3-0
t
r
r
r
-1-
-1-
us
py
ne
ne
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2005
PAGE 1B
FOOTBALL: 34-14
Defense picks up slack
tsail.
Senior free safety Rodney Fowler runs downfield after intercepting a pass. Fowler had two interceptions and accumulated 34 yards after making the picks on Saturday against Louisiana Tech.
Offense escapes sluggish first half
BY RXN COLAANI
rcolaanni@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Kansas defense regained its top form from last season as it helped the team move to 3-0 for the first time since 1997.
kansan.com
The defense, which forced only two turnovers in the first two games, got four during Kansas' 34-14 victory against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
See more photos from Saturday's game at kensan.com/galleries
Kansas
Kansas football coach Mark Mangino said before this weekend's game that the defense needed to regain the mental edge that it had last season. After the game he said that the team 'absolutely' had the edge back.
had the edge busier. The Jayhawks forced four interceptions with each one setting up a touchdown. The defense also set up solid field position for the Jayhawks, as they consistently put pressure on Bulldogs' quarterbacks Matt Kubik and Donald Allen.
Kubik and Donahue Phen. Two of the intersections set up touchdowns in the second half. Se-
with five sacks. The fifth sack, which set the record, came on the final play of the game.
nior linebacker Brandon Perkins tipped a pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and senior cornerback Theo Baines caught the interception. Baines also recorded a sack in the third quarter.
"He is just a tremendous player for us," Mangino said. "He doesn't get a lot of credit when people talk about our linebackers."
The Jayhawks finished the contest with seven total sacks, and senior linebacker Nick Reid continued his strong season by racking up 14 tackles and a sack. Reid now has 39 tackles on the season.
Perkins set a school record
The defense helped Kansas
overcome a sluggish offensive first half, as Kansas scored only seven points. The Jayhawks went on to score 27 more points in the second half.
Linebacker's five sacks lead renewed defense
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTWRITER
Brandon Perkins doesn't start for the Kansas defense, but his impact was felt Saturday night.
The senior linebacker had five sacks, with his first coming in the first quarter and his fifth on the last play of the game.
"He is a tremendous player for us," Mangino said. "He doesn't get a lot of credit when people talk about our linebackers. He is seldom mentioned. He is not an every down player for us, but he is a force."
a force. Perkins is a situational linebacker, which means Mangino brings him in when the situation is right. He is used primarily as a pass rusher, so he sees many third downs.
Perkins set the school record with five sacks in a single game, and passed four Jayhawks on the all-time sack list. He is now tied for seventh with 15 career sacks.
"I was just at the right place at the right time tonight," Perkins said. "I just saw some things from the offensive linemen that I wanted to capitalize on, and I was able to put some pressure on the quarterback."
Battles, senior coach.
Three of the four interceptions came in the fourth quarter, when Kansas broke the game open.
Perkins was responsible for one of the interceptions, as he tipped a ball thrown by Louisiana Tech quarterback Donald Allen, into the hands of Theo Baines, senior cornerback.
back. The Kansas defense was putting pressure on Louisiana Tech quarterbacks all game, which caused most of the interceptions.
SEE LINEBACKER ON PAGE 3B
Senior linebackers Nick Reid and Brandon Perkins celebrate after one of Perkins' five sacks of Louisiana Tech quarterbacks Donald Allen and Matt Kubik. Perks recorded only three sacks during the 2004 season.
Jayhawks escape Sooners in five games
VOLLEYBALL
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Libero Jamie Mathewson returns a serve during the game Saturday against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks were victorious in a five-game match, defending the Sooners 3-2
Three days after dominating No.15 Texas A&M, Kansas volleyball barely escaped Oklahoma with a 3-2 victory Saturday at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
The Jayhawks (10-1, 2-0 Big 12) seemed to suffer a letdown following their emotional victory against the Texas A&M Aggies. They didn't match the Sooners' intensity and energy for much of the match.
much of the humor.
