THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2013
PAGE 5B
FOOTBALL
Offensive lineman Slater on leave, walk-on rises
CONNOR OBERKROM
coberkrom@kansan.com
Charlie Weis said Friday that he doesn't know "if and when" offensive lineman Pearce Slater will return to Lawrence after traveling to his hometown in California for a family medical emergency.
Weis hasn't heard back from Slater, who arrived late on campus to begin with, and is still pushing to keep in contact with him. Slater hadn't responded by Friday, and Weis said he is
trying to get him back on campus
possible.
"As of right now, I have no idea if and when he'll get here."
Weis said. "I have texted him again this morning
"As of right now, I have no idea if and when he'll get here."
reiterating those things that I just told you. I have not heard from him and I'm just taking him for his word and it is what it is."
The 6-foot-8, 340-pound Slater played at El Camino Community College for one year in California, and was then granted three years of eligibility when Kansas scooped him up.
Former walk-on Wyman leads hiking competition
"He came in here a distant kicker in the initial thought process," Weis said. "But he's a candidate
Former walk-on Wyman leads kicking competition
Walk-ons hardly ever push up the ranks and become starters, but when they do, a good story comes along the wayside.
Enter Matthew Wyman, a kicker from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
It certainly has proved worthy for Wyman who is at the top of the depth chart ahead of favorite Michael Mesh, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College.
Wyman, who was just a typical freshmen living in the dorms, now seems to have the upper hand in the kicking game after walking onto the team last year during Weis' search for a solid kicker. It looks like Weis' advertisement is paying off.
CHARLIE WEIS Football Coach
to be the field-goal kicker because he's kicked so well."
the Jayhawks used a two-kicker committee last year and finished 2012 making 62 percent of their field goals.
Weis said Wy-
man's well documented skills can best help Kansas and he's showed that he can grab hold of the starting spot.
"He's got good pop," Weis said.
"He's got good range, he has no problem making it from 50 yards. He's been very consistent and he has a legitimate chance of being named the field-goal kicker."
While Wyman looks to secure the field-goal responsibilities, junior college transfer Trevor Pardula looks to be tabbed for kickoff duties and possibly punts.
Edited by Evan Dunbar
Head Football Coach Charlie Weis speaks at his weekly press conference.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
NOT SO SUPER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
On Friday., Farmers' Almanac managing editor Sandy Duncan, left, and editor Peter Geiger, pose in Lewiston, Maine. The 197-year old almanac is predicting a colder-than normal winter for most of the United States, with a winter storm hitting around the time of the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, 2014, in New Jersey.
'Farmers' Almanac' predicts low temperatures for Super Bowl
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEWISTON, Maine — "The Farmers' Almanac" is using words like "pipering cold", "bitterly cold" and "biting cold" to describe the upcoming season. And if its predictions are right, the first outdoor Super Bowl in years will be a messy "Storm Bowl".
The 197-year-old publication that hits newsstands Monday predicts a winter storm will hit the Northeast around the time the Super Bowl is played at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It also predicts a colder-than-normal winter for two-thirds of the country and heavy snowfall in the Midwest, Great Lakes and New England.
"We're using a very strong four-letter word to describe this winter, which is C-O-L-D. It's going to be very cold," said Sandi Duncan, managing editor. Based on planetary positions, sunspots and lunar cycles, the almanac's secret formula is largely unchanged since founder David Young published the first almanac in 1818.
Modern scientists don't put much stock in sunspots or tidal action, but the almanac says its forecasts used by readers to plan weddings and plant gardens are correct about 80 percent of the time.
Last year, the forecast called for cold weather for the eastern and central U.S. with milder temperatures west of the Great
Lakes. It started just the opposite but ended up that way.
some places and a sloppy storm the day before spring's arrival that buried parts of New England.
Caleb Weatherbee, the publication's elusive prognosticator, said he was off by only a couple of days on two of the season's biggest storms: a February blizzard that paralyzed the Northeast with 3 feet of snow in
Readers who put stock in the almanac's forecasts may do well to stock up on long johns.
some places and
especially if they're lucky enough to get tickets to the Super Bowl on Feb. 2. The first Super Bowl held outdoors in a cold-weather environment could be both cold and super messy, with a big storm due Feb. 1 to 3, the almanac says.
Said Duncan: "It really looks like the Super Bowl may be the Storm Bowl." The Maine-based Farmers' Almanac, not to be confused with the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer's Almanac, which will be published next month, features a mix of
"We're using a very strong four-letter word to describe this winter, which is C-O-L-D."
SANDI DUNCAN Farmer's Almanac Managing Editor
cornv iokes.
corny jokes,
gardening tips,
nostalgia and home remedies,
like feeding carrots to dogs to help with bad breath and using mashed bananas, to
soothedry,crackedskin in thewinter. Also in this year's edition, editor Peter Geiger is leading a campaign to get people to ditch the penny, like Canada is doing.
soothedry,crackedskininthewinter.
NFL
Giants safety Stevie Brown injured in loss to Jets
ASSOCIATED PRESS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
— New York Giants free safety Stevie Brown will miss the regular season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that he hurt in Saturday's preseason overtime loss to the Jets. The 27-year-old Brown, who led the Giants with eight interceptions last season, was placed on injured reserve on Sunday. "I feel badly for him," coach Tom Coughlin said in a conference call.
"He played well for us last year and prepared himself well for this season. We're definitely going to miss him. We'll continue, because that's what we do."
"But we expect Antrel to practice this week and get him back on the field." Coughlin said.
For now, it leaves the Giants without the starting safeties from a year ago, with strong safety Antrel Rollestill out with a sprained ankle.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Trainers carry New York Giants safety Stevie Brown (27) off the field after he was injured on a play during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the New York Jets. on Saturday, in East Rutherford, N.J.
Brown's injury, which came on a non-contact play soon after he intercepted Geno Smith's pass and returned it 22 yards, will move fifth-year veteran Ryan Mundy into a starting role.
Mundy signed with the Giants in the offseason after spending his entire career with the Pittsburgh
Steelers. He started only five games in four years, with one interception.
"He has played well," Coughlin said of Mundy. "He can play both safety positions. He's proven to be physical. We'll see about that."
Tyler Sash, a third-year veteran, has a chance to move up the depth chart with Brown out for the season.
"He's certainly going to get a lot of playing time," Coughlin said of Sash. "It's up to his production, but the opportunity is going to be there. He knows what's in front of him and has the opportunity."
Another safety who might have been in the mix to start is second-year pro Will Hill, who made the team as a free agent
"He's been playing and playing well," Coughlin said of Hill. "He's outstanding in the special teams. But we're not going to have him for four games. We acknowledge what he can brings to the table, but we can't be lured into thinking we're OK because he's not going to be here. That's a shame."
If he makes the Giants' roster next week, he will miss the first four games of the 2013 season for another drug offense.
out of training camp last year. However, Hill was suspended once last year for four games for violating the league's drug policy.
Former standout cornerback
Terrell Thomas, who is making a comeback after two ACL surgeries, is probably not a candidate for playing time at safety. "He played real well last night and I feel real good about him," Coughlin said. "He had a couple of serious injuries. We want him to get close to 100 percent physically as possible." "We know he's a player. He's certainly a talented guy, an outstanding player. We're trying to get him on the field where his confidence is up. We haven't thought about another spot. We just want to get him confident and playing."