WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31, 2001
FOOTBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7B
Oklahoma's Stoops says White will play again
The Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops didn't wait for the question about injured quarterback Jason White. Instead, he went on the offensive at his weekly news conference.
Stoops said Sunday and again Monday that Which ite sprained his left knee in
Saturday's loss to Nebraska and could play next week against Texas A&M. But a newspaper report Monday said White tore his anterior cruciate ligament and his status for the rest of the season was in doubt.
"It continues to be a sprained knee, and let me clarify that because there's been a lot of people call me and take issue with my comments." Stoops said.
always understand since I've been here, I have never said anything that is not true to the media or to the public," he said. "A sprain, whether it be to an ankle, a shoulder, a knee, is damage to a ligament. That is what a sprain is.
"I guess I didn't realize I needed to define what a sprain is, but he has a sprained knee and that's the situation."
Stoops said he didn't get specific when he talks about injuries, because he didn't want to put his players at a disadvantage against the opposition.
White worked out lightly Monday night but did not wear pads.
"From watching Jason throw the ball last night and walk around rehab, I believe he's got a chance to play next week." Stoops said. "He won't play this week, but he has a chance to play next week and continue through the season. If that is
not the case. I'll say so."
If White is able to return, he would get the starting job back, Stoops said. Meanwhile the job belongs to Nate Hybl, who started the first six games for the third-ranked Sooners (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). Hybl hurt his non-throwing shoulder in the fifth game, against Texas, and was removed early in the next game, against Kansas, after four lackluster series.
He took over for White in the Nebraska game and Stoops said he played well, although he did have to leave for a few plays after getting knocked wooxy. He also took a shot to the head in the Kansas State game.
Stoops said he was concerned when players show effects from blows to the head, but that hasn't happened with Hybl.
"Our doctors would never allow him to compete in a game if he didn't check out properly and in the right way, and he has."
Third-year Baylor coach insists team is better than its record
The Associated Press
WACO, Texas — Baylor coach Kevin Steele can confide in only a few people these days.
His wife,
Kansas State
coach Bill
Snyder and
former Nebraska coach
Tom Osborne
are among them. "Plus, they are about the only ones who will take my calls," said Steele, the third-year Bears coach who is 0-21 in Big 12 games.
These are tough times at Baylor (2-5, 0-5 Big 12), which hasn't won a league game since 1998. The Bears are only 3-42 in the Big 12 since it was formed five years ago.
Just when the Bears seemed to be making some progress, staying within striking distance late into consecutive games against No. 24 Texas A&M, No. 2 Nebraska and No. 3 Oklahoma, they lost 63-19 to Texas
Tech last weekend. Baylor trailed 28-0 before even getting a first down.
“There comes a time when it's time to put it over the hump, and we didn't do that,” Steele said. “We've simply got to get over the hump. Once we do that, it won't be a whole lot easier, but it will be a better understanding of what it takes.”
Things don't get any easier Saturday against No. 5 Texas (7-1,4-1), which outscored the Bears 110-14 the last two years.
Steele, an assistant coach for Osborne from 1989-94, has a Big 12 counterpart that understands his plight.
Before eight straight bowl appearances, a streak in jeopardy this year, Kansas State was 1-10 in 1989, Snyder's first season. The Wildcats had just one winning season the first four years before going 9-2-1 and making a bowl in 1993. They've had four straight 11-win seasons.
"I know it's difficult sometimes because you don't see the immediate results," Snyder said. "Our success didn't come on the scoreboard immediately, but you could see that progress was being made and felt confident that the right things would happen at a certain point."
Steele knew he faced a challenge when he took over the Bears after the 1998 season, becoming the third coach in four years.
What is even more difficult three years later is convincing people that progress is being made, especially when they see only the scores.
"Internally, we are really a tight-knit team. Every player believes in the program, coach Steele and his system," said receiver Reggie Newhouse, who was part of the coach's first Baylor recruiting class.
"A lot of people haven't seen it, but this program has come a long way since he came here, and it will only get better," he said.
