THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14,2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 12A
First-half horror
Longhorns earn 52-0 lead before halftime
BY RYAN COLAIanni
reolaiani@kansan.com
KMASN Writer WRITER
Jamaal Charles, Texas freshman running back, escapes from Kansas freshman linebacker Mike Rivera on Saturday in Austin, Texas. Kansas fell to No. 2 Texas 66-14.
AUSTIN, Texas - So much for a top-ranked defense.
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
The Kansas defense allowed more than 600 yards of total offense against No. 2 Texas on Saturday. Coming into the game, the defense was first in the nation against the run. The Jayhawks allowed 336 yards of rushing to the Longhorns.
Texas accumulated 52 first-half points in the 66-14 victory that was essentially decided in the first quarter.
"They just kicked the defense's butt all over the field in the first half," senior linebacker Nick Reid said. "It was pretty embarrassing. Can't really say anything more than that. They put it to us."
The KU offense didn't fair much better at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Kansas didn't gain a first down until the 10:13 mark in the second quarter. But by the time this happened, Texas was ahead 42-0.
texas set the tone early. Its first touchdown came from a 45-yard strike from Texas quarterback Vince Young to wide receiver Limas Sweed.
Kansas wide receiver Greg Heaggans fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which gave Texas a short field to score. Longhorns running back Jamaal Charles capitalized on the first play after the fumble on a 10-vard touchdown run.
"You can't give Texas 14 points right off the bat," Kansas football coach Mark Mangino said. "That's not good football. We kept them out there too long. We just cant do that."
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 7A
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshmen shake jitters
Freshmen Players prepare for opener, Maui
by MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWRIETER
Rush said he was nervous before Wednesday's game, but would be more prepared for tonight's game.
Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self hopes most of the jitters have settled in the stomachs of his freshman players. Despite playing well on Wednesday against Fort Hays State, the newcomers were consumed with nervousness.
"I had sweating hands, my stomach was churning, everything." Rush said. "But I got kind of used to it after a while. I think I will be ready to go next time."
When Kansas takes on Pitsburg State tonight at 7 at Allen Fieldhouse, Self said he would like to further evaluate his rookies.
These guys are all great players." Self said. "But we have to see what they can do when the lights are on them."
Wednesday was a good test because it gave the freshmen — Micah Downs, Mario Chalmers, Julian Wright and Brandon Rush — a taste of what it would be like to play in front of 16,000 fans, Self said.
Tonight's game, the final contest of the
exhibition season, will be the freshmen's last opportunity to shake off the nerves before the season opener at home against Idaho State on Friday.
Most likely, Self will switch up the starting lineup from what it was on Wednesday. He said he would do that frequently until he finds the best arrangement of players. The starting lineup against Fort Hays State consisted of sophomore guard Russell Robinson, sophomore center C.J. Giles, senior guard Stephen Vinson, senior forward Christian Moody and freshman guard Chalmers.
Many players will see major minutes tonight because if they play as fast as Self wants, he said they would be "gassed" after 20 minutes.
With such a young team, getting the players ready to go will be the most important aspect to finish the exhibition season.
Sophomore center Sasha Kaun, who gained weight during the offseason, showed his strength against Fort Hays State. He scored 23 points in the Jayhawks' first contest, while Robinson dished out 11 assists. Rush, who was the highest scoring freshman, showed flashes of his scoring potential on Wednesday, Self said. Fifteen of his 17 points came in the second half.
The next two weeks will be hectic for the Jayhawks.
SEE FRESHMEN ON PAGE 10A
Kapsan file photo
Jeff Hawkins, senior forward, dribbles past Fort Hays State senior forward Maurice Henson on Nov. 9 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks take on the Pittsburgh State Gorillas tonight at 7.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sophomore leads way to easy victory
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
rschneider@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
One look at the final statistics was all it took to bring a smile to Taylor McIntosh's face.
McIntosh, sophomore forward, scored 10 points in Kansas' 83-53 exhibition victory against Emporia State on Sunday, a week after going scoreless and fouling out of the team's first game.
