THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Inside Sports
Sports
Friday
September 11, 1998
Section:
B
Page 1
Cross Country
Five and Oh! The Kansas volleyball team tries to extend it's winning streak at a tournament in Indianapolis. See Page 3B
The Kansas men's and women's cross country teams compete Saturday at Rim Rock Farm.
SEE PAGE 2B
Men's basketball
Prep recruit Andrew Gooden had an in-home visit with coach Roy Williams last night.
SEE PAGE 2B
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Jayhawk Football
'Hawks to battle Tigers in storied border war
Ron Warner, former Kansas linebacker, celebrates a big hit on Missouri quarterback Corby Jones. Kansas won the Sept. 13 game last year 15-7 at home. Kansas file photo
by Jodi M. Smith
Kansan sportswriter
"Rivalry games are what college football is all about," Kansas football coach Terry Allen said during Wednesday's press conference.
Few rivalry games this season will hold as much suspense, excitement and revenge as tomorrow's Kansas-Missouri match up.
After the Jayhawk's 15-7 victory last season over the Tigers, Missouri wants revenge so bad they can taste it.
"They caused us a lot of heartbreak last year, and we've never forgotten that," Mrs. coach Larry Smith said. "Kansas is a much better football team than a year ago when we played them, and they beat us."
Indeed, the Jayhawks stopped the Tigers dead in their tracks.
In the wining seconds of the fourth quarter, with Missouri on the Kansas 10-yard-line, Kansas linebacker Ron Warner sacked Missouri quarterback Corby Jones, causing a fumble that ended the game.
But that was then, and tomorrow the 'Hawks travel to Columbia, Mo., to face a Tiger team brimming with retaliation.
"I think Missouri had an outstanding season a year ago," Allen said. "Probably if you look back, the only blench on that season was the loss to Kansas. So, I'm sure that this is a huge football game for them, but this is a huge football game for us, also."
For those players who joined the Kansas ranks from Missouri, this is the game of the season in their minds as well.
Senior tight end Brian Gray grew up in Liberty. Mo, where the rivalry still thrives.
"Our next-door neighbor flies a big, yellow Missouri flag every game we play, so my parents decided to go out and get a big KU flag." Gray said. "It's kind of a little bit of a rivalry amongst our friends, but it's a friendly rivalry. And it's always good to go back and be able to say we pulled this one out, we got this year."
But Missouri is determined to keep Gray from saving that again.
Missouri tailback Devin West said signs hung around the athletic building reminded the Tigers of last year's loss.
"I pulled up to the building on Monday and saw the signs." West said. "Then I walked in the building and saw the 15-7 signs everywhere. So Coach is reminding us of what happened last year, but I really don't think we need the reminding. We remember."
Perhaps the loss hurt so much because it came from the Jayhawks, their nemesis in the oldest border war west of the Mississippi.
For junior defensive back Chad Coellner, it's K-State because Coellner is a native Kansan. For Gray, it's Missouri.
Butamong Kansas players, naming the big gerr rival — K-State or Missouri — is a toss-up.
Allen understands the dilemma.
"Obviously, we're still going through the learning curve as far as who's Kansas' biggest rival," Allen said. "Is it Missouri or is it Kansas State? I think you might draw a line, an age line. The older perceive it as Missouri, the younger people perceive it as Kansas State.
"But I know one thing. The University of Kansas is Missouri's biggest rival, and they're probably having a party over there right now waiting for the arrival of the Jayhawks."
Probable starters
Check out Kansas and Missouri's probable starters for Saturday's game.
See page 6B
Week No.2 College Football Predictions
Matt Friedrichs Sports Editor Kevin Wilson Associate Sports Editor Jodi Smith Football Reporter Spencer Duncan Columnist
1. Kansas vs. Missouri
2. Nebraska vs. California
3. Iowa St. vs. Iowa
4. Northern Illinois vs. Kansas St.
5. Fresno St. vs. Colorado
6. Texas vs. UCLA
7. Louisiana Tech vs. Texas A&M
8. Texas Tech vs. North Texas
9. Oklahoma vs. TCU
10. Oklahoma St. vs. Tulsa
11. Baylor vs. Oregon St.
12. Notre Dame vs. Michigan St.
Last Week's Record Overall
6-6 6-6 6-6 8-4 10-2
6-6 6-6 8-4 10-2
Brandon Krisztal Sports Staff Randy Witers Sports Staff John Kaplan Student Nick Bradford Celebrity
Kansas Missouri Kansas Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Iowa Iowa Kansas St. Kansas St. Kansas St. Kansas St. Colorado Colorado Colorado Colorado
Texas UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA Texas A&M Texas A&M Texas A&M N. Texas
Texas Tech Texas Tech Texas Tech TCU
TCU Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oregon St. Oregon St. Baylor Oregon St. Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
Michigan St. Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
1. Kansas vs. Missouri
2. Nebraska vs. California
3. Iowa St. vs. Iowa
4. Northern Illinois vs. Kansas St.
5. Fresno St. vs. Colorado
6. Texas vs. UCLA
7. Louisiana Tech vs. Texas A&M
8. Texas Tech vs. North Texas
9. Oklahoma vs. TCU
10. Oklahoma St. vs. Tulsa
11. Baylor vs. Oregon St.
12. Notre Dame vs. Michigan St.
Last Week's Record Overall
8-4 9-3 7-5 9-3
8-4 9-3 7-5 9-3
Commentary
Kansas vs. Missouri: the rivalry continues
Jayhawks will beat the Pussycats again
Why do I hate the University of Missouri?
I know it's not the people. My mom's from Webster Groves, near St. Louis, and at least one of my uncles graduated from Mizzou.
