FLAG FOOTBALL The Sigma Kappa flag football squad needed overtime to oust Alpha Chi Omega. PAGE 6B
SPORTS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Soccer misses Big 12 title
'Hawks denied first championship after split with Aggies, Longhorns
BY KELIS ROBINETT
krobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
Kansas senior goalie Meghan Miller shut out Texas A&M and Texas collectively for 198 minutes, but Texas senior forward Kelly Wilson scored a game-winning goal in double overtime yesterday to keep the Jayhawk soccer team one victory shy of its first Big 12 Championship.
The Jawhays defeated Texas A&M 1-0 on Friday, but Wilson's goal, scored with just under two minutes to play in double overtime, gave the Longhorns a 1-0 victory over Kansas.
The Jayhawks now need a win on Friday against Iowa State to tie Texas A&M for the Big 12 regular season title. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at the
Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
www.kansan.com
"Texas deserved to win today," said Kansas coach Mark Francis. "We fought hard, but we came out and played a little flat. We did a better job in the second half, but they deserved to win today because of all the pressure."
opportunities they were able to create." Kansas fell to 15-3 overall and 7-2 in Big 12 play with the loss. The Jayhawks'
MILLER
defense kept the game close despite Texas (11-5-1, 6-3-1 Big 12) dominating the first period of the game, outshooting Kansas 12-3. Miller made seven saves for the match; including four in the first half.
with just 1:59 remaining in double overtime, the Jayhawks were looking at their first tie of the season, but Wilson received a pass from Carrie Schmit, made her way past three Kansas defenders and fired a shot past Miller, clinching the victory for Texas.
SEE TITLE ON PAGE 3B
Later than Sooner: OU rolls
Big second half for Sooner offense heads 41-10 romp
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
NORMAN, Okla. — When a team has one Heisman Trophy winner, an impressive freshman making a bid for one of his own, the opposing team needs to be at full strength to have a fighting chance.
At first, it looked like Kansas was going to hang tough and give the Oklahoma Sooners a hard time. Then it happened. And kept happening.
Injuries
If the injury to Randle was not enough to slow down the Jayhawks, then that was accomplished with the loss of junior cornerback Theo Baines.
In the first quarter sophomore running back John Randle hobbled off the field. He returned, but he took part in far fewer olans than he normally does.
After a scoreless first quarter, OU got on the board first. Quarterback Jason White led a 91-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 61-yard pass from White to Mark Clayton. With 14:14 left before the half, was up 7-0.
That drive gave Oklahoma a lead Kansas would never take away. It also ended Baines' day, as he never returned from his injury. His absence allowed the Sooners to easily throw downfield, taking advantage of junior reserve corners Ronnie and Donnie Adami.
"It's real tough when one of your top players go down," senior strong safety Tony Stubbs said. "The guys behind him have to step up and make plays."
Against Kansas State, Baines was forced to leave the game early and was seen icing his knee on the bench for most of the game. While the Kansas team has a policy of, not discussing injuries, it appeared that Saturday's injury was once again to Baines' leg.
Oklahoma accumulated almost 300 of its 389 passing yards with Baines out of the game. All four of the Sooners' touchdown passes came after Baines left the game.
While Oklahoma scored first, Kansas did not stay down long. Just 33 seconds after Oklahoma's scoring drive, Kansas drove 80 yards in just two plays. An unsuccessful rush by Randle set up sophomore Adam Barmann to take advantage of blown coverage and go down the field.
Rodney Harris, sophomore safety,vents his frustration about an Oklahoma touchdown in the second half Saturday in Norman, Okla. The Jayhawk defense gave up six touchdowns, including four passes from Sooner quarterback Jason White, during its 41-10 loss.
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
SEE SOONER ON PAGE 6B
Jason White returns to Heisman form
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
Stopping the Oklahoma running attack was clearly a priority for Kansas on Saturday.
The Jayhawks put up a good effort, holding freshman running back Adrian Peterson to 21 yards in the first half.
What Kansas did not do was stop last year's Heisman Trophy winner Jason White, who threw for 389 yards and
"Kansas was determined early to take the running game away, but he made some great throws and some great plays and we were just on the verge of making some others," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "He still hung in there late and still pounded the ball some."
four touchdowns. Oklahoma has featured a balanced offensive attack this season. But the Sooners were able to fall back on their passing game when the ground game sputtered.
White's four touchdowns were
bombs, as he connected on touchdown for 61.41 and 69 yards. His final touchdown toss of the day was from eight yards out. Those long-yardage laws deflated the lajhayw defense.
"We're giving up some big plays that are hurting us a little bit," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said.
Those big plays enabled the Sooners to break the game open and improve to 7-0 on the season.
Several receivers played a part in Oklahoma's latest win. Nine receivers
White's favorite target was senior Mark Clayton, who caught five balls for 112 yards including a 61-yard touchdown, to give Oklahoma a 7-0 lead.
"I'm happy with whatever we're doing to put points on the board and winning in the end," White said. "I don't care if I throw it two times or 20. It doesn't matter to me."
SEE WHITE ON PAGE 3B
IFAN SHORT MADNESS
RYAN GREENE
rgreene@kansan.com
'Fab Four a rarity to remember
Growing up a Michigan basketball fan, there was never a tougher season to watch than the 1994-95 campaign.
If your appetite as a Jayhawk basketball fan will only be satiated by a national championship this season, consider an example that should put matters into perspective.
Just three years earlier, coach Steve Fisher brought in the greatest recruiting class ever, known as the "Fab Five": Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Ijuwan Howard and Ray Jackson.
After two years, Webber bolted to be the top pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. The following June, Howard and Rose followed suit. that left King and Jackson—i.e. "the other guys" of the five.
That team wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the three previous teams that made the Final Four twice and the Elite Eight in 1994. King and Jackson combined to average more than 30 points per game, but the Wolverines were ousted by Western Kentucky in the first round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament. I cried.
All that Kansas fans have to do is look at that example, and if they're not already appreciative, it will make them much more thankful for this year's senior class. Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Mike Lee have all had their highs and lows, but they all have one big key in common.
These four will also benefit from great timing. College basketball as a whole will be down this year. Despite what any of the "experts" say, the only teams with solid returning cores from a year ago are Kansas, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
Langford has shown that he can recover from injuries and be the same player he always was. Miles has answered questions of his shooting ability by simply winning games, and Lee confirmed that he made the right decision to with basketball, not football.
No matter what happens this season, they did it the right way.
Simien has proven that he can finish an entire season.
The one thing most fans should remember about this foursome is how they overcame their critics individually.
Over the past decade, the level of play in the NBA has taken a significant downward turn as a result of high school studs, such as former Kansas signee DeShawn Stevenson, thinking they have what it takes to make the jump to the pros, with few success stories. In turn, the lower talent level and lower scores have cost the NBA a large chunk of its fan base.
Is Kansas' senior class the greatest class ever recruited? Heck no. Not by a longshot.
Also, on a lesser scale, college basketball has taken a hit as well. Anyone who follows the college game knows that most of the top prospects can usually only be depended on to stay in school for a year or two before the big payday is too much to keep them from leaving.
If the Jawhays are able to leave St. Louis with a national championship in April, it could be the last time, ever, that a team with a senior class like this one wins a title. But don't allow that scenario to be the only one in which this season will be considered a success.
In a time where young basketball stars use college as a springboard into the pros, the Kansas senior class is a welcomed rarity.
But it is one that could be remembered more than any other because it is the last of a dying breed. So appreciate the four seniors for their basketball contributions while they're here, because you may never see anything like this again.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, IL., senior in journalism
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