4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 13.2007
Big 12 notebook
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nebraska junior quarterback Joe Ganz was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in a 73-31 victory against Kansas State. Ganz threw for school records with 510 yards and seven touchdowns in the 42-point blowout. Okla-
Ganz
homa freshman DeMarco Murray pulled down Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Murray returned three kickoffs for 129 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown return, in a 52-21 victory against Baylor. Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
WHERE'S BOWMAN?
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said the injury to senior wide receiver Adairus Bowman was a turning point in the 43-28 loss to Kansas. Bowman left the
game in the second quarter with a knee injury after being tackled by Aqib Talib. Gundy called Bowman the leader of the offense and said the Cowboys played lost without him.
Bowman
"I don't think there's any question that for two or three possessions there were guys looking around and wondering where No. 12 was?" Gundy said.
He didn't announce whether Bowman would play against Baylor this weekend.
TEMPLE HONORS GRANDMOTHER
just another great game to fans. But coach Gary Pinkel knew Temple's performance symbolized something
more. Pinkel said Temple's grandmother passed away earlier in the week. Temple made arrangements to play against the Aggies and leave immediately
Temple
after the game for his grandmother's funeral service. Pinkel said Temple was playing with a heavy heart and wanted a big game to serve as a tribute to his grandmother.
"He was on a mission during that game!" Pinkel said. "I know he wasn't at the press conference, but he was playing in her memory."
LEACH OFFERS NO APOLOGIES
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach went on a tride after his team lost 59-43 to Texas on Saturday. He accused game officials of favoring the Longhorns because at least one member of the crew lived in Austin, Texas. Reporters bombarded Leach with questions
Leach
regarding the incident yesterday, but Beach showed no remorse. He said he would continue to stand by his comments and that he had not heard from the Big 12 Conference office. Criticizing officials is against the league's policy, but Beach said he didn't know whether he'd be fined. "I wouldn't change anything I said," Beach said.
PRINCE DIAGNOSES WILDCATS' PROBLEM
Kansas State coach Ron Prince showed no hesitation when asked what his team needed to do to break away from its current two-game losing streak.
"The first thing we have to do to play well is get some more pressure on the quarterback" Prince said.
The Wildcats
The Wildcats have dropped two straight games to teams with losing records, Iowa State and Nebraska. Kansas State needs to win one of its
last two games to become bowl eligible and needs to win both to be guaranteed a bowl berth.
Pressuring the quarterback was a surprise response from Prince because Kansas State ranks second in the Big 12 with 28 sacks on the season. But the Wildcats have recorded only three sacks in the past two games and none by defensive linemen." The critical thing for us is to play better in our defensive front." Principia said.
CALLLAHAN PLEASED WITH OFFENSE
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan is likely to be fired shortly after the Cornhusker's season ends. But Callahan said that his offensive system had worked in Lincoln, Neb. Callahan implemented an NFL-style West Coast offense at Nebraska when he was
hence ago, Calahan said the national rankings of the Comhusker offense this season spoke for themselves. Nebraska ranks 12th in the nation in passing
Callahan
offense and 18th in total offense. Callahan said he was happy with the offense and that if the defense performed with the same consistency this season, Nebraska's record would read better than 5-6.
"It's kind of a testament that this system works." Callahan said. "It put up high numbers this year, and it put up high numbers last year. I'm proud of it."
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BROWN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
This is where Emily Brown grew up.
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She's heard the small-town complaints before.
"Baldwin rocks," Emily said with a smile.
"People always say, 'There's nothing to do.'" she said. "But it's all I know. So it's not like it was like 'Oh, it's terrible.' It's just what I was used to, and it was a small town, but we were so close to Lawrence."
And being close to Lawrence meant one thing for Brown.
"I was a huge KU basketball fan," Brown said.
Of course, it didn't hurt that her mom and aunt were both former Kansas volleyball players. Jill Brown graduated from Kansas in 1979, and it was Jill who introduced her daughter to the game.
If her mother was playing in a co-ed league or a sand volleyball tournament, Emily was there, watching and learning. But she wasn't just watching. She was playing — a lot. Her schedule was packed with volleyball matches, basketball games and track meets.
