4B the university daily kansan
sports
friday, august 29, 2003
Northwestern File Photo
Northwestern starting quarterback attempts a pass during a 2002 game. The men's football team will take on Durr and Northwestern during their home opening game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Wildcats' big attack prowling into town
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas coach Mark Mangino has stressed several times this week that the Kansas football team would like to hit someone other than themselves.
That opportunity comes at 6 p.m. tomorrow against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Northwestern is led by sophomore Brett Basanez, a strongarmed quarterback who started nine games last season as a freshman. Basanez played three of those games on a broken leg.
Basanez said that the Wildcats were looking forward to tomorrow's game.
"I just can't wait to get out there and play." Basanez said at Camp Kenosha, Northwestern's training site.
"We've put in so much hard work in the offseason. We can't wait to get out there and play someone else."
For the last 11 years the Wildcats have traveled from Evanston, Ill., to Kenosha, Wis., to practice at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Basanez said they worked on timing and routes at this year's camp. For part of the camp they practiced on Astroplay turf, the same surface inside Memorial Stadium, so the team would not miss a step.
Basanez joins running back Jason Wright to form a very talented backfield.
Wright ran for 1,234 yards and 12 touchdowns last season while gaining 5.6 yards per carry. He is also generally considered to be one of the nation's top kick returners.
While the team worked to gain better offensive timing, they also tried to replace two three-year starters on the offensive line, and tried to find a defense.
Northwestern had the nation's second-worst defense last year, giving up an average of 502.3 yards,including 313.6 yards rush-
Nine starters return on the defensive side of the ball, but it remains to be seen if that is good
There is talent on the defense, starting with defensive end Loren Howard, the Sporting News 2002 Big Ten Defensive Freshman of the Year. The linebacking corps returns two starters and Pat Durr, who was scheduled to start last year, but injured his knee in the first game and missed the rest of the season.
"We haven't played the defense we would like to play or are capable of playing," Walker said. "We are bigger, stronger and faster this year, but then so i everybody else."
Northwestern coach Randy Walker said he expects to allow fewer points this year.
If the Wildcats defense struggles, fans can expect a lot of points in tomorrow's game, as both teams have strong offenses, but suspect defenses.
Edited by Andy Mar
FOOTBALL/ Team hopes to earn respect tomorrow
2002, which ranked last in the Big 12. Three men who will have a big part in that will be the Jayhawks' triumvirate of sophomore linebackers, Banks Floodman, Gabe Toomey and Nick Reid.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Reid led the team in sacks last season with six, Floodman was knocked out for the season on opening day with a knee injury, and Toomey is a junior college transfer who once played at the University of Oklahoma. Even though it is their first game together, Mangino has no concerns, citing the unit's cohesiveness and hard work.
On offense, the main concern will be keeping quarterback Bill Whittimore healthy. Whittimore was knocked out for the season with a knee injury last fall against Missouri. In order to keep that from happening again, not only will the Jayhawks rely more upon tailback Clark Green to take carries, but White-
more's blind side will need added protection. That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of senior tackle Adrian Jones, a converted tight end. Even though his role is especially important, Jones said the line had confidence that it could get the job done without any added pressure.
"It's the pressure that would be on any offensive line to protect their quarterback," Jones said. "Always have them healthy, keep sacks down, I guess there's really no serious pressure, just the normal pressure that would be on an offensive line."
Both coach Mangino and his players made it clear that they are putting no more emphasis on tomorrow's game than any other contest they will have this season. Though an aim of this Jayhawk team against Northwestern will be earning some respect, both in the conference and nationally.
"That's our goal in mind," Whittemore said. "Nobody's giving respect, and to be honest
with you we didn't earn much last year, but we've had a great attitude through two a-days and spring ball, and we're excited to get out there and prove people wrong."
Note
The Greater Augusta Sports Council announced Thursday that Kansas punter Curtis Ansel is among 32 punters on the watch list as a potential candidate for the 2003 Ray Guy Award, annually given to the nation's top punter.
Ansel led the Big 12 last year as a junior with 82 punt attempts and ranked sixth in the conference with an average of 42.2 yards per attempt. Ansel's most impressive statistic however were his 24 punts that were downed inside the 20-yard line.
Other Big 12 punters on this year's watch list include Missouri's Brock Harvey, Nebraska's Kyle Larson, Texas A&M's Cody Scates and Iowa State's Tony Yelk.
- Edited by Dave Nobles
Baylor, Waco remember slain basketball player
The Associated Presc
WACO, Texas — A piano and an organ played the comforting strands of "It is Well With My Soul" as somber students and faculty members gathered last night to remember slain Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy.
A simple arrangement of flowers sat beneath a tall stained glass window at the front of Powell Chapel, as grieving friends and family joined those who never knew Dennehy in paying tribute to the 6-foot-10 forward whose body was found last month.
"Oh Lord, we do not grieve as those who have no hope, but we do grieve," he said.
"We mourn the death, but even more we celebrate the life of Patrick Dennehy," Todd Lake, Baylor's dean of university ministries, told the crowd of 300 before school president Robert Sloan led a prayer asking for God's comfort and grace.
"Patrick had such big aspirations in life. His dream was to play in the NBA and then to work in the front office in public relations," said John Cunningham, a Baylor communications professor who was close to Dennehy. Cunningham described him as one of the finest students he had ever taught.
Jessica De La Rosa, Dennehy's girlfriend of two years, said he believed where a person started wasn't as important as where they finished.
"Even though Patrick's body perished, his soul is alive," she said. "His soul is up in heaven ... so God's got him and Patrick finished as strongly as anybody ever could."
Dennehy's mother, Valorie Brabazon, dabbed her eyes with a tissue as Dick Bernal, pastor of Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose, Calif., recalled her son's life and commitment to Christianity.
"Patrick has not left us, he's just gone ahead of us," Lake said before mourners stood and sang "Amazing Grace."
Yesterday's memorial service marked the first event honoring Dennehy on the 722-acre campus on the banks of the Brazos River, where massive, spire-topped brick buildings tower above trees.
Scott Drew, hired to replace former coach Dave Bliss, and Dennehy's remaining teammates all attended the service. Speaking on behalf of the team before the memorial began, senior captain Matt Sayman said the players would take the night off from thinking or talking about basketball and dedicate it to remembering Dennehy.
Campus FOXSports.com to show football opener on Web
The University of Kansas has teamed up with FOXSports.com to bring Jayhawk fans a new way to follow their football team.
For the first time, the Jayhawks will be available for your viewing pleasure via the Internet. FOXSports, which has been broadcasting games each week on its Web site for three years, has chosen the Kansas vs. Northwestern match-up because of the national reputation of the schools and because of availability.
"We don't want to be broadcasting or rebroadcasting games that will already be on TV." Ed Bunnell, vice president of programming, said. "So what we hope to do is capture the highest profile games that are not available on national broadcast."
Bunnell said the webcasts were ideal for alumni who were not in the area anymore to keep in touch with their schools.
FOXSports is looking to broaden the popularity of the new viewing option by showing games from more conferences. The weekly broadcasts bring in between 10,000 and 30,000 viewers, and cost $9.95 for one month of games.
"We're not in it to make money at this point," Bunnell said. "We're in it to be movers and show the world what we can do."
Edited by Erin Riffey
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