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KANSAN
Keith
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15,2008 PAG
PAGE1B
FOOTBALL
THE BATTLE OF NORMAN
KU will enter Saturday's game as underdogs,but Mangino thinks that gives his team the advantage
BY B.J. RAINS
rains@kansan.com
Coach Mark Mangino knows Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and his team very well — and the state of Oklahoma knows Mangino
The seventh-year Kansas coach was the offensive coordinator at OU in 2000 when the Sooners won the national championship. He also recruits hard from the state of Oklahoma as 12 players on the KU roster are from the Sooner state — the third highest of any state.
Oklahomaans follow Mangino and Kansas, so Sooner fans will send Mangino notes of congratulations when the Jayhawks
Mangino returns to the state, people will stop him at the gas station to talk football or just to say hello.
win a big game. When
"When I got off the bus the last time I went down there, the fans were outside the gate and they were telling me," Welcome home," Mangino said. "I guess if you win a national championship then they declare you a resident of Oklahoma forever. They treat me like I am still a part of their program."
Mangino worked as an assistant coach with Stoops at Kansas State before joining him at OU. Though Mangino tried to keep the focus on the
game, it was easy for him to say good things about his friend.
"He is a very close friend of mine," Mangino said. "He is a guy that I can always count on, and he can count on me. But we are both competitive. It has absolutely no effect on the competition that takes place on Saturday"
Mangino's squad will be definitive underdogs going into Saturday's matchup. As of late Tuesday night, the Jayhawks were 18-point underdogs to the No.4-ranked Sooners.
"I always love being the underdog," said linebacker James Holt, Oklahoma native. "I've been an underdog a lot in sports like in high school and stuff. It's just great being able to prove people wrong when they pick against you. That's always a big motivator."
Even though Kansas is 20-3 in its last 23 games and has gone 9-1 in its last 10 Big 12 games, most national punits are predicting a rout for the Sooners. Kansas lost 41-10 in 2004 — the Jayhawks' last trip to Norman.
"Because of the name on our jersey, that's how its going to be," said Chris Harris, who also is from Oklahoma. "From here on out, we know we're going to be the underdog. We thrive on that, we like being the underdog."
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B
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KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SOCCER
Jayhawks prepare for tough conference stretch
BY ANDREW WIEBE
awiebe@kansan.com
After 14 games, Kansas's season is over.
Kind of.
The Jayhawks' 5-0 start has slowly faded from memory, and the rigors of the Big 12 Conference have taken their toll, resulting in an 8-5-1 record with five games remain-
Five games left to prove they belong in the postseason.
"I told the players today. 'We have a fivegame season,' coach Mark Francis said. "It's a new animal. We aren't addressing whom we are playing. We have five opponents, and the first one is this Friday."
"Our goals this year were to win the big 12 and make the NCAA Tournament," junior forward Shannon McCabe said. "Basically to have any chance of doing either of those we have to win these last five games."
That opponent is No.
6 Texas A&M (12-1-L)
5-01), which should pose the toughest test for Francis' squad so far this season. The conference-leading Aggies have allowed one goal in six BIG 12 games while finding the back of the net 12 times.
"We aren't addressing whom we are playing. We have five opponents, and the first one is this next Friday."
at-large bid.
Kansas may not be focusing on individual opponents, but the players and coaches know every game is essential to qualifying for the Big 12 Tournament in November, let alone to earning an NCAA Tournament
To do that Kansas will have to defy history. In the 13 years the University
MARK FRANCIS Kansas soccer coach
has fielded a women's soccer program, the Jayhawks are 15-31-5 against the four teams that make up the remainder of their Big 12 schedule; Texas A&M, No. 14 Texas, Baylor and Missouri.
Kansas can count only two victories in 25 games against the Aggies and Longhorns, but junior defender
Kim Boyer said the team couldn't let history dictate the way it prepares.
"They are both outstanding teams," Boyer said. "Coach touched on it this week. They are both beatable, but any team in the conference is beatable on any given day."
Fortunately for Kansas, four of its final five games will be played at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, where it is 4-2 this season.
The layhawks will play Francis Marion this Sunday in addition to their conference schedule.
Lawrence is also where Kansas has enjoyed its best form this season, scoring 13 goals while allowing seven. What the Jayhawks haven't done lately is hold leads. Kansas is 1-3-1 in games that in which it opened the scoring since Sept. 21.
"It sets up pretty well for us," senior midfielder Jessica Bush said.
Francis' team has outscored Big 12 opponents 6-2 in the first half, but opponents hold an 8-3 advantage in the second half and overtime. He said the problem wasn't a lack of scoring opportunities, but rather inefficiency in front of goal.
"I feel like at the beginning of the season we were getting all the right bounces, and things were kind of going our way," McCabe said of Kansas 5-0 start. "Our luck has kind of changed towards the end, but its like that in soccer. One day you're up and the next day you're down."
For now the Jayhawks are concentrating on staying positive and taking each game as a separate challenge.
Edited by Scott R. Toland
"The season is coming to a close really quickly," McCabe said. "It went by really fast so we have to take advantage of the opportunities we have now."
Senior midfielder Jessica Bush moves the ball up the field while a defender applies pressure in a game earlier this season. Bush and the Jahaywha are entering a difficult; five-game stretch, which will close the regular season.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO