THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, DECEMBER 8.2008
SPORTS
5B
NFL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Broncos defeat rivals, but lose running back
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen throws to tight end Tony Gonzalez at Mile High Stadium yesterday. The Chiefs left 17-14 at halftime before losing to the Broncos.
BY ARNIE STAPLETON ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — A month ago, Tatum Bell was hawking cell phones and wireless plans at a kiosk at the Aurora Mall. Now he's the latest leader of the Denver Broncos' broken backfield.
The Broncos finally found a way to win at home Sunday, rallying past Kansas City 24-17, but they lost their sixth tailback when buldozing rookie Peyton Hillis went down with a strained right hamstring.
Bell came in and helped the Broncos (8-5) snap a three-game losing skid at home by rumbling for 52 yards on 11 carries, including a crucial 28-yard run on Denver's game-winning. 95-yard touchdown drive.
Cornerback Dre' Bly then stuffed Kansas City quarterback Tyler Thigpen a yard shy of the end zone on fourth-and-goal to seal the Broncos' first win at home since Oct 5 and atone for their lopsided loss to the Chiefs (2-11) in September.
The Broncos put themselves on the cusp of ending a three-year playoff drought. They lead second-place San Diego by three games in the middling AFC West.
But even when they win in this topsy-turvy season, they lose.
Hillis had rejuvenated the Broncos' battered backfield after
moving over from fullback last month, and his 18-yard touchdown run, his fifth in four games, jump-started the Broncos' comeback from an early 10-0 deficit.
He went to the sideline, however, after he was sandwiched by two defenders while coming down with a leaping first-down catch in the second quarter.
"I think maybe a contusion, maybe something that slight," said Hillis, who rushed eight times for 58 yards and caught one pass for 11 yards before getting hurt.
His coach, Mike Shanahan,
wasn't so optimistic.
"Any time it's a hamstring and they come off the field like he did today, normally it's a month at best," Shanahan said. "It didn't look good. I'm hoping it's not quite as bad as I anticipate, but I was not pleased watching him walk off the field."
Bell said the Broncos' run game was in good hands: his.
"I hope Peyton will bounce back, but I feel good being in there doing what I can," said Bell, who spent his first three NFL seasons in Denver. "I'm excited about the opportunity to probably get some more carries."
Just in case Bell also got hurt, rookie fullback/linebacker Spencer Larsen huddled at halftime with running back Selvin Young to go over the playbook and protections.
lose another running back, he might have to be the primary ballcarrier himself.
"Might as well at this point. It seems like we have one go down every game," Cutler said. "I don't know the extent of Peyton's injury. But luckily enough we have Tatum. He understands the system, he knows when to cut back."
"We just have to play well up front," he said. "As long as all five of us stay healthy, we'll be OK."
Center Casey Wiegmann isn't worried about the Broncos being down to their seventh-string running back.
Jay Cutler said if the Broncos
Cutler completed 32 of 40 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, both of them to Brandon Marshall, including a 6-yarder for the winner early in the fourth quarter when he caught a bubble screen at the line of scrimmage and plowed his way through linebacker Rocky Boiman at the 2.
That score gave Denver its first lead at home in 13 quarters.
Thigpen promptly drove the Chiefs all the way to the Broncos 5, where his draw on fourth-and-goal was snuffed out by cornerback Dre' Bly at the 1.
"I knew the ball had to come out quick," Bly said. "If it didn't, he was going to tuck it and run."
Thigpen said the play was designed to go to tight end Tony Gonzalez, who had five catches for 73 yards.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Big 12,SEC champions to square off in title game
It's official: Oklahoma anu Florida will play for the BCS national championship.
The Sooners and Gators finished atop the BCS standings Sunday and will meet Jan. 8 in Miami for the title.
Other BCS matchups are USC-Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Cincinnati-Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, Alabama-Utah in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2 and Texas-Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5.
both championship contenders are 12-1 and coming off wins in their conference title games Saturday. The Sooners routed Missouri 62-21 to win the Big 12. The Gators beat Alabama 31-20 in the Southeastern Conference.
The Gators are led by quarterback Tim Tebow and are seeking their second title in three seasons.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri on Sunday accepted an invitation to play 22nd-ranked Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl, the school's fourth straight under coach Gary Pinkel.
The Sooners are led by quarterback Sam Bradford and are the first team to score 60-plus points in five straight games since 1919.
Mizzou to face Big Ten foe Northwestern
Athletic director Mike Alden confirmed the bid for Missouri, and Northwestern (9-3)
They've lost two straight, also falling 40-37 to Kansas in the regular-season finale, and fell six spots to No.25 in the rankings.
The Tigers (9-4) fell to the Alamo Bowl, set for Dec. 29 in San Antonio, Texas, a day after losing 66-21 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game.
confirmed on its Web site that it would be the opponent.
