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Volume 128 Issue 32
kansan.com
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
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COMMENTARY Timing of Late Night could hurt recruiting
The Kentucky basketball program held its annual Big Blue Madness on Saturday. From what the reports show, the Kentucky event blew the Kansas' Late Night in the Phog out of the water.
At first glance, Kentucky had the star-power on its side. Kentucky coach John Calipari invited hip-hop star Drake to the event. He hosted the event similar to actor Rob Riggle hosted the 2013 Late Night. Drake sat in the film session with the Kentucky players and the 2015 recruits. Drake dressed up in full Kentucky warm-up gear, and shot during the pregame with the team - his first shot was an air ball.
Sad thing is, Drake matters because the recruits' experience is really the only aspect that means anything that night. If the recruits enjoyed the preseason, over-the-top, prep rally, then there's a greater chance they will attend that university.
Twelve of the 16 recruits who visited Kansas for Late Night also attended Big Blue Madness.
The No. 2 recruit in the 2015 recruiting class, Stephen Zimmerman, was one of those 12 recruits who attended both Kentucky and Kansas' preseason event. One difference that Zimmerman and his mother said the Big Blue Madness had more local attention then Late Night.
Zimmerman's mother, Lori Stevens, said a lot of Kansas fans came up to her son asking for pictures and autographs during Late Night, but in Kentucky, hundreds of Kentucky fans gathered in hotel lobby where Zimmerman was staying, waiting for his picture or autograph.
The timing of the events was the difference between the turnout in Kentucky and Kansas. The weekend of Late Night, Kansas fans had other things on their mind such as the Kansas City Royals and fall break. Most of Kansas' students went home for the extended weekend, and a lot of students in Lawrence stayed home to watch the Royals play in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against Baltimore.
In 2013, Allen Fieldhouse had to turn fans away because of insufficient space. This year, Kansas couldn't fill the fieldhouse, potentially hurting its recruiting efforts.
Kansas benefited from the sold-out crowd last season as freshman guard and highly recruited talent Kelly Oubre committed to Kansas following his visit during Late Night last year.
If recruiting doesn't turn out like Kansas Athletics wanted it, the program should make sure that Late Night in the Phog becomes a headlining event in Lawrence next year.
It could be the difference between a top-5 recruit going to Kansas or Kentucky.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
Kansas City Royals' Alex Gordon throws during baseball practice Oct. 20 in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals will host the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 21.
SCOTT CHASEN
@SCHasenKU
The Royals have not had a team this successful since the 1985 season, which might explain why many are willing to pay the increased ticket prices to make it to the game at Kauffman. As of Monday afternoon, the cheapest ticket on StubHub.com is more than $500, and that's standing room only.
After dominating the American League in the postseason, the Royals are four victories away from winning the World Series. At least two of those victories would be played in Kauffman Stadium.
"I'm going to the first game with my dad," said Will
Shadwick, a sophomore from Salina. "My dad bought them from a friend he knew for about $1,000."
But while many students and their families chose to make the trip to Kauffman Stadium to take in a postseason game earlier in the playoffs, the World Series has been a little different. Aside from winning the Royals' lottery for tickets, seats can be expensive for the average student. The cheapest tickets are more than twice as much as any other game in the postseason, which cost around $150 or $200, according to StubHub.com.
Taking into account the high ticket prices, coupled with an increased parking fee, a World Series game
"I'm still pumped for the games," Farlow said. "Wheth-
"I would love to go to the games, but I can't afford $500 tickets," said Garrett Farlow, a sophomore from Tecumseh. "Instead I'll watch with a big group of friends, just like the other postseason games."
Many Royals fans on campus are in a similar situation as Farlow, opting to surround themselves with friends and family rather than making the journey out to Kauffman, but it doesn't mean they are any less excited about the World Series.
would put a dent in students' wallets. The price has certainly kept some students away, but it hasn't kept students from bonding over Royals baseball.
er or not I'm at the World Series, I'm a Royals fan, and I'm excited to see how they do against the Giants."
While most students at the University of Kansas have yet to witness a World Series game in Kansas City, there are certainly plenty of people to talk to about the team's success 29 years ago.
My dad went to the 1985 World Series, and he would always tell me stories about that," Shadwick said. "This is the only team I have ever seen [go this far].
For the Royals, James Shields will be on the mound for Kansas City, looking to improve his postseason performance, where he's allowed 10 runs in 16 innings.
