Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, November 20, 1998
Chargers poised to defeat Chiefs this weekend
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — Talk about a comedown.
The Kansas City Chiefs were expected to contend for the Super Bowl, or at the very least the AFC West title. Yet here they are, mucking around at the bottom of the division with the San Diego Chargers.
In the span of a week, the Chiefs could go from their embarrassing meltdown Monday night against Denver to sole possession of last place in the division. That's providing the Chargers can muster more than the six points they've averaged in getting ripped three straight times by Kansas
What once seemed like a sure Chiefs victory will be a mat c h - u p
times by Kansas City.
between teams with 4-6 records. Sunday's game at Qualcomm Stadium will be as notable for who's missing as for who shows up.
Chief among them is Derrick Thomas, a Pro Bowl linebacker who's beaten up on Chargers quarterbacks for years. He'll serve a one-game suspension imposed by the team for committing three of Kansas City's five personal fouls in the final minutes of Denver's 30-7 victory.
Linebacker Wayne Simmons, who had one personal foul and wasn't playing well anyway, was waived. Owner Lamar Hunt said their loss of poise disgraced this organization, as well as the community.
And to think the Chargers were having problems with rookie Ryan Leaf's immaturity and poor play.
After coaching the Chiefs to 13-3 records in two of the last three years, Marty Schottenheimer is trying to reverse the worst stretch under his stewardship. After opening the season 4-1, they've lost five straight for the first time since 1988, the year before Schottenheimer and general manager Carl Peterson came aboard. Schottenheimer's first year was the last time the Chiefs were 4-6.
Not even the Chargers, who dropped their last eight of 1997, have lost five straight this year. They do, after all, have the NFL's top-ranked defense, led by Junior Seau.
But just when the Chargers offense can't afford to get any more anemic, running back Natrone Means sustained a hairline fracture in his left foot in last Sunday's 14-13 defeat of Baltimore and will be out at least three weeks.
"There's no question this team is lacking in confidence right now," said Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards, who's from the San Diego area. "We're in disarray. And there's only one thing that's going to help our confidence. That's to win a game."
"I feel quite sure when San Diego looks at Kansas City, they say, 'Well, this is the Chargers' time, we've got the Chiefs in disarray, they're injured, Derrick Thomas won't be available," Schottenheimer said. "They'll have reason, I would think, for some optimism in that regard."
The Chargers look at it as a good opportunity, but they also know the Chiefs want to atone for Monday's ugliness.
On Sept. 20 at Kansas City, Means ran for 165 yards, a regular-season career-high that included a 72-yard touchdown, and San Diego's defense played well enough to win. But the Chargers lost 23-7 because Leaf had the worst game ever by a Chargers quarterback, completing just 1 of 15 passes for 4 yards, with two interceptions and three fumbles.
Leaf will sit for the second straight week while Craig Whelan will go for his second win in nine NFL starts.
Bishop receives pregame accolades
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Michael Bishop enters the regular-season finale as a Heisman contender and the spark for an unbeaten team that is ranked No. 2 in the nation.
In short, he's all the things Corby Jones might have been if not for an inured toe.
The quarterbacks, both who wear No. 7, will be the featured performers when No. 2 Kansas State (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) meets No. 19 Missouri (7-3, 5-2) tomorrow.
"I've played a half-season, and he's had a full season, and he's played a great season," Jones said. "He's had a better year than I did."
Maybe a better year than any college football player in the country. Miss-
souri coach Larry Smith has said that if he had a Helsman vote, he'd give it to Bishop.
"He is the player you have to stop to have a chance to beat them." Smith said. "He should win the Heisman."
Missouri defensive coordinator Moe Ankney took that endorsement farther, calling Bishop
Bishop. Is a top contender for the Heisman trophy.
the best offensive player he's ever seen in college
Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is usually sting with praise, but even he can envision Bishop winning the Heisman.
"When you watch him play, you see this guy is a tremendous player," Snyder said. "I can sure make a case for him winning the award.
With Bishop at the controls, Kansas State is No.1 in the nation in scoring offense and ninth in total offense. He passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 140 yards and two scores in last week's impressive 40-30 victory against Nebraska, its first against the Cormuskers in 29 years.
