As the Jayhawks prepare for the Sunflower Showdown against the Wildcats, learn about Kansas State's freshman quarterback Josh Freeman. 11A
The Kansas volleyball team loses another road game, this time to Baylor in Waco, Texas.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16,2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 12A
FOOTBALL
1956: KU wins despite fumbling six times
BY DREW DAVISON
Editor's note: This week, The University Daily Kansan looks back at four classic games between the Jayhawks and Wildcats.
Nov. 3,1956 Kansas 20, Kansas State 15
1956 Kansan headline — "Jayhawkers Overcome Tough K-State 20-15"
Before winning in Manhattan in 1956, the Jayhawks lost three straight to the Wildcats, including a 46-0 shutout the previous year in Lawrence.
ORAL ROBERTS 78 KANSAS 71
During that game, Kansas State fans rushed the field looking to tear down the goalposts after their team won. Angry KU students protected their turf and a brawl broke out between the two schools. It was the only victory Kansas had that day; the goalposts stood after the team lost.
A year later, the Jayhawks sought revenge, facing the Wildcats as a two-touchdown favorite.
But as the Kansan reminded students, "Odds are certainly no indication when these two bitter rivals tangle."
Kansas trailed 13-0 early in the game because of a severe case of fumble-tits. The Jayhawks lost six fumbles, but a strong defensive effort carried the Jayhawks to a five-point victory, 20-15.
"Kansas State was tackling the ball instead of the ball carriers," halfback Homer Floyd said after the game.
After solving the fumbling problems, Floyd took control of the Kansas offense. He rushed for 136 yards on 14 carries, including a 59-yard run on Kansas' clinching touchdown drive. It was the seventh-best individual performance for a jawhawk up to that point.
The Kansas defense held Kansas State to two scores and only one extra point. Kansas coach Chuck Mather said, "It was the best defense KU has shown since I started coaching here three years ago."
The Wildcats scored their other two points on a safety.
Jayhawk football fans could not watch the game live because it was in Manhattan, so the KU quarterback club had a watch party, running an advertisement in the Kansan encouraging students to be at the Union to see "KU-K-State film" at 8 p.m. the following Wednesday.
Kansas went on a 10-year winning streak after that game. In 1966, the two teams tied. The Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks in 1969, their first victory since 1955.
Tomorrow, the Kansan looks back at a defining game in coach Mark Mangino's career; the Jayhawk victory two years ago in Lawrence that snapped an eleven-year losing streak.
Notes from 1956:
Freshman forward Darrell Arthur puts up a jumper during Wednesday night's game against Oral Roberts. Arthur led the team with 22 points, but it wasn't enough to stop the Golden Eagles' 78-71 victory.
The quarterback was Dave Preston.
Center Galen Wahlmeier was team captain.
Anthony Mattingly/KANSAN
After the K-State victory, Kansas lost its last three games.
Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com.
Edited by Travis Robinett
DOWN TO EARTH
No.3 Jayhawks stunned at home
End Jim Letcvits and tackle Frank Gibson were first team All-Big Seven selections.
BY SHAWN SHROYER
The Jayhawks didn't believe it could happen. Most fans in attendance probably sauntered home in shock. But it happened.
"Coach has been stressing this, but believe it or not, we really didn't believe it," junior guard Russell Robinson said. "That's a coach's job, to tell us, 'Hey, you can lose this game,' and I don't think we really believed it."
Against an athletic and versatile Oral Roberts team, Kansas ran out of gas and lost 78-71.
The loss comes a day after Kansas was
From the onset, Kansas looked sloppy, and myriad turnovers allowed Oral Roberts to stay in the game. Before long, it was Kansas that was trying to fight off defeat.
named the best team in the country by "Sports illustrated," and will damage the Jawhawks' national ranking.
In the first half, Kansas had 14 turnovers to nine assists, while Oral Roberts had 10 turnovers to 11 assists. Oral Roberts turned Kansas' 19 turnovers in the game into 21 points, while Kansas managed just 15 points from turnovers.
"We let them get comfortable, and they started making big shots toward the
end of the game." Rush said. "That really ended it."
Mounted on top of Kansas' shortcomings were strong performances by Oral Roberts forwards Caleb Green and Marchello Vealy.
In the second half, Kansas' struggles switched to shooting. The Jayhawks attempted six three-point shots without connecting and made only five of 13 free throw attempts. This inability to make up ground with the clock stopped buried Kansas.
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 9A
R
A.
KU, KSU rivalry fuels athletic cultural jabs
BY C.J. MOORE
Don't be surprised if there's more tension in the stands than on the field this Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
For Kansas residents, this Saturday's meeting between Kansas and Kansas State is the bragging-rights game. The 'Sunflower Showdown' might not have a hostile moniker like the 'Border War,' but the intrastate rivalry is heated across the state of Kansas.
"It's not just big for us," said James McClinton, Kansas junior defensive tackle. "It's big for the school. It's big for the state."
D
Nathan Locke, Wakeeney freshman, grew up a Kansas fan because his dad attended the University of Kansas Medical Center. Locke was in the minority in Wakeeney, a small western-Kansas town along 1-70 west of Manhattan, where he said the Powercat ruled. Locke has former classmates making the drive to Lawrence this weekend.
It's a rivalry that splits many households and many towns. Many students in towns throughout Kansas don't know college students at any other school.
The University of Kansas is in Douglas County, the lone blue county in the state. Kansas State University just welcomed former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, a staunch conservative, to speak at its campus. Kansas takes pride in its liberal arts program, while Kansas State is known for its agricultural program.
"We've been talking smack all these last few games," he said.
The rivalry holds a deeper significance for many Kansas residents than what takes place on the football field. The cultural differences between Manhattan and Lawrence intensify the barbs that bounce back and forth.
"I always make fun of them and tell them we're better, tell them they're a bunch of farmers." Corey Harrison, Wichita freshman, said about his friends at Kansas State.
After years of having nothing to argue about other than academics and low-blow cultural jabs, the rivalry on the field is starting to mean something again. Kansas State dominated the meetings under Bill Snyder throughout the 1990s and into
SEE RIVALRY ON PAGE 9A
corrrection
Wednesday's Kansas incorrectly reported the availability of this week's "Sports illustrated," featuring the Kansas basketball team on the cover. It will be available at area bookstores beginning this Friday.
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