SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, September 20, 1993
9
Utah Utes offense cinches victory
Holly McQueen/ KANSAN
Kansas linebackers Terence Sullivan and Larry Thiel tackle Utah quarterback Mike McCoy. In its third loss of the season, Kansas was frustrated by the Utes strong first-half performance Saturday.
Kansas unable to overcome first-half deficit
Paul Kotz/KANSAN
Junior fullback Costello Good attempts to break through defensive backs Ernest Boyd, left, and Sam Rhodes of Utah. The Jayhawks were defeated Saturday 41-16.
By Matt Doyle
Kansan sportswriter
Three games against Division I teams and three defeats. That is how the line reads for the Kansas football team after Saturday's 41-16 defeat to Utah before a Band Day crowd estimated at 34,000 in Memorial Stadium.
Kansas' only victory of the season was against Division I-AA Western Carolina Sept. 4 at home.
The defeat to the Utes was probably worse than defeats to No. 1 Florida State and Michigan State. Kansas had opportunities to score in those defeats but was never in position to score in the contest against Utah.
The Utah offense executed to near perfection in the first quarter, building a 21-10 lead. Junior quarterback Mike McCoy connected on nine of 13 passes for 128 yards and two touchdown passes to junior Henry Lusk.
Utah also was able to run the ball effectively in the first 15 minutes. Senior running backs Jamal Anderson, Keith Williams and Pierre Jones shared the responsibilities and 85 of the 90 rushing yards in the first quarter. Anderson had 30 yards, including a2-yard touchdown run. Williams had 28 yards, and Jones had 27.
Utah coach Ron McBride said the performance against Kansas had been far different from the performance at Arizona State two weeks ago, when Utah lost 38-0.
"The game of football is all about execution of both offense and defense," McBride said. "When you can do that, things will happen. Our offensive coordinator, Rick Rasnick, did a great job of mixing up plays so Kansas couldn't get into the flow."
Whereas Utah was executing its offense nearly perfectly in the first quarter, the Jayhawks struggled during the first half.
Kansas had 28 plays in the first half, could gain only 76 yards and trailed 31-3 at halftime.
The first-half performance left Kansas coach Glen Mason frustrated after the game.
"Frustrated? Yeah, we're frustrated. We're not executing on offense and defense," Mason said. "Utah is a pretty good team that gave a very good effort."
The Jayhawks did not record a first down until freshman June Henley's 11-yard run with 14:20 remaining in the first half. Kansas trailed 21-0 when junior Tyler Quast recovered a fumbled punt at the Utah 20-yard line. Only senior Dan Eichloff's 24-yard field goal put the Jayhawks on the scoreboard with 10:22 left in the second quarter.
Utah junior defensive back Ernest Boyd gave Mason trouble in more ways than one late in the first half. When Kansas trailed 24-3 with a second down and 10 from the 50-yard line, Boyd intercepted junior quarterback Fred Thomas' screen pass intended for senior Dwayne Chandler. He returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, gaining a 31-3 lead at halftime.
Mason replaced Thomas who was five of 17 passing for 46 yards, with
junior Asheiki Preston at quarterback in hopes of igniting the offense at the start of the second half.
Preston directed the Jayhawks to two touchdowns and 199 yards of offense in the second half, but the first-half deficit was too huge to overcome. Preston completed seven of 15 passes for 79 yards and ran for 53 yards, including one touchdown.
Mason denied that there was a quarterback controversy as a result of the game and the performance of the two quarterbacks.
"That word is not in my vocabulary," Mason said. "When I evaluate, the guy who played the best is the one I'm going to play. One guy didn't play well, and the other guy thinks he deserves a shot. I'll play that guy. So there's no controversy in my mind."
Mason did not divulge who would start at quarterback against Colorado State in two weeks.
Preston said that he thought he had deserved an opportunity to play against Michigan State last week and that he was glad for the opportunity this week.
"I did get an opportunity to play today," Preston said. "When you go into a game, you are expected to perform."
Thomas said that he would leave the choice for quarterback to the coaching staff but added that he would like a chance to redeem himself.
"I need to work harder and try to show myself and my teammates that I can do a better job," he said. "But it's definitely a good situation to have two quarterbacks that know the offense well."
Utah: Victory not a surprise
"I'm not going to share them with you," he said. "But we will have a new look in some regards when we play Colorado State."
The quarterbacks and their teammates have two weeks to regroup from a 1-3 start before facing Colorado State on Oct. 2 at home. Mason said that he would try to improve his team and that he already had a few ideas for the offense.
Rv Kent Hohlfeld
Kansan sportswriter
Most of the fans Saturday at Memorial Stadium were shocked by the ease with which Utah rolled to a 41-16 victory over Kansas.
The Utah players were not.
"I wasn't surprised by the win," Utah junior quarterback Mike McCoy said. "I have all the confidence in the world in our offensive line."
