+
Volume 128 Issue 54
kansan.com
Monday, December 1, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thanks to K-State Kansas football beyond apathy
Much like the previous four Sunflower Showdown matchups, Saturday's rivalry game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats lacked zest.
"It was 14-0 before anything even happened," interim head coach Clint Bowen said. "We didn't need that."
When it was all said and done, Kansas State left little doubt in this one, out gaining the Jayhawks 505 to 197, while more than doubling KU's first-down output.
Plagued by early turnovers, an ill-equipped offensive and defensive line, less than stellar wideout play, and a special teams group that looked like it was playing a man or three down at times. Kansas was outclassed yet again by its in-state competitor.
the proverbial fat lady was singing loud and clear from the opening kickoff in Manhattan, as the Jayhawks closed out the 2014 season (3-9, 1-8). Dominated in all facets of the game, it isn't too crazy to think that Wildcats coach Bill Snyder could have, and may have named the score on Saturday, which wound up being 51-13.
As they were in Norman, Okla, the Jayhawks faced an opponent for a second-consecutive week who was imposing at home and suffocating, borderline indomitable with early advantages.
Prior to kickoff Saturday, Kansas State had won 46 straight games when heading into the locker room with a lead, good for second-best behind only Oklahoma. With 10:18 left in the first quarter, Kansas had already spotted the highly favored Wildcats two scores. On its first two possessions, Kansas punted and threw an interception. The errors — unforced. In sum, Kansas football simply cannot get out of its own way.
Heading into the Oklahoma game a week ago, the Sooners had a 47-game winning streak when leading an opponent by halftime — the best in college football. At the intermission, Oklahoma led Kansas 24-0.
Example B: On its third possession of the game, in the midst of its most promising drive of the quarter, a deep pass to junior wide receiver Rodriguez Coleman was punted into the air off Coleman's left foot and intercepted by K-State's defensive back Randall Evans. The saddest part, yet, may have been the fact that it was one of Kansas' best punts of the day, as senior punter Trevor Pardula's day was rocky, to say the least.
Example C: After an invigorating six-play, 54-yard touchdown drive was capped off by a 27-yard pass from junior quarterback Michael Cummings to senior wide receiver Nick
Example A: Slanting across the middle, senior tight end Jimmy Mundine watched what would be a first-down reception glance off his hands up into the air only to drop into the arms of K-State's defensive back Dante Barnett. The Wildcats would score on the next play.
EVIDENCE?
SEE COLUMN PAGE 7
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Linemen Ben Goodman (93) and Keon Stowers (98) make their way back to the locker room after Kansas' 51-13 loss to Kansas State on Saturday in Manhattan.
FOGGY FUTURE
Kansas State running back DeMarcus Robinson drags Kansas linebacker Courtney Arnick into the red zone.
Jayhawks fall to Wildcats in what may be Bowen's last game as coach
STELLA LIANG
@Stelly Liang
The 2014 Kansas football season is over, and it ended with a bitter taste in the players' mouths. Not only did the Jayhawks (3-9, 1-8) lose to the Kansas State Wildcats (9-2, 7-1), they did it in blowout fashion with a 51-13 loss in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon.
Twenty-one seniors played their last game in a Jayhawk uniform, and the program is at a crossroads. Interim head coach Clint Bowen has yet to find out if he has done enough for the team to earn the job for good.
However, after the game, Bowen reiterated his recent comments that the decision should be based on what will be best for Kansas, not for himself individually. He pushed the spotlight onto the seniors.
["The seniors] have nothing to be ashamed of," Bowen said. "They need to walk out of there proud. Our message to the underclassmen was to
remember the feeling that we have right now."
And that feeling wasn't great. K-State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, and the deficit never shrunk for the layhawks.
was losing to an in-state rival. With the loss, Kansas has now lost six straight in the Sunflower Showdown series. Senior linebacker Ben Heeney, who is from Hutchinson, grew up with the rivalry.
