- Great Bend High School Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus

- Great Bend Tribune Sports Editor Jim Misunas

- "On the Prowl" with Mike Courson. Mike will talk with Great Bend Panther Cross Country coach Lyles Lashley.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/24tdBMmr2tg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- Great Bend High School Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus- Great Bend Tribune Sports Editor Jim Misunas- "On the Prowl" with Mike Courson. Mike will talk with Great Bend Panther Cross Country coach Lyles Lashley.- Sounds of the past 24-hours- Monday Sports Headlines

Monday on Sports Day (Watch) 

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer

There will be no more Bedlam in the Big 12. Baylor will say farewell to the only conference rival it has played annually for a century. The storied Red River rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas will soon take place in a different league.

The Sooners and Longhorns moving to the Southeastern Conference next summer means this season will be the last in the Big 12 for some of its biggest games. The moves will also affect rivalries much older than the Big 12, the league that kicked off in 1996 after the Big Eight merged with four Texas schools from the old Southwest Conference.

The changes are casualties of the latest round of conference realignment, which has seen some two dozen schools change affiliation this season and next.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, who quarterbacked the Cowboys in the late 1980s and now is the Big 12’s longest-tenured coach entering his 19th season, sounded bitter while being blunt about the breakup. Bedlam, the annual Oklahoma State-Oklahoma grudge match,&nbsp;has been played 117 times&nbsp;since 1904.

“I’m very traditionalist when it comes to conference rivalry games and such,” Gundy said. “The Bedlam game is over because Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12, period.”

Baylor and Texas, whose campuses are about 100 miles apart, have been conference foes since the formation of the Southwest Conference in 1915. The only years the schools haven’t played each other since 1923 were during World War II.

As those longstanding rivalries slip away, the league has a chance to build new ones while&nbsp;growing from 10 teams to 16&nbsp;spread across three time zones and 10 states. There certainly could be some options, including some untraditional ones, though it could take some time for any to develop.

“Looking at what has happened so far, it seemed that it was difficult for people to identify and really start consuming a new rivalry,” said Cody Havard, a University of Memphis professor and Texas graduate who does research on sports rivalries.

But he pointed to some possibilities, from new rivalries that could take shape to old ones that will eventually be coming into the league. The Big 12 does get the "Holy War” of&nbsp;instate rivals BYU and Utah, and there could be the rekindling of some old SWC brawls with Houston joining the league.

“With all this great expansion, we actually could end up seeing more regionalized rivalries,” Havard said.

— Texas vs. Oklahoma: The&nbsp;11th-ranked Longhorns and No. 20 Sooners&nbsp;will still play and the State Fair of Texas will still be rocking. But after the 119th meeting on Oct. 7, the midseason party moves out of the Big 12 and joins the SEC lineup of grudge matches like Alabama vs. Auburn, Georgia vs. Florida and Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State.

— Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma: The 118th Bedlam game will be Nov. 4 in Stillwater, where&nbsp;the Cowboys won in 2021 to get to the Big 12 championship game. But the Sooners have dominated overall with 91 victories, the most they have against any team. Oklahoma is 20-7 in Big 12 matchups.

— Baylor vs. Texas: The Big 12 opener for both teams Sept. 23 in Waco will be their 113th meeting since 1901. It is the most-played series for Baylor, but there are no future games scheduled. The only teams the Longhorns have played more are Oklahoma and Texas A&amp;M, which they will reunite with in the SEC after not playing each other since 2011.

— Houston vs. old SWC rivals Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. Houston has played Texas Tech and TCU, but putting them all back together in the Big 12 will add some new spice between old adversaries.

Dana Holgorsen previously was the coach for West Virginia's move into the Big 12 in 2012, when all the conference foes were new to the Mountaineers. Things are much different for the Cougars.

“We’ve got history with BYU. We’ve got history with Cincinnati, Central Florida recently, and then obviously my familiarity with West Virginia," said Holgorsen, in his fifth season at Houston. "But then you go back to the old Southwest Conference in the late ’80s and early ’90s … those will get rekindled.”

— Arizona vs. Arizona State. An import from the Pac-12, the Territorial Cup rivalry is ranked at&nbsp;KnowRivalry.com&nbsp;as the nation’s most intense in the FBS “because those two teams put so much emphasis on each other,” said David Tyler, a UMass associate professor and expert in sports rivalries whose research with Northern Kentucky professor Joe Cobbs is on that website.

— BYU vs. Utah, the so-called “Holy War” between schools about 45 miles apart. BYU, which played as a football independent the past 12 seasons, is a private school founded and supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah is a public university where one-third of the students identify as Mormon. There have been 101 meetings, though BYU recognizes only 95.

— More holy wars? BYU vs. Baylor, the world’s largest Baptist university, or BYU vs. TCU, which partners with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), another Protestant denomination.

— West Virginia vs. Cincinnati. Before adding all the new schools, the Big 12's geographic outcast was West Virginia. The Mountaineers now have a conference foe only about 300 miles away in Cincinnati. They were also together from 2005-11 in the Big East, and both won conference titles during that span.

— Colorado vs. Utah. Rockies rivalry, anyone? The two schools have played each other 69 times off and on since 1903 and No. 70 will close the final Pac-12 regular season for both teams Nov. 25 in Salt Lake City. The series went on hiatus after 1962, but they have played each other annually since 2011 and the Utes have won six straight and 10 of the 12 matchups.

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports WriterThere will be no more Bedlam in the Big 12. Baylor will say farewell to the only conference rival it has played annually for a century. The storied Red River rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas will soon take place in a different league.The Sooners and Longhorns moving to the Southeastern Conference next summer means this season will be the last in the Big 12 for some of its biggest games. The moves will also affect rivalries much older than the Big 12, the league that kicked off in 1996 after the Big Eight merged with four Texas schools from the old Southwest Conference.The changes are casualties of the latest round of conference realignment, which has seen some two dozen schools change affiliation this season and next.Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, who quarterbacked the Cowboys in the late 1980s and now is the Big 12’s longest-tenured coach entering his 19th season, sounded bitter while being blunt about the breakup. Bedlam, the annual Oklahoma State-Oklahoma grudge match,&nbsp;has been played 117 times&nbsp;since 1904.“I’m very traditionalist when it comes to conference rivalry games and such,” Gundy said. “The Bedlam game is over because Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12, period.”Baylor and Texas, whose campuses are about 100 miles apart, have been conference foes since the formation of the Southwest Conference in 1915. The only years the schools haven’t played each other since 1923 were during World War II.As those longstanding rivalries slip away, the league has a chance to build new ones while&nbsp;growing from 10 teams to 16&nbsp;spread across three time zones and 10 states. There certainly could be some options, including some untraditional ones, though it could take some time for any to develop.“Looking at what has happened so far, it seemed that it was difficult for people to identify and really start consuming a new rivalry,” said Cody Havard, a University of Memphis professor and Texas graduate who does research on sports rivalries.But he pointed to some possibilities, from new rivalries that could take shape to old ones that will eventually be coming into the league. The Big 12 does get the "Holy War” of&nbsp;instate rivals BYU and Utah, and there could be the rekindling of some old SWC brawls with Houston joining the league.“With all this great expansion, we actually could end up seeing more regionalized rivalries,” Havard said.BIG 12 RIVALRIES BEING LOST— Texas vs. Oklahoma: The&nbsp;11th-ranked Longhorns and No. 20 Sooners&nbsp;will still play and the State Fair of Texas will still be rocking. But after the 119th meeting on Oct. 7, the midseason party moves out of the Big 12 and joins the SEC lineup of grudge matches like Alabama vs. Auburn, Georgia vs. Florida and Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State.— Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma: The 118th Bedlam game will be Nov. 4 in Stillwater, where&nbsp;the Cowboys won in 2021 to get to the Big 12 championship game. But the Sooners have dominated overall with 91 victories, the most they have against any team. Oklahoma is 20-7 in Big 12 matchups.— Baylor vs. Texas: The Big 12 opener for both teams Sept. 23 in Waco will be their 113th meeting since 1901. It is the most-played series for Baylor, but there are no future games scheduled. The only teams the Longhorns have played more are Oklahoma and Texas A&amp;M, which they will reunite with in the SEC after not playing each other since 2011.NEW BIG 12 RIVALRIES?— Houston vs. old SWC rivals Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. Houston has played Texas Tech and TCU, but putting them all back together in the Big 12 will add some new spice between old adversaries.Dana Holgorsen previously was the coach for West Virginia's move into the Big 12 in 2012, when all the conference foes were new to the Mountaineers. Things are much different for the Cougars.“We’ve got history with BYU. We’ve got history with Cincinnati, Central Florida recently, and then obviously my familiarity with West Virginia," said Holgorsen, in his fifth season at Houston. "But then you go back to the old Southwest Conference in the late ’80s and early ’90s … those will get rekindled.”— Arizona vs. Arizona State. An import from the Pac-12, the Territorial Cup rivalry is ranked at&nbsp;KnowRivalry.com&nbsp;as the nation’s most intense in the FBS “because those two teams put so much emphasis on each other,” said David Tyler, a UMass associate professor and expert in sports rivalries whose research with Northern Kentucky professor Joe Cobbs is on that website.— BYU vs. Utah, the so-called “Holy War” between schools about 45 miles apart. BYU, which played as a football independent the past 12 seasons, is a private school founded and supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah is a public university where one-third of the students identify as Mormon. There have been 101 meetings, though BYU recognizes only 95.— More holy wars? BYU vs. Baylor, the world’s largest Baptist university, or BYU vs. TCU, which partners with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), another Protestant denomination.— West Virginia vs. Cincinnati. Before adding all the new schools, the Big 12's geographic outcast was West Virginia. The Mountaineers now have a conference foe only about 300 miles away in Cincinnati. They were also together from 2005-11 in the Big East, and both won conference titles during that span.— Colorado vs. Utah. Rockies rivalry, anyone? The two schools have played each other 69 times off and on since 1903 and No. 70 will close the final Pac-12 regular season for both teams Nov. 25 in Salt Lake City. The series went on hiatus after 1962, but they have played each other annually since 2011 and the Utes have won six straight and 10 of the 12 matchups.

