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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
HOMECOMING BLOWOUT? PAGE 8B
KANSAS
WOMEN OPEN SEASON PAGE 7B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007
>> COMMENTARY
PAGE 1B
Even perfect start garners no love from ESPN analyst
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Waking up on a Saturday morning and watching nothing but information about college football is almost like Christmas once a week with ESPN's Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso discussing a full array of information all morning.
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN Allen Field
Kansas football fans have tried to catch a mere glimpse of their team's memories in past month on ESPN's College GameDay, and of course, it was rare. Fast forward to this year, as the Jayhawks enter this week 8-0. If the record were not impressive enough, the Jayhawk offense ranks No. 5 nationally in scoring and No. 11 in yards per game, while the defense is No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 5 in yards allowed per game. Although these numbers are stunning, Corso still is not impressed.
So what is the basis for Corso's ideas? His biased opinions are formulated on the basis that the Jayhawks were once a terrible team, are not in the SEC and that the SEC is the nation's best conference. In case he hasn't noticed, the Big 12 North is flourishing without any recognition or respect, with two teams ranked in every top 10 poll and potentially five that could become bowl-eligible, if Nebraska can find another victory
Little did Mr. Corso know, we beat a decent Colorado team in Boulder, Colo., and would later that day beat a good Texas A&M team in a hostile College Station, Texas. The lack of respect Corso gives the Jayhawks stems from the same superiority complex that the rest of the media has for historically good programs.
So for those who endeavor to find real college football entertainment, look no further than the resurgence of the easy-to-enjoy Kansas layhawks. Although Corso will continue to be the guy at recess who goes double or nothing until he's lost his lunch, you should pick Kansas because it has shown superiority through it's record and the stats the team has put up. Although this is not a play to retreat from watching College GameDay, it is my call to arms.
But much like Kansas, Boston College has won three games on the road — Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Currently, only Virginia Tech is ranked. Three of the Eagles' home victories were against Army (3-5), Bowling Green (4-4) and Massachusetts (an FCS school). So is Boston College's schedule really that much better than Kansas? And although Kansas ranks high in statistical categories, Boston College trails and is out of the top 25 in all four mentioned earlier. That should count for something, right?
Last week Corso made a statement when making his prediction that, "Texas A&M will win because Kansas has not played outside the state yet" and, "I am going to continue picking against them until I am right."
ABOVE, Senior guard Rodrick Stewart powers up for a basket. Stewart finished the game with 11 points.
Kansan sportswriter Tyler Passmore can be reached at tpassmore@kansan. com.
Corso loves to give his two cents about how good the Florida Gators (5-3), USC Trojans (6-2) and Auburn Tigers (6-3) are, but has the guts to say that the Kansas Jayhawks are not for real but rather a joke. Even after the Kansas defense gave up only 74 yards on the ground — four in the second half — to a rushing-offense juggernaut in Texas A&M, which averaged 260 yards per game entering the contest, I doubt Corso will change his derogatory tone.
In further discussion, Corso announced that Boston College was the best team in college football. When trying to decipher the difference, look at the first major knock on Kansas: its strength of schedule.
KANSAS 94, PITTSBURG STATE 59
BELOW, Sophomore guard Sherron Collins cheers on the Jayhawks as they take on Pittsburgh State in Allen Fieldhouse Thursday night. Kansas won their first game of the season 94-59.
Self approves of victory, not defense
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Kansas coach Bill Self expressed disapproval about how his team's defense looked earlier this week. He said it lacked attention to detail.
Pity the Jayhawks' opponent when they do figure out how to defend. For not being good enough, it showed
"People think stealing the ball is playing the defense sometimes," Self said. "I'll watch the tape. I think we tried for the most part and were better, but when we really play well defensively, the team doesn't shoot 44 percent."
After stealing the ball 15 times and forcing 24 turnovers in a 94-59 victory against Pittsburg State last night, did the defense look any better?
The Sons of Steal, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson, did most of the damage defensively, swiping the ball nine times. Those Jayhawks aren't first-time felons. They perfected the craft
good enough, it showed flashes of brilliance.
Nope.
But Rodrick Stewart may have been the most impressive.
"That's what Sherron said. Heck, he's 5-foot-9; he's never blocked anyone out in his life."
Stewart tied Collins and Robinson with four steals Thursday night. It shouldn't have come as a surprise given that he loves defense. Stewart, a senior guard, boxed twice a day this summer. The sport put him in better shape and helped his hands.
"My hands are so much quicker now" he said. "It definitely helped with the defense."
or merevy last season, combining to average about five steals per game last year. Junior guard Mario Chalmers even set a school record for steals with 97.
A lack of defense was also apparent by the rebounding margin. The Gorillas, who have no player taller than 6-foot-8, bullied the Jayhawks on the boards all night. They out rebounded Kansas 36 to 33. Self estimated that his players only rebounded the ball five times on the 30 shots they missed.
said. It is definitely helped with the defense.
But outside of the steals, Self said the defense wasn't tight enough. Pittsburg State scored several baskets when Kansas players didn't rotate in the post quickly enough.
