THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009
SPORTS
3B
NFL
ASSOCIATED PRESENT Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels yells instructions on the sidelines during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers on Monday. The Broncos are undefeated despite a new coach and new defensive scheme.
Undefeated Broncos are season's biggest surprise
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Most years, the Denver Broncos couldn't scramble out of the doors fast enough for a little rest and relaxation on their bye week.
That's hardly the case this season.
The NFLs most surprising team at 6-0, the Broncos are hesitant to put football on the back burner for a weekend, lest they lose their edge. They'd prefer to keep their foot on the gas after a convincing 34-23 win over San Diego on Monday night.
Why would they want to get away from this?
The bye almost comes at an inconvenient time for the Broncos, who are quite mindful of keeping their momentum after building a 3½-game lead over the Chargers to the AFC West.
"We're going to stay on our P's and Q's and the time that we have off, we are going to use it correctly and come back ready to play," linebacker D.J. Williams said.
Not all that long ago, the Broncos were viewed as nothing more than an entertaining soap opera as new coach Josh McDaniels kicked off his tenure by quarreling with his Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, leading to a trade that sent Cutler to Chicago.
That was followed by a suspension of talented receiver Brandon Marshall for insubordination in training camp.
But all those episodes are now a fading memory as the Broncos move to 6-0 for the fifth time in franchise history.
They have a highly efficient quarterback in Kyle Orton, a top-ranked defense fueled by veteran Brian Dawkins and the emergence of a special teams threat in Eddie Royal, who returned a punt and
kickoff for touchdowns at San Diego.
This team is clicking. As for complacency creeping in with a week off, the Broncos don't think that will be the case.
“ W e
"We understand that we have a long way to go. We've got to continue to work hard."
ingrained in the heat of training camp when he put the players through practices in full pads a majority of the time. The approach set the groundwork for physical play, something the defense has definitely adopted.
With defensive coordinator Mike Nolanleadingtheresurgence, the Broncos have transformed into a top-notch defensive squad, allowing a league-low 11 points a game.
Those retro uniforms with the funky socks the Broncos have been donning in recent weeks are becoming apropos.
understand that we have a long way to go," Orton said. "We've got to continue to work hard."
Under McDaniels, this is almost like a throwback team, one willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
KYLE ORTON Broncos quarterback
That after so many seasons
It's a concept McDaniels
in such disarray,
blowing through
one defensive
coordinator after
another.
But the players have quickly caught on to Nolan's switch to a 3-4 look. It's also opened things up for defensive end/linebacker Elvis
Dumervil, who's utilizing his long wing span and low leverage to shed offensive linemen and lead the league with 10 sacks.
The Chargers embarrassed the Broncos last season, winning 52-21 in the final game of the season. That loss completed the Broncos' collapse as they blew a three-game lead with three games left and allowed San Diego to steal the division title.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Injured Cincinnati QB Pike may play against Louisville
Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike talks to a trainer after leaving with a sprained wrist against South Florida. Pike's status is uncertain for Cincinnati's game against Louisville.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CINCINNATI — Quarterback Tony Pike had surgery Tuesday to repair a damaged plate in his non-throwing arm, leaving his status uncertain for fifth-ranked Cincinnati's game against Louisville.
Pike broke his left forearm last season, had a plate and six screws inserted, and returned after missing two games. He led the Bearcats to their first Big East title by playing with a cast on the arm.
During a 34-17 win at South Florida on Thursday night, the plate shifted when Pike was hit, forcing him to miss most of the second half. Sophomore Zach Collaros helped the Bearcats (6-0) pull away, running for a pair of touchdowns.
Pike met with a specialist on Monday, participated in a light practice with a cast on the forearm, then chose to have the surgery after consultations with another specialist. Coach Brian Kelly was notified on Monday night.
The plan is for Pike to spend two days trying to keep the swelling to a minimum, then return to practice on Thursday and see what he can do. After that, Kelly will decide which quarterback starts against Louisville (2-4) on Saturday.
