LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas received a notice of allegations from the NCAA on Monday that alleges significant violations within its storied men’s basketball program, including a responsibility charge leveled against Hall of Fame coach Bill Self.

The notice includes three Level 1 violations tied primarily to recruiting and cites a lack of institutional control. It also includes notice of a secondary violation in football tied to then-coach David Beaty that involved the use of an extra coach during practice.

While the document does not go into detail about what the basketball program is accused of doing, Kansas was among the most prominent programs swept up in an NCAA probe into a pay-for-play scheme that began with an FBI investigation into apparel company Adidas. A former Adidas employee testified that he made payments to the family of one Kansas recruit and the guardian of a current player. Text messages presented in court revealed a close relationship between Self and the Adidas employee.

The school said in a statement that it “strongly disagrees with the assertion that it ‘lacks institutional control.’ In fact, the university believes the record will demonstrate just the opposite.”

“The University of Kansas has high standards of ethical conduct for all our employees, and we take seriously any conduct that is antithetical to our values and missions,” Kansas chancellor Doug Girod said. “While we will accept responsibility for proven violations of NCAA bylaws, we will not shy from forcefully pushing back on allegations that the facts simply do not substantiate.”

Girod also said that the school would “stand firmly behind coach Self,” who delivered its fifth national championship in 2008 and has a team that could contend for another title this season.

The NCAA’s Stacey Osburn declined to comment on “current, pending or ongoing investigations.”

“I have always taken pride in my commitment to rules compliance and led programs that operate with integrity,” Self said, “and I am proud of the success that we have achieved at each program along the way. Every student-athlete who has ever played for me and their families know we follow the rules.

“These allegations are serious and damaging to the university and to myself,” he added, “and I hate that KU has to go through this process. With our staff’s full cooperation, these allegations will be addressed within NCAA procedures with urgency and resolve.”

Kansas had been in the NCAA’s crosshairs since early this summer, when Vice President Stan Wilcox said at least six schools were likely to receive notices of allegations for Level 1 infractions.

North Carolina State was the first of them, getting a notice July 10 of two violations, including a failure-to-monitor charge leveled against former coach Mark Gottfried.

Arizona, Auburn, Creighton, Louisville, LSU and USC have also been under the microscope.

Level 1 infractions are considered the most severe by the NCAA, and often include postseason bans, the forfeiture of wins and championships and the loss of scholarships. But the notice itself is only the beginning of a process that can often take more than a year — the school typically sends a response to the NCAA enforcement committee, setting off an exchange of information.

Ultimately, a hearing will be scheduled and Kansas will be allowed to present its case. The NCAA will then issue its ruling, often within several months, and the school retains the right to appeal.

The former Adidas employee, T.J. Gassnola, testified in October that he made a a $90,000 payment to the family of then-Kansas recruit Billy Preston and $2,500 to the guardian of current forward Silvio De Sousa.

Gassnola, who avoided prison time by cooperating with the investigation, said he also paid $20,000 to Fenny Falmagne, De Sousa’s guardian, to pry the prospect loose from an agreement with Maryland.

Self said last October that “when recruiting potential student-athletes, my staff and I have not and do not offer improper inducements to them, or their families, to influence their college decisions, nor are we aware of any third-party involvement to do so.”

Gassnola testified that Self was unaware of the payments, but text messages and phone records indicate a close relationship with the national championship-winning coach. And an attorney for former Adidas executive James Gatto told a jury that his client approved the payment to Falmagne only after Self and his longtime assistant, Kurtis Townsend, requested Gassnola to provide it.

“The evidence, I submit, shows that Kansas’ head coach knew of and asked for a payment to be made to Silvio De Sousa’s handler,” the attorney, Michael Schachter, said at the time. “More than that, coach Self requested just the kind of help that Mr. Gassnola arranged as a condition for coach Self to permit Adidas to continue their sponsorship agreement with the University of Kansas.”

In April, the school signed a 14-year, $196 million extension of its apparel and sponsorship deal with Adidas. The deal, which is worth $14 million annually, runs through the 2030-31 school year.

Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and handler Chris Dawkins have been found guilty of felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the case. Gassnola was given probation as part of his cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors.

While Gassnola appeared to try to shield Self from the FBI probe, their relationship came out in text messages presented by defense attorneys at his trial. In one exchange, Gassnola texted Self that “I talked to Fenny,” and the coach replied, “We good?” Gassnola said, “Always. That’s light work.”

Later, Gassnola texted about keeping Self and Kansas happy with lottery picks. Self responded: “That’s how (it) works. At UNC and Duke.”

De Sousa was declared ineligible for two full seasons by the NCAA, and sat out last season before declaring for the draft. He withdrew from the draft when the NCAA approved his appeal to play this season.

The Jayhawks had their run of 14 consecutive Big 12 championships end this past season, when Kansas State and Texas Tech tied for the crown. But with several returning stars and another elite recruiting class, the Jayhawks were expected to be a top-five team in the AP preseason poll.

