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KANSAN.COM
KANSAS
SPORTS
13A
SHANEJACKSON @jacksonshane3
Football Gameday
OKLAHOMA
OU
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
JAYHAWKS
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
RYAN WILLIES
FRESHMAN, QUARTERBACK
SOONERS
Two weeks ago at home, Willis shredded the Texas Tech defense for 330 yards on 35-of-50 pass attempts. But in his first road start last week, Willis was 12-of-31 for 191 yards. If the Jayhawks hope to stay in this game and pull the improbable upset, they need Willis to direct this offense similar to the last time he played in Memorial Stadium.
KE'AUN KINNER
JUNIOR, RUNNING BACK
Calling for Kinner; if anyone has seen him, please let Kansas know After rushing for a consecutive 100-yard performance on the ground to open the season, Kinner has struggled the last several weeks. In the last five games he has rushed the ball 47 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns. In the first two weeks he ran the ball 43 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns.
The senior receiver leads a young receiving unit with 26 receptions for 441 yards and two touchdowns — all three of which lead the team. Parmalee is coming off his best performance, catching six balls for 115 yards. In fact, Parmalee has had at least five catches for the last four games he has played. He recorded five total receptions in the first two games combined.
TRE PARMALEE
SENIOR, WIDE RECEIVER
Goodman's personal goal was to break the program's single season sack record of 14.5. Through the first two games he was on pace with four sacks but has since recorded just one sack, as he leads the team with five. In order for Kansas to have a chance against Oklahoma, the defense line must create pressure. That pressure starts with senior captain Goodman.
BEN GOODMAN JR.
SENIOR, DEFENSIVE END
FISH SMITHSON JUNIOR, SAFETY
Smithson leads the team in tackles with 65 stops, 49 of which are solo tackles. He led the team in tackles with seven last week in the loss at Oklahoma State. Even though he leads the defense in tackles, he has recorded double-digit tackles in a single game just once in a road loss to Iowa State. Smithson has six consecutive games of recording at least six tackles. In addition, in his last home contest he forced two turnovers.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
BAKER MAYFIELD JUNIOR, QUARTERBACK
BAKER MAYFIELD
Mayfield leads a passing attack that is top five in the country even after serious struggles in the passing game last year. After a great matchup with Texas Tech last week in which he was a bit underwhelming, this game with Kansas will serve as a bounce-back opportunity. This team also loves to run a zone read, which Mayfield can do well. Mayfield should certainly be considered a dual-threat, as he's rushed 80 times in seven games for four touchdowns.
SAMAJE PERINE
SOPHOMORE. RUNNING BACK
He was quiet to start the year but rushed for almost 10 yards per carry against Texas Tech last week as Oklahoma made him a clear part of the game plan. He gauged Kansas for a FBS-high 408 single game rushing yards last year, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him do it again.
JOE MIXON
FRESHMAN. RUNNING BACK
JOE MIXON
Mixon rushed for a career-high 154 yards last week against the awful Red Raiders defense. He was suspended all of last year for punching a female classmate but surprisingly wasn't dismissed and has become part of this Sooners' 1-2 punch. He was the nation's No. 6 running back coming out of high school and is a tough guy to bring down standing at 6-foot-2. Stopping the rush game will be a tail task for Kansas on Saturday with Mixon in the mix.
ERIC STRIKER
SENIOR, LINEBACKER
The only reason this guy isn't in the NFL yet is because of his size, which isn't a concern at the college level where he's been one of the best defenders in the entire nation in recent years. His best game this season came against West Virginia when he had 13 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble coming off the edge. He's going to be an All-Big 12 guy this year, and he's going to rip apart the discombobulated Kansas offensive line.
DOMINIQUE ALEXANDER JUNIOR, LINEBACKER
He's the team's leading tackler, which is to be expected as the ILB on this squad. At times, the 6-foot linebacker is able to get into the backfield and cause some disruption — he has two sacks on the year — but his pressure comes inconsistently. That said, he adds to a powerful front from Oklahoma that will be very difficult for a banged-up Kansas line to stop.
