BASEBALL UPDATE
Absent for 15 years, the NEW YORK YANKEES are returning to what was once their traditional culture. Reconstructed
a three-nomer third inning and a eight strong innings from Andy Pettitte, New York won its 34th American League pennant yesterday with a 6-4 victory against the Baltimore Orleans. The Yankees took the American League Championship Series 4-1 and head to the World Series for the first time since 1984. Brian Willis
time since 1981. Bernie Williams,
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
who hit .474 (9-for-19) with two homers and 6 RBI against the Orioles in the five games, was named MVP of the series.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE UPDATE
BIG 12 action this weekend was highlighted by Oklahoma's 30-27 overtime victory against Texas. The Sooners were 22-point underdogs. In other conference
action, it was Nebraska 49, Baylor 0; Colorado 35, Oklahoma State 13; Kansas State 35, Missouri 10; Texas A&M 24, Iowa State 21.
Nick Lowery of the NEW YORK JETS set the NFL record for career field goals yesterday with a 20-yard kick in the fourth quarter of the Jets' 21-17
NFL REPORT
loss to the Jacksonville
Jaguars. He has 374 field goals, beating the previous mark set by Jan Stenerud. Lowery replaced Stenerud with the Chiefs in 1980 and joined the Jets in 1994. Lowery made hi
1994. Lowery made his first Kansas City field goal, a
first Kansas City field goal of 50-yarder against the Seattle Seahawks. He has made 374 of 466 field goals in his career and has the best percentage of any kicker with 80 percent.
Fast BREAKS
Kansas junior safety Maurie Gaddle sat out Saturday with a shoulder injury, ending his team high streak of 17 straight starts.
Kansas 17 Texas Tech 30
GAME NOTES
The Jayhawks' third quarter shut-out ended their streak of scoring in 26 straight quarters.
When the Jayhawk defense blanked the Red Raiders in the second quarter, it ended the defensive streak of allowing points in nine straight quarters.
Kansas' string of 15 quarters of turnover-free football ended. Kansas junior quarterback Matt Johner's fourth-quarter interception was the Jayhawks first turnover since the fourth quarter of the Ball State game
Senior linebacker Ronnie Ward had a game-high 19 tackles.
Kansas senior wide receiver Isaac Byrd strips the ball away from Texas Tech's Jody Brown and turns an apparent interception into a touchdown. Byrd had seven catches for a career high 129 yards and a touchdown.
Kansas defense surrendered just 38 on Saturday.
Senior wide receiver Isaac Byrd's had a career-high 129 receiving yards. It was his first game of 100 or more since last year's Aloha Bowl.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Next Saturday's game against Colorado has been moved from 1 p.m. to 11:38 a.m. it's Homecoming.
Johner's fourth-quarter interception was his first.
AP Top 25
The Top Twenty Five teams In The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 12.
rank team rec pts
1. Florida (54) 6-0 1,659 1
2. Ohio St. (7) 5-0 1,578 1
3. Florida St. (5) 5-0 1,575 3
4. Arizona St. (1) 6-0 1,472 4
**5. Nebraska** **4-1** 1,406 5
6. Tennessee 4-1 1,319 7
7. Alabama 6-0 1,146 8
8. Notre Dame 4-1 1,126 11
**9. Colorado** **4-1** 1,118 9
10. Penn St. 6-1 1,093 10
11. North Carolina 5-1 1,081 13
12. Miami 4-1 927 6
13. Michigan 4-1 899 14
14. Northwestern 5-1 798 15
15. West Virginia 6-1 731 17
16. Auburn 5-1 590 18
17. LSU 4-1 514 12
18. Brigham Young 6-1 487 19
19. California 5-0 451 21
20. Virginia 4-1 409 20
**21. Kansas St.** **5-1** 379 22
22. Georgia Tech 4-1 317 23
23. Wyoming 7-4 264 24
24. Utah 5-1 111 —
25. Washington 3-2 104 16
Other teams receiving votes: Southern Miss 93, Virginia Tech 70, Syracuse 23, Wisconsin 21, Iowa 18, Southern Cal 17, Army 13, Wash. Navy 12, Texas 7, Texas Navy 7, San Diego St. 3.
USA Today/CNN Top 25
The Top Twenty Five teams in USA Today/CNN college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 6.
Other teams receiving votes: Syracuse 106,
Southwestern California 100, Washington 74,
61 Southern California 105, Mississippi 164, Texas Tech
42, Army 19, Kansas 16, San Diego State
11, Wisconsin 11, Navy 9, Washington State 9,
Texas 4, Michigan State 1.
| rank | team | rec | pts | prv |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1. Florida (53) | 6-0 | 1,539 | 1 | 3 |
| 2. Florida St. (7) | 5-0 | 1,467 | 1 | 3 |
| 3. Ohio St. (2) | 5-0 | 1,448 | 2 | 3 |
| 4. Nebraska | 4-1 | 1,313 | 4 | 4 |
| 5. Arizona St. | 6-0 | 1,305 | 5 | 7 |
| 6. Tennessee | 4-1 | 1,186 | 7 | 7 |
| 7. Alabama | 6-0 | 1,131 | 8 | 9 |
| 8. Penn St. | 6-1 | 1,025 | 9 | 9 |
| 9. Notre Dame | 4-1 | 996 | 12 | 10 |
| 10. Colorado | 4-1 | 987 | 10 | 10 |
| 11. North Carolina | 5-1 | 841 | 14 | 13 |
| 12. Michigan | 4-1 | 776 | 13 | 13 |
| 13. Miami | 4-1 | 761 | 6 | 15 |
| 14. West Virginia | 6-0 | 691 | 15 | 15 |
| 15. Northwestern | 5-1 | 603 | 18 | 19 |
| 16. Auburn | 5-1 | 541 | 19 | 19 |
| 17. Virginia | 4-1 | 480 | 17 | 17 |
| 18. Louisiana St. | 4-1 | 436 | 11 | 19 |
| 19. Kansas St. | 5-1 | 434 | 21 | 21 |
| 20. Brigham Young | 6-1 | 427 | 20 | 20 |
| 21. California | 5-0 | 405 | 22 | 22 |
| 22. Wyoming | 7-0 | 279 | 24 | 24 |
| 23. Virginia Tech | 4-1 | 244 | 23 | 23 |
| 24. Georgia Tech | 4-1 | 187 | — | — |
| 25. Utah | 5-1 | 139 | — | — |
Kansas loses control
Coaches blame offense for loss
By Dan Gelston
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas coach Glen Mason was clearly a coach looking for answers following the Jahawks 30-17 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday.
Mason admitted that he didn't have any answers yet.
He said he would spend this week's practices coming up with solutions to Kansas' problems, specifically in the running game and with the quarterback.
But Kansas coaches didn't blame Henley. They blamed the offensive line.
"You gotta control the line of scrimmage before anything, and we did not control the line of scrimmage." Mason said.
"The performance today was next to pathetic. Their offensive line did a much better job than ours by far. You can't execute a game plan without an offensive line." Ruel said.
Kansas offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Golden Pat Ruel was just as critical.
Even with the line trouble, the Jayhawks had a 17.7 halftime lead.
The Red Raiders (4-2 overall, 3-1 Big 12 Conference) scored first on quarterback Zebbie Lethridge's 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Hanspard just five minutes into the game.
The Jayhawks took a 10-7 lead two possessions later that was set up by Kansas defensive back Jamie Harris' interception. Junior Jeff McCord kicked a 19-yard field goal with 9:25 left in the second quarter.
The Jayhawks (3-2 overall, 1-1 conference) scored on their third possession of the game when an eight-play, 80-yard drive was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Matt Johner to senior tight end Hosea Friday.
Kansas increased its lead to 17-7
with 2:29 left in the second quarter with senior wide receiver Isaac Byrnd drive.
Byrd leapt above two Texas Tech defenders and made a spectacular catch for a 41-yard gain. Two plays later Johner threw a ball into the left corner of the end zone that appeared to be intercepted by defender Jody Brown. But Byrd elbowed Brown, jarring the ball loose and into Byrd's hands for the touchdown.
SECTION B
But Byrd and the Jayhawk offense did little after that. The Jayhawks wouldn't score again, and Byrd had
just two catches for 20 yards in the second half.
"We just couldn't adapt to the adjustments their defense made," he said. "We didn't play well on the offensive side or the defensive side in the second half."
The Red Raiders scored 23 unanswered points the second half. They made it 17-14 with a touchdown on their first drive of the half.
The Jayhawks were still in the lead entering the third quarter, but what followed was the worst quarter of football Kansas has played this season.
Johnner's first career interception was converted into the go-ahead touchdown with 7:50 left. Johnner was picked off again, and another Red Raider touchdown was the result. Senior Ben Rutz relieved Johnner. Rutz was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone, giving up a safety.
Twice the Jayhawks were inside the Texas Tech 10-yard line, but they came away with just three points.
Mason said he didn't know what he would do about the quarterback situation or the running game.
Passing game not successful
By Tommy Gallagher Kansen sportswriter
Texas Tech running back Byron Hanspard fights off Kansas junior defensive tackle Dewey Houston. Hanspard gained 190 yards on 37 carries. Hanspard is the nations second leading rusher.
kansan sportswriter
Senior tailback June Henley would have found it easier to run through Times Square on New Year's Eve than in Saturday's 30-17 loss to Texas Tech.
When the Red Raiders had held Henley to 31 yards in 14 carries at halftime, they forced the Jayhawks to pass the ball to protect its 10-point halftime lead.
