Tuesday, October 27,1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Texas back on record-breaking track
The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas running back Ricky Williams has four games left in which to rush for another 444 yards and become the NCAA Division I career rushing leader. But he says that's not what's on his mind when he suits up.
"I don't play for records; I don't think about them when I play," Williams said yesterday. "But if I have a big game and break records, that is something I can celebrate after the game."
Williams is chasing Tony Dorsett, who set the record at 6,082 yards while playing for Pittsburgh from 1973-1976.
carry. Williams, a senior and Heisman Trophy candidate, has rushed for 5,639 yards in his
Dorsett averaged 5.66 yards'a
career so far at Texas and is averaging 6.43 yards a carry.
While still trailing Dorsett's mark. Williams has notched nine N C A A records, including career rushing touchdowns (69)
career total TDs (71) and career points scored by non-kickers
Ricky Williams; has rushed for 5,639 yards at Texas.
Williams has had 24 100-yard games, 10 200-yard games and two 300-yard games.
(428) .
"The impressive thing about Ricky is that he has bettered the rushing average of every team we've played," said University of Texas coach Mack Brown, whose Longhorns (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) are preparing to travel to No. 7 Nebraska (7-1, 3-1) on Saturday.
The nationally televised game will provide a highly visible arena as Williams contends for the Heisman Trophy as well as the career rushing record.
"The Heisman voters get their ballots this weekend, so they will have their ballot in front of them when we play." Williams said. "It
will be a big game in the Heisman voters' eyes, because it is on national television. A lot of voters don't get to see everyone play."
The last time Texas and Nebraska met, the Longhorns won 37-27 in the Big 12 championship in 1996. Texas wide receiver Wane McGarity, now a senior, caught a 64-yard touchdown putting the Longhorns ahead 30-27.
"It was a great catch, and Wayne hadn't played that much that year either." Williams recalled. "He ran a great corner route and made the safety miss. It was a huge play for us."
McGarity is the top receiver for the Longhorns with three touchdowns and 678 yards on 32 receptions this year.
No-name Steeler stars slash into Chiefs
By Dave Goldborg The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Once again, it was the story of the unsung Steelers.
Oh yes, Jerome Bettis and Kordell Stewart on offense and Levon Kirkland and Carnell Lake on defense did their part as Pittsburgh beat Kansas City 20-13 Monday night. But Lance Brown, Fred McAfee, Hines Ward and Josh Miller did just as much.
Bettis rumbled for 119 yards on 33 carries and Stewart threw a 5-yard TD pass to Charles Johnson with
10:05 left in the game for the winning score.
But just as Pittsburgh seems to replace free agent defectors by turning little-known players into stars, on this night they won because they got contributions from the little guys.
It began on Kansas City's first possession.
After Miller dropped a punt dead on the Kansas City 1-yard-line, Brown blocked a punt that McAfee fell on for a touchdown.
"What more can you say about our kicking game," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said of Miller, who
averaged 46 vards on six punts.
"For the first time I thought that showed some confidence from our team," Cowher said. "It was something to build on for the second half."
And Ward, a running back/wide receiver/quarterback in college at Georgia acted like the new "Slash" by taking a handoff from Stewart and throwing back to him for 17 yards on a third-quarter drive that led to one of Norm Johnson's two field goals.
The win left Pittsburgh (5-2) in a tie with Jacksonville for first place in the AFC Central, while Kansas
City (4-3) fell three games behind Denver and a game behind Oakland in the AFC West.
On their second possession, fullback Tony Richardson, wide open in the end zone, fell as Elvis Grbac threw what appeared to be a TD pass and the Chiefs had to settle for a 20-vard field goal.
Then, on the opening kickoff of the second half, Ted Popson was called for holding on what would have been a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. And later what might have been a 43-yard TD pass from Grbac to Andre Rison hit the receiver and bounced away.
Volleyball team hopes to finish in middle of Big 12
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said this season was about raising the bar.
The Jayhawks have focused on technical, fundamental skills and have tried to build on them.
Bechard said it was imperative that the Jayhawks keep improving throughout the season to reach their ultimate goal of finishing in the middle of the Big 12 Conference.
By Laura Bokenkroger
Kansan sportswriter
Now, just past the season's halfway mark, the Jayhawks have moved up from 10th to eighth in the Big 12 standings.
