University Daily Kansan / Monday, November 2. 1987
Sports
9
Jayhawks set new record giving 71 points to Sooners
By CRAIG ANDERSON
Staff writer
The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners roiled to the same 61-point margin of victory against the Kansas football team Saturday as it did last year, but players on both sides agreed that the Jayhawks put up more of a fight this year.
Jayhawk senior defensive end Teddy Newman, who registered nine tackles and recovered a fumble, said Kansas had a different attitude in this year's 71-10 loss to the Sooners as compared to last year's 64-3 debacle.
"I think the emotion we showed this year was more evident," Newman said. "We didn't give up even when we got to the end of the game."
Oklahoma senior tight end Keith Jackson agreed with Newman
"I thought they had a lot of heart," Jackson said. "They didn't give up."
At the end of the game, though, the 71 points the Jayhawks gave up to Oklahoma set a new school record. In all, seven Oklahoma players scored touchdowns. Kansas coach Bob Valente's comment last week that the Sooners were so quick they could split on lightning proved to be true.
The way Oklahoma bolted down the field on the first drive of the game set the tone for the rest of the day. Starting at the Sooner 29-yard line, the drive consisted of halfback Patrick Murray and a backfillback Lydell Carr running for 35 yards and halfback Anthony Stafford running 31 yards for a touchdown.
The 71-yard drive took a grand total of 55 seconds.
Oklahoma junior quarterback Jamelle Holieway said, "They (Kansas) didn't have a lot of speed, but they hit hard. It was their strength against our speed. Make that their strength against our strength and speed."
They were fast, very fast," said senior strong safety Marin Mattox. "If you made one mistake and didn't get them, it was six points."
The Kansas defense may have appeared shell-shocked after the first Sooner drive, but the Jayhawk offense had better luck. Kansas controlled the ball for almost nine minutes in the first quarter. Junior tailback Arnold Snell gained 39 yards in the first stanza, running behind the blocks of senior tackle Jim Davis and junior guard Jay Allen.
"That was the best we've played with them in the last few years," Davis said. "We were opening up some good-sized holes out there. We stopped ourselves, though, with turnovers and penalties."
Once again the turnover problem was especially destructive to the Jayhawks. Sophomore quarterback Kelly Donohoe, starting in his second straight game after replacing freshman Kevin Verdugo, threw four interceptions in the first half. Two of Donohoe's interceptions bounced off the Jayhawks' intended receivers into the arms of waiting Sooner defenders.
Never were Kansas' problems with penalties and turnovers more evident than late in the first quarter. Kansas appeared to have the ball all the way to the Oklahoma 16-yard line after a 6-yard run by Snell. But the run was wiped out by a holding penalty. On the next play, Donohoe was intercepted by Sooner safety Rickey Dixon.
"We had a few interceptions, and I take the blame on a couple of those." Donoho said. "It's hard to throw a wet ball."
"We self-destructed with penalties and turnovers," Valesente said. Obviously we can't afford to do that and are No. 1-ranked team in the country."
Kansas sophomore tight end John Baker, who caught five passes for 19 yards, said the top-ranked Sooners were good, but he didn't sound overly impressed.
"They're no different than anyone else," he said of the Oklahoma defense. "We had some good drives them, but we just couldn't capitalize."
In a game in which Kansas was devastated by the overwhelming Sooner speed and size, there were some individuals that played well.
Freshman linebacker Curtis Moore made ten tackles, the third straight
game in which he has reached double figures. Moore said he played well in the game at times but could have done better.
"I played inconsistently through the game, just like the rest of the defenders."
Another freshman, Verdugo, played most of the second half after replacing Donohoe at quarterback. The Pittsburg, Kan., native completed seven of 12 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown. Verdugo also rushed for 17 yards and caught a nine-yard pass from Snell.
Verdugo's touchdown pass was a 30-yard strike to junior wide receiver Willie Vaughn in the fourth quarter. Vaughn also had a 45-yard reception in the final quarter. For the season, Vaughn has caught 15 passes for 446 yards, an average of almost 39 yards a catch.
Sooner quarterback plays ex-schoolmate
By ANNE LUSCOMBE
Associate sports editor
Associate sports editor
Oklahoma's star quarterback Jamelle Holleyway strolled into the visiting team's locker room with his Sooners rain cap wrapped around his shoulders like a king's cloak. Atop his head was a blue cap with "Kansas Jayhawks" stitched in white on the front.
The hat was not worn out of mockery or disregard for the Jayhawk team that gave up more points to Holleywine's team in the 71-10 loss than in any other game in KU football history. Rather, it was a gift from a former high school teammate, Kansas defensive end Eldridge Avery.
Holieway and Avery exchanged hats at the end of the game and words, friendly words, during the game. There was no animosity between the two, despite the contest in which they were involved.
"During timeouts, Jamelle would ask me what I was doing tonight," Avery said. "He asked me when I was going home for Thanksgiving."
Both attended Banning High School in Carson, Avery was two years old and of Holloway.
When asked which team would win the intra-state battle between Kansas and Kansas State, Holley said he and his team, Wildcats would pull out the victory.