Lost rivalries in the Big 12, including no more Bedlam when Oklahoma and Texas switch to SEC

CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Miguel Amaya hit solo homers, helping Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Sunday.

Chicago, in position to claim of the NL's three wild cards berths, won two in a row after losing the series opener. Jordan Lyles (3-14) became the major leagues' first 14-game loser as Kansas City fell for the fourth time in five games and dropped to 40-86, better only than Oakland among the 30 major league teams.

Hendricks (5-6) won for the first time since July 25, allowing one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He retired 10 in a row before his lone walk, to Matt Beaty in the fifth inning.

Mark Leiter Jr. got two outs in the seventh, Julian Merryweather pitched a perfect eighth, and Adbert Alzolay got his 18th save in 19 chances after allowing pinch-hitter Maikel Garcia's run-scoring single and Matt Beaty's RBI groundout. With a runner on second, Dairon Blanco hit a game-ending groundout.

Lyles gave up four runs — two earned — and five hits in his third complete game this season. Lyles has pitched four games this season in which he has thrown at least eight innings and lost.

After Michael Massey's RBI single in the first, the Cubs went ahead in the bottom half when center fielder Kyle Isbel allowed Ian Happ's single to bounce by for a run-scoring, two-base error and Cody Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly.

Suzuki hit his 12th home run of the season in the fifth and Amaya hit his fourth in the eighth inning.

Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. made a sliding backhanded catch in the outfield grass to rob Mike Tauchman of a hit in the third inning.

Royals: Garcia missed his second consecutive star. He is dealing with upper-body soreness on his left side. Royals manager Matt Quatraro expects Garcia to be ready for Monday night's game at Oakland.

Royals: Start a three-game series Monday at Oakland.

Cubs: RHP Javier Assad (2-2) is scheduled to start Monday at Detroit, which goes with RH ALex Faedo (2-4, 5.16). Assad is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA since rejoining the rotation on Aug. 5.

CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Miguel Amaya hit solo homers, helping Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Sunday.Chicago, in position to claim of the NL's three wild cards berths, won two in a row after losing the series opener. Jordan Lyles (3-14) became the major leagues' first 14-game loser as Kansas City fell for the fourth time in five games and dropped to 40-86, better only than Oakland among the 30 major league teams.Hendricks (5-6) won for the first time since July 25, allowing one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He retired 10 in a row before his lone walk, to Matt Beaty in the fifth inning.Mark Leiter Jr. got two outs in the seventh, Julian Merryweather pitched a perfect eighth, and Adbert Alzolay got his 18th save in 19 chances after allowing pinch-hitter Maikel Garcia's run-scoring single and Matt Beaty's RBI groundout. With a runner on second, Dairon Blanco hit a game-ending groundout.Lyles gave up four runs — two earned — and five hits in his third complete game this season. Lyles has pitched four games this season in which he has thrown at least eight innings and lost.After Michael Massey's RBI single in the first, the Cubs went ahead in the bottom half when center fielder Kyle Isbel allowed Ian Happ's single to bounce by for a run-scoring, two-base error and Cody Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly.Suzuki hit his 12th home run of the season in the fifth and Amaya hit his fourth in the eighth inning.WEB GEMRoyals SS Bobby Witt Jr. made a sliding backhanded catch in the outfield grass to rob Mike Tauchman of a hit in the third inning.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: Garcia missed his second consecutive star. He is dealing with upper-body soreness on his left side. Royals manager Matt Quatraro expects Garcia to be ready for Monday night's game at Oakland.UP NEXTRoyals: Start a three-game series Monday at Oakland.Cubs: RHP Javier Assad (2-2) is scheduled to start Monday at Detroit, which goes with RH ALex Faedo (2-4, 5.16). Assad is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA since rejoining the rotation on Aug. 5.

Suzuki and Amaya hit solo homers and Cubs beat Royals 4-3

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When the Longhorn Network launched in 2011, the 20-year, $300 million partnership with ESPN set up Texas with its own 24-hour television showcase that sent shockwaves across college sports some say can still be felt today.

Rivals in the Big 12 Conference bitterly complained the swaggering Longhorns were stomping over the rest of the league, and would reap an unfair recruiting advantage amid that shower of cash. Some worried Texas was about to become a runaway train in college athletics.

Twelve years after the studio lights flickered on, the network will soon go dark: LHN will be folded into the SEC Network when Texas joins the Southeastern Conference next summer. This academic year is the last for a pioneering effort that forced new NCAA rules, laid the groundwork for emerging conference networks and played a role in what would be a decade of realignment.

“Yeah, it was bold,” said former Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, the architect of the idea for LHN. “We built something we can be proud of ... I think it’s a big loss for Texas to have to give it up.”

Dodds’ vision was to build something that would elevate Longhorns athletics beyond football and basketball. He wanted more exposure for volleyball, softball, baseball and other sports. Once it got rolling, LHN would broadcast nearly 200 live events annually from across all Longhorns sports — the first live competition was a volleyball match — school graduation ceremonies and even student fashion shows.

But in the television business, football is king. ESPN wanted to tap into a massive Texas alumni base and the passion around a Longhorns program that had won a national championship in 2005 and played for another in 2009. It saw Texas as a national brand that fans could watch across the U.S. if they had the right cable provider.

“We’re going to cover (Texas) football like it’s never been covered before,” Burke Magnus, then senior vice president of college sports programming for ESPN, declared when the deal for LHN was announced.

That meant a broad range of behind-the-scenes programming, including pre-game and post-game coverage. Some of it was too much: Former Texas coach Mack Brown was annoyed that the network’s cameras were always watching.

“Our rivals all got Longhorn Network and they watched us practice. They could text each other and say ‘so-and-so looked good,’'” Brown said. “You had to ask to turn cameras off.”

One idea never came to fruition. An ESPN executive mentioned in a radio interview that LHN was considering airing high school football games of a top recruit.

“I thought it was a great idea,” Brown said. “I also thought it would never happen.”

He was right. The blowback from Big 12 members was swift. Angry rivals considered it a step too far in the recruiting wars.

“That can’t happen ... Are you kidding me?” then-Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel said at the time.

The NCAA quickly ruled that a school or league-affiliated network could not broadcast high school games.

But the emergence of LHN, coupled with the perception that Texas already held too much sway over the Big 12, proved to be a tipping point for some. Colorado and Nebraska had already left the previous year. And by the start of the 2011 season, Texas A&amp;M announced it was going to the SEC. Missouri followed the Aggies a few months later.

Dodds said he believes those schools would have left the Big 12 anyway. Still, he notes some irony in the Aggies’ departure since the network initially was intended as a joint project with Texas A&amp;M because he didn’t think Texas had enough programming to carry a 24-hour operation. He also thought the schools would have to pay for the network themselves and it would be easier and cheaper for two schools to do it.

Texas A&amp;M declined. It wasn’t until Fox offered $3 million a year, and ESPN countered with its even larger deal, that Dodds realized Texas really had something.

“A bonanza” of money, Dodds said. “It was just unbelievable.”

There were initial struggles to secure deals with cable and satellite carriers to get LHN in front of viewers. Critics snickered Texas created a network simply to show reruns of Vince Young’s game-wining dash to victory over Southern California in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

But LHN eventually found its way into more homes, in front of more viewers, and began to take shape. Soon LHN was producing coverage of all Texas sports, from rowing to volleyball to swimming.

And it had to be good, said Pat Lowry, vice president of production for ESPN.

“It was always about doing good television. I wanted the quality to be just as good as anything we saw on ESPN,” Lowry said.

Some opposing teams were suspicious and didn’t want to talk with LHN reporters or let them into pregame warmups.