"We came out, they jumped all over us 14-0 before anything even happened" Bowen said. "We didn't need that coming into a road game. Everyone knows about the story of our road woes. We were looking for something good to happen early. It didn't."
Junior quarterback Michael Cummings threw two early interceptions, and the Wildcats capitalized.
["The series] is everything," Heeney said. "We haven't really brought anything to the table for these past couple years."
The first play after his first interception, K-State quarterback Jake Waters found senior wide receiver Tyler Lockett for a 44-yard touchdown. That began a career day for Lockett, who broke his father's school record for career catches with 222.
Adding to the emotion of losing the season's last game
Senior wide receiver Nick Harwell has only played with the team for this season, but said he has really connected with Kansas. Harwell caught one of Cummings' two touchdown passes.
"I look at these guys like my second family," Harwell said. "It's going to be tough leaving."
One bright spot for the senior class was tight end Trent Smiley. Early in the third quarter, Smiley caught his first career touchdown on what was only his second completion this season.
Bowen said there was an effort to get him the ball after fellow senior tight end
Jimmay Mundine was hurt during the game.
Moving forward, Bowen said the team will have a senior banquet Sunday. Then he said it's back to the weight room and getting ready for finals.
Harwell said he believes the Kansas program has a chance to get better, starting with
closing the gap between the Jayhawks and Wildcats.
"Just start believing in ourselves," Harwell said. "We haven't been winning a lot these past few seasons and we just need a little bit of confidence, a little bit of motivation."
—Edited by Ben Carrolli
The Kansas volleyball team reveals a new banner commemorating their placement in last year's Sweet 16 tournament. The Jayhawks earned a No. 16 seed in this year's NCAA tournament.
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
Volleyball gets 16 seed for NCAA tournament
Tied for second in the Big 12 and boasting 22 wins on the season, Kansas volleyball's résumé prior to the NCAA selection show Sunday night all but guaranteed the Jayhawks a spot among the 64 teams.
MATT CORTE
@Corte UDK
Rather than seeing a tense group of players await their tournament fate, there were 14 teammates enjoying the culmination of another successful season, and one that saw the team get placed as a national seed.
"I'm really proud of the effort this team has put in to be a top 16 seed," coach Ray Beachard said. "It speaks of the work they put in, the effort they put in and the type of year they had."
As the 16 seed in the tournament, Kansas (22-8) will now get to play and host Arkansas Little-Rock (28-2) in Topeka, which earned its first tournament bid since 2000 by winning the Sun Belt conference tournament championship.
Three matches into the
Big 12 season and standing at 0-3 in conference, not only did a national seed seem farfetched for the Jayhawks, but even making the tournament was starting to be called into question as well.
RAY BEHCARD Volleyball coach
"It speaks of the work they put in, the effort they put in and the type of year they had."
"There was a point in the year, when, you know we weren't doing too well in the league, and we needed some momentum, and the last six weeks we've played very well, and this team's coming to age." Bechard said.
However, Kansas responded by finishing the rest of the Big 12 season at 10-3, which pushed the team to its third straight NCAA tournament appearance.
While it may seem like Kansas has a lesser chance of advancing far into the
S
KEI
@ku
tournament due to the Jayhawks' 11 underclassmen, Bechard needs only point to one memory to convince the team otherwise.
studer marc
march Michi old b id in Fe mcas sa las camh when mem Unite
"I've got a picture in my notebook of five kids celebrating match point to get us to the Sweet 16, five returning kids," Bechard said.
"(Tiana) Dockery, (Taylor) Soucie, (Cassie) Wait, (Chelsea) Albers, and (Sara) McClinton are all in that picture. We had a lot of seniors last year, but we have a lot of kids that experienced that special season last year. It's a new season, new opponents, a lot of new things going on, but hopefully the returners, the veterans, will speak to the newcomers and show by example what it takes to have some success in the NCAA tournament."
With a win against Arkansas Little-Rock, not only will it provide future teams with the experience this Jayhawks team has, it'll also be the third year in a row in which Kansas has won an NCAA tournament match.
^
Edited by Alex Lamb
+