THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2006
SPORTS
3B
FOOTBALL
Bowl game uncertain
Kansas needs two more victories to be bowl-eligible
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Sure, Kansas could beat Kansas State this weekend and get its sixth victory of the season.
But that doesn't mean the Jayhawks will be bowling for a second-straight season.
With eight Big 12 Conference teams already bowl-eligible and expected to fill the eight bowl games that the conference is guaranteed, Kansas might be left searching elsewhere for a postseason game. Or left at home for the holidays, despite having enough victories to qualify.
The problem for the layhawks is an NCAA and Big 12 Conference rule that forces bowls to select a team with a winning record, 7-5, for example, over a team at 6-6.
"All teams with a winning record will be selected ahead of 6-6 teams," Associate Big 12 Commissioner Bob Burda said.
That means a team like Troy (5-4) from the Sun Belt Conference or Northern Illinois (5-5) from the Mid-American Conference could snatch up an at-large spot from a 6-6 Kansas team, if one finishes with
a winning record.
The reason for all the bowl posturing stems from an NCAA rule change during the offseason that allowed teams to count victories against 1-AA teams for bowl eligibility. With more victories counted for bowl games, bowl spots became harder to get. Also adding to the number of bowl-eligible teams is the addition of a 12th game to the schedule.
The good news for the Jayhawks is that they control their own bowl destiny. Victories against Kansas State and Missouri would put Kansas at 7-5 and would guarantee the team a bowl game, possibly the Houston Bowl or the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
It's possible, but unlikely, that the Jayhawks could wind up in a Big 12 bowl. For that to happen, Kansas would have to hope for the latest bowel eligible team, Oklahoma State, to lose its final two games to Texas Tech and Oklahoma. That would leave the Cowboys at 6-6. A victory Saturday would also put Kansas no worse than 6-6.
It's more likely though that Kansas splits its final two games —
against Kansas State and Missouri — and would be selected as an at-large team.
Spots in several bowls should open up because conferences like the Big 10 may not have enough bowl-eligible teams.
The Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego is the only bowl with a designated at-large spot, but several others could have open spots with their conferences not having enough bowl eligible teams. Those possible bowls include the New Mexico Bowl and the Motor City Bowl in Detroit.
While a bowl game is certainly the goal, it's something that coach Mark Mangino refuses to talk about.
"I'm not thinking about bowls, I'm not talking about bowls," Mangino said. "I'm more interested in winning and that will all take care of itself."
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneler@kansan.com.
— Edited by Brett Bolton
FOOTBALL
Former redshirt improving Freshman player gains skill with actual game time
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
There's nothing quite like a baptism by fire.
It's certainly not the easiest way to learn, but Darrell Stuckey had no other choice.
After suffering an ankle injury in training camp that forced the freshman safety to miss nearly half the season, Stuckey got tossed into the flames just as conference play was beginning to heat up.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Darrell Stuckey, freshman safety, has been improving his skills recently by playing in real games. Two weeks ago, against Iowa State, Stuckey had two tackles and his first fumble recovery.
That meant he never got the chance to learn and get the kinks out of his game against teams like Northwestern State or Louisiana-Monroe.
It's taken a few weeks, but Stuckey's progress is beginning to show.
Two weeks ago against Iowa State, Stuckey recorded two tackles and made his first career fumble recovery. He also set career highs in total and solo tackles in first three games back. But better than that is Stuckey is now getting back to where he was before the injury.
"It's like I started from scratch all over again," Stuckey said. "Before I got hurt, I felt like I was moving with great speed and I was very used to speed of the game."
No question, missing those first five games certainly hurt Stuckey's progress. Although he took a redshirt last season and practiced with the team, there's no substitute for game experience. And with that game experience he's gained over the last month, Stuckey's progress has started to show.
"He's much better than he was; there's no question about it," defensive coordinator Bill Young said. "Losing those first five games really hampered his progress. He's starting to see the big picture."
knowledge of the game.
Seeing the big picture is about more than just the physical aspect.
The key for Stuckey has been learning all the mental nuances of the game. Whether its body position in pass coverage or just knowing where to be in a play, Stuckey's starting to grasp it. His speed may not be back quite yet, but he's making up for it with his growing
"I move to spaces probably quicker than I did before I got hurt because I'm smarter now," Stuckey said.
Football Notebook:
Senior wide receiver Jonathan Lamb and sophomore defensive end Russell Brorsen were both named to the First-Team Academic All-District team. Their names will appear on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America ballot later this month. Lamb, a Lenexa native, already has a degree in human biology and is working on a second degree in anthropology. Brosen, a Stillwater, Okla. native, is majoring in chemistry.