“We strongly disagree with the allegations regarding men’s basketball,” Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said. “We fully support coach Self and his staff, and we will vigorously defend the allegations against him and our university.

“As for the football violations,” Long said, “we fully met the requirements and our responsibility to the NCAA by self-reporting the violations when our compliance procedures uncovered the issues. I am confident in our process to respond to the allegations and look forward to resolving this matter.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Following an impressive 31-24 comeback victory at No. 23 Mississippi State and a bye week, No. 24/22 Kansas State begins its Big 12 slate on Saturday at Oklahoma State this Saturday.

The game will kick at 6 p.m., and be shown on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Mark Neely (play-by-play), Ray Bentley (analyst) and Ed Aschoff (reporter) on the call. The game can be heard on SiriusXM (S: 134; XM: 200; Internet: 954) in addition to the TuneIn app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

• K-State has opened the Chris Klieman era with three impressive victories as the Wildcats defeated Nicholls and Bowling Green by a combined score of 101-14, and it followed that up with the win at No. 23 Mississippi State.
• The victory at MSU marked the first time in program history that K-State won a road game against an SEC team that was in the league at the time of the game. K-State had previously been 0-11 in such games.
• The Wildcats went from not receiving any votes in either the Amway Coaches or Associated Press polls two weeks ago to ranking No. 22 in the Amway Coaches Poll and 24th in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.
• K-State’s offense has been propelled by a rushing attack that has averaged 280.0 yards per game to rank seventh in the nation. The Wildcats also have 12 rushing touchdowns to tie for seventh nationally in rushing scores after tallying only 20 rushing scores a year ago.
• The rushing attack has been anchored by a pair of graduate transfers in seniors James Gilbert (277 yards) and Jordon Brown (154 yards), in addition to junior Harry Trotter (97 yards). K-State backs have accounted for 10 rushing touchdowns after the group only had 13 a year ago.
• The backs have an experienced offensive line in front of them as there are five senior starters, led by 41-game starter Scott Frantz (left tackle), 33-game starter Tyler Mitchell (right guard) and 28-game starter Adam Holtorf (center).
• Skylar Thompson has been one of the most efficient signal callers in the country as he ranks fifth nationally in ESPN’s QBR.
• The K-State defense has been one of the nation’s best through four weeks as the Wildcats rank second in third down defense (16.1%), second in passing defense (118.7 yds/gm), ninth in total defense (256.0 yds/gm) and 13th in scoring defense (12.7 points/gm).
• Safety Denzel Goolsby, who earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors following the MSU game, and linebacker Da’Quan Patton lead the team with 15 tackles apiece.
• Cornerback AJ Parker has a team-high two interceptions, while Daniel Green, Kyle Ball and Trey Dishon each have a sack this season.

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA STATE

• The Cowboys head into the matchup with a 3-1 record following a 36-30 loss at No. 12 Texas last week.
• The offense is dynamic with quarterback Spencer Sanders, running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace.
• Sanders has thrown for seven touchdowns and 890 yards and also is the team’s second-leading rusher.
• Hubbard is one of the nation’s top running backs, averaging 160.5 yards per game and totaling 9 rushing touchdowns.
• Wallace leads the Big 12 in receiving yards per game at 118.2 and has six receiving touchdowns.
• On defense, Malcolm Rodriguez leads the team with 38 tackles, while Amen Ogbongbemiga has 36, including 6.0 for losses.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• Oklahoma State leads the all-time series, 26-39, but K-State leads the series, 8-7, since the Big 12 began in 1996.
• Games between the Wildcats and Cowboys have been hotly contested as of late with eight of the last 12 games being decided by a touchdown or less.
• The latter is especially true in Stillwater as the last six meetings at OSU have been decided by a touchdown or less and by an average margin of 4.0 points.
• Last season in Manhattan, K-State held a slim 6-3 lead at halftime before outscoring the Cowboys, 28-6, in the second half for a convincing 31-12 victory.
• Two years ago, Kansas State earned a 45-40 win over No. 10 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, the Wildcats’ first win at OSU since 1999.
• In that game, Skylar Thompson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns, while he ran for another.

INTO THE RANKINGS

• Kansas State went from unranked and not receiving votes in either the Amway Coaches Poll or AP Top 25 the first three weeks of 2019 to being ranked No. 22 in the Coaches poll and 24th in the AP poll this week.
• It is the first time K-State has been ranked in both polls since the third week of 2017 (Sept. 10, 2017) when the Wildcats were No. 18 in both polls.

 

CONFERENCE OPENERS

• K-State is 11-12 all-time in Big 12 openers after last year’s loss at No. 12 West Virginia.
• The Cats are only 1-3 in their last four Big 12 openers.

 

BIG 12 ROAD OPENERS

• Opening Big 12 play on the road is nothing new to the Wildcats as this weekend will be the 19th time in the 24-year history of the conference that K-State will open league play away from home (17 road, 2 neutral), including the seventh time in the last eight years.
• The Wildcats are 10-13 all-time in their first Big 12 road game of the season and are looking for a win in their inaugural conference road game of the season since a 32-28 triumph at Iowa State in 2014.

 

TWO OF THE BIG 12’S BEST

• Saturday’s matchup between K-State and Oklahoma State features two teams that rank in the top four in Big 12 wins since the league’s inception in 1996. The Wildcats rank third with 113 Big 12 wins, while Oklahoma State is fourth with 102 victories.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at .611 (44-28), trailing only Oklahoma (.819; 59-13) and Oklahoma State (.655; 47-26).

 

A NEW ERA

• The new era of K-State Football under Chris Klieman has opened with three wins.
• Klieman, who was named the 35th head coach in school history on December 10, 2018, is just the fourth head coach in K-State history to start 3-0 and could become the first in program history to begin his tenure 4-0 with a win at Oklahoma State.
• Additionally, Klieman-led teams have won 24-straight games as the last loss was when his North Dakota State squad suffered a 33-21 setback at South Dakota State on November 4, 2017.

 

A WINNING HISTORY

• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman came to Manhattan after capping his five-year stint as head coach at North Dakota State by winning his fourth national championship in 2018.
• Klieman guided the 2018 Bison to a perfect 15-0 record, making NDSU just the fifth team in FCS history to go undefeated and untied on the way to a national championship.
• A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Klieman has a career record of 75-13 (.852), as he went 69-6 in his five seasons at North Dakota State, 3-7 in one year as the head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005 and 3-0 so far at K-State.
• Klieman’s overall winning percentage ranks third among all active NCAA coaches – regardless of division – and tops among active FBS coaches.

 

VERY EFFICIENT

• K-State has been one of the most efficient teams in the nation through the first four weeks as the Wildcats rank eighth in the country in team efficiency according to ESPN.
• One of the main reasons the Wildcats rank highly in efficiency is due to the fact they are the only team in the nation to rank in the top five in third-down conversions (4th), third-down defense (2nd) and time of possession (3rd).

 

HIGH T.O.P.

• K-State enters conference play ranked third nationally and first in the Big 12 in time of possession at 36:58.
• The Wildcats’ best season time of possession average since 1985 was 33:55 during the 2011 season.
• K-State possessed the ball for a total of 41:09 against Nicholls, the most in the nation in the opening weekend. The Wildcats followed that up with 42:52 against Bowling Green to rank as the most is the most by at K-State team since at least 1988, while it ranked eighth in Big 12 history and was the most by a Big 12 team since 2011.

 

CONTROLLING THE TEMPO

• K-State has showcased a balanced offense in the opening three games, highlighted by a 280.0-yard average on the ground to rank second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally.
• The Wildcats had 573 yards of total offense against Nicholls, which tied for the seventh most in school history and were the most ever in a season opener.
• With 521 yards against Bowling Green, K-State eclipsed the 500-yard total offense mark in the first two games of a season for the first time ever.

 

CONVERT AT A HIGH RATE

• K-State has converted on 22-of-38 third downs through three games as the Cats rank fourth nationally with a 57.9% conversion rate.
• In the opener, K-State converted on 10-of-12 third downs (.833), a mark that was not only the highest in week one of the season but also the second highest in Big 12 history.
• The Wildcats’ rate against Nicholls was also the highest by K-State since at least 1989.

 

RUN TO WIN

• The Wildcats have shown that they will establish the run from the outset of 2019 as they rank seventh nationally by averaging 280.0 rushing yards per game.
• K-State carded over 300 yards rushing in each of the first two games, marking the first time since at least 1965 that the Wildcats went over the 300-yard mark twice to open a season.
• Kansas State’s 840 total rushing yards in the first three games are the most since at least 1949. It is only the fourth time during that stretch that K-State has over 800 rushing yards in the first three games, joining the 2001 (806 yards), 1997 (804 yards) and 1957 (828 yards) teams.
• Six different Wildcats have tallied rushing touchdowns this year for a team total of 12. Last year K-State had 20 total rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
• The Wildcats’ 4.0 rushing touchdowns per game mark is tied for second in the nation behind Louisiana (4.5).
• K-State running backs have accounted for 10 rushing touchdowns this season after the position group only had 13 in 2018.

 

GOOD START ON DEFENSE

• K-State currently leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally in passing defense (118.7), while the Wildcats rank first in the league in total defense (256.0) and scoring defense (12.7). The latter two figures rank ninth and 13th in the country, respectively.
• The Cats held Bowling Green to 140 total yards, marking the first time since the 2011 Eastern Kentucky game (129) that an opponent under had fewer than 150 yards.
• Bowling Green was also 0-for-11 on third downs, marking the first time since the 2003 KU game that the Wildcats have held an opponent to zero first downs (0-11). It was also the first time since 2011 that a Big 12 team did not allow a third down conversion.
• K-State held Bowling Green to just five first downs, the fewest it allowed since North Texas also had five in 2005.

WELL RESTED

• Not only is the K-State defense rested after a bye week, but the Wildcats are one of the nation’s leaders in fewest defensive snaps played.
• K-State has defended against just 156 plays in its three games as the Wildcats’ 52.0 defensive snaps per game rank second in the nation to Iowa (51.7).

 

GETTING OFF THE FIELD

• The K-State defense has excelled on getting off the field on third down during the first three games of the year as the Wildcats rank second in the nation in third down defense (16.1%) behind Wisconsin (10.5%)
• The Wildcats are allowing only 1.67 third down conversions per game, ranking second in the country.
• K-State has already forced opponents to 14 three-and-out possessions after just 19 such occurrences all of last season. It is the most 3-and-outs by the Wildcat defense through three games since the 2008 team also had 14.
• The Cats forced eight 3-and-outs against Bowling Green, the most since forcing nine against North Texas in 2005.

 

SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE

• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last 15 years when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return.
• The Wildcats have a combined 49 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 20 more than any other FBS school during that stretch.
• After only having one in 2018 – a punt-return score in the season opener – Malik Knowles got things going in 2019 with a 100-yard return at Mississippi State.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas junior wide receiver Andrew Parchment was named the Big 12 Conference’s Newcomer of the Week for his performance against West Virginia.

Parchment, who led the KU offense with 132 yards on five receptions, including two touchdowns, was the first Jayhawk to be recognized by the league office during the 2019 season.

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native, Parchment recorded 100 or more receiving yards for the second-straight game with his 132-yard outing against the Mountaineers. He now has three 100-yard receiving games through the first four contests of the year.

Included in his 132-yard performance was a career-long reception of 75 yards, a scoring pass from quarterback Carter Stanley.

On the season, Parchment leads KU with 24 catches for 367 yards and four touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 in both receiving yards per game (91.8) and receptions per game (6.0).

Parchment is KU’s first player to pick up Big 12 Conference honors since now-sophomore running back Pooka Williams Jr., was named Newcomer of the Week vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 17) in 2018.

Parchment and his teammates will travel to Fort Worth, Texas to face TCU on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m., with a live broadcast on FS1.

—KUAthletics.com—

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid met with the media on Monday. Following is a transcript of his comments.

OPENING STATEMENT: “I don’t have anything for you injury-wise. I would like to congratulate (Royals Manager) Ned Yost on his retirement. I had an opportunity to text with him. I know that there are a lot of great hunting and fishing days ahead for him. Hope he enjoys every bit of it.

“Our fans were unbelievable yesterday. We appreciate that. We know that we have the best fans in the National Football League. Had a chance to look at the tape. There are some great things that we can learn from it. First of all, the opportunity of playing a good football team, I mean we’re talking about the number one offense in the National Football League and the number two defense in the National Football League. You don’t always have an opportunity to play against that. It was a nice test for us there. You can take things from that and try to make your game better than it is right now, really, in all three phases. We’ll do that. It was good to see some of the young guys come in and play, the guys that were asked to step up and fill in some shoes. It’s a tribute, like I’ve mentioned before, to (General Manager) Brett Veach and his crew for the good job that they do, and to the coaches for working their tails off to make sure that the players learn and are presented the game plan properly. And then obviously, to the guys that have an opportunity to play. I can go through and talk about the different players. We’re so close on these turnovers, man. We are right there. I think the more that we play in the defense, the more that those things will happen. They were attacking the football. I appreciate seeing that. That becomes important. Turnovers are a big thing in this league. Those things are going to start clicking, if you keep that mindset of attacking. Offensively, that same mindset has to be there, too, so that you’re always attacking. It was good to see D-Rob (Demarcus Robinson) come on. He’s one guy that has just worked his tail off to be in the position that he’s in right now and taking advantage of it. I like what I’ve seen in our running back, Darrel Williams. He stepped up and (Darwin) Thompson stepped up, too. He had an opportunity to get in there and have some nice carries. It’s always a great example when guys fight through things that you don’t anticipate that they might be able to do. You saw that with LeSean (McCoy) with his ankle. That’s a veteran player working through something. Not that it’s something that’s going to hinder him for the rest of his career or any of that, but something that you have to have a certain mindset on when you come into it. He did that. He just said, ‘I’m going to get myself right, I’m going to get into the training room and work with (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and the trainers and I’m going to get this thing right.’ That’s a great example to the guys. It’s similar to what Patrick (Mahomes) has done with his ankle there. To have that and to have our guys to see that – and I’m cautious as I say that because of the fact that we don’t put guys out there that are going to hurt themselves, and that’s what I explained to really both of those two. If we didn’t feel like they could at a high level, then you’re not going to be in there. With that, we have a great opponent here coming up in Detroit. They’re playing good football. I’ve kind of moved on from this game yesterday and have had a chance to look at the tape and (Lions Head Coach Matt) Patricia’s got them fired up and going. They’re playing real good football. They’re undefeated right now.  I’ve played up there a couple of times and those fans get going up there, too. We have to make sure that we have a good week of practice as we get started. It’s good to have Herbie (Teope) back in the building here, too (laughter).”

Q: What was going through your mind when Baltimore attempted the drop kick as a form of an onside kick after their final touchdown to try to regain possession, and what was your reaction when members of the coverage team crossed the scrimmage line prior to the drop kick attempt?

REID: “We asked the officials on the field and they said that was legal. But, how far can you go with that? I’m not sure they have seen that, other than in Australian Rules Football. It’s something that we have to look into. That was my initial reaction. That, and that you can’t hit a guy that’s fair-catching a ball. You don’t want to do that.”

Q: That was kind of a head’s up play by Mecole Hardman to call a fair catch. What did you think of that?

REID: “Dave (Toub) hits them on that, that any of those crazy things like that – punts or whatever – you have the opportunity to fair catch it there.”

Q: Did anything surprise you about Darrel Williams’ performance yesterday?

REID: “Darrel really had a good offseason, as far as getting himself into the shape that he thinks he needs to be in to play at this level. I think yesterday was a nice cookie that he gave himself for saying, ‘Listen, I busted my tail, I dropped my weight down, increased my body mass muscle-wise and this is the result.’ That helps you keep pushing through all of that. He’s naturally a big guy. I thought he played physical. I thought he did well in the pass game. Some of his blitz pickups… top notch. He did a nice job.”

Q: What was your message to the offensive and defensive lines during the week and what did you see yesterday that excited you about their play?

REID: “Doesn’t have to be pretty. It’s not always pretty, but you have to fight in there. I thought they did that. They battled. Not all of those snaps were great snaps, I’m telling you that, but there was no let down. There wasn’t any point where we conceded to their fronts. In games like that when you get two big boys playing each other, it comes down to the big boys. You have to have the right mindset going in. We have things that we can clean up and learn from, but that heart and that battle, that becomes very important.”

Q: What did you see out of film about the run defense that you will try to correct moving forward?

REID: “They were working off of the end and in formations where they could do that. We were inside-conscious on a couple of those and they hit it back outside. On a couple of those, we can do a better job tackling. We were in a position where you have to wrap up and tackle. We have to do better there.”

Q: When you mention the ‘almost turnovers,’ would you say that the Ravens ‘prayer plays’ were some of those opportunities?

REID: “Those, but then you saw Tyrann (Mathieu) in a position to make a couple of interceptions. Those things happen, though. The more familiar you become with a defense, then you’re not going to be off by just that tick any more. Then, you’re in an even better position. You just have to play. You have to keep going with it. Those things come up, but you have to keep attacking, or it doesn’t happen. I take that as a real positive coming out of the game.”

Q: Taking the three games as a whole, where do you think the defense is right now?

REID: “I think we’re heading in the right direction. Again, we have to keep working and I think the more we do it, the better we’re going to get at it. That was the number one offense in the NFL, and they have a lot of variables that go on with that offense. To cover all those, I thought we did a good job there.”

Q: Can you describe your relationship with Yost since you arrived in Kansas City?

REID: “It’s unique in that we’re so close here. I’ve always invited his guys down to come visit. We’ve had their players here, even just a couple of weeks ago. He’s always invited us up to games and so on. We have some common friends that he grew up with that I know, Jack Del Rio being one of them that played in the league. He and I have texted each other back and forth on gameday’s, wishing each other the best of luck. We’ve had some nice talks and visits, he’s a good man.”

Q: How much attention have you noticed Frank Clark getting in the first three weeks, particularly yesterday?

REID: “He got a lot of attention yesterday. They doubled him yesterday. That’s what I look at. Both he and Chris Jones were trying to work through those guys. Are you going to keep battling or concede to that? Somewhere you’re going to have a single (offensive lineman), what are you going to do with it? You saw what he did. Chris had one that was called back that there was a penalty on, but you saw them battle. They didn’t just stop. Sometimes guys get defeated on that and they get more frustrated and then they just (sigh). But, I didn’t see that.”

Q: Emmanuel Ogbah looks good early. What is it about Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense that has allowed Ogbah to experience some success?

REID: “Listen, it’s a time-tested system. The guys want to be good and if you start there, normally the defense has a little more reaction element to it that you have to have. These guys are all in and they’re playing fast. They practice fast. They want to be the best, that’s what they strive for. You feel that, I mean you guys are out at practice, you know that. You see them hustling, they’re studying. Hitch (Anthony Hitchens) and Tyrann (Mathieu) lead that. That’s important. We’re right at the beginning of this thing and the increase every week becomes important.”

Q: How was Eric Fisher’s visit to Philadelphia for his follow up?

REID: “Fish had surgery for his sports hernia. We’ll just see how long that takes. It went well.”

Q: How do you feel Cam Erving did yesterday?

REID: “I though Cam did a nice job. He had a couple that he would like to have back. He did a decent job there.”

Q: John Harbaugh had a few two-point conversions yesterday. Has your two-point conversion chart changed at all in the last few years?

REID: “Listen, there’s the analytics part of it. I know John (Harbaugh) mentioned it after the game, so we look at all that. Everybody has their own thought process on it and I’m not going to tell you there’s not times we’ll go for two. That’s not where we were at yesterday. We weren’t in that position this past game but there may be times where we choose to do that.”