“There were times different coaches were like, ‘No we don’t want you to be in here,’” Lowry said.

The money ESPN threw at Texas in 2011 isn’t as surprising anymore. The Big Ten struck a $7 billion deal across three networks in 2022. Texas will land in the SEC just in time for a new $3 billion conference deal with ESPN that gives the network the broadcast rights to all league football games.

LHN will be shuttered without the football team delivering on the initial hopes. Since a 13-1 finish in 2009, Texas has gone 91-72 with five losing seasons and hasn’t won the Big 12. In this final year of the network and the Longhorns’ final year in the Big 12, Texas will start the season ranked No. 11 and is the favorite to win the league.

The Longhorns home game Sept. 16 against Wyoming will be on LHN. The network will broadcast much of the season for the defending national champion Texas volleyball team as well as dozens of women’s soccer matches, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball.

By next football season, LHN will have been absorbed by the SEC Network and various ESPN platforms and its studio will be closed, ending a one-of-a-kind network that may never be duplicated.

“I would want (people) to remember the quality and caliber of programming,” Lowry said of LHN. “I think anytime you start talking about conference realignment, everybody will look at A&amp;M leaving and going to the SEC as the beginning of all of this ... That, I think, will be its legacy.”

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When the Longhorn Network launched in 2011, the 20-year, $300 million partnership with ESPN set up Texas with its own 24-hour television showcase that sent shockwaves across college sports some say can still be felt today.Rivals in the Big 12 Conference bitterly complained the swaggering Longhorns were stomping over the rest of the league, and would reap an unfair recruiting advantage amid that shower of cash. Some worried Texas was about to become a runaway train in college athletics.Twelve years after the studio lights flickered on, the network will soon go dark: LHN will be folded into the SEC Network when Texas joins the Southeastern Conference next summer. This academic year is the last for a pioneering effort that forced new NCAA rules, laid the groundwork for emerging conference networks and played a role in what would be a decade of realignment.“Yeah, it was bold,” said former Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, the architect of the idea for LHN. “We built something we can be proud of ... I think it’s a big loss for Texas to have to give it up.”Dodds’ vision was to build something that would elevate Longhorns athletics beyond football and basketball. He wanted more exposure for volleyball, softball, baseball and other sports. Once it got rolling, LHN would broadcast nearly 200 live events annually from across all Longhorns sports — the first live competition was a volleyball match — school graduation ceremonies and even student fashion shows.But in the television business, football is king. ESPN wanted to tap into a massive Texas alumni base and the passion around a Longhorns program that had won a national championship in 2005 and played for another in 2009. It saw Texas as a national brand that fans could watch across the U.S. if they had the right cable provider.“We’re going to cover (Texas) football like it’s never been covered before,” Burke Magnus, then senior vice president of college sports programming for ESPN, declared when the deal for LHN was announced.That meant a broad range of behind-the-scenes programming, including pre-game and post-game coverage. Some of it was too much: Former Texas coach Mack Brown was annoyed that the network’s cameras were always watching.“Our rivals all got Longhorn Network and they watched us practice. They could text each other and say ‘so-and-so looked good,’'” Brown said. “You had to ask to turn cameras off.”One idea never came to fruition. An ESPN executive mentioned in a radio interview that LHN was considering airing high school football games of a top recruit.“I thought it was a great idea,” Brown said. “I also thought it would never happen.”He was right. The blowback from Big 12 members was swift. Angry rivals considered it a step too far in the recruiting wars.“That can’t happen ... Are you kidding me?” then-Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel said at the time.The NCAA quickly ruled that a school or league-affiliated network could not broadcast high school games.But the emergence of LHN, coupled with the perception that Texas already held too much sway over the Big 12, proved to be a tipping point for some. Colorado and Nebraska had already left the previous year. And by the start of the 2011 season, Texas A&amp;M announced it was going to the SEC. Missouri followed the Aggies a few months later.Dodds said he believes those schools would have left the Big 12 anyway. Still, he notes some irony in the Aggies’ departure since the network initially was intended as a joint project with Texas A&amp;M because he didn’t think Texas had enough programming to carry a 24-hour operation. He also thought the schools would have to pay for the network themselves and it would be easier and cheaper for two schools to do it.Texas A&amp;M declined. It wasn’t until Fox offered $3 million a year, and ESPN countered with its even larger deal, that Dodds realized Texas really had something.“A bonanza” of money, Dodds said. “It was just unbelievable.”There were initial struggles to secure deals with cable and satellite carriers to get LHN in front of viewers. Critics snickered Texas created a network simply to show reruns of Vince Young’s game-wining dash to victory over Southern California in the 2006 Rose Bowl.But LHN eventually found its way into more homes, in front of more viewers, and began to take shape. Soon LHN was producing coverage of all Texas sports, from rowing to volleyball to swimming.And it had to be good, said Pat Lowry, vice president of production for ESPN.“It was always about doing good television. I wanted the quality to be just as good as anything we saw on ESPN,” Lowry said.Some opposing teams were suspicious and didn’t want to talk with LHN reporters or let them into pregame warmups.“There were times different coaches were like, ‘No we don’t want you to be in here,’” Lowry said.The money ESPN threw at Texas in 2011 isn’t as surprising anymore. The Big Ten struck a $7 billion deal across three networks in 2022. Texas will land in the SEC just in time for a new $3 billion conference deal with ESPN that gives the network the broadcast rights to all league football games.LHN will be shuttered without the football team delivering on the initial hopes. Since a 13-1 finish in 2009, Texas has gone 91-72 with five losing seasons and hasn’t won the Big 12. In this final year of the network and the Longhorns’ final year in the Big 12, Texas will start the season ranked No. 11 and is the favorite to win the league.The Longhorns home game Sept. 16 against Wyoming will be on LHN. The network will broadcast much of the season for the defending national champion Texas volleyball team as well as dozens of women’s soccer matches, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball.By next football season, LHN will have been absorbed by the SEC Network and various ESPN platforms and its studio will be closed, ending a one-of-a-kind network that may never be duplicated.“I would want (people) to remember the quality and caliber of programming,” Lowry said of LHN. “I think anytime you start talking about conference realignment, everybody will look at A&amp;M leaving and going to the SEC as the beginning of all of this ... That, I think, will be its legacy.”

Last rodeo for Longhorn Network, the Texas venture with ESPN that once rattled the Big 12

ABU DHABI, U.A.E. – Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang continued to shape his 2023-24 roster with the signing of 2-time All-Southern Conference selection Ques Glover (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden/Florida/Samford) to a Financial Aid Agreement on Friday afternoon (August 18).

A 6-foot, 180-pound combo guard, Glover arrives at K-State after playing 2 seasons (2021-23) at Samford, where he led the Bulldogs to 21 wins and a share of the SoCon regular-season championship in 2022-23. He also spent 2 seasons (2019-21) at Florida, where he helped the Gators win 34 games and advance to the 2021 NCAA Tournament while playing alongside former Wildcat Keyontae Johnson.

"Another great day to be a Wildcat! We just got better today with the addition of Ques to our team," said Tang. "We're super excited to have him as a basketball player and as a person. He's an even better kid than he is a player, and our fans are gonna love how engaging he is. He has a terrific smile and just loves being around people. I think our fans are gonna go through the roof when they get to meet him, very much like TP (Tylor Perry)."

As a graduate transfer, Glover will have one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Glover is the third impactful transfer signed by Tang in the past few months, joining 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year and NIT Most Outstanding Player Tylor Perry (Fort Coffee, Okla./Spiro/Coffeyville CC/North Texas) and 2022 BIG EAST All-Freshman and All-Tournament Team member Arthur Kaluma (Glendale, Ariz./Dream City Christian/Creighton). Both Perry and Kaluma have appeared in the top-20 of several transfer rankings.

The trio have combined for 2,823 points in 234 games played at the Division I level.

"Our plan all along has been to sign two guards out of the portal that have each played 90 or more games of college basketball, so we can have an experienced backcourt. And Ques fits that. He averaged 20 points per game his junior year at Samford then last year he got a little banged up early on, so he didn't have as great of a start. But once he was able to come back, he finished his last 10 games averaging 20 points a game. We're thankful that he became available late. He's going to provide leadership, he's going to provide scoring, he's going to provide the experience exactly where we need it."  

Glover was selected to the All-SoCon Team both seasons at Samford, where he helped guide the Bulldogs to 42 total victories while playing in 48 games with 46 starts from 2021-23. As a junior in 2021-22, he was a consensus First Team selection (coaches and media) after ranking third in the league in scoring (19.2 ppg.) and second in total assists (129) and assists/game (4.4 apg.). He was also a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which annually honors the nation's top mid-major player. This past season, he was chosen to the Coaches Second Team and Media Third Team after averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game for the SoCon co-champions.

All told, Glover has seen action in 99 combined games with 46 starts in his college career at Florida and Samford, leading teams to a 76-44 (.633) record with back-to-back 20-win seasons, a conference championship (2022-23) and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21.

