SOCCER
Women's team prepares for established competition. Page 38
NBA
Barkley is back. Page 6B
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1995
TCU game was not a true test
"Here come the 'neers."
The Villanova players could see them a mile away, and I wonder if the Kansas football players have the same long-distance vision.
Oh really? Let's compare the games Kansas played against Texas Christian University this season and last season. This year, Kansas had a fourth-quarter lead, just as it did in 1994. This season, Kansas was up 21-13, and instead
"Wow, Coach Mason has really turned it around. What a great job of coaching he has done. I was really impressed with Kansas' victory against TCU," say the 'neers.
SECTION B
of the offense dying, the offense took over.
The defense didn't make the difference this year.
But TCU quarterback Max Knake was no
SPORTS REPORTER
less effective than last season.
Knake completed 31 out of 57 passes for 379 yards this season.
Two of TCU's drives stalled after the Horned Frogs had first- goal to go. Each drive, TCU marched down the field when receivers beat cornerbacks.
Last season, other than one deep pass, Kansas was killed mostly by shuffle passes and screen passes.
The point is that last season, defensive coaches took the heat for poor statistics. The fact that the strongest part of TCU's team has been matched up with the weakest part of Kansas' team the past two seasons has not been given enough attention.
Kansas pitching coach to stay on staff
Kansas played a 4-3 defense last season, just as it had in every other season that Mason coached at Kansas. The Jayhawks just didn't have the players to fit the system.
With a new defensive coordinator this season, they are playing a 3-4 defense. Although they still may have a shortage of linemen, they have more than last season. Yet they still were unable to stop the pass against TCU this season.
The difference in this season's game was the offense, which came alive in the fourth quarter.
Maybe Mason should be credited for the offensive explosion. He has given assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Pat Ruel more control of the offense. Ruel has decided to open up the offense and pass more. The new offense still isn't completely effective, but now opposing teams have more to worry about.
But the true test for the Jayhawks will be Oct. 7 when they play Colorado in Boulder.
TCU is a good team, but its play at the beginning of the game was emotionless. The Jayhawks came out with revenge and the national spotlight on their minds. Kansas started strong, and its only test came late in the game.
But the team really hasn't been tested yet.
Because of its record so far this season, Kansas looks like it could be a pretty good football team, and Mason looks like a good coach again.
Kansas' game against Houston tomorrow should include lots of passing and should be fun to watch. Enjoy it while you can, 'neers. But wait until Oct. 7 to jump on the bandwagon because the ride could get rough.
TCU saw passing plays, but the Horned Frogs were killed by Kansas' running attack. Ruel believes in the running game just like Mason, but he has more guts to pass the ball.
By Dan Geiston
Kansan sportswriter
There will not be a total changeover in the Kansas baseball program this year.
New Kansas baseball coach Bobby Randall has decided to keep Wilson Kilmer as his pitching coach for at least one year.
Kilmer served as Kansas' pitching coach for the past eight years under former coach Dave Bingham and was one of three finalists for the head coaching job.
and told he he wanted to meet with me and find out about me," Kilmer said. "He wanted to know if we were compatible or not."
"After he came to town, he called
Randall, who had never met Kilmer except for a casual bell
Wilson Kilmer
for a casual hello on the field, me
with Klimer the night he was hired.
Randall was named Kansas' 31st
coach Sept. 8.
"We basically wanted to find out about each other," Randall said. "We both had some questions that really needed to be answered about where we stood with this program."
After three hours of discussion, the two came to an agreement.
"I don't foresee any problems between us," Kilmer said.
Randall said he based his decision on the success Kilmer had at
Kansas and that he was a good person who had earned the respect of people around him.
people
"I see why he was a candidate for the job," he said. "He's a very smart baseball man."
Randall already has met with all the players to talk about his plans for the Javhawks.
"Coach Bingham should be praised and commended for all he's done here," Randall said. "Kilmer was a big part of that success. They should be proud of what they've done here."
Randall has yet to decide who will fill the restricted-earnings assistant coach spot, which opened after Jim Clement resigned earlier this year.
KANSAS TOOOTBALL
"I've got enough things to worry about. I've suspended that search for the time being." he said.
"We're just looking forward to the start of practice," Kilmer said. "We feel like we've got a good ball club, and we're ready to go."
'Hawks to face 'improved' Cougars
By Robert Sinclair Kansan sportswriter
When the Kansas football team faces Houston tomorrow, it has an opportunity to join elite company.
The Jayhawks have started a season with a 4-0 record only three times — the most recent of which was in 1981.
They haven't been 3-0 for a while around here, so it feels kind of good." Kansas senior offensive tackle Rod Jones said. "But the potential to be 4-0 feels even better."
Houston also is working on a streak of its own, albeit a more dubious one. Not only have the Cougars started this season 0-3, but they have lost eight consecutive games dating back to last year. In fact, under Houston football coach Kim Helton, the team is 2-19-1 dating back to 1993.
However, Kansas football coach Glen Mason feels that this year's Cougar team is underrated.
Paul Kotz / KAMBAN
The teams opened last seasons against each other on a Thursday night as Kansas defeated Houston 35-13 in the Astrodome.
"I really believe that Houston is a very much improved football team," Mason said. "They're not the same team that we played last year."
Then-Houston junior quarterback Chuck Clements had one of his best games of the year as he passed for 304 yards and the team's lone touchdown. Clements return worries Kansas.
