B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005
FOOTBALL
Jumping into the season
Linebackers responsible for team's defensive progress last season
BY RYAN COLAIANNI
Senior linebackers Nick Reid, Kevin Kane and Banks Floodman show off their leaping ability at media day. Reid, Kane and Floodman make up the linebacker core that will be an integral part of a highly touted Kansas defense.
rcolaiani@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Led by three seniors, the linebacker corps is looking to pick up where it left off last season and build on the 27 takeaways that led the conference.
If there was one position that helped the Kansas defense improve as drastically as it did last season, it was the linebacker.
that led the Congress to "Now we have to stand up to the hype," senior linebacker Nick Reid said. "We have to go out and prove to everyone that we are good and that we can shunt people down when we need to."
people down The linebackers not only hope to improve on last season's stellar year, but become one of the nation's best defenses.
"Our goal is to go out there every game and pitch a shutout." Reid said. "We want to be the best, not just in the Big 12, but in the nation."
Reid is the most talked-about of the group; he was named to the first All-Big 12 team last year after finishing second in the conference in tackles with 109.
"He's 'Mr. Reliable.' You can count on Nick Reid," Kansas football coach Mark Mangino said "He's going to show up
and go to work just like the sun is going to show up every day."
kansas originally recruited Reid as a quarterback, however during his freshman year he started six games at linebacker and he had 62 tackles.
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Kevin Kane join Reid at linebacker. Floodman was seventh on the team in tackles last season with 47. Kane finished second on the team in tackles, behind Reid, with 69.
Ile's going to show up and go to work just like the sun is going to show up every day."
During his sophomore season he racked up 133 tackles.
Reid had to have a screw inserted into his foot last year. As a result, he played much of the season injured.
Seniors Banks Floodman and
Mark Mangino Kansas football coach
Kane also had two interceptions and was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last year.
"He is an intelligent, hardnosed football player and gives you 100 percent every snap,"
Mangino said. "I don't remember once ever having to say anything to Kevin about hustling, finishing a play, going to the whistle. He does it all the time."
but he made up for it with his intelligence; Kane was a first team academic All-Big 12 selection last season.
Mangino said Kane was not the fastest player on the field.
tour last season.
“There is something to be said for intellectuals playing football. You can't fool Kevin Kane," Mangino said.
"The reason we've been able to make progress every year is because of team chemistry," Mangino said. "We'll have the best leadership that we've had since I've been here. It's very strong."
The team elected all three seniors as captains for this season, and it the captains' leadership that Mangino believes will drive the team.
been hit in the Reid, Kane, and Floodman will not be the only linebackers who will make an impact this season.
season, and junior Eric Washington, a transfer from Minnesota West Community College, are both expected to see time.
"We are pretty stacked at linebacker," Washington said. "We have a lot of great leaders like Kevin Kane and Nick Reid. A lot of the young guys are growing up fast because our leaders are so good."
Freshman Mike Rivera, who took a redshirt in his inaugural
cause our leaders are the big
Freshman Brandon Duncan,
who committed to the Jayhawks
in August, may also see playing
time if he doesn't take a redshirt.
"They are doing a great job, we have a great group of guys," Reid said of the younger linebackers. "We really don't fall off that much. If one of us goes down they step up. They are going to be great in the years to come."
- Edited by Patrick Ross
BY ALAN ROBINSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cardinals sink Pirates in 6-3 game
PITTSBURGH — Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols homered in the first inning to get St. Louis off to its customary fast start in Pittsburgh, and Tony La Russa passed Sparky Anderson to move into third place on the manager wins list in the Cardinals' 6-3 victory on Thursday night.
included series.
Morris (14-5) has more wins in Pittsburgh than some of the Pirates' own pitchers, going 6-0 in seven starts there and 2-0 this season. He lasted seven innings despite allowing two runs and nine hits, stranding five runners from the fifth through the seventh innings and seven overall.
The Pirates have lost 10 of 13 to the Cardinals, helping accelerate La Russa's move up the career victories ladder during a season in which he has passed some of baseball's all-time best; Anderson, Bucky Harris and Joe McCarthy.
Pujols and Edmonds clearly like playing in Pittsburgh, too. Pujols' 35th homer of the season followed four pitches after Edmonds' 22nd to put the Cardinals up 2-0 against Dave Williams (10-10).
La Russa's victory No. 2,195
— he trails only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763)
— was Matt Morris' 101st in the majors, and it came in the home away from home for both the Cardinals and the right-hander.
The Cardinals' 30 victories at 5-year-old PNC Park are the most of any opponent. St. Louis has won 17 of its last 20 in Pittsburgh, including three of four in just-included series.
Pujols' homer was his 16th at PNC — an average of more than three per season and by far by most of any opposing player, while Edmonds' was his ninth there. Pujols, who went 3-for-4 and reached base four times, has 25 homers in 295 career-at-bats
against Pittsburgh.
again. Picture right.
The Pirates, losing their fifth in six games, got a run back in the first on rookie Chris Duffy's triple and Freddy Sanchez's groundout. But Pujols singled in the fifth for his third hit, all off Williams, and scored on John Rodriguez's two-out single. Yadier Molina, who had doubled one batter before, was thrown out at the plate on the play by center fielder Duffy.
play of Molina isn't ready to say goodbye yet to the Pirates, either, going 21-of-50 (420) against them with three homers and 14 RBIs in 13 games. He followed Edmonds' RBI double off Williams in the seventh with a run-scoring single, making it 5-2, and So Taguchi had a run-scoring single in the ninth.
Pittsburgh made it 5-3 in the eighth on Wilson's RBI single off Julian Tavarez, the second of three Cardinals pitchers in the inning, but closer Jason Isringhausen struck out rookie Nate McLouth looking with runners on first and third. Isringhausen finished up in the ninth for his 34th save in 37 opportunities.
Edmonds also played a pivotal role with his glove. The Pirates had threatened by loading the bases in the fifth against Morris, but Edmonds run down Jason Bay's drive to deep center. An inning later, Ty Wigginton singled in a run with his third hit, but Edmonds prevented any further scoring with a sliding catch of Jack Wilson's line drive into the right-center gap with two outs and a runner on.
Notes — Morris has a 2.65 career ERA in Pittsburgh. Pujols started the series 0-for-7, but is hitting .353 (18-of-51) against Pittsburgh this season. ... Morris had been 2-3 with a 5.53 ERA since the All-Star break. ... St. Louis are 40-22 on the road, a better record than all but two NL teams (Atlanta and Houston) have at home.
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