The Big Ten Is A Tough Conference.

The first year in the B1G is now complete. A record of 5-3s is not what we had hoped for but then maybe, facing new opponents and playing in new environments, all of this amounted to much to expect.

But considering our wins against Michigan State, Penn State and the come from behind Ohio State, well that is not to bad. Of course blowouts against Wisconsin and Michigan and the surprise loss to Northwestern, well just wait till next year.

Now we are waiting for this next week to pass so we know where we are headed for a Bowl Game. One guess is the Outback Bowl against one of the SEC teams. An earlier one was the Insight Bowl against a Big 12 team but that will probably now be Penn State against Kansas State.

As to our cousins in the Conference, we do have a load that will be going to bowl games. Wisconsin will probably be in the Rose Bowl, assuming they beat Michigan State. The Spartans will probably have to battle it out with the Wolverines as to who goes to the Sugar Bowl. The rest of the B1G will just have to wait and see.

So what will happen during the off season. You can bet the coaches will spend time analyzing the past season. The Big Ten is a far different conference than the Big 12.

In general, the biggest point of emphasis may be preparing players for the grind of the Big Ten. “There is not much difference between an awful lot of these teams,” Coach Cotton said. “You learn that you can’t ride a roller coaster. You’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to bring your physical “A” game to every game”

Sports writers have said it is tough for a Big Ten school to be in the top BCS game. They tend to beat each other up. As an example, take a look at the number of schools that take football very seriously.

Depth is another thing the Huskers will have to look to. Nebraska suffered a number of injuries that bubbled to earth late in the season. Depth is the key. Missing were Jared Crick, Baker Steinkuhler, Terrance Moore and Chase Rome. In addition, Thunder man Rex Burkhead was limping quite a bit.

Coach Fisher said, :” I have a lot more respect for the Big Ten defensively than initially. I think defensive football in the Big Ten is underrated.” Coach Ron Brown added, “Some of the best interior defensive linemen we’ve seen in the country play in this league” This puts an extra burden on the offensive line. Strong defenses put a priority on limiting turnovers and penalties. In the three losses the Huskers were flagged 23 times and gave the ball away eight times.

Offensive tackle Jeremiah Sirles said things will get easier for Nebraska as players get more familiar with the competition. “When we played the Big 12, we could tell younger players what to expect.”

He added, “Every week it was someone we had never played. At least last year, when I went down to college Stations, people were telling me what it was like. This year, walking into Penn State and Wisconsin, nobody hand any idea.”

This year players had to study opponents more intensely trying to figure out how teams might defend the huskers. Next year it will be a little easier since they have been through the league.

Well one thing is pretty certain and that is we will be playing one of the late Bowl games. That’s good because it will let some hurting bodies time to heal.

The Big Ten is also a tough Volleyball Conference.

In the final match, the Huskers couldn’t tame the Wildcats of Northwestern and lost 3-1 in sets to finish 24-4 and 17-3 in conference play.

In the first set the Huskers tied the match at 15 all and the took a 19-18 lead. The Cats came right back to run off 6 straight points and take a 24-19 lead before finishing it at 25-20.

The second set saw Big Red take an early 6-1 lead then 13-4 and then closing it out at 25-9 to tie the match at one each. In the third set, Nebraska took a 13-9 lead but then Northwestern came roaring back and tied it at 15 alll then jumped to a 21-19 lead before closing it out at 25-21.

The fourth set was bitterly fought with only a one or two point difference and the score being tied at 12-12 and then tied seven more times till the Cats took a 21-19 lead and then it got tied up again at 22 all. Two quick points put Northwestern up 25-23 to close the night at 3-1.

Now its NCAA Tournament time and the Nebraska Huskers will spend the coming weekend at home for the eighth straight season at the NU Coliseum as one of the 16 sites for the first two rounds.

First up on Thursday night will be the Kansas State Wildcats (20-10) against the Wichita State Shockers (21-10). Then the Huskers will take on the Jackson State Tigers (26-9) from champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Friday nights action will see the two winners squaring off with the final winners heading to the Honolulu Regional for the next weekend.

The 2011 season marks the 27th time that Lincoln has played host to first and second-round competition. Last season, Nebraska hosted the first and second rounds at the NU Coliseum, where they swept Sacred Heart and Auburn to move onto the NCAA Regional in Seattle. The Huskers then lost a four-set decision to Washington.

Nebraska recently won its first Big Ten title in its first year in the league and is 82-26 (.759) in 29 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, ranking second among NCAA schools in both wins and winning percentage. The Huskers were one of eight Big Ten schools to qualify for the tournament, as No. 3 Illinois, No. 5 Purdue, No. 8 Penn State and No. 13 Minnesota will also play at home in the first two rounds while Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan will be on the road.

These Women Bballers are for real and that’s for certain.

