Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Unless coach Terry Allen says otherwise, Dylen Smith will be the Jayhawks' starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
Monday
October 4,1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Not enough time
SEE PAGE 6B
Time was precious during a failed comback attempt in the Kansas City Chiefs 21-14 loss yesterday.
SEE PAGE 3B
Who's in, who's out
The New York Yankees know who they have to beat to return to the World Series, but the NL playoff picture is still unclear.
SEE PAGE 2B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Contact the Kansan
Sports Desk:
Sports Fax:
Sports e-mail:
(785) 864-4810
(785) 864-0391
sports@kansan.com
Kansas tames Mustangs
Reserves step into the spotlight in 27-9 victory
By Mike Miller
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Kansas made do with what it had Saturday — and it showed in a 27-9 win against Southern Methodist.
Injuries and the lack of a running game made things difficult for the Jayhawks, who used depth and defense to their advantage. Three little-used skill position players established career highs, mostly because of extra playing time.
It wasn't the prettiest game — four Kansas turnovers allowed Southern Methodist to hang around — but in the end, it didn't matter to Kansas. The two game losing streak was gone.
"It wasn't very pretty today, but we had a feeling it might not be," Coach Terry Allen said.
On a fake punt play, fullback Tyrus Fontenot is tripped up by a leaping Southern Methodist defender, Chris Cunningham. Fontenot caught a pass from punter Joey Pelfanio and ran for a 26-yard gain in the second quarter. Photo by Jay Sheperd/KANSAN
"The defense played well after they settled down. Offensively we're just banged up."
Try beating up.
Three running backs — David Winbush,
Mitch Bowles and Henri Childs — were injured, adding to the body count on Kansas' sideline. Wide receivers Termaine Fulton, Byron Gasaway and Eric Patterson and tight end Jason Gulley didn't even suit up for the game.
But their injuries gave running backs Matt Jordan and Mike Lewis chances to play.
Jordan set a career high with 13 rushing attempts and Lewis scored a touchdown, but they couldn't solve the Jayhawks' running problems. For the third straight game, Kansas averaged three yards per rushing attempt, adding pressure on quarterback Dylan Smith's first career start.
With three wide receivers missing in action, Smith turned to familiar targets and to new ones.
"He uses his athletic ability well and that really helps us," Allen said. "He can get better, and he will get better."
Smith threw three interceptions, but he also created plays with his mobility in the pocket. The new offensive schemes — bootlegs, quarterback draws and the option — suit Smith's running ability, which encouraged Allen.
Harrison Hill and Michael Chandler both caught four passes, but fullback Moran Norris, wide receiver Algen Williams and tight end David Hurst all set career heights in receptions.
See BRUISED on page 6B
Wild finish nets conference win for Jayhawks
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
It may have been the wildest 20 minutes of soccer in Kansas soccer history, but that's what it took for the Jayhawks to capture their first Big 12 Conference win of the season.
All five goals were scored in the final 20 minutes of Kansas' 3-2 win yesterday against Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas.
Both teams were coming off Friday battles against top-20 opponents. Texas Tech defeated No. 20 Missouri 4-1 and Kansas fell to No. 24 Railor 2-1 in the game's final seconds.
Kansas and Texas Tech players appeared to be fatigued as the game was scoreless for the first 70 minutes.
"The first half we were horrible," Kansas coach Mark Francis said. "We looked tired. Friday's game took a lot out of us."
The final minutes against Texas Tech were much different.
The win improved the Jayhawks to 6-5, 1-3 in the Big 12, and dropped the Red Raiders to 5-6-1, 1-3 in the conference.
The final minutes a were much different.
The scoring began in the 72nd minute when
Kansas junior forward Hilla Rantala scored an unassisted goal. Less than five minutes later Texas Tech answered with a goal by Carrie Graham.
Sophomore midfielder Melanie Schroeder found the net in the 84th minute
when she connected with a pass from freshman midfielder Brianna Valento and gave the Jayhawks a 2-1 advantage. Three minutes later, Katie Lents scored, adding to the Kansas lead.
Texas Tech refused to quit and scored with 46 seconds remaining in the match, which cut Kansas' lead to one, but the Red Raiders would get no closer.
"I am very happy to get our first win in the conference," Francis said. "I told them at half-time that this is our season, this game makes our season. I am really proud of them. We really dominated them in the second half."
In Friday's game against Baylor, the Jayhawks were defeated 2-1 after the Bears netted the game-winning goal with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Kansas was
SOCCER SCORES
Friday's result:
Tuesday 3 resumes
**Baylor 2, Kansas 1.** Baylor (Juli Goin,
Megan Townes). Kansas (Colleen
Colvin).
Sunday's result:
Sunday's RESULT:
Kansas 3, Texas Tech 2. Kansas (Hilla Rantala, Melonie Schroeder, Kate Lents). Texas Tech (Carrie Graham, Jennifer Hamm). Records: Kansas 6-5, Texas Tech 5-6-1.
outshot 24-6 for the game, but scored first when junior Colleen Colvin scored off a pass from Schroeder in the 28th minute. Baylor tied the game four minutes before halftime.
Edited by Brad Hallier
Allen has enough problems already, don't be one more
Let's get one thing straight. Kansas 27, Southern Methodist 9, really doesn't prove anything.