Chiefs can't rely on reputation
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cracks are beginning to appear in the unquestioning faith Kansas City fans placed in Dick Vermeil.
In his weekly radio show this week after the Chiefs fell to 1-6, one caller went so far as to accuse him of misleading them.
"I think most of you heard me say many times, two wins ago I was in a Super Bowl game." Vermeiel said yesterday at his weekly media luncheon.
"That doesn't guarantee anything."
When he was talked out of retirement last winter by Chiefs president Carl Peterson, Vermil's credentials could hardly have been more impeccable. He had built the Philadelphia Eagles into a Super Bowl team
CHIEFS
But Trent Green, the 31-year-old quarterback Vermel gave up a first-round draft pick for, has played poorly. The offensive and defensive lines, beset by injury, have not fared well. There have been problems in the secondary.
two decades ago and had coached St. Louis to the Super Bowl title in the 1999 season.
And Kansas City's wide receiver corps has been exposed as almost utterly lacking in the speed and talent Vermil enjoyed in St. Louis when Kurt Warner ran the same offense so well.
"There's a process you go through to get (to the Super Bowl)." Vermeil said. "Hope-
"If we're very fortunate and lucky and do a good enough job then you end up being successful," he said. "If not, you don't. And there have been some very fine people who were very skilled at what they were doing end up not being successful. One variable or another they were not able to control."
tully, we can repeat that kind of thing. But there aren't any guarantees. Everybody in this league is striving to do the same thing. We're in a high performance business. That's all there is to it."
In addition to talent and hard work, Vermeil said, other things beyond the control of any coach must also fall in line.
What has made fans most unhappy is the shoddy play of Green.
Illini to play tough games in November
CHAMPAIGN, III. — It's been a long time since games this late in the season mattered this much at No. 21 Illinois.
The Associated Press
The Illini, who had a bye last weekend, are tied for second in the Big Ten and have qualified for a bowl game for just the second time in seven years—and four games are still left to play in November.
Kurt Kittner said on Monday. "We have a tough stretch these next four weeks and we need to be healthy."
With a rare Saturday off, most of the team gathered around the television to watch conference leader Michigan. A loss by the Wolverines would have given Illinois a share of the conference lead.
the conference Michigan was down early to Iowa, but came back from a 20-7 deficit, beat the Hawkeyes 32-26 and maintained sole possession of first
"It was a close game. I was hoping that Iowa would win, but Michigan is a good team and good teams usually pull those games out," defensive back Eugene Wilson said.
The bye for Illinois (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) came at a good time in the season — the midpoint of the conference schedule — and gave Illinois some additional time to prepare for its toughest stretch of the year.
The Illini travel to No. 20 Purdue this weekend, then face Penn State at home and Ohio State on the road before playing host to Northwestern on Thanksgiving Day in the regular season finale.
"We know we've got a tough road ahead. We've got the tough part of our schedule coming up," coach Ron Turner said. "We're playing some very good football teams, and I'm very, very impressed with Purdue."
the Boilermakers (5-1, 3-1) beat Northwestern 52-27 Saturday, rushing for 172 yards while quarterback Brandon Hance ran and passed for a touchdown. Hance has Purdue off to its best start since 1997.
The teams have two things in common: their lone losses have come against Michigan and each is coming off a close conference win.
Two weeks ago, Illinois blew a third-quarter lead against Wisconsin, allowing the Badgers to score three touchdowns in a span of 1-23, before staging a comeback of their own to win 42-55.
In that game, Kittner found receiver Brandon Lloyd in the corner of the end zone for the winning score in the fourth quarter. It was the fifth touchdown of the season for the sophomore wideout, who is second in the conference in receiving yards, averaging 101 per game.
Lloyd, who sat out last season with a broken leg, said the team would have preferred to skip the bye week following the emotional win over Wisconsin. However, he said the time off gave players with minor injuries the opportunity to rest before the final four games, which will be critical in determining where Illinois goes in the postseason.
"We wanted to play. We're really anxious about what we have going on this season," Lloyd said. "We like the momentum that we have, but I think the bye week was really good for us."
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