FOOTBALL. Students tired of watching their favorite teams lose can play the games themselves on PlayStation. PAGE 48
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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2004
Kansas' Mark Simmons reaches for the ball as Nebraska line man Barrett Rud plows into him and Cortney Grixby waits for the drop in the fourth quarter. Simmons received for 16 yards in Saturday's game.
Offensive setback
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jikealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRIVER
www.kansan.com
According to the football adage defense wins championships.
That may be the case, but Kansas' offense has not done enough this year to complement a defense that is doing its part to keep the team in games.
part to keep the team in control.
Before the season started, fans were unsure of what to expect from the Jayhawk offense. The departure of team leader and offensive powerhouse Bill Whittemore would undoubtedly affect its performance.
Adrian Jones and Danny Lewis would affect the offensive line, especially its ability to open up holes for the running game.
While the offensive line has struggled so far to open holes and push defensive linemen off of their spots, sophomore running back John Randle seems pleased with the progress the line has made recently.
"We had some success early in the year, and it's kind of coming back slowly." Randle said. "There are a lot of new people on the line, and they're starting to work better together."
The return of senior right guard Tony Coker has the potential to contribute to the offensive line. Coker said yesterday
that he felt "100 percent" for the first time all season. Coker has been sidelined with an injured ankle.
Sophomore quarterback Adam Barmann was responsible for filling the gap left with Whittemore's departure. Barmann is more of a pocket passer — Whittemore also loved to throw but was never afraid to tuck the ball and run.
Last season, Whittemore averaged 53.4 yards rushing per game, second on the team.
Growing pains
Family's future is player's focal point, but adjusting to Division I is difficult
team. Through five games this season, Barmann has averaged just 10.6 yards per game.
BY BILL CROSS
bcross@kansan.com
KANSAN SWIPTERWIRE
When Paula Caten moved to Kansas from her home in Canarana, Brazil, she had one thing on her mind: Paola.
And she'd never even heard of the small Kansas town south of Kansas City.
When she moved from Great Bend to Lawrence, the junior outside hitter's thoughts were still fixed on Paola.
small Kansas town south of Kansas City
When Paola, Caten's 3-year-old
daughter, who lives with Caten's parents in Brazil, was born, Caten knew what she had to do.
"I came here because of her," Caten said. "I want to give a better future to her, and I need to finish school."
"If I did not have her, I would still be in Brazil and trying to play professional volleyball as I was trying before I got pregnant."
"I always had that feeling," she said. "I was very comfortable."
pregnant.
For the past two seasons, Caten pursued that goal at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, where she led the Cougars to the 2003 NJCAA championship. She was named to the NJCAA All-American and All-Tournament teams that season.
player. Kansas coach Ray Bechard said Big 12 Conference volleyball was more competitive than anything Caten had experienced.
I was very very Caten said she had not reached the same comfort level yet as a Division I player.
"And she played on a pretty high-level club team," Bechard said. "The speed of the game and the height of the
two or three good players. Here, everybody's good."
Josi Lima Junior middle blocker
ball when you hit it are much different here."
Senior middle blocker Ashley Michaels said she expected Caten to face growing pains.
face growing pains.
"I can't imagine the change from juco to D1," she said. "She's struggled a little bit, but she's going to be an amazing player."
Caten, who was named Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year by conference coaches, is the first to admit she has struggled so far this season — she is last among starting hitters with a .096 hitting percentage. But Bechard said she was vital to the team's chemistry.
"She comes to practice every day and works hard, and she's shown improvement" he said.
And the improvement is evident in games, even if Caten won't admit it.
11 Runs that night. Caten, along with the rest of the Jayhawks, has struggled since then, and the team is working to improve its passing to let hitters like Caten get more clean hits.
"Every game feels the same," she said. But when Texas swept Kansas Sept. 25, Bechard said Caden was one of very few bright spots. She led the team with 11 kills that night.
"If you, don't have a pass, you don't have a set, you don't have a hit," she said. "We are all trying to help each other."
Junior middle blocker Josi Lima, who played against Caten in Brazilian club play, said Caten's early-season missires would fade as she adjusted to the speed of the game.
"Where she played, there were two or three good players." Lima said. "Here, everybody's good."