Glover has scored 1,022 points his college career on 46 percent (370-of-804) shooting from the field, including 30.6 percent (63-of-206) from 3-point range, and 78.2 percent (219-of-280) from the free throw line. He has 48 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 of 20 or more points.

In his 48-game career with Samford, Glover averaged 17.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes per game while hitting on 47.2 percent (298-of-632) from the field, 32.9 percent (49-of-149) from 3-point range and 81 percent (192-of-237) from the free throw line. He scored in double figures in 42 of 48 career games with 20 20-point efforts and one 30-point performance. His career-high of 30 points came against conference foe The Citadel on Feb. 5, 2022, knocking down 13-of-18 field goal attempts. He also tallied a 20-point, 10-assist double-double vs. VMI on Feb. 17, 2022, scoring 26 points and dishing out a career-best 10 assists.

Glover made an immediate impact in his first season at Samford, helping the Bulldogs make a 15-win improvement (6-13 to 21-11) from the previous season, which included wins at Oregon State and Ole Miss, under SoCon Coach of the Year Buckie McMillan. He ranked among the SoCon's top-15 in 6 categories, including second in assists (4.4 apg.) and third in scoring (19.2 ppg.), en route to earning consensus All-SoCon First Team honors. He was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which goes to top mid-major player. He was also selected to the SoCon All-Tournament First Team after averaging 21 points per game in games against UNC Greensboro and Furman.

This past season, Glover had a strong finish to an injury-plagued 2022-23 season, averaging 15.4 points per game in his last 11 games of the season with 4 20-point outings. Despite missing 11 games in December and most of January due to injury, he still led the Bulldogs in scoring at 14.7 points per game, connecting on 48 percent (95-of-198) from the field and 38 percent (17-of-45) from 3-point range. He was selected to the All-SoCon Second Team by the league coaches and to the Third Team by the league media, while he was an NABC All-District selection.

Gloved played 2 seasons (2019-21) at Florida, where he averaged 3.6 points on 42.1 percent (72-of-171) shooting in 51 career games. His best season came as a true freshman (2019-20) which was cut short due to COVID-19, as he averaged 4.4 points and 1.0 rebounds per game while appearing in all 31 games. He scored in double figures in 4 games with a team-leading and season-high 14 points in a win over Marshall on Nov. 29, 2019. He averaged 2.5 points per game as a sophomore in 2020-21, highlighted by a season-high 11 points against Georgia on Feb. 20, 2021, and 10 points in a win over his hometown team and No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 19, 2021.

Glover prepped at powerhouse Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tenn., where he led the Bulldogs to their first TSSAA Class AAA State Championship in 2018. The 2-time All-State selection, he was named Tennessee's Class AAA Mr. Basketball and the Knoxville News Sentinel's Player of the Year after averaging 21 points per game as a senior.

Glover's future teammates are nearing an end to their historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi. After splitting the first 2 games of their tour, the team played their third and final game against Sharjah on Friday afternoon. They will do some sightseeing on their final day on Saturday (August 19) before departing for the U.S.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692459779042.jpeg" alt="Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>ABU DHABI, U.A.E. – Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang continued to shape his 2023-24 roster with the signing of 2-time All-Southern Conference selection Ques Glover (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden/Florida/Samford) to a Financial Aid Agreement on Friday afternoon (August 18).A 6-foot, 180-pound combo guard, Glover arrives at K-State after playing 2 seasons (2021-23) at Samford, where he led the Bulldogs to 21 wins and a share of the SoCon regular-season championship in 2022-23. He also spent 2 seasons (2019-21) at Florida, where he helped the Gators win 34 games and advance to the 2021 NCAA Tournament while playing alongside former Wildcat Keyontae Johnson."Another great day to be a Wildcat! We just got better today with the addition of Ques to our team," said Tang. "We're super excited to have him as a basketball player and as a person. He's an even better kid than he is a player, and our fans are gonna love how engaging he is. He has a terrific smile and just loves being around people. I think our fans are gonna go through the roof when they get to meet him, very much like TP (Tylor Perry)."As a graduate transfer, Glover will have one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Glover is the third impactful transfer signed by Tang in the past few months, joining 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year and NIT Most Outstanding Player Tylor Perry (Fort Coffee, Okla./Spiro/Coffeyville CC/North Texas) and 2022 BIG EAST All-Freshman and All-Tournament Team member Arthur Kaluma (Glendale, Ariz./Dream City Christian/Creighton). Both Perry and Kaluma have appeared in the top-20 of several transfer rankings.The trio have combined for 2,823 points in 234 games played at the Division I level."Our plan all along has been to sign two guards out of the portal that have each played 90 or more games of college basketball, so we can have an experienced backcourt. And Ques fits that. He averaged 20 points per game his junior year at Samford then last year he got a little banged up early on, so he didn't have as great of a start. But once he was able to come back, he finished his last 10 games averaging 20 points a game. We're thankful that he became available late. He's going to provide leadership, he's going to provide scoring, he's going to provide the experience exactly where we need it." Glover was selected to the All-SoCon Team both seasons at Samford, where he helped guide the Bulldogs to 42 total victories while playing in 48 games with 46 starts from 2021-23. As a junior in 2021-22, he was a consensus First Team selection (coaches and media) after ranking third in the league in scoring (19.2 ppg.) and second in total assists (129) and assists/game (4.4 apg.). He was also a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which annually honors the nation's top mid-major player. This past season, he was chosen to the Coaches Second Team and Media Third Team after averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game for the SoCon co-champions.All told, Glover has seen action in 99 combined games with 46 starts in his college career at Florida and Samford, leading teams to a 76-44 (.633) record with back-to-back 20-win seasons, a conference championship (2022-23) and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21.Glover has scored 1,022 points his college career on 46 percent (370-of-804) shooting from the field, including 30.6 percent (63-of-206) from 3-point range, and 78.2 percent (219-of-280) from the free throw line. He has 48 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 of 20 or more points.In his 48-game career with Samford, Glover averaged 17.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes per game while hitting on 47.2 percent (298-of-632) from the field, 32.9 percent (49-of-149) from 3-point range and 81 percent (192-of-237) from the free throw line. He scored in double figures in 42 of 48 career games with 20 20-point efforts and one 30-point performance. His career-high of 30 points came against conference foe The Citadel on Feb. 5, 2022, knocking down 13-of-18 field goal attempts. He also tallied a 20-point, 10-assist double-double vs. VMI on Feb. 17, 2022, scoring 26 points and dishing out a career-best 10 assists.Glover made an immediate impact in his first season at Samford, helping the Bulldogs make a 15-win improvement (6-13 to 21-11) from the previous season, which included wins at Oregon State and Ole Miss, under SoCon Coach of the Year Buckie McMillan. He ranked among the SoCon's top-15 in 6 categories, including second in assists (4.4 apg.) and third in scoring (19.2 ppg.), en route to earning consensus All-SoCon First Team honors. He was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which goes to top mid-major player. He was also selected to the SoCon All-Tournament First Team after averaging 21 points per game in games against UNC Greensboro and Furman.This past season, Glover had a strong finish to an injury-plagued 2022-23 season, averaging 15.4 points per game in his last 11 games of the season with 4 20-point outings. Despite missing 11 games in December and most of January due to injury, he still led the Bulldogs in scoring at 14.7 points per game, connecting on 48 percent (95-of-198) from the field and 38 percent (17-of-45) from 3-point range. He was selected to the All-SoCon Second Team by the league coaches and to the Third Team by the league media, while he was an NABC All-District selection.Gloved played 2 seasons (2019-21) at Florida, where he averaged 3.6 points on 42.1 percent (72-of-171) shooting in 51 career games. His best season came as a true freshman (2019-20) which was cut short due to COVID-19, as he averaged 4.4 points and 1.0 rebounds per game while appearing in all 31 games. He scored in double figures in 4 games with a team-leading and season-high 14 points in a win over Marshall on Nov. 29, 2019. He averaged 2.5 points per game as a sophomore in 2020-21, highlighted by a season-high 11 points against Georgia on Feb. 20, 2021, and 10 points in a win over his hometown team and No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 19, 2021.Glover prepped at powerhouse Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tenn., where he led the Bulldogs to their first TSSAA Class AAA State Championship in 2018. The 2-time All-State selection, he was named Tennessee's Class AAA Mr. Basketball and the Knoxville News Sentinel's Player of the Year after averaging 21 points per game as a senior.Glover's future teammates are nearing an end to their historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi. After splitting the first 2 games of their tour, the team played their third and final game against Sharjah on Friday afternoon. They will do some sightseeing on their final day on Saturday (August 19) before departing for the U.S.

Tang Signs Transfer Ques Glover

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer

There could be some new holy wars brewing in the evolving Big 12 Conference.

