Friday, September 22, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
'Hawks to battle Salukis
By Allan Davis
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
The early part of the Kansas football schedule reads like alphabet soup: SMU, UAB and now SIU. One wonders how schedulers missed TCU and UNLV.
Tomorrow's opponent,
Southern Illinois, is a
Division I-AA school, but its
enrollment is more than
23,000—providing the school
with the resources necessary
for a good football team.
The Salukis have eight players on their team who transferred from Division I-A schools — six of them from the University of Florida. SIU has 13 starters returning from last year's 5-6 squad.
Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
The Salukis have a 1-2 record. The team, named after a type of dog, upset fellow Gateway Conference member Northern Iowa 34-14 last week.
Kansas coach Terry Allen coached against Southern Illinois when he was coach at Northern Iowa and holds a 7-1 record against the Salukis.
Former Kansas assistant Jan Quarless is the coach at SIU. Quarless, like Allen, in his fourth year on the job.
The Jayhawks played Southern Illinois in 1986 and 1987, when coach Bob Valesente's team beat the Salukis 35-23 and 16-15. SIU quarterback coach Kevin Verdugo was the Jayhawk quarterback in the 1987 game.
Last week, the Jayhawk defense held UAB to 45 net yards passing. This week, Saluki quarterback Sherard Potetee, 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, can be expected to challenge the Jayhawk passing defense. Last season, he completed 58.3 percent of his passes and threw for 2,777 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The Jayhawks can't afford to concentrate solely on Poteette and ignore the SIU ground attack. Sophomore running back Tom Koutsos, 5-foot-10 and 218 pounds, ran for 168 yards against Northern Iowa and had a 189-yard game this season. He has scored three touchdowns in a game twice this season. SIU returns six offensive starters, two on the offensive line, a wide receiver, a tight end, Poteette and Koutsos.
The SIU defense features four returning defensive line starters, two returning starters at linebacker and one returning starter at defensive back.
But this year the Salukis allowed 42 points in a loss to Murray State and blew a 31-0 lead against Southeast Missouri State, losing 34-33.
If last season is any indication of the way SIU plays, the Jayhawks should expect a high-scoring game. Last year, in regulation games — not overtime games — the Salukis scored 58, 52 twice, 48, 45 and 43 points; and allowed 68, 66, 55 and 49 points.
-Edited by John Audlehelm
'Husker running attack takes on Iowa
By Allan Davis
Kansan sportswriter
No. 1 Nebraska, 20, did not play on Saturday and has had plenty of time to prepare for tomorrow's game against Iowa, 0-3.
Nebraska leads Division I-A in rushing offense, averaging 389.5 yards per game. Cornhusker quarterback Eric Crouch has already scored six touchdowns in Nebraska's first two games.
If Iowa is to stay close, quarterback Scott Mullen must have a good game. This season, he has completed 55 of 101 passes for four touchdowns. Iowa has already lost to two Big 12 Conference teams — K-State and Iowa State. The Cornhuskers embarrassed the Hawkeyes last season at Iowa, 42-7. The game is sold out — Nebraska's 236th consecutive sellout.
North Texas at No. 4 Kansas State
K-State, 3-0, is back near the top of the national rankings again this year, and North Texas, 0-3, doesn't figure to do much damage to the Wildcats' prestigious position.
K-State has just too much talent for the Eagles to handle. K-State quarterback Jonathan Beasley has thrown for 629 yards and six touchdowns in three games this season.
North Texas has already lost two games to Big 12 opponents, and the Eagles can probably expect their third beating tomorrow. North Texas coach Darrell Dickey was a quarterback at K-State from 1979-82, when his father, Jim Dickey, was the Wildcat coach.
Wildcat wide receiver Quincy Morgan is averaging 114.3 yards receiving per game.
Texas, 1-1, came home from Los Angeles last week and scratches, courtesy of the UCLA Bruins, who beat the Longhorns, 27-24.
Houston at No. 15 Texas
The Cougars, 1,2, are coached by K-State graduate Dana Dimal, who is in his first year at Houston. Despite last week's loss, the Longhorns are averaging 416.5 yards per game.
