VOLLEYBALL The team continued its Big 12 skid, losing its fifth conference game at Colorado on Saturday. PAGE 11A
SPORTS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS 31 - KANSAS STATE 28
www.kansan.com
Homecoming kings
Quarterback: Question is who's starting
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing at kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIETER
It cannot really be a season of Kansas football without a little controversy over which players will start.
Saturday night, it seemed like the question of who would kick the field goals was laid to rest.
but a question seemed to be raised as to who would be the quarterback.
Going into spring ball, junior college transfer Jason Swanson was expected to challenge sophomore Adam Barmann for the starting quarterback role.
SWANSON
That competition never emerged, and Barmann seemed to be firmly in control of the starting job.
Swanson's only Division I game experience came against Northwestern earlier this season, when Barmann was briefly sidelined with an injury.
On Saturday, with Kansas' offense having gone cold and K-State challenging, Mangino felt as though something had to be done.
"I kind of realized it just before the half," Mangino said. "I told our offensive staff, if he doesn't hit some kind of rhythm, we're going to go with I Jason."
Mangino's decision appeared questionable early, as Swanson committed a costly turnover with a fumble on third down.
On his next series, though, he led the team on a 68-yard score drive, capping it with 31-yard strike to junior wide receiver Mark Simmons.
"We needed a little spark, and he's just feisty enough to give it to us." Mangino said.
From Swanson's position, the fact that he ended up in the game was not all that surprising.
"Coach Q [Quartaro] came up to me at half time and told me to stay loose, but he tells me that every half time," Swanson said. "I didn't think anything of it."
Swanson said that with all of the repetitions he got in practice and the experience he got on the sidelines during the game, he was prepared to go in at a moment's notice.
"I got the opportunity, and I was just hoping I made the best of my opportunity," Swanson said.
SEE QUESTION ON PAGE 7A
Amanda Kim Stairrett/KANSAN
Mark Simmons and Charles Gordon celebrate in Kansas' endzone in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. "It was a perfect throw and one of the finest catches I've seen in a long time. Mark Simmons just stayed focused and didn't get distracted because he was covered very well. The throw was executed perfectly," Mark Mangino said.
Simmons seals victory with sweet catch
BY RYAN COLAIanni
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The Kansas Jayhawks blew a lead for the fourth straight game and appeared to be on the ropes as they trailed Kansas State 21-17 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. But with one throw, the Jayhawks were able to defeat their in-state rivals for the first time since 1992.
SIMMONS
Junior quarterback Jason Swanson entered the game in the fourth quarter, replacing starter Adam Barmann. Swanson threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Simmons with 5:28 to go in the fourth and gave Kansas a 24-21 lead.
Simmons made the grab one-handed because he was closely covered by K-State cornerback
"It was a perfect throw and one of the finest catches I've seen in a long time," coach Mark Mangino said. "Mark Simmons just stayed focused and didn't get distracted because he was covered very well. The throw was executed perfectly."
Simmons was the team's leading yardage receiver, catching four balls for 58 yards. Simmons was quick to say that this was not the best catch of his career.
"It's maybe in the top five, it's not my best, I've done it in practice before, so it should come naturally," Simmons said. "If you can do it in practice you should do it in the game."
Simmons was Swanson's first option on the play, and the only option the quarterback considered.
"Mark (Simmons) gave the defender a really good move off the line and I knew they were coming with some sort of blitz," Swanson said. "So I just threw it out there hoping he would come down with a great play and he did."
Simmons was unable to get his other arm up on the catch because of the close coverage from the All-America candidate Williams.
"He made a good catch with one hand. I was in a good spot — it was just one of those time when the ball fell into the right place." Williams said.
When Swanson threw the ball he felt that Simmons had a chance to catch it.
"When I threw it I saw the trajectory," Swanson said. "I thought he had a chance, I knew I put it out there far enough." Swanson said.
So far this season, Simmons has 24 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
— Edited by Ashley Bechard
Jayhawks tame Wildcats in last quarter
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITHER
It took 11 long years, but the Kansas football team has once again beaten instate rival Kansas State.
All season, the Jayhawks have built leads only to lose them in the second half. Kansas has outscored its opponents 51-5 in the first quarter, but its opponents hold a 51-49 lead in the second half.
The Jayhawks rode sophomore running back John Randle all the way to a 31-28 victory over the visiting Wildcats
Randle led the team in rushing with 105 yards and was second in receiving with 51. He also had two touchdowns — one receiving and one rushing
"I'm proud of our kids," said Kansas coach Mark Mangino, a former assistant at Kansas State. "They did a terrific job. They stayed in there and fought."
Randle's touchdown catch came off of a hook-and-ladder play that Mangino cooked up in practice last week. After drawing it on the boards for his players, Mangino made them practice it extensively.
"They got my blood pressure up on the practice fields," Mangino said. "But I was determined to put it on the field."
Randle's other score came on a 43- yard run late in the fourth quarter. Nervous Kansas fans waited for the final minutes to tick off the clock, as the Jayhawks held onto a three-point lead. Randle took a pitch from junior backup quarterback Jason Swanson and tore off for the goal line.
Contributing to the touchdown run were downfield blocks and an improved offensive line, which opened holes at the line of scrimmage.
The play looked like a typical slant pass from sophomore quarterback Adam Barmann to senior wide receiver Brandon Rideau. Instead of cutting up the field, Rideau paused, turned and flipped it back to Randle. Randle then slashed 24 vards to the end zone.
After breaking four tackles, Randle dove for the end zone for the touchdown with just 3:16 left on the clock.
In addition to allowing both Barmann and Swanson time to pass, the line opened enough holes for Randle and the rest of the backs to fight through.
"The line's blocking was magnificent tonight." Randle said. "They did a great job and opened the holes all night."
Kansas' other major offensive contributor was junior receiver Mark Simmons. Simmons led the team with 58 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Simmons would have been unable to record those 58 yards without an acrobatic, one-handed touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. That score re-established Kansas' lead and proved to be the turning point in the game.
The 'Hawks faced third and seven from the Kansas State 31-yard line. Swanson lofted up an arching pass toward the end-zone that landed in Simmons' outstretched hand. The catch impressed many in the stadium, including the K-State cornerback that Simmons beat for the touchdown.
"He made a good catch with one hand," said Kansas State cornerback Cedrick Williams. "I was in a good spot; it was just one of those times when the ball fell into the right place."
Throughout the game, K-State faced a huge problem with communication.
BOX SCORE
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Kansas State 0 6 8 14 28
Record: (2-3 overall, 0-2 in Big 12)
SEE TAME ON PAGE 7A
Kansas 7 0 10 14 31
Record: (3-3 overall, 1-2 in Big 12)
Scoring Summary
1st 05:48 KU - Anderson, Lyonel 2-yard pass from Barmann, Adam (Webb, Scott kick), 11 plays-53 yards 3:28, KS 0 - KU 7
2nd 13:14 KS - Rheem, Joe 49-yard field goal, 6-8 3:08, KS 3 - KU 7
02:01 KS - Rheem, Joe 37-yard field goal, 6-39 4:30, KS 6 - KU 7
3rd 10:45 KU - Beck, Johnny 27-yard field goal, 4-24 1:43, KS 6 - KU 10
08:55 KU - Randle, John 24-yard pass from Barmann, Adam (Webb, Scott kick), 2-24 0:10, KS 6 - KU 17
02:20 KU - Meier, Dylan 2-yard run (Sproles, Darren rush), 15-85 6:28, KS 14 - KU 17
4th 13:20 KU - Madison,Tony 86-yard pass from Meier, Dylan (Rheem, Joe kick), 2-83 0:48, KS 21 - KU 17
05:28 KU - Simmons, Mark 31-yard pass from Swanson, Jason (Webb, Scott kick), 5-68 1:34, KS 21 - KU 24
03:16 KU - Randle, John 43-yard run (Webb, Scott kick), 2-38 0:54, KS 21 - KU 31
02:06 KS - Casey, Brian 8-yard pass from Meier, Dylan (Rheem, Joe kick), 9-80 1:10, KS 28 - KU 31
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Source: www.kuathletics.com
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