NSAN
2008
way.org
te of.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM SWEPT ON ROAD
SPORTS
Jayhawks lose to Texas A&M, falling into sole possession of seventh place in the Big 12. VOLLEYBALL | 3B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NOTHING TOO SURPRISING HERE
Mizzou shuts out Colorado and Texas sneaks by OSU during a predictable weekend of Big 12 play. BIG 12 WRAPUP | 7B
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY,OCTOBER27.2008
PAGE 1B
TEXAS TECH 63, KANSAS 21
Hawks fold under onslaught
Kansas can't match Red Raiders' offense in Saturday's blowout
BY B.J. RAINS rains@kansan.com
It was only fitting that when Kansas finally forced Texas Tech into its first punt with just 2:28 left to play, the Jayhawks fumbled the ball and gave it right back.
It was a game that even those that picked Tech to win couldn't have seen coming — a 63-21 trouncing by the visitors that left the Jayhawks with their worst home loss in six years.
"We got a good old-fashioned butt- whooping today and we know it." coach Mark Mangino said.
"We're ticked off because we know we can play better than that," senior linebacker James Holt said.
Neither did anyone watching. The teams were tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter and the game appeared well on its way to be the shootout that everyone expected. But then Texas Tech scored 49 unanswered points to take a 63-14 lead before a late Kansas touchdown cut the final deficit to 42 points.
Anything and everything that could have gone wrong for the Jayhawks on Saturday did. Todd Reesing threw three interceptions and lost a fumble and Texas Tech scored touchdowns on nine of 13 drives as the KU defense looked dismal for the second straight week.
"We figured we could do that all day" Reeing said.
Kansas had consecutive scoring drives of 79 and 72 yards in the first quarter when it looked fully capable of keeping up with Texas Tech's powerful offense. A 10-yard strike from Reesing to Dezmon Briscoe tied the game at 14 with 1:09 left in the opening frame.
But the Kansas offense soon found out that wouldn't be the case. The Jayhawks' next seven possessions featured a punt, a fumble, another punt, three straight interceptions and a turnover on downs — good for zero points and only 38 yards of offense in almost three full quarters of football.
Reesing's 154 passing yards ended a streak of 12 consecutive games in which he had thrown for more than 200 yards. His three interceptions came in a span of only five plays during the Jayhawks' only three
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B
xas xax Tech receiver Michael Crabtree breaks through the Kansas defense to score one of Tech's nine touchdowns during Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium. Crabtree finished the game with nine catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The Red Raider offense tallied up 556 total yards of offense for the name, the second straight name where the Kansas defense has given more than 600 yards.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Loss ends football dream
For the record, the jayhawks did, technically, stop the Texas Tech offense before all the fans left.
Once. Sort of.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, that really was about as proud as they could feel about themselves on Saturday. The Red Raiders destroyed Kansas 63-21 and ripped away the Jayhawks' reputation along with it. They came in as a team that still had national respect, one that was actually the Vegas favorite against a top 10 team. By 1 p.m. Saturday, that wasn't the case. Every time Graham Harrell waited in the pocket for what felt like an eternity and picked whichever receiver was the most open in that long second half, came this painful, unwelcoming shot of reality. Kansas is out of the national spotlight, out of the warm comfortable bed it had been dreaming in since the storybook 2007 season ended with the Orange Bowl Championship.
Tech faced a third and 25 deep in its own territory. Shannon Woods rushed for 21 yards. Then it was halftime. Cue the cake and dancers.
Thered been minor doses before. Kansas had two losses coming in. But one was to a good Oklahoma team on the road, and the layhawks were in the game in the third quarter. The other came at South Florida, and Kansas and Todd Reesing rebed back late but couldn't come all the way back
They did enough to keep the mirage from fading away in those games. They did enough to stay ranked. They did enough to show that they weren't the same Kansas team from two years ago or one from the Terry
There was no such deception on Saturday. The game could've been a Saturday Night Live skit, except no one even bothered to watch it. For historical purposes, here's how
Allen era.
SEE DENT ON PAGE 4B
"Our goal this year is to make it to the NCAAs," Francis said. "In the bigger picture, today puts us in a situation where we've got 11 wins. Everybody that I've talked to has said you've got to really have 12 wins at minimum you can have an at-large bid."
BY ANDREW WIEBE
awiebe@kansan.com
Jayhawks still have a shot at NCAA Tournament after a split weekend
SOCCER
ment Nov, 5-9 in San Antonio, but coach Mark Francis said his team needed one more victory, at the very minimum, to have any chance of accomplishing their preseason aims.
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 8B
After splitting another pair of weekend games, Kansas is still alive in its fight for its place in the NCAA Tournament.
A 1-0 loss to No. 14 Texas on Friday spoiled the first of the season's final games at the layhawk Soccer Complex this weekend, but Kansas (11-6-1, 4-4-1) rebounded to clinch a spot in the Big 12 Tournament by beating Baylor 1-0 on senior day.
The jayhawks will be either the sixth or seventh seed in the conference tourna-
Jayhawks finish third at Big 12 Relays
BY ADAM SAMSON asamson@kansan.com
SWIMMING & DIVING
KU women's swimming and diving wrapped up the Big 12 Relays on Friday with 62 points and tied for third with Missouri. Texas won the relays with 102 points and Texas A&M women finished right behind the Longhorns with 98 points.
Last season at the Big 12 Relays, the Jayhawks finished fourth behind Missouri, but the KU women are competing at the
level where they can consistently be in the top half of the Big 12.
"Our goal is always to be the best team in the Big 12 North and bridge the gap to the Texas schools," head swimming coach Clark Campbell said.
Campbell recognized sophomores Iulia Kuzhil and Amanda Maez as swimmers with solid performances on Friday.
The best finish of the day for the Jayhawks was the 4 by 25 yard medley relay, a team that consisted of Kuzhil (backstroke), senior Danielle Herrmann
OKLAHOMA CITY — Cole Aldrich wears his national championship ring only on special occasions — such as Big 12 Media Day last Thursday.
(breaststroke), senior Ashley Leidigh (butterfly) and senior Maria Mayrovich (freeze) with a second-place finish behind the Longhorns. Other other relays on the day gained third-place points.
SEE SWIMMING ON PAGE 8B
KU divers, senior Hannah McMacken, junior Meghan Proehl and sophomore Erin Mertz took home a first-place finish on the 1-meter board with 274.85 points. Mertz also made it to the final round in the shoot-out session.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
1
Oklahoma forward wants his own ring
As Aldrich walked from room to room in the Cox Convention Center to talk to various media outlets, players from other Big 12 teams stared at the shiny silver piece of jewelry. Especially Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin.
BY CASE KEEFER ckeeferkansan.com
Griffin, who has known Aldrich for almost five years, walked up to Kansas' sophomore center and expressed his envy. Griffin told Aldrich he planned to get one for himself.
"Good luck man." Aldrich told Griffin. "It's not easy."
A national championship ring is about the only thing that can make Griffin jealous lately. Since the Sooner forward decided to stay in college for another year six months ago, he's received more praise and accolades than he can remember.
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SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 8B