6
Thursday, Sept. 17, 1970
University Daily Kansan
Big Eight Teams Offense Minded
By JOE H. BULLARD
Kansan Sports Editor
The Big Eight the past two years has been one of the strongest yet least recognized football conferences in the nation. This year, however, should be the year that sports commentators and fans forget about the Big Ten and Southwest conferences and turn their attention to the balanced offensive attack and tight defenses of the Big Eight.
While defense got top billing during preseason forecasts, offense may become the trademark of the Big Eight.
Last week's Big Eight games were a prelude to the exciting high scoring games that will continue throughout the season. Six Big Eight teams opened their 1970 seasons last week with only one, Oklahoma State losing.
EVERY TEAM IN action, with the exception of Oklahoma State, scored at least four touchdowns. Kansas lead the scoring list with 48 points followed by Missouri with 38, Kansas State with 37, Nebraska with 36, Oklahoma with 28, and Oklahoma State with 13.
The running of Missouri's Joe Moore and KU's John Riggins and the passing of Oklahoma quarterback Jack Mildren were just a few of the standouts in last week's games.
In contrast to last year when the Big Eight had three of the top four scorers in the nation, the 200 points scored by the six Big Eight teams last week were divided among 19 players. It is this sort of balanced offensive attack that makes any Big Eight team exciting to watch.
Defense wasn't totally forgotten last week as Missouri and K-State both posted shutouts. Oklahoma, by utilizing a strong rush, held Southern Methodist to only 36 yards rushing, best for the week.
OKLAHOMA STATE, WHILE losing, intercepted five Mississippi State passes and gave up only 47 yards through the air. Missouri was tops in total defense giving up only 121 yards, 46 rushing and 75 passing.
This week all Big Eight teams are in action. Oklahoma State takes on Arkansas, Colorado meets Indiana, Texas Tech is at Kansas, Minnesota at Missouri and in the game of the week Nebraska, ranked ninth nationally takes on third ranked USC.
★ ★ ★
The Jayhawks go into this week's game with Texas Tech following KU's highest opening game score since 1912 when KU defeated St. Mary's 62-0.
KANSAS IS BACK, offensively at least. After one game, KU leads three of the four offensive categories in the Big Eight. The Jayhawks lead in rushing offense with 281 yards; fourth in passing with 166 yards, first in total offense with 447 yards and first in scoring offense with 48 points.
Defense, however is another story. KU is last in three of the four categories. Not only are the Jayhawks last but are so far behind the next team that one wonders if KU even fielded a defensive team against Washington State.
KU is last in rushing defense, giving up 330 yards; fifth in passing defense, giving up 183 yards; last in total defense, giving up 513 yards; and last in scoring defense, allowing 31 points.
Texas Tech presents a much stronger opponent than Washington State, and if KU hopes to win they must do something about shoring up the defense, especially against the running game. Texas Tech presents a strong running game that utilizes power and strength to move the ball.
Texas Tech provides the true test to the "Kansas Is Back" slogan.
★★
THE JAYHAWK SPECIALTY players all rank high in the Big Eight standings. After one game, Ke'ah Lieppman leads the punting category with a 49.6 yard average, eight yards more than his closest rival.
Ron Jessie, leads kickoff returns with a 27 yard average with 3 returns for 81 vards.
24 yard storage with 6 returns for 52 yards. Bob Helmbacher and John Riggins are tied for the scoring lead with Mike Montgomery of K-State, and Joe Orduna of Nebraska all with 12 points.
Parents Day Matches Jayhawks, Texas Tech
BY DON BAKER
Assistant Kansan Sports Editor
Fresh from a 48-31 triumph over Washington State in the season's opener the Kansas Jayhawks will host the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday in Memorial Stadium.
The Parent's Day headliner kicks off at 1:30 p.m. with a crowd in excess of 40,000 expected.
Both teams enter the contest with a 1-0 record as the Red Raiders edged Tulane Saturday 21-14 on quarterback Charles Napper's 13-yard touchdown run with only four minutes remaining.
THE KU TRIUMPH was by no means as decisive as the score might indicate. The Jayhawks scored twice in the last four minutes after the Cougars came within three points, 34-31, four minutes into the last quarter. For the final 11 minutes however, KU had the ball on all but four plays.
The 48 points scored by the Jayhawks was the highest opening game score by a KU team since 1912 when Kansas led off with a 62-0 romp over St. Mary's of Dodge City.
Six different Jayhawks, five of them playing their first college game, broke into the scoring act against Washington State. Among those who scored in their varsity debuts was Bob Helmbacher, the soccer-type kicker who booted two field goals and six extra points to set a modern-day record for a KU kicker and who also shares the Big Eight scoring lead with teammate John Riggins and Joe Orduna of Nebraska and Mike Montgomery of Kansas State. Also scoring in their initial outing were swift pass receivers Lucius Turner and Marvin Foster, running back Donnie Joe Morris and defensive end Gery Palmer, who streaked 26 yards with an intercepted pass.
