Sports
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The Kansas women's soccer team began the season with two wins, despite rain and cold weather. PAGE 6B
The University Daily Kansan
1B
sports commentary
Tuesday, September 2, 2003
Ryan Greene rgreene@kansan.com
This team makes no excuses
Coach Mark Mangino could have blamed Saturday's 28-20 loss to Northwestern on anything from the persistent rain to the average officiating that cost his team a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Instead, Mangino and his players refused to make excuses. It may not show yet in the win column, but Saturday's display was the first sign that Mangino is truly turning around this once-dismal program.
The Jayhawks headed into the locker room at halftime facing a 14-point deficit. It was a situation when some of Terry Allen's old teams likely would have been demoralized and packed it in.
numerated and the halftime stat sheet did not, by any means, look impressive for the Jayhawks. Bill Whittemore had completed only six of 15 pass attempts, and four Kansas turnovers had given the Wildcats plenty of golden scoring opportunities.
Instead of playing the role of doormat for running back Jason Wright and Northwestern's offense in the third quarter, Mangino's Jayhawks showed heart and determination by not letting the Wildcats pull away. All winning teams with aspirations of going to a bowl game have these qualities.
these quantities.
The Jayhawks' opening drive of the second half was squandered by a bad call in the end zone, and Johnny Beck's field goal missed off the left upright. Yet team members continued to scratch and claw any way they could instead of throwing in the towel. But, not even a defensive score and another touchdown from the special teams could salvage a win.
In the press area following the game, players could have vented their frustrations.
The ball slipped out of sophomore running back Clark Green's hands as John Randle, freshman running back, blocked a Northwestern player in the third quarter of Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium. Northwestern defeated Kansas 28-20.
There was a late extra point flasco, the touchdown catch that was called out of bounds, and the slippery turf.
Each and every player who emerged to talk to the media masked any frustration and talked about next week being a new game to focus on. The confident swagger Mangino has talked about all year may never have been more evident.
never has been grown up. Mangino's process of building a successful program is almost complete, but no one realizes it.
is almost complete, but he doesn't. He cut the fat from last year's roster. He dumped guys he did not see fit for his program, and brought in his kind of players. He added competitive, talented players who not only want to win, but know how to win, and have done it in the past.
Most Jayhawk fans probably think losing what looked like an easy first game means the significance of the 2003 season just went out the window. With this year's team, however, the motivation is there to help forget Saturday's loss. Rather than dwell on negatives and blame others, this team will focus on the positives and work towards a win next weekend.
The school's first bowl game since 1995 is not out of reach, but the road looks bumpier from here on out.
'Hawks fumble opener
Even if the Jayhawks fail to reach the postseason, they will end the year having earned the respect of their opponents and fans. There's no telling how the season will end, but when a team is made of guys who are willing to fight for 60 minutes and always believe that a victory is within reach, anything can happen. Stay tuned.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, Ill., senior in journalism.
Botched exchange costs Kansas chance to tie Northwestern
By Ryan Greene rgreeen@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Even with the lopsided losses of a year ago, no game for the Kansas football team under coach Mark Mangino may have been tougher to swallow than Saturday's 28-20 defeat at the hands of Northwestern.
Northwestern. After using scores by the offense, defense and special teams to stay on the Wildcats' tails all night, holder Curtis Ansel's costly fumbled snap on a late extra point attempt with the score 21-20 proved to be fatal. Even with rain pouring on the field, Ansel accepted full blame for the mishap.
"It's just my fault. I had it, and the ball slipped out from underneath when I went to put it down." Ansel said. "The snap was fine, just my fault."
snap was fine, just my fault.
Northwestern did not miss its opportunities early, scoring two first-half touchdowns following Kansas turnovers. Wildcat tailback Jason Wright scored on runs of four and 18 yards in the first half. Wright ended the night with 196 yards on 41 carries and all four Wildcat scores.
Wildcat scores. The Jayhawks squandered a scoring opportunity on the second half's opening drive when kicker Johnny Beck hit the left upright on a 20-yard field goal attempt.
With the score 14-0, the Jayhawks finally scored with 2:56 left in the third quarter when quarterback Bill Whitte-more hit receiver Mark Simmons for a 74-yard touchdown strike. On the ensuing Northwestern possession, a deflected pass wound up in the hands of Kansas defensive end David McMillan, who rumbled 31 yards for a score, evening the game at 14-14.
With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Kansas cornerback Ronnie Amadi answered Wright's third score by blocking a punt. Linebacker Darren Rus picked up the ball and returned it 20 yards, making the score 21-20. But the failed extra point attempt left the Jayhawks in a hole they were unable to crawl out of. Wright's final touchdown late in the fourth quarter sealed the game.
Whittemore struggled in his first
game since going down with a knee injury last October against Missouri. He completed 12 of 28 pass attempts for 240 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
ception. "It's definitely a tough pill to swallow," Whittemore said. "There're no
Coach Mark Mangino consulted with quarterback Bill Whittemore during a timeout in the final seconds of the game.
moral victories by any sense. We wanted to win that game, but we'll put it behind us. It brings a team down worse if you relive it."
Even with the slick turf and the rain that failed to subside, coach Mark Mangino would not allow nature to be an excuse for the tough loss.
an excuse for the tough one "I don't care if it 150 outside or it's the middle of a typhoon," Mangino said. "I'm going to look at the positives."
Among the Jayhawks' positives were four solid punts by Ansel, averaging 48.3 yards apiece. Two were inside Northwestern's 20-yard line.
western's 20-yard line. Offensively, sophomore running back Clark Green started his season with 79 yards on 17 carries, while junior Charles Gordon led the team with 90 yards receiving.
yards receiving. On the defensive side of the ball, junior safety Tony Stubbs led the team in tackles with 15. Sophomore newcomer Gabe Toomey made an immediate impact at middle linebacker. During training camp, Mangino repeatedly stated that Toomey was one player on his team he had no concerns about.
This about.
Tooney's exuberant style on the field netted 12 tackles, including three for losses. Whether it was upending Northwestern tight end Ray Bogenrief or trying to pump the crowd up, Tooney left his impression.
"I told you all along he can play," Mangino said. "I don't know his statistics for tackles, but if he didn't make the tackle, he spilled the ball into another gap and made somebody else make the tackle. Gabe Toomey is a heck of a football player."
As the Jayhawks still have three non-conference opponents left before the Sept. 27 Big 12 opener against Missouri, Mangino insists that his
kids' spirits are still high, and they will be ready for UNLV next Saturday.
be ready for UNEVEN betrayal. "They just spent the last month in 110-degree heat, full pads, listening to me," Mangino said. "Sure, they feel bad they lost. There's nobody feeling bad for themselves and there's nobody's heads hanging. That's not going to happen as long as I'm the coach here. Those 105 kids there, they've got too much invested to do that."
-Edited by Joey Berlin
By the numbers
first downs 14 25
carries - yards
27-100 52-235
yards passed 255 219
fumbles - lost 4-3 2-1
possession time 20:03 39:57