6B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2004
Welcome Home Delta Darlings
Laura Acton
Michele Aldrich
Ashley Ballweg
Jessica Born
Rachel Boch
Abby Carter
Mallorie Carter
Tyler Clayton
Blake Coleman
Brittany Davis
Michaela Dewit
Elizabeth Doak
Erin Donaldson
Marquette Ebeling
Anita Elkins
Jessie Fetterling
Claire Fisher
Erin Gallagher
△△△
Robyn Mazzarino
Paige McGhee
Leah Melvin
Lacey Moser
Courtney Oliver
Audra Pearson
Erin Burns
Sharon Lemos
Whitney Reed
Rachel Richardson
Lauren Scopp
Casey Siebels
Tracy Simon
Ivy Smith
Annie Sullivan
Laura Towers
Kara Young
Katie Welter
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If you pick the winning teams, and beat The Kansan sportswriters, you could win free textbooks from UBS, Wheat State Pizza gift certificates, and a T-Shirt! Read Jonathan Kealing's picks in Friday's Kansa Winners will be published in Tuesday's Kansan.
Submit picks to UDK business office in 119 StaufferFlint hall by Thurs. @ 4 pm Name:
Phone:
Kansas vs. Tulsa
9 Ohio State @ Cincinnati
Oklahoma State @ UCLA
Miami (OH) @ #8 Michigan
Murray State @ UCONN
13 Cal @ Air Force
Richmond @ NC State
Memphis @ Ole Miss
W Kentucky vs. #12 K State
2 Oklahoma @ Bowling Green
18 Misouri vs. Arkansas State
N. Illinois @ #22 Maryland
Division III
Wash U vs. Mt. Union
Beginning and Intermediate Knitting Classes Starting Soon!
Beginning Knitting: Learn by making a hat, mitten, or bag! Plus get 20% off class yarns!
Plus get 20% off class yarns
Sept. 8 (Wed.) 7:00-9:00 p.m. 6 wks. $25.00
Sept. 13 (Mon.) 7:00-9:00 p.m. 7 wks. $27.50
Sept. 12 (Sun.) 1:30-3:30 p.m. 6 wks. $25.00
Sept. 16 (Thurs.) 6:30-8:30 p.m. 6 wks. $25.00
Complete schedule of all classes available at Yarn Barn.
Classes in knitting, weaving, spinning, & rug braiding.
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Riley on Ryder Cup team
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
All it took was one phone call for Hal Sutton to get instant gratification as Ryder Cup captain.
On the other end of the line was Chris Riley.
"He could hardly speak to me on the phone," Sutton said. "He was estatic. If God lets me live long enough to hear one of my kids be that excited ... then it will all be worthwhile. Because Chris Pilau was that excited."
Wait until Sutton really gets to know him.
Riley gets excited over a plate of onion rings.
"He's like an 8-year-old," said Stewart Cink, who at 31 is about six months older than his Ryder Cup teammate. "Jay Haas is like our uncle. And then Chris is like our nephew. He's got a naive about him that draws you in. He's one of the great personalities on the tour that many people don't realize."
For most people, Riley is one of the great unknowns.
His only PGA Tour victory came two years ago at the Reno-Tahoe Open.
The most TV time he got this year was when his 5-foot birdie putt in the playoff at Torreys Pines somehow defied gravity and spun out of the cup, allowing John Daly to win for the first time in nine years.
Riley showed up again at the PGA Championship, somehow salvaging par from the bottom of the cliff on the par-3 17th at Whistling Straits.
He missed a 4-foot par putt on the final hole and fell one shot short of the playoff, but still got the final spot on the Ryder Cup team with a tie for fourth.
On paper, he is the least accomplished player on the American squad.
But take a poll of his teammates, and all of them are just as excited about having him at Oakland Hills.
"He's going to keep everyone loose," David Toms said. "I think he's going to be great.
Half of what he says is nuts. He asks so many questions that we call him "Really Riley."
Kenny Perry hasn't heard anyone that inquisitive since his son was in diapers.
"When my son was little, he was always saying, 'Why, Daddy? Why this? Why this?' And that's what Riley is like," Perry said. "He's a pure kid. Pure joy. He's a lot of fun to be around."
Riley played a practice round at Firestone with Phil Mickelson, Chad Campbell and Davis Love III, asking them everything and more about the Ryder Cup.
One of the famous stories on tour is the time Riley was playing in Reno and gazed at the snowcapped mountains.
According to two players and their caddies, Riley asked one of them, "That's not really snow up there, is it? Really? But it's warm down here, and wouldn't the snow melt being that much closer to the sun?"
Missouri's defense crucial
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Whether this is a breakout year for Missouri could depend upon how well the linebackers play in a restructured defense.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Tigers go into Saturday's opener at home against Arkansas State with a No. 18 ranking. The offense, led by Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Brad Smith, is expected to be strong.
The question mark is the defense, restructured from a 4-2-5 scheme a year ago to a 4-3 base set. The additional linebacker is aimed at slowing the run.
"I think it's an athletic group of linebackers," coach Gary Pinkel said. "I think it's as athletic a group that I've probably been associated with in coaching at every place I've been."
"Athletically, they're the
Still, the group lacks experience. Senior James Kinney anchors the defense from the weak-side linebacker position, but the other two, sophomores Dedrick Harrington and David Richard, are new to the position.
mold." Pinkel said. "You'd clone those guys for the rest of your career. They fit it. But can you play linebacker? We'll see what happens."
Harrington moved to middle linebacker from rover, a staple of the 4-2-5. Before, Harrington could move anywhere between the secondary and the defensive line. In his new role, he is pinned down in the middle of the defense.
"I feel very good at (linebacker)," he said. "I had time in spring to learn the plays and just improve daily in two-a-days. So now I feel like I'm ready to go."
Richard made the switch to defense this spring, though he played the position in high school.
The adjustment simply has taken some time, Harrington said.
"Basically, I'm just closer to the ball," he said. "I do what any linebacker would do, as far as the scheme. I've got to play a lot tougher, a lot harder."
Richard's role changed completely. A St. Louis native that began his collegiate career as a tailback at Michigan State in 2002, Richard returned to his home state, sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Kinney has helped both players adjust to the linebacker position. An All-American candidate and Butkus Award hopeful, Kinney has helped make the transition smoother for Harrington and Richard.
"He's a person on the field that knows everyone's responsibilities," Richard said. "He's a leader out on the field and a person you love to go to war with."
The group also has the benefit of playing behind an experienced defensive line. Pinkel, usually vague when evaluating his players, raves about senior Atiyah Ellison and junior C.J. Mosley, the team's top defensive tackles.
Sophomore Brian Smith, who led the Tigers with eight sacks last season, will not even start to begin the season, as the development of fellow sophomore Xzavie Jackson has forced Smith to the sideline.