Monday, November 11, 1968
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
11
Speaking of sports
Now we shoot for 9-1
By Ron Yates. Kansan sports editor
As Jayhawk football fans streamed from Memorial stadium Saturday the joviality which had accompanied KU's first four home games was missing. It was the first taste of defeat for KU fans this year and it was greated with mixed emotions.
In the stands a girl mopped tears from her face and out in the street two men were talking.
"Well, the bubble finally broke," said one man to the other, shaking his head.
"We can still go nine and one," said the other man with a note of optimism in his voice. "We'll still go to Miami."
Perhaps the best thing KU fans could do would be to remain optimistic. And if there ever was a "bubble" then it is still around the Jayhawks. KU has not won seven games since 1961 and certainly the way the football team has played is nothing to be ashamed of.
What happened to KU Saturday is nothing new to an unbeaten football team. Oklahoma was in a must win situation and played almost flawless football the entire game. They would not be denied and the entire Sooner team deserves tribute for their performance. The Jayhawks certainly did not fall down and die, but they had their troubles with the Sooners, particularly on defense.
A great individual effort by Steve Owens, OU's junior Tailback who crashed KU's line for 157 yards on 37 carries, quite possibly gave the Sooners the extra punch they needed to beat KU. An example of commendable team effort was the OU offensive line which provided gapping holes for the Sooner running backs.
In the KU locker room after the game, Jayhawk coach Pepper Rodgers grinned slightly.
"I'm not going to stay sad very long, probably not more than an hour," he said in answer to a question about the loss.
Perhaps this is what KU football fans should do also. Bury the loss and start thinking about K-State next Saturday and then Missouri after that. Of all the games KU has played so far this season, these two will probably be the most important . . . and possibly the toughest.
And as for the "bad game" some Jayhawk fans felt KU played, an Oklahoma sports writer who has followed Oklahoma the past eight years, said he has not seen Oklahoma play so well since last year's Orange Bowl game against Tennessee. The Sooners beat Tennessee in that game and at the time Tennessee, like Kansas was rated third in the nation.
"I think they were higher for this game against Kansas than they were for Tennessee in the Orange Bowl," the writer added. "They were really up for this one. And that defensive line was just unbelievable . . . they just closed up the holes as fast as they were opened. We could have beaten anybody today."
And as the old football saying goes: "Any team can beat another team on any given day." K-State proved that by shutting out powerful Nebraska 12-0 and Oklahoma proved it by shutting down the Javhawk scoring machine.
Despite the loss, the world did not end for the KU football team or its fans. Some unpredictability was inserted into the season and instead of a straight road to the Orange Bowl, a curve or two has popped up.
And with some fresh team effort, a touch of Pepper and a sprinkle of optimism from the fans, the Jayhawks can still cook up enough winning brew to sustain them for the next two weeks.
Jayhawk-Sooner statistics
First Downs Kansas Okla.
Rushing Yardage 184 246
Passing Yardage 240 168
Total Offense 424 395
Passes Att-Comp-I 28-11-23 23-14-0
Return Yardages 12 14
Losses 0 0
Yards Penalized 17 35
Punts-Average 4-33.7 7-38
Score by quarters
Kansas 0 9 7 7—23
Oklahoma 0 13 7 7—27
OU—Owens 6 run (kick failed)
KU—McGowan 75 pass from Doug-
lass (kick failed)
KU—McGowan north 13 pass from
Owens (Derr kick)
KU—FG Bell 35
KU—Shanklin 19 run (Bell kick)
KU—McGowan 11 run (Derr kick)
KU—John Riggins 1 run (Bell kick)
OU—Owens 5 run (Derr kick)
Running with what KU track coach calls "contact," the Jayhawk harriers claimed the Big Eight cross country team championship and their sixth consecutive win of the season Saturday
Colorado's All-American Craig Runyan successfully defended his Big Eight individual champion title in 14-min. 21.9-sec.
KU harriers first in Big 8
As an important ingredient for a team title Timmons had described the necessity to "run close to the top and in close contact with each other." That's exactly what the Hawk harriers did.
KU's freshman football team combined its best game defensively with its worst game offensively as they lost to the Oklahoma State fresh 18-0 Friday in near freezing temperatures.
KU's top runner was freshman Doug Smith who took third with a 14:25 time. But it was by placing its final four scoring runners in positions 9 through 12—and only six-tenths of a second separating them—that the Jayhawks won. They were sophomore Jay Mason, junior Roger Kathol, freshman Rich Elliot and sophomore Mike Salomon
Kansas quarterbacks threw six interceptions during the game—five by starter Phil Basler. Only one led to an OSU touchdown, but the Oklahomaans also scored after a KU fumble and once after a quick kick.
Frosh lose; slip to 0-3
Runyan led all the way around the Lawrence Country Club course. He started losing his 20-yard lead around the 2-mile track and was able to edge teammate Rick Trujillo by only a few
KU was outdistanced by only eight yards, 234 to 226, but could not cross the goal line.
The young dayhawks were led by tailback Dick Hertel, who gained 80 years on 14 carries, and Yogki Pinckney on defense, who made 25 tackles.
Mick Narusch, a 6-1, 210-pound linebacker playing his first game ever at that position, had nine tackles. Narusch suffered a back injury before the season and was advised he couldn't play this year. But he was given an okay and began practicing just last week.
Oklahoma State, in running its record to 3-0, was led by Bobby Cole's 62 yards on 17 carries and Ronnie McInturff, who caught four passes for 55 yards.
Kansas' nex game is Friday in Manhattan against Kansas State, while OSU has a week before playing Oklahoma at Norman.
The undefeated Jayhawk squad rammed home all seven runners in the top 15, taking positions—3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 for a total 45 points. Second place Colorado took positions 1, 2, 5, 24, 29, 38, 45 for 61 points.
K-State took 8, 16, 19, 23, 25,
47, 52 for 91 points; Nebraska-
6, 7, 17, 32, 36, 41, 51, for 98
points; Missouri—13, 21, 22, 27,
30, 33, 37 for 113 points; Iowa
State—4, 26, 31, 34, 43, 49, 55
for 138 points; Oklahoma State
—18, 28, 35, 46, 50, 53 for 177
points; and Oklahoma—20, 39,
40, 42, 44, 48, 54, for 185
points.
steps. On Runyan's and Trujillo's steps was KU's Smith.
Under cloudy skies and a chilly 33 degrees about 250 persons ran across the fairways and up the hills of the Lawrence Country Club golf course for a better view of the harriers running around the 3-mile course. Pacing the fans was KU's miler now Topeka Daily Capital photographer Jim Ryun.
Next Saturday KU's cross
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Intramural Hill title in football set for today
Four teams will play at 4:15 p.m. today for the "A" and "B" league Hill Championships in KU's football intramural program.
Beta Theta Pi will have two teams playing for Hill trophies after Friday's league championship games. In Fraternity "A" league, the Beta team shutout Phi Gamma Delta 19-0, and in Fraternity "B" Beta No. 1 blanked Theta Chi 7-0.
Beta will play Law on Field 2 for the "A" title, and the College Kids will play Beta No.1 on Field 7 for the "B" title.
Law won the Independent "A" league championship by beating Manor, Inc. 18-6 and the College Kids reached the Hill championship game in "B" league by running over the Graduates 31-6.
country team travels to Chicago for the Central Collegiate Championships.
HAROLD'S SERVICE
66
1401 WEST 6th STREET
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
phone 843-3557
Appearing At
The Red Dog
Thursday,
Nov. 14.
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