2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"When it comes to the football field, mind will always win over brute force."
Walter Camp
FACT OF THE DAY
With the graduation of Mike Rivera, James Holt and Joe Mortensen Kansas lost 288 tackles from last year's defense.
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
-KUAthletics.com
Q: Who owns the school record for most tackles in a season?
A: Willie Pless owns the top three spots with 206 in 1984, 191 in 1985 and 188 in 1983. Pless also shares the school record for 25 tackles in a game.
2009 Kansas Football Media Guide
POLITICS Former Red Sox pitcher interested in Senate
BOSTON — Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher who won the allegiance of Bostonians by leading the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series, said Wednesday that he has "some interest" in running for the seat held for nearly 50 years by Democrat Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
Schilling, a registered independent and longtime Republican supporter, wrote on his blog that while his family and video game company, 38 Studios, are high priorities, "I do have some interest in the possibility."
Kennedy died last week at age 77 from a brain tumor. A special election to replace him is scheduled for Jan.19.
Associated Press
COMMENTARY
Thursday night football games
Keep your head up kid, we made it to the end of the week (sort of)
This weekend entails the official start of college football season. While it will be another 48 hours before you can grill outside Memorial Stadium and watch Kansas kick off its 2009 campaign — don't forget hand sanitizer! — you can get things started tonight with a perfectly-timed slate of Thursday night football on ESPN.
Among the nine games tonight, two will make it on ESPN: South Carolina at North Carolina State at 6 p.m. and No. 16 Oregon at No. 14 Boise State at 9:15 p.m.
First up will be Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks entering the year on the heels of a three-game losing streak. "The old ball coach" has actually experienced three such streaks while at South Carolina each of the last three seasons. To put that in perspective, he only did that twice as head coach at Duke and Florida the 16 years before.
I don't see the continuation of a tumultuous tenure with South Carolina getting off to any better of a start tonight as the Gamecocks will arrive in Raleigh as 3 1/2 point underdogs
and will face one of the ACC's top quarterbacks in sophomore russell Wilson. Wilson has thrown a school-record 249 consecutive passes without an interception — also good for the nation's longest streak.
Later in the evening you'll want to catch the first marquee match of the college football season as the BCS-busting Boise State hosts an Oregon team being crowned as a sexy-pick to capture the Pac 10 championship during a year that finds Southern Cal reloading.
If you or anyone you know is sensitive to harsh colors, however, you may want to throw on a pair of shades or watch from a distance as the already-obscenely blue field that the Broncos call home will be accompanied by another potentially dizzying sight.
Boise State has constructed a seating chart in which fans in corresponding sections wear either blue, orange or white, thus creating a home-field advantage
that may render its opponents epileptic or at least wildly nauseous.
That's not to say Oregon can't roll out the unsightly scheme as well. Just check out its new (again) uniforms this season. The Ducks unveil a new uniform scheme every three years in an attempt to lure more recruits while also leaving us scratching our heads. This one's got wings!
Appearances aside, there's a lot to love about this season-opening matchup. For starters, two of the nation's top sophomore quarterbacks will duel. Kellen Moore returns to a Boise State squad he helped lead to a 12-1 record with the only loss a one-point defeat against Texas Christian in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Oregon has Jeremiah Masoli at the helm trying to avenge a home defeat against Boise State just last season. Despite the daunting color scheme, Oregon just may pull it off. Senior running back LeGarrette Blount may provide the spark that Boise State could have trouble matching.
WINGS AND COACHSPEAK
The only question left is where to watch the games.
Lawrence is not for want of venues to watch a game. That's a discussion for another day.
But for tonight and Thursdays this fall, you may want to make a point to head to Buffalo Wild Wings and catch Mark Mangino's Hawk Talk show broadcast live at 6 p.m. on the Javhawk Radio Network.
Pace yourself, though wings and refreshments can land you a hefty bill in a hurry.
— Edited by Jonathan Hermes
Follow Kansan
sports editor
Stephen
Montemayer
at twitter.com/
smontemayer.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
No event scheduled
FRIDAY
Volleyball:
Lipscomb, 12 p.m.
Lawrence
Soccer:
Long Beach State,
4 p.m.
Lawrence
Volleyball:
Florida
International, 7
p.m. Lawrence
SATURDAY
Volleyball:
Creighton, 1 p.m.
Lawrence
Football:
Northern
Colorado, 6 p.m.
Lawrence
SUNDAY
Soccer:
Rhode Island, 12
p.m.
Lawrence
A new billboard facing the Notre Dame camp is on display on Aug. 31, 2019 in South Bend, Ind. The billboard offers a not-so-subtle criticism to Notre Dame camp Charlie Weis.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRE $ ^{\mathrm{TM}} $ LSAT $ ^{\mathrm{TM}} $ GMAT $ ^{\mathrm{TM}} $
TEST PREPARATION That's Right on Target.
KU CONTINUING EDUCATION The University of Kansas
Register early! Save $100! Test preparation classes now enrolling.
www.ContinuingEd.ku.edu (keyword: testprep) · 785-864-5823
LEARN ABOUT A CAREER IN LAW
100097
LAW SCHOOL CAREER FAIR WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9 1-4 PM KS UNION BALLROOM
MEET ADMISSIONS REPS FROM 75+ SCHOOLS GET VALUABLE LSAT INFORMATION LOOK FOR APPLICATION DISCOUNTS WWW.PADUKANS.WORDPRESS.COM
"Everything was great until the last word," he said, laughing. "So tell them thanks a lot for wishing me best wishes."
It reads: "Best wishes to Charlie Weis in the fifth year of his college coaching internship." Weis said Tuesday he had not yet seen the billboard, about a half mile from his office, but had been told about it.
CO-SPONSORED BY PHI ALPHA DELTA AND THE KU PRE-LAW OFFICE
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A new billboard facing the Notre Dame campus offers a not-so-suble reminder to coach Charlie Weis that the past two seasons have not been up to the standards of the storied Fighting Irish football program.
FOOTBALL
New billboard criticizes coach
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Weis is well aware that Notre Dame fans have high expectations after the Irish went 3-9 and 7-6 the past two seasons — the most losses
in a two-year span in the 120-year history of Irish football. Those 15 losses are three more than Knute Rockne had in 13 seasons as coach, four more than Frank Leahy had in 11 years and two fewer than Ara
Many Irish fans are saying he needs another BCS berth this year. Weis was asked Tuesday about being on the hot seat.
"I'm the head coach at Notre Dame. Welcome to my world," he said
that he let him skip a few days of school.
"I'm the head coach at Notre Dame. Welcome to my world."
So Weis made some changes in the offseason, replacing the offensive and defensive line coaches, hiring a new running backs coach and
While he tries to brush off the pressure, he's acknowledged in the past that the struggles have taken their toll. Weis was so concerned about his teenage son taking abuse after the Irish lost to an eight-loss Syracuse team last November
CHARLIE WEIS
Notre Dame head coach
taking over himself as offensive coordinator
— the same position he held with the New England Patriots for five seasons when they won three Super Bowl championships.
"I'm not worried about hot seats, cold seats, anything." Weis said. "I'm just worrying about trying to beat Nevada."
Weis said his focus this week isn't on his job status but on the opponent, Nevada.
which went 7-6 last season and has gone to a school-record four straight bowl games.
.