6A SPORTS
FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL Starting quarterback undecided for Nebraska
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009
Nebraska coach Bo Penn sat in Monday's Big 12 teleconference that he will inform his team early in the week whether freshman Cody Green or junior Zac Lee will start at quarterback Saturday against Kansas. He will probably not make the announcement public until game-time.
The decision will hinge on what Pelini and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson see in practice early in the week.
Green started in Nebraska's 10-3 victory against Oklahoma Saturday, but was replaced by Lee early in the game. Pelini said Green's removal wasn't a knock on his talent.
"That was a crazy atmosphere," Pelini said. "That game was a little bit different. I wanted to protect him a little bit, and that's one of the reasons we did what we did."
After a Nebraska interception return put the ball on the Oklahoma one-yard line early in the second quarter, Pelini decided to send Lee in the game for the first time. Lee tossed a one yard touchdown pass that was enough to defeat the Sooners. He completed 5-of-9 passes for 35 yards for the game.
Regardless of who starts against Kansas, Pelini said there might be an opportunity to play both quarterbacks.
Pelini said the ineffectiveness of the offense doesn't just fall on the quarterback position. He said it is critical that the team generate more offense and get more consistent, but it isn't surprising the offense isn't a dominant force
"it's not baffling," Pelini said, "kind of know where we are."
BASKETBALL
BASKETBALL Team nursing injuries before season picks up
Junior guard Tyrel Reed sprained his ankle during the weekend, coach Bill Self said
Monday.
Reed
Monday.
Freshman guard C.J.
Henry is still nursing a swollen knee.
The sprain looked brutal, Self said, but Reed still may be able to play.
Henry on the other hand has missed about two weeks of practice and the lack of basketball playing time as of late has his coach eager to see him on the court. He is considered day-to-day.
"I'm not concerned as much about the injuries as I am about the fact that he's missed so much time." Self said. "Once we start playing games, you don't practice as much.
"It's hard to get that rhythm and be out there because once you start playing games for real, you don't put guys in the game just to get them in the game. He needs to be out there."
Clark Goble
C. J.'s brother, Xavier, said C.J. is not taking the lack of playing exposure too hard because of "little brother stuff."
"You got the whole team behind him, coaches, got his little brother here, so I guess that's the easy way to keep his head level." Xavier said.
Also, freshman center Jeff Withey has a stress fracture in his right knee and junior guard Brady Morningstar has a sprained ankle. Both are only eligible to play starting after fall semester.
Corey Thibodeaux
FOOTBALL Snyder turns Kansas State back into winning team
MANHATTAN — More than an hour after the final whistle, the parking lot was still half full, purple-clad tailgateers flipping burgers and drinking beer, sitting in camp chairs under portable awnings.
After years of losing and apathy, football is fun again in the Little Apple.
The reason? Bill Snyder.
The architect of one of college football's greatest turnarounds is at it again in his second Kansas State reclamation project. He has the Wildcats winning again and in position for their first trip to the Big 12 championship game since 2003.
for college football and Kansas State when he came back. I wasn't happy for the rest of us because I knew he was going to get it fixed fast."
"He's the master, he's a wizard at what he does," Texas coach Mack Brown said Monday during the Big 12 coaches' call. "I was happy
Snyder needed five seasons to turn around Kansas State the first time, taking a team that had more losses than any other, including an 0-21-1 mark the previous two years, and turning it into a national title contender.
The 70-year-old coach whose name adorns Kansas State's stadium figured to have another long-term turnaround in store when he returned to the sideline this season following a three-year retirement. The Wildcats were coming off five mediocre seasons, had a recruiting class ranked last in the conference and Snyder had a roster full of players leftover from the Ron Prince era.
Associated Press
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Aldrich said he was all for getting the ball when his team needed it but said he was not requesting more touches. When he gets the ball, it may not be his to shoot. Aldrich said he was working on making better decisions, especially when he draws double teams.
"You shoot a bad shot when somebody else is wide open," Aldrich said. "We're all unselfish and we all want to win, so whoever's open, shoot the ball."
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Self said he still had no idea how minutes were going to pan out. He only has a small sample by which to judge the ability of the freshmen
Last year, Aldrich averaged 9.5 shot attempts per game, and Self wants to get that number up to double digits. Easier said than done on a team where points can come from any player.
"When things are going good and other guys are making shots, a lot of times we can forget about the big fella and we don't need to do that," Self said.
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
Kansas coach Bill Self said Monday he has not made a decision on red-shirting anyone and will reveal his decision either before or after Tuesday's game against Pittsburg State. Those with red-shirt consideration are sophomore guard Travis Leeford, junior guard Conner Teahan and senior guard Mario Little. To remain eligible to red-shirt, those players are forced to sit out the exhibition games.
— Corey Thibodeaux
SELF TO DECIDE
REDSHIRTS SOON
so he will be on the lookout for consistency.