With BYU coming in this season, the Big 12 has three private Christian schools from different denominations. The Cougars, the 1984 national champions who played the past 12 seasons as an independent, are now in the same league with Baylor and TCU — whose 118-game “Revivalry” in Texas dates to a scoreless tie in 1899.

“I think that will be really intriguing to see ... is there more of a long-term interest amongst TCU and Baylor fans in BYU as an opponent compared to some of the other Big 12 teams that are coming in,” said Northern Kentucky professor Joe Cobbs, an expert in sports rivalries.

BYU was founded by and still supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Baylor is the world's largest Baptist university, and TCU partners with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). All three schools were founded in the 1800s.

There can be commonality among fans from such schools, even of different denominations, in valuing what religion adds to higher education, Cobbs said. There also can be the thoughts of “we're both religious schools, let's see who's the best. And that's where holy war becomes kind of an apt name.”

TCU is the smallest Big 12 school with around 12,000 students, but the Horned Frogs had an undefeated regular season and made the four-team College Football Playoff last season before losing to Georgia in the national championship game. That came a year after Baylor was the Big 12 champion and won the Sugar Bowl.

“I understand that TCU is probably our primary rival, but I’m also really proud of TCU and of Baylor ... smaller private institutions, and we’ve been able to find a way to navigate,” said Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades, noting the similarities with BYU. “To have three in a conference I think is really cool. And I think it will probably make for some really healthy conversation between the three of us, and how do we continue to navigate our success in the midst of schools that have more alums, maybe even deeper pockets.”

In college basketball, the Big East was formed in 2013 by seven Catholic universities and the league has become one of the strongest in the sport.

There are 14 teams in the Big 12 this season with the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. That means not every team will play each other each year.

BYU, with only one losing record over the past 18 seasons, plays at TCU on Oct. 14, a reunion of teams that briefly in the past shared membership in both the Mountain West (2005-10) and Western Athletic (1996-98) conferences. But the Cougars aren't scheduled to play Baylor after they split games the past two seasons in a home-and-home series with the Bears that was set long before all of the conference realignment.

Big 12 officials haven't revealed what their scheduling format will be next year — or who will play who — when they are set to have 16 teams. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will come into the league from the picked-apart Pac-12 next season when Texas and Oklahoma leave for the Southeastern Conference.

That next round of newcomers will bring the actual “Holy War” matchup between instate rivals BYU and Utah into the Big 12. Utah is a public university where at least one-third of the students identify as Latter-day Saints. They last played in 2021, and aren't scheduled to play this year, but there have been 101 meetings. The Cougars recognize only 95 games since they officially began playing intercollegiate football in 1922.

BYU-Utah is listed as one of the top-10 most intense FBS rivalries at KnowRivalry.com, a site that highlights ongoing research by Cobbs and UMass associate professor David Tyler.

TCU has played BYU 11 times, most of those in their past conferences together, though their last meeting in 2011 was the season the Cougars became an independent team. Baylor and BYU have met four times, including the Cougars' 47-13 win at home early in the 1994 season that they finished undefeated.

All rise, there should be a lot more opportunities to play each other now.

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports WriterThere could be some new holy wars brewing in the evolving Big 12 Conference.With BYU coming in this season, the Big 12 has three private Christian schools from different denominations. The Cougars, the 1984 national champions who played the past 12 seasons as an independent, are now in the same league with Baylor and TCU — whose 118-game “Revivalry” in Texas dates to a scoreless tie in 1899.“I think that will be really intriguing to see ... is there more of a long-term interest amongst TCU and Baylor fans in BYU as an opponent compared to some of the other Big 12 teams that are coming in,” said Northern Kentucky professor Joe Cobbs, an expert in sports rivalries.BYU was founded by and still supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Baylor is the world's largest Baptist university, and TCU partners with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). All three schools were founded in the 1800s.There can be commonality among fans from such schools, even of different denominations, in valuing what religion adds to higher education, Cobbs said. There also can be the thoughts of “we're both religious schools, let's see who's the best. And that's where holy war becomes kind of an apt name.”TCU is the smallest Big 12 school with around 12,000 students, but the Horned Frogs had an undefeated regular season and made the four-team College Football Playoff last season before losing to Georgia in the national championship game. That came a year after Baylor was the Big 12 champion and won the Sugar Bowl.“I understand that TCU is probably our primary rival, but I’m also really proud of TCU and of Baylor ... smaller private institutions, and we’ve been able to find a way to navigate,” said Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades, noting the similarities with BYU. “To have three in a conference I think is really cool. And I think it will probably make for some really healthy conversation between the three of us, and how do we continue to navigate our success in the midst of schools that have more alums, maybe even deeper pockets.”In college basketball, the Big East was formed in 2013 by seven Catholic universities and the league has become one of the strongest in the sport.There are 14 teams in the Big 12 this season with the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. That means not every team will play each other each year.BYU, with only one losing record over the past 18 seasons, plays at TCU on Oct. 14, a reunion of teams that briefly in the past shared membership in both the Mountain West (2005-10) and Western Athletic (1996-98) conferences. But the Cougars aren't scheduled to play Baylor after they split games the past two seasons in a home-and-home series with the Bears that was set long before all of the conference realignment.Big 12 officials haven't revealed what their scheduling format will be next year — or who will play who — when they are set to have 16 teams. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will come into the league from the picked-apart Pac-12 next season when Texas and Oklahoma leave for the Southeastern Conference.That next round of newcomers will bring the actual “Holy War” matchup between instate rivals BYU and Utah into the Big 12. Utah is a public university where at least one-third of the students identify as Latter-day Saints. They last played in 2021, and aren't scheduled to play this year, but there have been 101 meetings. The Cougars recognize only 95 games since they officially began playing intercollegiate football in 1922.BYU-Utah is listed as one of the top-10 most intense FBS rivalries at KnowRivalry.com, a site that highlights ongoing research by Cobbs and UMass associate professor David Tyler.TCU has played BYU 11 times, most of those in their past conferences together, though their last meeting in 2011 was the season the Cougars became an independent team. Baylor and BYU have met four times, including the Cougars' 47-13 win at home early in the 1994 season that they finished undefeated.All rise, there should be a lot more opportunities to play each other now.

Potential holy wars in Big 12 with BYU becoming league's 3rd private Christian school

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691404624657.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Chicago Cubs	6	Kansas City	4	Final	Milwaukee	6	Texas	1	Final	Toronto	4	Cincinnati	3	Final	Pittsburgh	7	Minnesota	4	Final	Colorado	11	Chicago White Sox	5	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Boston	8	N.Y. Yankees	1	Final	L.A. Angels	7	Tampa Bay	6	Final	Detroit	4	Cleveland	3	Final	Seattle	10	Houston	3	Final	Baltimore	7	Oakland	2	Final	Tampa Bay	18	L.A. Angels	4	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	L.A. Dodgers	3	Miami	1	Final	Arizona	6	San Diego	4	Final	Philadelphia	12	Washington	3	Final	Atlanta	6	San Francisco	5	Final	N.Y. Mets	13	St. Louis	2	Final	L.A. Dodgers	3	Miami	1	Final	Arizona	8	San Diego	1	NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASONFinal	Jacksonville	25	Detroit	7	Final	Miami	28	Houston	3	Final	Pittsburgh	27	Buffalo	15	Final	Indianapolis	24	Chicago	17	Final	Tampa Bay	13	N-Y Jets	6	Final	Kansas City	38	Arizona	10	Final	New England	21	Green Bay	17	Final	Tennessee	24	Minnesota	16	Final	San Francisco	21	Denver	20	Final	Las Vegas	34	L.A. Rams	17	Final	Seattle	22	Dallas	1

Saturday MLB and NFL Scores

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

The Barton Community College volleyball team opened the 2023 season going 3-1 over the weekend at the McCook Invitational in McCook, Nebraska.

The Cougars split their first two matches on Friday, dropping a three setter to 12th ranked Northeastern Junior College (25-16, 25-23, and 25-13) before turning the tides on Iowa Lakes Community College (25-10, 27-25, and 25-13) to earn the new coaching staff of Head Coach Megan Besecker and Assistant Sarah Simmons their first collegiate win.

On Saturday the Cougars chalked up another pair of sweeps, the first coming over North Platte Community College (25-20, 25-16, 25-21) before dispatching host McCook Community College (25-22, 25-9, 25-11).

Now 3-1, Barton travels to La Junta, Colorado, next weekend for a four-pack of matches at the Otero Junior College Invitational. The Cougars will face North Platte in their first match at 1:00 p.m. Friday followed by a 4:00 p.m. match versus Lamar Community College. On Saturday the Cougars will play consecutive matches beginning at 11:00 a.m., the first versus Eastern Wyoming College before wrapping up the trip against Otero.

