: What To Know And The Political Stakes : NPR
The election will also have national consequences. A California governor could appoint a new U.S. senator to the evenly divided chamber in the next year or so. And this is the first big test of whether Democrats can fire up their base — even in a very blue state — ahead of next year's midterm elections when Republicans are favored to take back the House.

Democrats Slim Biden’s Tax Plan in Bid to Win Over Moderates - Bloomberg
The Democratic proposal would raise the top corporate tax rate from 21% to 26.5%, less than the 28% Biden had sought, people familiar with the matter said Sunday night. The top rate on capital gains would rise from 20% to 25%, instead of the 39.6% Biden proposed, the people said. Including a 3.8% Medicare surtax on high earners, the top capital gains rate would be 28.8%.

HUD Sells Flood-Prone Houses To Often Unsuspecting Buyers : NPR
But an NPR investigation finds that the homes HUD sells are disproportionately located in flood-prone places, compared with Zillow records of all homes sold in the United States. The agency does not fully disclose the potential costs and dangers of living in harm's way, and some of these transactions have happened as local governments are buying out properties in the same areas to mitigate flood risk.

Huck's Place juices up downtown Whitefish | Daily Inter Lake
Ginger brew, Madisen explained, is a combination of ginger, lemon, vanilla, cane sugar and water. It’s carbonated for an extra kick, and it can be flavored with add-ins like huckleberry, lime and cherry. The Dutys even offer personalized flavors for events such as weddings and parties.

Kalispell board considers rules for legal marijuana | Daily Inter Lake
The proposed zoning amendment would allow for marijuana dispensaries in all of the city’s B (Business) and I (Industrial) zones. Marijuana cultivation and manufacturing would be allowed in all I zones. An administrative conditional-use permit would be required in all situations.

Additionally, a buffer would be put into place 300 feet from churches, schools, parks and city residential (R and RA) zones.

Machine Gun Kelly And Conor McGregor Separated At VMAs After Altercation On Red Carpet
In one of the videos posted on social media, Kelly and Megan Fox were separated from the crowd and could be seen discussing what had just happened. Kelly appeared mostly unfazed and at one point laughed.