"Today I just felt more focused and more relaxed," McIntosh said. "I was just hyped up after the first game when I went out there and didn't do anything."
McIntosh scored nine points in nine minutes of work in the first half. She was able to get her early points in transition, beating Emporia State's post players in the paint.
Kansas women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson said the KU defense was a sore spot last week. On Sunday, Kansas held Emporia State to 27 percent shooting in the first half.
The Hornets scored their first field goal with 12:45 remaining in the first half, nearly eight minutes into the game. After that basket, Emporia State brought the game within two points by capitalizing on five KU turnovers.
To stop the Emporia State run, Kansas turned up the defensive pressure. Junior guard Shaquiina Mosley scored four points and drew a charge as Kansas rebuilt its lead.
The press helped produce 29 Hornet turnovers and 36 Jayhawk points.
Henrickson said the team was able to use the press because of improved depth, especially at the point guard position.
Sticky play to open the second half allowed Kansas to push the game out of reach.
"It's something we feel we can use situationally now," Henrickson said. "We were going to try to control tempo, play fast and slow it down when we wanted to."
The Jayhawks were forced to find offense without the help of senior forward Crystal Kemp. Kemp only scored four points and was 2-of-9 from the field, a week after putting up a game-high 24 points against Pittsburg State. Senior guards Kaylee Brown, 16 points, and Erica Hallman, 13 points, helped pick up the slack.
"We've got some more people who can put the ball in the basket, which helps us in the long run," Hallman said. "People can't just key on Crystal. They have to worry about five people."
Three Kansas starters — McIntosh, Hallman and Brown — finished the game with double-digit points.
VOLLEYBALL
Notes:
♦ McIntosh picked up a technical foul in the first half when she tied up Emporia State's Michelle Stueve. Henrickson said the foul was called because McIntosh pushed Stueve.
- Mosley left the game with 6:22 remaining in the second half. Henrickson said Mosley "tweaked" her left ankle.
- Kansas was undefeated in exhibition play after going 1-1 last season. Kansas lost to the West Coast All Stars 60-58, last season.
- The Athletics Department listed the attendance at 2,234, which included a large number of Emporia State fans.
Kansas received one vote in the Associated Press preseason poll. Kansas was last ranked on Feb. 21, 2000.
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
With backs firmly pressed against the wall, the Jayhawks are playing their best volleyball in nearly a month and a half.
Kansas played with a sense of desperation on Saturday against Texas Tech at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Kansas won its third straight match, dismantling a listless Texas Tech squad in three games.
— Edited by Jonathan Kealing
"There's urgency," Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said. "You can tell, within our team, knowing that we want to
The Jayhawks won with grit and determination. It wasn't flashy or spectacular, Bechard said it was what the Jayhawks had to have in order to stay alive in their post-season hunt.
Kansas will likely have to win its last three matches, against Texas A&M, Missouri and Iowa State, to have a chance of a berth in the NCAA tournament, which starts Dec. 1.
With the victory, Kansas (15-11, 7-10 Big 12) moved past Iowa State into sixth place in the Big 12 Conference standings. Texas Tech dropped to 11-16 overall and 4-12 in the conference.
keep playing into December."
"At times it wasn't the prettiest match, but this time of year when you can win 3-0 and three in a row, you're pleased." Bechard said.
Kansas came out of game one with a 30-26 victory. After jumping out to a 10-4 lead, the Jayhawks never relinquished the advantage. They were ouhit.263 to .162 by the Red Raiders, but used three aces to come away with a game.
Sophomore opposite hitter Emily Brown continued her late-season surge with 14 kills against Texas Tech. Senior middle blocker Josi Lima added 11 kills, five digs and three blocks.
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 9A
Justin G'Neal/KANSAN
Junior defensive specialists Dani Wittman and Jamie Mathewson try to return the ball after a Texas Tech volley. The Jayhawks defeated the Red Raiders in three consecutive games to win the match Saturday night.
---