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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014
OPPOSING SIDELINE
Kansas football beat writer sits down with Fort Worth Star-Telegram sports writer Carlos Mendez
TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin eludes Kansas State defensive end Jordan Willis during the second half of Saturday's game in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU won 41-20. Kansas will play TCU this Saturday for a chance at its second conference win of the season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAN HARMSEN
@udk_dan
MENDEZ: Expectations have been exceeded by quite a bit. Gary Patterson has said for a long time it would be 3 to 5 years to get the depth and experience needed to become competitive in the conference. Since it is Year 3, he is right on schedule. I think a reasonable goal would have been a winning conference record. Obviously, they are past that.
KANSAN: For the No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs (8-1, 5-1), 2014 has been a quantum leap from 2013. The team has already doubled its win total from a year ago (4) with three games left to play. Still relatively new to the Big 12 conference, how much has this year's successes exceeded preseason expectations, if at all?
KANSAN: TCU has as good a chance as any Big 12 team to qualify for a spot in the first College Football playoff. Are Horned Frog fans optimistic about the possibility of their team playing for a National Championship this January?
MENDEZ: Quite optimistic, for many. Others are afraid Baylor is going to catch them and pass them by the end of the season. But I'll bet they all agree this season is more than they expected.
KANSAN: In the Big 12, good quarterback play is paramount for championship contending teams. TCU's drastic improvement this season has been largely reliant on the transformation of Trevone Boykin, who is on the short list of candidates competing for the Heisman trophy — this after college football analyst Phil Steele predicted
Texas A&M transfer Matt Joeckel to be the starter over the off-season. We all want to know, how has the junior quarterback done it?
MENDEZ: It's the payoff of an investment in him as a quarterback from Day 1 of the spring. Gary Patterson brought in a former quarterback, Sonny Cumbie, and a strong offensive coach, Doug Meacham, to teach him this offense and how to play the position. He didn't have to worry about being a running back or a receiver.
The immersion into the system paid off in what you're seeing today. It's a credit to the coaches and his ability.
KANSAN: What should Kansas fans expect from the rest of a TCU offense that put up 82 points against Texas Tech and averages 47.2 points per game?
MENDEZ: On a nice day, a high-flying air attack. On a wintry day, a heavy dose of the running game. That is one area where Patterson believes his team has made a lot of
improvement in the last few games. It's a massive offensive line. The Horned Frogs ran for 334 yards last week against Kansas State.
KANSAN: Even with the dismissal of Big 12 preseason defensive player of the year Devonte Fields before the season, coach Gary Patterson has yet another stout defense in Fort Worth. How can Kansas muster offensive production against this unit?
MENDEZ: Maybe over the
top. The Horned Frogs have a couple of young cornerbacks and have shown vulnerability to the deep pass. But throwing deep requires time, and that means protecting the quarterback. TCU doesn't have the single elite pass rusher it would have had with Fields, but they use four defensive ends that Patterson thinks are all starter-quality.
KANSAN: Kansas has played TCU tough since the Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012,
losing by a combined score of just 47-23. Forecasts are calling for a cold and possibly snowy kickoff. Can I get a final score prediction from you for this Saturday?
MENDEZ: I'm squeamish about score predictions in public, but you know, 47-23 actually looks possible. Still, considering the weather, let's knock 10 points off for each team. Call it 37-13.
Edited by Logan Schlossberg
Jayhawk volleyball cages rival Wildcats in Manhattan
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Coach Ray Bechard talks to the volleyball team during the game against Texas Tech on Oct. 25. Kansas swept No. 23 Kansas State at Ahearn Fieldhouse in Manhattan.
MATT CORTE
@Corte_UDK
Since 1981, there had only been three times that Kansas volleyball swept its rival Kansas State in Manhattan.
On Wednesday night, the Jayhawks made it number four, sweeping the No. 23 ranked Wildcats 25-22, 25-22, 25-21.
The win for Kansas (19-7, 7-5) was crucial, as it jumped the team into a tie for third place in the conference with Kansas State (20-6, 7-5).
"We had everybody engaged in serving the ball tough, and passing the ball tough," coach Ray Bechard said. "And those few things this time of year will give you the chance to
In the previous game this season, Kansas looked poised to sweep the Wildcats after the team built a 2-0 set lead, but Kansas State won out and stunned the Jayhawks in Lawrence.
That Kansas team was still maturing and meshing as a team. Now deep into conference play, the Jayhawks are showing less and less of those growing pains.
I think they're coming into a level of competitive confidence," Bechard said. "We got down a little bit in the first and second sets tonight, didn't panic, didn't stray away from what's important to us, and they trust each other and trust the process. So I think that's a level of maturation, and new players, newcomers becoming a little more experienced."
nave a pretty special match,
and that's kind of what developed tonight."
Kansas then closed that gap to 21-19 before ending the set on a 6-1 run behind two Taylor Soucie kills and a Madison Rigdon ace.
The Jayhawks came out somewhat flat to start the match, letting Kansas State build a 15-11 lead midway through the first set.
points to take a three-point advantage at 21-18.
The Wildcats again roared to a second set lead of 15-11.
However, the resilient layhawks rebounded once more, winning 10 of the next 13
Kansas State made it interesting after a kill put the score at 24-22, but on the very next play, Kansas finished a second straight with a kill of its own, this time from senior Chelsea Albers.
Set three was the Jayhawks' turn to gain some separation early, as the team built a lead of 12-8 before widening it to 20-15.
Never making it easy, the Wildcats mimicked what Kansas had done to them in sets one and two, scoring five of six points to cut Kansas' lead to 21-20.
With the win, McClinton and Albers are now 5-3 against the Wildcats, which means they're the first players with a .500 plus record versus the in-state rivals since coach Bechard started in 1998.
Senior outside hitter Sara McClinton led the way for Kansas, collecting a match high 18 kills on 36 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage.
The Jayhawks, though, found another gear yet again, and finished Kansas State off for good by registering four of the next five points, which ended with a Tiana Dockery kill.
Edited by Kelsey Phillips