Collins said Kansas didn't box out well enough. Self said it was worse than that.
BILL SELF Basketball coach
"That's what Sherron said. Heck he's 5-foot-9, he never blocked anyone out in his life," Self said. "But I would say that's part of it but also just being active and going after the balls. A lot of it was rotation rebounding too when you help a teammate and the help doesn't help the helper."
The game wasn't all full of negatives. Kansas jumped out with a 15-4 run to start the game and led 55-29 at half. The three-guard starting lineup that included Collins,
Robinson and Chalmerz dazzled offensively, combining for eight threepointers and 15 assists.
Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur didn't attempt a field goal in the first half before scoring eight points in the first six minutes of the second half. He finished
with 12 points. The Jayhawks weren't perfect.
They didn't rebound or play the best help defense, but the positives were there. Kansas showed a penchant for stealing like it has in the past. Arthur showed he could be a go-to-guy when he gets the ball, and the three guard lineup looked like a success.
After one exhibition game, the players know they aren't where they need to be yet.
"I think we took a chance," Collins said. "We can't waste any days. Every day you have to get better during these games. I think we took a step to getting better defensively. I think we did a pretty good job tonight. This team was a good team, but we're going to play a lot better teams."
- Edited by Jeff Briscoe
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FOOTBALL
Rival schools find reasons to be envious
BY THOR NYSTROM
tnystrom@kansan.com
This week provides an interesting prism with which to view the progress of Kansas' football resurgence. Behind the lajahwacks are the stumbling Texas A&M Aggies (6-3), a once-proud program that must beat either Oklahoma, Missouri or Texas in the season's waning weeks to be guaranteed even an invitation to a bowl game. Looming in front of Kansas are the fallen Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-6), a former powerhouse that could easily end its season with a losing record.
Both schools are rumored to be moving closer to firing their coaches, Dennis Franchione and Bill Callahan, respectively, in the offseason.
Franchione has gotten himself into trouble off the field after selling a high-priced secret newsletter containing information about the A&M football program to boosters, unbeknownst to the athletic department. The act, a possible NCAA violation, has brought as much scrutiny to the school as the team's poor performance.
Callahan's departure, meanwhile, seems imminent. Nebraska fired Athletic Director Steve Pederson in mid-October, citing a lack of progress from the football program. Pederson's signature hire, Callahan, arrived in Lincoln four years ago. The school hired former coaching legend Tom Osborne as interim athletic director.
Calls to the Nebraska Athletic Department by The University Daily Kansan seeking comment for this story were not returned.
And then there's Kansas, 8-0 and off to its best start since 1909. The Jayhawks will be nearly three touchdown favorites when they take the field against the Cornhuskers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Kansas Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said the Athletics Department was not surprised by the team's start.
"It's obvious that we haven't looked this good in at least a decade," Marchiony said. "But if we start thinking about that, that's when bad things start to happen. We are focused on Nebraska — not being 8-0 or where we are going to end up this season."
It appears the impatient fan bases of Kansas' most recent and next opponents are focused on anything but the games.
In College Station, Texas, the calls for Franchione's head have grown to a crescendo, according to Renee Bogard, a Texas A&M senior from Kansas City, Mo. Bogard frequently sees "Fire Fran" bumper stickers across campus. On Saturday, Bogard went to a Halloween party where a guest dressed as Franchione — complete with a maroon Adidas A&M shirt, slacks, a head full of spray-painted gray hair and the "Fire Fran" bumper sticker adorning his chest.
Bogard, who said she was in tears leaving Kyle Field after the Oct. 27 loss to Kansas, said the expectation at Texas A&M was to win every game.
"Most students blame the problems on the coach," Bogard said. "What Coach Fran did, it might have taken the player's minds off their main focus. Us fans, we want all or nothing — if we don't get what we want, we start pointing fingers. Maybe the team can't handle the pressure."
Brett Himmelberg, a University of Nebraska senior from Lincoln, Neb., said the season appeared to be a "catastrophe" before Pederson's firing. Himmelberg said the students had rallied behind the idea that Callahan would be fired.
"It's everybody here now," Himmelberg said. "It's all over the radio. They aren't talking about if Callahan will be fired — they are talking about who the next head coach will be."
Himmelberg said Nebraska fans would switch spots with Kansas if they could, a sentiment that even a year ago would have
"I was down there two years ago when we lost," Himmelberg said of the Jayhawks' 2005 40-15 home victory against the Cornhuskers. "It was unbelievable to see the change in times with Kansas at the top of the Big 12 and Nebraska at the bottom. As a kid, I was used to seeing Nebraska beating Kansas by 40 or 50 points. Kansas is a good team, and Nebraska just isn't anymore."
been laughable.
While fans in Lincoln and College Station pine for the jettisons of their high profile
coaches, Kansas might soon have the opposite problem, one that it hasn't experienced since Glen Mason bolted for Minnesota in the mid-90s: keeping a miracle-working coach, in this case Mark Mangino, in Lawrence.
"That is the highest compliment that can be paid to a coach and his coaching staff that other programs are interested in him," Marchiony said.
Edited by Tara Smith
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