"I think he's a lot better this year," Mason said. "In a lot of ways, he reminds me of (Texas Christian quarterback Max) Knake. He's a good touch passer, knows what's going on."
Against three highly-rated opponents, two of which are considered national championship contenders in Florida and Southern California, Clements has passed for 733 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
What's attracting the attention of Kansas sophomore linebacker Jason Thoren is that Clements threw for 244 yards and a touchdown against the then-ranked No. 4 Gators.
"Anytime you've got a team that played Florida that close — and you know how good Florida is — it's scary," Thoren said. "They could come in here and move the ball down the
Kansas senior wide receiver Ashaulandh Smith alludes the tackle of a Texas Christian defender during a 38-20 Kansas victory. With a win tomorrow, the Jahyahs will start their season 4-0 for the first time since 1981.
Pigskin Predictions
Sept. 23 and 24, 1995
Jenni Carlson
Jenn Carlson
Kansas Sports Editor
Record: Last Week 3-2
Season 12-3
Tom Erickson
Kansas Associate Sports
Editor
Record: Last Week 4-1
Season 13-2
Chris Austin
Kansan Sports Columnist Record; Last Week 3-2 Season 13-2
Houston # Kansas Texas A&M Colorado Texas # Notre Dame Kansas City Cleveland Philadelphia # California
KU 34 Hou.17 CU 27 A&M 24 Tex.21 ND 20 K.C.17 Cle.10 Oak.24 Phi.17
KU 35 Hou.10 A&M 28 CU 24 Tex.20 ND 13 K.C.20 Cle.17 Oak.14 Phi.0
KU 31 Hou.14 CU 24 A&M 17 ND 35 Tex.20 K.C.17 Cle.10 Oak.21 Phi.13
KU 24 Hou.10 CU 30 A&M 28 Tex.24 ND 10 K.C.17 Cle.10 Oak.17 Phi.7
Guest of the Week:
Robert Hernenway
Chancellor
Guests' Record: 12-3
field like they did in Florida. You just don't know."
Helton, however, hasn't been as impressed with his team as he has been with Mason's.
"I know they're 3-0 so they must be doing something right." Helton said.
Nobody is invincible, however, he said.
"Everybody's got weaknesses," Helton said of Kansas. "I know our team has got plenty of weaknesses."
Nevertheless, Kansas will take Houston seriously
because of its experience against national championship contenders on the road.
"That's why I think it (their record) might be misleading." Mason said. "Certainly not to us, because on film they look pretty darn good."
Kansas fans show poor attendance
By Robert Sinclair Kansan sportswriter
What if Kansas was 2-0, featured as the prime-time game of the week and played at home, and nobody showed up to watch?
It can't be said that no Kansas football fans were present at last week's 38-20 victory against Texas Christian on ESPN — the attendance was estimated at 34,000 — but considering the circumstances, anything less than capacity says something about the University.
"We were a little disappointed last week. The game was free and everything, but the stands weren't packed," Kansas senior outside linebacker Keith Rodgers said. "Beating TCU, I think, now will draw people out to the stadium."
One would think so, especially considering the Jayhawks' previous fan support under the lights. The average attendance in the last three night home games was 47,133.
"I don't become disappointed. I'm more concerned about how my team's playing and how my coaches are coaching," Kansas football coach Glen Mason said. "I don't know anybody that wouldn't want increased attendance or more demand for their tickets. But then again, it would be ridiculous to say that, 'Well, we didn't play better against Cincinnati because there weren't more people there.' I don't look at it that way."
The Cincinnati game was witnessed by only 26,500 people. In 1992, the last time the Jayhawks went to a bowl game, the smallest home crowd was 31,500 — in a 26-18 victory against Oklahoma State. The average crowd that year was 41,600.
"The coaches always tell us, 'Don't worry about who comes out to see us,'" Kansas senior offensive tackle Rod Jones said. "It's more important what we do on the field. If they don't come, they don't come. Once they figure out that we're moving on, we're a team progressing every week, I'm pretty sure more people will come out."
Jenny Braonen / KANBAM
Former Kansas rower returns as assistant
Kansas women's rowing assistant coach Tani Odell works with novice rowers at Clinton Lake. She rowed with the club team from 1989 to 1994.
Kansan sportswriter
By Erin Johnson
Kansas sportwriter
What she didn't know was that she would return to Lawrence a little more than a year later to be the assistant coach of the Kansas women's varsity rowing team.
Tamil Odell knew when she graduated from Kansas in the spring of 1904 that it would be her last year as a rower on the rowing club team.
Odell had considered being a rowing coach someday but she intended to go to graduate school in Oklahoma, her home state, and work on earning another degree.
"I was excited about coming up
That was until Kansas women's
rowing coach Rob Carloth called her this summer.
"She was a strong leader on the team both by example and leadership qualities," said Catloth, who coached Odell on the club team from 1989 to 1994. "She was a strong and tenacious competitor which I knew would be good as a coach."
The decision to coach was a difficult one for Odell because she already had plans to go back to school. Her love for rowing and knowing that she eventually could get in-state tuition at Kansas helped her decide that coaching was the right decision.
and having the position," Odell said. "It's something I've always been interested in."
The transition from rower to coach has been challenging for Odell. On one occasion this season, Catloth and Odell each took a team of rowers out on the lake to do a drill. Odell came across a problem — how to explain to her rowers in a different way something they weren't understanding.
"They're learning to row, and I'm learning a lot right now," she said. "I know how to row, but it's a little bit of a learning process to switch row-
See ODELL. Page 3B.
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