Numerous records fall as team wins three-day Nike Invitational Jayhawks come back from fifth place finish on first day
SWIMMING & DIVING
Associated Press
The Missouri-Northwestern series is tied for four wins apiece, with the last meeting in 1987.
BY ADAM SAMSON asamson@kansan.com
Records fell repeatedly as the Jayhawks had no difficulties in dominating the competition. KU finished the meet with 1,319 total points over the three-day event and the closest competitor finished with 870.5 points.
The KU swimming team started the Nike Invitational with a punch. Seniors Danielle Herrmann, Maria Mayrovich, Anne Liggett, and junior Emily Lanteigne took first place in the 800-yd freestyle relay shattering a previous KU pool record by nearly 10 seconds.
Finishing Thursday night's events was the 1,650-yard freestyle.
Sophomore Iuliai Kuzhil and freshman Abi Anderson went 1-2, in the 100-yard backstroke, both having season-best performances.
Eight new pool records were set Friday night in the eight total events by Jayhawks swimmers.
After the first day of events, KU was sat in fifth place with 65 points behind Penn, Colgate, Kenyon College and Davidson.
Sophomore Alyssa Potter was Kansas' top finisher in the event with a sixth-place finish and a time of 17:13.10.
Bunting and Payne had a tight race in the 400-yard individual medley as Bunting nudged her out for first place. Alyssa Potter and senior Rhynn Malloy placed fifth and sixth.
KU had no problem climbing back into first place after the second day of prelims and finals. Eight new pool records were set Friday night in the eight total events by Jayhawk swimmers.
Senior Ashley Leidigh posted a season-best time in the 200-yard butterfly, winning the event in 201.87. Three other KU swimmers placed in the top-6 of the event. Freshman Stephanie Payne finished second, sophomore Joy Bunting, fifth, and sophomore Brittany Potter, sixth.
KU placed four in the top-6 in the 50-yard freestyle. Mayrovich won her second individual event of the day with a time of 22.82. Maez, Lanteigne, and Goetz rounded out the top-6.
The next event the KU women dominated the finals heat with five out of the top six swimmers. Mayrovich won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:48.52. Lanteigne took second, and Liggett, junior Erin Goetz and freshman Shannon Garlie rounded out the top-6.
The team of Mayrowich, Herrmann, Lanteigne, and sophomore Amanda Maez brought home first place in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:32.45. The time was just .05 seconds shy of the school record in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Herrmann won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.67, a season-best performance for Herrmann. Bunting was the only other Jayhawk in the top-6, finishing fourth.
T h e 400-yard medley relay team of Kuzhil, Herrmann, Leidigh and Mayrovich closed out Friday with
a first-place finish and led the Jayhawks to a commanding lead. KU finished Friday evening with 750.5 points. Kenyon was the closest competitor with just 485.5 points.
The layhawks broke five more pool records on Saturday, starting with the 200-yard medley relay. A team of Kuzhil, Herrmann, Leidigh and Mayrovich finished with a time of 1:43.21.
of 1:42.21.
Garlie placed the highest out of KU swimmers with a fourth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle.
Kuzhil, Anderson and junior Carrah Haley went 1-2-3 in the 200-yard backstroke.
On the last event of the invitational, the KU "A" team that consisted of Mayrovich, Goetz, Lanteigne and Kuzhil broke one more pool record in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Mayrovich broke another pool record with a time of 49.03, which is also an NCAA B-cut qualifying time.
The Jayhawks broke five more pool records on Saturday
Kansas' next meet will be in Miami, Fla., when they take on Florida International, Jan. 10.
In the 100-yard butterfly, Leidigh swam a season-best time of 54.58. Kuzhil's 200-yard backstroke performance and Leidigh's butterfly performance broke pool records in their respective events.
Herrmann and Payne placed second and third in the 200-yard breaststroke.
DIVING SHOWS DEPTH IN COLUMBIA
KU showed it was a deep squad when it took three out of the top eight places in the 3-meter diving competition. Sophomore Erin Mertz finished the day with 296.95 points and a second-place finish. Junior Meg Proehl finished in sixth, while senior Hannah McMacken followed closely behind in seventh place.
The layhawks had a 1-2 finish in the 200-yard individual medley with Herrmann taking first and Bunting finishing closely behind in second.
In diving action, the women's dive team traveled to Columbia, Mo., this past weekend for the Mizzou Invite.
In the 100-yard freestyle.
with an eighth-place finish.
In 1-meter competition,
Mertz finished in fourth place
and Proehl found her way
into the top-8
This weekend's diving competition gave the Jayhawks a chance to compete against divers from Missouri and Arkansas, both of which will be at the Zone Diving Championships in March. The Zone Diving Championships determine which divers make it to the Division I NCAA Championships in Texas.
Edited by Arthur Hur
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