6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27, 2008
CRAWFORD
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
rushed for more than 200 yards in five different games last season, including a 328-yard, three-touchdown performance against Trinity Valley. His 1,935 yards were the most by a junior college running back since 2000.
Sharp rushed for 821 yards and scored seven touchdowns on only 147 carries last year as the backup to McAnderson. He rushed for more than 100 yards three different times and ranked 12th in the Big 12 Conference in rushing with an average of 65.15 rushing yards per game.
"We're both very confident in what we can do for the team," Sharp said. "It's going to be a good deal for us, I think. He does a lot of things very well, and I can bring my game to the table. It's just going to be a real good package for us, I believe."
The Kansas rushing game last season was 31st in the nation and fifth in the Big 12, with an average of 188.8 rushing yards per game, thanks in large part to the offensive line. Redshirt freshmen Jeremiah Hatch and Jeff Spikes will make their debuts at the tackle positions and, with returning center Ryan Cantrell at center and Adrian Mayes and Chet Hartley at guard, should form another strong unit capable of producing large numbers on the ground.
"It's probably going to be the best offensive line I've ever played with," Crawford said. "I can only imagine how many yards I can rack up with an offensive line like this."
Edited by Mary Sorrick
FIU (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
FIU seniors 'Amod Ned and Julian Reams and junior Daunte Owens could all get carries in the backfield.
The lack of information about FIU's offense is a problem for some, but junior safety Darrell Stuckey sees it as an advantage.
"It's less stressful mentally because you just have to go out there and react to the football," he said. "In some cases you get teams' film and you figure out their tendencies, then you get overwhelmed with tendencies and they throw something else at you. At the same time, if you're out there and you don't know exactly what to look for, then you have to understand the game as a whole."
Either way, the jayhawks will be heavy favorites and shouldn't have too much trouble putting away the Golden Panthers.
No matter which quarterback lines up under center or what system he runs, Thornton says the only team that can get in Kansas' way of starting out 1-0 is itself.
"As long as we go out there and eliminate all of our mistakes we'll be just fine." Thornton said. "It's not about what they're going to do, it's about how we play and how we execute and I think that's going to be what matters."
Edited by Brenna Hawley
U.S. OPEN
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia serves to Vera Dushveina of Russia during their match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Tuesday. Ivanovic, ranked No. 1, almost lost in the first round of the tournament. Maria Bueno had the worst start ever for a No. 1, ranked woman when she had a bye first round and then lost in the second round.
No.1 player almost upset in first round play
Serbian Ana Ivanovic wins match at U.S. Open despite not practicing because of a hurt thumb
BY BEN WALKER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Ana Ivanovic recovered in a hurry Tuesday to avoid becoming the first top-seeded woman to lose in the first round at the U.S. Open, rallying past Vera Dushevina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Out of whack lately because of an injured right thumb, the world No. 1 was out of sorts for much of the match against the Russian, who was ranked No. 57. Down 3-2 in the third set, the French Open champion suddenly found her confidence — and her winning strokes.
"I could feel some shots; lack of practice," Ivansi said.
The 20-year-old Serbian star played only two matches since Wimbledon in mid-july while
her thumb healed. The injury forced Ivanovic to withdraw from the Olympics before they began and kept her from practicing until last week.
"Happy finally to be without the pain," she said.
The worst start ever for a No. 1 woman at the U.S. Open came in 1967 when Maria Bueno drew a first-round bye and then lost in the second round. The last top-seeded man to lose in the first round at Flushing Meadows was Stefan Edberg in 1990.
Serena Williams was scheduled to play her first-round match later in the afternoon. Roger Federer, aiming for his fifth straight U.S. Open title, and Venus Williams highlighted the night action.
Sixth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia, No. 9 Agnieszka
Radwanska of Poland, No.13 Agnes Szavagy of Hungary and No.16 Flavia Pennetta of Italy advanced in morning matches.
On the men's side,
No. 14 Ivo
Karlovic of Croatia
won, but No.
22 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic lost to Sam Querrey 6-3,
6-1, 6-2.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, they saw a possible upset take shape.
The worst start ever for a No.1 woman at the U.S.Open came in 1967 when Maria Bueno drew a first-round bye and then lost in the second round.
Ahead 4-2 in the second set,
Ivanovic rushed to a 10-15 lead
Once fans started to fill
Rafael Nadal was out early Tuesday, practicing minus his shirt. A day after his win, the top-seeded man worked in solitude — he hit before the crowds were allowed on the grounds.
— one of her 40 unforced errors.
and seemed on her way to a comfortable win. At deuce, she charged forward but put an easy overhand smash into the net of her
After that, her problems really flared.
"I dropped my concentration," she said.
Soon, Ivanovic was tentative on backhands and failed to finish forehands. Gone was her signature fist pump after winning key
points. Instead, she spent more and more time looking into her family box during breaks.
By the final set, Ivanovic was moving better, covering the court and pressuring Dushevina into misses.
Even so, she made it tough on herself, double-faulting while trying for a match point.
Ivanovic certainly wasn't worn down from her recent hours on the court. Her travel time, however, took its toll — she left Beijing to see her doctor in Australia and then came to New York.
Despite winning her first Grand Slam championship this year, Ivanovic sensed her limited practice session would make it tough to take this title.
"I think at the moment it's a lot to ask for," she said.
MLB
Five bidders chosen for the Chicago Cubs
BY CANDICE CHOI ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Tribune Co.
CEO Sam Zell said Tuesday
that the media conglomerate has chosen five bidders for the Chicago Cubs.
Zell said during a conference call with lenders that separate bids had been made on sto-
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baseball team and a 25 percent interest in a local sports channel to raise cash to pay down $13.4 billion in debt, mostly related to
ried Wrigley Field, the nation's second-oldest baseball stadium. The team's sale must be approved by Major League Baseball.
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SAM ZELL
Tribute Co. CEO
Major League Baseball in June sent out financial books on the three properties to nine preapproved bidders.
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"We hope to have a deal to MLB by the end of the year."
the buyout.
"We hope to have a deal to MLB by the end of the year," said Zell, the real estate mogul who led a $8.2 billion buyout of the company last
year. He said he expects "rapid" approval.
The list reportedly included a group headed by John Canning, chairman of private equity firm
Tribune is selling the ballpark
Madison Dearborn Partners LLC; Internet billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban; and the family of online brokerage Ameritrade's founder, Joe Rickett.
In the conference call Tuesday, Zell assured lenders the company was on track to meet a $593 million debt payment in June.
Tribune already repaid $807 million in principal in the second quarter, using mostly the $600 million it gained from selling the Long Island daily Newsday to Cablevision Systems Corp.
Zell also said the company was continuing to evaluate ways to squeeze money from its real estate holdings, including the iconic headquarters building in Chicago, Tribune Tower.
To trim costs, Tribune has made hundreds of layoffs at its papers and decreased the page count of print editions.
Zell said the company was still trying to figure out "what a newspaper of the 21st century should look like." While redesigns should produce "more exciting and cheaper" versions of its papers, he said the company would have to readdress the matter if the revamped papers don't get a positive response.
Fitch Ratings cut Tribune Co.'s credit rating further into "junk" status Friday — to "CCC" from "B-” and said more reductions may come within a year if newspaper advertising revenue declines keep accelerating.