The Jayhawks' first possession of the quarter started at the Texas Tech 39. Instead of running the ball and the clock, Johnner threw three consecutive incomplete passes as the Jayhawks failed to gain a yard.
With a 17-14 fourth-quarter lead, the Kansas offense collapsed.
After Texas Tech drove deep into Kansas territory before being forced to punt, Kansas again had the chance to protect the ball and the lead. This time the results were far worse.
Henley ran the ball for five yards from the Kansas 10. But, on second down, Johner threw a pass that deflected off wide receiver John Gordon and into the arms of a RedRaider defender, giving Texas Tech a first-and-10 from the Kansas 11.
Texas Tech tailback and Heisman candidate Byron Hansard ripped through the Jayhawk defense for a nine-yard gain to the Kansas 2. On the next play, quarterback Zebbie Lethridge plunged two yards for a touchdown with 7:50 left in the
game.
Johner missed on a first-and-10 pass before throwing another interception on the next play. Henley bobbled the ball into a Red Raider for the interception at the Kansas 23. Four plays and 144 later, Texas Tech put the game away with another touchdown to increase its lead to 28-17.
History would repeat itself the next possession when Kansas was behind 21-17 and looking to reclaim the lead.
"We have to make plays because when we don't, the other team's offense is on the field," Jolner said. "This loss was a heartbreak. We
had the lead for three quarters, but you need to have it in the fourth."
Senior quarterback Ben Rutz mopped up when there was no doubt as to whom the victors would be, but could do nothing more than Johner did. Rutz was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety, capping a lackluster performance from what had been considered the team's strength entering the game.
- Kansas head coach Glen Mason wasn't shy about his disappointment with the offense's performance, or lack thereof.
"To say that we weren't very good would be an understatement," said
Senior wide receiver Isaac Byrd, who had seven receptions for 129 yards, thought that the Jayhawks needed to play more as a team in the weeks ahead.
Mason about the team's inability to score a touchdown on two occasions inside the Texas Tech 5-yard line. "We stunk up the joint offensively, and there's no excuse for that."
"We need to score inside the 10, especially with the people we have on offense," Byrd said. "The offense has played well one week, the defense the next week. We need to come together as a team like we did last year because we're struggling."
Painful loss shows team the need for a new plan
Years ago, in a press conference, one of the most inarticulate and dim-witted athletes of the 21st century, boxer Mike Tyson, said something rather profound and relevant to the situation of Kansas football.
SPORTS EDITOR
When asked a question on his fighting strategy, Tyson said, "Everyone's got a plan until they get hit."
Well, Kansas fans, your Jayhawks got walloped smack-dab in the kisser on Saturday. And now, in the fallout, we'll see what the Jayhawks are made of.
It would be really easy for the Jayhawks to pack it up for the year, just like their fans did with more than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It would be very easy for them to call it a season, knowing that a bowl bid was put further out of reach by losing to Texas Tech.
It would be easy for them to spend the rest of the year just going through the motions, fully aware that the prospects of playing Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska and Texas don't look very promising.
Yes, KU fans, this one hurt. This one hurt bad.
The long and short of it is that Kansas' offense couldn't quite bail out the defense on Saturday like they were called upon to do against Utah and Texas Christian. Enough of this nonsense of placing the blame on Matt Johner and June Henley.
This defense made the option, which Texas Tech ran successfully early and often, look like a new and revolutionary play — one that they'd never seen before.
The truth is that the defense, which was supposed to be the Jayhawks' strong suit this year, has repeatedly come up short.
Thus far, the 1996 Kansas football defense may go down as one of the most puzzling groups in history. Man for man, the Jayhawks can match up with nearly almost every team in the country.
Blevins, Kopp, Ward, Thoren these guys are superb players in every sense of the word. They are seasoned, play every down all out and play with hearts as big as their oversized frames.
But for some reason, they can't seem to play together.
The only thing that could stop Texas Tech's offense on Saturday was Texas Tech's offense — through mental mistakes and turnovers.
But the loss wasn't only the defense's fault. The offense also provided a huge letdown twice when it wasn't able to punch the ball into the end zone with it spotted within spitting distance from the goal line.
This Saturday's game against Colorado will be one of the most important for Kansas this decade.
It will show the fans how far Kansas football has come; whether last season was a fluke or whether KU has made some real strides towards building a serious and respectable football program. Or maybe football still is just something we do to kill time until the hoops season begins.
The Jayhawks have been hit. Now it's time to see if they can muster a new plan.
- For the love of God, ditch those annoying, blaring speakers. Who's programming those untimely songs, anyway? I'm sorry, but there wasn't a whole lot of reason to "make me want to SHOUT!", kick my heels up and SHOUT!" in the fourth quarter with two minutes left and KU behind by an insurmountable margin.