Kansas volleyball reversed a five-match losing streak this weekend with victories against K-State and Baylor. Chicago trailed early but started a comeback in the second half at Arizona
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17,2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 10A
>>' HORN BORN, 'HAWK BRED
Jayhawks are lost without Charles Gordon
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
KANSAN COLUMNIST
TROBINETT@KANSAN.COM
FOOTBALL
Edited by Natalie Johnson
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry during Kansas' second-half meltdown against Oklahoma State. After all, the best cure for depression is laughter, and Kansas gave me plenty to laugh about. What I found most hilarious was the secondary's inability to stop Adarius Bowman, the Cowboy receiver who totaled 301 vards and four touchdowns.
Who was supposed to be covering this guy? I know who could have been: Charles Gordon, the former KU cornerback who left a year early to pursue a career in the NFL. He still could be suing up for Kansas on Saturdays if he had chosen to return.
Gordon wasn't drafted and currently is on the practice squad for the Minnesota Vikings. He's not making much money for an NFL player and doesn't dress for games. It wasn't a now-or-never decision; all this would've been available a year later.
So why did you do it Flash? Kansas obviously needs you more than the Vikings do. You could have helped Kansas stop big pass plays that cost it victories against Toledo, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. With you, the Jayhawks could have a good defense. They could even be undefeated.
I know: You didn't want to play offense. But you wouldn't need to. Kansas' offense is much better than last season. Scoring 25 points should be good enough to defeat Oklahoma State. It's not the offense that's in need, it's the defense.
Saturday's second half was the worst the Kansas defense has played since coach Mark Mangino's first season. Maybe last season spoiled me, but I don't like seeing 603 total yards from the other team, 35 points allowed in one half or 301 yards for one receiver.
Kansan sportswriter Travis Robinett can be contacted at trobinett@kansan.com.
The defense was as dead as the Memorial Stadium crowd in the second half. It just rolled over and died, even after the offense came back to within three points in the fourth quarter with a beautiful two-point conversion. Two plays later, Kansas was down by 10 again.
Sophomore Aqib Talib is a good cornerback, but he covers only one side of the field. That leaves a big hole on the left side of the defense, a hole that Gordon dug for the lajhawks.
He could've led Kansas back to another bowl game, which is suddenly an unlikely possibility. He could've been one of the most important players in Kansas football history. Instead he's practicing football for a living.
But what's done is done. Gordon isn't here and Kansas football will be finished when it loses to Baylor this weekend. Thank God it's basketball season.
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
Oklahoma State's Adarius Bowman exploits the Kansas defense as he runs to make a touchdown during Saturday's game. Mangino blamed the loss on a complete defensive breakdown but said he plans to correct the problems by next weekend's game.
Kansas has work to do before Baylor
Saturday's game pits a struggling Jayhawk defense against a strong Bear offense
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
After watching tape Sunday of his defense getting torched for more than 400 passing yards during this weekend's loss, Mark Mangino saw problems with more than just the secondary.
This loss was a total defensive collapse.
Kansas' football coach said linebackers misreading patterns and an inconsistent pass rush contributed to the poor play of the secondary.
"To blame the secondary would not be accurate." Mangino said during Monday's Big 12 Conference Football Coaches Teleconference. "It's an 11-man situation that we have to get corrected."
The defense needs to fix its problem quickly. One of the nation's best passing offenses awaits as the next challenge for
Kansas' struggling defense on Saturday.
Baylor, which switched to an offense this season similar to the one run by Texas Tech, has one of the best passing offenses in the country. The Bears' passing offense ranks 10th in the nation, averaging 285 yards per game. Baylor threw for 320 yards Saturday against the Longhorns, whose defense ranks 11th in the nation.
By comparison, Kansas' pass defense ranks 117th out of 119 Division I-A teams, giving up an average of 281 yards per game.
Mangino said having the defense watch tape of its second-half performance against Oklahoma State was a good learning experience. Pass defense, which includes more than just the secondary, will be a major focus throughout the week in practice.
Pressure on the quarterback is an area that Mangino said was average but needed to be improved. Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid was able to stand in the pocket and find open receivers, namely Adarius Bowman.
In the variation of the spread offense that Baylor runs, getting to the quarterback quickly will be the key to stopping the passing attack. Without pressure, the quarterback is able to stand back and wait for a defensive back to make a mistake and then exploit it with a pass.
Mangino said the mistakes his team made against Oklahoma State could be corrected in time for this weekend's game.
"The key is to identify what the problems are and get them corrected," Mangino said.
Football Notes
Cornish injured:
Mangino said he expected senior running back Jon Cornish to play this weekend against Baylor despite sitting out most of the second half of Saturday's loss to Oklahoma State. No TV for KU-Cl:
The Oct. 28 game between Kansas and Colorado was not a part of the Big 12's television package that was announced Monday. The kickoff time for the game at Memorial Stadium is 1 p.m.
Kansan senior sportswriter Ryan Schneider can be contacted at rschneider@ kansan.com.
Edited by Aly Barland
NCAA SANCTIONS
Questions answered regarding Kansas' infractions
BY C.J. MOORE
Editor's note: Sports Administration reporter C.J. Moore answers questions about the NCAA Committee on Infractions' report for Kansas.
What does being on probation mean?
Because the University has been placed on probation with the NCAA Committee on Lafractions, the Athletics Department is subject to a repeat violators provision. This provision - found in the NCAA rulebook - opens the door for stiffer penalties to be assessed if the University commits more violations in the next five years.
ly vigilant", associate athletics director Irm弓Marchio said.
"Over the next five years we have to be especially careful and especial."
During the three-year probation placed on Kansas by the NCAA, the school is required to do the following:
> Develop and implement an educational program about NCAA legislation for its coaches and all Athletics Department personnel
2 Submit a preliminary report to the infractions committee by Dec. 15 of this year, establishing a schedule for how the Athletics Department plans to implement its compliance and educational programs
> Submit annual reports to the infractions committee by Aug. 15
during the next three years, describing the progress that has been made in compliance and the educational programs; the report must also detail the tracking of recruits who come to campus prior to enrolling and document the University's compliance with the other penalties that were assessed in men's basketball and football.
> Kansas must submit a letter at the end of its probation to the committee verifying that the Athletics Department followed NCAA regulations.
But more than anything, Marchiony said, being on probation was a "public stigma" for the University.
Will Bill Self have to kick somebody off of scholarship next year?
> NCAA allows for a program to have 13 players on scholarship, however, with the penalty Kansas could only have 12 players on scholarship next season.
If everyone returned in 2007, Self would either have to defer the penalty one year or kick one of his current players off of scholarship.
Speculation has been made that sophomore Brandon Rush will bolt for the NBA after this season and Self has even said it's a possibility. If that is the case and Kansas doesn't sign any more recruits for next season, everyone would be able to stay on scholarship.
How long is the punishment in affect?
The Athletics Department is on probation for the next three years, ending Oct. 11, 2009. Both the men's basketball and football teams will serve their punishments during the next two seasons.
Who is Al Bohl, and why is he part of these violations?
Al Bohl was the athletics director for Kansas, who was fired in April 2003 by Chancellor Robert Hemenway. Under Bohl's watch, Kansas committed numerous violations that went unreported to the NCAA or the Big 12 conference by its compliance department.
SEE VIOLATIONS ON PAGE 9A