Tell us your news:
Contact Levi Chronister or
Jessica Tims at (785) 864-
4858 or jtims@kansan.com
SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2002
COMMENTARY
Levi Chronister lchronister@kansan.com
KU football improving, but still has a way to go
Another game, another road loss for the Kansas football team. At least this week the Jayhawks put the ball in the end zone.
After a 45-3 season opening loss against Iowa State, Kansas had a better offensive showing in Saturday's 31-20 loss to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, nearly doubling its total yardage
- 294 against the UNLV compared to 150 against the Iowa State.
The Jayhawks still couldn't put together a complete game. They outscored the Rebels 20-14 in the second and fourth quarters but gained just 1 yard and were outscored 17-0 in the first and third.
Kansas put together just one good quarter — the first — against Iowa State, so the team should have four good quarters against Southwest Missouri State next Saturday if it can continue this doubling trend.
Kansas can't afford to look past SMS, not with Tulsa, Colorado and Texas A&M coming up in the next six weeks.
But after opening the season with two double-digit losses the team shouldn't be looking to those games yet.
Last year, the Jayhawks turned over the ball four times against the Bears but left Memorial Stadium with a season opening 24-10 victory. This year, the Jayhawks could be on the winning side of a rout if they continue to improve, and there are reasons to believe this will happen.
Against UNLV, Kansas again had problems with a mobile quarterback. Jason Thomas completed 12-of-32 passes for 144 yards and one score and rushed nine times for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jayhawks shouldn't have such problems this week, though, as the Bears have two quarterbacks with little experience.
Junior quarterback Ryan Porter rushed for 91 yards against Drake last season, but he played in just eight games and was hurt in Saturday's 28-26 victory at Hampton, who was ranked No.23 in Div.I-AA.
Porter should be ready to face Kansas, but if not, SMS coach Randy Ball will go with Michael White, who was 8-of-16 for 143 yards and two touchdowns against Hampton.
Both Porter and White are competent quarterbacks, but neither have the talent of Thomas or Iowa State's Seneca Wallace.
After Saturday, the Jayhawks' quarterback situation seems to be settled.
Bill Whittemore, who was named as the starter after he and Zach Dyer both had poor showings against Iowa State, was 23-of-43 for 225 yards and a touchdown. He led Kansas on three scoring drives of 67 yards or more. Not counting four sacks, he also rushed for 33 yards and a score.
That kind of performance is exactly what the Jayhawks need to turn the season around.
Mark Mangino and his assistants provide leadership on the sideline, but the Jayhawks appeared to lack an offensive commander on the field before Whittemore's showing against the Rebels.
Rebuts. The Jayhawks still need someone to step up on defense and make a name for himself, and a game against a Div. I-AA opponent such as Southwest Missouri State could be just what the team needs.
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journalism. He is the Kansan sports editor.
Volleyball team captures Hofstra Tournament title
Team still undefeated, Lima named MVP
By Jason Hwang
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas won one match Friday and two matches Saturday to secure the Hofstra Tournament title without losing a game.
Freshman middle blocker Josiane Lima, led the team in kills in two of the three matches played in Hempstead, N.Y., earning the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award. Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Michaels and
The Jayhawks improved their record to 4-0. The team has won its last six regular-season tournaments.
junior outside hitter Sarah Rome earned all-tournament honors.
Friday, the squad swept Morehead State three games to zero (30-24, 30-26, 30-19). Lima led the team in kills with 14. Rome had 11 kills and a season-high 24 digs. Rome is the first Jayhawk to record a double-double — double digit kills and digs — this season. Senior defensive specialist Jennifer Kraft earned 11 digs.
"I was pleased to see Lima get on track tonight and Rome was outstanding defensively," coach Ray Bechard said. "We started a little slower that I would have liked, but by the end of the match we were spreading the ball around nicely."
around nicely. On Saturday, Kansas brushed off the St. Peter's College Peahens 3-0 (30-26, 30-18, 30-16). Senior middle blocker Kylie Thomas led the Jayhawks with nine kills.
In the final match, the squad cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Hofstra Flying Dutchwomen (30-17, 30-18, 30-26) to clinch the title. Lima led the team with 14 kills and 10 digs.
Junior outside hitter Abbie Jacobson
finished with 11 kills and nine digs Freshman setter Andi Rozum tallied 41 assists.
"We set the tone for the match early in game one with our blocking and serving." Bechard said. "We showed solid team effort all weekend long."
The Jayhawks will travel to Wichita Tuesday to take on the Wichita State Shockers.
Kansas will host the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Contact Hwang at dhwang@kansan.com.
Jummel Hedrosello/Rebel Yell, UNLV student newspaper
Kansas Quarterback Bill Whittemore scored the Jayhawks' first touchdown of the season with a two-yard run that capped a seven-play, 80 yard scoring drive. The Hawks lost 31-20,bringing their overall record to 0-2.