That offensive line gave McCoy enough time to pass for 322 yards, completing 22 of 30 attempts. He directed three touchdown drives in the team's first four possessions, giving Utah a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Utah players said they were surprised by the ease with which they drove the ball.
"I thought it would be much harder than this," said Utah junior wide receiver Henry Lusk. "It just goes to show you the Western Athletic Conference is no joke."
Lusk accounted for 109 of the team's receiving yards including two touchdowns. He credited much of the success of the passing game to Utah's early ability to run the ball. The team ran the ball for 154 yards.
"It was really important for us to instill our ground game in order to get our air game going," he said.
Much of the ground game came from senior running back Jamal Anderson, who ran for a total of 99 yards. He said the team came in expecting to have a lot of success on the ground against the Kansas defense.
"We definitely knew we could do things on the ground against them," Anderson said.
Utah Coach Ron McBride said that establishing the ground game was a major goal before the game.
"We felt we had a chance to run the ball against KU coming in," McBride said. "Our offensive line played really well today."
McBride said he also was pleased with a defensive effort that limited the Jayhawks to three first-half points.
Utah senior defensive tackle Adam Swaney said Kansas' offensive performance was what Utah expected.
Swanee was responsible for two of the four passes that were batted
Swaney said that he thought Kansas took Utah lightly coming into the game.
down by Utah defenders in the first half.
But Kansas senior defensive back Chris Maumalanga said that Kansas came out ready to play.
"We prepared hard, we were mentally ready," Maumalanga said. "Things just didn't click for us."
McBride said he thought the victory would help the perception of his team.
"It was big for us to come in, face a Big Eight team and win," McBride said.
Volleyball victory lifts Jayhawks
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
LINCOLN, Neb. — Entering the FirsTier Bank Invitational at Nebraska, Kansas volleyball coach Frankie Albiz said she wanted her team to be competitive.
Kansas, 6-5, was competitive Friday night, upsetting No. 22 Louisiana State, 10-15, 15-4, 18-16, 15-5.
"It'll help the confidence of our team to beat a nationally ranked team," Albitz said. "It won't get us a national rank, but we should be regionally ranked."
The celebration was cut short when No.18 Georgia defeated Kansas 15-7, 15-12, 15-13 Saturday at the tournament that also featured Big Eight foe No.4 Nebraska.
Against Louisiana State, senior Cynde Kanabel led Kansas with 16 kills, and junior Jenny Larson added 10.
In game three, the Jayhawks were down 3-7. Two kills by Kaynabs, two Louisiana State errors and a Lesli Steinert-Cyndee Kanabel block tied the score 7-7. Kansas used that momentum to win the game 18-16.
The play in the middle gave Kansas most of its points, but in the first game, Louisiana State attacker Venessa Hackett was in control. She ended with 17 kills on 62 attempts.
Albitz said that her scouting report listed Hackett as Louisiana State's best hitter.
"We had our best blockers on her the whole match," she said. "We started serving tough, which limited their choices of what they could do."
Good blocking contributed to Friday's victory, but Kansas' lack of blocking led to its defeat by Georgia on Saturday. The Jayhawks ended the Georgia match with six team blocks compared to 15 against Louisiana State.
Kansas played against Georgia without junior outside hitter Janet Uher because she injured her ankle in warm-up.
"We could have really used Janet today," Kanabel said. "Our blocking was inconsistent the whole game."
Albiz said Georgia exposed Kansas' weaknesses.
"We broke down at times," Albizt said. "They were the things we preach, the little things that don't hurt until you play a really good team like Georgia, things like controlling the ball on digs and keeping our heads up on blocks."
Georgia coach Jim Ims said his team did not play great in its victory.
"I'm happy with the fact that we won," Iams said. "Since we've been on the road a long time, it's good to have a win."
Kansas did not go down without a fight, though. The Jayhawks were down 7-12 in game three when Steinert set senior Barb Bella at middle blocker for three kills. Sophomore Tracie Walt added two kills at outside hitter. tiving Georgia 12-12.
Georgia improved its digging from then on, winning the game and match.
"I watched Kansas against LSU, lams said. "They're a good team. They play a style that is streaky. We stopped the last streak in the third game in time."
Albita said she was happy with the team's play overall.
"Our defense looked good," Albitz said. "Our offense could have been better."
