BIG 12: How conference teams performed during the weekend. SEE PAGE 2B. SWIMMING: Team takes fifth in Minnesota meet. SEE PAGE 2B.
TALK TO US: Contact Jay Krall or Sarah Warren at (785) 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2001
Commentary
Michael
Rigg
Columnist
sportsksansan.com
Kinsey's ego indifference hurt team
If he only had a heart.
"Tin Man" Mario Kinsey should head to see the wizard, because the freshman quarterback has a rib cage with no contents.
tents. If he only had a heart, Kansas football would undoubtedly be better off. Instead, the Jayhawks have followed their gutless signal caller to a last place finish in the Big 12 Conference's northern division. His coaches can't trust him, his teammates refuse to follow him and the fans loathe him.
In the second half of Saturday's embarrassing 49-7 loss to Iowa State, Kinsey was on the sideline, laughing and horsing around with his teammates, showing a winning smile that contradicted the losing score. The Tin Man was having a horrible day, having tossed four interceptions — one that was returned for a touchdown — but he still found enough time to laugh at the embarrassment. In the lowest point for Jayhawk football since 1987, Kinsey found room for humor.
Unfortunately for the Tin Man, his Jayhawk career is the real joke.
Anybody who watches Kansas football knows that one of the quitters is the freshman with No. 17 on his back. All season, the Jayhawk football coaches waited for Kinsey to step into the starting quarterback role. He never did. Both Terry Allen and Tom Hayes searched for reasons to start Kinsey, but they were never sold on the Tin Man, and the likable — and far less gifted — Zach Dyer has found his way into the Kansas lineup based on personality alone. When Hayes was named coach two weeks ago, one of his first moves was to bench the Tin Man in favor of Dyer.
But the football coaches supposedly aren't the only coaches on campus to tire of the Tin Man's routine. Kinsey rose to Kansas athletic fame last year as a backup guard on the basketball team. He quit on Feb. 15, saying he had to concentrate on academics.
Kinsey was arrested in his hometown of Waco, Texas, on May 25 on a charge of possession of marijuana. When he arrived again on Mount Oread two weeks later, Kinsey was arrested again, this time on a charge of stealing a purse and using a stolen credit card, according to the KU Public Safety Office.
If the legal problems weren't enough, Allen was infuriated later in the season when the Tin Man nonchalantly skipped practice and headed home to Waco without feeling the need to tell anybody. The punishment was banishment to second-string duty in the Jayhawks' Oct. 6 game at Texas Tech. His teammates haven't responded to Kinsey since.
On nearly every drive, the Tin Man only looks at one receiver before tucking the ball in and running. His selfish play is one of the main reasons why the Jayhawks' offense has scored just two touchdowns in the last 16 quarters. Kinsey's statistics for the season look more horrific than the box office numbers for Corky Romano — 994 yards, six touchdown passes and 10 interceptions while playing in nine of the Jayhawks' 10 games.
If the Tin Man only had a heart, Kansas football would be going places.
Instead, the new wizard of Jayhawk football — whoever he is, and whenever he's hired — should remind the Tin Man that there's no place like home, and that there's no time like now to go there and stay.
Rigg is a Greenwood Village, Colo., senior in broadcast news.
Indomitable Texas team finally falls
By Steve Laurenzo Kansan sportswriter
Shortly after an emotional celebration with her teammates, reminiscent of a dog pile after a World Series game, Molly LaMere, the Kansas volleyball team's only senior, walked off the court at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center for the final time as a Jayhawk.
And she walked on nappy.
For the first time in 15 tries, the Jayhawks defeated the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night.
Just under 900 lucky fans watched LaMere and her teammates get what coach Ray Bechard characterized as one of the three biggest wins in his four years at Kansas.
Kansas (16-14, 6-13) guaranteed a winning season with the win against Texas (14-12,8-10), taking the match 3-1.
"It was just a tremendous team effort," Bechard said. "We spread it around a little bit. Our left side really kept us afloat and then (Kylie) Thomas had some really timely kills in the last two games."
Texas dominated Kansas in game one, winning 30-20, behind freshman outside hitter Mira Topic's seven kills.
outside inter Mika Teppe. But just when it seemed like it might be a disappointing senior night for LaMere, and a disappointing final home match for the players, coaches and fans, the Jayhawks did something they have struggled with all season long.
They held leads and they battled back from behind.
struggled with a strong opponent in three straight games.
