Kansas wakes up and beats Duke 44-16

The Kansas Jayhawks looked like they must have hit the snooze button a few times before finally getting up for their 11AM kickoff with Duke on Saturday. Kansas moved to 3-0 on the season with a 44-16 win over the Blue Devils, but not without struggling for a quarter and a half.

Coming off a come from behind win over Army, Duke needed just two plays to get on the board in the contest. Senior QB Thaddeus Lewis raced in from 21 yards out after connecting on a 66 yard pass play to Austin Kelly on the Blue Devils first play from scrimmage.

Kansas answered with a seven play, 60 yard drive, with Todd Reesing connecting for a 14 yard strike to Dezmon Briscoe and a 7-7 tie. For the next 17 minutes, Kansas couldn’t do much offensively against an inspired Duke squad. The running game, which had been so solid the first two games, struggled with running back Jake Sharp unable to play for most of the contest due to a leg injury sustained earlier in the week at practice.

Kansas finally broke on top on a quick four play drive, highlighted by a 45 yard pass from Reesing to Briscoe. Reesing hit Sharp for a 7 yard score, but the PAT was blocked.

The Jayhawks marched 75 yards on 9 plays with Reesing finding Kerry Meier over the middle for a six yard score and it was 20-7 at the half. Despite their first half struggles, Kansas had piled up over 270 yards in the first half of play.

The defense turned in the big play to start off the second half of action as Max Onyegbule stepped back into coverage from his defensive end spot and picked off a Lewis pass and returned it 48 yards for a TD and a 27-7 lead.

After a Duke field goal, freshman Toben Opurum plunged in from four yards out to finish off a 70 yard drive and give KU a 34-10 lead. Opurum filled in for Sharp and gained 70 yards on 17 carries on the day and had 3 receptions for 50 yards including a nifty one handed grab, but in the first half he failed to hit the holes with the quickness you’d like to see.

Defensively, Kansas recorded five sacks from five different players, but gave up 299 yards through the air to Lewis and redshirt freshman QB Sean Renfree. In fact, the Blue Devils ran off 83 offensive plays in the loss, including 32 in the fourth quarter.

Reesing was 28 of 41 for 338 yards and three TD’s. KU had 490 yards in total offense, but there were at least two dropped passes that would have been huge gainers, one a sure score dropped by Briscoe.

Most impressive for the Jayhawks may have been the fact they didn’t turn the ball over once. Do that and you’ll win most of the time. Next up is Southern Mississippi, who rallied from 13 points down to win 37-34 over Virginia. It’s another 11AM kickoff. Hopefully the Jayhawks won’t sleepwalk through the start.

Can Texas Tech pirate away another win from the Longhorns?

Second ranked Texas plays host to Texas Tech Saturday night in a nationally televised rematch of last year’s thrilling last second upset of the Longhorns. While revenge may be on the minds of Texas fans, the Red Raiders are looking to plunder Austin and take home the booty.

Say what?

Those who are fans of the boys from Lubbock already know about this, but the rest of the country may not be familiar with the fact that Tech coach Mike Leach is a huge fan of pirates. That’s right, pirates. The kind that Johnny Depp plays. The swashbuckling type.

He reads about them, talks about them, he even recently posed for Texas Monthly magazine’s cover wearing an eye patch. You could say he has a pirate fetish, but Leach says there are worse things that could have his attention. But for all his pirate knowledge, he only learned this week that Saturday is International Pirate Day.

Leach told the Lubbock newspaper that he saw that as a potential good omen for the game against the Longhorns. Well, when you’re school has never beaten a top five team on the road in their history and you’re 0-13 in your tenure against top 15 teams in true road games, I guess you look for anything to build your teams confidence. There’s gold in another victory over the Longhorns, but I don’t think Tech has the treasure map this time around.

Running game must be effective against the Raiders

It doesn’t matter whether Matt Cassel starts at quarterback this week for the Kansas City Chiefs. You heard me right, it doesn’t matter if Matt Cassel starts at quarterback this week for the Chiefs when they host the Oakland Raiders in their home opener.

Why would I say that? It’s simple really. Whether it’s Matt Cassel or Brodie Croyle behind center when the Chiefs take the field, if they don’t find a running game this week, it won’t matter against the Raiders. In week one against the Ravens, Kansas City managed just 29 yards on the ground on 17 attempts, second worst in the NFL.

Larry Johnson carried the ball 11 times for 20 yards with his longest run going for seven. That won’t do it if KC wants to win. That won’t do it if the Chiefs want to control the football and have more than 20 minutes of possession time in the game and that won’t do it if the line wants to protect either Cassel or Croyle from being constantly harassed while trying to throw the ball.