In their first road trip the Lady Huskers first took on Florida A&M and then Florida State the next day.

Jordan Hooper, a sophomore from Alliance, scored six points as the Huskers jumped out to 14-2 lead as Jordan finished with 15 points in the first half. She also added eight rebounds, one assist and two steals as she finished with her third 20 point game of the young season. Hooper lead all scorers with 21 in Huskers 72-64 win.

Freshman Hailie Sample added six of her career-high eight points in the first half. The 6-1 forward from Flower Mound, Texas, added six rebounds, three assists and a block in a strong effort. Fellow freshman forward from Seward, NE, Emily Cady pitched in six points, eight rebounds and two steals, as NU’s starting forwards finished with 35 points and 22 rebounds.

Nebraska’s defense was the story again in the first half, building the 15-point edge despite shooting just 37.1 percent (13-35) from the field. NU did hit 3-of-8 three-pointers, including lone threes from Adrianna Maurer and Brandi Jeffery off the bench.

In posting their 5^th straight win, Nebraska hit 28-of-68 shots from the field (41.2 percent), including 6-of-19 three-pointers (31.6 percent). The Huskers also knocked down 10-of-18 free throws. Nebraska won the turnover battle, 16-12, but were out rebounded for the first time this season, 49-42.

Next up was Florida State on Sunday. Now when your ranked 24^th and have a solid team who has been to the NCAA tournament 7 straight years, well naturally the money is going to be on the Seminoles. Especially when the opponents have 6 girls who are freshman or red shirt frosh and only two seniors.

In the first half Nebraska never had the lead and throughout the game fell behind by 13 points twice. Florida State lead 37-29 at the half but quickly ran off 5 unanswered points with just 18:56 left on the clock.

And then that’s when I remembered the game was on and it was on the radio at Huskers.com and I tuned in.

It didn’t take long to find this game was on fire. The ball game changed with back-to-back free throws by Jordan Hooper and Emily Cady’s second three-pointer of the day cut the margin back to single digits at 44-36 with 17:15 to play and then a Jordan Moore lay-up trimmed the margin to six, but then FSU woke up and turned it back to a ten point lead with 15:42 left.

For the rest of the game, it was Coach Connie Yori’s defense that she has been drilling the team on. Over the next eight minutes the Husker outscored FSU 9-1.

Sophomore Adrianna Maurer hit back-to-back jumpers midway through the second half to cut FSU’s lead from 49-43 to 49-47 with 7:33 left. Maurer’s baskets set up a driving layup by Moore and then a three by Moore after a Brandi Jeffery steal to tie the game at 52 with 6:33 left. Then the Huskers moved ahead62-60 and held on for a 66-63 win to run their record to 6-0.

A tough defense and balanced scoring by Cady (14), Hooper (12), Moore (15) and Jeffrey (12) and Maurer (8) was the key to this good win. It seems like this type of defense will continue to pay benefits to the Huskers as they also held #24 USC down to 50 points in winning 68-50.

The team then has a couple of days off before the move north to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech on Wednesday. Tip-off between the Huskers and Yellow Jackets is set for 6 p.m. (central) as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Free live audio of the game will be provided by the Husker Sports Network on Huskers.com so since we have some time on our hands with no football, join the Husker Ladies as they March Thru Georgia.

Men’s Basketball takes a split.

Out scoring Oregon 23-15 over the last 10:31 minutes just wasn’t enough as the Huskers lost to the Duck’s 83-76 in a game that brought the Husker fans to their feet over that time spread.

Trailing 68-53 with 10:31 remaining, Nebraska stormed back behind Jorge Brian Diaz, as the junior center scored eight of his 12 second-half points in a 22-7 spurt to lead the charge. Nebraska kept chipping away at the Ducks’ lead before Bo Spencer’s basket with2:05 remaining tied the score at 75 and brought the Devaney Center crowd to its feet

Diaz, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three blocks, blocked Oregon’s next shot to give the Huskers a shot at the lead, but Nebraska could not capitalize.

In the final minutes the Huskers had other chances of getting into the lead but couldn’t convert and instead caused fowls which gave Oregon their 8 point win. Oregon snaps Nebraska’s 26-game home non-conference win streak, dating back to Dec. 30, 2008. Nebraska is now 50-2 in non-conference home games under Doc Sadler

Diaz was one of four Huskers in double figures, as Dylan Talley came off the bench for 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Brandon Ubel had 15 points, including 5-of-7 shooting. Bo Spencer was the fourth Nebraska player in double figures, finishing with 11 points and five assists.

After game comments from Coach Doc Sadler: “First of all, I cannot say enough about our crowd. I thought that they were a huge, huge factor in the run we made, and I cannot tell you how much this team appreciates that, and we need that. We don’t make that run without this kind of crowd.”