They showed the fans what they were capable of.
"In all three of those tight games we didn't panic." Bechard said. "We made
good passes and swings and got a huge win for the Jayhawk program. There have been some really good wins, but obviously we had never beat Texas. If there is a top three, it would be in there easily."
Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Rome led the Jaighaws with 21 kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Abbie Jacobson with 18.
LaMere said she was proud of her team's effort and happy to get a win.
"With it being my last home match and having my family here, it felt great," LaMere said. "We knew we could do it. It just depended on how we came out and played. We definitely have the talent and the ability."
entend the ability
Kansas' final match of the season is
against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday in Boulder, Colo.
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
Senior setter Molly LareM gets a hug from teammate Molly Scavuzo after the Jayhawks defeated Texas. LaMere is on track to become Kansas' second-leading assists person.
Contact Laurenzo at 864-4858
Jayhawks' season continues to unravel
Mario Kinsey, Kansas redshirt freshman quarterback, leans forward for a few extra yards as he is brought down by Iowa State junior linebacker Matt Word and junior defensive end Tyson Smith. Kinsey ran the ball 16 times, but ended up with a total of -2 yards.
By Jeff Denton Kansan sportswriter
The 49-7 drubbing Iowa State handed Kansas on Saturday afternoon displeased interim coach Tom Hayes. But it was how early the game unraveled — in the second quarter — that bothered him most.
During that painful 15-minute stanza, the Jayhawks' coach witnessed the Cyclones take advantage of several Kansas miscues. Before long, Iowa State had widened a 7-0 lead to a 28-point cushion.
The Cyclones were well on their way to becoming bowl-eligible with their sixth win of the season. But Kansas was reeling -left wondering how its season could have gone so wrong so fast.
could have gone so wrong.
The Jayhawks were never able to rebound from the two-turnover, threepenalty, second-quarter collapse. Kansas suffered defeat in front of 33,500 at Memorial Stadium on Senior Day.
"It was a frustrating second quarter," Hayes said. "I didn't think we hung in there. When things started going bad, I don't think we stood up — offensively, defensively or in the kieking game, and I told them so at halftime."
Iowa State senior running back Ennis Haywood was the workhorse for the Cyclones in the second quarter. After being contained by the Kansas defense for 29 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter, Haywood erupted for 129 yards and three touchdowns as Iowa State pounded Kansas on the ground.
"Good running backs fall forward when they get tackled," said senior free safety Jamarei Bryant, who made six tackles in his second-to-last game at Kansas. "He makes cuts and he runs
SEE LOSS PAGE 6B
Kansas set to 'lei' it on
By Ryan Malashock Kansan sportswriter
Three of the top seven ranked teams in the nation will battle for the Maui Invitational title, beginning today.
But the Jayhawks must first take care of business today against Ball State to get a chance at the Bruins and Blue Devils. Kansas and Ball State both open regular season play today with their first-round 3:30 p.m. game
Matchups with No. 1 Duke and No. 5 UCLA may loom for No.7 Kansas in the second and third rounds.
"It's the one team I said this summer that I did not want to play — that I hope that we get somebody other than Ball State because I think they are really good," Williams said. "A lot of times as a coach, you're worried about a team that you think your team may perhaps overlook or not give as much
Kansas coach Roy Williams said Ball State would qualify as a formidable first-round foe.
at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii.
SEE MAUI PAGE 2P
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas wins with rebounding
By Jessica Scott Kansan sportswriter
Kansas point guard Selena Scott knew her team needed to concentrate on rebounding in its season opener against Grambling State on Friday.
After being rebounded 48-50 the previous weekend by Fort Hays State, the women's basketball team had worked on recovering the ball all week in practice, honing its rebounding skills.
"We did a few drills," Scott said. "If
you didn't box out, you were running for it, and you don't want to do that. Everybody got it set in their heads that they wanted to box out and get the rebound because we knew we would pay for it when we got to practice."
The work paid off as the Jayhawks topped Grambling State 77-58 and Kansas dominated the Tigers 52-40 in rebounds. Kansas senior center Kristin Geoffroy grabbed 12 rebounds and freshman Blair Waltz added 10. In 30
SEE WOMEN PAGE 2B
NFL
Bears 27
Buccaneers 24
NFL
Raiders 34
NFL
Chargers 24
Eagles 36
Cowboys 3
NBA
1
99
86