10
Monday, November 14, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
Sports
NU wins after CU fumble
The Associated Press
J. J. Flannigan was carrying Colorado's hopes when he inexplicably dropped the ball.
Flannigan broke free in the first half Saturday and appeared on his way to an uncontested 43-yard touchdown against No. 7 Nebraska.
But he got to the Nebraska 19 and dropped the ball. By the time he picked it up, the Cornhuskers were upon him.
Kansas sophomore running back Frank Hatchett ran 80 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the game but Kansas still lost to Oklahoma State 63-24 on Saturday.
By getting past stubborn Colorado in Lincoln, Nebraska set up the annual showdown with Oklahoma on Saturday for a trip to the Orange Bowl.
The 19th-ranked Buffalo came out empty-handed, and Nebraska went on to a 7-0 victory in the final Conference weekend of the season.
"I hope we have a better game this week," Hauskorn coach Tom Osborne said after the narrow victory over the Buffs. "Colorado's defense played tough. There were no surprises. I thought we'd move the ball better, but we didn't." Microsoft 7
Charles Thompson led the Sooners to three scoring drives in the first half at Columbia to beat the Tigers, 2-7 and 1-5.
Missouri shut out the Sooners in the second half, but it was too late.
"I knew they would take a lot of gambles and make a lot of stunts," Thompson said. "You're going to have some success doing that."
Tigers coach Woody Widenhoffer didn't get the upset he needed as ammunition to get his contract renewed and fell to 11-31-1 in his four seasons, 2-7-1 and 1-5 this season. Iowa State 16 Kansas State 7
Iowa State was penalized eight times for 83 yards, turned the ball over three times and had a touchdown call back because 12 men
And the Cyclones managed to win at Manhattan
Kansas plagued with 2nd-half blues
Sanders says other players deserve time
By Jeff Euston
Kansan sportswriter
STILLWATER, Okla. — The only thing stopping Barry Sanders in Oklahoma State's 63-24 victory was Sanders on Saturday was Sanders himself.
After scoring five touchdowns and rolling up 312 yards rushing on 37 carries, Sanders took himself out of the game. Sanders said he wanted to give other Oklahoma running backs the chance to play.
And after breaking numerous team, conference and national records, it seemed everyone but Sanders was impressed.
"I guess maybe it'll hit pe 20 years down the road, but it's no big deal right now," said Sanders, a 5-foot-8, 197-pound tailback from Wichita who shies away from the Heisman Trophy hype.
But Oklahoma State coach Pat Jones repeated what he had said since the media hype began.
"The secret is that he's a good running back and he's got a great offensive line in front of him." Mason said. "They've got a bunch of seniors and fifth-year seniors who are big, they wear them down."
"I think the people here today witnessed the finest collegiate football player in the country," Jones said. "What Barry did is something the whole squad can share in."
The 'Cowbys' offensive line, especially, shared in Sanders' achievements, Kansas coach Glen Mason said.
"A guy in a cowboy hat kept yelling at me over my shoulder the whole game. 't bet you $100 he gets I guess I should have bet him."
Though Sanders did not reach
the 400-yard mark, he did surpass the 300-yard mark for the third time this season. No other running back in NCAA history has accomplished the feat more than once in a career.
He also established the NCAA record for the most touchdowns in a season. Sanders' five touchdowns in the game gave him 31 touchdowns for the season, breaking the previous mark of 29.
And Sanders remained on track to break the NCAA record for rushing yards and needs to average just 120 yards in his final two games to
break the record, set by USC's Marcus Allen in 1981. Sanders is averaging 222.6 rushing yards per game.
But as dominant as Sanders' performance was, the Oklahoma State offense had another star, senior wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes, who had nine catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns
The combination of Sanders and Dykes made things difficult on the Kansas defense, Jayhawks senior cornerback Rodney Harris said.
"Barry Sanders is a good back," Harris said. "But as soon as you start thinking they're going to
The Kansas defense began the game with three starters out with injuries. Things got worse when freshman strong safety Deral Boykin left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury.
keep giving the ball to Sanders, that's when Hart Lee Dykes gets a chance to beat you deep."