Bo Spencer’s 18 points and eight assists led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska improved to 4-1 on the season with a 76-64 win over South Dakota State Saturday afternoon.

The senior was 7-of-14 from the floor and scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, as the Huskers held off several comeback attempts from the Jackrabbits and relied on its bench to deliver a decisive first-half run. Spencer’s eight assists were a career high as he also added six rebounds in 32 minutes.

Nebraska used strong bench play in the final minutes of the half, closing on an 11-4 spurt to break a 24-all deadlock and build a 38-28 halftime lead. Toney McCray and Dylan Talley combined for seven points in the spurt, including a 3-pointer by McCray to give NU a 29-25 lead before Talley’s driving basket with 28 seconds left in the half gave the Huskers their largest lead of the opening 20 minutes.

McCray and Talley had 12 points apiece off the bench for the Huskers, while freshman David Rivers came off the bench for eight points and five rebounds in his most extensive action of the season. Nebraska’s bench outscored SDSU, 32-18, as the Huskers rebounded from Wednesday’s loss to Oregon.

The Huskers return to action Wednesday night, as Nebraska hosts Wake Forest in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Demon Deacons are 4-2 for the year.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

 

We are the champions my friend
And we’ll keep on fightin’ till the end
We are the champions, We are the champions
No time for losers ’cause we are the champions

The Nebraska Volleyball team picks up the first Big Ten Championship when they won with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-19) sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa City. Nebraska has now captured 32 conference titles overall. Prior to this Championship, Penn State had won the last 8 Conference Volleyball Championships.

“This is not an easy conference to win,” Coach John Cook said. “We did it while dealing with a lot of things, but through the leadership of our captains, we found a way to come together and hang tough. We had to outlast all these other teams, a new coaching staff and had some big-time players to replace.”

Gina Mancuso led the Huskers on the night with 14 kills, while Hannah Werth had 12 kills and nine digs. Lauren Cook notched her 15th double-double of the season with 32 assists and 10 digs. Jordan Wilberger had four block assists as Morgan Broekhuis had three.

In recent starts, the Huskers have had a little problem getting started. ““We actually talked about that, that in the last three or four matches we’ve come on kind of slow,” Werth said. “We’ve either only won the first set by a couple points or even losing it. We did a really good job of focusing on our energy and putting it on the next-point mentality.”

“It feels great obviously to come into a new conference where there are great teams all around and a team that’s dominated volleyball in the last couple years,” Mancuso said. “It feels great to come in and take that away and take that for ourselves and claim it.”

The Huskers hit .386 for the match, while the Hawkeyes hit .114. Nebraska out-blocked Iowa 7-0 and out-dug them 45-34.

Wilberger led Nebraska in the first set with three kills on six attacks. Mancuso and Werth both had two kills, while Cook notched eight assists. Lara Dykstra tabbed five digs as Broekhuis and Werth both had four.

Senior Jordan Wilberger has come on strong the last part of the season. Nebraska coach John Cook said it’s not unusual for the Scottsbluff, Neb., native to start heating up near the end of the season.

“This is what she always does this time of year,” Cook said. “She waits until November-December to turn it on. She’s like the whales migrating and the birds going back and forth. It’s November-December. It’s her time.”

Mancuso and Werth both notched six kills in the second set as Cook had 15 assists. Dykstra had five digs in the set, en route to a team-total of 10 for the Huskers, and Wilberger put up two blocks. The Huskers hit .600 in the second set, while holding Iowa to .120 and no team blocks.

Mancuso had six kills for the Huskers in the third set, while Werth notched four. Cook tallied nine assists and the Huskers hit .406 in the final set. NU had 18 digs and two team blocks, while Iowa had zero team blocks and only 13 digs.

They Huskers conclude the conference play with a Saturday night away match against Northwestern.

A subdued celebration followed match point. The Nebraska players turned and saluted the Husker fans who made up a sizeable portion of the 2,061 in attendance before vacating the court for Iowa’s Senior Night festivities.

The Big Ten schedule is a grind, with 20 matches. Eleven of the opponents were ranked when they played Nebraska. The second-ranked Huskers (24-3, 17-2) have beaten every Big Ten team at least once.

Nebraska coach John Cook recalled hearing former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight say winning a Big Ten title may be equally as tough as a national title because the conference matches are home and away over a long period of time. That sounds like a fair statement to Cook following the past 10 weeks.

The low-key nature of the postmatch jubilation showed that the Huskers viewed their title as a load off their shoulders just as much as a crowning achievement.

“We’ve felt the weight of this for the last couple weeks,” Cook said. “Our kids have felt the pressure of trying to finish this thing off. Because when you get to that point, it was ours to lose, so winning it now is a relief.”