Madison Bumgarner, who
has been at the top of his game in recent weeks, will get the start for the Giants in the opener. With an ERA of 1.42 since the playoffs began, Bumgarner is also tied for the lead in wins among Giants pitchers.
The Giants have been near perfect in the postseason, going 8-2 while facing the best teams in the National League.
Whether at the K or somewhere else, it is certain many students will be watching as the Royals look to capture their second World Series title in the team's history.
Game 1 begins on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
Cummings keeps Kansas in the game
@udk_dan
DAN HARMSEN
Redshirt junior quarterback Michael Cummings looks for an opening against Oklahoma State on Oct. 10. Kansas lost 20-27.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Remember when your American Government teacher told you that history has a tendency of repeating itself? For redshirt junior Michael Cummings, this is especially true.
in 2012, seeing his first significant action of the season replacing Dayne Crist midway through the game, the redshirt freshman led Kansas back from down 20-0 and nearly upset Oklahoma State at home. Leading two touchdown drives in the last 11 minutes, Cummings and the Jayhawks simply ran out of time, falling 20-14 despite Cummings going 5-of-10 for 75 yards and one touchdown.
"That's a good game against a good team and he wasn't flinching," former head coach Charlie Weis said of his quarterback after the game. "He had great composure, he was having fun and he put us in a position to win the game."
"He brought what we wanted out of that position," interim head coach Clint Bowen said. "Some leadership, some toughness, a guy that people could rally around."
Two years later, trailing then No. 16 Oklahoma State 20-7 at halftime on October 11, Cummings led another Jayhawk comeback with three passes of 30 yards or more, but Tyreek Hill's 99-yard kick-return sealed the seven-point win for the Cowboys.
Rewind back to 2012 — his freshman year — again. The Killeen, Texas, native took Kansas into double overtime at No. 25 Texas Tech, but came up just seven points short, 41-34. Cummings threw for two touchdown passes and rushed for 41 yards, including a key 44-yard scamper on fourth-and-three from the Jayhawks' 36 yard-line in the late stages of the game.
This past Saturday, Cummings raided Lubbock, Texas, with his best offensive output of the season, completing 20-of-32 passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the 34-21 loss. He added a oneyard plunge for a score with three seconds left in the third quarter to trim the Texas Tech lead to six, 27-21.
Dropped passes, both offensively and defensively, haunted the Jayhawks on the afternoon, and kept the upset bid out of reach. But even with No. 12 Baylor, Iowa State, No. 10 TCU, No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 11 Kansas State coming up — a daunting slew of games — the offense has to feel better with Cummings after Montell Cozart averaged nine points per
game against Duke, Central Michigan and Texas. Over the past two games, with Cummings taking the snaps, the Jayhawks have averaged 20.5 points per game.
Game by game, Cummings is improving. His completion percentage has endured a steady rise from 47.1 percent against West Virginia (in limited action) to 54.1 against Oklahoma State to 62.5 against Texas Tech. In that three-game stretch, his quarterback rating rose from 9 to 34.6 to 60.8. Montell Cozart seemed to be trending in the opposite direction, completing 46 percent of his passes for 170 yards over the first three games, and just 39 percent for 91 yards over his next two.
"I'm always happy about Mike." Bowen said. "The guy competes. He plays hard. He has a presence about himself that other guys can rally around."
A Turner Gill recruit in the 2011 class, Cummings was kept on the sideline yet again in 2014 because Charlie Weis claimed that Cozart looked far and away the best quarterback in practice.
So far, Michael Cummings has looked far and away the better quarterback in games. He's thrown for 56 percent to Cozart's 49.6, and averages 6.75 yards per pass to Cozart's 5.54. Cummings'
ability to throw the ball down the field with accuracy opens things up for the Kansas offense.
Out of high school, Cummings was not offered a scholarship by a single Texas school despite throwing for 2,463 yards, 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions his junior season. In his four major minutes against schools hailing from Texas
Texas Tech (twice), Baylor, and Texas — Cummings has lost by an average of just 12.75 points.
"That'a a tough situation there," Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the game on Saturday. "Their players played really hard,
like we've seen all year and stayed in the football game."
Bowen called his junior quarterback a junkyard dog. He will get up when he's knocked down and will be ready to fight.
"I had a stinger in my back," Cummings said after getting tackled hard on a play. "I wasn't going to stay out for long. So as soon as I was able to get up and walk off the field, I wanted to get right back out there."
If history has any say, Cummings will continue to keep Kansas in games. The next step is finding a way to finish them.
— Edited by Rob Pyatt
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