4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008
FOOTBALL
For Tertavian Ingram, going to Tampa means going home
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
Tertavian Ingram knows almost everything about Raymond James Stadium.
The redshirt sophomore receiver grew up five minutes away from the
sadism, which is home to the NFU's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ingram's high school, Jefferson, is right around the corner. He has watched his beloved
Ingram
there many times over the years.
Ingram doesn't know, however, what it feels like to play on the same field as his football heroes. He's going to find out tonight when Kansas plays South Florida at Raymond James Stadium.
"Being able to actually play in it today — that's going to be very exciting." Ingram said, "and something I've always dreamed about doing."
The dream started as Ingram grew up in West Tampa. Ingram can remember going to watch Buccaneer summer practices as a child. But Raymond James hadn't been built yet. Until 1999, the Buccaneers played in Houlihan
Stadium — nicknamed 'the Big Sombrero'
So that's the venue where Ingram initially wanted to play. It seemed plausible enough. Every year, Houlihan Stadium hosted what Ingram described as a "Little League Super Bowl."
The best youth football teams in Tampa would square off at the Big Sombrero once a year. Ingram's teams were never good enough. His little league football career passed by without a chance to play at Houlihan Stadium.
It was on to high school at Jefferson for Ingram, where he could get a daily look at the new state-of-the-art Raymond James Stadium. He kept the dream. He still wanted to play on the same field as his favorite players, such as running back Warrick Dunn and linebacker Derrick Brooks.
Ingram worked at a Sonic near the stadium and had to deal with hectic crowds on game days. He hung around the stadium during the week leading up to Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 between the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants, which Raymond James hosted.
"I'm real seasoned with what goes on around Raymond James Stadium." Ingram said.
the stadium. The Bulls, who play their home games at Raymond James, were the first team to offer Ingram a scholarship during his junior year of high school.
South Florida gave him a chance to become even more familiar with
Ingram wasn't so sure he wanted to play for South Florida. He wanted to get out of the state and go somewhere new. Kansas was one of the other schools recruiting him. Ingram's father played football at Washburn in Topeka during his college years and still lived in the state. The Jayhawks offered him a scholarship. Ingram committed to Kansas.
"He happened to be one of the players we liked," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "He really liked it here and has family here so that probably was a big factor."
There was also something else Ingram liked about Kansas. He said he looked at the Jayhawks schedule while he contemplated his decision in 2005. Ingram noticed Kansas would be playing South Florida during his first year in Lawrence.
He knew that meant the Jayhawks would travel to play the Bulls in Tampa one of the next years. He found a way to leave Tampa while still keeping his dream of some day playing in Raymond James Stadium alive.
Ingram's decision to come to Kansas wasn't without backlash. His friends didn't understand why he would want to move 20 hours northwest to play for a traditionally weak program.
here, honestly."
They couldn't comprehend why he didn't want to be part of an up-and-coming team at South Florida and play home games at Raymond James.
"I don't know about that decision," they would tell him. "You could have been an in-town hero."
Tonight will serve as the perfect opportunity for Ingram to show all of them why he decided to go to Kansas. He said he expected 30 family members and close friends to be in the stands wearing shirts with his picture, name and number on them.
He knows the hype surrounding the Bulls and their No. 19 national ranking this season. He said while he was in Tampa this summer, he saw numerous billboards with pictures of South Florida defensive end George Selvie and quarterback Matt Grotte.
"When I went home, I was kind of getting mad seeing all those billboards, knowing we have to play them in the upcoming season," Ingram said.
At Jefferson High School in Tampa, Tertavian Ingram made a name for himself. Ingram returns to Tampa tonight as a Jayhawk to play South Florida.
Ingram, however, might not actually get in the game tonight. He
Brian Wagner/ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
played sparingly in Kansas' 40-14 victory against Florida International two weeks ago. He didn't appear in the game against Louisiana Tech last week.
siasm, After all, Ingram's going to be on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' field, at Raymond James Stadium.
But that hasn't changed his enthu-
Edited by Kelsey Hayes
VOLLEYBALL
Team hopes for strong tournament showing before Big 12 play
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
A foreboding presence looms over the layhawk volleyball team when conference play begins in
less than a week, with three of the first five matches being against nationally ranked opponents. Two
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of them, Nebraska and Texas, are ranked in the top three as of this week.
today at 11 a.m., any added setbacks will only create more pressure to win in the ultra-competitive Big 12 Conference.
W h a t could help the Jayhawks gain that needed confidence for
This is why when the Jayhawks wrap up their nonconference schedule this weekend at the Cowgirl Classic in Laramie, Wyo., they better be on a roll.
"It's really important, because it would be a great win for us," Natalie Uhart, senior middle blocker, said. "Just for getting into the NCAA tournament, we can't afford to lose."
And with a 4-2 record heading into their first match-up of the tournament against host Wyoming
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"We need to do it because we need to know what it feels like," Uhart said. "We kind of slack off a little bit, and we need to focus and get it done in three games."
the conference play is to finally shut the door on their opponents this weekend, with two of their last matches ending in four sets, with the team leading each match 2-0 and unable to capitalize on the sweep.
One of the reasons that the Jayhawks have been able to even control the past two matches in four sets has been superb play from their freshmen, specifically freshman setter Nicole Tate.
Tate has come into a high-pressure position and has helped her teammates, like sophomore outside hitter Karina Garlington, flourish at the start of this season.
"The speed of the game be
"It's really important, because it would be a great win for us. Just getting into the NCAA tournament, we can't afford to lose."
NATALIE UHART Senior middle blocker
the game had been a lot faster," Tate said. "The coaches have just helped us prepare for it."
Besides helping the team with assists and digs, which Tate had 42 and 12 against U M K C
Tuesday night respectively, the kills have surprisingly been there for Tate, who uses her deceptive left hand to gain the advantage when most blockers think she is just setting up her players with another assist.
"That's something I've kind of developed over the years," Tate said of her unique move. "My coaches really liked it, and now they want me to be more offensive to throw the blockers off."
It will take all the tricks in the Jayhawks' arsenal to pull out a perfect tournament this weekend, something to which they have been close, but not yet been able to finish off, having recorded one loss a piece in their two tournaments so far this year.
But an added boost will be the return of head coach Ray Bechard to the sidelines, as he was absent against UMKC Tuesday night as well as practices Monday and Wednesday.
Bechard had taken the time off to be with his family after the tragic passing of his brother Don from pleomorphic liposarcoma cancer last Friday.
"We miss his company," Uhart said. "We feel terribly sorry for what happened; we just miss his presence."
For the Jayhawks, they hope Bechard's presence will bring them the extra energy they need to be able to finish their nonconference schedule swimmingly before the giants of the Big 12 Conference appear on the horizon.
Edited by Kelsey Hayes