A new season, a new conference, but it is our blessed Big Red Teams and new opponents

They are the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but they are known as the Chattanooga Mocs. Since its founding in 1886 they were know as Chattanooga University and then in 1969 the school and Chattanooga City College merged with the University of Tennessee. Sounds very similar to UNL, UNO and UNK.

The athletic teams go by the name of Mocs, but actually they have had four different names over the years. At first they were the Water Moccasins then it was switched to a Moccasin Shoe (known as “The Shoe”). Then in 1970 they became Chief Moccanooga, an exaggerated Cherokee tribesman. Then do to ethnic sensitivity, in 1996 the Moccasins name was dropped in favor of the shortened “Mocs”.

The Mocs, who play in the All-Southern Conference, are returning 37 lettermen from last years team with 10 starters on defense and 6 starters on offense. They also have a number of red shirted frosh who are expected to make a big impression along with some very talented true freshman. They are also talking playoffs in the preseason for the first time in a long time and many FCS publications have put Chattanooga in the top-25 heading into 2011.

UTC was in the playoff hunt for the first time in over 25 years last season and still had a chance to get in before a season-ending loss at Wofford to finish at 6-5. “We have been waiting and anticipating for this day since the clock hit :00 at Wofford,” stated senior co-captain and starting safety Jordan Tippit . “We were in the locker room after the game talking about how it was not going to come down to the last game next year. Now is the time to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

The leader of the team is a transfer from Tennessee U back to his home town. B. J. Coleman, at quarterback, is looking to have another good year with his pet receiver Joel Bradford. Last year B.J. connected on 56.3% passing and totaling 2996 yards total for an average of 277.2 yards per game and producing 26 TD’s. A weakness though is that he also threw 13 interceptions.

Coleman has provided a boost to the program, both as a pro-style quarterback who can throw it around pretty well and a leader for his hometown school. All he has done in his two seasons is pass for more than 5,000 yards with six 300-yard passing games. His 277 passing yards per game last season was seventh in the FCS. Also, players didn’t used to stick around town for summer voluntary workouts in huge numbers. They do now, and that’s because of the shot of pride and leadership Coleman has brought the program.

Coleman doesn’t do much running, but rather is a drop back passer who loves to throw to Joel Bradford, who last year set a school record of 1284 yards on 81 receptions. A big look is being given to #80 Bryant Belewa, a tall 6’3” WR and a freshman and 6’4” TE, #83 Sean Stackhouse to fill in other spots depleted by graduation..

If there is a noted weakness in this team, from last year it would have to be on defense. In only two games did they allow less that 17 points.

The defense will be headed by co-team captain and senior #45 Ryan Consiglio, a 220 lb. LB, a pre season All Conference pick and Senior # 93 Nick Davison 285 pounds on the DL. Consiglio lead the defense last year with 110 tackles and 68 of them solos. Also looking to get plenty of playing time on the defensive line are three freshman Devin Scats, 250 lbs, Keyon Reed coming in at 210 and Davis Tull a 235 lb. defensive end. They will be joined by sophomore Chaz Moor at corner back.

The Mocs will find themselves in a different playing zone when they come to Lincoln. The Mocs represent a small school and usually play in front of 11,000 to 17,000 fans in their conference. Last year they got a feel for the big stadium when they went to ‘Bama with 80,000 in the stands and this year they will get another taste of the big stadium with the robust Sea of Red and the roar of “Husker” and “Power” just before the tunnel walk.

Some people refer to this as a bodybag game. Well that’s what they thought about South Dakota last year and the Huskers were fortunate to leak out 17-7 game. So you never know. With the throwing skill of Coleman and if a couple of the new guys turn into good receivers to help Bradford, you can bet that our secondary is going to get a good workout early on and lets hope the D Line can contribute with some great sacks.

As of now it does not appear that the game will be on any TV, including Pay4View. HOWEVER, all is not lost as you can tune in on your computer and listen to the game on Huskers.com (live events). That’s where I will be Saturday.

How about a quick look at the Huskers and possible starters.

Tyler Moore, a true freshman, and Jack Cotton, a red shirt, both seem to be looking at a very possible OL tackle starting positions. And just as well there is a good possibility that three or four other sophs or true frosh will get plenty of playing time. Now this could mean a very young and inexperienced front line. However the coaches are very pleased with how everyone is cramming the play book and taking it home at night.

On the D Line, Cameron Meredith will take care of one end spot and the other one is still being tossed up and around between Juniors Eric Martin and Josh Williams, but also include Sophmore Jason Ankray and JC transfer, Joseph Carter. Its nice to know that there is some very good depth in these key positions and you can count on seeing rotations between these hunks.

Receivers and runners is one area to be tested since there is very little experience. Jamal Turner. “He’s just a natural athlete,” Husker junior tight end Ben Cotton said. “There’s some of that you can’t work for, you’re just given by God. He’s going to help us this year and for years to come.” Other young Huskers who seemed to make big impressions include redshirt freshman wide receiver Kenny Bell and the three freshman running backs — Braylon Heard, Ameer Abdullah and Aaron Green, all three of whom can catch the ball.

Tim Marlow is probably the senior leader of this group, however he did very little pass catching since he was used primarily on returns. Sophomore Quicny Enuwa is another strong candidate for starting receiver. He he did catch one pass last year.

Oh I just wish these first two games were going to be on the tube. It would be fantastic to see all of these guys develop and get ready for that third game against Washington, who by the way, even without their star QB from last year, is a dark horse favorite to win their division.

Did you know this marks our 121^st football season? In that first game, fans celebrated by waving banners of old gold. “The score stood 10 to nothing in the state university’s favor and great and loud were the yells that filled the atmosphere,” a newspaper account said. The date was Nov. 27, 1890. The state university was Nebraska, which had just defeated a team representing the Omaha YMCA. The game, composed of a 35-minute first half and a 43-minute second half, was played in Omaha. So began Nebraska’s rich football tradition.

Now we are entering a new sports year highlighted by our joining the Big Ten, a giant in the area of all college sports. Go Big Red.

 

Did you notice that in that game in 1890, the newspaper account said the crowd was “great and loud were the yells”? See we have been doing it for decades and continue to do so. In the opening soccer match Nebraska fans were there in big numbers. 

North Carolina’s Ranee Primji’s goal with less than 14 minutes to play lifted third-ranked North Carolina to a 2-1 victory over the Husker’s in front of a stadium-record crowd of 2,319 for the season opener at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The previous attendance record of 1,021 was set on Aug. 26, 2005, when the Huskers beat Minnesota, 3-1.

Finishing off the home stand weekend, the Nebraska soccer team attempted 10 shots on goal, but were only able to put one in net one as the Huskers and Baylor Bears settled for a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes of regulation and two overtimes. Sophomore forward Stacy Bartels notched the fifth goal of her NU career and the first of the 2011 season at 59:28 when she tied the game with a 25-yard shot at the opposite post. 

Next was a trip to the Mile High City and a tangle with the Denver Pioneers. DU took an early 1-0 lead but then Morgan Marlborough scored twice to tie the game at 2 all. And that held until just 16 seconds before the end of the game when the Pioneers scored again to win, a heart breaking loss for the girls in red. This put the kickers to 0-2-1 for the new season. 

The loss overshadowed a solid performance from Morgan Marlborough, as the junior scored the 40^th and 41^st goals of her NU career after being held without a goal through the first two games of the season. The multi-goal game was the 11^th of Marlborough’s career, which gave her sole possession of the No. 4 spot on NU’s career multi-goal chart. The Lee’s Summit, Mo., native also moved into a tie with two-time All-American Brittany Timko for fourth on NU’s career goals chart.

Down in New Mexico the 5^th ranked Nebraska Volleyballers opened their season with matches against New Mexico State and New Mexico University in the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. 

The Huskers started sloppy as the Aggies took the first set 25-20. Nebraska gave New Mexico State an early 6-1 lead. The closest the Huskers got in the first set was 8-7 right before the Aggies called a timeout. Nebraska committed 12 errors in set one.

In set two the Aggies jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Huskers eventually cut it to 15-12. After a New Mexico State timeout, Nebraska came out strong with a block to cut it again to 15-13. With a kill from Morgan Broekhuis, Nebraska tied it up at 16-16 and took their first lead of the match at 17-16. The Huskers and Aggies battled point-for-point in the second set. Nebraska eventually fell 26-24, giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead for batch.

Nebraska came out in set three to take a 2-0 lead. A kill by Hayley Thramer made it 11-5 in favor of Nebraska and forced New Mexico State to call a timeout. The Huskers blew it open to a 15-6 lead, eventually winning set three 25-13 and cutting it to 2-1 for the match.

In the fourth set the Huskers started out with a 6-1 lead before New Mexico State had to call a timeout. Nebraska continued its fourth-set domination to a 17-7 lead. The Huskers came within match point on two huge kills by Delano and Mancuso and took set four 25-12 on a service error by the Aggies.

This tied the match at 2 all with the shortened first to 15 winning all the marbles. The Huskers jumped out to a fast 11-4 lead and then finished it with a 15-8 final and tacking the match 3-2. Morgan Broekhuis led the Huskers on the night with 18 kills, followed by Gina Mancuso with 16. Lauren Cook totaled 51 assists, while Lara Dykstra had 28 digs of her own.

It was not the slow starting Huskers the second night against New Mexico U. Gina Mancuso totaled 11 kills on the night to lead the Huskers. Morgan Broekhuis and Hannah Werth each had 10 kills. In addition, Lauren Cook notched 40 assists and 12 digs to lead NU. Big Red wrapped up a good weekend winning in three sets 25-16, 25-17 and 25-17.

Just a little side light: Now up in Nittney Lion country, there was a big weekend match with Oregon, Minnesota (17), USC (2) and #1 Penn State. This was a Big Ten/Pac 12 meet. The first night, USC just squeaked out a win over Minnesota while in the second match, unranked Oregon ended the 95 game home winning streak of the Lions. Its too bad ’cause I was hoping that PSU would maintain that winning streak until our Huskers put a stop to it when they play there October 29^th.

The two conferences split the meet with Minnesota beating Oregon and Penn State coming from behind a USC lead of 2-0 to win in five sets. I will tell you one thing, that Big Ten field is loaded with good volleyball teams and its going to be a tough season for Big Red, but they will do it. Right? You bet they will.

Things are starting to really move as this next week we will see Husker teams in action 6 times, with the VB having two matches and well as the Soccer team. Cross Country starts out and of course the big Saturday afternoon Huskers vs. Tennessee at Chattanooga football game.

Don’t forget you can catch the radio broadcast for both volleyball and football on Huskers. Com, just go to HuskersNSide and register for the Audio only. There is no charge and its good for the entire year. I have been doing that for five years now and you get it right on your PC or laptop. The nice thing is you can also do other work on your screen at the same time.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

　

　

　

　

 

　

 

　

　

 

　

This is not a regular Husker Huddle posting. Its better. Every once in a while Gary Anderson takes pen and hand and, well, here is another one of his great articles. Thanks Gary, and please keep them coming.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

Gary’s Toast to all our B1G Friends

Before our chapter lined up a special guest speaker to be our spokesperson for the B1G TEN Alumni Corn Roast, I was thinking about what I would say if I had to address that gathering. I hope these words would be worthy of the occasion.

Fellow B1G TEN Alumni:

Forgive me, but I am still getting used to the sound of that. After growing up in a state that had long been affiliated with the BIG 6-7-8-XII, it is still hard to believe that Nebraska is now B1G TEN country. But as of July 1, that’s exactly what it is.

Thank you for this warm reception. I must say it is nice to look around and see so many new friends.

It is quite an honor for Nebraska to be invited to join the B1G TEN Conference, and to add our history to yours. It is also quite an honor for Nebraska to be invited to join the Committee on Institutional Cooperation – the finest collection of academic talent outside of the Ivy League. Academically, I know we have some catching up to do. I trust that our University administration will do its best to meet the challenges of stepping up and fitting in.

However, we all know that common academic pursuits did not cause Nebraska and the B1G TEN to come together. This event happened because of conference politics and football. We Cornhuskers needed to be someplace where we felt welcome and appreciated.

The B1G TEN needed to expand its footprint and wanted to host a conference championship football game, and saw Nebraska as a good fit and a worthy partner. After a lot of meetings and paperwork, N plus eleven finally equaled TEN.

For our part, we Cornhuskers are committed to make this work. After all, we had to write a $9.5 million check to walk away from the Big XII. Based upon recent news from the Big XII (much of it concerning ESPN “Moo”), I think that was money well spent.

It was very educational watching the B1G TEN hammer out the details of new conference schedules. We quickly learned lesson #1 about our new conference: in the B1G TEN, tradition never goes out of style. I realize that each school in the B1G TEN had to make sacrifices to accommodate Nebraska. But the B1G TEN took great pains not to give away any member’s “crown jewels”.

Even though change can be a good thing, all of you knew that there are some things that you just don’t mess with. [It’s a lesson that the Big XII has yet to learn.] We Cornhuskers appreciate that. We respect traditions that are worth keeping, and we do not suffer those who would turn their backs upon tradition for no good reason.

This will be an interesting B1G TEN football season. We are the new kids on the block. [Nebraska is now one of only two B1G TEN schools that has never won a Rose Bowl.] We have to pay our dues. And those who drew up the B1G TEN conference schedule did their best to make sure that we do. When Nebraska’s football schedule for this year was announced, my first thought was – this is freshman hazing. Of course, my second thought was – this is must-see TV.

October 1, at Wisconsin

– For our first B1G TEN game, we get a road game against the reigning conference champions. But I think this is a good thing. I have been to Madison before. It is a lot like Lincoln: state capitol; beautiful city; friendly people; everyone wears red on game day. Plus Wisconsin’s athletic director [Barry Alvarez] is a Nebraska alum who will roll out the red carpet for us. Then the Badgers will try to pound the Cornhuskers flat, toss on some cheddar, and call us quesadillas. By the way, Nebraska has not visited Camp Randall stadium since 1974.

October 8, vs. THE Ohio State University

– If I read our football history correctly, Nebraska and Ohio State have not faced each other since 1956. And the Buckeyes have never played in Lincoln. That just seems wrong – how can these two teams have crossed paths so rarely? Also, this will be Nebraska’s Homecoming game for 2011. When was the last time Ohio State was the visiting team for someone else’s homecoming game? I don’t know; maybe there are some Buckeye fans here who do.

October 15, bye week

– If the NCAA would grant permission, I think our football team should take an unscheduled road trip to visit one of the charter members of the B1G TEN (and still a member of the CIC): the University of Chicago. Any football stadium that has been home to Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and the Manhattan Project is definitely worth visiting. There are plenty of Division I programs today who wish their football stadium had that kind of history. And the University of Chicago has not fielded a football team in nearly 75 years.

October 22, at Minnesota

– This may be the B1G TEN team we are most familiar with. I believe Nebraska and Minnesota have faced each other over 50 times already. But our last visit to Minnesota was in 1989, when the game was played in the Metrodome. We have not been in Minnesota’s nice new outdoor stadium yet.

October 29, vs. Michigan State

– We Cornhusker fans will always be grateful for your assistance in rebuilding our football program. After the 1961 season, Nebraska fired its football coach, and needed to find a replacement. Our athletic director’s first choice for the job was Michigan State’s Duffy Daugherty, who politely declined the offer. Instead, he suggested that we talk to one of his former assistants, who by that time was the head coach at Wyoming. So we did, and we hired him. That’s how Bob Devaney wound up in Lincoln. Thank you for the recommendation!

By the way, Bo Pelini’s first game as Nebraska’s head coach was against Michigan State in the 2003 Alamo Bowl.

November 5, vs. Northwestern

– Please forgive us if we are a bit confused this week. With Wildcats wearing purple coming to Lincoln, I’m guessing there will be a few Nebraska fans that think we are playing against Kansas State. Just remember – this week’s game is brought to you by the letter “N”.

November 12, at Penn State

– Believe it or not, this is the only B1G TEN stadium the Cornhuskers have played in this century. Our last visit to Happy Valley was in 2002. Maybe there are some Penn State fans who know if this game will be a “white out” game. After all, the B1G TEN has designated Penn State as Nebraska’s “cross-division rival”. There is not much history between these two schools. However, there is our 1982 visit to Happy Valley, which I’m sure the B1G TEN Network will show repeatedly prior to this year’s game. If a rivalry can be built from just one game, then that might be the game.

November 19, at Michigan

– Finally, the Cornhuskers are going back to the Big House. Nebraska has not visited Ann Arbor since 1962. It was Coach Devaney’s first road game as a Cornhusker. It was also his “red letter” game.

Coach Devaney knew he needed a statement win – a win that he could rebuild a football program around. Coach Devaney also knew that if his team could walk into the Big House and win, people across the country would notice. The final score that day was Nebraska 25, Michigan 13. And people did notice. Within two months, the Cornhuskers started drawing sellout crowds to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, and that streak continues to this day.

November 25, vs. Iowa

– Nebraskans have gotten used to seeing black and gold on Thanksgiving weekend. Now we have to get used to looking east instead of west. I have no problem with that – in the Big XII, I was never thrilled about having to share Thanksgiving leftovers with “Ralphie”.

This is a game I am looking forward to. Two schools from farm country should be able to get together and enjoy a competitive but friendly football game on a holiday weekend. And now that it will be an annual event, maybe this could even be a trophy game. Personally, I think the “Corn Bowl” has a nice ring to it.

That is one exciting football schedule. And that is only one season in one sport. There is so much more for Nebraskans to look forward to this year in the B1G TEN. I know our volleyball team is anxious to jump into a whole new level of regular season competition. I know our basketball and other sports teams are excited to see some new venues. It will be a challenge, and we will take our lumps along the way.

But we Nebraskans don’t mind a challenge. We try to live up to what is written on our Memorial Stadium, “Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory.”

So let’s all go B1G TEN! And we Huskers will Go Big Red!

Gary Anderson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Class of 1988, 1989

 

HUSKER HUDDLE #6

 

It’s just right around the corner and the door is slowly opening for the new Big Ten Athletic venture. This fall we have football, volleyball, soccer, cross country to start with. Then we will fill in later with basketball and also see some preseason activity in softball and baseball. Also we will have gymnastics, wrestling, rifle, bowling, cross country and indoor track and field.

Ok, lets clear the minor sports first, like football. (Oh, I duck as I am pelted with Big Red Beer Cans.)

Many have picked Nebraska to finish at the top of the Legends division. But we do have a back breaking schedule in that we play Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State (the three teams that tied for the conference title last year) and Penn State, Michigan and a very young Iowa team that always seems that when they are a young team, watch out.

Can you say that the other conference games, Northwestern and Minnesota will be slam dunks? I don’t believe so. These teams have been butting heads for like a century. They have traditions and rivalries that have motivated them all this time. And now comes along this new bunch of kids all dressed up in their crimson color.

I can just hear it now when the team captains gather at midfield for the tossing of the coin. “Glad to meet you guys and welcome to OUR Big Ten. Now we’re going to kick your butts all over the field.”

It is going to be a very exciting first season as all 8 of those on our schedule are just waiting for their chance to employ their own style of welcome to the Huskers. The mental attitude of the Huskers will be paramount for each game. A great challenge to the coaches to get our guys on the high side ready to do their own – - – - kicking.

Volleyball. Penn State and the Huskers have been the most frequent teams in the final four year after year. Now we are in the same league and our first conference game is against the Nittney Lions at home. Penn State is rated to win the B1G title with both Illinois and Nebraska rated as the second team. In the NCAA preseason ratings Penn State is #1 and Nebraska is #4.

In selecting the pre season All Big Ten Team, Penn State ranks three players as well as Nebraska. Deja McClendon (Penn State) and Brooke Delano (Nebraska) are selected as unanimous choices. Brooke is a Middle Blocker from Bellevue along with Lincoln setter Lauren Cook and outside hitter Werth Hannah, from Springfield, IL are the other selected Nebraska all Big Ten players.

Thank goodness for the Big Ten Network as we will be able to see the second match of PSU and NU (10-29). We will also get to see delayed matches against Michigan (10-2), Indiana (10-8) and Minnesota (10-15).　

On the Soccer field, Coach John Walker doesn’t believe in first of the season matches that are shoe in events. The first match of the year, which was an exhibition match was against the Defending National Champions, Notre Dame. Now their first regular season game was against #3 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels this past Friday.

Probably playing against ND did help the Huskers get into a challenging mode as they bucked heads with NC the first half with the Heels taking a 1-0 lead. Just into the second half junior Jordan Jackson kicked one it to tie it at one all.

Big Red goalie, Emma Steven tied her career high saves with 7 although the two goals for NC came off of blocks by Steven.

In Big Ten rankings Penn State again is in the top slot and they have won their 13^th straight Big Ten title in 2010. Penn State compiled an 8-2-0 record in Big Ten play last season en route to the conference crown shared with Ohio State.

Ohio State checks in at No. 2 in the poll after earning a share of its first Big Ten title and advancing to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in program history. Wisconsin follows at No. 3 in the poll, matching the team’s finish from a year ago. Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State round out the poll’s top six, while Big Ten newcomer Nebraska debuts at No. 7. In preseason NCAA rankings, Ohio State is picked at #10 by SI, the highest ranked B1G team.

In the individual ratings, three NU girls are listed on the watch list. Jordan Jackson, Morgan Marlborough and Thomas Molly, all three Forwards. Nebraska junior forward

Marlborough was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List for the second straight season by the Missouri Athletic Club. She was joined by four other Big Ten soccer players named to the 42-player list: Illinois’ Vanessa DiBernardo, Michigan State’s Laura Heyboer, Ohio State’s Paige Maxwell and Penn State’s Christine Nairn.

A two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Marlborough ranked second in the NCAA in points (48) and fourth in goals (18) last season as a sophomore. In just two seasons, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., native already ranks in the top 10 on four of Nebraska career-record charts, including fourth in multiple-goal games (10).　

Now lets do a little football history discovery. It is 2005 and we just finished the first week of conference play and the big game was the battle in Lincoln, where the Michigan Wolverines lost a nail biter falling one point short in a 27-26 loss to the Cornhuskers.

Huh, you say, where you getting this besides out of your bottle.

A missed field goal was the difference in this classic match between two football giants. Zac Taylor mounted Nebraska’s unstoppable air attack, finishing with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns on 21 completions.

The Cornhuskers didn’t capture the lead until the fourth quarter. With 1:08 to go, Nate Swift threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to give Nebraska a 27-20 lead. Then the Wolverines came back in a rush to make it 27-26 and then there was heart breaking missed extra point.

The Cornhuskers’ offense finished the game having gained 448 yards. Along with Taylor’s stats in the passing game, 129 yards rushing on 38 attempts.

Your nuts. In 2005 we were playing in the Big 12.

Well if you don’t believe me go to the Big Ten Nework as they have hooked up with WhatIfSports and have “just supposed” that the Huskers were in the Big Ten for the last 15 years and the 12 schools competed in the two six-team divisions. BTN.com and

WhatIfSports partnered to simulate those mythical Big Ten Conference football seasons. They will roll out one season a week at 10:30 ET so drop in daily to see how things play out.

Well lets see, in the first year, 1996, TOSU beat the Huskers 20-10 for the conference championship. Have fun and maybe this will carry you to the first week of play. (Oh, having a little problem with TOSU. Always remember that this school is always called THE Ohio State University.)

I have had e-mails concerning the two first games of the season. I will reply with the words of Gary Feed, a TV executive in Omaha. He is responding to a lot of questions on a Husker chat site: “ Not sure why this is so confusing for everyone but the first two games will be televised, most likely by the Big Ten Network. However before that can be announced ABC/ESPN must pass on their games which they technically have not done. I would expect that to happen in the almost immediate near future, and once it does then the BTN (along with NU) can announce that the games will be available via the BTN.”

“Not knowing what other games BTN has scheduled for those time slots on those dates I cannot tell you whether the games will be on their main channel or on one of the alternate channels they operate when televising multiple games at the same time. So, as I’ve said before, check your local listings for time and channel in your area.” And we will do that here in Tucson and let you know as soon as we can find out.

Hey its one week until the Big Ten Alumni Corn Roast at the Fox and Hounds. Now I know you want to be there to enjoy the fun. It’s a case of first come get the best seats. That is why I told my wife we will have lunch there to make sure we get a good seat. The action starts at 4:30 and it is going to be a blast. So see you there.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert panting for the season to start.

PS: One last notice. I have been sending out an announcements that a new posting has been made on our web site. I will no longer be doing this as we enter the football season. I will be publishing articles on Sunday or early Monday as to the weekend results and either Thursday late or Friday morning on pre game comments. Also included in each will be appropriate coverage of all other athletic activities.

Another thing is we are expanding the list of pages to include a SOAZ NEWS, which will include non sport activities such as the Presidents Report and other important matters encompassing UNL. You should also be aware of the Events Page as well as other pages of our vibrant web site. We are growing and we are having fun representing UNL in the Tucson area.

If you haven’t signed up to the automatic notification of additions to our web site, well, all I can say is your are missing a lot of information. This is located on the home page of our Web Site.

Now don’t forget to put SOAZ4NE.ORG on your favorite list.

Again,

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

 

　

　

Oh yes, we are getting very close to the season of Husker Sports and it is the women’s basketball and soccer teams who will kick off the season for Big Red Athletes.

But first lets take a look at our ball bouncing girls who are in Europe touring Sweden, Denmark and Norway and playing 4 games against top women’s basketball teams in that area. Coach Connie Yori has assigned members of this very young team to file reports of each days activities of sightseeing, learning the culture of the people they are visiting as well as the outcome of the four games they play on this international trip.

To catch up and find out the activities, go to: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=29&SPID=25&ATCLID=205214110&DB_OEM_ID=100

This will give you a listing of each article, its date and author. Now don’t worry about the financial costs of this visit as it was covered by Fastbreak, the supporting and loving fan club of the women’s basketball.

Now an interesting thing about this team who is preparing to enter competition in the Big Ten, is the fact there are only 2 seniors and 2 juniors on this team of 12. Four are true frosh and two are red shirts with the other two are sophomores.

Can you imagine being a freshman, coming out of high school and now touring these European countries. Unbelievable I must say. And that is a credit to the wonderful programs of The University of Nebraska. Remember the soccer team also toured Europe and the volleyball team was in China this summer.

Sophomore Jordan Hooper scored 21 points, but the Nebraska women’s basketball team suffered a 96-62 loss to the Swedish National Team in the Huskers’ opening game of the four-game European Tour on Monday in Stockholm.

Going head-to-head against a Swedish Team that will be competing in the upcoming World University Games, the Huskers fell behind by double digits in the first of four 10-minute quarters. Nebraska was never able to recover, despite a trio of three-pointers from Hooper. For the game, the Huskers hit just 6-of-23 three-point attempts and just 35 percent of their overall field goal attempts (22-63). The Huskers were a solid 11-of-14 at the free throw line, but managed just 25 total rebounds.

Sweden’s squad included Stefanie Yderstrom, a two-year starting guard from 2011 ACC champion Miami. The Swedish National Team roster also includes several players from fellow ACC foe Georgia Tech – a 2011 NCAA Tournament team.

One good thing was the play of the newbie’s. Freshman Emily Cady from Seward, Neb., scored seven points in her Husker debut, while red shirt freshman Rebecca Woodberry contributed seven points and three rebounds. Freshman Tear’a Laudermill added four points and a pair of assists, while sophomore Adrianna Maurer pitched in four points and a pair of rebounds. Freshman Hailie Sample contributed two points and three assists, while red shirt freshman Katie Simon added two points and a rebound to round out the scoring for the young Huskers.

Again the frosh showed up strong in the second game where the girls piled it on winning 102-33. Frosh Emily Cady from Seward poured in 32 points and pulled down 6 rebounds while red shirt frosh Rebecca Woodberry had a double double with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Quiet little Brandi Jeffery, another frosh contributed 10 points, four rebounds and five steals.

This year the Big Ten and the (used to be) Big 12 will pare off in women’s basketball. However the Huskers will sit out this year because of the other guys only having `10 teams and the Huskers have always played against them.

OK, now back to soccer the lead off sport for this season.

Nebraska soccer played its first of two exhibition games on Tuesday when it faced defending national champion Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.. The Husker and Fighting Irish have met three times in the NCAA Tournament and once during the regular season, with Notre Dame holding a 3-0-1 advantage over the Huskers. The last game was in 2001, when Notre Dame defended its home turf with a 1-0 victory.

Well, the defending national champions did show our team something about soccer. The Irish had no trouble over this very young team, walking off with a 5-0 win. With just 4 seniors and 2 juniors, a game like this goes a long way in preparing the underclass girls to the type of play they will have in the collegiate ranks and in particular the Big Ten.

The early ranking of top 25 soccer teams shows three B1G teams in the top 25 with one other team getting votes. Ohio State comes at #8 followed by the Golden Golfers at 22 and Illinois at 24. In the shadows is Penn State just waiting to jump into the top 25.

In spite of the young players, Head Coach John Walker returns a strong squad in 2011 that finished with a 13-7-1 overall record and a 5-4-1 record in the team’s final season in the Big 12 Conference. The Huskers bring back seven starters from a year ago, including junior Morgan Marlborough, who earned NU’s 17^th NSCAA All-America award in 2010 and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Walker has two other all-conference players at his disposal in junior Jordan Jackson and senior Molly Thomas. Jackson ranked in the top 30 nationally in both points (19^th) and goals (28^th) in 2010, while Thomas added the fourth multi-goal game of her career last season.

Back in May this team toured the United Kingdom, which was reported on in an earlier Husker Huddle. Unfortunately, breakdowns in computer service did not provide us with all their experiences in a nation where soccer maintains such a high hold. You can still pick up their report and pictures on their listing of Women’s Soccer at Huskers.com.

The Husker will race through 9 non conference challenges before entering the Big Ten arena. Nebraska will be facing a challenging conference, as the Big Ten qualified six teams for last year’s NCAA Tournament, the most by the league since 2002. A total of nine opponents on the 2011 schedule reached the postseason, including six who advanced past the first round.

Again, this is a young team with 4 seniors and 2 juniors, the other 18 are made up of sophs, red shirts and frosh. The seven-game non-conference slate will be one of the most challenging in recent history.

North Carolina, a 21-time national champion, will be the season opener Aug. 19 at the Nebraska Soccer Field, marking the first time the Huskers and Tar Heels have faced off since 2004. Opening weekend will also feature a home game against familiar foe Baylor, before traveling to Denver, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion, for its first regular season road game.

Nebraska will return home to face SEC opponent Arkansas and Northern Arizona of the Big Sky Conference, before rounding out the non-conference slate with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., to take on Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in the Virginia Tech Classic.

This scheduling should create a great mind set attitude in this young team. Nebraska finished third in its last year in the Big 12 Conference last fall, recording a 13-7-1 overall mark with a 5-3-2 league record. The Huskers bring back a pair of all-conference forwards in Morgan Marlborough and Jordan Jackson. A total of eight starters return from the 2010 squad.

OK, so now lets go to that minor sport called fooseball. Oh sorry, football.

One of the major questions is what about the race between Kansas City Chiefs and the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the body of that multi sport star, Bubba Starling. Monday is the day the decision must be made.

