Monday, October 31, 2011
kansan.com
Volume 124 Issue 49
COMMENTARY
Football: more trick than treat
You know the feeling when you eat so much candy that your stomach hurts and you don't want to do anything but just sit around?
I wonder if that's how the wide receivers feel each time they eat a candy bar. They have a "knockdown board" in the receiver room that shows which receiver has knocked down more defenders on their backs. At one point junior D.J. Beshears was leading with a slim margin over junior Kale Pick. The winner each week would receive a king-size candy bar.
We've heard that the team takes extended breaks at practice to simulate a halftime. I'm starting to question if its really because the receivers are too busy sharing their candy with everyone on the team that they just don't feel very good.
The offense was on the field for 15 minutes and 53 seconds. It amassed 46 total yards of offense on 36 plays. Texas scored 43 points and had 35 first downs.
Kansas would have been better off staying in Lawrence and taking a weekend break to heal its stomach ache than getting on a plane to Austin, Texas, since the Jayhawks' performance was as if they didn't show up.
The Jayhawks couldn't get anything going, only getting three first downs on the night. Clearly this team isn't making progress. In fact, it's regressing.
How is a team supposed to win a game when it doesn't let its defense catch its breath? Kansas had 11 drives on Saturday - seven ended with punts, one ended with an interception, one ended with a fumble and one ended with a safety. The last one ended with a turnover on downs.
Kansas played Oklahoma well, losing 47-17. This came a week after Oklahoma defeated Texas 55-17. Kansas then lost to Kansas State 59-21, while Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech in Norman, Okla., 41-38. Kansas State this weekend lost its undefeated status as Oklahoma won easily 58-17. Next week Kansas plays Iowa State in Ames, Iowa — a team that defeated Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, 41-7.
The jayhawks are in for a long rest of the season. Lucky for them, they can now take a backseat to basketball, which starts tomorrow. The spotlight will no longer be on them.
If the Jayhawks are going to give up 600 yards and more than 40 points a week, there isn't a point in showing up. Sports Illustrated may have been wrong about the Jayhawks winning two games, since it picked them to win one. But it's correct so far in saying Kansas won't win a conference game.
Edited by Rachel Schultz
QUIDDITCH PROSPERING
The Harry Potter series inspires fans to play ultimate fantasy game PAGE 8
LADIES NIGHT AT THE PHOG SHOWS ANOTHER SIDE OF BASKETBALL TEAM PAGE 9
BEVO'S BASHING
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Sophomore linebacker Darius Willis falls to his knees after being shaken up from the previous play during the first half of Saturday night's game against Texas. Willis had eight tackles in the Jayhawks 0-43 defeat Kansas remains winless in Rie 12 play.
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Late in the game, it became a race not to break records for Kansas football.
The Jayhawks' 28 yards on their last possession of the game gave them 46 yards on the night, just two short of the history books. The statistics for Kansas date back to 1968, and the record for fewest yards in a game is 44. Thirty-seven of those
46 yards came in the fourth quarter when the Longhorns were leading 33-0.
After the game, offensive coordinator Chuck Long had little explanation to give for why the offense had a near historical struggle.
"They just whooped us," Long said. "It was one of the worst days or nights I've had as a coach."
Normally an aid to the Jayhawks struggling defense, the offense provided no relief for the defense.
improved.
The Jayhawks defense stayed on the field for 44 minutes and seven seconds, and the offense ran 57 less plays than Texas.
"It was really frustrating. We couldn't get anything going." Webb said. "Nothing was working that we were doing."
When sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb completed a 13-yard pass to sophomore receiver Christian Matthews, the ordinary play marked the third and first final down Kansas had all game.
It was also the first time Kansas crossed midfield into Texas' territory. The 43-0 loss to Texas was the
first time Kansas had been shut out since 2002.
After finishing the first half with 10 yards, it would be easy to assume the Jayhawks would find a way to improve upon that number at halftime. Yet, the halftime adjustments continue to be nonexistent for Kansas as things never
On Kansas' first play of the second half, sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb took the snap ready to right the ship. Instead, he ended up with his helmet on the turf; a sack that left Kansas with only two total yards after 16 plays on offense.
An offense that considers its strength to be its rushing attack finished with negative two yards
SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 7
SOCCER
Regular season ends in disappointment
NICK SMITH/KANSAN
Sophomore midfielder Amy Grow makes a play during Friday's match against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks lost the game 3-0.
RYAN MCCARTHY rmccarthy@kansan.com
The Jayhawks came into the game trying to improve their seed in the Big 12 tournament and increase their likelihood of making the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas soccer finished its regular season on Friday with a disheartening loss to Oklahoma. 3-0.
Despite all of this, Kansas came out with a disappointing level of effort against the Sooners.
"We were brutal today." Kansas coach Mark Francis. "That might be the worst game we've played all season. We didn't do any of the things we normally do well. We didn't connect. We didn't finish in the attacking third. Things we've been doing all year, for whatever reason, we didn't do today."
In the 12th minute, Oklahoma got on the scoreboard when sophomore Annalisa Hall took a free kick from about 25 yards out. Her shot soared to KU's defenders before reaching the goal. Kansas freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud misplayed the ball and it bounced into the goal, putting the Sooners ahead 1-0.
After the game, Stroud was frustrated with the team's effort as well as her own.
During the second half, in the 54th minute, the Sooners struck again when junior Dria Hampton crossed a corner kick to sophomore Amy Petrikin, who headed the ball into the net.
The Sooners final goal of the
day came from Caitlin Mooney in the 61st minute when she dribbled by the Kansas defense and struck a ball that hit the back of the net.
"Sometimes you have bad games, and this was a bad game," Stroud said. "I am not going to blame anyone here for not having their focus; we just had a bad day."
It was also difficult day for Kansas seniors Kelsey Clifton, Kortney Clifton and Jordyn Perdue, who were honored after the game for their four years of service.
Perdue played the most minutes of the seniors with 55.
"Obviously, it is pretty emotional, but it was a frustrating way to go out," Perdue said. "It still does not take back from what we have accomplished so far this year because we are still in a good position to come out and win next week at Big 12s."
With the loss, Kansas will be the No. 7 seed at next week's Big 12 tournament and will face the second-seeded Texas A&M Aggies.
"The positive is to get it out of our system and hopefully we'll regroup and be able to bounce back and play at the caliber we're capable of," Francis said.
The game is on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in San Antonio.
— Edited by Jayson Jenks