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SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2002
'Sea of red'still runs deep
By John Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
When the Kansas football team takes the field for tomorrow's 12:30 p.m. kickoff, chances are Nebraska will record its NCAA-record 254th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
Kansas senior defensive back Matt Jordan said he had many fond memories of playing in Lincoln's Memorial Stadium.
Almost 80,000 fans wearing red will attend the game to see their beloved Cornhuskers attempt to add to their 33-game consecutive win streak against the Jayhawks.
"The thing that comes to mind is their fans," Jordan said. "They just want to see a good football game no matter who you are. I remember a couple of times we were coming out of the tunnel, and they gave us tips on how to beat Nebraska."
When asked about what the tips would be this time around, Jordan said they would be centered around stopping the Cornhuskers' running game.
Even with a 6-4 record, the option offense is still alive and well for Nebraska behind the running of quarterback Jammal Lord and running back Dahrran Diedrick.
Through ten games, Nebraska is leading the Big 12 Conference and is ranked third in the nation averaging 283.2 rushing yards per game.
Stack those averages up against a Kansas defense that is last in the Big 12, allowing 257.1 rushing yards per game, and the Jayhawk defenders know they are facing a tough challenge.
"They're a team that really wants to get a victory and get back on the winning track."
"We've struggled a little stopping the
Mark Mangino Kansas football coach
run," Jordan said. "We've just got to focus on the little things. Anything can happen and that's why they play the game."
Nebraska has found this out so far this season. There has been discussion in the state of Nebraska about the job security of coach Frank Solich after the slow start by Nebraska's usual high standards.
Kansas coach Mark Mangino said he did not look differently at Nebraska, regardless of their record to this point.
"They're going to play at home and they're a team that really wants to get a victory and get back on the winning track." he said of Nebraska.
Mangino also said his team needed to avoid allowing a few bad plays ruin their poise and that the Jayhawks needed to enjoy their experience.
"The Oklahoma kids, when they go into an opposing stadium and everybody's booing and yelling at them, they feed off that," Mangino said. "Whether you're playing at home or on the road. When you're on the field, our kids ought to feed off of it."
Kansan file photo
Kansas will not have to look far for motivation after the Jayhawks are coming off back-to-back losses to rivals Missouri and Kansas State.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 6B
Zach Dyer, junior safety, runs the ball against the Nebraska defense in last year's game. Dyer moved from quarterback to defense this season. The game between Kansas and Nebraska will kick off at 12:30 tomorrow.
Lord to test Kansas rush defense
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
They still wear red, their fans still travel to every game and they still receive national attention.
But the Nebraska Cornhuskers don't look like themselves this season. Their four losses this season already guarantee their worst record since they went 9-4 in 1998. They dropped out of the national polls early this season for the first time in 348 weeks. And they lost at home for the first time in 26 games, when Texas beat them 27-24 Saturday.
Is this still the same Nebraska?
Kansas coach Mark Mangino said it was.
"Nebraska is Nebraska," Mangino told reporters. "I don't care what their record says, Nebraska is always Nebraska. They're good, they're fast, they're strong, they've got tremendous athletes, they're well coached and they will be ready."
Mangino has reason to respect the Cornhuskers. Junior quarterback Jammal Lord rushed for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in Nebraska history with 234 on Saturday against Texas. His 332 yards of total offense also ranked third in the school record books. And he is one piece of the second-best rushing offense in the nation.
That could mean big trouble for a Kansas run defense ranked last in the Big 12 Conference.
"I don't care what their record says. Nebraska is always Nebraska."
Mark Mangino Kansas football coach
Linebacker Kevin Kane may be part of the solution. Kane, a true freshman, was named defensive player of the week after recording six tackles against Kansas State.
Kane also brings a defection to the Kansas fan base. His father John is a Nebraska alum and played for the Cornhuskers from 1972-77, earning a letter in 1975.
"Deep down he's a 'Husker.' Kane told reporters. "But he'll be on the
Kansas sidelines Saturday."
Kane has been to Lincoln before, but he said tomorrow would be his first time on the field at Memorial Stadium. The elder Kane told his son the run through the tunnel onto the field is something to look forward to.
"He says I'll enjoy it," Kane said. "He said it's an experience I never forget."
Memorable or not, the defense's senior leader, linebacker Greg Cole, said the Jayhawks had a job to do. He said the pressure was on Nebraska, and the Kansas players would need to act like it.
"We don't have anything to lose," Cole told reporters. "And that's the mentality we have to approach it with."
- Edited by Jessica Hood
Bowlers compete nationally
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansen sportsswifter
Coming off of a strong showing two weeks ago, the Kansas bowling team is ready to keep the ball rolling on its season.
This weekend, the men's and women's squads will travel to Lake Zurich, Ill., to compete in the Brunswick Zone - Great Lakes tournament.
In their last competitive trip to the lanes, at the Mid-States tournament in Springfield, Mo., the men placed fifth in an 18-team field while the women finished eighth out of 12 teams.
Soccer loses at Big 12 tourney
"This is the first real major national tournament of the year, there'll be teams coming from both
SEE BOWLING ON PAGE 6B
By Daniel Berk
dberk@kansan.com
Kansan writerswritter
Despite a hard-fought and hardplayed game, the Kansas women's soccer team was eliminated from the Big 12 Conference tournament last night, losing to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 2-1.