Nebraska’s road to the title was far from simple. The Huskers navigated a Big Ten gauntlet that included wins over two other teams — Penn State and Illinois — that held the country’s top ranking at some point during this season. The league also boasted seven teams out of 12 that were ranked in the Top 25.

The Huskers managed to find their way to the top of one of the country’s top conferences despite a number of obstacles. The team was faced with the loss of three departed All-Americans from last year’s squad, as well as four-year starting libero Kayla Banwarth. The year got off to a rocky start with a near-loss at New Mexico State and a five-set defeat at Colorado State after NU had taken the first two games.

Werth Picks Up Another Reward.

Nebraska junior Hannah Werth was honored Tuesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. This is in addition to being named Big Ten Player of the Week.

Werth received the honor after recording two double-doubles in four-set wins over then-No. 19 Minnesota and Wisconsin. Against Minnesota, she notched 14 kills while hitting .379 and tabbed 17 digs. She continued to perform at a high level against Wisconsin, tallying another 14 kills and 13 digs. For the week, she averaged 3.5 kills and 3.8 digs per set and hit .323 to help the Huskers jump to No. 2 in the latest AVCA Coaches Top-25 Poll.

The honor marks the 12th time an athlete from Nebraska has received the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week award, with the most recent coming on Nov. 10, 2009 when Sydney Anderson received the honor.

Why you should be at one of the watch sites Friday.

First off, it’s the last Conference game of the year. What a way to close out the first B1G football year by watching and cheering on our Huskers. Now especially for those who go to Fox and Hounds, it seems Iowa has taken over our room, so lets get there early and take our room back but we will let the Hawkeyes join us and we will have lots of fun, I can tell you. Now be sure and get there early so you can grab a seat.

Secondly, Scott Fruit, our sales manager of everything Husker is making a special offer on shirts. Scott says, “I am trying to sell out our inventory as much as possible so t-shirts are $10, golf shirts $15. You can call me as well and come pick them up at my place if you don’t come to the watch sites 784-9671.

OK Husker Pals, remember its Turkey on Thursday but on Friday we are feeding on Iowa Hawkeyes.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

　

　

　

　

              Happy Thanksgiving Huskers

Before the season started there was a lot of talk about Nebraska being in the Conference Championship game. Maybe that was a little premature as it now looks. We are now 4-3 and no chance of going to Indianapolis.

The Big Ten has always been know as a very strong football conference and we can say that the guys in red found that out the hard way. We have one last home game and that’s with our neighbors the Iowa Hawkeyes who are always noted for their toughness especially at the end of the season.

Looking back over the seven games we had some high spots and a couple of well, call them what you will. Our schedule wasn’t an easy one. We faced the best of the B1G and we can say we beat the winner of the Legends and maybe the winner of the Leaders, Michigan State and Penn State. That’s not bad for the new kids on the block.

But on the other hand we got smashed, or maybe more correctly we smashed ourselves against Wisconsin and Michigan and just couldn’t catch up with Perdue. Against Ohio State and Minnesota, well both teams were on a down side when we caught them. OSU still suffering form NCAA penalties and the Gophers, well this just wasn’t their year.

I think we all expected a little to much from the Huskers. Having played in the spread offense Big 12 for a number of years, we then moved into a power run B1G where offensive line men range in the 300+ category and running backs are all power runners but also with the ability to change directions quickly, like the Badger’s Montee Ball, 151 yards and 4 TDs, and the Wolverine’s Fitzgerald Toussaint, 138 yards 2 TDs.

Its kind of funny how the two major losses were so much alike. Errors, errors, and then errors. It also smarts to compare the scores, 48-17 and 45-17. Taking a look at time of possession, which has always been a Husker strong point, we had the ball for an average of only 21:47 or one quarter and 6:47 minutes. No wonder they scored a lot.

Just how wacky is this conference in that you can never take a game for granted? Our next and final conference game is against Iowa. Looking at comparative games shows you just how tough this conference is

Iowa                                                                         Huskers

At Penn State L 13-3                                          At Home W 14-17

At Minnesota L 22-21                                        There W 14-41

Michigan At Home W 16-24                            At Home L 45-17

Northwestern At Home W 31-41                   At Home L 28-25

It just seems to be that in the B1G, everyone just beats up on everyone. In pre bowl pickings, the Bleacher Report predicts Nebraska to go to the Insight Bowl against the 4^th best from the Big 12. We will just have to see what happens against Iowa on Friday.

So now, lets concentrate on dining on turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and then get ready to dine on Hawkeyes on Friday.

Volleyball:

The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team (23-3, 16-2) sent the 2011 seniors out in dominant fashion with a 3-1 (12-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-22) victory over the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday night at the NU Coliseum. In front of 4,188 fans, NU honored seniors Brooke Delano, Brigette Root and Jordan Wilberger in their final home match of the regular season.

With the victory, the 2011 seniors earned the 109th win of their careers and captured their third conference title as the Huskers earned at least a share of this season’s Big Ten Conference crown with the win. Nebraska can win the Big Ten title outright on Tuesday with a win over Iowa.

Hannah Werth led Nebraska on the night with her ninth double-double of the season, as she totaled 14 kills and 13 digs. Jordan Wilberger produced a stellar senior night performance, with a career-high 12 kills, while also tying her career-high hitting percentage of .750. Morgan Broekhuis recorded 10 kills on the night, along with eight digs. Lauren Cook tabbed 38 assists and six digs for NU.

Lara Dykstra led Nebraska defensively with 14 digs. She now has a total of 355 digs on the year and ranks second in the all-time freshman digs record at Nebraska.

And with Hannah’s big night against Wisconsin earned her another Big Ten Player of the Week. This is Hannah Werth’s second Player of the Week award.

Women’s Basketball: What chance does a young team with 2 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 2 Sophs and 6 players either freshman or red shirt freshman have a giants a team from USC who is ranked 23^rdin the nation?

Now this bunch of ball bouncers from USC also have eight 1^st team High School All Americans on their team. With three seniors in their starting lineup, the Trojans are considered definitive favorites to beat a talented but young, scrappy Nebraska team that starts only one senior.

Well you might say, “Think I will stay home and watch a good movie, and if you did you would have missed on whale of a ball bouncing, swishing the nets type of game. Those who went know Coach Connie Yori and understand her impulse to run and use team speed on offense at the same time her teams try to clamp down with ball-hawking defense.

The Results: A start to finish 68-50 win over No. 23 USC. Lindsey Moore (Junior) and Jordan Hooper (Sophomore) each score 22 points in leading the Huskers to this commanding win over a ranked opponent.

After the Trojans had trimmed the score to 44-38, Moore refused to allow USC any closer, scoring 10 points, dishing out two assists and snagging one steal during the seven-minute second-half stretch to give the Huskers their biggest lead of the night at 62-42 with 3:56 to play.

“I thought Lindsey played great basketball, especially during that big stretch we had in the second half,” Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. “She just made play, after play, after play. For those of you who didn’t get to see her last year, she did the same thing. She had a great season for us last year. She did everything in her power, but we just weren’t good enough to win many games. I feel great for her, because I think we’ve got some more around her to work with this year.”

And how right Coach Yori is, as Lindsey Moore captured the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award in Husker basketball history when the conference announced the honor on Monday afternoon.

While Moore carried Nebraska in crunch time, Jordan Hooper powered the Huskers to their early lead. The 6-2 sophomore forward from Alliance, Neb., who earned All-Big 12 Freshman honors a year ago, finished with 22 points and a career-high matching 13 rebounds.

Hooper dominated the paint in the first half with 16 points and seven rebounds in 15 first-half minutes. In fact, Hooper had nine points by the first media timeout of the game after USC had already spent two early timeouts trying to slow down NU’s 11-2 start to open the game. By the 9:27 mark in the half, after getting rest for several minutes, Hooper hit double figures on a pair of free throws. Her three-point play with 6:40 left gave NU’s its biggest lead at the time at 28-15.

Hooper’s huge rebounding night helped the Huskers build a monstrous 66-40 edge on the boards, including 24 offensive rebounds. It was not only Nebraska’s highest rebounding total in the Connie Yori-era, it was the highest total ever against a Division I opponent and the biggest mark in more than 30 years. It was the third-best total overall, trailing only 73 boards against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 19, 1980, and 68 rebounds against Wayne State on Jan. 28, 1978.

True freshmen forwards Hailie Sample and Emily Cady each produced career bests with 10 rebounds. Cady, a 6-2 native of Seward, Neb., added six points, one assist and a block.

Fellow freshmen and California natives Katie Simon and Tear’a Laudermill added five points apiece to help the Huskers in a defensive-oriented game.

On Monday night, two undefeated teams met to play basketball. A strong defense, Coach Yori’s trademark, kept the Huskers on the winning side as they downed Savannah State 70-50. This is the fourth game where the defense has kept the visitors scoring of under 55 points.

The Huskers, who entered the game allowing just 48.7 points per game through the first three contests, held the Lady Tigers to just 18 first-half points to carry a 38-18 lead into the locker room at the break.

Sophomore forward Jordan Hooper led Nebraska with 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior point guard Lindsey Moore pitched in 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals as the only two Huskers in double figures.

Redshirt freshman guard Rebecca Woodberry contributed nine points and four rebounds off the bench, while freshman Tear’a Laudermill added nine points and two rebounds while taking a pair of charges.

The team will probably have turkey on the road as they go south east to take on Florida A&M on Friday, Florida State on Sunday and then head north. The B1G has a challenge with the ACC teams, and the Huskers will play Georgia Tech on Wednesday before returning home.

Men’s Basketball: Today, Sunday afternoon, I watched the men lay an 83-63 defeat on the Rhode Island Rams in Lincoln. Hey folks, if your not following the games on the B1G Network, you are really missing out.

Bo Spencer’s 23 points led three Huskers as he hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, dished out four assists and had three steals, as the Huskers built a 15-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and cruised to a 20-point win over the Rams.

Caleb Walker had a career-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Dylan Talley came off the bench for 14 points and five rebounds, as nine Huskers broke into the scoring column in Nebraska’s highest output of the year. Senior Brandon Richardson dished out a career-high eight assists and matched his personal best with four steals as the Huskers forced 18 turnovers and converted them to 27 points.

Nebraska (3-0) shot 57.1 percent from the floor, including 10-of-23 from 3-point range while holding URI (0-3) to a season-low 37.7 percent shooting. The Rams, who averaged 90 points per game in its first two games.

Walker had a career-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Talley came off the bench for 14 points and five rebounds, as nine Huskers broke into the scoring column in Nebraska’s highest output of the year. Senior Brandon Richardson dished out a career-high eight assists and matched his personal best with four steals as the Huskers forced 18 turnovers and converted them to 27 points.

 Nebraska came out blistering, hitting its first seven shots from the floor to build an early 16-7 lead, as Walker and Spencer combined to score 14 of the Huskers’ first 16 points URI pulled to within 16-9, but 3-pointers from Toney McCray and Dylan Talley sparked a 13-0 Husker run, as Nebraska built a 29-9 lead after three Spencer free throws with 8:10 left in the half. The Huskers eventually got the lead to as much as 24 after a Richardson 3-pointer with 3:08 left in the half, as Nebraska went 6-of-14 from long range in the opening half.

The Huskers took the suspense out of the second half, using an 8-0 run to build a 55-27 lead after Talley’s 3-point play with 13:41 remaining. URI made one last run, pulling to within 65-46 with 7:57 left, but Walker and Spencer led NU on an 8-2 spurt to quickly push the margin to 25 and put the game out of reach.

The Nebraska basketball team looks to improve to 4-0 for only the second time in the last six years, as Nebraska plays host to Oregon this Wednesday. Tipoff from the Devaney Center is slated for 8:06 p.m. (central) and the game will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network with Tom Hart and Keno Davis calling the action. It is also available on BTN2Go on iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches for DirecTV and Dish Network customers and selected cable providers

Wrestling: The Nebraska wrestling team checked in at No. 24 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released on Tuesday. After finding themselves just outside the rankings to begin the year, NU was able to break into the rankings after a weekend that included four dual victories on the East Coast, including an upset over a nationally ranked opponent.

Big Ten teams Iowa and Penn State sit atop the poll at No. 1 and 2, respectively. The Huskers host both the Hawkeyes (Jan.13) and Nittiany Lions (Feb. 3) at the NU Coliseum this season.

The Huskers kicked off their season with a 28-9 victory over Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., before wrestling in three duals on Saturday at the Wrestle for a Cure Duals in Harrisburg, Pa. NU defeated previous No. 24 Kent State, North Carolina and Navy to finish off its perfect weekend. Josh Ihnen (184), James Nakashima (197) and Robert Kokesh (165) won all four matches they wrestled in, while senior Tucker Lane (Hwt) recorded three victories of his own.

Rifle: The Nebraska rifle team lost to Ohio State, 4,619 – 4,605 at the NU Rifle Range on Saturday. The Huskers’ record moves to 1-6 following the loss.

In the smallbore portion of the match, Joyce Kim led the way, scoring 582. Kelsey Hansen followed, shooting a 572 for the Huskers, while Katelyn Woltersdorf added a 571. Sunny Russell shot 559 and Janine Dutton fired a 557. In air rifle, Sheena Mahloch paced the Huskers, shooting 584. Russell, meanwhile, scored a 580 and Wilson added 579. Dutton and Hansen scored 578 and 576, respectfully.

Swimming and Diving: The Nebraska swimming team finished fourth at this weekend’s TYR Invitational in Evanston, Illinois. Husker swimmers finished in the top eight of nineteen events in an invitational that the Nebraska diving squad did not travel to.

The Huskers scored 517 points during the invite, just 177 points out of second place. Northwestern won the TYR Invite with 866 team points.

Nebraska had a strong showing throughout the invitational, earning three runner-up finishes on the weekend from Bailey Pons (500-yard freestyle), Hayley Martin (100-yard freestyle) and the 400-yard freestyle relay team (Martin, Pons, Rebekah Land and Kelly Dunn).