Q: You had the fourth down stop, then they had the holding penalty on the next stop that stalled that drive. Then, you went for three plays to Mecole Hardman. When you called that play, did you get the look on Mecole’s face and is that what you were expecting to happen on that play?

REID: “Not quite like that. That was a good look. We were hoping for that coverage and we got the coverage, they had a little confusion in there, I think. We didn’t expect it to be quite like that.”

Q: How is Tyreek Hill recovering from his injury? Is there a time frame for return yet?

REID: “He’s doing good. He’s hard to hold down. He’s wired different, not more than everybody in this building but everyone in this room right here, he’s different. He’s bouncing around and wants to go, but this one here, the doctors really have to keep checking on him. We’ll see how the time frame goes.”

Q: Following the first three games, how much more impressed are you in the offense’s ability to run plays more smoothly compared to at this time last year?

REID: “That’s a dangerous question. There have been some good things, he (Patrick Mahomes) had a nice scramble in the third play or so. It’s still important that he maintains his mobility in there. I’m proud of the guys on the other hand. I’m proud of the job they’ve done, the coaches, I mentioned the (Pass Game Analyst/Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Joe Bleymaier – (Wide Receivers Coach) Greg Lewis who was a heck of a smart player for me. (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Cory Matthaei, these are the young guys that you never hear about that do a nice job. (Quarterbacks Coach) Mike Kafka. All the work that they put into this, it’s good. The ideas they come up with, it’s neat to see it work. But on the other hand, you have to do it every week. Whatever you did yesterday doesn’t matter now. We have to retool and get ready to go up to face Detroit, who is a good football team.”

Q: I was wondering if you know of any reasonable chance of Tyreek Hill and Damien Williams practicing this week?

REID: “I don’t know right now. They have not been seen today.”

—CHIEFS—

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Hutchinson Community College football team maintained its No. 1 ranking coming out of its bye week, while the Butler Grizzlies stayed at No. 2 setting up Jayhawk Conference battle of the season on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

The 4-0 and top-ranked Blue Dragons take on the 5-0 and second-ranked Grizzlies at Noon Saturday. This will be the second time Hutchinson and Butler will meet in a 1 vs. 2 matchup. Back in 2010, also at Gowans Stadium, the teams played as the top two teams in the nation. The Blue Dragons were No. 2 in the past meeting.

While the Blue Dragons had a bye last Saturday, Butler remained undefeated with a 31-10 home win over Dodge City.

The Blue Dragons actually picked up one extra point in this week’s rankings. Last week, the Dragons had a four-point advantage over Butler. This week, the Dragons have a 314-309 advantage. Hutch carried 10 first-place votes to Butler’s six, the same as last week’s poll.

The top six teams in the rankings all remained the said. Northwest Mississippi was third, Mississippi was fourth and defending national champion East Mississippi was fifth. Lackawanna College was sixth, but there were several changes after that.

Garden City climbed four spots to No. 14 after defeating previously ranked Iowa Western. Fort Scott moved back into the rankings after defeating Independence. The Pirates are still receiving votes. The other major fall came to Iowa Central, which fell eight spots to No. 15 after losing decisively to now No. 12 Snow College.

Hutchinson has now been ranked in 15 consecutive polls.

The Blue Dragons are also ranked in the JC Gridwire Dirty 30 has a bit of different take on Saturday’s matchup. The Dirty 30 has Butler at No. 2 and Hutchinson at No. 3. Those rankings also included California junior colleges.

Information Box

NJCAA FOOTBALL RANKINGS
	Record	Points	Last Week
1. Hutchinson (10) 2. Butler (6) 3. Northwest Mississippi 4. Mississippi Gulf Coast 5. East Mississippi 6. Lackawanna 7. Kilgore 8. Blinn 9. Monroe College 10. Georgia Military 11. Copiah-Lincoln 12. Snow 13. Trinity Valley 14. Garden City 15. Iowa Central 16. Hinds 17. Jones 18. Fort Scott 19. Nassau 20. Mesabi Range	4-0 5-0 4-0 4-0 3-1 3-0 4-1 4-1 3-0 4-1 3-1 3-2 3-1 3-1 3-2 3-1 2-2 3-1 3-1 5-0	314 309 287 271 249 234 216 200 174 167 163 139 134 108 93 85 63 50 27 23	1 2 3 4 5 6 10 12 11 14 8 16 9 18 7 19 13 RV RV RV
Others Receiving Votes: Cisco (3-1, 13); East Central (3-1, 13); ASA Brooklyn (3-1, 8); Independence (2-2, 5); Iowa Western (1-3, 3); Navarro (2-3); Itasca (4-1). -1, 13); ASA Brooklyn (3-1, 8); Independence (2-2, 5); Iowa Western (1-3, 3); Navarro (2-3); Itasca (4-1).