The Cowboys' offense rolled up
717 total yards, more than any
other team this season. Through 10
games, the Jayhawks have
allowed an average of 44 points
and 541 yards of total offense.
But for the first half, anyway, Kansas was in the game. In fact, at
halftime, the Jayhawks had outgained the Cowboys 356-312. Kansas was behind only 28-17.
Kansas took a 7-0 lead on the third play of the game when sophomore tailback Frank Hatchett took over and ran 80 yards for a touchdown.
During the run, Hattchett aggravated a leg cramp that had bothered him before the game. He was taken off the field and more times the rest of the game.
But that didn't stop the Jay hawks.
Freshman Tony Sands replaced Hatchett and ran for 177 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
"He's a tough little guy," Mason said of Sands. "Hopefully, one day he'll grow up to be about the size of a Barry Sanders."
Sands' most important run, though. was limited by a penalty.
With the Jayhawks trailing 14-10 in the second quarter, Sands broke around the right corner for 37 yards to the Cowboys' four yard line. A late flag was thrown, however, and Kansas was penalized 15 yards for clipping. Two plays later, senior cornerback Melvin Gilliam stopped the drive by intercepting a pass from Kansas quarterback Kelly Donoho in the end zone.
"It was big because it was a 14-point turnaround." Donohoe said. "If we could have scored then, it would have been 17-14. Instead, they got the ball back and ended up going down the field and scoring.
Things got worse for the Jayhawks in the second half. Oklahoma State outscored Kansas 35-7 and took too-tailor to the Jayhawks.
“It’s kind of been a sore spot for us all year long,” Kansas center Chip Budde said. “We come out and play a good first half. I don’t know whether if teams make it work, or not, what we’re doing, or if they’re just not ready for us to play as hard as we do.
"If we can figure out what the problems are in the second half, we'll get things turned around."
Sanders credits Heisman candidacy to team effort
By Mark E. McCormick
Kansan sportswriter
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State junior running back Barry Sanders won infamy in northeast Texas to throw rocks, who lived to throw rocks at people.
Those flat, smooth rocks that curve in the air when thrown with a sidearm were his favorite. He was good, giggling with delight when he heard the thud of the flying stone and the cry of his victim.
But he was good at just about everything athletic.
He reigned as a track star at his grade school's track and field day, was a Little Dribblers Basketball player who adeptly adopted dribbler on the soccer field.
1 was always pretty small for my size," he said. "It didn't bother me because I just thought of myself as a team player.
Sanders showed flashes of being a dangerous running back even as a third grader with the Beech Aircraft Red Barons, but had trouble convincing coaches that he wasn't too small to do the job.
"My father thought I should be playmester," he said, about what father I had about the job.
"I've always known he was legitimate," said Barry's father, William Sanders. "Barry is the most prolific back Wichita has produced."
As he grew, Sanders became more dangerous.
Reminisce with his Wichita North High School football buddies and they will tell you how Sanders averaged 30 yards per carry and finished with four touchdowns as a wingback in the first game of his senior year.
They'll also tell you that in his first start at tailback had 274 yards in the season.
John Gutierrez, who played football with Sanders at North, said he knew early that Sanders would be a great college back.
Yet with his childhood background as a dirt-clod assassin, the law of averages might suggest that throwing the football was his destiny, rather than carrying it and embarrassing would-be tacklers as a running back.
"He just seemed different than any of the other players," Gutierrez said. "I just don't get it."
Talk to Tulsa. Miami of Ohio and Kansas, each of whom he ripped for 100 yard kickoff returns. Consult Nebraska, which surrendered 189 yards to the 5-foot-8, 197 pound tailback
Most opposing players probably wish he had stayed with basketball or soccer.
back.
Ask the people who have tried to tackle him: "He's the fastest back I've ever seen," said one University
of Colorado defender.
Ask the people who have tried to have him tacked: "Barry Sanders is the best back in the country," said Oklahoma coach Bary Switzer.
"I don't think there's a better back in the conference," said Iowa State coach Jim Walden.