"K-State played a lot tougher (against the Sooners)," he said. "But I want KU to win because of Eldridge."
However, the friendship did not keep Avery from tackling Holieway, or from hitting the Sooner quarterback hard.
hard," Avery said of a big hit he made on Holieway. "I said, 'tell your man to block me, and I won't do it again.'
"This was like a personal bowl game. I wanted to beat OU bad. Jamelle seems to do well every year."
Despite the mini-contest between two old friends, for other players, the game was rather one-sided in terms of intensity and excitement. The Kansas sidelines would become first teams to pass the pledged pass. The Oklahoma sideline barely acknowledged any of the nine touchdowns the Sooners scored.
KU tailback Arnold Snell scrambles past Oklahoma's Darren Kilpatrick with the help of a Jayhawk block. The Sooners defeated the Jayhawks 71-10.
"There was no intensity level at all," said Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer. "There was no emotion. That will come next week (when the State Senate votes). The score would be the same if there was emotion though."
"He asked me why I hit him so
Much of the motivating factors on the Oklahoma sideline came from competition within the team to beat them, and to have individual good games.
"We get motivated to play any game," said Oklahoma senior tight end Keith Jackson. "There are a lot of juniors and seniors, we don't play against the other team, we play against ourselves."
The attention of the Sooners was not focused on the easy victory that was sure to come to Oklahoma. Instead, the team was already prepared for the playoffs. In particular the season, in particular the confrontation with archrival Nebraska.
"We're gonna put it into overdrive for the last three games." Holloway said.
Husker swimmers win Big Eight title
Staff writer
By ROBERT WHITMAN
In the marathon of swimming meets for Big Eight Conference teams Friday, Nebraska proved to have the most endurance at the Big Eight Invitational at Robinson Natatorium.
The Cornhuskers won both the men's and women's parts of the meet. Nebraska had 467 points in the men's meet, comfortably ahead Kansas' '341 points Iowa State had 304 points, and Missouri had 122.
In the women's meet, Nebraska had 481 points. Kansas had 429.5, Iowa State had 255.5 and Missouri had 83.
The other conference schools do not have swimming programs.
"At the end of the meet, we were still in good shape," said Nesmith, who swam in four events and two relays. "I don't think we were getting tired as easily."
The whole event was held on a single day, and swimmers were able to swim as many as four individual events and four relays. That made for an exhauting day, KU senior Dave Nesmith said.
Starting training three weeks earlier this year than last helped get the team through the meet. The team trained hard until Thursday, he said.
Glenn Trammel was the most successful of the Jayhawk swimmers, winning the 100- and 200-meter races. He won the 200-yard individual medley.
"I'm really pleased with him. Glenn has established himself as one of the top swimmers in the country," KU coach Gary Kempf said.
Chuck Jones was the only other event winner for Kansas, winning the 1.650-vard relay.
Kansas' Scott Berry was second in the 400-yard individual medley and finished second to Jones in the 1,650-yd freestyle. The only
other Jayhawk to finish in the top three in an individual event was Nesmith, who was third in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes.
Nebraska won all five relays in the men's meet, but the Jayhawks finished within striking distance each time. In two of the five relays, the Jayhawks were less than one second slower than Nebraska.
"Obviously, I just didn't do a good job of preparing the ladies for the meet," he said. "They did not do a good job of swimming on guts. I told them that it was the most disappointed I've been in the team in 12 years."
"Basically, on the men's side, I was pretty pleased," Kempf said. "They've been working pretty hard, and they were pretty tired after the meet, but the conditioning showed."
"Our relay performances were an embarrassment, and we've got to swim with a little bit more pride than that." Kemp said. "On the other hand, we had some good performances."
Smith captured two of the Jayhawks' firstplace finishes, winning the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles. Erin Easton won the 200-yard individual medley and was second in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Diver Lori Spurney was first in the one-meter diving and third in the three-meter diving.
Sue Spry placed in the top three in four events — winning the 200-yard freestyle, finishing second in both the 100- and 500-yard freestyles and finishing third in the 50-yard freestyle.
Kempf said he was less pleased with the performance of the women's team.
Kempf singled out Barbara Ann Smith, Jennifer Fisher, Marcia Otis and Jennifer Reynolds as having good performances in their events.
Big 8 basketball title up for grabs
By DARRIN STINEMAN Staff writer
In college football this year, and several times in the past, the Big Eight Conference could more aptly be called the Big Two - Oklahoma and Nebraska. But it appears the Big Eight basketball race will have no such oligarchy this season.
At the conference's basketball media day yesterday, all eight conference coaches agreed that at least half of the league's teams could play in the games that was at the Marriott Hotel, near the Kansas City International Airport.
"There are about five teams that, when you look at them on paper, really stand out," Kansas coach Larry Brown said. "I also think teams like Nebraska and Oklahoma are teams you've got to consider because of the players they've recruited and the people they've had sitting out."
Nebraka finished last season
these-seven in a seventh-preseason
selection
Missouri won the conference and the post-season tournament last season and was picked to repeat by 36 of 55 media members in the Big Eight pre-season play. The Tigers edged out the Hawks, 15 total points to the Jayhawks', 396.