 

Monday Morning Sports with KWBW’s Rob Dreher.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The sports calendar for Hutchinson Community College is packed full this week with most teams competing on the road with the exception of Saturday’s big game that matches No. 1 Hutchinson hosting No. 2 Butler at Gowans Stadium at noon.

Golf and volleyball are in action on Monday with the linksters headed down to Monkey Island, Oklahoma, for the Missouri Southern Fall Invite and Patrick Hall’s volleyballers, who bounced back in their own Hutch Classic to win twice over top 15 teams on Saturday, head to El Dorado to take on the Grizzlies.

Wednesday has women’s soccer on the road to take on a tough Cloud County team at 2 p.m. and volleyball is in action at Independence that evening.

Friday is packed full with volleyball traveling down to Tyler, Texas. Hutch’s first match is at noon versus MSU-West Plains. Cross country will participate in the Emporia State Invitational and volleyball will wrap up the day by taking on host Tyler at 6 p.m. at the Tyler JC Classic.

And then there is Saturday. No. 1 Hutchinson football hosts No. 2 Butler at noon at Gowans Stadium. This will be the game of the week in the NJCAA and the KJCCC. General admission tickets are on sale at the athletic office at the Sports Arena. Call 665-3594 and ask for Scott.

CHICAGO (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched a playoff spot by beating the Chicago Cubs 3-2 for their first four-game sweep at Wrigley Field in almost a century. NL Central-leading St. Louis qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2015 and stayed three games ahead of Milwaukee.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in another dazzling performance, and Kansas City held quarterback Lamar Jackson in check most of a rain-soaked afternoon as the Chiefs beat Baltimore 33-28. The Chiefs stopped the Ravens three times on 2-point attempts, including on in the closing minutes that would have gotten them within a field goal. Kansas City recovered the ensuing dropkick and ran out the clock.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit his 400th career home run, Miguel Sanó connected twice and the Minnesota Twins powered past the Kansas City Royals 12-8. Minnesota piled up six runs in the first inning and rolled from there after starting the day with a four-game lead over Cleveland for first place in the AL Central. Cruz became the 57th player with 400 homers. His fourth-inning solo shot was also his 40th homer of the season.

National Headlines

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Baseball’s haves and have-nots sure do have it this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Major League Baseball its third 100-win team while Kansas City became its fourth 100-loss club, matching big league records for success and futility. The Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-4, joining the 102-win New York Yankees and Houston Astros as triple-digit victors. It’s the third consecutive year three teams have reached the century mark.

UNDATED (AP) — Wisconsin moved into the top 10 for the first time this season, landing at No. 8 in The Associated Press college football poll after a weekend during which seven ranked teams lost. The top of the rankings remained mostly unchanged. Clemson is still No. 1, followed by Alabama, Georgia and LSU. Ohio State edged past Oklahoma to No. 5. California was the big mover, jumping eight spots to No. 15. Michigan plummeted to No. 20.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) _ The Buffalo Bills are 3-0 for the first time in eight years after knocking off the winless Cincinnati Bengals, 21-17 on Frank Gore’s one-yard scoring burst with 1:50 to play. Bills starter Josh Allen finished 23 of 36 for 243 yards with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox, who also bowled over two defenders for a 49-yard gain that set up the winning TD. The Bills forced four turnovers, with Tre’Davious White finishing with two interceptions and making the game-clinching pick in the final minute.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) _ The San Francisco 49ers committed five turnovers before Jimmy Garoppolo bailed them out with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis with 1:15 remaining in a 24-20 comeback over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Garoppolo threw inceptions on two of San Francisco’s first three drives and lost a fumble before helping the Niners open 3-0 for the first time in 21 years. Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph threw two long touchdown passes in the second half of his first start since Ben Roethlisberger left the lineup with a season-ending shoulder injury.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) _ Aaron Rodgers was 17 of 29 for 235 yards and a touchdown as the 3-0 Green Bay Packers earned a 27-16 win over the 0-3 Denver Broncos. Rodgers found Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 40-yard strike on the opening drive before Aaron Jones tied a career high by running for two scores. Preston Smith matched a career high with three sacks as Green Bay got to Joe Flacco six times and forced three turnovers.

IRVING, Texas (AP) _ The Dallas Cowboys became the latest team to hammer the Dolphins as Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes to Amari Cooper before running for another score in a 31-6 romp over Miami. Prescott was 19 of 32 for 246 yards with an interception, and Cooper had six catches for 88 yards. Ezekiel Elliott had his second straight 100-yard game after missing the entire preseason as a holdout.

