Section:
B
Yesterday in sports
In Sydney, Australia, Lori Harrigan, United States, threw the Olympics' first solo softball no-hitter in a 6-0 victory against Canada.
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
Inside: The cross country teams continued to improve in their second meet of the season in Ames, Iowa.
SEE PAGE 6B
Inside: The Texas basketball team took a major hit as last season's top returning scorer will not be eligible for the fall season because of academics.
SEE PAGE 6B
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2000 For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Kansas slides by in home opener
Kansas quarterback, Dylan Smith, weaves through some of Alabama-Birmingham defenders during the first half of Saturday's game against UAB. Smith carried for 56 yards and scored two of the Javahigh's touchdowns. Photo by Kick Krug/KANSAN.
'Hawks overcome special teams' errors to eclipse Blazers
By Jason Franchuk sports @kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
The University of Kansas football team didn't just have to battle its own poor play and Alabama-Birmingham's rugged ground game
— the Jayhawks had to fight to win over the fans.
When coach Terry Allen would call a play for running back Moran Norris that earned zero yards and Kansas needed two, the crowd booed. When kicker Joe Garcia missed an extra point that could have given Kansas the lead late in the game, the crowd ieered.
For all the mistakes Kansas made — including four turnovers — Allen pleaded for patience. And despite a series of individual miscues, it seemed that each Jayhawk also had a plan for retribution.
"We show signs of having a chance to be a pretty good football team," Allen said.
Garcia knocked in the 50-yard field goal that won the game. Pelfanio averaged 40.2 yards per punt. After the blocked punt and a few close calls before that, Pelfanio booted one cleanly from his own goal to the delight of the fans who screened the unit with mock clapping. It happened again on his next punt when he got it out from the back of the end zone.
"I didn't care how far they went," Pelfanio said. "I just wanted to get the ball out of there quick."
But Kansas' win will probably not tip any fence-sitters. Only 28,500 fans showed up.
The Jayhawks claimed to be highly emotional after a season-opening loss at Southern Methodist that threatened to nulley the season, but they still could not pull away from the Blazers.
More information
The Jayhawk defense led the way to the win over the Blazers Saturday.
See page 3B
Kansas jumped out to a 14-0 lead but squandered it on the blocked punt and a UAB field goal that cut Kansas' lead to four points as the half ended.
UAB took the lead on an eight-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and complaints resonated through the stadium.
"Fans are going to say what they want to say," Kansas quarterback Dylen Smith said. "I try not to pay attention to it. When they want to get behind us and help us get emotional, that's when we'll listen."
Kansas had to turn a deaf ear while it struggled. Smith, who Allen said was not near the top of his game, finally caught the break he wanted when he spotted junior wide
See GARCIA'S on page 3B
Kansas defensive back Kareem High snags Alabama-Birmingham running back Segil Dugger during the fourth quarter. Dugger's 121 yards rushing couldn't stop the Blazers from falling to the Jayhawks. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
Jayhawks split weekend matches
By Yoshitaka Ebisaw sports@kansan.com
By Yoshitaka Ebisawa
Kansan sportswriter
Sometimes soccer can be more dramatic than Hollywood movies, as those who attended the KU Credit Union Jayhawk Soccer Classic learned this weekend.
A day after the University of Kansas women's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to Ole Mite at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park Saturday, it bounced back and defeated Southwest Missouri State 2-0 yesterday.
"I think the win means a lot because yerterday's game was very 'disappointing,' Kansas coach Mark Francis said. "Everybody was just devastated. I think it shows a lot of character for these guys to come back today, back-to-back, and play so well."
After a scoreless first half, Kansas came out strong in the second half and attacked the Bears' goal with several shots. But the Javahays couldn't cross the final line until
the 86th minute, when senior midfielder Colleen Colvin sent a pass between two defenders to senior midfielder Meghann Haven — who got under the ball, touched it past the goalie and hit it in.
I was very excited,
Haven said. "I was afraid we were going onto overtime, and I didn't want to do that because we went overtime yesterday."
"I was very excited."
On Saturday, Ole Miss opened the game strongly, scoring a goal in the 18th minute. Kansas struck back about 20 minutes later when freshman forward Maggie Mason netted a header off junior midfielder Melanie Schroeder's corner kick.
Senior forward Johanna Larsson added a goal a minute later.
Sophomore goalkeeper Layla Young made five saves and earned her second season shutout.
Just before the half time, Schroeder's cor-
nerk kick found sophomore defender Brianna Valento's head, sending the ball into the goal like a bullet. Valento's first goal as a Jawhawk gave Kansas a one-goal lead.
"It's tough being a defender and going up on corner kicks. This is the only chance to score and it's rather important to you," she said. "So you've got to give all yougot."
Kansas' punishment continued in the early second half. In the 48th minute, Colvin, this time playing forward, buried a shot off freshman midfielder Jennifer Ray's pass.
After a scoreless extra session, an Ole Miss midfielder's shot in the 108th minute ended the game in a sudden death fashion and silenced the Kansas bench.
As the Jayhawks' looks faded, however, the Rebels resurged with two consecutive goals to force overtime.
Kansas (4-4) will open conference play Friday against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., and return to Overland Park to meet Oklahoma State on Sunday.
