Special scamper: Beshears earns Big 12 (but not KU) special-teams honor

Kansas receiver D.J. Beshears breaks into the endzone for his third touchdown of the game against New Mexico State during the second quarter Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 at Kivisto Field.

The best special-teams player in the Big 12 Conference last week was not the best special-teams player on his own team.

Kansas University sophomore D.J. Beshears earned the honor of being the conference’s top special-teams player during Week 4, thanks largely to a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that broke things open in KU’s 42-16 victory against New Mexico State.

However, when the team awards were released Monday morning, cornerback Greg Brown earned the Jayhawks’ special-teams player of the week honor, not Beshears.

Brown, a sophomore from Cedar Hill, Texas, was credited with just one tackle Saturday, but stood out because his coverage prevented a couple of NMSU returns.

He also downed a punt from Alonso Rojas inside the 20.

To be fair, Beshears, who also scored two rushing touchdowns in the victory against NMSU, was KU’s offensive player of the week.

“He’s a very talented young man,” KU coach Turner Gill said. “He’s only a sophomore, but definitely has shown that he can do some things when he has the ball in his hands. We’re just trying to find all different ways to put him in different spots to give him a few touches where he can have a chance to make some big plays for us.”

Beshears ranks third in the country in kickoff returns, with an average of 37.1 yards per return.

KU’s defensive player of the week was senior linebacker Drew Dudley, who recorded six tackles, including 1.5 for loss against NMSU.

Sellers almost ready

Out since Sept. 7 due to a leg injury, red-shirt freshman defensive end Tyrone Sellers might have a chance to play this week against Baylor.

Sellers, 6-foot-3, 230 pounds from McCook, Neb., has yet to appear in a game this season but caught the eyes of the coaching staff during the preseason for his ability to put pressure on the passer.

Initially, Sellers was listed as the backup to senior Jake Laptad, but since has fallen off the depth chart because of the injury.

“This will probably be the first week that he’ll be able to have a chance to practice, and then we’ll just kind of evaluate him and see if he will be available for this game,” KU coach Turner Gill said. “He’s finally getting close to 100 percent.”

No new PA announcer

Although you may have heard a different voice than normal announcing the plays on the loudspeaker during Saturday’s victory against New Mexico State, KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said the Jayhawks do not have a new public-address announcer.

The voice you heard Saturday was that of Dan Roberts, a veteran PA man who spent several years calling the games of the Kansas City Chiefs. Roberts was filling in for regular KU PA man Marty Wall, who was on vacation with his wife and had to miss the game.

Marchiony said Wall would be back on the mic when the Jayhawks return home to face Kansas State on Oct. 14. In addition, longtime voice of the Jayhawks Hank Booth, who was present Saturday, will continue his role of introducing the KU band during the pregame festivities and at halftime.

Interestingly enough, Booth once hired Wall to join him on Saturdays at Memorial Stadium. In those days, Booth did the play-by-play calls, and Wall introduced the band.

Former Jayhawks headed for Hall of Fame

Former Kansas standouts Willie Pless and Steve Renko will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita this Sunday, during a ceremony that also will honor former KU volleyball player and longtime Lawrence High coach Joan Wells.

Pless finished his career as KU’s all-time leading tackler, racking up 633 tackles from 1982-85. He is one of just nine Jayhawks in history to earn first-team all-conference honors three times and also is widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in the history of the Canadian Football League, where he set the league record for tackles (1,241) during his 14-year CFL career.

Renko played in the same backfield as KU great Gale Sayers and also played baseball and basketball during his career at KU.