"Ho hum," Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. "As much as you try to tell your team, as much as you plead with your team, about how every Big 12 opponent is going to be extremely worthy of our best effort, you've got to experience something like that to really truly believe it."
"Ho hum. As much as you try to tell your team, as much as you plead with your team about how every Big 12 opponent is going to be extremely worthy of our best effort, you've got to experience something like that to really truly believe it."
Ray Bechard Kansas volleyball coach
In game one, Oklahoma held a 21-17 lead before Kansas went on an 8-0 run with sophomore opposite hitter Emily Brown serving.
Senior middle blocker Josi Lima tied the game at 21 with a shot into the back corner. Lima ended up tying a career high with 21 kills, 11 of which came in the first game. Kansas won 30-28.
In game two, the Sooners outplayed the layhawks.
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 5B
was held to one kill after accumulating 11 in game one.
Oklahoma performed well in game three, as well. The Sooners dominated the Jayhawks once again, winning 30-27. The game was not as close as the score indicated, as Kansas was inefficient once again. It hit .000, with 10 kills and 10 errors. Oklahoma took control with a 6-0 run late, for a 2-1 lead in the match.
The 30-23 Oklahoma victory was Kansas' first lost game at home this season. The Jayhawks posted a meager .622 attack percentage, while the Sooners were an efficient .371. Lima
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
MARK ZILLMAN
SPROTS@KANSAN.COM
Kansas deserves credit for win
The KU football team's first two non-conference games were not exactly ESPN Classic material. Florida Atlantic? Never heard of it. Appalachian State? What state is that school in? But Louisiana Tech isn't in quite the same league. The Jawahar beat a good football team Saturday.
Louisiana Tech has played a BCS conference opponent every year since 1989. The Bulldogs' non-conference schedule last year included Miami, Tennessee and Auburn. Tech knocked off Michigan State in 2003. In 2002, Tech defeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., and lost in overtime on the road to a ranked Auburn team. There is no doubt that Crimson Tide fans remember the Bulldogs upsetting No. 18 Alabama in 1999.
Give the Jayhawks credit. They didn't overlook the Bulldogs and earned their third victory of the year. The Bulldogs' acclaimed passing attack has produced NFL quarterbacks Tim Rattay and Luke McCown. Although Louisiana Tech lacks an NFL-caliber quarterback this season, the Kansas defense saw a plethora of new offensive schemes from Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator Conroy Hines.
"They played us completely different," he said. "They gave us a bunch of different offensive plays and formations."
Hines. Kansas football coach Mark Mangino lauded the Bulldogs for their schemes and adjustments from the Florida game.
No statistic was more impressive than the four turnovers the Jayhawks forced. Kansas had zero interceptions in its first two games, but thanks to a pair of interceptions by safety Rodney Fowler and an interception apiece for Theo Baines and Aqib Talib the KU offense had a much smaller field to work with.
More importantly, the KU defense flew to the ball. The blue collar defense that nearly led Kansas to upsetts against Nebraska, Texas Tech and Texas last season finally returned to Memorial Stadium. Brandon Perkins glided in for a school record five sacks; Theo Baines destroyed a blocker on a corner blitz; and the Kansas ball-hawking safeties turned in big plays. Louisiana Tech receiver Seneca Chambers summed it up best.
plays and to formulate. Nevertheless, the KU defense finally found its swagger. The Jayhawks entered the game ranked last in the Big 12 Conference in passing defense, giving up an average of 258 yards a game. That number is a bit staggering for a team that was supposed to have one of the best defenses in the conference.
Florida Atlantic quarterback Danny Embick tallied 299 yards in the first game of the year. But the Jayhawks allowed only 257 passing yards to Louisiana Tech. That number was skewed by the 145 yards the Bulldogs racked up during the fourth quarter.
"Kansas was all around the ball — they were everywhere," he said.
If this defense continues to smash through offensive lines, the Jayhawks will not be everywhere — they will be atop the Big 12 North.
- Zillman is a Leavenworth senior in journalism.
Q