SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN *7B*
Kansas football readies for nonconference match-ups
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan sports writer
When Mark Mangino, Kansas football coach, looks at Northwestern's sideline on Aug. 30, he may think he's looking into a mirror.
No, the Wildcats didn't adopt new navy blue jerseys, but the talent beneath is almost identical to that of the Jayhawks.
Fresh off disappointing seasons, the Wildcats (3-9 in 2002) and Jayhawks (2-10) both are picked by most preseason annals to finish last in their conferences. Both are expected to have decent seasons and are considered a year away from really competing.
The Wildcats have an offense lead by strong-armed second-year quarterback Brett Basanez
and a steady running back in Jason Wright. Wright is also considered one of the nation's top return specialists. The main weakness of the offense is the line, where two three-year starters graduated. They lost their star defensive player Pat Durr to a knee injury in the first game of the season last year.
the season last year.
Second-year man Bill Whitte-
more spearheads the Kansas
attack with help from versatile
running back Clark Green. Greg
Heaggans is considered one of
the top returning men in the
nation while the offensive line is
a concern. Banks Floodman,
Kansas's main defensive stud at
linebacker tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the first game
and was lost for all of last season.
"It's going to be a good match-up."
Mangino said the Northwestern-ern game with Randy Walker as
Mark Mangino
Kansas football coach, discussing
the Aug. 30 game against Northwestern
the Wildcats's coach should be challenging.
"The Northwestern game was put in place before I came to Kansas," Mangino said. "We know that this is going to be Randy Walker's best club since he has been there. It's going to be a good match-up."
The game is a major momentum boost for the winner, and the scoreboard numbers should be spinning at Memorial Stadium
- neither team has much of a defense. Whittimore said a
"It's important," Whittemore said. "We weren't really all that successful in non-conference last year, so it would be great to start the year off with some confidence."
Northwestern game win was necessary for the team.
dence.
Kansas's next opponent is UNLV. While Kansas lost to the Runnin' Rebels last year, there is cause for hope. Jason Thomas and Joe Haro, the two stars who combined to beat the Jajhawks are both graduated. The duo combined for 179 yards rushing three touchdowns in Las Vegas last year. They do return talented senior running back Larry Croom and Earvin Johnson at wide receiver.
While the offense figures to slow down a bit, the defense should be improved, with honors candidates Adam Seward at linebacker and Jamal Brimmer at strong safety. The Sporting News predicted Brimmer to be the Mountain West player of the year.
Playing at Wyoming is the lone nonconference road game on the schedule. While Wyoming has been perennially bad with five victories in the last three seasons, this year's team blends returning talent with a new coach. Joe Glenn takes over for a school with skill in all the right places. He returns an excellent quaterback, Casey Bramlet, and two good wide receivers in Ryan McGuffey and Jovon Bouknight. If Bramlet was in somewhere other than Laramie, Wyo., you probably would have heard about him by now. Both he and Bouknight are All-Mountain
West candidates.
Like most Mountain West teams, Wyoming does not play much defense, but Blenn is a defensive mastermind. He will try to rebuild the Cowboys defense by utilizing linebackers Guy Tueli and Tyler Gottschalk and aggressive blitzing. Glenn used a lot of zone blitzing before he came to Wyoming.
Jacksonville State is the one victory written into the schedule. An NCAA Division 1-AA team, they will find it difficult to win against a Division 1 team from a power conference at home. If the Jayhawks can take all of their nonconference games, they should be riding high for their first conference game, Missouri at Memorial Stadium, just two victories away from bowl contention.
Receivers prepare for football season
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Roy Williams has few doubts about who is the best football player in the Big 12.
Most draft experts and college football analysts say Williams — the Texas Longhorns receiver, not the former Kansas coach — is the best player in the nation, and he certainly has the skills to live up to the Texas-sized hype.
Williams is 6-foot-4 and the fastest receiver in the Big 12. He had 64 catches for 1142 yards and 12 touchdowns. Williams dominated a Cotton Bowl to end his junior year and turned down the opportunity to be a top-five NFL draft pick to come back for his senior year.
But is he the best player in the nation? According to Williams, he's not even the best player at his position in his own conference.
"Rashaun Woods is probably
the best receiver in the Big 12," Williams said. "When the ball's in the air, he's going to come down with it."
By the numbers, there is no better returning receiver in the nation than Oklahoma State's Woods.
Woods snatched 107 balls for 1,695 yards and 17 touchdowns, shattering Big 12 records. He torched Oklahoma's vaunted defense for 12 catches for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns.
"As a receiver I watch all receivers and try to learn as much as I can from any receiver," Woods said. "I watch him and I admire the way he plays, and if you can do that, you can become successful."
Woods said he also follows Williams when he plays.
Another receiver that Woods admires is Lane Danielson of Iowa State. Danielson had 63 catches for 1,073 yards last year. At 6 feet tall and 192 pounds,
Wes Welker, Texas Tech A great return man, Welker was third in the conference in all-purpose yards, including 86 catches for 1,054 yards.
Big 12 receivers to watch out for
averaging 20 yards per catch last season. He will probably add to his 2002 totals of 28 catches for 561 yards.
Jamear Taylor, Texas A&M Taylor grabbed 44 catches for 760 yards as the No.2 option in the offense. With two great quarterbacks, look for Taylor to break 1,000 yards this season.
James Terry, Kansas State Terry led the Big 12 by
B. J. Johnson, Texas While he is in Williams's extra large shadow, Johnson is talented and would be first-team all conference almost anywhere else.
Darius Outlaw, Missouri Missouri quarterback Brad Smith finds a No.1 receiver and gets him the ball. This year, the man is Outlaw, who will likely improve on his 46 catches from last year.
Danielson is less physically imposing than many of his Big 12 counterparts, but his quick routes create separation. Danielson's emergence was a large reason why Seneca Wallace started out so hot last season.
This year, without a proven quarterback, the numbers could drop, but his effectiveness won't.
All three receivers are seniors who want to prove themselves before moving on to the next level—the NFL.
Quarterbacks ready to play in spotlight
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Matt Leinart is ready to step in at Southern California. The same goes for Brock Berlin at Miami, and Chance Mock at Texas.
Who are these guys? They're the starting quarterbacks at their respective schools entering the 2003 season, replacing a trio of standout signal-callers who manned the position with excellence in recent years.
Whether or not Leinart, Berlin, and Mock can do the job will soon be known.
A sophomore, Leinart succeeds Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. The first pass Leinart throws Aug. 30 in the season-opener at Auburn will be the first of his career.
"I've sat the last two years behind Carson — it's finally my turn to step in there and fill his shoes," said Leinart.
Berlin, a junior, didn't play last season after transferring from Florida to Miami. He follows Ken Dorsey.
Mock, a junior who has thrown nine passes in his career, steps in for Chris Simms.
"He's learned from (Major) Applewhite," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "He's learned from Chris. He understands the pressure of this position at this school."
Leinart said he understands the pressure, too. And he learned a lot just by watching Palmer, especially in terms of leadership.
"It was his presence and how he carried himself," Leinart said. "Our personalities are very similar, more a leader by example than a rah-rah guy. There's always pressure. You can't really think about it. I'm going to make mistakes, you've got to bounce back from that."
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