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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
1B
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2002
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Levi Chronister lchronister@kansan.com
Kansas could go winless in conference
Just some musings while wonderingwhether Nebraska's "Black Shirts" are salivating at the thought of lining up across from Jonas Weatherbie in two weeks.
Bill Whittemore and Weatherbie as Kansas quarterbacks, that's one "W" for each "W" in the win column.
If Whittemore can't go next week, coach Mark Mangino should give second-year freshman Brian Luke an opportunity. Luke was medically cleared to play last week and has a future with the team, unlike Weatherbie, who's a senior.
Whichever reserve quarterback starts, expect to see a lot of freshman running back Clark Green, who averages 4.1 yards per carry.
You might even see the enigmatic Reggie Duncan get more than four or five carries.
If Missouri, without its starting running back, can rush for 267 yards against Kansas, imagine what kind of numbers Nebraska can put up. If this were a typical 'Husker team, a score of 70-0 wouldn't be far fetched.
It was a Homecoming victory against a hated rival, but tearing down the goal posts after beating a 2-6 team? Yeah, the football players goaded the crowd into the act, but it should take the voice of God to make you celebrate a victory over such a hapless opponent. Unless you're Baylor, that is.
With games left against Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State (a combined 15-9 overall), Kansas easily could go winless in the Big 12 Conference.
Makes that "KU First" moniker look a little silly, huh?
The Jayhawks dropped so many passes and missed so many tackles Saturday that they looked like the Keystone Kops. Fundamentals are key to a team that isn't as talented as its opponents, but Kansas keeps messing up the little things.
Sophomore kicker Johnny Beck needs some time on the bench. The preseason candidate for the Lou Groza Award has missed nine field goal attempts—including his last eight—and four extra point attempts. If Beck were going to fight through all of his problems, he would have already.
Mangino should give him a game off and then let him kick against Nebraska once the outcome is no longer in doubt so there's no pressure. That, or Mangino should put an ad in the Kansan for open kicker tryouts.
Once again, a mobile quarterback puts up big numbers against Kansas. Freshman Brad Smith totaled 252 yards and three touchdowns Saturday. He joins Iowa State's Seneca Wallace, Bowling Green's Josh Harris and UNLV's Jason Thomas as double-threat signal callers who have torched the Jayhawks.
You can add Nebraska's Jammal Lord to that list in two weeks.
After Saturday's game, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said he'd coach Whitemore in a minute because of the quarterback's toughness.
Whittimore may be tough, but you can't help but think Pinkel would rather have Smith leading his offense for the next three years.
next three years.
■ Kansas wide receiver Byron Gasaway is finally starting to live up to his potential.
Too bad there are just three games left in his senior season.
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journalism. He is the Kansan sports editor.
Tigers thrash Jayhawks
Kansas in last place; Whittemore injured
By John Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas football team would love an opportunity to see its fans tear down the goal posts after a victory.
The Jayhawks already have seen their opponents' fans claim the goal posts in celebration twice this season - the first being when Baylor University broke its 29-game Big 12 Conference losing streak Oct. 5 and again Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
Not only did Missouri fans head for the goal posts, but Tiger players encouraged them and even hung from the crossbar after their 36-12 victory against the Jayhawks to even the Border War series at 51-51-9.
"We really don't like Kansas," Missouri cornerback R.J. Jones said. "We wanted the fans to run out on the field, but I guess they needed some motivation so we ran towards the goal posts first, and then they came."
At halftime, the Jayhawks owned almost every statistic including outgunning the Tigers 270 yards to 158 by running 25 more offensive plays.
Still, the Tigers held a 14-6 lead over the Jayhawks on the heels of poor tackling by the Jayhawks.
"We really don't like Kansas. We wanted the fans to run out on the field, but I guess they needed some motivation so we ran towards the goal posts first, and then they came."
R. J. Jones Missouri cornerback
"Our kids were in position to make tackles and couldn't do it." Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "We didn't do a good job of tackling. Every time I looked up at the Diamond Vision when they made a big play, we missed a tackle."
One of those big plays was a 62-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brad Smith to wide receiver Justin Gage in the first quarter.
After halftime, Missouri was successful rushing the ball as well. Running back T.J. Leon, who started in place of injured running back Zack Abron, totaled 105 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. The Tigers finished with 267 yards rushing to just 124 for the Jayhawks.
With Missouri ahead 27-12 late in the third quarter after Smith ran untouched for a 75-yard touchdown, junior quarterback Bill Whittemore suffered an injury Mangino has worried about all year because of the wear and tear Whittemore takes running the ball.
