---
KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
11A
+
Blog: Kansas City Chief blitz the Detroit Lions
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek_skillett
The famous double-decker buses weren't the only things that were red in London this weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, earning a 45-10 victory.
One of the biggest catalysts in the Chiefs' victory was quarterback Alex Smith, who dominated the Lions with his legs to the tune of 71 meters (or 78 yards) and a touchdown on the ground.
Shades of his time at the University of Utah. #Chiefs QB Alex Smith scrambles 49 yards down the field. Yes, 49 yards.
BJ Kissel (@Chiefs- Reporter) November 1, 2015
Smith was also extremely effective through the air, as he completed 18 of 26 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, Smith rarely looked flustered and showed confidence in some of his decisions. This is
an encouraging development for Smith, who will need to keep stepping up his play if the Chiefs hope to somehow grab a wild card spot in the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith runs with the ball during the game between Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 1.
In addition to Smith's production on the ground, the Chiefs running backs had a good day. Charcandrick West rushed 20 times for 97 yards and scored a touchdown. Running backs Spencer Ware and DeAnthony Thomas scored one touchdown apiece for the Chiefs. They'll need to keep finding creative ways to replace the production of star running back Jamal Charles, who is out for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL.
MATT DUNHAM/AP
BJ Kissel (@Chiefs- Reporter) November 1, 2015
The #Chiefs have 191 yards rushing today and 4 different players have run it in for a TD. Speading the love.
For the second game in a row, the Chiefs defense absolutely starred. The defense sacked Detroit quarterback
Matthew Stafford six times. They also managed to intercept Stafford twice and held the Lions' superstar receiver Calvin Johnson to 85 yards, only allowing him to catch five of his 10 targets.
In the end, the Chiefs needed a victory like this. After a 1-5 start that had the team looking dead in the water, Kansas City has rattled off two straight victories heading into the bye week. The team finally seems to be playing up to preseason expectations, showing efficiency on offense and domination on defense.
- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 1, 2015
The Chiefs' 35-point win is tied for their largest margin of victory in the last 9 seasons
teams have a combined record of 22-31.
With a little bit of luck, there is a strong possibility that the Chiefs could actually compete for a playoff spot near the end of the season.
Kansas City has even more of an opportunity to rattle off some more wins heading into the final stretch of the season. Some of the final opponents that the Chiefs will have to face include: Denver, San Diego, Buffalo, Oakland, Baltimore and Cleveland. Those
Chiefs will be 3-5, one game back of Steelers
in the win column. KC owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Pittsburgh. Crazy season. Andrew Siciliano (@ AndrewSiciliano) November 1, 2015
the Chiefs playing their best football over the past two weeks, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility for Kansas City to potentially finish the season with between nine and 11 wins, which should theoretically open up the possibility of some postseason football.
Granted, there is a lot of football to be played. But with
MAWSON FROM PAGE 1
the coach at Lawrence High School for 27 years. Wells led the team to 15 state titles after she graduated from Kansas in 1971 — the year Title IX went into place.
Maybe it was all of them. From Wells and Mawson to Bechard and his assistant coach Laura Kuhn. Even Bechard and the women on his roster today have helped get Kansas to this point. Bechard, at least, has built to this point.
fer said, sitting to the right of Mawson and pointing across
"Look at the banners," Kap-
"Everybody has their lives going on, but sports and volleyball are the thread that weaves everybody."
KERRY KAPFER
Former Kansas
Volleyball Player
to the west side of the gym.
"12, '13, '14... '15! '16!"
That's just the thing: even Bechard himself has gone a long way in building the squad Kansas has now, which Mawson and Wells both say is the best Kansas has had.
Mawson said sophomore setter Ainise Havili is the best setter Kansas has ever had. Wells says junior defender Cassie Wait is one of the best athletes Kansas has had in volleyball — she was All-Metro in track for two years in high school and was a letter
winner in basketball.
Yet, there are intangibles that Bechard has brought, too. Kapfer, Wells and Mawson have all seen it and acknowledge it as the reason Kansas made it through 19 games without a loss. Mawson called it team unity, Wells called it consistency and Kapfer capped it off.
"That team's chemistry, that communication, it's a rare thing" Kapfer said. "Everybody has worked as hard as they can, but sometimes there's that extra special ingredient... It's magical when that happens, and this team has it"
Mawson thought the Jayhawks could win 20 in a row, if the circumstances were right when the team went to Austin. Those circumstances didn't align; the streak ended at 19. The Jayhawks won match 20 two tries later to become the fastest team in school history — or, maybe since Mawson started women's athletics — to get to 20.
When the Jayhawks go on to set more records and make a
run at the Big 12 title, Mawson will be there. Hands crossed, sitting among a group of Kansas volleyball hall of famers, with an occasional whistle, cheer, or slight comment at the referees.
"Everybody has their lives going on, but sports and volleyball are the thread that weaves everybody." Kaper said. "She is a devotee... Thank goodness for her."
Edited by Madeline Umali
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
Senior Chelsie Miller races against Missouri State and Denver University Saturday afternoon in Lawrence.
KU swimming defeats TCU in first away meet of the season
ERIK NELSON
@erikthefan
Unlike its football counterparts that lost on homecoming to Oklahoma, the Kansas swimming team left the TCU campus victorious by a score of 178-119. It was Kansas' first Big 12 meet of the season and first away meet.
"Today we embraced the challenge of flying down here the day-of," coach Clark Campbell said in a KU Athletics news release. "The team really got into the challenge of it and I think we proved that it doesn't matter what comes at them that they will go and get it."
Kansas traveled to Fort Worth, Texas and back to Lawrence in the same day, covering approximately 1,000 miles both ways.
Although the score was
close, Kansas dominated its hosts, winning 12 of 16 events, including the 200-yard individual medley, the 200-yard medley relay, and the 100-yard breaststroke.
Junior Yulduz Kuchkarova made her first appearance for Kansas after being absent from last weekend's meets against Denver and Missouri State. Kuchkarova won two events as a member of Kansas' A relay team in the 200-yard medley relay, and the 400-yard freestyle relay. She also won the 100-yard backstroke.
Sophomore Madison Straight from Fort Worth, Texas won two events: the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke. Kansas saved some of its best work for the back end of the meet. In the final event, Kansas' A relay team of Kuchkarova senior Haley
Molden, and freshmen Breonna Barker and Haley Bishop won the 400-yard freestyle relay. Their time of 3:29.24 was 30 milliseconds quicker than the relay they completed last week, and is now this season's personal best time.
"The team proved a lot to themselves today," Campbell said in the same release. "This is a tough team and they get things done at a high level regardless of what's coming before or what's coming after, they were just in the moment."
Kansas returns home to Robinson Natatorium to face Nebraska this Friday. The meet begins at 5 p.m.
Edited by Derek Johnson