Barton will then turn its attention to its conference and home opener on Wednesday, August 30 hosting Garden City Community College.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692539587890.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe Barton Community College volleyball team opened the 2023 season going 3-1 over the weekend at the McCook Invitational in McCook, Nebraska.The Cougars split their first two matches on Friday, dropping a three setter to 12th ranked Northeastern Junior College (25-16, 25-23, and 25-13) before turning the tides on Iowa Lakes Community College (25-10, 27-25, and 25-13) to earn the new coaching staff of Head Coach Megan Besecker and Assistant Sarah Simmons their first collegiate win.On Saturday the Cougars chalked up another pair of sweeps, the first coming over North Platte Community College (25-20, 25-16, 25-21) before dispatching host McCook Community College (25-22, 25-9, 25-11).Now 3-1, Barton travels to La Junta, Colorado, next weekend for a four-pack of matches at the Otero Junior College Invitational. The Cougars will face North Platte in their first match at 1:00 p.m. Friday followed by a 4:00 p.m. match versus Lamar Community College. On Saturday the Cougars will play consecutive matches beginning at 11:00 a.m., the first versus Eastern Wyoming College before wrapping up the trip against Otero.Barton will then turn its attention to its conference and home opener on Wednesday, August 30 hosting Garden City Community College.

Barton Volleyball opens season winning three of four at McCook Invite

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kansas City's first-team offense didn't play well during its first few series Saturday night, dropping a few passes, committing a few penalties and coming up well short of the end zone.

An expected light preseason night for the starters was suddenly becoming a little longer. Before the third drive, MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a message for his teammates.

“If we don't want to keep playing, we'd better score," Mahomes said.

The Chiefs responded with a 10-play, 92-yard drive that ended in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Justin Watson and Kansas City was on its way to a 38-10 victorty over the Arizona Cardinals.

It was the first extended preseason action for Mahomes, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, playing the entire first quarter. The defending Super Bowl champs never trailed and outgained the Cardinals 504 yards to 286.

Kansas City rookie receiver Rashee Rice — a second-round pick out of SMU — caught eight passes for 96 yards.

“You can see the talent,” Mahomes said. “He makes a lot of tough catches. He had a drop early and then responded well. I think that's just the jitters of being in your first few NFL games. I've got a lot of trust in him that he'll make those catches in tough spaces.”

Kansas City (1-1) is expected to be among the NFL's best teams again this year, while Arizona (1-1) is a popular pick to be among the worst. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is likely out for the first several weeks of the season while he recovers from a torn ACL suffered last year.

Veteran Colt McCoy is the expected starter until Murray returns. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 25 yards. Rookie Clayton Tune — a fifth-round pick out of Houston — completed 12 of 24 passes for 133 yards. He also ran for 35 yards.

The Chiefs built a 17-0 lead by late in the second quarter following Harrison Butker's 28-yard field goal. The Cardinals cut it to 17-7 just before halftime on Keaontay Ingram's 5-yard touchdown.

Arizona's Matt Prater made a 54-yard field goal with 9:33 left in the third to make it 17-10, but Kansas City would finish the game with 21 straight points.

Kansas City's backup quarterbacks both had strong performances. Shane Buechele was 10 of 10 for 105 yards, while also running for a 15-yard touchdown. Blaine Gabbert was 7 of 8 for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was a good effort, all the way around,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Defensively, I thought we started fast, which is what we needed to do. Offensively, we had a few hiccups early. We've got to take care of business with that. But all in all, the groups came out and played good, respectable football.”

The Chiefs' four quarterbacks — Mahomes, Buechele, Gabbert and fourth-stringer Chris Oladokun — combined to complete 31 of 38 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns.

“All three phases, we've got to get cleaned up or that is what going to happen against a good football team,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “You’re going to get beat pretty good. It will be very black and white to our guys what we need to improve in a hurry.”

Arizona's Isaiah Simmons has made the move to safety from linebacker as the Cardinals try to unlock the potential of the former No. 8 overall pick of the 2020 draft.

The first preseason game went OK. The second one was a little rougher.

Simmons appeared to get beat on multiple plays in the first half as the Chiefs built their 17-0 lead. He finished with two tackles. Gannon said the entire defense gave up too many explosive plays.

“I obviously need to play better,” Simmons said. “I feel that each and every game. Explosives definitely are something we need to tone down.”

It was the third time in less than a year that the Chiefs have played at State Farm Stadium.

Kansas City beat Arizona 44-21 in last year's season opener before returning before returning to the desert for their Super Bowl win over the Eagles in February. Six months later, they were back in Glendale for the preseason game.

Chiefs: Host the Cleveland Browns in their final preseason game next Saturday.

Cardinals: Travel to face the Minnesota Vikings in their final preseason game next Saturday.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kansas City's first-team offense didn't play well during its first few series Saturday night, dropping a few passes, committing a few penalties and coming up well short of the end zone.An expected light preseason night for the starters was suddenly becoming a little longer. Before the third drive, MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a message for his teammates.“If we don't want to keep playing, we'd better score," Mahomes said.The Chiefs responded with a 10-play, 92-yard drive that ended in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Justin Watson and Kansas City was on its way to a 38-10 victorty over the Arizona Cardinals.It was the first extended preseason action for Mahomes, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, playing the entire first quarter. The defending Super Bowl champs never trailed and outgained the Cardinals 504 yards to 286.Kansas City rookie receiver Rashee Rice — a second-round pick out of SMU — caught eight passes for 96 yards.“You can see the talent,” Mahomes said. “He makes a lot of tough catches. He had a drop early and then responded well. I think that's just the jitters of being in your first few NFL games. I've got a lot of trust in him that he'll make those catches in tough spaces.”Kansas City (1-1) is expected to be among the NFL's best teams again this year, while Arizona (1-1) is a popular pick to be among the worst. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is likely out for the first several weeks of the season while he recovers from a torn ACL suffered last year.Veteran Colt McCoy is the expected starter until Murray returns. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 25 yards. Rookie Clayton Tune — a fifth-round pick out of Houston — completed 12 of 24 passes for 133 yards. He also ran for 35 yards.The Chiefs built a 17-0 lead by late in the second quarter following Harrison Butker's 28-yard field goal. The Cardinals cut it to 17-7 just before halftime on Keaontay Ingram's 5-yard touchdown.Arizona's Matt Prater made a 54-yard field goal with 9:33 left in the third to make it 17-10, but Kansas City would finish the game with 21 straight points.Kansas City's backup quarterbacks both had strong performances. Shane Buechele was 10 of 10 for 105 yards, while also running for a 15-yard touchdown. Blaine Gabbert was 7 of 8 for 120 yards and two touchdowns.“It was a good effort, all the way around,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Defensively, I thought we started fast, which is what we needed to do. Offensively, we had a few hiccups early. We've got to take care of business with that. But all in all, the groups came out and played good, respectable football.”The Chiefs' four quarterbacks — Mahomes, Buechele, Gabbert and fourth-stringer Chris Oladokun — combined to complete 31 of 38 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns.“All three phases, we've got to get cleaned up or that is what going to happen against a good football team,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “You’re going to get beat pretty good. It will be very black and white to our guys what we need to improve in a hurry.”STRUGGLING SIMMONSArizona's Isaiah Simmons has made the move to safety from linebacker as the Cardinals try to unlock the potential of the former No. 8 overall pick of the 2020 draft.The first preseason game went OK. The second one was a little rougher.Simmons appeared to get beat on multiple plays in the first half as the Chiefs built their 17-0 lead. He finished with two tackles. Gannon said the entire defense gave up too many explosive plays.“I obviously need to play better,” Simmons said. “I feel that each and every game. Explosives definitely are something we need to tone down.”HOME AWAY FROM HOMEIt was the third time in less than a year that the Chiefs have played at State Farm Stadium.Kansas City beat Arizona 44-21 in last year's season opener before returning before returning to the desert for their Super Bowl win over the Eagles in February. Six months later, they were back in Glendale for the preseason game.Kansas City won all three games.UP NEXTChiefs: Host the Cleveland Browns in their final preseason game next Saturday.Cardinals: Travel to face the Minnesota Vikings in their final preseason game next Saturday.

Mahomes throws a touchdown pass as Chiefs roll to 38-10 preseason win over the Cardinals

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — High expectations are nothing new to Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, who for five consecutive years was expected to win the FCS national championship at North Dakota State and proceeded to deliver in four of them.

They aren't quite as common for the Wildcats. Just last year, they were picked fifth in what was then a 10-team Big 12, and then stunned just about everyone but themselves by beating College Football Playoff-bound TCU in the conference title game.

So when No. 16 Kansas State was picked to finish second in a league that has expanded to 14 teams with the addition of UCF, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati, it left Klieman recalling his past with the Bison on how to manage those high expectations.

“You don't shy away from it. You talk about it," he said. "Yeah, the target is on our back. There's expectations. But that's why you came to Kansas State, to have high expectations and be the team to beat. That's what we did in the past and it worked. That is what we want to do. We want to keep elevating what we're doing at Kansas State.”

