2B
SPORTS
QUOTE OF THE DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009
"Live in hope and die in despair."
Joe DiMaggio
FACT OF THE DAY
All four teams in Kansas non-conference football schedule are teams Kansas is playing for the first time.
— Kansas Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: How many consecutive bowl games has Kansas' Saturday opponent, Southern Miss, competed in?
A:
A: Seven. It has gone 4-3 in those games while also compiling 15 consecutive winning seasons.
— ESPN.com
FOOTBALL Southern Mississippi game will be a sellout
Kansas Athletics announced yesterday that Saturday's 11 a.m. game against Southern Mississippi is a sellout. It is Kansas' sixth-consecutive home game sellout crowd this season, and, according to kauthatics.com, the 12th of the last 10 home games to sell out. Memorial Stadium's official capacity is 50,071.
— Jayson Jenks
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Magazine ranks team No.22 in preseason issue
The women's basketball team is already receiving some national attention, appearing in the preseason rankings of a college basketball magazine.
The Jayhawks, who went 22-14 en route to an appearance in the WNIT title game, were ranked No. 22 in Athlon Sports College Basketball's preseason issue. Kansas is one of four Big 12 teams ranked by the publication. The issue also listed senior guard Danielle McCray as a Second Team All-America candidate.
Lindy's College Basketball magazine also selected McCray as a preseason Second Team All-American.
NFL
Redskins victory doesn't inspire pride for the fans
LANDOVER, Md. — The fans booed another third-down failure. The field goal unit came on. The kick was good. The marching band dutifully played "Hail to the Redskins," as it did after every score.
Few felt like singing along, even though the home team now had the lead.
If there's such a thing as a demoralizing win, the Washington Redskins got one on Sunday.
They couldn't even score a touchdown in a 9-7 win over the St. Louis Rams, a team that was supposed to be an early season pushover, and a popular veteran offensive lineman appears done for the season
"We won in such an ugly fashion," cornerback DeAngego Hall said. "You don't even really take pride in the win."
Faulty predictions part of the fun
MORNING BREW
Associated Press
Thomas Gray provided the best college football analysis of any 18th century British poet when he coined the phrase "ignorance is bliss."
Were Gray around today, he may have added "Raise your hand if you had Jacory Harris on your preseason Heisman watch list. Okay, now everybody who raised their hands, put them down again. You guys are all filthy liars. Seriously, your mothers would be ashamed."
Mr. Gray, of course, would have seen the folly in such preseason prognostications. He'd have known better than to try and predict something as chaotic as college football. And, most importantly, he'd have realized that such unpredictability is what makes this time of year so much fun.
A few weeks ago, Randy Shannon was on the proverbial hot seat. Two big wins later — thanks in large part to the play of the aforementioned Harris — and Miami finds itself bolting up the rankings.
Although just settling in to his new digs in Ann Arbor, Rich Rodriguez found himself every bit as uncomfortable as Shannon. Coming off the worst season in Michigan football history, up to his neck in scandal and with no proven quarterback, Rodriguez needed something good to happen. Of course, Tate Forcier and a 3-0 start happened, and the maize and blue are no longer feeling, well, blue.
In the Top 25, right next to Washington. The same Washington that didn't win a game last year, and just beat USC
And so Michigan, once again,
finds itself in the Top 25.
— a loss that probably put an early to the Trojans' title hopes.
But if misery indeed loves company, at least USC has that. Trojan fans can get together with Oklahoma supporters and reminisce about how awesome it was to be ranked in the top five and have a starting quarterback with two good shoulders.
Those halcyon days of early September, when that other Big 12 school in Oklahoma was a championship contender, too. Coming off an apparently vindicating victory against Georgia, Oklahoma State seemed poised to break in to the nation's elite. Instead, Houston joined BYU, Boise State, Utah and TCU as this year's potential BCS buster.
BYU — then the strongest contender among the group, by virtue of its defeating Oklahoma — has already dropped from that list, following a lopsided home loss to Florida State. Utah's gone too, the nation's longest winning streak snapped by Oregon.
Three weeks in, perhaps we ought to turn to another great
college football analyst, Socrates,
for advice. Perhaps true wisdom
does indeed come from admitting a lack of knowledge. After
all, it was only a short time ago
that everyone thought Charlie
Weis was an arrogant idiot. Well,
maybe we do know that one thing
for sure.
Edited by Amanda Thompson
Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown runs with the ball after taking the snap from a wildcat formation in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday in Miami. At left is Gisel defenses and defensive Tawason.
Follow Kansan sports writer Alex Beecher at twitter/alexbeecher.
Colts win in Dolphins' home opener
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — While the Miami Dolphins' celebrities were making a Hollywood-style grand entrance, Peyton Manning slipped in a side door and stole the show.
Manning threw two touchdown passes to take some sheen off the Dolphins' glitzy makeover under new owner Stephen Ross, and the Indianapolis Colts came from behind four times to win 27-23 Monday night.
The Dolphins rolled out an orange carpet for the pregame arrival of Ross' celebrity partners. The crowd included Sterena and Venus Williams, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett and Colts rooter Tiger Woods.
But Manning was the big star. He had the ball for less than 15 minutes but threw touchdown passes of 80 yards to Dallas Clark and 48 yards to Pierre Garcon.
"It was about being efficient when it counted, in the fourth quarter," Manning said. "That's really what the game's about."