While there’s every indication the Chiefs believe that Cassel will be the QB on Sunday, it’s quite apparent the Chiefs need more weapons on offense. Johnson’s yet to convince me he’s anything close to the runner he once was and the Chiefs haven’t got running back depth like the Patriots for example, who have a group of solid but not great performers.

Coach Todd Haley is still looking for a combination of receivers who’ll work, which is why Bobby Wade was signed. Haley hopes he’ll be available this week. He says Wade needs to know enough of the offense to help them if he’s to be activated.

Bottom line, against a Raider defense that looked improved with Richard Seymour plugging up the middle, the Chiefs will have to run the ball to be successful on Sunday.

Watch out Kansas, Blue Devils ready to flex their muscles

You may not think of Duke as a football factory, but the Blue Devils are looking to change your mind. Doing their best rendition of the Chippendale dancers, the football team has a poster out with the Devils all greased up and shirtless. Hope Jayhawk fans aren't all hot and breathless after getting a look at the Iron Dukes.

Chiefs sign Wade, waive McBride, still wonder about Cassel

As the Chiefs prepare for Oakland on Sunday, Coach Todd Haley said he doesn’t know if quarterback Matt Cassel will be available this week, but he thinks he’ll know sooner than Sunday morning this time whether his 60 million dollar man will be able to go.

Haley said Cassel is doing everything he can on his end to be ready, but last week they thought it was best for the player and the team that he sit it out. He also reiterated his belief that Brodie Croyle played the type of game he needed to for KC to have a chance to win last week against Baltimore.

After Haley met with the media, the club announced wide receiver Bobby Wade, who was recently released by the Vikings, had been signed. Wade led the Vikes in receptions last year and can also return kicks. The Chiefs released Turk McBride, a second round pick from just two years ago, who was trying to convert to linebacker. Whether it’s Wade or other players, Haley said the plan is to keep digging and get players who will do it the way they want it done, but talent is the great separator even for players who do what they’re asked.

After watching the Raiders lose to the Charger last night on TV, Haley said he saw a big, fast, physical team and that newly acquired Richard Seymour proved to be a disruptive force in the middle.

Of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, Haley said he looked much improved and could hurt you a bunch of ways, but from what I saw last night you could still see Russell needs a lot of work on his throwing accuracy.

After the game last Sunday, Haley said for the Chiefs to have won, it had to be an ugly game. He didn’t change that prediction this week. He said they have to play a certain way if they’re to win and they need players to make plays in critical situations.

That’s something that hasn’t happened in over two seasons in Kansas City, but Haley is working to change that.

Defense sets the tone in first two KU wins

Two weeks into the football season and Kansas is 2-0 as expected. What most people didn’t expect is the defense they’ve shown in the opening two contests. Admittedly, Northern Colorado and UTEP aren’t high powered offensive juggernauts, but it’s the way the Jayhawks have gone about their business while incorporating several new faces into the lineup that has been most impressive.

Through two games, Kansas has allowed an average of just 227 yards per contest and if not for a breakdown on one 75 yard pass play in the fourth quarter against UTEP, they wouldn’t have allowed a TD in the first two games.

Going into the season line play on both sides of the ball was expected to be critical to the Jayhawks success, Saturday night in El Paso Kansas recorded six sacks and held the Miners to just seven first downs. Max Onyegbule was named Big 12 co-defensive player of the week after recording a pair of sacks and six tackles in just his second career start. Jake Laptad continued his fine play as defensive coordinator Clint Bowen sometimes mixed it up and moved Laptad and Onyegbule inside to the tackle spots against the Miners.

After Anthony Davis struggled in the opener at cornerback, Chris Harris moved back into the spot from safety and the secondary looked much better for it. The linebacking corps continues to improve with Arist Wright and Drew Dudley performing solidly.

Let’s also not forget the offensive side of the ball. Despite an overall pedestrian performance, Kansas still rolled up 570 yards in total offense and 34 points against UTEP. They’re averaging 291 yards a game on the ground, tops in the Big 12. Credit goes to the inexperienced offensive line who coach Mark Mangino said played an excellent game calling them talented and tough. After sitting out the opener under suspension, Dezmon Briscoe came out with a vengeance with 8 catches for 154 yards.

Saturday morning the Jayhawks play host to a Duke squad that came from behind and defeated Army last week 35-19 on the road. Kansas should expect a two headed quarterback tandem from the Blue Devils with three year starter Thad Lewis and redshirt Freshman Sean Renfree also seeing action. Against Army Renfree came in during the third quarter and went 7 of 8 for 106 yards and 2 TD’s in his first game action.

Game time is 11AM. Be sure and check in to www.lexy.com as I’ll have a halftime audio update and a postgame report.

Forget Serena's outburst, celebrate Federer's greatness

The final weekend of the U.S Open Tennis Championships featured two unbelievable moments, each memorable for their outcomes.

