10B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009
NFL
Coach says Broncos need physicality
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos are still smarting from their beatdown at Baltimore and they're pledging not to let themselves get pummeled by Pittsburgh.
The main message when coach Josh McDaniels installed his game plan Wednesday was that the Broncos need to get back to the basics of winning the physical matchups. It's what they did during their 6-0 start, a stretch that came to a crashing halt in a 30-7 blowout loss at Baltimore
last week.
"Yeah, they beat us up pretty good, no question about it," Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton said. "We feel like we've got a physical football team and certainly Pittsburgh prides themselves on that, too. So, it'll be a hard-hitting game and whoever can win that battle is going to have a good chance to win."
The Broncos were the NFL's biggest surprise when they took an unbleamed record into November. Under the brash, 33-year-old McDaniels, they proved well-coached, disciplined and physical.
And they quieted any remaining doubters by beating Dallas, New England and San Diego is successive weeks in October.
Then came the blowout at Baltimore, and now the league will learn if they have a bounce-back in them that anywhere near as impressive as their stunning start.
They figure the ricochet begins with being the ones to deliver most of the punishment.
Physicality can be a nebulous notion in the NFL. What constitutes being more physical than one's opponent? Is it mostly about size, strength, speed,
matchups, gumption?
Linebacker Andrea Davis said being physical is almost all mental.
"It's about everything." Orton said. "It's about practice. You can't just practice soft for three or four days and expect to go out and play a physical game."
"You know that next day you will be hurting. So just accept the fact, go in there and bang, throw your body around and try to knock your guy back," Davis said. "It will be an all-day effort. You have to go in there and bang, bang, bang."
Great balls of fire
Devvon Ochoa, Atchison freshman, forehands the ball in the Ellsworth lobby Tuesday. The Ellsworth lobby has nino-nong and pool tables, along with a piano and a bin screen TV
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Florida coach Urban Meyer has extended Brandon Spikes suspension to the entire duration of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt. Spikes was originally suspended for the first half of the game after the star linebacker attempted to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in a 41-17 victory.
Gators coach extends Spikes'suspension
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Coach Urban Meyer says it was in the best interest of the team for Spikes to serve a fullgame suspension when the top-ranked Gators play Vanderbilt on Saturday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes has had his suspension for apparently trying to gouge the eyes of a Georgia running back increased to a full game.
Meyer had faced some criticism for only suspending his All-American linebacker for only the first half of the Vandy game. The Southeastern Conference accepted the original punishment.
Spikes stuck his hand into the facemask of Georgia's Washaun Ealey during Florida 41-17 victory against the Bulldogs last week. There was no penalty called at the time, but Meyer went back and looked at the play on tape and decided to punish Spikes.
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