"If we win, I'm happy," Bishop said.
"If we lose, I'm not happy. As far as the Heisman race, I feel like the things I do on the field speak for all that."
Bishop is working on five consecutive 200-yard passing games. He has run for 12 touchdowns and passed for 20, with
only two interceptions. Missouri hopes to harass him into a few more turnovers.
"I'm not saying we're going to hit him, sack him or even touch him," Ankney said. "But he's got to feel he's got to get rid of the ball. If we let him hold onto the ball, our coverage won't hold up."
Missouri began totong Jones, also a senior, as a Heisman hopeful before last season's Halloween Bowl. That died down when Jones sprained his left big toe Oct. 3 during a 35-14 victory against Northwest (La) State.
Though Jones hasn't missed any games, for about a month he couldn't go full speed and wasn't able to generate much on the option attack. His zip returned the past two weeks, with Jones rushing for 192 yards and extending his school record to 37 touchdowns.
Regents to determine Sooner coach's future
The Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. — If John Blake is forced out at Oklahoma, he would become the third Sooner football coach in the past five years to draw a financial settlement from an athletics department operating in the red.
The Oklahoma's regents said yesterday they would have a special meeting Sunday to consider Blake's performance and his contract. The Sooners (4-6) finish their season tomorrow at home against Texas Tech.
Blake, assured of his third-straight losing season,
has two years remaining on his contract, which pays
$125,200 per year. If he is let go, the university would be
obliged to pay the final two years of the agreement.
Oklahoma will finish paying off Gary Gibbs this
year, who was let go after the 1994 season. Howard Schnellenberger's forced resignation after the 1995 season resulted in him being paid through the end of that fiscal year. June 1996.
The department's budget is about $24 million, but it has lost more than $10 million in the past 11 years.
In June, Oklahoma regents approved a $500,000 short-term department saving
it was needed to prevent a budget shortfall for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Blake
A year earlier. the regents had approved a $1.9 mil-
liion loan to the department. That loan was repaid by the beginning of 1988.
Athletic department officials said they expected the most recent loan to be repaid by Jan. 1. Associate athletics director Larry Naifeh said at the time that he didn't anticipate the department needing a loan next year.
Replacing Blake would mean bringing in another coach, which would mean spending more of the athletics department's money. But not necessarily as much as it might seem.
Blake's total income, for example, is close to $500,000 annually, including radio and television deals, shoe and apparel contracts, etc. But the university has only had to pay $126,000 of that—his salary.
Rivals speculate on retirement of Iowa coach
The Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa State football coach Dan McCarney and Kansas' Terry Allen are willing enough to talk about Hayden Fry's future, but neither will speculate on whether the Iowa coach will retire.
"It's possible he doesn't know what he's going to say," said McCarney, an assistant under Fry from 1979-89. "I don't think there's any question he's put more thought into it this year.
"Now, that doesn't mean he's going to do it this year, but I thought he's
probably given it more consideration than he ever has."
Allen, whose Jayhawks play McCarney's Cyclones tomorrow, recalls how bad the Hawkeyes were when he was growing up in Iowa City and marvels at how Fry turned the program around when he came to town in 1979.
"I think back to my youth growing up in Iowa City, when I was a senior at West High," Allen said. "I believe Iowa was 0-10 back then. Iowa wasn't what it is now when I was in high school, believe me. And that's all
because of coach Fry."
Allen coached at Northern Iowa from 1989-96 and knows what it's like to play one of Fry's teams. The Hawkeye beat Northern Iowa 34-13 in 1995.
"I think he's the most significant football coach ever in the state of Iowa," Allen said. "His turnaround at Iowa is right up there with what Bill Snyder has done at Kansas State."
McCarney was part of the rebuilding of the Hawkeyes from the start. He witnessed Fry's work, devotion and two of the team's three trips to
the Rose Bowl. Now, he's trying to convit at Iowa State.
Iowa State beat Iowa 27-9 this season. It was the first time since 1982.
"I know this has been such a tough year on him and the Hawks because they're not used to this kind of season," McCarney said. "I just want him to be happy when he does retire. I want him to enjoy it better than anybody in the world because nobody deserves it more."
Neither McCarney nor Allen would go out on a limb on predicting what Fry will do.