Kansas loses focus in second half at UNLV
By Doyle Murphy Kansan sportswriter
LAS VEGAS — The Kansas football team outplayed the University of Nevada Las Vegas Saturday night—for one quarter of the game.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, play in the other three quarters resulted in a 31-20 loss to the Rebels.
During the second quarter Kansas recorded 109 yards of its 294 overall and scored 10 points. It was a sharp departure from last week, when the Jayhawks managed only 150 yards and three points of total offense against
Iowa State.
Iowa State.
"As you can see, we're capable of making plays," coach Mark Mangino said. "We just have to do it, and do it more consistently."
Making his first start at Kansas, junior quarterback Bill Whittimore led the Jayhawks on their most impressive drive of the season. Whittimore and freshman running back Clark Green, who was also making his first starting appearance, took Kansas 78 yards on six plays to set Whittimore's two-yard touchdown run. The touchdown was Kansas' first in six quarters, dating back to last season. That score and a field
goal by sophomore Johnny Beck with 0:18 left sent Kansas into halftime trailing 14-10.
"We did whatever we wanted in the second quarter."Whittemore said. "We just got to have that mentality all throughout the game."
After sharing time at their respective positions last week, Whittemore and Green each played from start to finish against UNLV. Whittemore completed 22 of 42 attempts for 225 passing yards career highs, and Green rushed for 69 yards on 18 carries.
see FOOTBALL on page 6B
Kansas fans flock to Vegas
By Doyle Murphy
Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
LAS VEGAS — Kansas football fans do travel after all.
Jayhawk fans were in the minority to be sure, but the sometimes rowdy section of blue-clad Jayhawk faithful did its best to offset a mostly Rebel crowd of 25,109.
But, it wasn't easy. University of Nevada - Las Vegas fans were often wild during the Rebel's 31-20 victory – at one point fans threw beer bottles on the field to protest a pass interference called against UNLV.
"That's pretty trashy, which is what they have for fans," said Drew Walters. Blue Rapids senior.Walters and two friends arrived Thursday and met 10 other Kansas students. The group came to enjoy Vegas' attractions and the game, he said.
Those sentiments were common among many Kansas fans, said travel agent Walter Houk of Travelers Inc. The Lawrence-based travel agency put together travel packages coinciding with the football game for 50 Kansas alumni and members of the Williams Fund, he said.
Kansas' most recognizable fan at the game was probably Memphis Grizzlies forward Drew Gooden. Gooden declined interview requests, but he did have a message for Kansas fans."Just tell everyone in Lawrence I said,'What's up?" Gooden said.
Kansas originally requested 1,000 tickets to Saturday's game at the UNLV, said Diana Grover, director of ticket operations for Kansas. When those tickets sold out, Grover requested an additional 600 tickets. All 1,600 were sold by Friday.
Contact Murphy at dmurphy@kansan.com. This story was edited by Christine Grubbs.
Cross country teams place first at Rim Rock Farm
By Justin Schmidt
Kansan sportswriter
Though it was her 21st birthday, junior Laura Lavioe gave the Kansas cross country team a present Saturday — winning the women's 5k run at the Bob Timmons Invitational at Rim Rock Farm with a time of 18:33.14.
She was followed by three Jayhawks Junior Paige Higgins and sophomore Megan Manthe followed Lavioe across the finish line running 18:41.35 and 18:59.82 respectively.
"I felt good and relaxed," Lavoie said. "It helped to go out strong."
"We all are just so excited right now." Higgins said. "We finished strong, we finished together and we were encouraging each other the whole way. I think we did awesome today. We're really happy with our performance."
Senior Eve Lamborn finished fourth with a time of 19:36.76.
The women's team won the four team meet with 18 points. Pittsburg State took second with 61 points, followed by Oral
Roberts with 65 points and Park University with 99 points.
The men also took first place at the Invitational with 25 points, trailed by Pittsburg State with 53. Oral Roberts with 80 and Park University with 87. Senior Mark Menefee finished first in his final 8k at Rim Rock with a time of 26:03.51.
20. 10.31. "I felt solid for the whole race," he said. "We got what we wanted—a win."
Coach Stanley Redwine was pleased by his teams' performances.
"Our goal today was to go out and have a hard honest race the whole way through and that's what our teams did," Redwine said.
"We're definitely excited about how both the men's and women's races ended up and that's what we came to do."
The cross country team travels to Topeka Saturday to run in the Kansas State Wildcat Invitational.
Contact Schmidt at jschmidt@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Lauren Beatty.
Jared Soares/Kansan
Jauree Sources/Kimberly Paige Higgins, Littleton, Colo., junior, Megan Manthe, Andover, Minn., sophomore, and Laura Lavie, Springfield, Mo., junior, finished first, second, and third during KU's home opening meet at Rim Rock Farm. Lavie finished first in a personal course record time of 18:33.14.
-