Top 25 teams
The Associated Press 1993 college football poll: first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 18, total points based on 25 points for a first place vote through one point for a 25th place vote, and ranking in last week's poll.
| | Record | Points | Previous |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1. Florida St. (5) | 4-0-0 | 1,544 | 1 |
| 2. Alabama (5) | 3-0-0 | 1,483 | 2 |
| 3. Miami | 2-0-0 | 1,396 | 3 |
| 4. Notre Dame | 3-0-0 | 1,374 | 4 |
| 5. Florida | 3-0-0 | 1,299 | 9 |
| **6. Nebraska** | **3-0-0** | **1,170** | **8** |
| 7. Ohio St. | 3-0-0 | 1,137 | 11 |
| 8. Michigan | 1-1-0 | 1,067 | 10 |
| 9. Penn St. | 3-0-0 | 986 | 14 |
| **10. Oklahoma** | **2-0-0** | **974** | **12** |
| 11. Tennessee | 2-1-0 | 912 | 5 |
| 12. Syracuse | 2-0-1 | 904 | 6 |
| **13. Colorado** | **2-1-0** | **732** | **7** |
| 14. Texas A&M | 2-1-0 | 688 | 16 |
| 15. Arizona | 3-0-0 | 680 | 15 |
| 16. Washington | 1-1-0 | 586 | 18 |
| 17. Stanford | 2-1-0 | 563 | 20 |
| 18. North Carolina | 3-1-0 | 480 | 13 |
| 19. N. Carolina St. | 2-0-0 | 463 | 17 |
| 20. California | 3-0-0 | 375 | 21 |
| 21. Brigham Young | 3-0-0 | 360 | 19 |
| 22. Virginia | 3-0-0 | 279 | 25 |
| 23. Wisconsin | 3-0-0 | 238 | 24 |
| 24. Louisville | 3-0-0 | 235 | — |
| 25. Auburn | 3-0-0 | 63 | — |
Others receiving votes: South Carolina 25, Indiana 24, West Virginia 20, Kansas State 17, Virginia Tech 12, Texas 10, Michigan State 9, Fresno State 6, San Diego State 6, Washington State 6.
Source: The Associated Press
SPORTS in brief
The Kansas men's golf team was defeated by Georgia Southern in the opening round of the Jack Nicklaus Invitational and was defeated by Texas Tech in the second round this weekend.
Men's golf team tied with Georgia for ninth in Nicklaus Invitational
Kansas is now tied with Georgia Southern for ninth out of 13 teams with a two-round total of 653 strokes.
Senior Jay Hepler leads the Jayhawks with rounds of 81 and 80 on the par-82 Murfield Village Golf Course in Dublin, Ohio, near Columbus. Behind him are seniors Matt Gogel, who shot two rounds of 83, and John Hess, with rounds of 84 and 82. Junior Tom Sims, who shot rounds of 87 and 80, and senior Casey Brozek, with rounds of 80 and 87, round out the Jayhawks score.
Ohio State leads the tournament with a two-round total of 604 strokes. Duke trails by five strokes, and Furman is in third with 613 strokes.
The third and final round of the tournament will be held today. The Jayhawks will then return home to begin preparations for this weekend's Topy Cup International Tournament in Japan.
WOMAN'S RUGBY Jayhawks top Oklahoma in Wichita
Immediately following the first game, Arkansas shut out Kansas 10-0.
Kansas slid past Oklahoma 6-5 in its first game. Oklahoma, which calls itself the Roses, made a five-point try, but missed the two-point conversion. Graduate student Chris Minske made both three-point penalty kicks for Kansas.
Kansas does not play again for three weeks, but the team's players chosen for the Heart of America Select Side Tournament on Oct. 2 in Norman, Oka., will have an open practice at 10 a.m. Sunday at Shenk Complex, the practice fields at 23rd and Iowa streets.
Women's rugby traveled back from Wichita with one win and one loss Saturday.
Senior Scott Collin made two trys and senior Blake
MEN'S RUGBY
The Tigers came out strong, scoring three times before sophomore Erik Sutton made two tries with senior Matt Delargy booting in the conversions near the end of the first half.
The men's rugby team defeated the Missouri Tigers 35-28 Saturday in front of Missouri's home crowd.
Kansas overcomes Missouri lead
Reeves contributed one try in the second half for Kansas win. Delargy made all three conversion attempts.
Kansas has compiled a 3-1 record this season. Sutton is the leading scorer this season with three trys. Reeves has two. Delargy has a perfect kicking average, making all nine of the possible conversion attempts. The games for next weekend have not been confirmed yet.
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MEN'S SOCCER Shoot out means defeat for Kansas
It took a shoot-out to decide the winner of the championship match Sunday at the Maverick Tournament in Omaha. Neh.
The Kansas men's soccer team and the Nebraska Cornhuskers were tied 1-1 after regulation play. Nebraska won the goal-kicking shoot out 3-2 for the tournament title.
Kansas played three matches Saturday, defeating Wichita State 8-2, losing to Nebraska 1-0 and defeating Mankato State 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Kansas coach Mark Salisbury said that Nebraska's goals in both games came from a direct free kick and a corner kick. He said the team would work on how to defend those types of kicks this week in practice.
Kansas plays Central Missouri State on Saturday, and Missouri on Sunday. Both games begin at 1 p.m. at the Shenk Complex, the practice fields at 23rd and Iowa streets.
Kansas staff writers Anne Felstet and Kent Hohlfeld contributed to this report.