Monday, September 25, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Nebraska slides by against Iowa; Crouch leads with five TD passes
By Allan Davis sports@kansan.com Konson sportwriiter
Cornhusker quarterback Eric Crouch threw five touchdown passes on just 10 completions, leading No.
1 Nebraska (3-0) to a 42-13 win against Iowa (0-4). Crouch was 10 of 13 for 159 yards and also ran for 93 yards. "Husker running back Dan Alexander ran for 113 yards and Correll Buckhalter, also a running back, ran for 100 yards. Nebraska led only 28-13 in the fourth quarter
but put the game out of reach when Crouch and tight end Tracy Wistrom hooked up for a 4-yard touchdown with only 1:27 to play. Nebraska added a final score when defender Troy Watchhorn returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown.
No. 4 Kansas State 55, North Texas 10
Nassau State 55, North Texas 10 Wildcat quarterback Jonathan Beasley scored a school-record five touchdowns, leading K-State to a rout of North Texas. North Texas was no match for the Wildcats, and it showed early. The Wildcats blocked the Mean Green's first two punts and posted a 38-
3 halftime lead. K-State has outscored its first four opponents this season 212-20.
No. 15 Texas 48, Houston 0
The Longhorns (2-1) scored three touchdowns on turnovers and frustrated the Houston offense all night. Dakarai Pearson and O.J. McClintock returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Michael Ungar recovered a fumbled punt in the end zone. Texas sacked Cougar quarterbacks nine times. Houston's Jason McKinley, who came into the game leading the nation with 346.3 yards passing per game, completed only 14 of 34 passes for 173 yards and two interceptions. Texas held Houston (1-3) to just 198 total yards, including just 13 net yards rushing on 31 carries.
No. 17 Oklahoma 42, Rice 14
No. 17 Oklahoma 42, Rice 14
Oklahoma, which in the past used the wishbone
Oklahoma, which in the pass offense to win three national titles, shut down Rice's wishbone and wore the Owls down in the second half. Rice had closed the score to 21-14 before the Sooners put the game out of reach. Sooner quarterback Josh Heupel completed 27 of 35 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran
for a touchdown. Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin ran for 117 yards and scored three touchdowns.
No. 22 Southern Mississippi II, Oklahoma State 6
Jeff Kelly, Southern Mississippi quarterback, vic
timized the Cowboy defense for 257 yards and two
touchdowns, leading the Golden Eagles (2-1) past Oklahoma State (2-1). Southern Mississippi led 14 at halftime. Oklahoma State's Reggie Wake was held to 65 yards rushing after averaging more than 158 yards in the Cowboys'
first two games. Quarterback Tony Lindsay led the Cowboys in rushing with 72 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter. Lindsay had only 66 yards missing.
Baylor 28. South Florida 13
Baylor 28, South Florida 13
Baylor's Guy Tomchek, starting at quarterback in
place of injured Greg Cicero, completed 20 of 28 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. However, South Florida (2-2) trailed only 21-13 until Baylor running back Melvin Barnett scored with 1:52 to play. Cicero is out for the season because of a broken collarbone. The Bears improved to 2-1.
Notes: Five Big 12 Conference teams did not play this week: Iowa State, Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Colorado.
Jayhawk offense sputters, then ignites
- Edited by Clay McCuistion
Scoring flurry during second, third quarters propels Jayhawks to win
By Allan Davis
sports@kansan.com
Kansan writer/scripter
The Jayhawk offense struggled for nearly two quarters against Division IAA Southern Illinois but, thanks to a trio of wide receivers, scored a flurry of points in the second and third quarters and won 42-0.
The Salukis, named after a breed of dog, and the Jayhawks battled deep into the second quarter with neither team able to score. Then came the Jayhawk spurt, and the dog pounding was on. The Jayhaws scored 28 points in a 7:14 span at the end of the second quarter and the early part of the third quarter. Three Jayhawk wide receivers figured prominently in that 28-0 run.
Junior wide receiver Roger Ross started it, catching a 23-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dylan Smith with 3:50 to play in the second quarter that put the Javahaws up 7-0.
Ross said his touchdown gave the Jayhawks a lift and more confidence.
"That changed a lot," he said. "We all just said, 'OK, we can score on them.' We knew we could score on them. Somebody just had to make a big play."
Ross' touchdown catch was his second in two games and clearly was a boost to his morale.
Kansas receiver Roger Ross grasps the ball after diving to grab a long reception that was later called incomplete by referees. It was ruled that Ross did not have full control of the ball before falling to the turf. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
"I just like catching the ball," he said. "I love seeing it come into my hands."
Junior wide receiver Termine Fulton struck the next blow against the Salukis, taking a Smith pass 48 yards for another touchdown and making the score 14-0.
Fulton said he felt good about the game and praised both Smith and the defense.
"Dylen kept his composure and helped us keep our composition in the first half." Fulton said. "The touchdown felt good, but the victory feels even better. It is a team effort, and the defense really stepped it up in the beginning."
Junior wide receiver Harrison Hill put the finishing touches on the spurt when he returned a punt 42 yards to the SIU 5-yard line, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by senior running back David Winchub with 11:36
"It worked decently," he said. "I wish I could have scored. I should have scored on it. I got some really good blocks, and I just took it up the sideline, and there was nobody there until the 5-yard line."
to play in the third quarter. That made the score 28-0.
Hill said the punt return went pretty much the way the Jayhawks practiced it.
Briefly ...
Earlier in the week, Kansas coach Terry Allen had expressed concern about using senior center Bob Schmidt as long snapper because of the effect it would
have on punt coverage. The other long snapper is a a tight end and is faster than Schmidt. Allen opted for protection over speed. Schmidt performed well and even caused a fumble on an SIU punt return in the fourth quarter. He also recovered the fumble.
The Jayhawks suffered a few injuries Saturday. Junior defensive lineman Ryan Atkinson left the game because of a sprained kneecep. Sophomore linebacker John Stiles suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear, and Chuck Jarvis didn't play because of a medial cruciate ligament strain on his right leg.
Edited by John Audihelm
Notre Dame can't block Spartans' roll
The Associated Press
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A 10-second play could have an impact lasting for months.
The pivotal play was Jeff Smoker's 68-yard touchdown pass to Herb Haygood with 1:48 left, which gave No. 18 Michigan State a 27-21 win against Notre Dame on Saturday.
Many predicted a mediocre season for Michigan State, but the Spartans (3-0) just keeping winning. Coach Bob Davie, whose Fighting Irish (2-2) dropped out of the Top 25, takes the blame for the game-winning play.
Davie called time out with 1:59 left to align his defense when Michigan State had a fourth-and-10 at its 32. He decided to send cornerback Brock Williams, who was lined up over Haygood in the right slot, on a blitz. That left free safety Tony Driver, who was lined up about 20 yards off the line of scrimmage, with the job of defending Haygood.
"I'll take the responsibility," Davie said. "I made the call. It was the same one that had caused the fumble two series earlier. We had them third-and-20, and they got the 10 yards. We called timeout because we were confused, but that was the play I wanted. We brought the corner, they made a sight adjustment, and the kid
Smoker was just glad to have another opportunity to make a play after turning the ball over twice in the final 13 minutes a fumble at Michigan State's 12 and an interception at the 2.
"If I was going down, I was going down blitzing."
Notre Dame was stopped on fourth and one at the Spartans 3 after Smoker's first turnover, but the Fighting Irish were able to convert the second into a go-ahead touchdown on Julius Jones' 2-yard run.
"It was great to have them put the ball in my hands on fourth down," Smoker said. "I'm just glad I could come through after making those two mistakes. I didn't want to let my teammates down, but at the same time, I knew I had to come back and make a big play."
T. J. Duckett, who had 26 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown, was not surprised Smoker came through with the right pass to the right receiver at the right time.
"I sensed a big play out of Jeff as soon as I stepped in the huddle on fourth down," Duckett said. "He had that fire in his eyes, and I knew something good was going to happen."
"I looked up, and all I saw was cheerleaders," Haveood said.
The Spartans have beaten Notre Dame four years in a row. It's the longest losing streak the Fighting Irish have had against a team since Miami beat them four times from 1983-1987.
Michigan State has won nine consecutive games at home, while the Irish have lost eight straight on the road.
"It hurts. It stings," Davie said. "We did so much to scratch, claw and fight our way back into the game. Then we lost it just when it looked like we had it won."
The Spartans will play Northwestern next Saturday at home. The Wildcats upset Wisconsin 47-44 in double overtime on Saturday.
The irish are off this week and play Stanford at home Oct. 7.
Don't forget the 20% student discount on Kansan classifieds
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