As Whittemore ran to his left, he was tackled awkwardly by two Tiger defenders who sent him hobbling to the sideline and later the locker room.
"I know he's a tough kid so when he came off I knew it wasn't a bump or a bruise," said junior strong safety Zach Dyer, who lost the starting quarterback job to Whittemore after the Iowa State game.
After the game Mangino said Whittemore had suffered an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Mangino was also asked by reporters if he would consider moving Dyer back to quarterback if Whittemore was not able to play against Kansas State Saturday.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 6B
Quarterback Bill Whittemore nurses an injured knee on the sideline during Missouri's 36-12 victory at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. Jonas Weatherbie replaced Whittemore for the duration of Saturday's game.
Travis Mathews/The Maneater
Mizzou deals crucial blows
By Doyle Murphy dmurphy@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Kansas players pointed to the game against the Missouri as one that could salvage a dismal season. But instead of a tide-changing win, the Jayhawks fell 36-12 to the Tigers and were dealt another crushing blow.
the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Junior quarterback Bill Whittemore was knocked out of the game late in the third quarter when Tiger defenders Sean Doyle and Russ Bell tackled him from the front and the back, injuring
Ironically, Whittemore was attempting to slide to avoid injury, Kansas coach Mark Mangino said during a teleconference yesterday.
Whittemore usually absorbs bruising tackles without noticeable side effects, but this time he stayed down. He eventually did get up, and walked off the field unassisted. But the damage had been done.
Whittemore will not practice today, and his status for the rest of the season is unclear.
SEE WHITTEMORE ON PAGE GB
Volleyball
Kraft sets record in Kansas win
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Senior defensive specialist Jennifer Kraft set a Kansas career service aces record in the Jayhawks victory against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
Before the Saturday match against Oklahoma, Kraft was tied with Julie Woodruff (1988-91) for the record at 134. Kraft recorded five aces in the match and added 16 digs.
Kansas dodged Oklahoma's upset bid, defeating the Sooners in five games (30-26, 30-19, 21-30, 21-30, 15-11) at OU Fieldhouse and improving its record in five-game matches to 2-0.
The Jayhawks (15-5 overall, 6-5 Big 12 Conference) won the first two games before the Sooners (4-15, 2-9)
won the next two.
"We played very clean volleyball in games one and two," coach Ray Bechard said. "Oklahoma responded, just like we knew they would, but we made plays late in the match when we needed to."
Junior outside hitter Sarah Rome had match-highs in kills (15) and digs (20), registering her sixth double-double. Freshman middle blocker Josiane Lima, who had injured her right pinkie in Wednesday's match, had her seventh double-double this season with 15 kills and 13 digs. Freshman setter Andi Rozum had a career-high 60 assists.
The Jayhawks' next match is at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Ames, Iowa, against Iowa State.
— Edited by Ryan Malashock
Soccer
Jayhawks struggle on road
uy Daniel Berk
dberk@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's soccer team traveled to Texas this weekend to tangle with two top-10 teams. The team left Kansas with hopes of an upset but could not muster enough offense as it lost both games in the Lone Star state.
The Jayhawks lost to the third-ranked Texas Longhorns 4-1 on Friday. The Longhorns took a 2-0 lead and topped the Jayhawks 9-3.
Kansas scored in the 46th minute on freshman Jessica Smith's seventh goal of the season to make the score 2-1. Texas scored four minutes later. After another four minutes, sophomore Kelly McDonald added her second goal of the match for the Longhorns to end the scoring.
The team lost again to sixth-ranked Texas A&M 3-1 yesterday. The Aggies came out firing and never let up with 10
"We played very well Friday." Kansas coach Mark Francis said. "Even though we lost I was proud of the effort."
shots on goal in the first half. Kansas had only four shots the entire game.
"Not enough girls showed up to play today," Francis said. "We just did not play well at all and it was very disappointing."
The Aggies took a 2-0 lead midway through the first half on goals from sophomore Linsey Woodard and senior Heather Ragsdale. The Jayhawks cut that lead in half with senior Brooke Jones' first goal of the season, but the Aggies responded by tacking on an insurance goal with about two and a half minutes remaining in the half.
Kansas played its second weekend in a row without freshman goal-scorer Caroline Smith who is suffering from a knee injury. Francis said he was unsure when she would return.
The two losses mark the first winless weekend for the Jayhawks, as their record fell to 11-5-2 and 4-4-1 in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas will travel to Columbia, Mo., Friday to play Missouri.
— Edited by Chris Wintering