Sunday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final Cleveland 10 Philadelphia 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 2 Seattle 1
Final N-Y Yankees 8 Toronto 3
Final Detroit 6 Chi White Sox 3
Final Boston 7 Tampa Bay 4
Final Houston 13 L-A Angels 5
Final Minnesota 12 Kansas City 8
Final Texas 8 Oakland 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N-Y Mets 6 Cincinnati 3
Final Miami 5 Washington 3
Final San Francisco 4 Atlanta 1
Final Milwaukee 4 Pittsburgh 3
Final St. Louis 3 Chi Cubs 2
Final L-A Dodgers 7 Colorado 4
Final San Diego 6 Arizona 4 (10 Innings)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Green Bay 27 Denver 16
Final Indianapolis 27 Atlanta 24
Final Kansas City 33 Baltimore 28
Final Buffalo 21 Cincinnati 17
Final New England 30 N-Y Jets 14
Final Detroit 27 Philadelphia 24
Final Minnesota 34 Oakland 14
Final Dallas 31 Miami 6
Final N-Y Giants 32 Tampa Bay 31
Final Carolina 38 Arizona 20
Final San Francisco 24 Pittsburgh 20
Final Houston 27 L.A. Chargers 20
Final New Orleans 33 Seattle 27
Final L.A. Rams 20 Cleveland 13
Monday Chicago @ Washington

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kansas City has become Major League Baseball’s fourth 100-loss team this season, matching the major league record.

The Royals were defeated 12-8 by the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins on Sunday, joining the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins as clubs with 100 defeats.

The only other season to feature four 100-loss clubs was 2002, when the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays each dropped 106 games and Kansas City fell on the final day of the season for its 100th loss.

It’s also a banner year for baseball’s best. There have never been four 100-win teams in the same season, but that could change.

The New York Yankees (102) and Houston Astros (102) already have eclipsed the mark, and the Los Angeles Dodgers (99 wins), Atlanta Braves (96) Minnesota (95) and Oakland Athletics (94) could still get there.

Three teams reached 100 wins in both 2017 and 2018. Before then, there were only three 100-game winners in 1942, 1977, 1998, 2002 and 2003

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Nelson Cruz signed with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason, he made a few predictions. He was confident he would get to 400 career home runs this year, and he also believed the Twins would make the playoffs.

One down, one to go.

Cruz hit his 400th career home run, Miguel Sanó connected twice and the Twins powered past the Kansas City Royals 12-8 Sunday.

Minnesota piled up six runs in the first inning and rolled from there after starting the day with a four-game lead over Cleveland for first place in the AL Central.

Cruz became the 57th player with 400 homers. His fourth-inning solo shot was also his 40th homer of the season.

“It’s nice to do it in front of the fans. I think they deserve it,” Cruz said. “They’ve been such a big influence for us as a team. They come up every day with that energy.”

Kansas City joined Baltimore, Detroit and Miami with 100 losses, only the second time in major league history there have been four 100-loss teams in one season. In 2002, Detroit, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay each lost 106 and Kansas City was defeated for the 100th time on the season’s final day.

Cruz joined Harmon Killebrew and Brian Dozier as the only Twins to hit 40 homers in a season. He traded a baseball, a bat and a photo with the fan who caught his 400th home run in exchange for the milestone ball.

“Nelly going out there and hitting his 400th home run, maybe he picked the perfect day to do it,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re all honored to be here and witness it and enjoy this experience with him.”

Sanó homered in the first and third innings. Sanó hit a three-run drive during the big first inning against starter Jorge López, who lasted just 2 1/3 innings.

“We didn’t pitch good as a staff today,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Eddie Rosario and Marwin Gonzalez each drove in three runs for the Twins, who play their final six regular season games away from Target Field. Minnesota is 50-25 on the road.

Minnesota’s Martin Perez had his shortest start of the year. The lefty allowed five runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings. Zack Littell (6-0) earned the win.

Kansas City left fielder Whit Merrifield became the eighth Royal to reach 200 hits in a season.

“To get to 200 hits, it’s a huge accomplishment,” Merrifield said. “It’s a huge goal I’ve had. It’s a blessing to have stayed healthy long enough to do it — that’s a huge part of it, the durability.”

The Twins’ bullpen combined for 14 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

TWINS ATTENDANCE UP IN 2019

An announced crowd of 31,628 fans attended Minnesota’s final regular season home game. That brings the Twins’ total attendance to 2,294,152 for the season, their highest total since 2013.

That’s up 334,955 from last year, when Minnesota had a total attendance of 1,959,197.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: SS Adalberto Mondesi exited in the first inning with a left shoulder injury. Mondesi injured the shoulder while diving to make a play on a ground ball by Cruz. … C Nick Dini left Sunday’s game in the sixth inning with a right shoulder contusion.

Twins: C Mitch Garver was removed as a precaution from Sunday’s game with right hip tightness. He’e considered day-to-day. … RF Max Kepler (shoulder) will ramp up hitting activities in the coming days to prepare him to return to the lineup, including hitting off a high-velocity machine early in the week. … INF Ehire Adrianza (oblique) went through an infield workout, and Baldelli said Adrianza “came out great” from it. However, Baldelli wasn’t sure if Adrianza would return before the end of the regular season.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (6-6, 4.30 ERA) starts the first game of Kansas City’s series with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Duffy threw seven scoreless innings his last time out in a no-decision against Oakland.

Twins: RHP Jake Odorizzi (114-7, 3.59 ERA) opens Minnesota’s series Tuesday at Detroit in search of his first win in the month of September.