6B the university daily kansan
sports
wednesday, october 15,2003
GREENE: Beck not the only one to blame
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a star quarterback.
So Johnny Beck has missed a few tough kicks. There have been bigger tragedies and it's not nearly as easy as you think. He knows heading onto the field in those situations that if he succeeds, he is the hero, and if he fails, he is an easy scapegoat. You can knook on him all you want and put as much of the blame as you desire on him, but don't worry, he can take it. He knows what he signed up for.
Instead of heckling, teasing and bashing him, true fans need
to be in his corner right now. Not only because he's the guy Mangino has chosen as his starting kicker, but believe it or not, he gives Kansas the best chance to succeed.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, Ill., senior in journalism.
FOOTBALL: Freshman snapper takes over
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being underused against the Buffaloes, Randle will more than likely see more carries against Baylor.
Bayou.
"Clark was doing a lot of good things, and it's hard to pull a guy out of the game other than if he needs a rest," Mangino said. "Hindsight's always 20-20, and we could have given him a series or two extra to rest. You'll see John a little more this week, there's no question about that."
Saturday was frustrating for Kansas sophomore kick returner Greg Heaggans. Colorado freshman kicker Mason Crosby contained the Jayhawks' dangerous return man by booting nearly every kickoff out of the end zone in the thin mountain air.
"Clark was doing a lot of good things,and it's hard to pull a guy out of the game other than if he needs a rest."
Mark Mangino Kansas football coach
Kansas ranks sixth in the
nation in kick returns, and sits atop the Big 12 Conference as a team, averaging 26.4 yards per kick return. Heaggans, a Kansas City native and lifelong Chiefs fan, is trying to improve the unit by using the tactics of another popular local kick returner.
popular local kick referral. "I love Dante Hall," Heaggans said. "As a matter of fact I asked coach if we could put in that return they do on kickoffs, so we tried to get that going on. I look up to Dante Hall, he makes things happen. Sometimes I say Man, I can do that."
Edited by Dave Nobles
CROSS COUNTRY: New top-10 rankings a 'confidence-booster,' but team desires more
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just always said we wanted to compete with them. We've never had that ranking that says we are up there with them."
up there with them.
Junior Megan Manthe, said the women's ranking isn't representative of the team's true talent.
"The ranking isn't about where our ability is," she said. "We just need everyone to come together and have a good race at the same time."
son.
"The way coach Clark trains us, there's a lot of room to move up," Jones said. "We deserve to be ranked where we are right now, but we think we can be higher in the next four to six weeks."
Neither team is resting on this week's polls before heading into the championship part of the season.
The Jayhawks compete this weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, at the NCAA Pre-Nationals Invitational. The meet is designed to
"The ranking isn't about where our ability is. We just need everyone to come together and have a good race at the same time."
Megan Manthe junior
give teams a chance to race the course where the national championship meet will be held in November.
-Edited by Katie Bean
Benson Chesang, Kenya freshman, is currently the No.1 runner on the Kansas team. The men's cross country team was ranked second in the Midwest region by the United States Cross Country Coaches Association. The women's team is ranked 10th.
Kansan File Photo
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