WEDNESDAY,OCT.10,2001
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
Player gets kick out of leading Big 12
By Brent Briggeman Kansan sportswriter
Kicker Johnny Beck had two goals when he got to Kansas in August.
He wanted to be the one coaches relied on when games were on the line and, of equal importance, he wanted to feel like part of the team.
Ten kicks into his career, nine of which have gone for three points each, the freshman has accomplished both goals.
"I didn't know who he was when he got here," said senior safety Jamarei Bryant. "But when he started making all those field goals I got to know who he was real quick."
Beck said his teammates had taken notice because of his continued success.
"I can tell when I go out that guys are starting to come up and talk to me," said Beck, who leads the Big 12 Conference with 2.25 field goals per game. "I don't know how they've treated kickers before, but I really feel like they've accepted me."
Beck has given the Jayhawks the potential to score from anywhere inside the opponent's 40-yard line. His 59-yard kick against Colorado was the second longest in school history and gave the 'Hawks the lead at halftime.
They'd be crazy not to.
On Saturday, Beck rebounded from his first career miss, a 48-yard attempt that hit the upright, by making two critical kicks. He cut into an 11-point Texas Tech deficit with a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter and hit the game winner from 37 yards in the second overtime.
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
"If he doesn't make it, we don'twin that game," Terry Allen said of the fourth-quarter kick. "We just gave it to him and said 'Johnny, get us within eight and we'll do what we can.'"
Beck's performance gave him Big 12 special teams player of the week honors and a new swagger to his step.
While the other kickers huddle together throughout practice. Beck freely floats around from offense to defense, watching the team and mingling with other players.
"I'd get bored if I was just watching everybody kick all practice," he said. "I like to watch the hits and the big plays like everyone else. It's just fun to see what's going on with the rest of the team."
Beck's interest stems from his career at Piper High School in Kansas City, Kan. At Piper, Beck was a starter in the offensive backfield and at safety, in addition to being a record-setting kicker.
Though Beck made 10 kicks from more than 50 yards in high school, which set a Kansas record, he said he had never gone through a stretch of success like he had this year.
like he had this year.
"Everything I'm hitting right now feels good," he said. "Even the one I missed hit the upright, so it's not like it was that off."
so it's not the case.
Still, Beck said he wouldn't relax. He understands the fickle nature of football.
nature of doubt.
"Sure, things are going great now, everybody's accepting me and everything," he said. "But I know it'd be a lot different if I was four or five out of ten instead of nine for ten."
Freshman kicker Johnny Beck gives the Jayhawks a 34-31 lead in overtime with a 37-yard field goal. Kansas' defense stopped Texas Tech from scoring on its second overtime possession with an interception by Marcus Rogers.
for more on Kansas' next opponent
see page 4a
Contact Briggeman at 864-4858
Experience adds to success of men's rugby team
By Kevin Flaherty Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's rugby club team has tackled and sprinted its way to a fast start, opening the year 3-1 and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference.
After losing its first game to Wichita State, Kansas has rallied, winning its last three, including a 38-3 throttling of Big 12 rival Oklahoma State.
Zac Cox, team member and Wichita senior, said the team had been looking forward to playing Oklahoma State.
"We were very excited to finally play a college team since
The KU Rugby team practices a scrum with coach Graeme Slabbert observing their techniques. In rugby, a scrum is used to determine who gets the ball after a forward pass.
we had been playing club teams all semester," Cox said. "It was good to play a team more at our level and we played very well."
"Our experience is really pay
Brent Zluticky, club president, said the team's experience was the difference in the big win. Experience is really new.
ing off, the fact that we've been through our reloading years, and I think they are starting to go through theirs," Zluticky said. "We just had more knowledge about the game and our skills."
With junior Willie Lenz, senior Oliver Parkinson and freshman Danny Kerr all having standout seasons, the team has played well despite only playing one home game thus far. The team will need the momentum from the Oklahoma State home game to carry back to the road. The team will face two more weeks of road play before heading back home to play Truman
State at Westwick Fields on Oct. 20.
Zluticky said the team would be prepared for the challenges ahead.
"We have two tough road games in a row when we play at Pitt State and Nebraska at Omaha," Zluticky said. "But right now we're playing really well as a team and our skills are sharp. We have a good team."
Contact Flaherty at 864-4858
Soccer team scores high in rankings
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas soccer team, after two strong conference outings on the road, is continuing to climb the ranks.
Both Soccer Buzz magazine and the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America have ranked Kansas sixth in the central region of their polls. The latest numbers are the team's highest ranking in either poll.
"It's great," said coach Mark Francis, "There's six regions, so in theory, that puts us in the top 36 in the country."
Nebraska, which defeated Kansas 2-0 on Sunday, is ranked first in both polls. The Cornhuskers are ranked fourth overall by the NSCAA and sixth overall by Soccer Buzz.
Kansas moved up from seventh in the Soccer Buzz poll and eighth in the NSCAAPoll a week ago. Before this season, they had never been higher than 10th in the central region.
the central Kansas is off to a 7-3 start and 3-1 in conference play. All three losses were to ranked teams, and all but three of the Jayhawks' games have been on the road.
games have been good this now," Francis said. "We've moved up because we've won some games and played tough against teams like Nebraska. If we keep winning, we'll stay there or keep moving up."
The Jayhaws next game is against Texas Tech at 4 p.m. Friday in Lubbock, Texas. The team closes the weekend Sunday at Colorado.
Contact Wood at 864-4858
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