THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2007
SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
3B
Rivalry games highlight weekend
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Games of the Week:
OKLAHOMA STATE AT NO.
13 GEORGIA
This game could be a shoot-out. With wide receiver Adarius Bowman, running back Dantrell Savage and quarterback Bobby Reid, the Cowboys possess one of the most dangerous offenses in the country.
The Bulldogs offense is just as explosive. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Stafford was one of the most highly recruited players in the nation out of high school two years ago. Stafford has an arsenal of experienced receivers and a trio of great running backs in Kregg Lumpkin, Thomas Brown and Knowshon Moreno.
Oklahoma State's defense isn't nearly as talented. Georgia has the talent on defense but is relying on a number of underclassmen in the secondary.
KANSAS STATE AT NO.18
AUBURN
Kansas State hasn't lost a season opener since 1990. But none of those games were at Auburn.
The Wildcats' offense is young but undeniably talented. The Tigers' defense is experienced and battle-tested from playing in the Southeastern Conference.
Auburn is going to come at Kansas State sophomore quarterback Josh Freeman with defensive ends Quentin Groves and Sen'Derrick Marks in hopes of rattling Freeman early. Tiger free safety Aairon Savage will lurk deep looking for passes to intercept.
Kansas State will count on sophomore running back Leon Patton and senior wide receiver Jordy Nelson making big plays to silence the hostile crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
MISSOURI VS. ILLINOIS
These two contrasting offenses will meet at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis for an opening day border-rivalry game.
Missouri junior quarterback Chase Daniel threw for more than 3,500 yards' last season and could find success against a young Illinois defense. The Fighting Illini's offense is rush-first as sophomore quarterback Juice Williams is lethal on the ground but only completed 39.5 percent of his passes last season.
Illinois coach Ron Zook continues to rake in top recruiting classes without much to show for it. Zook is only 4-19 since taking over at Illinois. He'll be hoping all the young talent finally comes to fruition Saturday. And the Illini will need every bit of it to keep up with the Tigers.
NO. 15 TENNESSEE AT NO.
12 CALIFORNIA
This match-up in Berkeley, Calif. is the only one in college football to feature two ranked teams.
The Golden Bears and the Volunteers look very similar on paper as both boast one of the nation's best quarterbacks, lost their biggest play maker and are inexperienced on defense.
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge completed 67 percent of his passes in 2006 while throwing for almost 3,000 yards. California quarterback Nate Longshore completed 60 percent of his passes in 2006 while throwing for more than 3,000 yards.
It will obviously be a battle through the air at Memorial Stadium.
GEORGIA TECH AT NOTRE DAME
These are two nationallyrenowned programs that are both entering rebuilding years in 2007.
The Yellow Jackets lost superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson and the Fighting Irish lost superstar quarterback Brady Quinn to the NFL Draft. Both were faces of their respective programs and life without them is hard to fathom.
For Georgia Tech, senior running back Tashard Choice will carry a much bigger workload without Johnson.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis still hasn't announced a starting quarterback but many suspect true freshman Jimmy Clafsen will be on the field Saturday. Clausen has been referred to as the most technically sound quarterback out of high school in the history of the sport.
It will be interesting to see how each of these teams responds without the leaders they are used to.
Other Games:
COLORADO VS.
COLORADO STATE
The Buffaloes had defeated the Rams three straight years before last year's contest. Both teams have very good defenses but may not be capable of scoring many points.
NEVADA AT NO. 20
NEBRASKA
This game is not an automatic win for the Cornhuskers. The Wolf Pack return seven starters from a defense that was the best in the Western Athletic Conference last season.
ARKANSA STATE AT NO.
4 TEXAS
The Indians return all their important pieces from a 6-6 season last year. But traveling to Austin, Texas, and playing the Longhorns in week one is simply unfair.
NORTH TEXAS AT NO.8 OKLAHOMA
The focus of this game will be on new Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford. He will face a North Texas defense that returns 10 starters.
MONTANA STATE AT TEXAS A&M
The Mustangs will be excited to welcome the Red Raiders to Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Monday night and thinking upset, but SMU has been
The Division 1-AA Bobcats shocked the Big 12 last year with an opening day win at Colorado. Montana State may find it a little harder to leave College Station, Texas, with a victory.
TEXAS TECH AT SOUTH- ERN METHODIST
unable to slow down TTU coach Mike Leach's offense in the past and hasn't beaten their in-state rival in almost 20 years.
BAYLOR AT NO.22 TEXAS CHRISTIAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TCU enters the season with a lot of attention because of its 12-2 record last year. The Bears hope to throw the Horned Frogs off course with standout middle linebacker Joe Pawlek.
IDAHO AT NO. 1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Everyone is calling for USC to go undefeated and play in the national championship game this year. The Trojans' first obstacle in getting there are the Vandals, who haven't had a winning season in eight years.