Texas quarterback Major Applewhite has six touchdowns this season and is eight short of the Texas career record. Houston run up 524 yards of total offense in its 31-30 come-from-behind win Saturday against Army.
Cougar sophomore running back Joffrey Reynolds was named the Conference USA Player of the Week for his performance against Army. Reynolds ran for 201 yards and caught three touchdown passes. Houston and Texas were both in the now-disbanded Southwest
Oklahoma, 2-0. is coming off a bye week and can be expected to have Rice for dinner.
Conference.
Rice at No. 17 Oklahoma
The Owls are 1-2 and have never beaten Oklahoma — the Sooners hold a 6-0 advantage. Oklahoma's average of 50 points per game ranks third in Division I-A. Freshman Renaldo Works leads the Sooner rushing attack, averaging 103.5 yards per game — 29th in Division I-A.
Works has already scored four touchdowns in only two games. Rice junior kicker Derek Crabtree made 13 of his first 14 career field goal attempts and made eight of nine last season. The Sooners are coached by Bob Stoops, a former K-State assistant now in his second year at Oklahoma.
No. 22 Southern Mississippi at Oklahoma State
This might be the best game of the week involving Big 12 teams.
A Cowboy win tomorrow against Southern Mississippi, 1-1, would gain some respect for Oklahoma State, 2-0. Oklahoma State's Reggie White is ranked fifth in Division I-A rushing with an average of 187 yards per game. Quarterback Tony Lindsay is in his fourth year as the starting quarterback for Oklahoma
State. Golden Eagle running back Derrick Nix has noted back-toback 1,000-yard rushing seasons and is a player the Cowboys need to stop if they are to beat Southern Mississippi.
The Golden Eagles shut out Alabama Saturday, 21-0. Southern Mississippi's only loss was a 19-16 defeat to Tennessee.
South Florida at Bavior
The Bears, 1-1, suffered a big loss Saturday — starting quarterback Greg Cicero was lost for the season after breaking his collarbone.
South Florida only started playing football in 1997 but is 2-1 this season. The Bulls have a 24-14 record since the program started. It is unclear how much offense the Bears will be able to muster without Cicero, but senior running back Darrell Bush will be asked to shoulder some of the load. He is eight on the Baylor career rushing list with 1,791 yards.
South Florida might stay close and could possibly beat the Bears. Baylor lost its home opener against Minnesota on Saturday, 34-9. Former Kansas coach Glen Mason leads Minnesota.
Notes: Five Big 12 teams do not play this week. Iowa State, Missouri, Colorado, Texas Tech and Texas A&M all have the week off.
— Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
Penn State's Paterno full of contradictions
The Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - One minute, Joe Paterno wonders if his team is capable of winning another game this season. The next, he says everything is just fine with Penn State.
Paterno's confusion is understandable considering the Nittany Lions have been 1-3 just once before in his 35 years as coach. Penn State hasn't started 1-4 since 1964 when Rip Engle was the coach.
But the Nittany Lions have to pull off a major upset against No. 14 Ohio State tomorrow to avoid matching that start.
Sounds like the Nittany Lions are desperate. Right?
"We may not be good enough to beat anybody on our schedule," Paterno said. "We just may not be good enough. I don't know."
"You guys all think I am about ready to shoot myself" Paterno said. "I am excited about the eight big games we have. I am excited that I think I have a pretty good football team that is eventually going to be a darn good football team."
Paterno is full of contradictions as he continues
to seek answers for Penn State's struggles. After last Saturday's 12-0 loss to Pittsburgh, Paterno suggested he might make wholesale changes.
Paterno, still six victories shy of breaking Bear Bryant's Division I-A record of 323, even questioned himself.
nree days later, and after some soul-searching and a lot of film-watching, Paterno wasn't ready to make any changes.
"When things are as bad as they are, I think I have to start looking at me first," he said.
The 73-year-old Paterno, whose critics say the game has passed him by, has complete support from most of his players.