Lamb. Brorsen honored:
Freshman running back Jake Sharp will continue to handle Kansas's kickoff duties, Mangino said. Sophomore Marcus Herford started the season as the main kick returner, but has not seen much playing time in recent games.
Sharp on kick returns:
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneider@kansan.com.
Edited by Brett Bolton
BY RUSTY MILLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BIG 10 FOOTBALL
Michigan- Ohio game sparks debate
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In NFL locker rooms, middle-school study halls and taverns across the country, everybody is talking about Saturday's showdown between No. 2 Michigan and No. 1 Ohio State.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, for instance, favors a team not even playing in the game.
"Whatever is the best for Notre Dame, that's what I'm rooting for. Tell me what that is and that's what my rooting for," he said Tuesday.
So Weis is selling on margin, so to sneak.
Others also are hoping for a rout when Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith puts his Heisman 'Trophy candidacy on the line against the Wolverines' strong defense.
Notre Dame, of course, needs help to make it to the BCS national championship game against whomever wins the Michigan-Ohio State game. The worst scenario for the Fighting Irish, who are ranked fifth in this week's BCS rankings, is if the game is a tight struggle decided in the final seconds. That would allow the loser to retain a shot at a rematch in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8.
"Win by a hundred, sign me up," he said.
"Ain't no ifs, ands or buts about it. It's a blowout," said Cincinnati Bengals running back Chris Perry, a Michigan grad. "(Defensive tackle Alan) Branch is going to knock the stuffing out of — what's his name?
— Troy Smith. He shouldn't even win the Heisman. He's not going to win his league or the national championship"
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has won four of the last five meetings with Michigan's Lloyd Carr. Perry even has an explanation for that trend.
"We all know what's going to happen. We're going to win it. It's been long overdue. Tressel's been cheating," he said, laughing in the Bengals locker room. "Hey, we're going to keep it real. There ain't nothing else to say."
There was plenty to say in the Green Bay Packers' locker room.
Defensive back Charles Woodson is an Ohio native who went to Michigan, won the 1997 Heisman Trophy and led the Wolverines to the national championship that year. Linebacker A.J. Hawk played on Ohio State's 2002 national championship team, won the Lombardi Award last year and was taken in the first round of the draft by the Packers.
Woodson planned to place a wager on the game with the rookie
"We'll figure something out," he said. "A nice little round figure."
Hawk, noted for watching his dollars during his college days, wasn't so
"Charles has been in this league for a while, so I don't know if I want to bet with him," he said. "Maybe about wearing (college) jerseys or something like that, but I don't know about the money."
"I heard there's a game over there," cracked Kirk Ferentz, whose Iowa team lost to Michigan 20-6 and to Ohio State 38-17.
"I really expect that game to be one that's remembered for a long time," said Wisconsin coach Brielema, whose team didn't play Ohio State and lost its only game, 27-13, at The Big House in Ann Arbor.
Even though every other Big Ten team is in action on Saturday, most of the other coaches said they were planning to record the game and watch it later.
Terry Hoeppner, whose Indiana Hoosiers lost 44-3 to Ohio State and 34-3 to Michigan, refused to be lured into predicting a winner. After all, he'll have to face both teams in the future.
"You think I'm going to pick one or the other, you're crazy!" he said.
Not everyone was sitting on the fence, however.
sure he wanted to put anything on the line with his veteran teammate.
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, a longtime Ohio State fan,
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"Ohio State, 24-21, hopefully," said James, who would have attended the game if the Cavaliers weren't in Washington to face the Wizards that night. "I am very excited. Probably the only time in my NBA career I won't be taking a nap before the game Saturday because I'll be up all day."
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interested observers elsewhere weighed in as well.
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"It's a magnificent matchup and its got great flavor to it and it's got history and all the wonderful build-up." Southern California coach Pete Carroll said. "I will watch it, and it's obviously going to be fun to see what happens anyway. It's interesting that they're playing this game so much seemingly before the end of our season. That's always marks the end of the season there, and we're still rolling with big games coming up."
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The Bengals' Perry said no matter who loses in Columbus on Saturday there should be a do-over in the desert.
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"Undefeated, and lost to the No. 1 or No. 2 team? Then why shouldn't they be back in the national championship?" he said. "It makes sense to me, but that's why we have computers doing this instead of humans."
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