WESTERN MICHIGAN AT NO. 3 WEST VIRGINIA
The Broncos were picked as the preseason favorite to win the Mid American Conference. But first, Western Michigan has to attempt to stop West Virginia's talented quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton.
APPALACHIAN STATE AT NO. 5 MICHIGAN
Appalachian State is the two-time defending Division 1-AA national champions. Michigan was one game away from playing in last year's Division 1-A championship, though.
WESTERN KENTUCKY AT NO. 6 FLORIDA
California quarterback Nate Longshore completed 60 percent of his passes last year while throwing for over 3,000 yards. California hosts Tennessee in a top 15 showdown Saturday.
The Gators will start their national title defense against the Hilltoppers. Florida returns only two defensive starters but Western Kentucky loses its quarterback and top rusher.
The Badgers only weakness may be their secondary. The Cougars will look to exploit that with one of the Pac 10's best quarterbacks, senior Alex Brink.
WASHINGTON STATE AT NO. 7 WISCONSIN
EAST CAROLINA AT NO. 9
VIRGINIA TECH
This will be an emotional game for both Virginia Tech players and fans after last April's tragic events. The Pirates are looking for an upset coming off of their first bowl game in five years.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT NO.11 OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes will unleash new starting quarterback Todd Boeckman on the Penguins. Junior middle linebacker James Laurinatis will start his run at the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation's top linebacker.
NO.14 UCLA AT STANFORD
The Bruins have an astounding 20 starters returning from a team that
beat USC last season. With the leadership of quarterback Drew Olson and safety Chris Horton, UCLA has a chance at a BCS Bowl this year and should breeze past Stanford.
NO.19 FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON
Seminole coach Bobby Bowden takes on his son Tommy Bowden's Clemson Tigers Monday night. Clemson had the fifth ranked rushing offense last year with CJ Spiller and James Davis. Both will play against Florida State, which had the nation's 12th best rushing defense last season, and returns four of its front seven.
BASEBALL
Edited by Kyle Carter
Hoglund clubhouse construction on the way
shroyer@kansan.com
BY SHAWN SHROYER
It's only a matter of time before groundbreaking will take place at Hoglund Ballpark for the Kansas baseball team's clubhouse.
Construction on the clubhouse was originally planned to begin soon after Kansas' 2007 season. But the project has gained additional funding and grown in scale since, resulting in delays.
When the athletics department began planning for the clubhouse the department didn't know how much it was going to cost, said Sean Lester, Associate Athletics Director of Internal Affairs. "Then you get into it and you're like, 'Wow, we really want to do this, so let's allocate some more dollars.' So we had to allocate some more money towards that project because it's going to be such a great one."
The clubhouse is now being estimated at $1.7 million and 6,500 square feet, but will still be built behind the bleachers down the first base line.
It will feature a locker room area and lounge for the players, although
Lester said the lounge wouldn't be as swank as it sounds. It will actually be more of a study hall for the players to use between classes. The coaches will have their own game day offices in the clubhouse, while their main offices are expected to remain in Allen Fieldhouse. For visitors, the clubhouse will include a reception area where the baseball team will display trophies, awards and pay tribute to former greats who came through the program.
Perhaps no one is more excited about the coming clubhouse than Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price. He said Kansas was the only Big 12 school without a baseball clubhouse. Price called the clubhouse the "final piece of the puzzle" to helping Kansas compete with Big 12 schools and top programs in the region for recruiting.
"It's been a five-year process here as we've tried to rebuild the program," Price said. "The facilities in our conference are as good as any place in America, so when you're recruiting against Nebraska, Arkansas and Wichita State, it's imperative that we can offer the same type of facilities for our players."
El Matador Cafe
Celebrating 50 Years of Service!
Lester said the department has finished approximately 50 percent of the design and bidding is underway to find a contractor. He expects a contractor to be in place within two or three weeks. Once construction begins, Lester said the project could take anywhere from eight to 10 months to complete.
"If we get the right construction company and they're doing all the right things, then it could be a lot faster and that's our goal," Lester said. "We want to fast track this thing as fast as possible. Our belief is, if we're going to do something, we're going to do it right, or we're not going to do it at all. Because it's going to be there a long time."
Edited by Ashlee Kieler
446 Locust North Lawrence
(3 blocks east of Johnny's Tavern)
841-3837
Remember There's Only One El Matador Cafe
EVERY Friday 11:30am-2pm & Saturday 5pm-9:30pm
The only speed bumps left before construction can begin are completing the design of the clubhouse and finding a contractor.
ALL you can eat Buffet
BARCARD
has finally arrived in Lawrence... Sign up at the game @ 1pm Saturday
www.thebarcard.net