"It's going to depend on the next 48 hours," Kelly said. "He cannot go out there if he can't protect himself. We can put him in a position where he can't feel comfortable in protecting himself. The last time, it took two weeks for us to feel he was ready to go. We're hoping that process is accelerated. That's why we're not going to rule him out for Saturday night now."
Most likely, Collaros or sophomore Chazz Anderson — both of whom bailed the Bearcats out last season when Pike and Dustin Grutza got hurt — will play against Louisville 'The Bearcats' next game is at Syracuse (2-4) a week later.
Pike ranks eighth nationally with 298.6 yards passing per game. With the senior running their no-huddle, spread offense, the Bearcats are fourth nationally in scoring with 40.7 points per game.
Kelly has shown versatility and creativity in managing his quarterbacks. Last season, the
Bearcats were forced to use five of them due to the injuries. Because Cincinnati has prospered through so much quarterback uncertainty, the Bearcats don't seem too concerned.
“It's going to fall on the offensive play-calling,” Kelly said. “It's going to fall on making sure we get the right kind of calls for whoever the quarterback is. We're going to have to do some things to protect him a little bit more. We've got enough in our library that we can work on whoever the quarterback is. I don't believe anybody in that tocker room is concerned about it. We'll find a way to get it done.”
When the season ended, he worked out with weights to regain full strength in the arm. The 6-foot-6 quarterback put on about 20 pounds, bulking up to 230, so he could take the pounding this season.
Pike started the last eight games last season with his arm in a cast.
The left arm hadn't given him a problem until the game at South Florida, when he got knocked backward and put the arm down to break his fall late in the first half. He started the second half but was in a lot of pain.
Pike hasn't spoken publicly since the injury. Receiver Armon Binns said on Tuesday that Pike was in good spirits during the light workout a day earlier.
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
we want this program to be," Mangino said, "we have to start winning against teams that are considered the elite teams in the league and beat them from time to time."
It's a struggle that Fambrough, the fiery former coach, knows well. In his eight years as Kansas' head coach, he took the Jayhawks to two bowl games.
But Fambrough's teams never defeated Nebraska or Oklahoma, the cream of the Big 8 in the '70s and '80s.
"We were so far behind but at the same time we were expected to go compete with those people," Fambrough said. "Now I think they've learned their lesson and they've improved the facilities. We have as good an operation as anyone in the conference. We can stack up with anyone."
In the past few seasons alone, Kansas has added a football-specific facility, practice fields and a new playing surface, and future plans call for a larger scoreboard to be installed next year.
For a program that has slowly risen from the conference's gutter
and into the national picture, the next step of the process involves toppling the best.
"I'm trying to make it as simple as I can," Perkins said. "You have the whole cake made, you have the frosting and it tastes delicious. But you're missing that one thing. And then, plop, you put the cherry on. That's it."
And as savory as knocking off national powers Oklahoma and Texas may sound, Perkins understands that first — and most importantly — Kansas must handle the schools in its own division.
The Jayhawks are listed by many national pundits to capture the Big 12 North title, a feat that hasn't happened in Kansas history.
"Coach is building the team to have an opportunity to win the Big 12 North and put ourselves in a position to play for the championship." Perkins said. "For me, that's my goal. I think we have everything in place to do that."
Edited by Samantha Foster
While the two events are going on, she and assistant coach German Dalmagro will stay in close contact regarding the scores.
TENNIS (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
"It's always good to have the whole team with you. It's great to have that support around," Hall-Holt said.
with the team atmosphere.
"We might not call each other every ten minutes, but we'll probably update each other at the end
Dalmagro said that about 25 teams will be represented in the regional tournament this year and the competition will be extremely tough. Schools represented will include Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis University and best team Oklahoma.
Edited by Tim Burgess
of the day," Hall-Holt said.