The NASCAR Chase format narrows down competitors, leaving fans guessing who will win the championship. 6B The Kansas volleyball team will attempt to snap its three-game losing streak at Missouri tonight. 6B
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
PAGE 1B
FOOTBALL
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Adam Barmann prepares to pass the ball during a game Sept. 23 against South Florida State. Barmann continued to start for Kerry Meyer when he recoveres from an arm injury.
Quarterback injuries not new to Mangino
Coach's five seasons have showcased at least two starters each year
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Luck is something that has certainly eluded Mark Mangino and his quarterbacks.
In Mangino's five seasons, injuries have riddled his starting quarterbacks. Kansas has yet to have a quarterback start a full season in the Mangino era. That trend continued again this season.
Freshman Kerry Meier has missed his last two starts after suffering an injury against Toledo.
Mangino isn't sure if his quarterbacks are cursed, or if it's his bad luck.
"You won't catch me playing lotto tickets anytime soon," Mangino ioked.
It's probably a good idea. Mangino is convinced he wouldn't have good luck with them anyway.
"When it's zero, I'll hit it," he said.
His luck with quarterbacks at Kansas has certainly been baffling. Mangino has gone through nearly 10 starting quarterbacks, with more than half missing time because of injury. Each of his five seasons has
featured at least two different starters.
"Certainly all of us have a little bit of frustration, but we have to stand for what we believe in." Mangino said. "Our focus here has always been that any player on the field that gets hurt, we get the next guy ready and ready to go."
The trend started during Mangino's first season when Bill Whittemore was injured. He suffered injuries during both of his seasons at Kansas. Whittemore's injury during his senior season forced Mangino to strip Adam Barmann's redshirt. Barmann went on to start two more games in 2003.
Kansas' bad luck with quarterbacks continued the next season when Barmann suffered an injury against Iowa State. Jason Swanson, one of last season's many quarterbacks, was injured during the regular season finale against Iowa State, but recovered in time to play in the Fort Worth Bowl.
As for his current injured quarterback, Mangino said there's a chance that Meier will play "relatively soon."
"There's no question that we'll see him again this season," he said.
All that's preventing Meier from playing this weekend against Texas A&M is clearance from the team's medical staff and Mangino. He practiced again on Sunday, but is
still unable to make all the throws needed in the offense.
Meier is currently listed as "day-to-day" and Mangino has no timetable for a decision about this week's starter.
SEE SCHNEIDER ON PAGE 3B
Each week, coach Mark Mangino and his staff select players of the game from the past weekend's game. The selections come from offense, defense and special teams. They are announced on Tuesday afternoon. This week's winners were:
Fields
McClinton
》SERENITY NOW
Webb
Quarterback shows his improving skills
BY FRED A. DAVIS III
KANSAN COLUMNIST
FDAVIS@KANSAN.COM
I never thought Id say this: Start Adam Barmann.
I was petrified two weeks ago when faced with the reality that Barmann was going to start against South Florida. The last thing I remembered from Barmann was that nightmarish outing against Kansas State in Manhattan. Remember that 12-3 shoot-out? The Anti-Nick Reid — he was doing No. 7 no justice — was three for eight that day for a whopping 17 yards. That was 17 yards against a mediocre Kansas State team in Manhattan: a tough place to play if you're used to modern civilization.
That's right, I said it, and I'll say it again. Start Adam Barmann, and do it for as long as this guy is capable of playing like he has seven out of the last eight quarters of football for the Kansas Jayhawks.
But then Barmann, the alleged successor to Bill Whitemore, who has failed miserably ever since his alleged breakout game against Texas A & M in College Station four years ago as a true freshman, saves the day against South Florida? And after a putrid first quarter, leads Kansas back against Nebraska — in Lincoln? Who is this man, boys and girls? And what has he done with the happy-feet, wobbly-throwing, confidence-lacking and baseball-cap-wearing-because-he's-content-being-a backup Adam Barmann we came to bemoan and dislike? He's gone, and this new Adam Barmann, this — let me get this two-interaction, first-quarter out-of-the-way-and-throw-for-405-yards and two-touchs-the-next-three-quarters — Barmann is now leading
the way.
So what do you say about his turnovers?
While the fumbles and interceptions do hurt, there should only be two interceptions because the last pick Barmann threw in the Nebraska game should have never happened. The "sure-handed" Derek Fine dropped his first of two easy touchdown passes that the aforementioned quarterback put right on the numbers.
As a quick side note: once you drop two (twoll) touchdown passes that would change the entire complexion of a game, you lose the distinction of being 'sure-handed.' Where's Marc Jones? But I digress...
It's amazing what Kansas football fans are seeing right now when it comes to the Kansas offense, because folks around here haven't seen that kind of offense since, well, the Kansas City Chiefs of the past five years. Seriously, Mangino's offenses have been so bad that Nick Reid threatened to beat up every member of the offense last year, and as bad as they were, he probably could've done it by himself - taking them all on at the same time. Granted, no one on the defense has threatened to beat up any members of the offense this year — although I hear Paul Como and Kerry Meier have hair issues. The offense and defense are actually helping each other.
The reason this offense is clicking is because of Adam Barmann, the quarterback we love to hate. He's finally playing like the quarterback Mark Mangino envisioned when he brought this gangly-looking kid from West Platte, Mo., to Lawrence four years ago. He's played two great games in a row and his confidence is sky-high after what he did in Lincoln. His team's behind him, the fans are behind him; let the kid ride this thing out for as long as he can, because who knows, he may ride this thing to Kansas City in December.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Hosting tournament lucky charm for golfers
Edited by Brett Bolton
Meghan Gockel, Dallas freshman, swings during the first day of the Marilynn Smith Sunflower invitational on Monday at Alvamar Country Club. Sixteen teams attended the two-day tournament. Kansas won the tournament by 14 strokes; Notre-Dame came in second. Gockel tied for 26th place. The team's next tournament will be Oct. 16 at Price's NMSU Collegiate Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M.
Vanessa Pearson/KANSAI
BY JOSH LANDAU
The victory marks the second time in a row that the Jayhawks have won the tournament when they hosted it.
The University of Kansas women's golf team placed first in the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational on Tuesday at Alvamar Country Club.
"We did well overall," coach Erin O'Neil said. "We were kind of shaky here and there, but we didn't give up. I'm proud of them."
The Jayhawks had a final round score of 917 and a 14-stroke lead over The University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame moved past Arkansas-Little Rock into second place. The Jayhawks also improved on their score from the last time they hosted the tournament, when they posted a score of 946 in 2004.
A large fan base was present for the team. Several golf carts followed players from hole to hole.
"It always helps to have a big crowd to support us," Amanda Costner, Claremore, Okla., senior, said.
After leading the first two rounds, Costner fell to fifth place after the
third round with an overall score of 227. Swirling winds were again present on the second day and only one golfer during the three rounds was able to post a score under par.
"Everyone's scores were up," O'Neill said. "It was a tough day on a tough golf course."
Emily Powers, Quincy, Ill., freshman, led the Jayhawks in the final round, posting an even par on the course. She attributes her success to her chipping.
"My chipping was never that good until I got here and we worked on it." Powers said. "I made a lot of up-and-downs today."
Powers finished fourth in the tournament with an overall score of 225. Top honors went to Anita Ojeda of Arkansas — Little Rock with an overall score of 221.
The victory provided a boost of confidence for the team members. They hope to take it and apply it to future tournaments.
"This is a huge point for us to build on," Annie Giangrosso, Overland Park junior. said. "We can take this to New Mexico or, more importantly, Auburn."
SEE LANDAU ON PAGE 3B
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Daily Nebraskan comic sparks discussion, criticism
BY C.J. MOORE
Brent Meier/The Daily Nebraska
After an Omaha television station ran a news story about an editorial cartoon that appeared in Monday's Daily Nebraska, the Nebraska school newspaper, the paper received an abundance of letters to the editor and comments on its Web site.
The cartoon angered fans of both Nebraska and Kansas.
Jenna Johnson, the editor of the Daily Nebraskan, said the paper was running eight to 10 letters to the editor in today's newspaper. But before people jump to a quick judgment of the cartoon, Johnson said
it's important that they understand the context.
Johnson said that the cartoon was meant to be critical of both Kansas and Nebraska fans.
She said that a number of Kansas fans showed up to the game in "our coach can eat your coach" T-shirts. During the game when Eric Washington was injured in the third quarter, Nebraska fans started to do the wave around the stadium.
"I think people who misunderstand it are people who weren't at the game or do not know the context of the cartoon," Johnson said.
SEE MOORE ON PAGE 3B