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor pressures a Fort Hays State guard during the first half of Kansas' victory Nov. 3. Taylor had four steals in the Jayhawks' first game of the 2009-2010 season.
"I don't have a crystal ball to tell you exactly what guys' roles will be in certain situations because I don't know how these young kids are going to react," Self said.
The Gorillas played their first exhibition game of the season Sunday — an 89-53 loss to Kansas State.
"I don't have a crystal ball to tell you exactly what guys' roles will be in certain situations..."
Follow Corey Thibodeaux at twitter.com/c_thibodeaux.
they meet the Gorillas for the first time since a 94-57 Kansas victory in 2007. Kansas has won all seven games it has ever played against Pittsburg State, including three exhibition games.
The Jayhawks will trv to
BILL SELF Kansas coach
extend a 34-game exhibition winning-streak tonight when
NFL
- Edited by Nick Gerik
Chiefs release Johnson teams show interest
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Given good blocking and a fresh start, Larry Johnson might still be the power-running Pro Bowler who had back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons for Kansas City.
Are you listening, Seattle?
What do you think, Indianapolis?
Chicago? Houston?
Or he might be a declining malcontent who'll only cost money and cause trouble.
To that, every coach and general manager in the NFL is listening. The Chiefs released Johnson on Monday.
Any team with a faltering running game is bound to be tempted by Johnson, despite his baggage and his age (he turns 30 on Nov.19).
"Any player that's available, we look at," said Beaors coach Lovie Smith. "That's been our standard policy throughout. That'll be the case with Larry."
Associated Press
Senior running back Jake Sharp tries to get past two Kansas State defenders. Sharp managed just 36 rushing yards in the Jayhawks 17-10 loss.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl, and he was an even bigger reason why so much optimism spread throughout Lawrence entering this season.
But Reeing has admittedly struggled his last four games: He has 10 turnovers in that stretch.
He made three more mistakes against Kansas State Saturday.
"He was just playing hard," Mangino said. "He's just had a little bit of a streak of misfortune. I don't know how to explain it. He is a great player and he gives us the best chance to win. Like I told him we'll have short memories and we'll get ready for the next game."
The biggest problem? Reesing's turnovers have often resulted in points for Kansas' opponents, and they did again against Kansas State.
"They took advantage of miscues and capitalized on them," Mangino said Saturday.
Still, junior offensive lineman Brad Thorson said he hasn't lost any confidence in Kansas' quarterback.
"He got into being Todd a little bit more," Thorson said. "I still trust him. I still think he is the best quarterback we can put back there. And I'll put him up against anybody in the Big 12."
RUN GAME, OFFENSIVE LINE STRUGGLE
Kansas' offensive line played its best game of the season against Iowa State Oct. 10. After that game, Mangino heaped praise onto the unit.
Since that time, though, the offensive line has struggled to open up running lanes. The line's pass protection has improved, but the Jayhawks haven't rushed for 100 yards in their last four games.
Mangino reshuffled his offensive line against Kansas State.
He moved Thorson from left guard to right tackle to replace
sophomore Jeff Spikes. He also moved junior Sal Capra from right guard to left guard and inserted freshman Trevor Marongelli at right guard for his first start of the season.
"We've all played together for 12 weeks now. It wasn't unusual for us," Thorson said. "We've done a lot of experimenting in practices throughout the year with the line, We got a lot of reps in this week. It felt comfortable when we went out there."
Still, the Jayhaws struggled to consistently run the ball against the Wildcats, totaling just 60 yards.
DEFENSE UNABLE TO MAKE BIG STOPS
Kansas' defense has vastly improved during the past four weeks, and the defense certainly shoulders little blame for the recent struggles.
"It was good calls by them to go with the quarterback running," junior cornerback Chris Harris said. "We knew we needed a stop. We were right there on third-and-long but we just couldn't get it done."
But the Jayhawks have also been unable to generate defensive stops in critical moments, allowing opponents to take and maintain leads.
Kansas needed a stop to give the offense the ball back. The defense, however, couldn't stop Kansas State's offense, and the Wildcats ran out the rest of the clock for the victory.
The same scenario unfolded against Kansas State. After the Jayhawks cut the lead to 17-10, the Wildcats started a drive with 5:20 left in the game.
Follow Jayson Jenks at twitter.com/JaysonJenks.
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Edited by Abby Olcese
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November 11th,8pm Woodruff Auditorium, KS Union
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Internationally Recognized Artist Lecture
David C. Freda
Visiting Artist
Metalsmith, Enamelist, Naturalist
Lecture: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6:30 pm Spencer Museum of Art Auditorium Reception following the lecture
The lecture is co-hosted by Alpha Rho Gamma, KU Metalsmiths and the Spencer Museum of Art Student Advisory Board
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