"That's the easiest question I've ever been asked." Kansas State coach Stan Parish said when asked what player he'd choose to start a season. "Barry Sanders. Because he's the best player in the United States."
Now, everyone's talking Heismat Trophy.
"I personally think the Heisman, Trophy winner should be the best player in the country, perhaps the guy who does the most for his team." Parrish said in a Kansas City Star interview.
"Barry Sanders should be running awav with the Heisman balloting.
"He's like Joe Morris of the New York Giants only he's better."
Sanders' numbers back up the praise.
- With two games remaining, he may run off with the NCAA single season rushing title. Sadders needs to average 170 yards a game to surpass former USC running back Marcus Allen's record of 2,342 vards.
■ He's approaching the NCAA record for all-purpose running in a season. The record is 2,633, set by former Temple running back Paul Palmer in 1986. Sanders has 2,551 with two games remaining.
■ He's the first player in NCAA history to run for more than 300 yards in a game three times in a season.
■ He's the first player in NCAA history to open two consecutive seasons with 100 yard kick returns, and he has returned are a Big Eight record.
Against Kansas State, he had the second best rushing day in the history of the Big Eight Conference with 320 yards. That effort was second only to former Colorado running Charlie Davis' 342 yard effort in 1975.
He leads the nation in rushing, scoring, and average yards per game.
He has shattered the Big Eight most touchdowns in a season with 34.
He needs 145 yards to surpass former Nebraska Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier's record for most rushing yards in a season. Razier set the record with 2,148 yards in 1983.
He's the first player in NCAA history to score at least two touchdowns.
With all these statistics, and still another volume of "Barry's Believe it or Not Record Book" still unopened, how does he feel about the
NCAA records?
With the numbers Sanders is packing into the record book, which the Heisman Trophy judges think are very important, he seems to be in position to win the award. The concept of winning doesn't exhilarate him, though.
"I really don't care about any of those," he said. "They aren't important."
"I'm thankful, I think I'm blessed, but it's not the most important thing in the world to me," he said. "To win it would be an honor, but I'd consider it more of a team accomplishment than an individual one."
Sanders said he could see through the media hype.
Oklahoma State junior running back Barry Sanders didn't hurt his Heisman Trophy chances Saturday by rushing for 312 yards and five touchdowns against Kansas.
"It could all end in one play," he said soberly. "That could really happen. Would anyone care about me then?"
The good life
Five touchdowns and 312 yards
Saturday against Kansas and he sat
on the bench.
Records and defenders crashed around him Saturday, as the Oklahoma State offense Barry'd another victim.
Stands supporting 40,100 fans at Lewis stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
raise the chant, "Bar-ry, Bar-ry!"
Sanders was barely out of his shoulder pads before he was shuffled into the press box for a national interview with ABC.
Back in the locker room moments later, he answered the same question.
He told the wide-eye media crew that the Heisman Trophy would be nice to have, but that he'd rather focus on team goals.
The same question greeted him as he left the locker room in search of his father, who was also under siege by 20 to 25 autograph hounds.
Reporters are often as pushy with their pens and pads as the starstruck kids, he said.
"Their questions are old, repetitive and boring," he said. "Sometimes I want to ask them, 'Can't you ask me about something besides football?' Can't you find something else to talk about?"
"I don't like the hype at all. People just don't understand that as a human being, if you have a bad day, you don't want to have to come home to the same questions you answered yesterday.
"I try to smile and be nice, but all they want to talk about is football. I'm not even human to them."
The physical demands also seem unhuman.
Sanders carries the football 25 to 30 times a game into offenses whose main purpose is to stop him.
His slashing style enables him to
"I got pretty beat up against K-State," he said. "I was sore and all
His hands and forearms are road maps of scars created when they were pinched between helmets and
banged up the next day. You don't seem to realize how many times you carry the ball until you're sore and exhausted the next day."
stepped on by cleats.
The artificial turf also took its toll, chipping skin from his arms and hands.
"Falling on artificial turf is almost
Please see SANDERS. p. 11, col. 1.