The Wildcats are picked so highly despite losing first-team All-American Deuce Vaughn from the backfield, first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah from the defensive line and two other NFL draft picks from the secondary. And that says a lot about what they have coming back: quarterback Will Howard, their entire offensive line and most of the rest of the defense.

It also says a lot about the guys brought in to fill some of those holes.

Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward could be the No. 1 running back by the season opener Sept. 2 against Southeast Missouri State. Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson could be the top wide receiver. In the secondary, North Dakota State transfer Marques Sigle could join returning Kobe Savage, now recovered from a season-ending injury, to form one of the league's best safety tandems.

“The continuity is huge,” Klieman said, “especially on the offensive side. I think we've barely scratched the surface of what we can do offensively. I saw some innovation and some things in spring ball that they were able to do, and when you have someone like Will that is so smart, I think we can advance some of the things we've done.”

The Wildcats return offensive coordinator Collin Klein and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, and the fact that the same voices are calling the plays on both sides of the ball is significant. Klein, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist for the Wildcats as a quarterback, turned down offseason interest from Notre Dame to be its offensive coordinator.

Klanderman scrapped the Wildcats' defensive system before last season, implementing a 3-3-5 scheme that is better designed to stop the proliferation of read-option offenses in the league. The result was the Big 12's third-best scoring defense.

WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY

Howard had appeared in 14 games over his first two seasons, and that experience paid off when Adrian Martinez was hurt a year ago. He stepped into the starting QB role and never gave it back, guiding the Wildcats to the Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl.

The senior completed just 59% of his passes, but his 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception rate over seven games was exceptional.

Right tackle Christian Duffie will miss the start of the year because of an injury sustained over the summer, but the Wildcats have plenty of depth along the offensive line. Carver Willis has taken most of the reps this fall alongside fellow starters Hadley Panzer, KT Leveston, Hayden Gillum and Cooper Beebee, an All-American candidate and potential first-round draft pick.

There are hopes that Ward and Johnson can produce in the Kansas State offense after both were relegated to part-time use at their previous schools. Ward ran for 628 yards and seven scores for Florida State, despite losing the majority of the carries to Trey Benson, while Johnson's production was hamstrung by a woefully inept Iowa offense.

The schedule in the new-look Big 12 sets up well for a title defense. The Wildcats miss out on playing No. 20 Oklahoma and newcomers BYU and Cincinnati, which are both stout programs. They have non-conference games against SEMO and Troy to hit their stride, then a trip to former conference rival Missouri on Sept. 16. Big 12 play opens with a long trip to UCF, while games against No. 17 TCU on Oct. 24 and No. 11 Texas on Nov. 4 could decide who plays for the title.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — High expectations are nothing new to Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, who for five consecutive years was expected to win the FCS national championship at North Dakota State and proceeded to deliver in four of them.They aren't quite as common for the Wildcats. Just last year, they were picked fifth in what was then a 10-team Big 12, and then stunned just about everyone but themselves by beating College Football Playoff-bound TCU in the conference title game.So when No. 16 Kansas State was picked to finish second in a league that has expanded to 14 teams with the addition of UCF, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati, it left Klieman recalling his past with the Bison on how to manage those high expectations.“You don't shy away from it. You talk about it," he said. "Yeah, the target is on our back. There's expectations. But that's why you came to Kansas State, to have high expectations and be the team to beat. That's what we did in the past and it worked. That is what we want to do. We want to keep elevating what we're doing at Kansas State.”The Wildcats are picked so highly despite losing first-team All-American Deuce Vaughn from the backfield, first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah from the defensive line and two other NFL draft picks from the secondary. And that says a lot about what they have coming back: quarterback Will Howard, their entire offensive line and most of the rest of the defense.It also says a lot about the guys brought in to fill some of those holes.Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward could be the No. 1 running back by the season opener Sept. 2 against Southeast Missouri State. Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson could be the top wide receiver. In the secondary, North Dakota State transfer Marques Sigle could join returning Kobe Savage, now recovered from a season-ending injury, to form one of the league's best safety tandems.“The continuity is huge,” Klieman said, “especially on the offensive side. I think we've barely scratched the surface of what we can do offensively. I saw some innovation and some things in spring ball that they were able to do, and when you have someone like Will that is so smart, I think we can advance some of the things we've done.”COACHING CONTINUITYThe Wildcats return offensive coordinator Collin Klein and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, and the fact that the same voices are calling the plays on both sides of the ball is significant. Klein, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist for the Wildcats as a quarterback, turned down offseason interest from Notre Dame to be its offensive coordinator.Klanderman scrapped the Wildcats' defensive system before last season, implementing a 3-3-5 scheme that is better designed to stop the proliferation of read-option offenses in the league. The result was the Big 12's third-best scoring defense.WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAYHoward had appeared in 14 games over his first two seasons, and that experience paid off when Adrian Martinez was hurt a year ago. He stepped into the starting QB role and never gave it back, guiding the Wildcats to the Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl.The senior completed just 59% of his passes, but his 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception rate over seven games was exceptional.INJURY OUTLOOKRight tackle Christian Duffie will miss the start of the year because of an injury sustained over the summer, but the Wildcats have plenty of depth along the offensive line. Carver Willis has taken most of the reps this fall alongside fellow starters Hadley Panzer, KT Leveston, Hayden Gillum and Cooper Beebee, an All-American candidate and potential first-round draft pick.SECOND CHANCE, FIRST IMPRESSIONThere are hopes that Ward and Johnson can produce in the Kansas State offense after both were relegated to part-time use at their previous schools. Ward ran for 628 yards and seven scores for Florida State, despite losing the majority of the carries to Trey Benson, while Johnson's production was hamstrung by a woefully inept Iowa offense.SCHEDULE SITUATIONThe schedule in the new-look Big 12 sets up well for a title defense. The Wildcats miss out on playing No. 20 Oklahoma and newcomers BYU and Cincinnati, which are both stout programs. They have non-conference games against SEMO and Troy to hit their stride, then a trip to former conference rival Missouri on Sept. 16. Big 12 play opens with a long trip to UCF, while games against No. 17 TCU on Oct. 24 and No. 11 Texas on Nov. 4 could decide who plays for the title.

No. 16 Kansas State brings back plenty of experience for its Big 12 championship defense

CHICAGO (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit two home runs and Justin Steele pitched six strong innings as the Chicago Cubs downed the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Saturday.

The Cubs (63-59) went into the afternoon 3 1/2 games back from the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers after falling back in the division on Friday.

Bellinger belted two opposite field home runs in the first three innings to give the Cubs an early 4-1 lead. His 20 homers in 2023 are his highest single-season total since he won MVP in 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bellinger finished the day 2 for 3 with 4 RBI and 2 runs.

Steele (14-3) won his fifth game in his last six decisions after allowing two runs on six hits. Adbert Alzolay converted his 16th save in 17 chances this season to close it out in the ninth.

Kansas City (40-85) only scored two runs through the first six frames until Bobby Witt Jr. knocked in Drew Waters to close the gap to 6-3 in the seventh. Kyle Isabel doubled home Salvador Pérez in the 8th for their final run on the afternoon.

Witt Jr. went 3 for 5 with an RBI and run while Pérez finished the day 2 for 3 and scored two runs.

Outside of Bellinger, Chicago scored two runs on sacrifice flies from Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. All of the Cubs’ runs came off of Royals starter Brady Singer (8-9), who gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Chicago has now won 21 of its last 30 games.

Chicago’s annual Air and Water Show commenced as multiple planes soared over Wrigley Field during the game.

Cubs: Catcher Tucker Barnhart was designated for assignment while infielder Miles Mastrobuoni was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

Royals: Infielder Maikel Garcia wasn’t in the lineup after being removed in the fourth inning of yesterday’s contest. Manager Matt Quatraro said before the game Garcia is dealing with upper body soreness on his left side and remains day to day. Garcia was available off the bench today.

