Section B·Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, November 18, 1997
Kansas running back Dave Winbush tries to escape Texas defenders, while Kansas left tackle Dan Dercher clears the way. Winbush ran 11 times for 87 yards and scored his second touchdown of the season on Saturday against Texas. Photo by Pam Dishman/KANSAN
By Kelly Cannon
kcannon@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The future for the Kansas football team has begun.
With a heartbreaking 45-31 loss to Texas, ending their bowl hopes, the Jayhawks have moved on and are looking toward recruiting and rebuilding.
The team will lose 15 seniors, nine of whom started.
Kansas football coach Terry Allen said the wide receivers, offensive line and defensive secondary were areas of concern.
Allen said there would be between 20 and 23 scholarships available for next season and six to eight could be offered to junior college players
"There weren't that many big surprises this year," Allen said. "The biggest change is yet to
come — the difference and transition in recruiting."
Because of injuries, the wide receiver position was spread thin this year. John Gordon, the Jay hawks No. 1 receiver, missed the entire season because of cardiomyopa
thy and sleep apnea. Allen said the coaching staff received good news regarding Gordon's condition on Friday and was optimistic that he could be back for spring practices.
"His oxygen output is up to 50 percent from his heart," Allen said. "That is the low end of the norm."
Gordon's previous oxygen output was in the 30% range. Allen said
Allen also said the play of Ter-
maine Fulton stood out. Fulton had 10 receptions this year, including touchdowns of 60, 46, 19 and 77 yards from quarterback Zac Wegner.
Fulton said he felt more assured about his ability.
"I feel more confident in myself because I've been asked to make plays for the team," Fulton said. "I guess you could say I'm not a freshman anymore — it's been a long year. I have been coming into my own these last few games when I've been asked to make plays."
Harrison Hill, who showed promise early on but broke his ankle against Texas Christian on Sept. 6, also will return.
The offensive line improved for Kansas this year, especially at the end of the season, Allen said.
"We return the whole nucleus of the offensive line," he said. "But it
Team Superlatives
QB sacks — Ron Warner, 14.5
Tackles — Tony Blevins, 97
Tackles for loss — Warner, 20.5 for
140 yards
Interceptions — Jamie Harris/Pat
Brown, 3
Blocked pints — Jason Harris, 3
Longest rush — Eric Vann, 99 yards
Longest punt — Dean Royal, 82 yards
Most points scored — Joe Garica, 51
would foster competition with a junior college transfer."
Allen said Winbush, who was No. 2 on the depth chart, would start next season as No.1.
"The biggest change is yet to come—the difference and transition in recruiting."
In other areas, Allen said he was expecting good things from linebackers J.J. Johnson, Dariss Lomax, Steve Bratten and Hanson Caston, as well as offensive lineman Dan Dercher
Terry Allen
Kansas football coach
Allen said he also was looking at junior college transfers to shore up the secondary. Three of the four secondary players are seniors.
The Jayhawks are solid at running back. David Winbush, who scored two touchdowns this season, will return, along with Mitch Bowles and Julius Bruce.
Allen also said he felt confident with Wegner at quarterback.
"Zac really proved (saturday) that he is the quarrierback of the future for us," Allen said. "He stood in there for us."
Akili Robertson, who was moved to wide receiver this season, will return to backup quarterback duties next year, Allen said.
Allen said that through recruiting he wanted to build a better foundation to base the team on but things at Kansas weren't that bad.
"Our cupboard is not bare," he said.
Bowls have lost their punch
Postseason games in so many places diminish impact
I was disappointed that Kansas did not become bowl-eligible last weekend — ending the season 5-6. At the same time, a bowl game would have meant nothing.
There will be 42 teams playing in bowls in the span of two weeks. The top 25 will participate, as will 17 teams that are not good enough for the pollsters but are good enough for these frivolous bowls.
Until 1955 there had been just four bowl games — the Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange. Since then, new bowl games have sprouted like bad weeds, watering down a system that had been reserved for the nation's elite football programs.
Some people have contested that the NCAA Tournament has flourished since it was expanded to a 64-team format in 1986. But that's a postseason tournament for a national title.
The current bowl system features mediocre teams that will have no significant impact on who claims the national championship. The teams that have a role in the national title chase usually are in one of the four
You won't find Michigan in the Insight bowl. Bowl, formerly known as the Copper Bowl. Nebraska should garner an invita-
original bowls, just as in years past.
tion better
t h a n
Poulan/Weed
Eater Independence
Bowl, and
Florida State
will not be
forced to play
in the Ford
Motor City
Bowl.
Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher @ kansan.com
I'm not sure which is worse—the thought of
who might play in those games or the shameless corporate attachment to bowl games and their names. But my favorite bowl this season is the infamous Sports Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 29 in Boise, Idaho.
Boise State, the host school,
plays at the 30,000-seat Bronco
Stadium which features blue
artificial turf. The stadium is
outdoors, so people will have to
brave the bitter cold and be true
die-hard fans.
This is a new bowl game which should be unlike any other that I have seen in my lifetime.
When Terry Allen coached at Northern Iowa, his team played
a December game at Boise State in 1990. But with a winning record this season, his Jayhawks would have been playing in the Insight.com Bowl.
Kansas was on the verge of a bowl before its 45-31 loss to Texas on Saturday. The players might be dejected about not going to a bowl, but a winning record would have spoken louder than a bowl ever could have.
Of 112 Division I-A football teams, 37.5 percent play in postseason bowls. And while 64 teams participate in the NCAA Tournament, that represents just 20 percent of Division I-A basketball programs.
Imagine that — it's easier to play a postseason bowl game than to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Regardless, a 5-6 record for Kansas this season represents a transition to a new era. Team goals were exceeded and critics silenced, but chances are that the Jayhawks didn't deserve the guaranteed Insight.com Bowl berth even if they had won.
With one season at Kansas and an entire offseason to recruit, I'm sure Allen and the Jayhawks will prove themselves worthy next season.
Big 12 players of the week named
Gallagher is an Olathe senior in journalism.
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Texas running back Ricky Williams, Texas Tech defensive end Montaee Reagor and Kansas State kicker Martin Gramatica have been named the Big 12 players of the week.
of Texas' 45-31 victory against Kansas.
Williams is 35 yards from eclipsing Earl Campbell's school single-season rush record of 1,744.
Williams, the nation's leading rusher, had his fifth 200-yard game in six weeks, going for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, all in the final three quarters
Reagor had 11 tackles, caused a fumble and had a key stop on a fourth down in Texas Tech's 27-3 victory against Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders held the Cowboys to their lowest point total of the season, especially at home, where they had been averaging 39.6
points.
Gramatica kicked a 52-yard field goal in the first quarter of Kansas State's 37-20 victory against Colorado, the Wildcats' first in a decade. He also had field goals of 22 and 29 yards, bringing his season total to 19-of-20.
Gramatica also kicked three point-after attempts. The 12 points gave him 90 for the year, third-most in school history. Lee is the school's career leader with 214 points.
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