Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Monday
September 28, 1998
Section:
B
Page 1
Kansas Softball
SEE PAGE 5B
The Jayhawks went 4-2 this weekend in the fall softball season opener.
Kansas Volleyball
SEE PAGE 3B
Conference rival Kansas State beat the Jayhawks in Manhattan Saturday evening.
SEE PAGE 4B
Contact the Kansan
Sports Desk:
Sports Fax:
Sports e-mail:
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
(785) 864-4810
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matff@ukans.edu
Jayhawks make history
Four-overtime victory ends team's road woes
By Jodi M. Smith
Kansas sportswriter
It was a game full of — and worthy of — fireworks.
In a 39-37 Kansas win against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, fireworks were set off before the game and following every Blazer touchdown. But no flashes of red, blue and green were to be seen when the game finally ended after four overtimes.
And it was just the kind of win, their
first road win in almost two years, that the 'Hawks needed going into their game against Texas A&M this Saturday.
Despite 375 yards of total offense, the Kansas offense looked far from perfect during the first three quarters of the game Saturday night.
"We weren't playing with intensity," quarterback Zac Wegner said. "We were just out there going through the motions and not doing good things."
Through regulation, the only impressive offensive display came in the final seconds of the first half when freshman wide receiver Harrison Hill returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. The Jayhawks went to the locker room with a 10-7 lead.
A 40-yard field goal by sophomore Joe Garcia in the third quarter and a fourth quarter one-yard run by Wegner and two-point con-
HILL
25-yard touchdown pass to Hill on the first play of the drive. Garcia kicked the extra point, and the 'Hawks were up 28-21.
Not for long.
Kansas held the Blazers during the second overtime and seemed to have the game in hand after setting up a 36-yard field goal by Garcia. He kicked
The Blazers answered with a oneyard rush from senior fullback Benji Morrow. The extra point was good and it was a tie game.
Wide receiver Harrison Hill was named big 12 Conference Special Teams player of the week. His accomplishments:
■ Returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half against the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He finished with two punt returns for 93 yards.
passion pass to junior running back Mitch Bowles left the Jayhawks tied with the Blazers at the end of regulation. 21-21.
A chance for Kansas to take the game with 36 seconds left failed after a 31-yard Garcia field goal attempt was tipped by the Blazers and flew past the goal posts wide right.
That's when the real fireworks began. In the first overtime, Wagner threw a
Caught eight passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Both touchdown receptions were in overtime, including the game winner.
wide right, however,and the same continued
game continued.
Kansas and UAB traded goals in the third overtime — a 30-yarder from Garcia and a 35-yard kick from UAB's junior kicker Jake Arians.
And again it was tied, 31-31.
The Blazers retaliated with their final touchdown of the game, a 21-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Lee Jolly to split end Darrius Malone. Jolly's pass for a two-point conversion was incomplete.
The Jayhawks scored on their first play when Wegner connected with Hill again for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion from Wegner to wide receiver Michael Chandler was good and the Jayhawks stole the game, 39-37.
The Kansas players' screams, shouts and jumps for joy were their own fireworks after that.
"We stumbled and bumbled around enough with so many penalties and poor execution things that we could've easily quit on ourselves and we could've turned on ourselves," coach Terry Allen said. "But we didn't do that, and what a finish."
A crazy finish.
"I had a great time playing this game," Wegner said. "It has to be the most fun game I've ever played."
Senior wide receiver Michael Chandler catches the ball in the end zone for the game winning two-point conversion in the fourth overtime. Chandler finished with four receptions for 37 yards on Saturday. Photo by Jay Sheperd/KANSAN
Nail-biter ends in triumph for Kansas football
Three overtimes later, the Jayhawks were a two-point winner against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
High school teams each get the ball 10 yards from the end zone and have four plays to score. If both teams tied after one overtime, the overtime process is repeated until one team wins.
The Kansas football team played in its first overtime Saturday.
The Jayhawks had played in an NCAA-record 58 games that ended in ties before Division I-A adopted a tie-breaking overtime rule three years ago.
Before the first overture, an official flipped a coin to determine who would get the ball. UAB won the toss and decided to take the ball second.
The overtimes that Kansas and UAB played were similar to the high school overtimes, except the teams got the ball 25 yards from the end zone.
For football fans, the Kansas overtime session might have been confusing.
By Matthew Friedrichs Kansan sports editor
In the first overtime, Kansas didn't need a first down, scoring on the first play. But UAB made first downs at the 11-yard line and the two-yard line en route to their tying touchdown.
Kansas and UAB had the chance to make first downs before scoring.
In the second overtime, UAB missed a 50-yard field goal. On second and 15 from the 19-yard line, Kansas kicker Joe Garcia also missed a 36-yard field goal.
After the first overtime ended with the teams tied, possession of the ball switched and UAB started with the ball on the 25.
After the second overtime, the rules require both teams to go for two-point conversions if they scored a touchdown.
The teams traded field goals in
the third overtime, and in the fourth overtime, Kansas won.
