THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • SPECIAL EDITION
ALOHA BOWL PREVIEW
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1992
Seniors get postseason opportunity
Mason's bowl prediction becomes reality for team
By David Dorsey
Kansan sportswriter
Before his first game at Kansas in the early fall of 1988, Glen Mason addressed a student audience and told them that within five years, the football program would be invited to a bowl game.
The time is up, and Mason true. Fifth-year senior running back Maurice Douglas said that he would not be at Kansas if he did not believe in Mason.
"I knew how bad the record was, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't think there would be improvement," Douglas said.
Kansas had a 1-9-1 record the year before Mason and Douglas arrived.
Douglas must have been a strong believer. The Jayahawks losing ways continued for the next three seasons as the team went 1-10, 4-7 and 3-7-1.
In the fall of 1988, Kansas coach Glen Mason told an audience that the football team would be invited to a bowl game within five years. Now his statement has been proven to be true.
Last season Douglas was
redshirted as the team had its first winning season since the Jayhawks' last bowl game season in 1981. With a 6-5 record, however, the Jayhawks did not get an invitation to play in the postseason, and players were forced to watch the games on television rather than play in one.
"We finally get to go," Douglas said. "I think it's easy to underestimate how hard it is to turn a program around. It has a lot more to do with just having the talent. You also have to believe in yourself. It happened when I was here, so I'm happy."
Kansas senior safety Charley Bowen said that after not being invited last season, this season's invitation meant even more.
Kansas senior quarterback Chip Hilleary said that being invited to the Aloha Bowt was a dream come true.
"Last year it came down to the wire, and we didn't get to go one," Bowen said. "This year we were really excited entering the season because we knew we had a good chance on getting an invitation. We won seven games, and we really earned it."
"Four years ago I never would have dreamed that I'd be in this situation," he said. "It gives us seniors a chance to go out and play football one last time for the University of Kansas. For the seniors it's kind of like a reward situation for all of the hard work we've put into this team for the past four years."
Hilleary said he had outlined several goals for the team's Christmas in Hawaii.
"For this program, our first goal is to win the game," Hilleary said. "We haven't done too well the past few games, and it's important to us that we leave the season on a high note. Second, we want to have fun and enjoy ourselves. We've worked hard all year, and I think we deserve this trip. Third, it gives a chance for some of the younger players to play more and get a different type of playing experience."
The Jayhawks have been lifting weights and conditioning since the invitation was announced two weeks ago. They also have been watching film of BYU and will practice this weekend. The team leaves for Honolulu on Dec. 19 and will practice several times before game day to prepare for the Cougars.
Jayhawks to battle Cougars
In the first appearance of the Big Eight conference in the Alauna Bowl, Kansas matches up with Brigham Young. BYU, 8-4, ended its season similar to the 'Hawks. The Cougars suffered a three games losing streak before winning seven of eight games.
Scott Niendorf /Daily Universe
Justin Knupp / KANSAN
Hawaiian holiday awaits 'Hawks
In the final home game of the season, the Jayhawks celebrate a fumble recovery. Despite the defensive effort, Kansas lost to the Buffaloes 25-18 one week after losing to Nebraska.
Justin Knupp / KANSAN
Kansas quarterback Chip Hillleary tries to outrun Colorado's Marcellous Elder early in the first half of the Nov. 14 game.
Kansas hopes to dispel bad luck of bowls past
Assistant sports editor
When Kansas takes the field against BYU in the Aloha Bowl, Jayhawk fans hope the ghosts of bowls past have nothing to do with the outcome of Kansas' seventh bowl game.
In the words of former Kansas player and coach Don Fambrough, the Jayhawks have been "snake-bitter" in their six previous bowl appearances.
Kansas is 1-5 in bowl games and has lost its last four. Fambrough has been a player or coach in all of Kansas' bowls but the 1975 Sun Bowl, which Kansas lost 33-19 to Pittsburgh.
Fambridge played in the Jayhawks' 20-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the 1948 Orange Bowl. He was coach in the 'Hawks' 31-18 loss to North Carolina State in the 1973 Liberty Bowl and also in Kansas last bowl appearance, a 10-0 loss to Mississippi State in the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl.
"I'm still not convinced who came up with that ball," he said.
Kansas' second try at the Orange Bowl was even more controversial. After a Penn State touchdown with 15 seconds remaining, the Jayhawks had apparently stopped the two-point conversion. But Kansas had 12 men on the field, and Penn State won 15-14 with the two-point conversion.
Fambrough said Kansas had been unlucky in past bowls. In the 1948 Orange Bowl, a controversial fumble on the Georgia Tech two-foot line
"We've had some bad luck in the Orange Bowl, and I hope the third time's the charm," Fambrough said. "And I don't think it will be too long before we get back there."
Kansas last bowl appearance, a 10-0 loss to Mississippi in the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl, will be overshadowed by miscues and injuries. Kansas kick return Darren Green fumbled the opening kickoff at the 17-yard line, and the Bulldogs scored on the next play, 12 seconds into the game, grabbing a 7-0 lead.
