THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
FOOTBALL
PAGE 13
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Junior safety Bradley McDougald tackles Texas Tech junior running back Eric Stephens Jr. during last year's homecoming game Kansas fell to Texas 34-45.
Sophomore running back James Simms avoids Texas Tech defense and scores a touchdown in the first half of last year's homecoming game.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Family, alumni motivate players for homecoming
MARIAN MCCOY
mmccoy@kansan.com
For many football players at the University, homecoming weekend turns into an exciting family reunion filled with parents, alumni and old teammates — an intersection between past and present.
"Old players come back and you always want to put on a good show for them and do on the field what they used to do and show respect to them." Toben Opurum, senior linebacker from
Richardson, Texas said.
This year the Jayhawks will play the Texas Longhorns for its homecoming game. Although this is an exciting time for the fans, members of the team said they look forward to seeing old players and showing them the strides they are making as a team.
"It's always a big deal," Duane Zlatnik, a senior offensive lineman from Rossville said. "You got your alumni coming back to see how we're doing and see them after the game and they will tell you what they think about the
team and they will be honest with you"
Although the homecoming game is usually the only homecoming-related activity the players have time to get involved in, the game offers plenty to get excited about. This includes the excitement of seeing the new jerseys they receive for the homecoming game.
"Every homecoming game we get new uniforms, and we usually come out with something we've never seen before," said senior offensive lineman Trevor
Marrongelli, a senior offensive lineman from Austin, Texas. "Last
"The atmosphere around campus, it completely changes the people at the game."
TREVOR MARRONGELLI
Offensive lineman
year we had baby blue uniforms, which were awesome." Staying focused can he hard
Staying focused can be hard
with all the distractions the game brings, but many players admit they try to treat the homecoming game as just another game. They also admit having parents in the stands showing their support makes it that much more important to pull off a win.
"I like having my family up there, it gives me extra motivation to make a play just cause I know they are up there watching so I feel like I need to do something for their traveling," Bradley McDougald, a senior safety from Dublin, Ohio said.
The crowd also generates a lot of excitement, which motivates the players.
"The atmosphere around campus, it completely changes the people at the game," Marrongelli said.
Although the homecoming game doesn't always result in a win for Kansas, it does make for one large, and fun, family reunion.
Edited by Andrew Ruszczyk