iN OUR OPlNiO THE Kentuc It's fine to build that new basketball practice facility, but next time. don't sneak behind Iodd's back PAGE 6 iSPORT Wonien'ssoccerdropsitsweekendgameasitpreparesfor another conference tournament appearance PAGE 8 Monday. October 31, 2005 195 rushing yards, defense help UK grab first conference victory By ChrisJohnson mtmmcxvm It was Homecoming weekend, with the Southeastern Conference's Western Division cellar-dweller in town, after more than a month of playing on the road, with all of the healthy offensive starters ready to play The time was ripe for a victory “The team came together, put our foot down, said we would stop making excuses and win a football game," said senior wide receiver Tommy Cook, one of those returning starters. And UK did just that. Tailbacks Rafael Little and Arliss Beach combined for 195 rushing yards and the de- fense allowed just one touchdown for the sec- ond straight week as the Cats (2-5, 1-3 South- eastern Conference) snapped a four-game los- ing streak with a 13-7 homecoming win over Mississippi State (2-6, 05 SEC) Saturday “Awinisawin,andawinisawinisa win," an exuberant UK head coach Rich Brooks said. Little rushed for 114 yards on 24 carries, passing the lOGyard mark for the third time this season. He’s now hit the century mark more times than anyone since Artose Pinner did eight times during the 2002 season. Beach added 81 yards on 14 tough carries. Several times, Beach carried one or more de- fenders, or a pile of teammates and defenders, on his back to gain every bit of yardage he could get. Still, the defense defined the win for UK. “We had several chances to put the game away and we failed to do that.“ Brooks said. “The defense just kept coming up big.” Bulldog running back Jerious Norwood — the man whom UK defensive coordinator Mike Archer called “the real deal” earlier in the week _ gained 121 yards on 20 carries but failed to reach the end zone. State’s Brandon Thornton scored the Dawgs’ only touchdown, on a 19yand end-around in the third quarter. But for the most part, UK’s defense played its second straight solid game, allowing 375 to tal yards of offense and just seven points. Last week against Ole Miss, the unit gave up 366 yards and 13 points. “It’s the closest to 60 minutes I think we’ve played all year," Brooks said. UK‘s defense shone on third down opportu- nities, too. The Cats were 117th (last place) in NCAA Division I in third-down defense after their Oct. 8 loss at South Carolina. In the last two games, they’ve held opponents to 11-for-35 on third down, including 3-for-15 Saturday Celebrating 34 years of independence ‘A Will is a win w", , mm sun | STAFF “The down lineman got a good rush, which Freshman defensive tackle Myron Pryor, left, celebrates with freshman defensive end Nii Adiei Oninku See Cats on page 2 UK football resembles an old after Pryor sacked Mississippi State's quarterback Mike Henig on the last play of the third quarter. to make three catches for 38 Fmally— Cats have something to build on unit sun I sun UK sophomore tailback Rafael Little runs out of bounds while avoiding Missis- sippi State junior defensive tackle David Heard during the UK game Saturday. treehouse. It’s been built and rebuflt so many times you can’t tell where the original wood and nails end and the layers of reconstruction begin. It‘s dusty and rugged. But it still has life. U n d e r - neath all the tape. braces and crutches, . UK football is ’ still kiCngal Derek “I’m re - 1y happy for ME the players," SPORTSEDITOR head coach Rich Brooks said. He emphasized it several times. ‘A winisawin.andawinisawin is a win.” Sophomore receiver Keenan Burton chucked the crutches re cently and returned on Saturday yards. He gave the Cats a deep threat they’ve lacked since the 6 foot-2 receiver went down in the Idaho State game. And a week after having se nior receiver Tommy Cook back on the field, UK is slowly but surely softening the opposing de fense against the run. “We’re able to have four wide receivers in the game at the same time." Cook said. “It defi- nitely opens up the run game." In beating Mississippi State 13-7, UK’s game plan had to have been deliberate. And it was. The Wildcats‘ trend of split- ting more time between their two top running backs, senior Arliss Beach and sophomore Rafael Little, continued on Sat- urda . UK shoved the ball down the See Poore on page 2 HOME SWEET HOMECOMING INSIDE: The sights of UK's Homecoming weekend, from pirates in Friday's parade to Saturday's step-dancing sorority sisters. SEE PAGE 4 Homecoming Queen Amanda Mills, a corporate communications senior, and King Antoine Huffman, a " , _ telecommunica- tions senior, stand with other mem- bers of the home- coming court dur- _ ' ing halftime of the UK-Mississippi ’ State football game Saturday. man I STA" ky Ke rnel www.kykernel.com Black alum calls for more diversity on UK’s campus By Rita DaVega mmmn A UK alum called for diversity at UK at the 15th annual Lyman T. Johnson African-American Alumni Awards Banquet held Friday night at the Hyatt Re ency Hotel. The t eme was "Upholding the Torch of Excel- lence," and the featured speaker this year was Boyce Watkins. "Diversity should be a priority and if it isn’t, it hurts everyone,“ Watkins said. Watkins, an assistant professor in S racuse University’s finance department, address the re cent news of a 40 rcent drop in black freshman enrollment at UK t is year. “If George Bush can go to Harvard, then at least a black can go to UK," said Watkins, the first black professor in his department at Syracuse. Watkins has had four books published, includ- ing his most recent work, “What If George Bush Were a Black Man?" It's a satirical inquiry into some vast American hypotheses, Watkins said. His books have earned him some notoriety, along with some recent television a arances on Fox’s “Hannit and Colmes," EgE'QN’s “Quite Frankly" and “ he Jim Bohannon Show." Watkins, 34, received his undergraduate and graduate de 5 from UK and a doctorate in finan- cial economics from The Ohio State University Watkins also said that for diversity to work, it needs a certain environment. “(The) globalized economy is handicapping students if they are not taught in a heterogeneous environment," Watkins said. Lyman M. Johnson, son of the program’s namesake, Lyman T. Johnson, explained in his greeting before the crowd that he was “still uncom- ortable being a celebrit when I ste into the bor- ders of Kentucky" But e added, “1 ad a remark- able father. There is no other way to put it.” See Lyman on page 2 m an | sun Professor Boyce Watkins, a UK alumnus, speaks at the 15th annual Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Awards Banquet at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Lexington Friday night. Campus celebrates civil rights heroine with ceremony By Jenisha Watts THE litmucxv mm The “mother of the Civil Rights Movement," an ordinary woman whose extraordinary action defied society and led to a major victory in the civil rights movement. And all because she wouldn't give up her seat to a white man. Rosa Parks died at age 92 on Oct. 24 and was remembered with a memorial service on Friday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center in the Student Center. The UK Office for Multicultural and Academ- ic Affairs, along with a host of other organiza- tions at UK. sponsored the memorial service. Those who attended were there to reflect on the mark that Parks made in history. UK‘s first black undergraduate. Doris Wilkin- son. was the guest speaker for the memorial. “For me, Rosa Parks was a powerful role model," Wilkinson said. Wilkinson said Parks did more than just refuse to give up her seat. “Her defiant action helped to give birth to Martin Luther King Jr. as a national leader. and to the Civil Rights Movement.“ she said. William H. Turner. vice president and associ- ate provost, described the event as one of the most powerful presentations he has ever wit- nessed. “(It was) a history lesson." he said. UK President Lee Todd was in attendance and reminisced about growing up in the civil rights period. “I remember the ‘White Only‘ signs." said Todd. Todd said he came to the memorial for per- sonal reasons. See Parks on page 2