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA 52, KANSAS 14
Homecoming Weekend
Thursday, Oct. 29
Homecoming Tabling • 10 A.M.-2 P.M. • WESCOE BEACH
United Across Borders Clothing Drive • 10 A.M.-2 P.M. • ADAMS ALUMNI CENTER
NPHC Fall Stroll Off • 7-9 P.M. •WOODRUFF AUDITORIUM
Pancake Feed $5 per person • 9-11 P.M. • ADAMS ALUMNI CENTER PARKING LOT
Homecoming Tabling • 10 A.M.-NOON • WESCOE BEACH
Replant Mount Oread • 10:30 A.M. • WEST CAMPUS ROAD
Homecoming Parade • 6 P.M. • MASSACHUSETTS STREET
Homecoming Pep Rally • 7 P.M. • 8TH & NEW HAMPSHIRE STREET
Friday, Oct. 30
Saturday, Oct. 31
KU vs. Oklahoma Football Game • TBA • MEMORIAL STADIUM Ex.C.E.L. and Homecoming Awards • HALFTIME • MEMORIAL STADIUM PRESENTATION
www.homecoming.ku.edu
Facebook:/KUHomecoming
Twitter: @ku_homecoming
Instagram: @ku_homecoming
HOMECOMING SPONSORS
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The University of Kansas
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Student Alumni Association
From University of Arizona
Royals pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) celebrates the end of the top of the eighth inning.
DAVID GOLDMAN/AP
the eighth inning
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Johnny Cueto smothered the New York Mets with another big October outing. And the pesky Kansas City Royals kept fouling off Jacob deGrom's best pitches, wearing him down with persistence and prowess.
Cueto never faltered. And as deGrom wore down, the Royals pounced.
RONALD BLUM Associated Press
With Kansas City two wins from its their first title since 1985, the teams take Thursday off. New York's Citi Field hosts its first Series game Friday, when rookie Noah Syndergaard starts for the Mets and Yordano Ventura for the Royals.
Forty-one of the 51 teams to take 2-0 leads in best-of-seven World Series have gone on
Eric Hosmer hit a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs in a four-run fifth inning that included 14 foul balls, and the Royals rallied to beat the Mets 7-1 Wednesday night and take a 2-0 World Series lead.
Nineteen hours after Hosmer's sacrifice fly won a 14-inning thriller, Cueto pitched a two-hitter, varying his delivery with occasional quick pitches and keeping the Mets off balance. An excited crowd stood on its feet for long stretches on the rainy night. Some fans wore wigs resembling Cueto's long, dark dreadlocks — including the Royals' mascot, Slugerrr.
Kansas City had the best contact hitters in the major leagues this season, missing on just 19.7 percent of its swings, according to STATS. The Dodgers and Cubs swung and missed 58 times in his first three postseason outings, but he got just three swings and misses against the Royals — his career low. Of his 94 pitches, 23 were fouled off by the Royals.
to win the title, including nine straight since Atlanta stumbled against the New York Yankees in 1996.
Cueto has struggled on the road, where opposing fans taunt him by repeating his name in a sing-song voice. But since the Royals acquired the free-agent-to-be from Cincinnati in July, he's been Johnny on the spot at Kauffman Stadium. He pitched two-hit ball over eight innings to win Game 5 of the Division Series against Houston, and Kansas City lined up its Series rotation to have Cueto starting Games 2 and 6 at home.
Cueto struck out four and walked three. Both hits off him were soft singles by Lucas Duda, an infield hit to third that took advantage of the shift in the second inning and an opposite-fIELD RBI single to left in the fourth. Cueto let loose some emotion at the end of the eighth inning, when Alcides Escobar made a nifty play to retire Juan Lagares for the final out. As Escobar sprinted past him, Cueto exchanged a
DeGrom, 3-0 in the postseason coming in, allowed four runs, six hits and three walks over five innings in a hairy matchup of pitchers with contrasting long locks. Pitching with seven days' rest, deGrom held Kansas City to one hit through four innings but got in trouble in the fifth, when he walked Alex Gordon on a 3-2 slider leading off.
flamboyant high five with the shortstop.
Alex Rios followed with a single and Escobar fouled off a pair of bunt attempts before driving and 0-2 slider up the middle for a tying single.
After Yoenis Cespedes fled to center for the final out, Cueto pointed to the sky and was congratulated by catcher Salvador Perez. Cueto pitched the first Series complete game by an AL pitcher since Minnesota's jack Morris won Game 7 against Atlanta in 1991.
Ben Zobrist's grounder advanced the runners, and Lorenzo Cain fouled off four pitches before a flyout to short center. Hosmer singled off the mound into center field for a 3-1 lead, and Kendrys Morales' singled in another run.
Gordon added an RBI double in the eighth off Jon Niese, a ball off the glove of shortstop Wilmer Flores. Paulo Orlando, the first Brazil-born player to appear in a Series, followed with a sacrifice fly against Addison Reed, and Escobar tripped in a run.
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