Manning finished 14 for 23 for 303 yards, and the Colts improved to 2-0. The Dolphins fell to 0-2 even though they had 239 yards rushing, including 107 with the wildcat.
Indianapolis had the ball for only 14:53, the lowest time of possession for a winning team in the NFL since 1977.
"It's really disheartening," Miami coach Tony Sparano said. "That's exactly the formula to beat that team."
Indy trailed 10-7, 13-10 and 20-13, but each time pulled even. Down 23-20 after Miami scored with 3:50 left, the Colts rallied one more time with a big play by Garcon.
"Pierre was patient," Manning said. "He was more talkative than he had been all game, saying, 'I can beat him. I can beat him.' Of course we didn't get many possessions, but he came up big when we really needed him."
After completions of 15 and 17 yards, Manning hit Garcon with a short pass on the right side.
Miami reached the Colts 30-yard line with 6 seconds left, but Chad Pennington's desperation pass was intercepted in the end zone by Antoine Bethea.
Garcon cut to the middle, then broke back toward to the corner of the end zone to score.
once and controlled the ball for a team-record 45 minutes. They had to wonder how they lost.
The answer:
Manning. He
earned his 119th
victory with the
Colts, breaking
the team record
That was the Dolphins' lone turnover. They were 15 for 21 on third-down conversions, punted
Miami's Ronnie Brown rushed for 136 yards, including 62 in the wildcat, taking a direct snap each time. Teammate Ricky Williams added 69 yards rushing.
Manning took only three snaps in the third quarter. The Dolphins controlled the ball for nearly nine minutes on a 13-play, 80-yard
as Johnny Unitas. He was a real winner."
"I don't feel comfortable with these comparisons to Unitas," Manning said. "But I'm very proud to wear the same uniform
"It was about being efficient when it counted, in the fourth quarter. That's really what the game's about."
touchdown drive capped by Brown's 3-yard run. That put them ahead 20-13 early in the fourth quarter.
for a quarterback he shared with Johnny Unitas.
Indy quickly pulled even again. Manning hit Clark for 49 yards to set up a 15-yard scoring
PEYTON MANNING Colts quarterback
run by Donald Brown.
kept the Dolphins from trying a game-winning kick in the final seconds.
The Colts struck 12 seconds into the game when Manning threw deep to tight end Clark, who had slipped 5 yards behind linebacker Akin Ayodele. Clark broke a tackle by Gibril Wilson near midfield and sprinted to the end zone.
Miami drove 51 yards and broke a 20-all tie with Dan Carpenter's 45-yard field goal with 3:50 left. He made two other field goals but also missed from 49, which
Miami responded with a 75-yard drive to tie the score. Three wildcat plays netted 28 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown.
After Carpenter kicked a field goal with 43 seconds left in the second quarter, a call overturned by a replay review allowed the Colts to kick a field goal on the final play of the half for a 13-all tie. Wilson intercepted Manning, but a review determined the pass instead was incomplete. Manning then hit Clark for 20 yards with two seconds left, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Men's golf
Jim Colbert
Intercollegiate,
All day.
Manhattan
WEDNES
ISDAY
Women's
volleyball
vs. Oklahoma.
630 p.m.
THURSDAY
No events scheduled.
FRIDAY
Women's soccer Oklahoma State, 7 p.m.
Women's tennis KU tournament, All day
SATURDAY
Football Southern Miss. 11 a.m.
Women's volleyball Baylor, 1 p.m.
Women's tennis KU tournament, All day
NFL
Offensive tackle sprains left knee. unlikely to play
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Rams off-ensive tackle Jason Smith, the second overall pick in this year's draft, sprained his left knee and will be listed as doubtful for Sunday's home game against Green Bay.
An MRI exam revealed the extent of the injury, which coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday would not require surgery. The Rams lost 9-7 at Washington on Sunday.
Adam Goldberg finished the game at Smith's position and would likely replace him as the starter. Smith said he was hurt during the Rams' touchdown drive in the second quarter, although he stayed in for several more plays before leaving the game.
"I don't remember whether it popped or not." Smith said. "In the heat of the battle, you don't really feel it, but I knew something wasn't right."
Goldberg started six games at four offensive line positions last year and started at right tackle much of the preseason before Smith was elevated to first string. He has experience against the Packers after playing with the Vikings for three years.
"The goal is just to play well when called upon," Goldberg said. "It's nothing I'm not used to"
Center Jason Brown also has a knee sprain but Spagnuolo said Brown was day to day. Offensive lineman John Greco (wrist) was set to return this week after missing the first two games.
HOCKEY Colorado Avalanche sign new 18-year-old forward
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have signed second-round draft pick Ryan O'Reilly to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The 18-year-old forward has played for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League the last two seasons. He finished with 16 goals and 50 assists last year.
O'Reilly was taken by Colorado with the 33rd overall pick in the 2009 entry draft.
Earlier this summer, the Avalanche agreed to terms with their top pick, Matt Duchene.
Associated Press
LEGISLATION Wisconsin Senate considers letting players run lights
MADISON, Wis. — The state Senate is set to consider a bill that would allow NFL teams to run red lights on their way to Lambau Field in Green Bay.
The bill would permit police to escort any vehicle processions through red lights.
Police asked for the bill to clarify whether they could escort processions through stoplights. So did the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, where Green Bay Packer opponents stay. The hotel wants the bill to ensure teams get a smoother ride to Lambeau Field — and keep the teams coming to their hotel.
Associated Press