The first occurred Saturday night in the women’s semifinal between defending champ Serena Williams and unseeded Kim Clijsters , who went on to shock everyone by winning the women’s title. Williams was about to go down to defeat, she was just one point from losing when the line judge called her for a foot fault. Admittedly a rare call and rarer still at that moment in a match. But Serena proceeded to go all John McEnroe on the judge, who was also half the size of Williams. She ran to the match referee like a scared child to plead for her safety.

Now I’m not going to sit here and defend Williams. She was out of line and it cost her a penalty point and in turn the match. She’s admitted she was wrong and has apologized to the line judge, the USTA and the fans. She’s going to be fined and possibly suspended for her actions. In a statement she released Monday she said, ”I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately”. Done. Enough said. Let’s not make this more than it is.

While it’s not the first time Williams has ranted on the court, it’s no worse than what Mac and Jimmy Connors did routinely in their careers and in large regard we loved them for it. They were standing up to the man. Fighting like the underdog Americans we like to see ourselves as and no one screamed for their apologies. I think people and many media members are making it such a big deal because she’s a woman and she’s black, but that shouldn’t have any part in this.

Too me It’s just sad that a player as great as Williams couldn’t see she was giving away her chance at another major title. For someone who performs under pressure all the time, she blew it big time.

Now, for the memorable moment on the other end of the spectrum. Roger Federer advanced to a shot as his 6th straight Open title beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets and got to match point on an improbable winner hit backward and between his legs racing away from the net after a Djokovic lob. His peers say he’s the best ever and making unbelievable shots like that look easy only confirms it. Take THAT ball and shove it down your throat!

That’s the moment I’ll remember from this weekend.

Missouri taking international cycling stage, but is the state smart enough to notice?

This story is my sports/political statement of the week. The Tour of Missouri wrapped up over the weekend. Sounds like a beer pub crawl, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s one of two international cycling stage races held in the United States. The other is the Tour of California.

This race is in its third and possibly last year of existence despite tremendous success. The event that lasts a week rolls from the big cities of St. Louis and Kansas City through the small towns like Cape Girardeau and Sedalia and draws almost a half million fans a year and is said to bring almost 30 million dollars a year in revenue to the state. For that, the state of Missouri has kicked in 1.5 million dollars in sponsorship money each year, but they’re threatening to pull it, putting the races' future in peril. Can you say political stupidity?

A one and a half million dollar investment in your state that brings in close to thirty million in revenue and boosts the tax coffers and Governor Jay Nixon wants to pull funding because the state is cash strapped. Excuse me for asking, but shouldn’t you be funding more programs that actually produce more revenue for the state than they cost and also introduce thousands of people to your state who may never have been here before?

I went to Sedalia to watch the time trials. There were people from all over that came to this small Missouri town just to see this race. Some were from foreign countries. This tour featured seven teams that competed in the Tour de France. Individuals such as Mark Cavendish, winner of seven stages at this years tour, Christian Vande Velde, Thor Hushovd, Levi Leipheimer, defrocked Tour champ Floyd Landis and eventual Tour of Missouri winner Dave Zabriskie were all here.

Some thirty thousand fans lined the streets and State Fairgrounds of Sedalia, many were huge cycling fans, but just as many knew little or nothing about cycling. As I stood near a beer tent sponsored by the Sedalia Rotary Club, George Hincapie flashed by to start his trial race and one of the people standing nearby said to me, “Is he a big deal?”

I responded, “He was Lance Armstrong’s right hand man when he won his seven Tour de France titles and that tour bus right over there with his giant image on the side is selling a Hincapie line of cycling clothes. Yeah, he’s a big deal.”

“Cool”, was the response. They didn’t know Hincapie from the Hindenburg, but the important thing was that this person was at the race as were people from 40 states according to Tour organizers. Cycling is a niche sport in the U.S., but with few opportunities to see many of the international stars of the sport, people will flock to watch a race. Heck, I drove almost two hours.

The same can be said for the racers. U.S. cyclists love the opportunity to perform in their home country and they truly appreciate the fan following here. German cycling veteran Jens Voigt, who suffered a horrific crash in Stage 16 at this year’s Tour de France, said the race was as good as the majority of the races held across Europe and he could almost guarantee he’d be back again next year.

Of course someone will have to step up and sponsor the race if the state of Missouri fails to see a good investment when they’ve got one.

KC hangs tough but Ravens wear down the defense late

The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener 38-24 in Baltimore. KC played without quarterback Matt Cassel who was inactive. He worked out before game time before coach Todd Haley made the decision to go with Brodie Croyle.

The Chiefs offense was non-existent in the first half going three and out on their first four possessions and gaining just 10 total yards. Meanwhile, Baltimore scored on their first possession on a 44 yard FG from Steve Houschka as Ravens QB Joe Flacco had an easy time with the Chiefs secondary, which was playing without Brandon Flowers who was inactive with a shoulder injury.