"Our family was basically at some sort of game every night," Emily's older brother, Eric, said. Eric Brown, who earned All-American honors in the javelin at the University of Arkansas, remembered his parents going through more than one car driving to all the athletic events.
The mother-daughter combination continued when jill coached Emily at Baldwin High School. Jill Brown admitted she was tougher on her daughter than most of her teammates.
"She had to be the first one in the gym and the last one to leave," Jill Brown said.
Brown can hardly believe it.
"I can't believe four years ago I was in high school," Brown said. "It seems like not so long ago."
But Brown's career hasn't been all fair tale. Kansas advanced to the NCAA tournament her freshman and sophomore seasons but has a combined record of 21-33.
"This is what I grew up with. Playing close to home has been great," Brown said, adding that she couldn't go to a home game without seeing a face or two from Baldwin City in the stands.
The final chapter in Brown's college volleyball career is rapidly coming to a close. Brown has only three matches left before she hangs up the knee pads. No longer will Kansas fans see Brown bouncing around the court with her blond hair pulled back as she nervously chomps on a piece of gum. No longer will fans see her 6-foot-2 frame soaring for a kill, diving for a dig or doing her usual shimmy after an ace.
Eric, who said he liked to claim he was the assistant coach, has fond memories of his family's volleyball bonding.
"I helped out with the team a little bit, and it's tough being the daughter of the coach, but I think Emily handled it quite well." Eric said.
"The best part was having that family connection. I think that's what led me to volleyball." Emily said.
Mother and daughter proved to be a successful duo. Together they led Baldwin High School to a second-place finish in the 2003 Kansas 4A state volleyball tournament.
Kit Harris taught Emily in English and journalism classes at Baldwin High School. He said he remembered Jill Brown dressing up as the Saturday Night Live character, Stuart Smalley, before one of those state tournament matches.
But the ride isn't over yet. Brown still has three volleyball matches to play. Three more opportunities for Emily to call her mother and confess that she should have played better. Three more chances for mother and daughter to bond through volleyball.
"We always try to recruit players with traits that will add value to our program, and she has certainly done that," Bechard said.
Eric Brown said that was the way his little sister had always been.
A SOMBER END
Her coach certainly thinks she has the intangible qualities to do the job. Kansas coach Ray Bechard said it was those qualities, such as the good grades, that made her successful.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
during her junior and senior seasons.
Although Brown's volleyball days are numbered, she will be staying in Lawrence a little longer. Brown, an Academic All-Big 12 selection as a junior, is majoring in education and has one year left in the five-year program. She thinks she wants to get into coaching, but don't hold her to that.
"I hate that," Brown said. "You think, 'OK, it was good when I was a freshman and sophomore,' and now I'm one of the leaders, and I'm not able to get it done."
"She's always been the hometown girl," he said.
Edited by Tara Smith
cornerback Aqib Talib won the award this week for his performance at Oklahoma State. Talib tied his career-high with nine tackles, made one tackle-for-loss
Talib
football notebook
For the first time this season, a Kansas player earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Junior
and broke up a pass in addition to returning an interception 17 yards to set up a Scott Webb field goal. Talib is currently fifth in the nation and first in the Big 12 Conference in passes defended with 15.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kansas has been blessed with good health for most of the season but is starting to show some wear and tear. Junior safety Patrick Resby sat out last weekend's game against Oklahoma State with an undisclosed injury and several other Jayhawks played despite minor bumps and bruises. Senior defensive tackle James McClinton sat out more plays than usual at Oklahoma State, but freshman defensive tackle Jamal Greene stepped in and recorded three tackles. Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing and junior offensive tackle Anthony Collins both sported noticeable limbs after the game but did not miss out on any playing time.
THE INJURY BUG
The Jayhawks played another nearly mistake-free game last Saturday, registering four takeaways, no giveaways and just three penalties. Junior linebacker Joe Mortensen and freshman cornerback Chris Harris recovered fumbles, and Talib intercepted a pass. Kansas leads the nation in both turnover margin and penalties per game."They don't beat themselves," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said."They came into Saturday with a plus-16 turnover margin and left with plus-20. They don't make many mistakes."
NEARLY FLAWLESS
Asher Fusco
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