The other two touchdowns were made by John Riggins, senior running back from Centralia who played what some observers called the best-all-around game of his career. Riggins rushed for 125 yards, including runs of 39 and 20 yards, to push his varsity rushing total to an even 1,700 yards, third highest in the school's history.
PHYSICALLY, THE JAYHAWKS came out of the opening game in good shape. No serious injuries were reported, however, sophomore defensive back James Bowman is not expected to play for the second straight week due to an injury sustained in practice two weeks ago.
Texas Tech will come into the game under the direction of new head coach Jim Carlen. The 36-year old coach will be no stranger to Pepper Rodgers, however, as the two were teammates in the early 1950's at Georgia Tech. Pepper's junior and senior years coincided with Carlen's sophomore and junior years. Carlen was a center and punter while Rodgers was a quarterback and place-kicker.
Leading the Tech running game will be Danny Hardaway, the team's leading rusher from last season with 483 yards on 159 carries. Also returning is Miles Langehennig who had 336 yards on 86 carries. Three redshirts from last year, Doug McCutchen, Don Crocker and Pat Rogers gives Carlen what he calls good running depth.
The Red Raiders will bring 31 returning lettermen from last year's 5-5 team including nine starters on offense and six on defense.
CALLING SIGNALS FOR the Red Raiders will be Napper, who led Tech to that 38-22 conquest of KU last year as a sophomore. Napper is rated a good
passer and has looked good in executing the team's new triple option offense.
Carlen rates his defense good although the linebacking corps appears thin. A strong defensive secondary and
a more than adequate line makeup for any shortcomings.
Texas Tech holds a 3-0 series lead over KU, including its 38-22 victory last fall in Lubbock in the season opener for both teams. In Tech's only previous appearance in Lawrence, the Red Raiders won 23-7, in 1966. The other game between the schools was called the "Tornado Tilt" at Lubbock in 1965 when the contest was called off with 14:04 left with Tech ahead, 28-7, for fear of a tornado hitting the stadium. This is the last game presently scheduled for the two schools.
TEXAS TECH TEXASTECH
Danny Hardaway
. . . leading Red Raider rusher
Charles Napper
. . . will call Tech signals
By NOBLE COSGROVE Kansan Sports Writer
Football Ticket Sales Down
John Novotny, assistant director of intercollegiate athletics, said Tuesday that both the public and student-faculty season ticket sales were slightly down for the '70 football season.
"Last year we sold 13,234," Novotny said, "and that included spouse tickets for the married students." He reported that thus far the sale of student and spouse tickets have only reached 12,500.
Novotny said the non-university season ticket sales, which include private citizens, corporations, and other organizations, were also behind last years seasons totals. "This years' final totals aren't in yet," he said, "but they should be close to 11,000 for the public sales and last year the total was 12,031."
"The away game ticket allotment is decided by the university that is hosting the game," he said. "They usually call the other school and ask how many tickets they would like, but the final decision is up to the home school."
When asked about the faculty purchase of season tickets, Novotny said that they would be just about the same.
"Last year we had a total of 1,401 faculty ticket sales, and so far this season we've had about 1,400," he said.
Novotny said that in order for students to be admitted to any of the games, they must show their identification cards and their current certificates of enrollment, along with their season ticket and under no circumstances would any student be admitted without these three credentials.
Novotny said allotments for away games have started to become a problem.
Novotny said that the allotments are made during the summer months, and that season ticket holders were sent applications to be filled out with the names of the away games they wanted to attend.
He said an allotment of 4,500 tickets was received for the Kansas-Kansas State game, and that was definitely a sell out.
"You take care of your own first," Novotny said, "so before the hosting school allots any tickets they make sure they have ample for themselves."
"Kansas State has put in some bleachers," Novotny said, "and I'm going to see if we can't get those seats for our students."
Missouri-Kansas, another popular game, is also a sell out.
"I'm in the process of seeing if the University of Missouri has anymore tickets," he said.
Novotny definitely feels these problems to be a trend that will continue. When asked if the universities have had these problems before, he replied, "No, away game ticket allotments have seldom posed any problems."
Novotny said one of his greatest problems during the summer months was to decide how many students would want to attend particular away games. The allotments made in the summer are charged to the athletic department and if for some reason the tickets are not sold, the university is out the money.
"It is unpredictable, he said, because if we would lose our first three games, many people would not buy tickets through lack of enthusiasm."
Novotny said that although complications do arise the problem was that there simply weren't enough tickets for the demand.
As a possible remedy, he said that maybe next year students will be asked to purchase their away game tickets before leaving school for summer break.
"Whatever happens," he said, "we are definitely going to do something to hold more tickets for our students."