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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Missing Broncos fan says he had 'fill of football'
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — A man whose disappearance during last week's Denver Broncos game touched off an extensive search by family and friends told police he had "his fill of football" and walked and hitchhiked about 130 miles to a city in southern Colorado.
Paul Kitterman, 53, was found safe Tuesday night in a parking lot in Pueblo after police got a tip that he was in the city. The construction worker looked tired and had trouble walking but a medical exam found him to be otherwise unharmed, Pueblo police Sgt. Franklin Ortega said.
Kitterman told police that he had not watched television in several days and was not aware that people were looking for him.
"He said he had his fill of football and that he likes to walk and wander, and he was looking for a warmer place," Ortega said.
The tip on Kitterman's whereabouts came from a friend's ex-wife, who reported picking him up at the Salvation
Army in Pueblo and dropping him off at a hotel, Ortega said. The sergeant didn't have other details about his connection to the woman.
He said police did not plan to file charges.
"He's a grown man. If that's what he wants to do, he can do it," Ortega said, adding that authorities put Kitterman up in a hotel until his family could pick him up.
Family and friends had been searching for Kitterman since he was last seen leaving his seat to meet friends at halftime of Thursday night's game against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field.
They filed a missing persons report with Denver police, scoured the sprawling stadium, called local hospitals and detox centers, and taped fliers around the city. Police had previously said they did not suspect foul play, and Kitterman's stepson noted that his stepfather did not have any known health or personal problems
The stepson, Jarod Tonneson, did not respond to a message left by The Associated Press.
On a Facebook page set up to help find Kitterman, his family said they understood many people had questions about what happened but asked for privacy.
"We love all of you and we will never forget your kindness, compassion and your willingness to help find Paul," they said.
Kitterman and Tonneson went to the game with two of their friends after a day spent working and hunting at another friend's ranch in Kremmling, a small town in the mountains of northern Colorado.
Kitterman and Tonneson hurriedly made the 100-mile trip to the stadium after a friend offered tickets. It was Kitterman's first time there, and in his haste, he forgot his cellphone and took no credit cards and very little cash, Tonneson said.
Kitterman had four or five beers in the course of a four-hour span not enough to become disoriented, his stepson said.
Paul Kitterman, left, and his stepson Jarod Tonneson pose for a photo during a San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos game in Denver. A short time later, Kitterman left during halftime and walked and hitchhiked 130 miles.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jayhawks go to Texas looking for Bowen's first victory
STELLA LIANG
The Kansas football team (2-5, 0-4 Big 12) is rested and healthy after a bye week for this weekend's matchup against the No.12 Baylor Bears (6-1, 3-1). The offense started to click a few weeks ago. Tony Pierson plans to return after a minor injury. Could this be the week the duo of interim coach Clint Bowen and quarterback Michael Cummings earns its first victory?
@kanssports
"Obviously a combination of really good players, a really good scheme, and Art Briles has always been an innovative and creative guy when it comes to offense, and that continues," Bowen said.
Whether or not the Jayhawks emerge with the victory, playing the Bears will be a challenge.
The Baylor offense ranks first in the nation in total offense with 579 yards per game. Coached by Briles, Baylor is adept at gaining yards both
through the air (350) and on the ground (229), both of which are in the top 25 in the nation.
Led by quarterback Bryce Petty, Baylor averages 49 points per game. The team is in the midst of a school record of scoring in 94 straight games. All of this puts pressure on the Kansas defense. Junior safety Isaiah Johnson is not letting the high-octane offense scare him.
"They are just a great offense to prepare to," Johnson said.
"It's an opportunity for us to show what our defense is capable of. I'm ready for it."
The Jayhawks counter with an offense led by Cummings, a junior who took over as starter two games ago and has steadied the offense. In his last outing against Texas Tech, he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, pacing the Jayhawks in what almost turned into a shootout.
"I think he's gotten in there a couple weeks now and he's truly settled in as the QB that's running the offense right now," Bowen said.
His most consistent target has been senior tight end Jimmy Mundine. Mundine does a little bit of everything, like running routes in the middle of the field, blocking and acting as a fullback.
Jimmay is a talented young man and a guy that can make some plays for us in a lot of different ways. ..." Bowen said. "When you have a guy with that versatility, you can move him around and use him quite a bit, it really helps."
This game in Waco poses some other difficulties for the Jayhawks. For one thing, Baylor is a tough team to beat at home. Baylor's 13-game home winning streak is the second longest in the country right now, with the last loss coming on Oct. 13, 2012.
one of those things that's much needed throughout a football season."
coming off its first loss of the season. The Bears have fallen into the middle of a tough conference race.
In the Big 12 media teleconference on Monday, Briles said he was a taking a game-by-game approach to the rest of the season and not taking Kansas lightly.
“[The Jayhawks] are very good. They are playing well," Briles said. "We have a lot of respect for Kansas."
The Jayhawks are facing a big challenge. They are going to try their best, though, to get Bowen a victory. Cummings said that is a big part of the team's motivation.
We all want to win for each other and we all want to win for coach Bowen," Cummings said. "We feel like he is a great leader and we want to win for him."
The Jayhawks are also in a unique position with Baylor
Edited by Drew Parks
Cummings said when he was named the starter, he was ready, so he didn't use the bye week to get comfortable in his still new role. Instead, he said it was good for the team to just take a break.
"So I think this bye week was just a bonus for us to get mental rest, physical rest," Cummings said. "I think it's just