Kansas came out firing and set the pace of the game early as they mustered some early scoring opportunities However they could not convert on any of those chances.
Nebraska opened the scoring as it
scored in the 31st minute of the game. Christine Latham recorded her 11th goal of the season as she headed the ball inside the far post off a free kick.
Meghan Miller
After the goal, Nebraska continued to put pressure on sophomore goaltender Meghan Miller for the remainder of the first half. Miller sustained a minor injury with seven minutes remaining in the half.
"Meghan was just a little beat up tonight," coach Mark Francis said. "She was disappointed with the first goal she let go in but she bounced back nicely and played hard like she has done all season."
Early in the second half, Kansas started to dominate at the offensive end of the field but failed to capitalize again.
"We dominated the ball for most of the game," Francis said. "We created chances for ourselves but just could not finish them."
Nebraska scored their second goal of the game after Kansas had provided some more pressure. Lindsey Ingram headed the ball under the cross bar from 10 yards out.
Eight minutes later at the 68-minute mark, freshman Caroline Smith, who was playing her first game in five matches after suffering a knee injury, scored her 12th goal of the season. Smith said she felt fine in her much-anticipated return.
"My knee feels pretty good," she said.
"Once you get the adrenaline going it is all right I was not too worried about it."
Despite a final frenzy, in which Kansas got two more shots on goal in the
final minute of the game, Nebraska withstood the pressure and held on in a game that saw Kansas outshoot the Cornhuskers 23-13.
"I am very proud of the kids and the amount of effort they gave tonight," Francis said. "We dominated the stats but sometimes that is just not enough."
With the loss Kansas fell to 11-7-2 as it has dropped its last four games. The Jayhawks will now wait to see if they are selected for the NCAA tournament, which is an outside chance.
Coming into the tournament, Francis felt his team needed to reach the tournament finals to be selected into the NCAA tournament.
Despite the loss, the players and coaches are choosing to look at the positives.
"We left absolutely everything we had on the field tonight," Smith said. "It definitely gives us a lot of incentive for next season and the seasons to come. This team gave us the opportunity to play in some very big games and I think we will continue to get better and better every year."
- Edited by Matt Norton
Ryan Malashock rmalashock@kansan.com
'Hawks' success depends on bench
If you see Mark Cairns' face on television or his name in print with regularity, the Jayhawks will surely be in NCAA Tournament trouble.
In March, there will be an elementary way to decipher whether the Kansas basketball team will be poised for a Final Four run or for a second- or third-round exit. As the season progresses, keep your eyes peeled. Scan newspapers. Watch reports and highlights on television.
If Cairns can remain anonymous—as it's easily assumed none of you know who he is—the Jayhawks should be well on their way to New Orleans.
So who's this Cairns fella, you ask? He's Kansas' glue. His job is to keep the Jayhawk men's basketball team together — literally. He's the team's trainer. He has been for 17 years. He hopes this season will be full of inactivity. Because, as he knows best, things aren't going so well when he's busy. Cairns is content taping ankles and treating bumps and bruises, instead of diagnosing catastrophic injuries
"It's those alphabet injuries, like ACL and MCL, that we want to stay away from," Cairns said. "I'm one of the few guys that the AD and the chancellor don't mind paying for sitting on my butt. Because I'm only really busy when players are injured."
The only obstacle between Kansas and a date with the French Quarter will be revealed in March by how active Cairns was during the season. Because, if this Kansas team avoids injury, a Final four trip is expected.
Granted, Monday's blowout of the EA Sports All-Stars was an exhibition, but it was a performance that had fans talking all over Lawrence. The buzz swirled around the ho-hum success of the Jayhawk bench.
The bench — juniors Bryant Nash and Jeff Graves, sophomore Michael Lee and freshmen Jeff Hawkins and Moulaye Niang — dispelled many of the myths that Kansas' bench players could not handle their jobs as bench players.
Nash displayed the most improvement, erasing the memories of him running around the court like a chicken with its head cut off the last two seasons. He demanded the ball, swished three-pointers and showed the best Kansas leaping ability since a healthy Kenny Gregory.
Point is, Kansas has one of the top three starting lineups in the nation, along with Arizona and Oklahoma. The five — seniors Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison and sophomores Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and Wayne Simien — are savvy veterans and contain the experience to grind through the Kansas schedule and each average at least 30 minutes a game.
That leaves, collectively, 50 minutes a game for the bench to fill. Between Nash, Hawkins and Graves, that should and will be easily comprehendible. Hawkins is quick, has a knack for being around the ball and can contribute at both guard positions.
Graves, once he gets in tip-top shape, will shed his distinction as a potential overweight bust by banging his body around. Kansas has not had a player recently with the hard-nosed, bad-boy attitude Graves exhibited on the court, and that intensity should give the Jayhawks a boost.
So, the experts are wrong. Our bench will not be a problem. Kansas will make a run to the Final Four.
That is, unless Mark Cairns becomes a household fixture.
Malafock is an Omaha senior in journalism.
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