Here, everybody's good Friends like Lima and sophomore outside hitter Jana Correa helped Caten decide to transfer to Kansas after two seasons at Barton County.
seasons at Barron Once she made the decision, reactions from friends at the junior college were mixed, Caten said.
Some responded positively, saying she would like coach Bechard, who coached at Barton County for 13 seasons before coming to Kansas in 1998.
Others in purple-tinted Great Bend were not as kind.
were not to ask.
"They said, 'Oh, you're going to Kansas, you're going to lose to K-State,'" she said.
Caten said she would prove them wrong tonight when No. 16 Kansas State visited Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The match will start at 7, and some standing-room-only tickets may be available at the Horejsi ticket office at 5:30 p.m.
Caten said she hoped to report a victory to Paola next time they spoke.
tory to I need to "When I call back, she always asks, Mommy, when are you coming home?" Caten said. "Sometimes it makes me cry."
— Edited by Paige Worthy
Chris Miller/KANSAN
Paula Caten, junior, outside hitter, comes on new to Kansas this year as a transfer from Barton Community College. The Jayhawks rely on Caten, a Brazilian native, for her strong efforts.
Amanda Kim Stairretl/KANSAN
Kansas' turnover trouble
Kansas' John Randie is taken down in the third quarter by Nebraska's Barrett Rudd in Saturday's game in Lincoln, Neb. Rudd, a line backer, led the Cornhuskers with 15 tackles.
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWINTER
points away from a 5-3 tie.
That's the total margin of victory in Kansas' past three losses. Instead, the Jayhawks sit at 2-3 with a collection of missed opportunities behind them. In the past two games, the Kansas defense has forced nine turnovers, including five against Texas Tech and four against Nebraska. The offense has capitalized on just one-third of those opportunities, scoring 17 points on three possessions — all against Texas Tech two weeks ago.
The Kansas football team is 10 points away from a 5-0 record.
Seven of those points came in the first quarter of the Texas Tech game after Kansas senior cornerback Rodney Harris intercepted a pass by Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech senior quarterback. Kansas running back John Randle broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run on the following play. The other 10 points came in the second quarter of that game when Kansas converted on two of three forced turnovers.
and finish our drive.
If the offense had been able to capitalize on at least one of those turnovers in the last six quarters, the Jayhawks could have a winning record. In the fourth quarter of last week's game, Nebraska turnovers created three of Kansas' six offensive possessions, including the first possession of the quarter when Kansas junior linebacker Banks Floodman recovered a fumble with less than a minute left in the third quarter. Kansas did not score in the
That means that in the last six quarters of play, the Kansas defense has forced five turnovers, and the offense has not scored off any of them.
Randle gave the defense credit for forcing turnovers and said the offense needs to do a better job of capitalizing on them.
"The defense gave us the ball a lot; we just haven't been able to score," Randle said. "Being able to convert when we get the ball back is really important to us. We owe that to the D. We will just keep working hard to score and finish our drives."
SEE TURNOVERS on 5B
Rival running back challenge for 'Hawks
The Kansas football team will have its hands full this weekend when it faces Kansas State running back Darren Sproles.
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Sproles has more than 600 yards rushing this season in just four games, including a near 300-yard output against Louisiana Lafayette.
--play sound football on defense in the run game," said Kansas coach Mark Mangino.
SPROLES
"You have Darren Sproles, one of the top running backs in the country, that can hurt you if you don't
Sproles is averaging 152.8 yards rushing per game, which makes him
the sixth leading rusher in the country.
"He's strong, he's quick, he makes a lot of plays," Mangino said. "He's just a phenomenal player."
The 5-foot-7-inch back from Olathe had a huge year last year, racking up 1,986 rushing yards, good for 10th alltime on the NCAA single season rushing list.
ng last.
With the numbers Sproles up put last year, he received a lot of pre-season hype as a potential Heisman Candidate.
Sproles' quickness enables him to easily break tackles and take them for long touchdown runs. Last season he had seven runs for 50 yards or more.
"You better get four or five guys around him if you are going to tackle him," said junior Kansas linebacker Banks Floodman. "He's very elusive; he's going to make people miss. You
SEE SPROLES on 5B
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