After UAB scored a touchdown in the fourth overtime, the Blazers had to go for two points, and quarterback Lee Jolly's pass fell incomplete.
Kansas faced the same pressure after Zac Wegner's completed a touchdown pass to receiver Harrison Hill. But Wegner completed a pass to receiver Michael Chandler for the two-point conversion, and Kansas won by two.
Commentary
Sports can be all fun, games
Friday afternoon was perfect for a ball game.
The day had everything — sun, blue sky, green grass, white chalk, a breeze and the flags flapping in from center field.
The Kansas softball team split a doubleheader with Pittsburg State.
Saturday was much the same — a stiff breeze from the southwest, a soft infield, a partly cloudy sky, a keg of beer and a softball game.
The Kansan staff gathered for our biannual softball game. It's a grudge match between the advertising staff and the news staff on par with the rivalry between Kansas and Kansas State.
Unfortunately, like games between the Kansas basketball team and non-Division I basketball teams in the state, the series is lopsided.
The ad staff has won all but one of the games in recent memory, and Saturday's game was no exception.
The addies, buoyed by a 10-1 first inning, beat us 24-19.
But the real story of the game wasn't the seemingly inevitable win by the the ad staff.
The story was that a bunch of college kids, most of whom are
Matt Friedrichs matt@ukans.edu
studying journalism because of a profound lack of professional sports ability, took the field, competed and enjoyed themselves.
Fielders made great catches — and big errors.
Hitters drove the ball to the fence — and popped up to the pitcher.
In short, during a weekend when Kansas cross country, soccer, football, volleyball, tennis and softball athletes were competing, some of their fellow students who rarely even pick up a glove were experiencing the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Sports are fun.
Competition is entertaining.
And winning isn't everything, but it sure feels important when you're on the field straining to get to a fly ball.
We didn't have scholarships or a future professional athletic career on the line when we took the field Saturday.
But we played for fun, for pride and for the pure enjoyment of the game.
Oh, and Jodie Chester, the Kansan editor, had a bet with Marc Harrell, Kansan business manager. He would have had to shave his head if the addies lost, but because the news staff lost, Jodie has to dye her hair.
Even that has a sports precedent, albeit in a win rather than a loss.
After his Iowa State football team beat Iowa Sept. 12, coach Dan McCarney dyed his hair to celebrate the victory.
It was a great weekend for sports. Sure, the news staff lost. But the Jayhawks performed well on the field, we had fun playing and we enjoyed the competition.
Friedrichs is a Bremen graduate student in journalism.
Soccer records tumble at Kansas Tournament
By Brad Hallier
Kansan sportswriter
It was a record-breaking weekend for the Kansas soccer team at the inaugural Kansas Tournament.
Six school records fell this weekend, and the Jayhawks tied two others as they won the tournament.
Forward Lindsay Kennedy's goals Friday in the 15th and 18th minutes set the record for the two fastest goals by an individual, and the Jay hawks (5-4) rolled to a 4-1 win against
Kansas midfielder Erin Hon fights Western Illinois midfielder Amanda Wandtike for the ball. The Jayhawks beat the Westerwinds 5-0 in Sunday's game at the intramural field south of Watkins Memorial Health Center. Photo by Daniela Sutor/KANSAN
Central Oklahoma (2-5). Her goals also equaled the most in one game by an individual. She added two more yesterday against Western Illinois (1-8), and she now leads the team with four.
Midfielder Erin Hon tallied a goal 35 seconds into yesterday's game, the fastest in team history, and the Jayhawks rolled to a 5-0 win. The five goals were the most in team history, and the shutout also marked the Jayhawks' largest margin of victory.
Hon added another goal in the 18th minute to tie the individual single game mark, and Kylie Watts also headed in a goal one minute later. Those goals marked the two fastest in school history. The Jayhawks' 34 shots Sunday set a team record as well.
Hon said that the reason for the early explosion against Western Illinois was the intense pressure the Jayhawks put on the Westerwinds.
"I felt confidence in myself to beat their players," she said. "I think I plaved well."
"It was great to score those goals," she said. "We were focused from the beginning. We a total team effort, and we were all determined and ready to score."
Midfielder Natalie Hoogveld had a strong game yesterday, and she became the second Jayhawk to get two assists in a match.
"If you're going to pick a time to set records, your own tournament is the time to set those records," Kansas coach Dan Magner said.
Magner said he felt this weekend's performances were a solid prelude to the upcoming conference matches.
"These wins give us confidence," he said. "Scoring nine goals in a weekend can do nothing but help build confidence. Second, everyone on our roster was able to play this week."
That included seldom-used goalkeeper Betsy Pollard in the final minutes of yesterday's win.
"I didn't get lots of action." Pollard said. "I put in as much time as anyone else, so it gets frustrating on the sideline. But it was a good feeling to get in the game."
Referees deemed Super Target Field unplayable, and Friday's games were held at Perry Lecompton High School. Yesterday the games were held on the intramural field south of Workins Memorial Health Center.
Kansas players Kennedy, Watts, midfielder Cynthia Dahle and defender Sarah Korpli were named to the all-tournament team.