2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1 2008
quote of the day
"You see more offensive football that might be a little more unconventional than you may see in other leagues,but the Big 12 overall — I mean,it's upped its game. It doesn't matter who you're playing — North team, South team,pick your poison because they're going to be good."
Iowa State coach Gene Chizik at Big 12 Media Dav
fact of the day
Iowa State football coach Gene Chizik is 5-11 in his two seasons at Iowa State.
- Iowa State Athletics
trivia of the day
Q: What job did Iowa State football coach Gene Chizik hold before taking the head coaching job at Iowa State before the 2007 season?
A: Chizik spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons as the assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas. Before that Chizik worked as the defensive coordinator at Auburn.
Weldon at peace with decision to transfer
The feelings were always there during Chakeitha Weldon's up-and-down freshman season
The young point guard missed Atlanta. She was almost 900 miles away from the family and friends she grew up with. And when she tore ligaments in her knee in February it got even harder.
February it got even harder.
So Weldon did what she thought she had to do to be happy. With no disrespect to coach Bonnie Henrickson and her teammates, she
Weldon
transferred to Appalachian State, about 300 miles north of Atlanta
BY KELLY BRECKUNITCH
kbreckunitch@kansan.com
in Boone, N.C.
"I love coach Bonnie, all the girls, the KU staff and everything." Weldon said. "But I felt I wanted to be closer to home."
Boone is just that. The sleepy mountain town of 14,473 is a manageable four hours by car from Atlanta. Just as important is the presence of Weldon's high school teammates, freshmen Sade and Charmene Means.
"They are like sisters to me,"
Weldon has enjoyed her time in North Carolina so far. She said her days have gone quickly. It helps having Sade and Charmene to keep her company.
she said. "We are real close."
Like any other transfer athlete, Weldon will have to sit out a year. That's fine by her. It buys some time. She said her knee was about 75 percent as strong as it was before the injury.
"I've been sitting out six months so I think giving myself that year to prepare and to get stronger will really help me on the court," Weldon said.
KU SOCCER DROPS OUT OF NATIONAL POLLS
After splitting games with
Nebraska and Iowa State last weekend, Kansas (7-3, 1-1) finds itself out of the top 25 for the first time since the second week of the season. Despite Kansas' absence from the poll, the Big 12 counts four teams (Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado and Oklahoma State) among the nation's best.
The Jayhawks take on Texas Tech and Colorado this weekend at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
A MINOR ROYALS MIRACLE
Peeking though the smoldering wreckage of another losing season was a little ray of hope for the Kansas City Royals and their long-suffering fans. Sure, the boys in blue were 12 games under .500
in 2008.
They were 13 games behind the divi
sion leaders. But Trey Hillman's team won 75 games, and for the first time in four years they finished somewhere other than dead last in the American League Central.
No, Kansas City isn't making drastic steps forward. But for fans of a franchise with zero playoff appearances since its World Series Championship in 1985, just about anything can be interpreted as progress.
Edited by Scott R. Toland
ku sports schedule
Todav
Volleyball: Kansas State, 7 p.m.
Soccer: Texas Tech, 4 p.m. (Lawrence)
Thursday No Events
Saturdav
Friday
swimming: Pentathlon, 4 p.m. (Lawrence)
Softball: Western Illinois, 11 a.m.
Softball: Western Illinois, 11 a.m.
(Iowa City, Iowa)
Football: Iowa State, 11:30 a.m.
(Ames, Iowa)
Softball: Iowa, 4 p.m. (Iowa City,
Iowa)
Volleyball: Texas Tech, 7 p.m.
(Lubbock, Texas)
Cross Country: OSU Jamboree,
TBA (Stillwater, Okla.)
Rowing: Head of the Oklahoma,
all day (Okhalahoma City, Okla.)
Softball: Western Illinois, 10 a.m.
(Iowa City, Iowa)
Sunday
Softball: Iowa, 12:30 p.m. (lowa City, Iowa)
Soccer: Colorado, 1 p.m.
(Lawrence)
Monday
Women's Golf: Jeannie McHaney/Audrey Morehead Invitational, Day One (Lubbock, Texas)
Tuesday
Women's Golf: Jeannie McHaney/Audrey Morehead Invitational, Day Two (Lubbock, Texas)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel looks to throw during the first quarter against Illinois. Bo Pelini's Nebraska Conhuskers will have their hands full trying to stop Daniel and the Missouri Tigers on Saturday.
Nebraska looks to contain Mizzou offense
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LINCOLN, Neb. — To say the least, Bo Pelini has set an ambitious goal for his Nebraska defense against Chase Daniel and the high-scoring Missouri Tigers.
"I've never gone into a game making concessions. I won't start this week," Pelini said Tuesday. "We're going to play the best we possibly can and try to shut them out."
That might sound like crazy talk from the first-year head coach. The fourth-ranked Tigers (4-0) come to town Saturday averaging 54 points and 596 yards a game and a Heisman Trophy contender in Daniel. During one stretch this season, the Tigers scored on 15 straight possessions.
"Phew," cornerback Prince Amukamara said, shaking his head, when told those statistics.
But players are on board with the Pelini party line.
"We're not in it to hold them under 30 points. That's our goal, to stop them," free safety Matt O'Hanlon said. "If we do what we're supposed to do and do it right, it's definitely possible."
Nebraskas defense hasn't exactly been a brick wall this season. In Virginia Tech's win in Lincoln last week, a Hokie offense that ranked 112th nationally put up 35 points and 377 yards. Defensive linemanNdamukong Suh saw enough positives to build on against the Tigers.
"This team is definitely capable of shutting them down and putting them in tough situations, which
we did in brief instances when we were executing on the same page against Virginia Tech," sub said.
Missouri decimated Nebraskas defense last year in Columbia. The Tigers rolled up 606 yards in a 41-6 win. Daniel completed 33-of-47 passes for 401 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 72 yards and two TDs on 11 carries.
Former defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove employed a 3-3-5 alignment, with three pass rushers and the other eight defenders dropping back into coverage. Daniel said after the game that he was surprised the Huskers played only one style of defense the whole game.
"That's like high school stuff," he said then.
O'Hanlon said Daniel's 2007 comment still resonates.
"It gives us that extra motivation," he said. "Last year, we came in with one look and maybe we didn't make as many adjustments as we should have, but this year in coach Pelini's new defense, we'll be making adjustments constantly."
"He does a nice job," Pelini said of Daniel. "I don't know if he's as good as I've seen. There are a lot of good guys out there. He makes good plays. He runs their offense well. He's well-coached and he makes great decisions."
Fourteen of the Tigers' touchdown drives this season have lasted less than 2 minutes. In 40 series led by Daniel, the Tigers are yet to go three plays and out. Nebraska's defense, on the other hand, has forced just nine three-and-outs in 53 series.
KICK THE KANSAN: WEEK SIX
Pick games. Beat the Kansan staff. Get your name in the paper.
This week's games:
1. No. 13 Auburn at No. 19 Vanderbilt
2.No.7 Texas Tech at Kansas State
3. No.14 Ohio State at No.18 Wiscons
4. Florida State at Miami (FL)
5. No.23 Oregon at No.9 USC
6. Stanford at Notre Dame
7. Washington at Arizona
8. UNLV at Colorado State
9. South Carolina at Mississippi
10. Nevada at Idaho
Name:
Name:
E-mail:
Year in school:
Hometown:
1) Only KU students are eligible.
2) Give your name, e-mail, year in school and hometown.
3) Beat the Kansan's best prognosticator and get your name in the paper.
4) Beat all your peers and get your picture and picks in the paper next to the Kansan staff.
5) To break ties, pick the score of the designated game.
5) To break ties, pick the score of the designated game.
Either submit your picks to KickTheKansan@kansan.com or to the Kansan business office, located at the West side of Stauffer-Flint Hall, which is between Wescoe Hall and Watson Library.
Looking to repeat
ASSOCIATED PREC
Boston Celtics forward and former Kansas Jayhawk Paul Pierce, left, gets a pat on the back from teammate Kevin Gannett during basketball training camp at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., on Tuesday. Pierce, who was named NBA Finals MVP last June, will try to lead the Celtics to back-to-back NBA titles this season.