Third-place finishers include Shannon Guy in the 100-yard butterfly and Dunn in the 100-yard freestyle at 51.10. Morgan Flannigan, Katie Davis, Natalie Morris and Ellan Dufour all also contributed top-eight finishes on the Iinvitational. Overall, the Huskers saw twenty-six finishes in the top-eight during the Invitational, leading to the fourth-place finish.

I hope everyone has a wonderful  Thanksgiving with friends and familyand we will see you at the watch sites on Friday.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

A  Big One Coming Up At The Big House

The Big House: That’s were the Huskers are headed this weekend. Time to do battle with the Michigan Wolverines. I really don’t know how they came up with the name Wolverines since there is absolutely no evidence that this vicious animal ever lived in Michigan.

But anyway, this will be a battle since MU is favored by 3.5 points. Now that only reflects a home field advantage, plus over 100,000 people and you can bet some of those will be clad in Red.

If you look at the stats, your going to find that the two teams match even in just about every category.

UNL      MU

Total Offense              404.1    421.5

Total Defense             352.9    317.9

Rushing Offense        232.7    231.3

Rushing Defense       161.3     127.4

Passing Offense          171.4    190.2

Pass Defense               190.7    190.5

Each team has four B1G top ten rushers for the season. Burkhead #3 (107.2) and Martinez #7 (76.8) and MU’s Robinson #5 (91.0) and Toussaint #6 (83.7).

Both Teams have won 8 and lost 2, and each are 4-2 in conference play. Now that’s about as even as you could forecast after 10 games. But there is one difference in mobility of the quarter backs. Both are very good runners, however, Robinson refuses to stay in the pocket and moves about. In one sense this means he will run from defense but still has a good eye for spotting receivers. On the other hand, a solid rush, which has been applied to him, leaves him hurried, like it should

Martinez, as you know is also a good speedy runner but he is not the crash, run you over type like Robinson.

Both teams ate still hopeful of a Legends title and a play off in the December Conference Championship. But, both teams will be rooting for the Michigan State opponents and a loss by MSU, would put the division into a tie with the team that wins this game.

Hey, isn’t this a little different than in our previous conference and division where we constantly went to the Conference Championships. Get used to it good Husker Buddies, this is a different league where bottom will raise hell with the top any time.

Another factor, emotional as it is, this is the 5^th Anniversary of the passing of a Michigan great, Bo Schembechler. Now maybe just a few of red shirt frosh were under Bo’s leadership, but the legend of him still remains. The motto for this weeks game is:

                               Shred the Red

Looking around at other Husker activities, lets zero in on a few.

Volleyball: The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team used a balanced and gritty effort Wednesday night to overcome the No. 19 Minnesota Gophers 3-1 (17-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-16) in front of 4,166 fans at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers saw three players tally double-digit kills on the night.

Gina Mancuso, Morgan Broekhuis and Hannah Werth all notched 14 kills against the Gophers, guiding NU to 60 total kills as a team. Mancuso and Werth had 16 and 17 digs, respectively, giving Mancuso her 11th double-double of the season and Werth her eighth. Lauren Cook had 47 assists and 12 digs on the night for her 14th double-double of the year.

Brooke Delano tallied nine kills on 23 attacks for a hitting percentage of .348, while adding eight blocks. Jordan Wilberger came off the bench for six kills on 12 attacks and also had five blocks on the night. Lara Dykstra helped NU defensively with 14 digs.

Nebraska returns to action Saturday, Nov. 19 to take on the Wisconsin Badgers at 7 p.m. CT. The Huskers will honor their three seniors- Brooke Delano, Brigette Root and Jordan Wilberger- in their final home match of the regular season. The match can be seen live on BTN.com on a tape delayed.

The Huskers, still in first place in the B1G have three game left, first against Wicsonsin, the follow up against Iowa and Northwestern. The Lady Huskers are on the way to win the first Big Ten Championship for the new kids on the block.

Women’s Basketball: Coach Connie Yori likes to take them all on. Her theory is that it leads to a better skilled team. And Friday night the Husker ladies take on the 23 ranked USC team. Now the one thing to remember about Nebraska, this is a young team. Moving from the high school ranks into a vicious pre conference schedule and then into the new conference the B1G with Penn State ranked 11^th and Purdue at 16^th.

The Huskers are laden with true frosh and red shirt frosh. So far these youngsters have shown a lot of grit and skills that should continue to build throughout the season.

Nebraska has opened the season with a pair of high-scoring, fast-paced wins. The Huskers rolled to a 95-43 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the opener, before running to a 99-53 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday.

The Huskers have displayed an aggressive end-to-end defense and an explosive offense in the first two contests. Seven Huskers enter Friday night’s game averaging nine or more points per game, including four players averaging double figures.

Sophomore star Jordan Hooper leads NU with 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in an average of just 18.5 minutes per game through the first two contests. The 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., poured in 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes for her fourth career double-double on Tuesday.

