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SPORTS
CHIEFS BLOG
DAVID L PHILIP/ AP PHOTO
The Kansas City Chiefs started their 2015 season on a
Quarterback Alex Smith has encouraging performance in 27-20 win
Most encouraging for Kansas City was the play of quarterback Alex Smith, who completed 22-of-33 passes for 243 yards and tossed three touchdowns in the victory. Smith's quarterback rating was an impressive 118.6 on Sunday. For comparison, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo led the NFL in 2014 with a quarterback rating of 113.2, according to ESPN.
2013 season on a high note on Sunday as they defeated the Houston Texans on the road, 27-20. The game wasn't as close as the final score indicated, however, as the Chiefs led 27-9 well into the fourth quarter.
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek skillett
The beneficiary of Smith's performance on Sunday was third-year tight end Travis Kelce, who enjoyed a spectacular game and caught six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Kelce, who had a breakout year in 2014 after catching 67 passes for 862 yards and five scores, is expected to perform even better this season.
"It was nice to get off to a start like that," Smith said to reporters after that game, according to ESPN. "You never expect it. To come out firing like that was really nice. You can't anticipate that. We got the opportunities and took advantage."
Smith also threw a touchdown pass to star running back Jamaal Charles, which gave him three on the game and put him in the company of some esteemed players.
According to a tweet from Chiefs beat writer Adam Teicher, Smith is the fourth Chiefs quarterback to throw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the season opener.
In Smith's third season in Kansas City, he appears ready to take the reins of the offense and become the playmaker at quarterback that the Chiefs need.
There were several times during Sunday's game where Smith unloaded deep passes Not many of them were completed, but the fact that the notoriously conservative Smith chose to test Houston's secondary is encouraging.
The Chiefs have a very short week of rest. They will be facing off against their division rival in the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night.
If Smith continues to perform like he did against Houston and carries the Chiefs to an upset of the Broncos — a team that has defeated Kansas City in each of the last six meetings — then it could be proof that the Chiefs are ready for a postseason push in 2015.
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch runs through a hole in the Kansas defense. Lynch passed for 354 yards against the Jayhawks on Saturday, Sept 12 in Lawrence.
Jayhawks thumped by Tigers 55-23
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
Memphis' (2-0) junior quarterback Paxton Lynch towers over his line at 6-feet.7. He's tough for nearly an defense in the county to bring down. Kansas (0-2) head coach David Beatty was quick to point Lynch's jersey was a lot whorter than he would've liked following the team's 55-23 loss on Saturday.
Lynch stood tall in the pocket and sliced apart an inexperienced Kansas secondary. He completed 22-of-25 passes for a career-high 354 yards. Additionally, he threw two touchdowns against the Jayhawks.
"After that first drive I don't know if he got his jersey dirty, we didn't get enough pressure on him," Beaty said. "We have to be able to create pressure to help out some of our young defensive backs."
"There is a reason he is one
Three plays later, sophomore kicker Nick Bartolotta netted a 30-yard field goal, giving Kansas it's first lead of the season.
of the highest rated players on the NFL draft boards," Beaty said. "He can throw it, he can run it, and he can do it all. Plus he's a giant."
The next possession. Kansas needed just five plays on a drive that accumulated 73 yards. Keaun Kinner polished
After sputtering out of the gate in week one, the Jayhawks defense looked resilient in the start against the Tigers. Kansas was able to hold Memphis scoreless in its first two possessions.
As a result it was all Kansas within the first 10 minutes. Following an unsuccessful first drive for Kansas, Memphis put the ball on the turf on its first offensive play and junior linebacker Marcquis Roberts corralled the loose ball.
it off with a 5-yard touchdown run, taking a 10-0 lead with 9:58 to go in the first quarter.
"Defenses have to respect the run, Ke'aun is a great running back and he's a playmaker," Cozart said. "Tonight we saw that. He took care of us."
Things took a turn for the worse from that point. Memphis went on a 24-3 run for the remainder of the first half. The Tigers scored two touchdowns on the ground, taking a halftime lead of 24-13.
"I was very happy with the first half, just wish we could have kept it up for four quarters," Roberts said.
In the second half, Memphis poured it on, scoring on five straight possessions, four of which were touchdowns.
Roberts said that it was more of a mental thing for the inability to close down the stretch.
"Do your job, that's what it comes down to." Roberts
said. "How disciplined we are going to be when they try to pass the ball. We have to get to the quarterback."
On the offensive side of the ball, Kansas came to a screeching halt, managing just 10 second-half points. The Jayhawks scored just three points off turnovers for the night.
The lone bright spot on offense for the Jayhawks was once again Kinner, who carried the ball 16 times for 116 yards. However, nine of his carries came in the first quarter when Kansas was deadlocked with Memphis at 10-10.
While Lynch had a hay day against a youthful secondary; Cozart had a near polar opposite performance. The junior quarterback was flustered in the pocket all evening, completing 13-of-28 passes for 118 yards and zero touchdowns.
"I have a lot to learn from
on film and continue to get better." Cozart said.
After the game, Beaty said that Cozart was his guy going forward, however he admitted no position is set and stone.
"No one's entrenched at any position ever, but he's still our starter," Beaty said. "We'll go back we'll look at this tape and we'll evaluate that, and then we'll also evaluate this week's work and next week's body of work."
Ultimately, this game came down to more than just quarterback play. However, it wasn't easy for the 37,798 fans that showed up to Memorial Stadium as they watched Lynch torch the secondary and Cozart struggle to hit his targets.
Kansas will have two weeks to recuperate before its first road test of 2015 against Rutgers.
- Edited by Maddie Farber
Grace Hagan nets winning goal in Kansas soccer's 2-1 win against Colorado College
SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@KansanSports
Freshman forward Grace Hagan described it as a "big sigh of relief" for her and her Kansas soccer teammates.
Hagan, a Wichita native,
knocked in a second-
overtime header to lift
Kansas over Colorado
College by a 2-1 score on
Sunday afternoon.
"[Today,] we just played the way we normally play, we created chances [at scoring]. We didn't really need to do anything differently," Francis said. "We were ready in the
those words came from frustration.
"We came out hard and strong because we knew that this could be the game that could change our season." Hagan said. It was the second goal of her college career.
other games, too. We just didn't really execute in those final moments."
Hagan's goal, one minute and eight seconds into the second sudden-death overtime period, was assisted by senior forward Ashley Williams. Hagan assisted the Jayhawks' other goal — a 55th minute strike from about 18 yards from goal by Liana Salazar. Colorado College's Kelli Sullivan scored in the 16th minute.
"For some of [the upperclassmen] to be so emotional on a goal that I scored just proves how much they do care about the team and want us to do well."
The highlight of the day for Hagan was seeing the upperclassmen's reaction to the late win.
Hagan said.
The Jayhawks have not had it easy as of late. Despite outshooting its opponent every time, Kansas had only scored five goals and earned two wins. Sunday's game was the
Francis was referring to the Jayhawks' sudden-death overtime losses against Santa Clara on Sept. 4 and Oregon State on Sept. 6.
The Jayhawks will now end a three-game road trip with a matchup against Arkansas on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Edited by Maddie Farber
GRACE HAGAN Freshman forward
have to win.' And we don't care how we do it."
While Francis said after Friday's 2-1 loss to Wyoming that his team should try to attack more directly, Francis said after Sunday's win that
fourth to go into overtime this season and the first overtime win for Kansas on the year.
"It was nice to get the win and then also to come back in overtime will help us down the road in those situations," said Kansas coach Mark Francis. "I was just happy for the kids. They worked really, really hard today."
Hagan added: "Everyone was on the same page, like, 'We have to win.' And we don't care how we do it."
CAROLINE FISS/KANSAN
The Kansas soccer team huddles up during a Sept. 6 matchup against Oregon State in Lawrence.
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