ROWING: Adrenaline will keeps the women's team afloat this weekend in Oklahoma PAGE 6B
SPORTS
MIKANSAN
the
Kansas
union
at
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
8500
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
Senior tight end Lyonel Anderson rushes the ball upfield during a loss to Texas Tech. The Jayhawks will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers this Saturday in Lincoln.
Offensive line costs' Hawks
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIETER
On the football field, the only five offensive players standing next to each other are the offensive linemen.
"You need all five guys in concert." Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "They really need to be on the same page together. If you are in some kind of combination block, scoop block or pass protection call, you are as dependent on the guy next to you as you are on yourself."
Together, they stop the pass rush, protect the quarterback and open up the running game. But with the good comes the bad, and Mangino said the offensive line had not been going the way he wanted — the Jayhawks ran the ball a meager 27 times for 86 yards in Saturday's loss to Texas Tech.
"I'm not pleased with the play of our offensive line," Mangino said after the game on Saturday. "I commend John Randle and Clark Green for their efforts because any yards they got were
SEE OFFENSE ON PAGE 3B
Two key players 'hold the fort'
BY JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWINTER
Whether it's offense, defense or special teams, two Jayhawk football players seem to be on the field all the time.
seem to be here now. Sophomore running back John Randle and sophomore cornerback Charles Gordon have developed into men who play more than one position.
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"They're talented kids, and at this point in our program we need to continue to develop and recruit those kinds of kids," coach Mark Mangino said.
Gordon played as a wide receiver last year, but the coaches transferred him to defense in the offseason.
The Jayhawk secondary struggled greatly last season, and the coaches thought that Gordon could best help the team as a corner.
Randle, on the other hand, has taken the majority of his snaps over the last two seasons as a running back. This year he has done that job, as well as punt coverage, kick return and punt return.
Randle has assumed the return role with the absence of junior Greg Heaggans. Heaggans has been out since being arrested on suspicion of DWI on Sept. 16.
Both Randle and Gordon have turned into men whom Mangino relies on to carry the team.
"We just don't have enough of them right now," Mangino said. "They're extremely talented young men that do a lot of things well."
Mangino relies on versatile, athletic players to fill holes that he has not been able to fill through recruitment thus far. By finding those players, he has more flexibility.
Kansan File Photo
"These guys are holding the fort until we develop more." Mangino said.
Sophomore running back John Randle rushes during a loss against Northwestern. The Jayhawks will look to the Wichita native for his playmaking skills this Saturday against Nebraska.
Mangino said it involved talking to a lot of coaches and watching a lot of
It's not an exact science when Mangino goes out to recruit that kind of player though.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 3B
Setters maintain versatility on court
BY BILL CROSS
bcross@kansan.com
KANAN SPORTWRITER
In most team sports, there's one position that demands a player perform in every aspect of the game. In basketball, a swingman can score inside, outside and snag rebounds. In football, a running back carries the ball, catches passes and blocks the pass rush.
"You're expected to touch the ball on every rally," said Kansas coach Ray Bechard of the setter. "Then you've got to get back and help with blocking. You've got to play defense. The only thing you don't do is receive the other team's serve."
In volleyball, the versatile position is the setter. She attacks, blocks, serves and most importantly, passes.
When the opponent serves, the setter is the only player facing away from the
But rallies don't always work that way. Sometimes the dig doesn't come to the setter, so another player will have to make the second pass. In the Kansas lineup, freshman opposite hitter Emily Brown is the secondary setter.
When the ball comes to the setter, she ideally has three options for the second pass: outside hitter, opposite hitter or middle blocker — called middle hitter by some teams. These front line players then attack, hitting the ball over the net.
net. She watches her own team so she can get underneath the first pass, usually a dig by the libero.
"You have to be focused on your team," said junior setter Andi Rozum. "You have to know who your hot hitters are."
When the ball does go to Rozum, she said the attack option she chose depended on pregame scouting.
One of Rozum's favorite moves is faking like she's about to pass, then tapping the ball over the net, sometimes catching the opponents offguard.
"We talk about who's their weakest blocker," she said. "A lot of it has to do with the other team and what they're doing."
Largely because of this move, she leads Kansas players with more than 10 attempts in attack percentage this season at .368.
Bechard said one of the most important qualities in a setter was mental discipline. She must maintain an awareness of her own team to facilitate passing, and of the other team, to allow attacking. She must also be able to move on after mistakes, which inevitably occur when a player touches the ball on every point.
"It requires somebody with a lot of selfconfidence and self-control," he said. "Both setters in our program exhibit those
qualities day in and day out."
Both setters — Rozum and senior Ashley Bechard — are upperclassmen. Bechard said he hoped to recruit an understudy for the 2005 season.
The 2004 Jayhawks will take on the no.7 Nebraska Cornhuskers at 7 tonight at Horesji Family Athletics Center.
Volleyball Notes
After losing to Texas Saturday Kansas dropped three spots in the USA Today/CSTV Coaches' Poll. The Jayhawks are now ranked 24th.
Middle blocker Kristin Buehler will take a redshirt this season and gain a year of eligibility.
Bechard said the team's depth at the position and Buehler's continuing recovery 'rom offseason knee surgery contributed to her decision.
Edited by Rupal Gor
Nebraska's offense a departure from past
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
rcolaianni@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
When Nebraska hired Bill Callahan to become its new football coach, he brought a new style of offense that changed the way Cornhusker football was played.
Callahan came from coaching the Oakland Raiders of the NFL and brought his high-powered West Coast offense with him.
Callahan replaced Frank Solich, who won nine games in 2003 and was fired just before Nebraska's bowl contest with Michigan State.
CALLAHAN
This style has vastly changed the appearance of the Cornhusker offense, as the team is throwing the ball more.
"When I figured out what this offense was going to do for a tight end, it kind of put a smile on my face, as well as the other recipients," Herian said.
Callahan's offense spreads the field, which enables many receivers to get involved. One of those receivers is tight end Matt Herian.
Herian is the teams leading receiver with 17 catches and three touchdowns.
The Cornhuskers have 562 passing yards this season, the most in their first three games since 1995.
"I think one of the keys of what this system is all about is distributing the ball to as many people as you can," Callahan said. "The whole system is based on off-balance play calling and having off-balance in your personnel groupings and your play selection."
"I think one of the
Bill Calliah
Nebraska football
coach
keys of what this system is all about is distributing the ball to as many people as you can."
Callahan's system is vastly different from the one Solich used for six seasons, which relied on running the football.
Last season,
Nebraska primarily ran
the option, limiting
the number of passing yards
the team racked up.
Quarterback
Jamal Lord had over
1,100 yards
rushing and was
the team's leading rusher.
Under Callahan, Nebraska has been able to balance running the football with passing the football. Kansas coach Mark Mangino has been impressed by the results so far.
"If you look at the Western Illinois game all the way to the Pittsburgh game you can see where their offense, their kids are starting to understand the system well," Mangino said.
Callahan has guided the Cornhuskers to a 2-1 record thus far with the lone loss coming at home to Southern Mississippi.
Callahan is showcasing the offense with players that he did not recruit, and his players are still learning the system.
Sophomore Joe Dailey quarterbacks the offense and had six touchdowns in the first game of the season against Western Illinois: four passing and two rushing.
"He's really talented," Mangino said of Dailey. "He can hurt you both throwing and running."
Like the rest of Nebraska's offense, Dailey is still learning the system. But Callahan is encouraged by Dailey's progress.
"I'm very positive about where he can take us this season," Callahan said of Dailey. "He's got a great thirst. He's got a great hunger about this team. He wants to lead the team, and I think that he's right on course."
Edited by Bill Cross
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