6B SPORTS
TWINS (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008
In practice and pick-up games, the twins regularly take shots that would be considered out of the range of most big men. They are not doing it just for fun. The twins make the shots most of the time and their versatility has wowed teammates.
a really fun thing to see — a big guy grab a rebound, come down the court, pull up and take a jumper."
Marcus, on the opposing team, scored six points and showcased his athletic ability by not turning the ball over and driving to the basket.
"You can't pigeonhole them at any one position," Kleinmann said. "It's a really fun thing to see
Mystery surrounded the Morris twins' abilities for fans going into Friday's Late Night in the Phog scrimmage. Because of a delay in being cleared academically eligible by the NCAA, the Morris twins didn't accompany Kansas on its trip to Canada during the Labor Day weekend for three exhibition games.
The twins also had not arrived on campus yet in June when the team hosted two open inter-squad scrimmages. No one aside from teammates and coaches had seen them play.
It did not take long for Marcus and Markieff to introduce themselves during the scrimmage at Late Night. Markieff scored the second most points of all the Jayhawks with 13 and recorded the most rebounds with six. He converted on two tip-ins, made a three-pointer from the left wing and added a fadeaway jumper.
"Marcus, you can see how skilled he is for a big guy," Self said after the scrimmage. "That is a skilled guy. He's going to be a
tough match-up."
"And then Markieff, he got down and knocked and banged and did some things."
Marcus describes the opportunity to play alongside his brother for the defending NCAA National Champions as "awesome";
"I guess their excuse was, 'I don't play hard when I play against my brother'" Taylor said.
Neither of the twins mind who becomes more successful for the Jayhawks. Believe it or not, they are so close that they aren't even very competitive towards each other. Taylor said the twins often refuse to play one-on-one against each other.
Marcus does not like to admin he usually beats Markieff when they do play against each other. Marcus counters it by saying he would rather win against Markieff in video games, but loses most of the time.
Maybe that's why they don't mind being confused for one another. They even have fun with it sometimes.
Take the time in third grade in Philadelphia when Marcus and Markieff were in different classes. Markieff said they decided to switch classes because they knew their teachers would not notice.
"When my mom found out, we couldn't do that anymore," Markieff said. "We're all in the same classes this year, so there's no reason to switch."
Being in the same classes, however, creates the nusance of telling the twins apart for teachers at the University.
Just remember, look at the sideburns.
— Edited by Jennifer Torline
DUFEK (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
some of its worst losses in school history over the past two years and they're 9-10 in their last 19 games.
Iowa State has also been struggling. The Cyclones went a combined 17-27 in the two sports last season and are off to a 2-5 start in football this year. Colorado reached a bowl game in football last year, but finished the year at 6-7.
They are struggling to compete in basketball. They went 12-20 last season and suffered many blowout losses.
Kansas fans are very fortunate for what they have going here in Lawrence. They should really cherish these years because they can vanish fast.
Edited by Andy Greenhaw
FOOTBALL
Jon Goezing/KANSAN
Sophomore defensive tackle Jamie Greene and senior defensive end Russell Brorsen watch and wait after a second half Oklahoma touchdown during Saturday's game. Kansas offense averaged one-tenth fewer yards per play than Oklahoma, and it ran 25 fewer plays. Kansas lost the game 45-21.
Mangino's solution for the pass rush problems against Oklahoma
BY TAYLOR BERN
tbern@kansan.com
much blame for not disrupting Bradford's rhythm.
When a defense surrenders 674 yards, there's plenty of blame to go around.
The line failed to record a sack for the first time all season.
Kansas' secondary was scrutinized after Saturday's 45-31 defeat for allowing a record 468 passing yards from Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. However, the defensive line deserves as
In addition to no sacks, it allowed a season-high 206 rushing yards.
Basically, Kansas' front four was pushed around all game by Oklahoma's offensive line, which outweighs its counterparts by more than 40 pounds per man.
"They were the first ones in the locker room to get a game ball," Sooner coach Bob Stoops said of his behemoths. "To be able to be balanced and protect the quarterback and the run, they were really solid."
The Sooner offense moved efficiently up and down the field on Saturday. Oklahoma converted on 7-of-16 third down attempts and 7-of-8 trips to the red zone.
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That means that even when Oklahoma ran the ball, the running backs were sprinting past the line and into the second level most of the time.
"Everything just fell right in place where it should be," Sooner running back Chris Brown said. "It was very balanced all across the board: running, passing the ball. Guys were making blocks all the way down the field."
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The lajayh defense allowed four scoring drives of at least eight plays and its inability to get off the field put the offense at a distinct disadvantage.
A major problem on the defensive line was the same thing that plagued the secondary: lack of depth.
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Kansas' offense averaged one-tenth fewer yards per play than Oklahoma, but it ran 25 fewer plays. If Kansas' defense would have made a few more stops, its potent offense would have had a few more cracks to even the score.
"Tackling, from what I could see on the sideline, was not crisp," coach Mark Mangino said. "There's a lot of things that weren't the way that wed like for them to be."
Mangino had a seven-man rotation on the defensive front, which wore them all down by the fourth quarter.
Stuckey and senior cornerback Kendrick Harper set career highs with 12 and 13 tackles, respectively. In fact, Kansas' top nine tacklers on Saturday played at either linebacker or defensive back.
"We have a lot of guys that are on the field and hardly ever come off on defense," Mangino said. "A lot of the defensive linemen are playing a lot of reps because we're a little short-handed."
Junior defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley didn't play because of an injury, and it's unclear if he'll be available for the homecoming game against Texas Tech.
Kansas can't make a trade or sign any free agents to beef up its struggling and depleted defense, so there's only one thing Mangino can do.
"You just try to get them better," he said.
— Edited by Lauren Keith
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