THE UNIVERSITY TAILY KANSAN
2B SPORTS
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 5. 2008
quote of the day
"I thought Josh did a terrific job. The pass protection wasn't as good as we would have liked, but Josh kept a lot of plays alive and made some plays down the field. He had a terrific off-season, he was very diligent."
—Kansas State football coach Ron Prince
fact of the day
Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman was named Co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week along with Texas' Colt McCoy. Freeman threw three touchdown passes in K-State's victory against North Texas, and accounted for two more touchdowns on the ground.
Big 12 Conference
trivia of the dav
Q: What Kansas City area high school did Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman attend?
A: Grandview High School
Kansas State Athletics
MLB
MLB Cubs shoot for Series despite slump, injuries
CHICAGO Ryan Dempster stepped out in front of the team's headquarters at the beginning of spring training nearly seven months ago and said he thought the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series.
Dempster's optimism remains intact, despite a recent funk that has seen the first-place Cubs drop five straight games for the first time this season.
And not only are the Cubs trying to weather the losing skid, they learned Thursday that ace Carlos Zambrano has rotator cuff tendinitis, a condition that required an injection of anti-inflammatory medication.
Zambrano, who will miss his turn Sunday in Cincinnati, hopes to begin throwing in St. Louis when the Cubs go there next Wednesday.
First game answers and raises questions
Associated Press
I entered Memorial Stadium last Saturday night with a number of questions swimming through my head. I walked out of the stadium with most of them answered.
I'm not sure how much one game can tell you about a player or team, kicker or punt return man, but a 47-yard field goal and a 75-yard punt return say something.
Some of the most intriguing questions raised during the off-season were answered by Kansas against FIU. Success from 2007 earns you nothing in 2008. Everything must be proven on the field.
No one knows how the season will shape up for the Jayhawks right now, but Saturday did prove a few things.
It appears the punt return position is settled. Daymond Patterson is all the player that head coach Mark Mangino and his teammates have hoped he would be. He is Kansas' closest answer to Missouri's Jeremy Macin.
The kicker position no longer looks like an issue. Even with a missed extra point by Grady Fowler there should be no cause for alarm after watching Alonso Rojas boot in a pair of field goals, including an impressive 47-yard blast.
Anyone who wondered how the defense would handle the absence of former defensive coordinator Bill Young can put those worries to rest as well. Clint Bowen moved up the ranks and effortlessly filled in Young's shoes. The defense looked every bit as tough and disciplined as it did in 2007.
The only position where questions still exist is at the running back spot. There are definitely enough able bodies, even with the departures of Donte Bean, Sean
Ransburg and Carmon Boyd-Anderson in the weeks leading up to the first kick-off, but consistency was lacking on Kivisto Field Saturday night.
Jocques Crawford showed a few flashes of brilliance during the game and if he hadn't tweaked his leg he might have been able to show more. Jake Harp is still the first person I would want on the receiving end of a shovel pass, but the game showed that he is still best in a running back by committee situation. The underdog, so to speak, is Angus Quigley.
Quigley looked impressive in the 6:25 he was allotted during the fourth quarter. He marched the Hawks all the way down the field, rushing six times and catching three passes for 71 all-purpose yards. Quigley can't choose how many minutes he gets or when he gets them, but if he keeps producing like he did on Saturday, I think
you will see a lot more of Angus.
The only thing that looked like a certain indicator of a great season, other than Todd Reesing, was the fan turnout. 52,112 people came out in their crimson and blue to break the KU football attendance record. Although the crowd started to look spotty halfway through the third quarter, the support was still strong. Last year 46,815 people showed up for Kansas' debut against 2007 MAC champion Central Michigan. That number seemed large then but things have changed quite a bit in Lawrence over a year's time.
It goes without saying that plenty of new questions will arise for Kansas as the season progresses, but for now at least, the Jayhawk faithful can be content with the direction the 2008 season is heading.
Edited by Arthur Hur
Swinging into action
Gilles Muller of Luxembourg hits to Roger Federer of Switzerland during their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Thursday.
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Morris academically eligible Thursday.
The Morris twins will start taking classes immedi-
MEN'S BASKETBALL NCAA clears Marcus and Markieff Morris to play
Kansas coach Bill Self has fielded the same question hundreds of times over the past three months: When will the NCAA clear the Morris twins?
He won't have to anymore
The NCAA Eligibility Center
ruled Marcus and Markief
Marcus
ately and be
excited that
ready to practice next month. "We've been waiting for this day for a long time, and we're
it is finally here," the twins said in a statement. "We're looking forward to getting to class and to begin play
Markieff
The timing was a bit inconvenient. If the NCAA would have cleared the Morris twins last week, they could have traveled with the team to Ottawa to play in three exhibition games.
Self said he was pleased with his team's performance after the trip but wished the Morris twins could have come. But Self isn't worried about that now. He's just happy they'll be eligible to play in the upcoming season.
ing with our teammates."
Self said he understood why clearing the Morris twins took longer than the Jayhawks five other newcomers. The Morris twins went to multiple high schools and attended a prep-academy last year, which meant more paperwork for the NCAA to sift through. He called their route to Kansas "non-traditional."
"We certainly understand the uniqueness of these circumstances," Self said, "so we appreciate the NCAA's cooperation in reviewing the material involved in a timely manner."
"While it may have taken a bit longer than we had hoped," Self said, "the important thing is that the process worked."
The Morris twins were considered to be Self's prized recruits in the 2008 class. Rivals.com ranked Marcus as the No. 29 player in the nation and Markieff at No. 49.
The twins are expected to play immediately and help bolster the Jayhawks' front line with sophomore center Cole Aldrich and freshman forward Quintrell Thomas.
Case Keefer
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