It's not the dialect that changes an "i" to an a." My best friend from Kansas, Michael Weishaar, is a Liberty native and does the same thing.
And it's not the political history. Quantrill is dead; Lawrence was rebuilt long ago and far above the golden valley, glorious to view, stands our noble alma mater, towering toward the blue.
It's not even desperation. We have in-state
nemesis Kansas State (funny how all our rivals are Pussy-cats) to goad us into acts of KU fervor.
Matt Friedrichs
But the proximity of the Universities of Kansas and Missouri, with Kansas City straddling the state line, has led to a great border rivalry — one with more than a century of sporting contests
One has only to look at the all-time record to see the close competition in football between two schools separated only by a few hours on Interstate 70. The Tigers lead the series by one, 49-48, but the Jayhawks will even the record tomorrow.
Any Kansas vs. Missouri game is much like a match-up between the Chiefs and the Raiders. The good guys in red (and blue) take on the bad guys in black (and gold).
The nature of rivalries, Jayhawks against Tigers in this feud, is almost cartoonish.
One of my friends, when I asked him about the rivalry, put it in words that even Homer Simpson would understand.
"My father hated Missouri, and my father's father hated them," my friend said.
Another KU alumnus, who will remain anonymous to protect his Missouri citizenship, complained that Missouri fans have no aspirations. In his opinion, the success of a Missouri season is based solely on a win against the Jayhawks with no thought given to actual records or postseason play.
You can debate the merits of his argument, but there is no disputing the line drawn in many offices this weekend and the ugly chores that will result from bets between co-workers flying different colors.
It's like the eternal and bitter conflict between cats and dogs, or in this case, cats and birds.
Sylvester takes on Tweety. The cute, yellow bird, just like the Jayhawks, always beats the black-and-white cat, who is a tiger in his own mind but in no other way.
The game will be hard-fought with big hits, big plays and lots of excitement.
Missouri has the experience of a firstweek win against Bowling Green, memories of last season's Holiday Bowl and a thirst for more.
Kansas brings experience from a close loss to one of Big 12's best teams, Oklahoma State, a more aggressive and exciting offense and experience stopping an athletic quarterback. Tony Lindsay.
Anyone who expects a repeat of last year's 15-7 Kansas win will be surprised. Quarterback Zac Wegner and the Jayhawks' offense are much improved, and Tiger quarterback Corby Jones has shown how athletic he can be.
But quality improvements come from playing quality opponents. The Jayhawks will avoid mistakes and big plays tomorrow and will give the Tigers a taste of Big 12 in Missouri's conference opener.
You probably won't hear it in the locker rooms after tomorrow's 85-17 Kansas win, but Jayhawks everywhere will not be surprised by our consecutive wins against the Tigers.
And as we discuss what happened to the vaunted Missouri team, you just might hear, "tot I taw a puddy tat."
Friedrichs is a Bremen graduate student in journalism.
Tigers are superior to the Chickenhawks
Last weekend, I had to drive though Kansas on my way home from Colorado.
My mind was starting to wander. After all, I hadn't seen anything for hours besides fields of corn and a few nervous sheep.
I began to think about the upcoming football season, and like any Tiger fan, I started to get excited because I knew the Chickenhawks would be coming to Columbia soon.
The rivalry between Missouri and Kansas is the oldest of its kind west of the Mississippi.
The hatred between the two schools goes back to a conflict in the mid-1800s, and the debate about Kansas' admission
to the Union. After some initial skirmishes, so-called J a y h a w k e r s decided to help themselves to anything in Missouri, prompting Gen. Hallek to inform President Lincoln
that the Jayhawkers were little more than thieves and murderers.
(if you count Ryan Robertson's defection, it seems little has changed.)
I started to chuckle to myself as I thought of the imaginary bird that Kansas uses as a mascot, named after those first "Jayhawkers."
But my mind snapped back to reality as I thought I saw a tree on the horizon. It was only a telephone pole, so I began to davdream again.
I tried to think of some of the good things about Kansas. After all, every one and every thing must have some positive quality, however minute.
As I recall from a history class, Kansas was the birthplace of several astronauts. Of course, if I were from Kansas, I also would want to get as far away as possible.
I was beginning to get drowsy, so I thought I should pull over for a while. After a few miles, I saw the exit for Lawrence and pulled off for a break.
I happened upon a recent Kansas graduate, and we began to have a nice conversation. As we were conversing, it came up that I attended Missouri, and we started to discuss the rivalry between the two schools and the upcoming football game.
He smiled, exposing his pearly white tooth and started to babble about his alma mater.
"Oh, me and all my kin grill-Iated from over thar," he said. "Wez all gonnake hook our trailers up to them that trucks and be getting to Co-jumba far the game."
I had to interrupt him at that point to yell at the four Kansas students laying sod outside: "Green side up!"
Anyway, as the conversation continued, I started to see some parallels between Kansas and Missouri.
■ Missouri cheerleaders date Missouri football players; Kansas cheerleaders are football players.
Missouri fans show up to games in force to cheer; Kansas fans show up to games and are forced to cheer.
MU graduates pay for pizza; Kansas graduates deliver pizza.
Devin West had 125 rushing yards last week; Kansas had less than 100 yards rushing last week.
Missouri has a successful medical school; Kansas has certified 7,000 firefighters in the last 10 years.
Missouri invented homecoming; Kansas can't get people to come back.
I had to get going, so I told him to enjoy the game. I even said that maybe when the Tigers' Lair did its card stunts that the Antlers would read them out loud since none of the Kansas fans could read.
He thanked me, gave me my change and said, "Please pull to the next window and come again."
1
Jeffery Eye is a Branson, Mo., pre-med student at the University of Missouri and a member of the Antlers. He is a guest columnist for the Columbia Missouri.