Is Martinez developing a leadership posture? That seems to be the critical point but Coach Pelini feels he is developing that level A young QB by the name of Brian Carnes seems to have the ability of taking over the spot if necessary. So this is a position that will have to be decided in the first couple of games before Washington. Carnes had a great spring game and both players are quickly learning the new offense of Coach Beck

The first game is against Chattanooga. Later on you will get a preview of this team but defense has been their main problem. So that game could give us a good look at both QB‘s. While Jamal Turner has been settled in as a receiver, he is also taking some snaps in practice.

Oh, one other quick note and that is Ahman Green will be doing announcing for the Big Ten Network. Sure would be nice to have him on the mike for our games. And don’t forget, coming up this next week is the tour of all the football teams of the Big Ten, including Nebraska.

Now to a very important venture and that is our meeting with other Big Ten Alum Groups in Tucson. This is one you want to be at.

This is scheduled for August 27 and should be a real hoopla and fun for every one. Its been named The Big Ten Alumni Corn Roast. Oh yea, we will probably hear that old “You know what N stands for?” Well for me, N stands for National Champions. After all we have 5 in Football, 2 in Volleyball and a bunch in Rifle and Bowling and Tack and Field has garnered all kinds of trophies.

Each school will be given 8 minutes to extend their welcome and roasting of Nebraska. Of course we will also have our opportunity with Real Life Herbie Husker, Kent Titze, to answer their spiels. Kent is an old time hand in this role and who else but Betsy would be in a picture with him.

The action starts at 4:30 at Fox and Hounds. There will be Big Ten items for sale along with items from all the schools. See you there, Aug 27.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

 

HUSKER HUDDLE

 

Its happening more and more here in Arizona. More and more you see UNL recruiters looking over the rich field of Arizona high school athletes. And more and more you will see freshman drawn into the Big Red programs. This year we have a total of 6 frosh or sophs starting their carriers at UNL.

 

First there is women’s basketball with Rebecca Woodberry, a 5’10” guard. Rebecca, besides being a 25.3 scoring average in high school and being selected as Arizona player of the year, she hit’s the books for a 3.9 grade at average at Phoenix Tolleson Union. Actually Rebecca is a red shirt freshman and is being looked as a high contributor to this years play.

 

“A lot of schools were recruiting her, and we feel great about her choice to become a Husker,” Nebraska Golf Coach Robin Krapfl said of this true freshman. Shelby Martenik from Marcos de Niza in Tempe has been competing since she was 9 years old. And before entering high school Martinek was named an All-American on the Future Collegians World Tour. Coach Krapfl adds, “She has an outstanding short game, works hard and has really developed into a player who can manage her game and shoot low numbers.”

 

The Fowler family in Tucson is well known as a great softball family. Freshman Matie Fowler, an infielder, was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona following her senior season at Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson. She was also one of 10 national finalists for the MaxPreps National Player-of-the-Year award, in addition to earning first-team All-America honors from the organization. Fowler was also one of 30 players nationally selected to participate in the Under Armour All-America game in July. Matie’s older sister is a softballer at U of A.

 

She had to play club soccer at Surprize, AZ since the high school didn’t have a soccer team. As a true freshman last year, Ari Romero started every game for the Huskers and emphasizing her skill, this sophomore midfielder was one of 20 players selected to attend Mexico’s under-20 national camp in Mexico City. Ari will look to earn a spot on the Mexican National Team that will compete at the 2012 CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championships,

 

It was a real tough decision for Todd Peat, Jr. After all he lives in Tempe and played at Corona Del Sol and all of his friends and family would be there to see him play for ASU and yes ASU wanted him badly. A 6’3”, 295 lb defensive tackle, and selected for the U.S. Army All American game in January. He is also rated as one of the top 20 defensive tackles in the country. “Bama, Oregon State, Miami, Stanford and Arizona all wanted him too. Yes it was a tough decision and Todd didn’t make his commitment until the last week of signing and now he is a Husker.

 

I have been watching the Big Ten Network every day and if you don’t have it, you better get it and here is why. Out here in the desert we have very little chance of seeing our Big Red Volleyball team in action. Now thanks to the BTN here is the schedule:

 

Attached for your down load is the schedule of TV appearances on both BigTenNetWork (BTN) and on commercial TV. There are a number of games that might also be added on a pay for view, but we wont know those for a while.

 

Now out here in the desert we don’t get to see much of the great Volleyball team, but as you will see on the schedule we are on twice on BTN and twice on ESPN2. All of these games are in October.

 

We haven’t seen a BTN schedule for football yet, but ABC, or their affiliates, will have us 5 times and one on Versus for the Wyoming game. You can also be assured that other events, basketball, softball, baseball, track, tennis, etc. will also be shown.

 

2011 Award Watch Lists are out for the coming football season and there are Husker names all over the place. Just an interesting point if you look at the total number of B1G players on this list you will find that 16% of them are Cornhuskers. Hmmm speaks well for us new kids on the block, I would say. Lavonte David and Jared Crick head the Husker list with each being on 4 watches. Alfonzo Dennard is listed three times.

 

There were only two lists that Huskers were not on. First there was Kickers/Punters bt out guys havent played a game yet. The second was Pass receivers and we just didnt get enough receptions by anyone last year. All total 8 Huskers were listed for these awards.