Cubs: RHP Nick Burdi (appendectomy recovery) threw 26 pitches in an appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

RHP Jordan Lyles (3-13, 6.30 ERA) will take the bump for the Royals on Sunday while RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 4.00) is slated to start for the Cubs.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit two home runs and Justin Steele pitched six strong innings as the Chicago Cubs downed the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Saturday.The Cubs (63-59) went into the afternoon 3 1/2 games back from the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers after falling back in the division on Friday.Bellinger belted two opposite field home runs in the first three innings to give the Cubs an early 4-1 lead. His 20 homers in 2023 are his highest single-season total since he won MVP in 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bellinger finished the day 2 for 3 with 4 RBI and 2 runs.Steele (14-3) won his fifth game in his last six decisions after allowing two runs on six hits. Adbert Alzolay converted his 16th save in 17 chances this season to close it out in the ninth.Kansas City (40-85) only scored two runs through the first six frames until Bobby Witt Jr. knocked in Drew Waters to close the gap to 6-3 in the seventh. Kyle Isabel doubled home Salvador Pérez in the 8th for their final run on the afternoon.Witt Jr. went 3 for 5 with an RBI and run while Pérez finished the day 2 for 3 and scored two runs.Outside of Bellinger, Chicago scored two runs on sacrifice flies from Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. All of the Cubs’ runs came off of Royals starter Brady Singer (8-9), who gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.Chicago has now won 21 of its last 30 games.DEEP FLYChicago’s annual Air and Water Show commenced as multiple planes soared over Wrigley Field during the game.TRANSACTIONCubs: Catcher Tucker Barnhart was designated for assignment while infielder Miles Mastrobuoni was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: Infielder Maikel Garcia wasn’t in the lineup after being removed in the fourth inning of yesterday’s contest. Manager Matt Quatraro said before the game Garcia is dealing with upper body soreness on his left side and remains day to day. Garcia was available off the bench today.Cubs: RHP Nick Burdi (appendectomy recovery) threw 26 pitches in an appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday.UP NEXTRHP Jordan Lyles (3-13, 6.30 ERA) will take the bump for the Royals on Sunday while RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 4.00) is slated to start for the Cubs.

Cubs beat the Royals 6-4

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — There was a point shortly after Kansas had beaten Houston last season, giving the Jayhawks as many wins through three games as they had in any season in more than a decade, when coach Lance Leipold knew that things were going to be different.

There was pride in the program. The Jayhawks were no longer college football's laughingstock.

“Our kids were really proud of wearing a Kansas football shirt around campus and I don't know if they could do that,” Leipold recalled. “That helps your approach each day — self-confidence, and confidence in what you're doing as a program. That's huge.”

They Jayhawks proceeded to win twice more, climbing into the AP Top 25 for the first time since their last winning season in 2008, before an injury to quarterback Jalon Daniels halted their momentum. They lost six late games, but a win over Oklahoma State qualified them for a bowl game, where they lost an entertaining shootout with Arkansas.

Their 6-7 overall record represented perhaps the biggest improvement of any program in the country last season, and such a gargantuan step toward respectability that the previous five head and interim coaches were unable to do it.

The challenge now is to go from respectability to contending in the Big 12.

“Our program is starting to play at a level that it should be at,” said Leipold, the longtime Division III championship-winning coach who is entering his third season at Kansas. “We've made some progress.”

There are plenty of reasons to believe there will be more this season.

Daniels is back and healthy, and his immense value to the program was evident when he was voted the conference's preseason offensive player of the year. Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw return behind him, forming a potent one-two punch at running back, and Wisconsin transfer Logan Brown and California transfer Spencer Lovell should solidify the offensive line.

On defense, safety Kenny Logan anchors a talented secondary, while a slew of veterans and transfers at the first two levels should help the Jayhawks improve on their standing as one of the worst in the Big 12 last season.

“I think we have high expectations of ourselves,” defensive coordinator Brian Borland said. "We are not necessarily satisfied with the results week in and week out over the last couple of years. I think guys are hungry to prove to themselves and hopefully the world that it’s a different year and a different unit. We’ll be able to play up to the level that we need to.”

Once buried on the depth chart, Daniels emerged as a star last season, throwing for more than 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions while running for 419 yards and seven more scores — all despite missing four games to injury.

Daniels also has his top six receivers back from last season, led by potential NFL draft pick Mason Fairchild at tight end.

The Jayhawks were respectable against the pass last season but last in the Big 12 against the run, and that led to them being last in points allowed. Devin Phillips has arrived from Colorado State and Gage Keys from Minnesota to shore up defensive tackle, and Utah State transfer Patrick Joyner Jr. and Auburn arrival Dylan Brooks should help on the edge.

There's a reason that Cobee Bryant was added to the early watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive back. He was second-team All-Big 12 last season after making 38 tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups and a defensive touchdown, all while forcing a fumble and recovering one.

The Jayhawks recently revealed new locker rooms and weight rooms as part of a massive investment in the football program. But the biggest change could be a few years down the road. Kansas is working on a project that will completely transform Memorial Stadium, one of the oldest — and most outdated — facilities in major college football.

The game against Illinois on Sept. 8 should provide an early measuring stick for the Jayhawks and the conference slate in the new-look Big 12 is a bear. Kansas misses natioinal runner-up TCU, but it has games against No. 11 Texas and No. 20 Oklahoma along with the Sunflower Showdown against No. 16 Kansas State, the defending conference champion. The Jayhawks also face tough newcomers BYU, UCF and Cincinnati this season.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — There was a point shortly after Kansas had beaten Houston last season, giving the Jayhawks as many wins through three games as they had in any season in more than a decade, when coach Lance Leipold knew that things were going to be different.There was pride in the program. The Jayhawks were no longer college football's laughingstock.“Our kids were really proud of wearing a Kansas football shirt around campus and I don't know if they could do that,” Leipold recalled. “That helps your approach each day — self-confidence, and confidence in what you're doing as a program. That's huge.”They Jayhawks proceeded to win twice more, climbing into the AP Top 25 for the first time since their last winning season in 2008, before an injury to quarterback Jalon Daniels halted their momentum. They lost six late games, but a win over Oklahoma State qualified them for a bowl game, where they lost an entertaining shootout with Arkansas.Their 6-7 overall record represented perhaps the biggest improvement of any program in the country last season, and such a gargantuan step toward respectability that the previous five head and interim coaches were unable to do it.The challenge now is to go from respectability to contending in the Big 12.“Our program is starting to play at a level that it should be at,” said Leipold, the longtime Division III championship-winning coach who is entering his third season at Kansas. “We've made some progress.”There are plenty of reasons to believe there will be more this season.Daniels is back and healthy, and his immense value to the program was evident when he was voted the conference's preseason offensive player of the year. Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw return behind him, forming a potent one-two punch at running back, and Wisconsin transfer Logan Brown and California transfer Spencer Lovell should solidify the offensive line.On defense, safety Kenny Logan anchors a talented secondary, while a slew of veterans and transfers at the first two levels should help the Jayhawks improve on their standing as one of the worst in the Big 12 last season.“I think we have high expectations of ourselves,” defensive coordinator Brian Borland said. "We are not necessarily satisfied with the results week in and week out over the last couple of years. I think guys are hungry to prove to themselves and hopefully the world that it’s a different year and a different unit. We’ll be able to play up to the level that we need to.”MORE ABOUT DANIELSOnce buried on the depth chart, Daniels emerged as a star last season, throwing for more than 2,000 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions while running for 419 yards and seven more scores — all despite missing four games to injury.Daniels also has his top six receivers back from last season, led by potential NFL draft pick Mason Fairchild at tight end.DEFENSIVE DIFFERENCE-MAKERSThe Jayhawks were respectable against the pass last season but last in the Big 12 against the run, and that led to them being last in points allowed. Devin Phillips has arrived from Colorado State and Gage Keys from Minnesota to shore up defensive tackle, and Utah State transfer Patrick Joyner Jr. and Auburn arrival Dylan Brooks should help on the edge.SECONDARY STARThere's a reason that Cobee Bryant was added to the early watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive back. He was second-team All-Big 12 last season after making 38 tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups and a defensive touchdown, all while forcing a fumble and recovering one.PROGRAM MOMENTUMThe Jayhawks recently revealed new locker rooms and weight rooms as part of a massive investment in the football program. But the biggest change could be a few years down the road. Kansas is working on a project that will completely transform Memorial Stadium, one of the oldest — and most outdated — facilities in major college football.SCHEDULE STORYThe game against Illinois on Sept. 8 should provide an early measuring stick for the Jayhawks and the conference slate in the new-look Big 12 is a bear. Kansas misses natioinal runner-up TCU, but it has games against No. 11 Texas and No. 20 Oklahoma along with the Sunflower Showdown against No. 16 Kansas State, the defending conference champion. The Jayhawks also face tough newcomers BYU, UCF and Cincinnati this season.

Kansas hopes to build on breakthrough bowl season behind star QB Jalon Daniels

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas and Illinois will play a televised basketball exhibition Oct. 29 with the proceeds benefitting the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, Kansas announced Friday.

Wildfires have scorched the island in recent days, killing at least 111, with hundreds more unaccounted for.

“For decades, the Maui Invitation and the city of Lahaina have been very important to college basketball,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go to that entire community as they recover from such a tragic event.”

Self said he and Illinois coach Brad Underwood devised the plan while discussing how they could help those affected by the fires.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas and Illinois will play a televised basketball exhibition Oct. 29 with the proceeds benefitting the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, Kansas announced Friday.Wildfires have scorched the island in recent days, killing at least 111, with hundreds more unaccounted for.“For decades, the Maui Invitation and the city of Lahaina have been very important to college basketball,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go to that entire community as they recover from such a tragic event.”Self said he and Illinois coach Brad Underwood devised the plan while discussing how they could help those affected by the fires.The game at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, will be televised by Big Ten Network.