JAYHAWK
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Football
Pro Football
The Miami Dolphins (3-2) scored a field goal with 5:40 remaining to defeat Kansas City 17-14 yesterday. The Chiefs (4-2) did not score in the last 34 minutes.
Saturday's game - Kansas vs. Oklahoma
KANSAS 4-1,2-0 UNRANKED 20
SECTION B, PAGE 1
WWW.KANSAN.COM/FOOTBALL
OKLAHOMA
2-3, 0-1
UNRANKED
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1997
AP Top 25
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with firstplace votes in parentheses, records through Saturday, total points based on 25 points for a first place vote through one point for a 25th place vote and previous ranking:
rank team rec pts pvs
1. Florida (35) 5-0 1,704 1
2. Penn St. (26) 4-0 1,672 2
3. Nebraska (6) **4-0** 1,606 **3**
4. Florida St. (1) 4-0 1,540 4
5. N.Carolina (2) 5-0 1,464 5
6. Michigan 4-0 1,401 6
7. Ohio St. 5-0 1,334 7
8. Auburn 5-0 1,227 8
9. Tennessee 3-1 1,158 9
10. Washington 3-1 1,143 10
11. Michigan St. 4-0 1,065 12
12. Washington St. 5-0 980 15
13. Georgia 4-0 814 18
14. Louisiana St. 4-1 770 13
15. Texas A&M **4-0** 750 21
16. Stanford 4-1 714 19
17. Iowa 2-1 702 11
18. UCLA 3-2 560 22
19. Air Force 6-0 416 23
20. Oklahoma St. **5-0** 321 —
21. Brigham Young 3-1 309 24
22. Kansas St. **3-1** 227 17
23. Virginia Tech 3-1 174 14
24. Colorado **2-2** 140 16
25. Georgia Tech 3-1 125 —
Others receiving votes: West Virginia 72, Clemson 65,
Alabama 46, Wisconsin 104, Southern California 31,
Kentucky 29, Toledo 27, Wyoming 26, New Mexico
18, Miami, Ohio 17, Arizona State 16, Kansas 14, Purdue
14, Morrison 5, North Carolina State 5, Virginia 2,
North Carolina 1, Colorado St. 1, Ohio University 1,
Oregon State 1
AP Top 25
The Top 25 teams in the USA Today/ESPN college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Saturday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
rank team
| ak team | rec | pts | pts |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1. Florida (48) | 5-0 | 1,523 | 1 |
| 2. Penn St. (11) | 1-0 | 1,469 | 2 |
| 3. Nebraska (2) | 4-0 | 1,407 | 3 |
| 4. Florida St. | 4-0 | 1,374 | 4 |
| 5.N.Carolina (1) | 5-0 | 1,271 | 5 |
| 6.Michigan | 4-0 | 1,245 | 6 |
| 7. Ohio St. | 5-0 | 1,216 | 7 |
| 8.Auburn | 5-0 | 1,082 | 9 |
| 9.Washington | 3-1 | 983 | 11 |
| 10.Tennessee | 3-1 | 982 | 10 |
| 11.Michigan St. | 4-0 | 927 | 13 |
| 12.Washington St. | 5-0 | 844 | 15 |
| 13.Texas A&M | 4-0 | 721 | 17 |
| 14.Louisiana St. | 4-1 | 720 | 14 |
| 15.Georgia | 4-1 | 676 | 19 |
| 16.Iowa | 4-1 | 664 | 8 |
| 17.Stanford | 4-1 | 542 | 21 |
| 18.Air Force | 4-1 | 397 | 23 |
| 19.UCLA | 3-2 | 314 | 25 |
| 20.Oklahoma St. | 5-0 | 295 | — |
| 20.Virginio Tech | 4-1 | 295 | 12 |
| 22.Brightham Young | 3-1 | 286 | 24 |
| 23.Kansas St. | 3-1 | 213 | 16 |
| 24.West Virginia | 4-1 | 165 | — |
| 25.Colorado | 2-1 | 79 | 18 |
Otters receiving votes: Alabama 76, Clemson 63, Georgia 75, Wisconsin 44, Arizona 102, Wyoming 41, New Mexico 24, Purdue 54, Lincoln 12, Southern California 11, Virginia 11, Kansas 10, Marshall 9, North Carolina State 9, Teledo 9, Miami 8, Texas 8, Colorado State 5, Kentucky 4, Syracuse 1.
Scoreboard
Big 12 Conference
Kansas 20, Oklahoma 17
Nebraska 56, Kansas State 26
Oklahoma State 42, Texas 16
Missouri 45, Iowa State 21
Texas Tech 35, Baylor 14
Texas A&M 16, Colorado 10
The Associated Press Top 25
No. 1 Florida 56, Arkansas 7
No. 2 Penn State 41, Illinois 6
No. 4 Florida State 47, Miami 0
No. 5 North Carolina 31, Texas Christian 10
No. 6 Michigan 37, Indiana 0
No. 7 Ohio State 23, No. 11 Iowa 7
No. 8 Auburn 23, South Carolina 6
No. 9 Tennessee 31, Mississippi 17
No. 10 Washington 26, No. 25 Ari
No. 12 Michigan State 31, Minnesota 10
No. 13 Louisiana State 7, Vanderbilt 6
Miami (Ohio) 24, No. 14 Virginia
Tech 17
No. 15 Washington State 24, Oregon 13
No. 18 Georgia 47, Mississippi State 0
No. 19 Stanford 33, Notre Dame 15
Kentucky 40, No. 20 Alabama 40 (OT)
No. 22 UCLA 66, Houston 10
No. 22 UCLA 66, Houston 10
Kansas' defense foils Oklahoma
Blocked field goal seals Sooners' fate
By Kelly Cannon
kcannon@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The last time Kansas football won three consecutive games against Oklahoma was in 1922, 1923 and 1924.
Until Saturday, that is.
Until Saturday, that is.
The Jayhawks took advantage of special teams and strong defensive play and beat the Sooners 20-17.
"Obviously we're excited to get the win," said Kansas football coach Terry Allen. "It's pretty special three in a row against the Sooners. We're so proud of the team effort."
Despite the score, Kansas was out-rushed and out-passed by Oklahoma. The Sooners gained 188 yards rushing and 146 yards passing compared to the Jayhawks' 158 and 96.
Allen stressed the importance of special teams play while the team was preparing for Oklahoma. A little more than two minutes into the second half, free safety Tony Blevins, aided by a block from strong safety Maurice Gaddie, returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown and tied the game 10-10.
"I always tell him at practice that if he follows me around the corner, I'll lead him there." Gaddie said. "Finally, he did."
On Kansas' next possession, place-kicker Joe Garcia hit a 51-yard field goal after Kansas partially blocked an Oklahoma punt and recovered it on its own 31-yard line.
In the third quarter, running back Eric Vann became the fifth player in NCAA history to run 99 yards on a rushing play and score a touchdown. The only other Kansas player to rush 99 yards for a touchdown was Gavle Savers in 1963.
"It feels good, but you can't really compare me to any of those guys," Vann said.
"When I get older and look back on it, it will be a nice accomplishment to have."
Kansas defensive back Tony Bleivens returns a punt 56 yards for a touchdown at Memorial Stadium. Bleivens also had nine tackles in Kansas' 20-17 victory over Oklahoma Saturday. Photo by Steve Pupie/KANSAN
Oklahoma's final touchdown came with 1:18 left. The Sooners lined up for a gametying field goal attempt but were called for illegal procedure because they only had six men on the line of scrimmage. The second field goal was blocked by linebacker Dewey Houston.
"We got enough penetration that we thought we could get our hands on it, and it just hit my hand," Houston said. "I didn't know I jumped. I just thought I put my hand up."
Blevins said the team was looking toward a bowl game.
"Everybody did their jobs," Blevins said. "We're 4-1 and 2-0 in the conference. All we have to have is six."
Six victories against Division I-A opponents makes a team eligible for a bowl bid.
The Jayhawks played before a season high crowd of 43,500. Gaddie said he had tried to get the crowd into the game.
"Up there in the stands, on your radios, in your cars going home — again thank you, thank you, thank you," Allen said. "Students and fans, your reaction to our defense on third downs generates the excitement that takes them to the next level."
"When I get going, I try and get everyone else into the jive," he said.
Allen said he appreciated the support from the fans.
Kansas plays Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday.
Sooners bemoan referees' call
Last minute penalty, blocked kick seal win
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Associate scouts editor
The Oklahoma Sooners offered no handshakes and no apologies for what occurred during the final minutes and at the conclusion of Kansas' 20-17 win on Saturday.
A game-tying, 28-yard field goal by reserve Oklahoma place-kicker Steve Daniels was nullified because of an illegal procedure penalty. The Sooners had six men on the line of scrimmage instead of the required seven. Then Daniels saw his 33-yard attempt blocked with 1:13 left to play, which sealed a Jayhawk victory.
What the Sooners did offer were questions, for which they were unsuccessfully searching for answers.
Oklahoma football coach John Blake, who did not shake hands with Kansas football coach Terry Allen after the game, said the penalty was a questionable call.
"We were playing for a tie and overtime because we were playing pretty good defense," Blake said. "We made the field
goal, and we cheered, and then the flag came out. I'm not sure if there was a reason why he called it, but he called it. I don't know what (the referees) were talking about."
Oklahoma quarterback Eric Moore reflected Blake's thoughts after the loss.
"I thought we were going into overture, and then I see the flag," Moore said. "I didn't see no illegal procedure or whatever it was they called. It must be one of those home-call things, so we really shouldn't sweat it. We'll see about the call when we see the film."
The loss damaged Oklahoma's chances for a postseason bowl game, while the Jayhawks took a step toward earning the required six Division I victories for participating in a bowl game.
Daniels, who had made a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter, said that nothing seemed wrong when he made the final kick.
"The kick looked good, and all of sudden I saw the ball flying up in the air." Daniels said. "The trajectory obviously was a little low because they blocked the kick. I don't know what happened on the play, but I have no one to blame but myself."
But the Sooners' offense was inconsistent throughout the game. Oklahoma quarterback Justin Fuente, who started the game, was benched at halftime in
Kansas outside linebacker Patrick Brown tacks Oklahoma running back Bennie Butter. Brown led the Jayhawks with 11 tackles on Saturday. Photo by Pam Dishman/KANSAN
favor of Moore, who exploited some holes in Kansas' run defense.
Oklahoma had no first downs in the first quarter and did not record its first one until midway through the second quarter.
Sophomore running back De'Mond Parker was held in check with 26 carries for 75 yards, forcing the Sooners' quarterbacks to have more of an impact. Moore rushed the ball 10 times for 70 yards in the second half.
Renovations stop Kansas Relays in their tracks
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Associate sports editor
The Kansas Relays will not be held in April because of renovations to Memorial Stadium.
the renovations will begin in November after the Jayhawks have played their last home football game, said Bob Frederick, Kansas athletic director, on Friday.
This will be the fourth time that the Kansas Relays have been suspended. The other three times were from 1943 through 1945 because of World War II.
"After a thorough investigation of the challenges which the stadium construction will present, we believe it to be in
The Kansas Relays had been a premier track and field event during the years, but their prominence and attendance figures have declined recently.
the best interest of the Relays and our track and field program to suspend the Relays for 1998." Frederick said.
Memorial Stadium is 75 years old and is the oldest stadium west of the Mississippi River.
Changes to the stadium will include structural and infrastructural repairs, the installation of luxury boxes, a renovated press box, expanded concession stands and expanded restrooms.
But the Relays drew more than 1,000 athletes in April, including Kevin Toth, who had the longest shot put in the world at the time, and Paul McMullen, the top-
ranked American miler. Maurice Green, world champion in the 100 meters in August, competed in the 1986 Relays.
Kansas track and field coach Gary Schwartz said the suspension of the Relays came after looking at how well the Jayhawks would be able to run the event.
"If we cannot conduct the event in a manner that we feel is acceptable — one worthy of the Kansas Relays tradition — then the Kansas Relays and our program are better served by suspending this important event in 1998 and beginning preparations to host the 73rd Annual Kansas Relays on April 14-17 in 1999," Schwartz said.
u
Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation will continue to sponsor the event when it resumes in 1999.