"We won, and that's only reason I'm not banging my head against the wall," wide receiver Michael Chandler said. "Because I'm very frustrated with how we played offensively."
The win didn't prove anything, but it shouldn't have to. Beating Southern Methodist may quiet those calling for
Terry Allen's head, but it sure won't keep them muffled for long. And that's a shame.
Unless long to you is five days. Because that's how long Kansas fans have before No. 9 Kansas State beats the Jayhawks like the instate stepchild they are.
state department may use Of course, Chandler doesn't see it that way.
"We obviously need to improve," he said, "but I think if we do that, we 'an go in there and upset
Sam Mellinger sports columnist sports@kansas.com
them. Maybe that's just conceived attitude, but I'm willing to put it on the line like that."
And I hope he's right. I hate few things in sports, but K-State football is an exception. There's little I'd like better than a Kansas win in Manhattan, but let's be realistic. Unless the college football gods are Kansas alumni, it's not going to happen.
But please, do me a favor. Do everyone a favor. After the game, please, please, please don't make a fool of yourself. Don't start with the what-the-heck-is-Terry-Allen-doing comments. Don't question his coaching ability just because he came to Kansas from Division I-AA Northern Iowa.
Because when he took the job two years ago, you, you the Kansas fan, were clear about what you wanted. After two straight years of not knowing if Glen Mason wanted to coach here, you wanted a loyal man. You wanted a personable coach. You wanted to win, sure, but you wanted a coach you could root for.
Terry Allen is that man, and he's being booed off the field. He's being ridiculed on his own call-in show. You question him, you wonder if he should be Kansas' coach next year.
Terry Allen has enough things working against his ambitions to improve Kansas football. There's the fallout from Mason's awkward, if not bitter, departure. Mason's Georgia-one-moment-Kansas-the-next-and-off-to-Minnesota-a-year-later shenanigas ruined recruiting for two years. Recruits from those two years are this season's upperclassmen. Think about that the next time you wonder why Kansas doesn't have more playmakers.
terry Allen has enough things working against his ambitions to improve Kansas football. He has no tradition to talk to recruits about, the stadium is old, the turf faded, and there's no home-field advantage. And with K-State's recent success, Allen will have to work extra hard to get what limited high-school talent this state produces. Oh, and even if Allen overcomes all these obstacles, and even if the team completely turns around, it will always take a backseat midway through every season when basketball starts.
Alien and the Kansas football team have enough obstacles between them and success. Don't add another.
Mellinger is a Lawrence senior in journalism.
Jennifer Kraft,
freshman defensive
specialist, celebrates with Mary
Beth Albrecht,
senior outside hitter, after Kraft scored a point in the first game against Texas Tech Saturday night.
Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Kansas volleyball bumps off Red Raiders for first time
By Shawn Hutchinson
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Mary Beth Albrecht picked the perfect night to go on the offensive.
Albrecht, a senior outside hitter on the Kansas volleyball team, had a career-high 23 kills, including the 1,000th of her career, and led the Jayhawks to a 3-1 victory against Texas Tech Saturday night at the Horeisi Sport Athletics Center.
Before Saturday, Albrecht and the Jayhawks were 0-6 all-time in matches against the Red Raiders and had not won a single game against them since Oct. 11, 1996.
"The win alone is the best part." Albrecht said after she had become just the fifth Jayhawk in history to
record 1,000 kills. "Any win is important, but revenge is always sweet."
Indeed. The Jayhawks, 11-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference, had been blasted twice last year by Texas
Tech. Kansas lost 15-2, 15-2 and 15-1 in Lubbock, Texas, and was swept again in Lawrence, 15-8, 15-5 and 15-6.
"Last year we went to Tech and
we scored five points in three games." Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. "They flat embarrassed us down there and that has kind of burned ever since."
The Jayhawks were the ones doing the burning Saturday night, dropping Texas Tech to 10-6 overall and 0-4 in the Big 12.
— junior outside hitter Colleen Smith. Smith, the 6-foot-7 preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, had four kills in the game and one block-solo and two block-assists for the match.
The Red Raiders turned around and won game two, 15-12, when they looked for help from their top player
That philosphy served Kansas well in game three, which had a total of 53
"She's tall, and she reaches pretty high just on her tip-toes," Beard said. "But) after game two, we said we're going to forget about what Texas Tech is doing and just take care of our side of the net."
Kansas won game one, 16,14, after overcoming an early 6-3 deficit. Albrecht picked up seven kills in the game, while junior outside hitters Amy Myatt and Danielle Geronymo had three apiece.
sideouts. Albrecht had eight kills in the game, while junior outside hitter Nancy Bell came off the bench and sparked the Jayhawks.
Bell recorded 10 kills for the match, six in game three, a game that the Jayhawks rebounded from 9-2 and 13-10 deficits and won 16-14.
From that point, the Red Raiders never recovered. Kansas senior middle blocker Amanda Reves blasted seven kills as the Jayhawks rolled to a 9-1 lead in game four. Kansas went on to a match-clinching 15- victory.
The Jayhawks next game will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday when they hit the road to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla.
1
Edited by Brad Hallier