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THE UNIVERSITY DIARY KANSAN
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MONDAY, AUGUST 13. 2007
Texans offense still ineffective under Schaub
BY KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Matt Schaub's first pass for the Houston Texans was for 2 yards. His second one was dropped.
This revamped Texans offense sure looks a lot like the old one.
Schaub, who replaced David Carr after backing up Michael Vick for three years in Atlanta, had an inaus-
picious debut going 3-for-5 for 25 yards. But the defending NFC champion Chicago Bears scored 13 fourth quarter points, including a 47-yard go-ahead field goal by Robbie Gould with 2:23 remaining to
"He had a chance for a lay-up touchdown there at the end and he misses Kevin in the corner of the end zone."
beat the Texans 20-19 in the exhibition opener for both teams Saturday night.
The Texans got Schaub in a trade with the Falcons in March and released Carr, the No.1 pick in 2002, after he failed to lead Houston to a winning record in five seasons.
Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson runs after a catch as Chicago Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher closes in during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game Saturday in Houston.
That first drive, which also featured a 1-yard run by new Texan Ahman Green, ended in a punt. On his second and last series, Schaub looked a bit better, finding Andre Johnson for a 1-yard gain and Owen Daniels up the middle for 8 yards.
had a chance for a lay-up touchdown there at the end and he misses Kevin in the corner of the end zone."
And this was against a Bears defense missing both Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher and star defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who didn't suit up.
"I felt really comfortable right from the start," Schaub said. "We were in rhythm, we had a good tempo. The whole time we were in there, we did a good job of getting
The Texans had to settle for a field goal that put them ahead 3-0 after Schaub overthrew a wide-open Kevin Walter in the end zone on third-and-4.
GARY KUBIAK Head Coach
"I thought he did some good things," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He
in and out of the huddle and executing our assignments."
The 30-yearold Green, who signed with the Texans in March after seven seasons in Green Bay, finished with three carries for 7 yards.
Johnson, a
Pro Bowler last season, was encouraged by Schaub's performance.
"I think a lot of the decisions he made tonight were some pretty smart decisions," Johnson said. "I'll tell you one thing, he'll stay in that pocket and throw that ball. That's something you have to love about the quarterback."
Rex Grossman looked sharp in two series and completed his first eight passes. He found first-round pick Greg Olsen for a 5-yard gain before hitting Muhsin Muhammad for 10 yards on the first drive.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I have a feeling he will make a lot of those catches over the course of the year," coach Lovie Smith said of Olsen.
Grossman was 8-of-10 for 50 yards.
"We moved the ball pretty well,"
Grossman said. "For the first pre-season game that was fine, and that's really all you try to do is look sharp and execute."
Cedric Benson, in his first season as the featured back, had five carries for 23 yards. It was the first career preseason game for the former University of Texas standout after he sat out as a rookie because of contract negotiations and last year with a shoulder sprain.
"Cedric Benson ran the ball really well," Smith said. "He had three catches, which is good to get him back in the flow."
Backup Brian Griese's first pass was intercepted by Von Hutchins, who ran it back 20 yards. The Texans added another field goal that made it 6-0.
Griese redeemed himself on the next drive, finding Mark Bradley for a 31-year gain before a short touchdown pass to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo put Chicago ahead 7-6 in
The NFL suspended Ayanbadejo without pay for the first four regular-season games for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids. He denied taking steroids and blamed the test results on an over-the-counter supplement. The suspension begins Sept. 1.
Houston's Jerome Mathis returned a kickoff 78 yards after the Bears' TD. The third-player player, who missed 14 games with injuries last season after making the Pro Bowl as a rookie, was finally brought down by Gould. The return set up Kris Brown's third field goal, a 42-yard, to make it 9-7. Brown also had a 29-yard.
"It was fun, kind of like being a rookie all over again." Mathis said.
lead to 19-7.
Jeb Putzier caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Sage Rosenfels in the third quarter to push Houston's
Last year's No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams, playing at right end, didn't have a tackle and rookie tackle Amobi Okoye had just one assist. Okoye, drafted 10 this year, did
get in the backfield once and hurried Grossman.
A 3-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Orton to Fontel Mines cut the lead to 19-14 early in the fourth quarter and Gould added a 44-yard
field goal with 4:52 to play.
Texans strong safety Glenn Earl injured his foot, linebacker Shawn Barber has a shoulder strain and cornerback Jason Horton fractured his arm on Saturday.
MLB
Associated Press St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Adam Kennedy throws to first base to complete a double play. Kennedy will be sidelined for two to six weeks because of torn knee cartilage.
Knee problems plague St. Louis Ankiel provides spark in call-up
BY R.B. FALLSTROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Adam Kennedy will be sidelined two to six weeks with torn cartilage in his right knee, the latest blow for the defending World Series champions.
Infielder Brendan Ryan was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. He and Aaron Miles likely will share playing time at second while Kennedy, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list, is out.
Miles started at second on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ryan started at third base and batted ninth on a scheduled day off for Scott Rolen.
"I'm guessing he'll be back in September, but I don't know," manager Tony La Russa said of Kennedy.
Kennedy said the knee had been bothering him the last few days and an MRI exam on Sunday confirmed the injury. The team will schedule surgery in the next several days.
"I knew it wasn't good," Kennedy said. "When you play sports long enough you know what hurts and what's injured."
He has struggled all year after
signing a free agent contract with the Cardinals, batting .219 with three homers and 18 RBI in 87 games. But Kennedy had been playing better lately.
Kennedy had played in five straight games
Ryan, 25, has batted .339 in 25 games with two homers and five RBI with the Cardinals. This is his fourth stint with the team this season.
The Cardinals nearly recalled Ryan on Thursday, but they opted for outfielder Rick Ankiel instead. Ankiel started for the
"I knew it wasn't good. When you play sports long enough you know what hurts and what's injured."
ADAM KENNEDY
Cardinals Second Baseman
for the first time since the All-Star break, and somewhere in that stretch he hurt the knee. He's unsure how it happened.
"The last couple of days it's been rough getting going out there," he said.
La Russa altered his lineup about an hour before the game, scratching Juan Encarnacion due to knee
fourth straight game since his recall on Sunday. He has hit three homers.
soreness. So Taguchi got a spot start in center field, Ryan Ludwick moved from fifth to Encarnacion's spot at cleanup and Ankiel moved to right field from center field.
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