Meghann Haven drives the ball up field in the final game of the KU Credit Union tournament held in Overland Park. The Jayhawks defeated SW Missouri State 2-0 yesterday. Photo by Aaron Lindenberg/KANSAN
- Edited by John Audlehel
Texas A&M ends Kansas volleyball's winning streak
By Sarah Warren
Kansan sportswriter
It could have been the cheers led by five
BQTCC cadets and a sweater wearing collie.
Maybe it was the 1,000-person crowd.
Or maybe it was the No.19 ranking in front of the home team's name.
No matter what it was, the Texas A&M volleyball team proved to be too much for the previously undefeated Jayhawks, downing Kansas 3-0 Friday night in College Station, Texas.
The Jayhawks will be taking a mini-hiatus from Big 12 Conference competition when they play host to the University of Missouri-Kansas City at 7 tonight at the Horeksi Family Athletic Center.
Now 9-1, the 'Hawks are in need of a little recuperation time. And tonight is the closest they're going to get to a power nap.
"If we take it like a break, it's be a long evening," coach Ray Bechard said. "This team has played so well because we've played hard against every team we've played, and we'll have to play hard to be successful tonight."
The Jayhawks are 19-1 against the Kangaroos, but they won't be treating tonight's match as a cake walk.
Even though the numbers show that the 'Hawks played hard against the Aggies on Friday night, the women in the crimson and blue didn't win a game and lost 15,8-15,13-15
9. Nancy Bell and Mya Matt, outside hitter, led the Jawhavas with 16 and 15 kills.
"It was frustrating," Bell said. "I think it was one that we could have won. We just didn't have the fire we've had in the past."
In game two, Kansas' best game, the 'Hawks slowed the Aggies' progress by posting four ties. Down 7-11, Bell went on a killing spree, helping the team earn five straight points before A&M's Tara Pulaski and Jenna Moscovic threw a Sarah Rome kill back at the Kansas freshman outside hitter for match point.
"We actually played pretty well at the end of the first game and had a chance to put them away in game two." Bechard said. "However, (Friday's) match was the best we have competed down here."
Bell said she thought that the lack of the confidence that Kansas displayed when they beat Colorado last Wednesday was to blame for the team's first loss.
"I'm not sure if it was a lack of belief that we could beat a team ranked in the top 25," she said. "But we didn't play up to our top potential on Friday."
Therefore, the 'Roos will be a sort of therapy for Kansas before they take on No. 1 Nebraska Wednesday night at the Horeisi Center.
"It'll be a good chance for us to get together before we get back to playing conference teams," Bell said. "We need to regain that fire."
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
Sports Columnist
Derek Prater
sports@kansan.com
Jayhawks' win reminiscent of consuming too much beer
If you think about it, football is a lot like beer.
Neither is inherently good nor bad. It all just depends on the people involved.
Both can be quite enjoyable on a Saturday evening in the company of friends. Both are big on college campuses. And both are often associated with inappropriate, even illegal behavior.
This weekend, the Jayhawks were sort of like a 12-pack of Natural Light.
The evening started out well enough. It was sunny and beautiful outside, and the crowd seemed to be in a festive mood.
They got the job done, and paired it with a victory against Alabama-Birmingham. But the taste (read: quality of play) was none too good, and some fans were left with feelings of guilt afterward.
Moran Norris showed off some nifty feet and left would-be tacklers eating dirt with vicious stiff arms.
The 'Hawks shot out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter on a couple of Dylen Smith touchdown runs, and some exciting plays put the crowd in a celebratory mood.
But that initial buzz was soon followed by some indigestion.
Carl Nesmith really got the party started in the second quarter when he exploded a UAB screen play, submarining the ball-carrier and sending him head over heels. The crowd responded with appreciative "ooohs" and "aaahhs" to the slow-motion violence replayed on the video board.
You know how sometimes when you're drinking you suddenly feel really full and the beers start tasting foul? That's what the second and third quarters of Saturday's game were like.
Late in the second quarter, the Kansas special teams revisited their ineptitude from two weeks ago. Punter Joey Peliano lost a bad snap, and UAB picked it up for a 42-yard score.
Smith followed that with an interception, and by halftime the 'Hawks' lead had been cut to 14-10.
UAB started picking up on the 'Hawks predictable play-calling (heck, the fans could see our next draw play coming). And our over-eager, ball-chasing defense was constantly fooled by UAB misdirections.
Penalties and dropped passes contributed to a comedy of Kansas errors. At one point in the third quarter, the fans delivered a derisive cheer simply because Pelfanio managed to get a punt off.
But the 'Hawks perservered through that tough stretch, and a few big plays got the crowd back into a partying mood.
After falling behind 20-14, Smith finally connected on a long pass to wide open Roger Ross for a 59-yard touchdown. Joe Garcia blew the extra point but redeemed himself later with a 59-yard field goal, giving the 'Hawks a 23-20 lead.
The defense held the lead, and victory was ours. The party was complete.
But later, the morning-after guilt kicked in.
A tinge of shame accompanied the realization that — on two occasions in particular — we cheered big plays made by a player accused of sexually assaulting a Kansas soccer player.
It goes to show that sometimes when you drink (or root for your football team) you end up associating yourself with shady characters.
Should we then abstain from drinking and rooting completely? I don't think so — it's still possible to have a good time. But we should all stay aware of what's going on and be prepared to accept responsibility for our actions.
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Prater is a Lawrence graduate student in Journalism.
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