Section:
12A
Pick up a Kansan every day next week for a piece of a Roy Williams poster
Sports
The University Daily Kansan
poster.
Inside: The Kansas women's basketball team is not ranked in the top four of the Big 12 Conference coaches' preseason ranking for the first time in years.
SEE PAGE 11A
Inside: The men's and women's swimming teams will have their first home meets of the season today beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Robinson.
RIDDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2000For comments contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
SEE PAGE 9A
Buffaloes yearning for victory
With 1-5 record Colorado in danger of losing bowl bid
8v Allan Davis
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
In the recent past when Colorado and Kansas have met, it's been the Jayhawks who were desperate for a win. This year it's the Buffaloes who are in dire straits.
Kansas' opponent, recently a consistent Big 12 Conference power, is mired in a 1-5 record, 1-2 in the Big 12. It's true that the Buffaloes have had a difficult schedule the fifth-toughest schedule in Division I-A.
toughtest schedule in Division I-A. But no matter the reason, a 1-5 record still generates criticism. A 1-5 record is particularly unappreciated at Colorado, which had the 10th best Division I-A record in the '90s at 87-29-4 and claimed the national title in
1990.
However, this year the Buffaloes are in danger of missing out on a postseason bowl bid. They need to win all of their remaining games to manage the 6-5 record required to earn a bowl bid.
Kansas coach Terry Allen said tomorrow's game was a crucial game for Colorado.
"Everybody can put the numbers together," he said. "Colorado had a very strong bowl history, and this would make six losses. So you know that this is an extremely important football game for them because I'm sure that they feel as though on paper they could win out to the Nebraska game for a bowl ride, if they were to beat Kansas."
Part of Colorado's problem this year is that it is 111th in the nation in passing defense, yielding 282.3 yards per contest. Any quarterback would love a 282 yard day. Texas' Major Applewhite had 308 yards passing against Colorado last Saturday.
The Buffaloes also have offensive problems. Last Saturday, Texas held them to 133 vards total offense.
The Buffaloes have a three-way quarterback controversy. Three quarterbacks have each started two of Colorado's six games. Zac Colvin, a sophomore, started the first two games but was relieved by junior Bobby Pesavento in both games, both of which the Buffalo losst.
More information
Read more about the homecoming game.
See page 1B
A statistical breakdown of the game.
See page 9B
More Big 1.2 football.
See page 10A
Pesavento started the next two games, both of which Colorado lost. True freshman Craig Ochs started the next two games, winning at Texas A&M but being relieved by Colvin last Saturday against Texas after completing only 11 of 32 passes for 69 yards and two interceptions. Ochs is tentatively scheduled to start tomorrow.
Colorado coach Gary Barnett said that his
team was hindered by injuries.
"We've got a lot of injuries, and we're pretty banged up right now," he said. "We had a number of injuries, especially on defense, during the course of the [Texas] game that really handcuffed us. We were put together with tape and tried to get a secondary together. Let's put it this way: The team we take to Kansas will be a lot of young guys, and most of them won't be shaving."
In addition to the injuries on defense, Colorado's top two rushers have both been hobbled by injuries. Corten Johnson, who leads the Buffs in total rushing yards and averages 88 yards per game, has a shoulder contusion and turf toe. He is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game. True freshman Marcus Houston, who is averaging 110.3 yards per game rushing, has a hip injury and will not play tomorrow. He has already missed three games.
Houston and Kansas junior wide receiver Roger Ross attended the same high school in Denver.
Edited by Erin McDaniel
Maggie Mason,
freshman, kicks
the ball during
a game. The
soccer team will face
Big 12 foe
Baylor in Waco
Sunday afternoon.
Photo by Aaron Lindberg
Big 12 berth on line in Kansas soccer's Baylor Bear battle
By Yoshitaka Ebisawa
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
With its first-ever berth in the Big 12 Conference tournament still remaining, the Kansas women's soccer team is entering what coach Mark Francis calls a crucial weekend in the Lone Star State.
The weekend begins when the Jayhawks play a non-conference game against North Texas at 7 onight in Denton, Texas, tonight before squaring off with a conference foe, Baylor, at 1 p.m. Sunday in Waco.
Francis said the game against North Texas would be crucial for the team's morale.
"We can win that, then go into Sunday with more confidence. I think if we win one more, we can go to the tournament," he said.
As Francis emphasized, confidence may be the key factor for Kansas because the Jayhawks have lost their three previous games.
"We came off a rough, disappointing weekend," assistant coach Donna Holyman said. "We've just been trying to get our confidence back."
Freshman midfielder Maggie Mason said the last two games were productive.
"If we can keep playing the way we've been playing in practice, we'll do well." she said.
"I'm looking forward to the next three weeks, the last three games of the season and the Big 12 Tournament, because I know we're going to do well," she said.
She said although Kansas needed to defeat one more conference foe to make the tournament, what the team really wanted was concluding the season with three consecutive victories.
North Texas (11-4, 3-1 Sun Belt) and Kansas have met three common opponents this season and had similar results. Both teams beat Texas Tech and lost to Texas A&M and Texas, showing they are at the same level.
But the main difference is finishing. Whereas the Eagles have produced 52 goals this season, Kansas has managed only 26 goals. Freshman forward Marilyn Marin, among the top scorers in the country, leads North Texas with 17 goals.