 

 

At this time each year, pants on fire football fans all over the country are wondering how their team is positioned for the upcoming season. And Husker fans are right there leading the pack , grabbing every football article projecting this seasons have and have not’s. Thanks to the Bleacher Report lets take a look at some of these predictions.

 

Football: Ok lets get this one out of the way. In their division it seems the Huskers are rated by sports writers as winning their division, the Legends. I particularly like that division title since Nebraska is a legend.

 

(If you have an doubt, suggestive you read this article. Copy it and enjoy this article by Timmy Layden, a retired SI wroter who covered the Huskers in that 1995 Championship game against Florida State.)

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/best_team_i_ever_covered/07/04/layden.nebraska/index.html#?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a2

 

Now no forecast is being made for the other division since it remains in cloudy skies depending upon what rulings the NCAA will make against Ohio State, who at this point is the favorite. So lets concentrate on our division and more importantly, our schedule.

 

Three teams tied for the Big Ten Title last year. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State. Nebraska will be facing all three of these teams, and two right from the start. The only question here is where will Ohio be after the NCAA decisions are stated in August. Never the less, it is a heck of an introduction to the Big Ten.

 

The Wisconsin Badgers have had three backs added to the Doak Walker list for running backs. The Husker line seems strong, but can they contain this trio of backs who can be playing in shifts to keep a fresh backfield playing.

 

Ohio State also has a tough schedule. First is Michigan State followed by Nebraska, and then two weeks later its Wisconsin. It is interesting to note the Buckeyes have no backs added to the Doak Walker list.

 

Michigan State has probably the hardest first half schedule of all teams. In conference play they open with Ohio, then comes arch rival Michigan, followed by Wisconsin and then Nebraska.

 

Now looking at division champions, well this can be a very interesting battle in our first year in the Big Ten. But hey, isn’t this one of the reasons for joining the Big Ten.

 

Already the sports magazines are filled with predictions and so thanks to the Big Red Today lets take a look at what they predict for the hew kids on the B!G block.

 

Athlon Sports:

The cover of the Big Ten edition has Rex Burkhead and Jared Crick on it.

They rank NU 10^th nationally and first in the Legends divisions.

 

National #1 – Alabama

 

NU All Americans: Jared Crick and Lavonte Davis as first team.

 

Bowl Prediction: Capitol One vs. Georgia. Hmm is the Rose Bowl to much to hope for?

 

NU national unit rankings: #4 defensive line, #7 line backers, #5 defensive backs.

 

Lindy’s:

Lindy’s has nailed more traditions last year than any of the others.

They rank NU 9^th nationally and first in the Legends divisions.

 

National # 1 -Oklahoma

 

NU All Americans :Crick first team and David and Dennard second team.

 

Bowl Prediction: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon

 

Notable NU Quote: “Move over, Buckeyes. There’s a new kid in town.”

 

Phil Steele:

On the cover of his book, we have Crick with Michigan QB Denard Robinson and Ohio State defender Nathan Williams.

He ranks NU 12^th and tied for first in the legends with Michigan State.

 

National #1 -Alabama

 

NU All Americans on first team are Crick and Dennard with David on second team.

 

Bowl Prediction: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon

 

Sporting News:

On the cover is Martinez and Oklahoma’s Landry Jones.

NU tanked 10^th nationally and 1^st in Legends.

 

National #1 is LSU.

 

NU All Americans Crick first team and David and Dennard 2^nd team.

 

Bowl Prediction: Outback vs. Arkansas

 

Its not stated in any of these but since two of them pick us in the Rose Bowl, I guess that means we win the Big Ten Conference Championship.

 

The Nebraska women’s basketball team opened five days of NCAA-allowable practice dates on Sunday, July 31, leading up to its 11-day European Tour, Aug. 5-15. The Huskers originally began preparations for their summer tour with five practice dates, June 19-July 1.

 

Nebraska’s journey will include stops in Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo, Norway, and Copenhagen, Denmark. The Huskers will play four games during the trip, culminating with a contest against the Danish National Team on Aug. 14.

 

Now last issues of Husker Huddle I wrote about traditions and trophies of the Big Ten. This is something that really didn’t exist in the Big 6, 8 or 12. But in this old conference it is something very important with many having existed for over 100 years. Next up will be a show of what happens at games with the fans, the bands and all the good times to be had attending away games. This will be out in about ten days

 

Now here is a tradition at Nebraska that no other school can match. Nebraska’s rich tradition of academic excellence is solidified on the national level through the University’s dominance of the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American awards. University of Nebraska student-athletes from all teams and all sports combined far outdistance any other school in the country. Nebraska has a nation-leading total of 291CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-Americans.

 

To be considered for the award, student-athletes must be sophomore status or above, maintain a minimum 3.2 cumulative grade-point average, be a team starter or key reserve and be active in the community. Every Nebraska student-athlete who garners first-team Academic All-American recognition has an oil painting portrait completed in their honor, and the picture is forever displayed in the West Stadium. In 2010-11, Nebraska has added 14 members to its nation-leading crop of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.

 

The Nebraska football team leads the nation (all teams, all sports, all divisions) with 99 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, while the Nebraska volleyball team leads all women’s teams all-time across all sports with 36. The Nebraska softball team is second among all women’s programs with 29.

 

Well now, the University of Nebraska has a new B1G rival, the University of Iowa. Its not like other rivalries in the B1G, but oh well, maybe after twenty or thirty years we will have a true rivalry.

 

Roger

 

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert