SPORTS
CLUB SOFTBALL SET TO BEGIN PLAY The newly formed softball team will play its inaugural game today. CLUB SOFTBALL |4B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FIELDS TO MISS FRIDAY'S GAME
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,2008
Wide receiver's foot was injured in opening game, but he is expected back soon. FOOTBALL | 2B
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BY B.J. RAINS rains@kansan.com
Coach Mark Mangino may not want to say it, but several of his players will.
Friday night's game at No. 19 South Florida has all of the makings of a game that could make or break their 2008 season.
Win, and silence the critics and build momentum for another successful season. Lose, and stir more whispers that last year's success was the result of a weak schedule.
"That's exactly what's going to happen," said wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe. "If we win, we will have people jumping on the bandwagon. If we lose, then they are going to jump off and say how bad we were and how we didn't play anybody."
As cornerback Chris Harris said, "This game sets a tone for the rest of the season."
Harris and the Jayhawks know what's being said. They know that some still doubt last year's success and wonder whether Kansas is for real. A nationally televised game on ESPN2 Friday night on the road against a ranked team — what better way to prove the doubters wrong once and for all?
"Everybody always says we play cupcakes and stuff," Harris said. "This is a respect game for us. We want to prove that we should be ranked even higher."
As one of only three matchups this week between ranked teams, the Kansas-USF game is arguably the biggest of the weekend. No. 1 USC plays No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday, but all eyes will be on ESPN2 and Raymond James Stadium on
Friday.
"It's going to be fun playing on a Friday night again," Briscoe said. "Being on the national scene is always something that pumps you up for the week, but with two nationally ranked opponents, everybody is going to be amped."
This will be the second Friday night game since Mangino arrived at Kansas — they lost 37-31 in double overtime at Toledo in 2006 — and Mangino said that though he preferred not to play on Friday nights, the added national television exposure was too hard to turn down.
"We have to take opportunities as they come," Mangino said. "There was no talk about the game being televised on Saturday, so our options were Thursday or Friday and I said that I'd prefer not to have to travel in that short of a week
to a road trip on the east coast. I didn't think that was in the best interest of our program at all, so we were able to work it out with South Florida and ESPN that it would be plowed on Friday night."
With the game being a day earlier than usual, schedules and routines have been altered. The lajahwacks practiced on Monday, their usual day off, but had only a light practice on Tuesday. The team's normal Thursday practice, arguably the most important for establishing the game plan, will be today instead. The lajahwaks will have a short practice Thursday before boarding a charter plane for Tampa that evening.
Players have said this game will be key to their success in 2008, but Mangino disagreed.
"In no way am I trying to downplay this game. No way. We're going there to
play well and do the best we can to get a win," Mangino said. "But this early in the season, if we beat South Florida, I can't tell you after the game that we're going to cruise through the rest of the season. If we don't, I can't tell you that the rest of the season is going to be a failure, because it will not be. It's too early to say that this is a huge game and we have to win it."
While Mangino tries to downplay the importance, players know it's not just another game. It's an opportunity to prove — on national television against a ranked team — that the Jawahkeys are for real.
"We're playing in Tampa Bay, on ESPN, in an NFL stadium," Harris said. "It's like a bowl game. That's how big this game is."
Edited by Mary Sorrick
COMMENTARY
"W with great power there must also come great responsibility."
As fans of KU football, we, like Peter Parker, have been handed a certain amount of privilege that no one has had before us. After all, it wasn't so long ago that running back David Winbush was the best player the Jayhawks had. It wasn't so long ago that a victory over Louisiana Tech was far from a sure thing.
The point is, we've been given a beautiful gift. We may not have been bitten by a radioactive spider, but we do have a football team that's capable of beating anyone on a given Saturday (or Friday, in this week's case). With that, I think it's time that Kansas football fans take seriously the advice of "Spider-man" and start using their newfound powers more responsibly.
First of all, Memorial Stadium is not the home of the Chiefs. I know, I know, they hung with the (Tom Brady-less) New England Patriots to open the year. But let's be honest, KC won't be very good this year. The offensive line still can't open holes for Larry Johnson to run through, and Brodie Croyle still can't stay on the field. A young secondary and a defensive line that lacks the pro-bowl presence of Jared Allen make it unlikely that the Chiefs will be able
If that's to be the case, several things need to change.
to become an elite defensive unit. And oh yeah, Herm Edwards is still the head coach. Is that the team you want to identify with on Saturday? Kansas will win about twice as many games as the Chiefs will, and will do so with an offense that won't put you to sleep.
I can hear it now: "I have the right to say whatever I want! This is America." But having the right to do something is not sufficient justification for doing it.
That same principle applies to much of the taunting that goes on during the games. I'm all for yelling things at the opposing team's bench. But once again, use that power responsibly. Don't tell an offensive lineman he needs to lose some weight. Being hefty is part of the job description, after all.
But even if you are guilty of those two offenses, you're at least making noise. Those who leave early make no noise at all. They return Memorial Stadium to the days of former quarterback and
SEE BEECHER ON PAGE 6B
VOLLEYBALL
Freshmen lead team to 3-1 victory Absence of coach does not distract team when assistant coach steps in
KANSAS KANSAS KANSAS KANSAS KANSAS
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Senior middle blockers Savannah Nydal and Natalie Uhart block a kill attempt by a UMK hitter during Tuesday's game at the Horeis Family Athletics Facility. The Jahyawk beat the Kanagas 3-1.
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
But it was the career highs set within the game that told the story of how the Jayhawks cruised and how difficult the match could have been if a major distraction from earlier in the week clouded the Jayhawks minds.
That distraction was the untimely death of Coach Ray Bechard's brother Don from pleomorphic Iposarcoma cancer last Friday before the Jayhawk Invitational. He will return for the next game on Friday.
For what seemed like an ordinary non-conference match on paper, the Jayhawk volleyball team's victory against University of Missouri-Kansas City turned out to be anything but.
The Jayhawks rolled in four sets against the Kangaroos, pushing them to a season-high two games over .500 with a 4-2 record.
Assistant coach Christi Posey stepped in and the Jayhawks didn't seem to lose a beat.
"He was certainly on our minds tonight as we prepared," Posey said. "The kids really want to perform well for him."
The players all made sure to honor their absent coach by making sure this didn't prevent them from losing their focus. This seemed like it might be a possibility through a disastrous third set.
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 6B