2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2005
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
THURSDAY
*Men's basketball vs. Nevada, 8 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse*
FRIDAY
♦ Women's basketball vs. Birmingham-Southern,
6 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse
- Swimming vs. Harvard and Northeastern, 6 p.m., Cambridge, Mass.*
SATURDAY
Volleyball, NCAA Tournament vs. UCLA, 9 p.m., Los Angeles
- Women's basketball vs. New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Allen Field
Men's basketball vs. Western Illinois, 7 p.m. Allen Fieldhouse
The following is a list of different media outlets and their projections on which bowl game Kansas will play in:
ESPN's Ivan Maisel
Fort Worth Bowl (Dec. 23) vs. Tulsa
ESPN's Pat Forde
Fort Worth Bowl/ (Dec. 23) vs. UTEP
CNNSI's Stewart Mandel
Independence Bowl (Dec. 30) vs. Florida
CBS Sportsline
Fort Worth Bowl (Dec. 23) vs. Houston
Foxsports.com
Fort Worth Bowl (Dec. 23) vs. Houston
NBCSports.com's Mike Woods
Fort Worth Bowl (Dec. 23) vs. Houston
NFI
Undefeated Colts eyeing Super Bowl
BY MICHAEL MAROT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts would define perfection as winning a Super Bowl title. Anything more would be a bonus.
But with five weeks left in the regular season, the Colts' arduous, three-decade quest to return to the Super Bowl now carries an added burden — trying to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only unbeaten team in NFL history.
Forget that the Colts are already 11-0, could clinch the AFC South title in the next two weeks and may soon wrap up a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The big question now around Indy — and the NFL — is whether anyone can beat this team.
Coach Tony Dungy wants everyone to keep things in perspective.
"Hopefully, we win the next two because that means we will wrap up the division," he said Tuesday. "If we win them, we know there will be a lot of talk about 'Can you go undefeated?' But that's never really been our goal."
Tom Strattman/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
What the Colts have demonstrated through September, October and November is that they can win games in almost every conceivable fashion.
Shut down Manning and the offense, and Indy can win the slugfest. Force the Colts into a shootout, and they'll score more points. Take the lead, early or late, and the Colts can rally.
Tom Strattman/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indianapolis Colts' Jason David, kneeling, reacts after intercepting a pass in front of Pittsburgh Steelers' Cedrick Wilson during the fourth quarter in Indianapolis on Monday. Indianapolis defeated Pittsburgh 26-7. Joining in the celebration are Indianapolis Colts' Mike Doss, left, Gary Brackett, center, and Marlin Jackson, right.
"It's a matter of it all coming together at the right time," running back Edgerrin James said.
Indy hasn't trailed in a game since Oct. 17, the offense has averaged nearly 36 points in the last eight games and the defense has allowed an AFC-low 159 points.
Last week, Don Shula, architect of the Dolphins team that went 17-0, said he believed the Colts could continue knocking off challengers.
Over the past four weeks, Indy also has demonstrated its mettle by knocking off three of the conference's top contenders — winning at two-time defending Super Bowl champ New England and AFC North leader Cincinnati before taking out Pittsburgh 26-7 on Monday night.
Those victories have essentially eliminated all three teams from the home-field chase.
So Manning and his teammates find themselves in an unusual position. Fourteen or 15 wins would assure the Colts of not playing outdoors after Dec. 24. But anything less than 16-0 may not satisfy critics. So the Colts will focus on their stated goal of winning the Super Bowl and let others debate the definition of a perfect season.
"Going undefeated has never been our goal," Dungy said. "The teams that get remembered are not the ones who have great regular seasons, they are the ones who do something in the playoffs."
▼ NFL
Chiefs in top shape for critical Broncos game
BY DOUG TUCKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At the perfect time, the Kansas City Chiefs may be hitting full stride and top strength.
They're coming off their finest game of the year, a 26-16 victory against New England that launched a brutal stretch of six consecutive playoff contenders in six consecutive weeks.
And when they host Denver on Sunday — a game they absolutely have to win to stay competitive in the AFC West — they'll be healthier than they've been since training camp.
Linebacker Shawn Barber, out for a year with major
knee surgery, returned last week against the Patriots. Barber enhanced special teams, particularly kickoff coverage. Pro Bowl left tackle Willie Roaf came back after missing four games with a hamstring injury and made an immediate impact, helping quarterback Trent Green have his best passing game of the year.
And head coach Dick Vermeil said Tuesday that Ryan Sims, who went out with a foot injury in the opener, could be on the verge of adding his hulking frame to the defensive line.
"There's a chance," Vermeil said at his weekly news conference. "What we're going to do is put him in pads
against some rookies after practice Wednesday and Thursday and let him bang around."
Taken sixth overall in the 2002 draft, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Sims has had a slow beginning. Finally in camp last summer he began showing the dominant run-stopping ability the Chiefs had envisioned.
Then he hurt his foot on one of the first plays of the season and has spent almost three months working to get back.
"It wouldn't be fair to just throw him in the game and say we'll find out if it's OK Sunday," Vermeil said. "We'll put him on the field in pads and let
him do some one-on-one drive-blocking defensive techniques and pass-rushing techniques and all that kind of stuff to help condition himself. If he's ready on Sunday, we'll try to have him active."
Sims' weight, a problem in the past, is not a concern.
"He's certainly paid his dues. He's kept his weight down to actually a few pounds less than he was before he got hurt," Vermeil said. "So he's really been disciplined, and it means a lot to him."
323 yards and a TD. Roaf was holding back the passrush, so Green had more time to let receivers get down field. That resulted in some big gainers, including a long touchdown pass to Dante Hall that put the game out of reach of the defending Super Bowl champs.
As important as anything is having No. 77 back at left tackle. With Roaf back from his hamstring injury on Sunday, Green was 19-for-26 for
Since a disheartening loss at Buffalo on Nov. 13, the Chiefs have rebounded with two straight victories. Vermilil had noted during last week's practices that his team appeared to be shrugging off the disappointment and focusing its attention on the task at hand.
"Most coaches know their team. I think I know my team," he said.
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