In contrast, BYU has played in many bowls, winning the national championship in 1984.
by David Bartkoski
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas and BYU; two teams that finished their seasons heading in opposite directions, will head for Hawaii to play each other in the 11th annual Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day.
The dayhawks, 7-4, were ranked as high as No. 13 before losing their last three games and falling out of the rankings.
The Cougars, 8-4, won their last four games of the season and finished at No.25.
Kansas coach Glen Mason said he wished the Jayawaks could have ended their season more like BYU.
But Mason added that the Jayhawks should be proud of finishing third in the conference and earning Kansas' first bowl bid since 1891.
"I don't like the way the season ended up, but we are going to a bowl game," he said. "There are a lot of teams that would like to trade places with us."
Kansas got to the Aloha Bowl with an offense that averaged 31.8 points a game and a defense that allowed 18.1 vards a game.
Senior quarterback Chip Hill
laccourted for 2,120 yards of
total offence, passing for 1,793
vards and running for 537.
As a team, the Jafhawks rushed for 232.1 yards a game, 14th best in the nation.
Senior running backs Maurice Douglas and Monte Cozzens combined for 1,426 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns.
Kansas' kicking game clicked for most of the season as junior kicker Dan Eichloff connected on 16 of 20 field goals. Eichloff set school records for career points and longest field goal, scoring 288 points and kicking a 61-yarder against Ball State.
On defense, Kansas held opponents to 125.7 yards rushing a game, the Jayhawks' best mark since 1961.
Kansas hopes to find similar success in defending the pass against the Cougars, who have averaged 297.9 yards passing a game.
Fourth-string sophomore quarterback Tom Young will start his first game for BYU as the Cougars' top three quarterbacks have gone down with injuries this season.
Mason said that he did not expect the change at quarterback to affect BYU's strategy.
"I think they'll try to do basically the same things," he said.
The game will be the first ever between Kansas and BYU.
Hawaii offers more than football
By Jay Williams
Kansan sportswriter
Hawaiians say that most people from the mainland United States have misconceptions about life in the 50th state. Some do not know Hawaii is a state.
"If they have never been here before, they expect to see people living in grass huts," said Janet Bonham with the Tourism Bureau of Hawaii. "Some people want to know what language we use or what type of money they need."
Like other U.S. citizens, Hawaiians speak English and use the dollar, so Kansas fans going to Hawaii to watch the Jayhawks play in the Aloha Bowl should have few concerns.
Bonham said the bowl was important to island tourism, adding to an already popular time for mainlanders to visit.
"A lot of people come just for Christmas and New Year's," she said.
The Aloha Bowl will mean an escape from Midwest winter weather for Kansas fans. Average temperatures in Honolulu on the island of Oahu are 85 degrees for highs and 65 for lows in December. With weather like that, many fans will be content lying in the warm sun , but plenty of other activities available.
Dan Schauer/KANSAN
Near Aloha Stadium, where the Jayhawks will play Christmas
source: Fodor's 1993 Hawaii guidebook
Day, is Pearl Harbor, the site of the 1944 attack by Japanese naval pilots. The Arizona Memorial serves as a remembrance for the 1,102 military personnel who died the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.
A similar boat takes visitors to the memorial between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day. West of Waikiki Beach is Diamond Head Crater, an extinct volcano which offers a
For the more adventuresome, there's Waimaea Bay on the north shore of Oahu. Waimaea was made famous by the Beach Boys "Surfin' USA," for its 25-foot waves that crash the shore in the winter.
view of Walkiki and the high-rise hotels near the beach. A half-hour hike leads to the 760-foot summit.
Of all U.S. visitors to the state, 35 percent visited the Arizona Memorial in 1991, according to statistics compiled by the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.
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Players ready for game, sun, fun in Honolulu
By David Dorsey
Kansas sportswriter
Beginning Dec. 19, when the Kansas football team invades Honolulu, players will have a week to experience all aspects of the island.
Kansas coach Glen Mason met with his team two weeks ago, telling them that the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day would be an optional trip. Of course, almost every player accepted the invitation, not only to compete in the game but also to experience paradise.
Mason said his team would do its best to win but looked at the trip as a reward for his team's seven-victory season. The players will have a 2 a.m. curfew.
"We want to do all the good things Hawaii has to offer," he said. "You won't see me in a grass skirt, but you might see me out there on a surfboard."
The only mandatory event for the touring Jayhawks, aside from several practices and the game, is a tour of Pearl Harbor. Mason said he wanted to highlight an educational aspect of Hawaii. Senior linebacker Hassan Bailey said he was delighted with Mason's pregame schedule.
"It's terrific," he said. "He's given us so much time to relax and enjoy Hawaii. It's a chance to go out and explore. He's given us a chance to get to know ourselves and our teammates better."
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