Baltimore made it 10-0 when Flacco led a 13 play 70 yard drive with Flacco scrambling for what seemed like an eternity before hitting Willis McGahee for a 3 yard scoring strike. The Chiefs defense rarely pressured Flacco in the first quarter who could have been texting friends while looking over the defense he had so much time.

Tyler Thigpen came in for Croyle on the first possession of the second quarter with no change offensively. But with 9:55 left in the second quarter KC’s Jon McGraw came up with a huge play as he blocked the Ravens Sam Koch’s punt and McGraw recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 10-7.

KC managed to start getting pressure on the Flacco in the second quarter with Tamba Hali forcing a fumble and Houschka missed a 41 yd FG attempt. Croyle returned at QB and the Chiefs finally recorded their first first down of the half with 2:15 to go but the Ravens controlled the first half with 20 minutes of possession and a 10-7 lead.

The defense made another big play on the first possession of the second half on the 11th play of a Baltimore drive as Derrick Johnson stepped in front of a Flacco pass for an interception and return of 70 yards to the Ravens five. Croyle then hit Dwayne Bowe for a two yard score two plays later and KC led for the first time 14-10 despite just 59 yards in total offense.

Baltimore went to the run game to pound a Chiefs defense that spent way too much time on the field with the offense unable to sustain drives. Flacco capped an 11 play 64 yard drive and beat a Chiefs blitz to hit Todd Heap for an 9 yard TD pass and a 17-14 Ravens lead.

Early in the fourth quarter first year coach Todd Haley, whose play calling had been close to the vest, had Croyle go up top to hit Mark Bradley for a 50 yard gain to the Ravens 34. KC’s drive stalled but rookie Ryan Succop hit a 53 yard FG to tie the game at 17 with 12:02 to go.

Baltimore went back on top with La’Ron McClain plunging in from the one to cap a 9 play 76 yard drive to make it 24-17. The Chiefs responded and mounted their most impressive scoring drive of the game, six plays 80 yards. With Brodie Croyle making pinpoint passes beating the Ravens blitz, KC marched down the field and Croyle hit tight end Sean Ryan for his first career score on a 10 yard pass and a 24 all tie with 5:28 to go.

But Flacco brought the Ravens back and beat a KC blitz for a 31 yard scoring strike to Mark Clayton with 2:06 to go and the Ravens led 31-24. Baltimore padded the margin with a meaningless TD with :31 to go. Flacco threw for a career high 307 yards as the Ravens piled up 501 yards in total offense.

Time of possession was key in the game with the Ravens holding an almost 2-1 advantage. Despite the loss there were bright spots. The defense and special teams each came up with big plays getting points and turnovers/ While Croyle’s performance was by no means impressive, he gave his team a chance to win with smart decisions and no turnovers and a nice fourth quarter drive to tie the game, but Croyle is still winless in nine NFL starts. KC will hope Matt Cassel is available next Sunday in the home opener against Oakland.

Jayhawks stuff UTEP 34-7

The Kansas Jayhawks racked up their second win of the season with a 34-7 victory over Conference USA’s UTEP on the road in El Paso tonight. The Jayhawks opened up the scoring on their first drive of the game with a 21 yard field goal by Jacob Branstetter. The key play of the drive was a 56 yard pass play from wide receiver Kerry Meier to Dezmon Briscoe on a reverse.

That was the only score of the first quarter but Kansas posted 17 second quarter points on three drives. None lasting more than two minutes and thirty seconds. Both touchdowns were scored by running back Jake Sharp. One on a one yard run, the second on a five yard pass from QB Todd Reesing.

At the half Kansas had 250 yards in total offense and their defense had shut down the Miners QB Trevor Vittatoe, recording five first half sacks and one interception. In the third quarter Kansas had a 76 yard drive ended on an interception by Braxton Amy on the UTEP 10.

Later in the period the Jayhawks made it 27-0 on a third yard scoring run from Sharp after a 49 yard punt return from Daymond Patterson to the UTEP 24. It went to 34-0 when Toben Opurum crashed in from the one to cap a 13 play 80 yard drive.

UTEP’s only score of the game came on a Vittatoe to Donovan Kemp 75 yard pass play with 12:39 to go in the game. On the night the Jayhawks had 570 yards in total offense,320 through the air. Reesing was 25 of 41 for 259 and a TD. Sharp had his second straight one hundred yard game with 104 yards on 16 carries. The true freshman Opurum had 87 yards on 17 totes.

But the real star on this night was the defense, which held the Miners to 208 yards in total offense and just seven first downs. Kansas goes to 2-0 on the season and heads back home to host Duke in an 11 o’clock kickoff next Saturday in Lawrence.