Oklahoma was predicted to finish third this season. The Sooners tied for second in the conference last season after being picked to win the title in the pre-season poll.
"They won a lot of close games," Iowa State coach Johnny Orr said of the Tigers' championship season, "and they're going to have to fight their hearts out to repeat."
Missouri, returning five starters, appears to have the personnel needed to perform an encore, but many of them teams have improved with new talent.
Much of the quantity and quality of conference newcomers have come from junior colleges. Mookie Blaylock of Oklahoma, who was named Big Eight pre-season newcomer of the year in the poll, and Kansas' Mitchin Branch, who finished a close second, are two of 19 incoming transfers.
The number of returning players in the conference are as numerous as they are talented, especially forwards. Kansas' Danny Manning, a first team All-America selection last season and the leading candidate for this season's Player-of-the-Year, returns for his senior season, as does last year's leading conference scorer. Derrick Chievous of Missouri.
The Big Eight's other two superfor-
wards, Jeff Grayer of Iowa State and Harvey Grant of Oklahoma, also return as seniors. In the last two seasons, Grayer was named to the all-Big Eight team, and Grant led the league in rebounding last year after transferring from Independence Community College.
Brown said, "I look at our conference, and I think it's exciting. There are so many good players coming back. We have more real quality players coming back in this conference than any one I can see."
The league's talent, old or new, seems well distributed among its teams. Pre-season basketball prognosticators are saying the Big Eight could be the nation's best conference, and its coaches concur.
"There are teams in the Big Eight that can compete with anyone on any given night," klahoma State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Top to bottom, it's as good as any league in America."
Missouri coach Norm Stewart, who is entering his 21st season with the Tigers, was more optimistic.
"The league should be a great one," he said. "We could have every team in post-season play, and we could have five in the NCAA (tournament). It's going to be a great race."
McMahon, Bears beat Chiefs 31-28
The Associated Press
"It's not what we planned," said McMahon, who threw three touchdown passes, including two to Willie Gault in the fourth quarter, for a 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday. "But it shows character and sends a message to the rest of the clubs in the league that you might get the Bears down, but you don't beat 'em."
CHICAGO — Jim McMahon, limping after the Chicago Bears' second comeback victory in two weeks, wasn't keen about the way they did it.
McMahon was making his first start since last Nov. 23, when he suffered a shoulder injury, and since he underwent surgery last December. It extended his streak of starting victories to 24...
Given the lead of calling his own plays in the second half by Coach Mike Ditka, McMahon went to a hurry-up offense as the Bears roared back from a 28-14 deficit.
"I went to the hurry-up because we know what we're doing and it keeps the other team off balance," McMahon said. "I was happy because I started throwing right away. They had stopped our running, so I decided to throw."
25 and 38 yards to Gault, the latter coming with 4:44 to play.
Dave Duerson recovered and returned it 10 yards to the Bears 21. Then, McMahon went to work on a 79-yard drive that also included a 21-yard pass to Gault.
The winning touchdown came after the Chiefs, who had scored all four of their touchdowns on passes by Bill Kenney, committed their first turnover on a fumble by Christian Okove.
McMahon, who completed only six of nine passes for 83 yards and a 28-yard touchdown to Cap Boso in the first half, finished with 23 of 34 for 287 yards, including touchdown throws of
"I hope we don't do this much more. I can't stand these exciting Sundays," Gault said, referring to last week's 27-6 victory over Tampa Bay, generated by McMahon's return to action in the second half.
Manning Blue team lose by 3
Staff writer
By DARRIN STINEMAN
The White team overcame senior All-American Danny Manning's 27 points to win the KU basketball team's Blue-White Scrimmage 88-85 Saturday night at Allen Field House.
Admission was one dollar or a can of food, with the proceeds going to the Lions Club.
Sean Alvarado, a senior center, was one of six White team members scoring in double figures, with 17 points on six-for-eight field goal shooting. Sophomore forward Keith Harris had 15 points for the White, and senior forward Archie Marshall, sophomore guard Kevin Pritchard and freshman center Mike Masucci each had 13. Junior guard Scooter Barry had 12 points.
Aside from Manning, who led everyone with 12 rebounds to go along with his 27 points, the Blue team had three double-finger figures. Junior center Marvin Branch had 18, junior guard Milt Newton 17 and sophomore guard Jeff Guelden 10. Ots Livingston, a junior transfer student, scored eight points and gave out nine assists as the Blue's point guard.
The game was close throughout. The White team was leading 86-85 with three seconds remaining in the game, when Pritchard, after being intentionally fouled in the backcourt, made both ends of a one-and-one to give his team its final points.
Although the White team won the game, the Blue provided much of the entertainment for the crowd of 7,000. The team won a long-lasting led to two, second-ball dunks.
Manning, Gueldner, Branch,
Livingston and Newton started for
the Blue team, coached by Kansas
coach Ed Manning.
The White team, coached by Kansas coaches Alvin Gentry and R.C. Buford, started Alvarado, Marshall, Pritchard, Barry and senior forward Chris Piper.