But this weekend's opponents don't look easy for the Jawhaws.
Baylor, is 4-0 all-time against Kansas. In their last meet,
the Bearers defeated Kansas 2-1 in Waco.
Baylor senior goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse leads all Big 12 goals in total saves with 105. With her performances against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State last weekend, Greathouse was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week during the week of Oct.9.
— Edited by Kathryn Moore
Jayhawks hope to muffle Colorado for second time
By Sarah Warren
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team is hoping the terrible twos won't be too terrible tomorrow night.
The Jayhawks play their second match against the Colorado Buffaloes and the second match of their "new" season. The match begins at 8 p.m. tomorrow in Boulder Colo.
In actuality, the Jayhawks are 12-7 overall and 3-7 in the Big 12 Conference. But Wednesday night's 3-0 home victory against Oklahoma snapped a five-match losing skid and gave Kansas a new outlook on the season.
In snapping that skid, the 'Hawks are only looking forward — one match down, 10 matches to go — with no looking back.
"We were never out of it," said Kylie Thomas, sophomore outside hitter. "But, to us this is a new
to us, this is a new season."
Although their mental slate may be clean, the box score from the Jayhawks' initial meeting with the Buffalooes still remains.
Kansas won a 3-2 decision last month in Lawrence, which gave the Jayhawks their first win against Colorado since 1987.
"It's a different environment, a
different altitude and a different ind of team from the last match."
Ray Bechard KU volleyball coach
In snapping a 25-match losing streak to Colorado, senior outside hitters Amy Myatt and Nancy Bell knocked down 22 and 18 kills, respectively, while freshman outside hitter Sarah Rome dove to 17 digs. The Jayhawks fought for more than two hours, eventually sending the Buffaloes back to Boulder with a Big 12 season-opening loss.
"It's a different environment, a different altitude and a different kind of team from the last match," Bechard said. "But I think it could go into five games again."
"I think it's going to be a tough match," he said. "I think you've got to prepare yourself for a two-to a two-and-a-half hour match."
Kansas is betting on another close one, this time in front of a Boulder crowd.
A long five games.
And this time, of course, Kansas is hoping the home team will suffer defeat.
"We know it's going to be a tough match, but all of our matches have been close," said Sara Kidd, senior outside hitter. "All of those close matches are winnable, we just need to take those games."
That's easier said than done, however, as the Biz 12 enters its second half of play.
"All the teams are trying to move higher into the standings," Thomas said. "All the games are going to be close."
Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
Kylie Thomas, sophomore outside hitter, prepares to spike the ball. She and the team will play against the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo., tomorrow night. Kansan staff photo
Sports Columnist
Jessie Meyer
sports@kansan.com
Woman ready for position in pro female football league
I had a dream the other night that I played wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings. I was hauling in one-handed catches, dragging my myos as I laid out for hair marys in the end zone — even Randy Moss was impressed.
But Denny Green wasn't. He yanked me out of the game after my third touchdown, and I had to sit on the bench with a "No Girls Allowed" sign around my neck. Even in my dream Denny shot me down.
So now that I am awake, I'm considering moving on to bigger and better things. I am thinking about trying out for the Minnesota Vixens, one of 11 teams in the Women's Professional Football League that kicked off their first round of games last weekend and will play the second this weekend.
Yeah, you read that right: Women's pro football.
Thanks to a group of women who started brainstorming last year, women no longer have to settle for pompoms and an occasional powder puff game.
This is the real thing.
They started the league in the great state of Minnesota, which, with its array of women's sports ranging from professional basketball to college hockey, is almost more well-known for its women's sports than its 10,000 lakes — though I would argue that the Minneooota oos are a close third.
Well, with a slightly smaller ball and a rule banning blocking below the waist, it's the same old game. Each team plays a 10 game schedule and the best two advance to the championship game on Sunday, Feb. 4.
Maybe they won't hit the field and play as well as Minnesota Vikings stars Robert Smith or Cris Carter, but, after all, most will never have played organized football before heading to the pros. But at least they now have the opportunity — an opportunity they've deserved all along.
This is not the first time women have pushed for pigskin equality, wanting to grace the football field in pads and spikes instead of little leotards and out-of-control makeup.
There have been spurs of the league since the 1920s when women used to play during halftime of men's games. Between 1965 and 1970, when Patricia Barzi Palinkas became the first female to play on a men's semi-pro team, the WPFL expanded to include eight teams. But the league never really caught on and after slowly fading away, it finally disbanded in 1989 because of financial problems.
And it's not going to be easy to keep this league around either.
The women will have to gain some respect and break through the stereotypical chuckle that most people — namely men who still believe that the only reason women watch football is to check out the quarterbacks' butts — let out when they hear about women playing football because the league will rely on ticket sales and sponsors for funding.
However, gaining that respect shouldn't take too long because, coming from a former neighborhood football superstar, I can assure you that women can play ball.
I'll admit, it might take a while to get this league going, but once it does, watch out — the little girl next door might knock you down repeatedly, leaving you picking grass out of your teeth.
As for me, as soon as my bench max is up to 200 (what ... I'm a little scared of the bigger women), I am going to show off my mad football skills on the field in Minnesota.
So sorry, Denny.
You should have snatched me up when you had the chance.
Meyer is a Burnsville, Minn., senior in journalism.
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