"I have 100 percent faith in Coach Paterno," defensive end Bob Jones said. "He's been coaching football longer than I've been alive. If anyone knows football, it's him. What he does now really shows he's a great coach. He's frustrated, but he doesn't bring us down mentally."
One player, however, has openly questioned the competence of the coaching staff. After a 24-6 loss to Toledo Sept. 9, tailback Larry Johnson criticized the play-calling on offense, saying it's "too predictable" and outdated.
Neither Johnson's comments nor the predictability of Penn State's offense will matter Saturday in the Big Ten opener against Ohio State. The Buckeyes (3-0) are coming off a sluggish 27-16 victory against Miami (Ohio) and are looking to avenge last year's 23-10 loss at Penn State.
The Buckeyes never imagined Penn State would start off like this, but they are still wary.
"We're not going to see a lot of cautious play this weekend," said Ohio State offensive coordinator Chuck Stobart. "My guess is they'll turn it loose and let it go. Right or wrong, let 'em go play. They've got to get running to the ball like they did a year ago."
Quarterback Rashard Casey has been erratic, the offense line has been inconsistent, the running game has been nonexistent and the receivers routinely fail to make simple catches.
Paterno is faithful that Penn State will develop a good team.
"We are all right," Paterno said. "I really don't think we are very far off."
The Associated Press
Virginia Tech's defense challenged from within
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Cory Bird slumped in the chair, his posture suggesting disdain for the questions he knew were coming.
Virginia Tech had just finished shutting out Rutgers 49-0, the best effort yet for the Hokies' young defense, and Bird was putting the victory in perspective.
"We like to see that big goose egg and I'm real proud of our defense," said the fifth-year defensive back, perhaps the No. 1 critic of the defensive team.
But, he added, the older players have to keep the younger ones thinking they're good enough.
Welcome to Virginia Tech, where Michael Vick has turned offense into constant highlight material, but where defense and special teams have always been king.
This year, the loss of eight defensive starters from the team that reached the national championship game last season had people wondering if the Hokies could make another title run.
It's a question veteran defenders have taken personally.
After two games, though, the No. 5 Hokies had allowed an average of 25.5 points to Akron and East Carolina. Their defense, which led the nation in that category last season, was allowing more than 400 yards a game, and ranked 91st nationally.
Ever since I've been here, Blacksburg's always been about defense," said linebacker Nick Sorensen. "We have a really great offense this year and a lot of people are questioning our defense. It's different, but we are not lacking any confidence."
Then Rutgers coach Terry Shea and the Scarlet Knights came to Lane Stadium and talked of matching the Hokies' offense touchdown for touchdown. The perceived slight helped motivate Virginia Tech.
When it was over, Rutgers had gained 241 yards with five turnovers. Virginia Tech, which improved to 3-0, had blocked one punt and smothered another when the snap was low.
"We were challenged as a defense and I think we responded as a defense," Bird said.
They'll have a week off to work on that before playing at Boston College Saturday, Sept. 30.
Sorensen said the shutout was a good glimpse of the defense's potential.
"But we do need to get better and we understand that," he said. "I don't think anyone's complacent."
The need to succeed defensively is a way of life at Virginia Tech, with each class unwilling to be the one that loses the edge.
"When we're working out and even in the summer when we're running, we let these young bucks know that this is what Virginia Tech is all about." Sorensen said.
The work ethic also carries over to special teams, where coach Frank Beamer has become a guru of sorts. In 13-plus seasons, the
Hokies have blocked 79 kicks and scored 21 special teams touchdowns.
One of the stars against Rutgers was freshman Eric Green, who blocked the punt, tackled punter Mike Barr for a 22-yard loss after a bad snap, and intercepted a pass in the end zone on a fourth-and-2 play from the Virginia Tech 22.
Green, recruited as a quarterback by many Division I-A schools, picked Virginia Tech knowing he would win. He worked at a university team.
That, Sorensen said, showed what success can do for a program.
"The way to build a strong program, the bottom line is you win," he said.
"The first two weeks we were kind of average on defense. We got better from the first game to the second game, and I think from the second game to now, we've gotten even better." Sorensen said. "I definitely feel like that's more Tech football."
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