And they aren't done yet.
"At this point in the season, some teams start to coast on in and some choose to get better," Bechard said. "We have to chose to get better."
Bochard said defensive adjustments were the most critical improvements needed from last year. So far, they have been successful, posting more blocks (210) and more digs (957) than their opponents (189.5 and 953).
"If you look at the matches we've had success in, the defensive statistics will correlate with how we did." Bechard said. "That kept us hanging around against Nebraska last weekend."
Middle blocker Amanda Reves
leads the Jayhawks in blocking, contributing 109, more than half of the team's total.
Reves also leads the Jayhawks offensively. She has 259 kills on the season. Outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht has contributed 209, helping the Jayhawks best their opponents in attacks 1,116 to 1,053.
Setter Laura Rohde, who ranks second in career assists at Kansas, leads the Jayhawks with 868 assists so far this season, adding to their total of 986 — 39 better than their opponents.
Beachard said the Jayhawks had to keep improving. Although they have posted more kills, digs, blocks and sets than their opponents.
Bechard said the ratio of service aces to service errors is a concern.
While the Jayhawks have served 127 aces — serves that the other team could not return — they have committed 246 errors — either serving the ball out or into the net.
For the rest of the season, the Jayhawks will face only conference opponents. To move up in the Big 12 standings, Bechard said they had to improve technically.
"Those little things have kept us in big matches, and we can't lose sight of the details." Bechard said.
John Blake: May lose position or Oklahoma coach.
The Jayhawks will play Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Allen Fieldhouse.
Oklahoma coach faces unsure future
The Associated Press
J o h n
Blake's
third year
in charge
has been no
better than
his first
two. That
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma again approaches the end of the football season not with the anticipation of a bowl trip or
conference title but with the feeling that a new coach will be running things next year.
has prompted widespread speculation that Blake will be let go with two years remaining on his contract.
Oklahoma fans are so hungry for a return to glory that after the Sooners lost to Texas a few weeks ago, it was reported that a group of heavyweight backers were putting together a package to lure back Barry Switzer.
Switzer, who led the Sooners to three national titles before being forced out after probation and a player scandal in 1989, has said many times that he has no desire to return at age 61.
While the Switzer rumors have subsided, the speculations have not. Jim Donnan of Georgia, Tommy Bowden of Tulane, Mike Bellotti of Oregon, Gary Barnett of Northwestern and Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops are among those mentioned as possible replacements.
Athletic director Joe Castiglione has refused to discuss Blake's future during the season. But the prevailing feeling last week was that if Blake was to have any chance of saving his job, the Sooners would need to beat rival Oklahoma State.
The Sooners ended up losing 41.26 while committing 19 penalties for 177 yards. They also lost despite 220 yards rushing by tailback De'Mond Parker. He has topped 200 yards three times in the past three seasons, and Oklahoma is 0-3 in those games.
President David Boren has said all along that any decision on coaching changes would be made at the end of the season, after Castiglione has been able to make appropriate evaluations.
Blake was hired in December 1995 to replace Howard Schnellenberger, who went 5-5-1 in his only season at Oklahoma. Schnellenberger had replaced Gary Gibbs, who took over after Switzer and went 44-23-2 in six seasons. But he wasn't popular with the media or fans and was let go one year after leading the Sooners to a 9-3 finish.
Gibbs' aloofness and Schnellenberger's old-school ways did not endear them to their players. Blake, on the other hand, is popular with the players, who continue to back him.
"I don't think the coach should catch all the blame," said senior defensive tackle Kelly Gregg. "Coach has never thrown a block, never made a tackle. It's unfair for him to catch all the criticism. Sometimes you've got to look at the players, and, hopefully, we're not as bad as our record is."
Blake came to the job after serving as defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
Oklahoma thought the best way to revive the program was through recruiting, and Blake was a strong recruiter.
While the Sooners have had solid recruiting classes, they have been in disarray on the field, particularly the offense.
Blake said when he was hired that he wanted a multiple offense, and he hired Dick Winder of Texas Tech to run it. But after two years of inconsistent results, Blake fired Winder and said the Sooners were returning to the option game.
That has proved disastrous. Brandon Daniels, who was moved from defensive back to quarterback to run the option, is now the No. 3 choice at the position.
Oklahoma is 2-5, Blake is 9-21 and unlikely to get a chance to improve next season.