Junior Lindsey Moore may have been even better, adding 18 points and 11 assists for her third career double-double. The 5-9 point guard from Covington, Wash., not only enjoyed a perfect shooting night, her career-high matching 11 assists came with no turnovers. Her production came in just 22 minutes to improve her season averages to 14.0 points and 9.5 assists per game.

There is something that says this group of young ladies are fighters who never giver up. It will be wonderful to track them throughout the season and watch their improvement game to game.

Men’s Basketball: Brandon Richardson keyed Nebraska’s decisive 8-0 run in double overtime, as the Huskers gutted out a 64-61 victory over USC at the Galen Center late Monday.

Nebraska trailed 56-54 in the second overtime before Richardson, who played at nearby Hawthorne High School, and senior Bo Spencer keyed the run which put Nebraska up for good. Spencer tied the game at 56 with a jumper before Richardson found Jorge Brian Diaz for a lay up to give the Huskers the lead for good with 3:03 remaining. On Nebraska’s next possession, Richardson delivered the dagger, his fourth 3-pointer of the night, putting the Huskers ahead 61-56.

Spencer led the Huskers with 22 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Richardson totaled 12 points and matched his career-high in 3-pointers. Jorge Brian Diaz was the third Husker to finish in double figures with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

Trailing 63-56 with 1:21 left, USC (1-1) made one last run, as Alexis Moore’s 3-pointer and a Dewayne Dedmon dunk pulled the Trojans within 62-61 with nine seconds left. USC then fouled Spencer, who calmly sank both foul shots to make it a 3-point lead. USC had one final chance to tie, but Maurice Jones’ 3-pointer was off the mark and the tip failed before Caleb Walker grabbed the rebound to secure Nebraska’s first non-conference road win since a win at USC two years ago.

The Huskers return to action Sunday afternoon, as Nebraska faces Rhode Island at the Devaney Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m CT and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network and on the radio on the Husker Sports Network and Huskers.com.

Roger

The Big Red Clad Coot in the Desert.

It Wasn’t All About Football

Last Wednesday I started to wonder what I would write about the Penn State game. I was really stumped. It was such a hideous situation. I guess I started out with three or four articles but trashed them all

Then on Friday, the day I needed to post something, I opened my e-mails and found the article written by Gary Anderson. I hope all of you read it because it expressed the thoughts of the Husker National so wonderfully.

So thank you very much Gary, I believe you said what needed to be said in those tense moments.

The prayer gathering of both teams prior to the game and lead by Nebraska Coach Ron Brown may have caused a lot of players to shed a few tears. It had that affect on me. Here is a link to the OWH article about this gathering at mid field. Read it. It’s worth the time.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111112/BIGRED/711129782/-1#shatel-a-reason-for-being-and-for-playing

From a chat site I am on, here is a comment from a Penn State fan and you might remember there was some concern as to safety of Husker Fans.

“By the way, I don’t think Nebraska fans should fear much. Of all the fan bases that could be traveling at this time to Happy Valley, I’m thankful it is you guys–who are amongst the most classy, passionate, and friendly college fans in the country. We don’t have to worry about classless, antagonizing, and tasteless expressions being uttered and chanted from our visitors about our current situation. I hope all visiting Nebraska fans will have as positive an experience as can be given the difficult circumstances. May you see the real side of Penn State that is not being currently portrayed.”

I can’t recap the game. The stats, even for each team, the score, each team helping up an opponent are the thoughts that race through my mind. It was class all the way. What happened at Penn State is not an indication of the true Penn State family. Heal quickly my friends, heal quickly.

OK. Lets move on to other areas of Husker Action for the weekend.

Big Ten Award, again: Nebraska place-kicker/punter Brett Maher picked up his third Big Ten weekly honor on Monday, as he was named Co-Special Teams Player of the Week along with Purdue’s Kawann Short. Overall, it is the fourth time this season the Huskers have earned the special teams award. Freshman Ameer Abdullah was selected following NU’s 42-29 win over Fresno State after he totaled 231 all-purpose yards, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown.

Maher was a difference maker in the field position battle once again for the Huskers in their 17-14 win over No. 12 Penn State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The junior averaged 45.0 yards per punt on eight tries, while placing five punts inside the Nittany Lions’ 20-yard line. Maher had two punts of 50 yards or more, including a 61-yard bomb that pinned PSU on its own 11-yard line in the final five minutes of the game. One of 20 semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, Maher now ranks seventh nationally in punting with an average of 45.37 yards per punt.

Basketball: The men’s team started off with 65-48 win over South Dakota and were led by Coleb Walker.

Walker, a senior guard from Hutchinson, Kan., was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, to pace four Huskers in double figures. Walker topped his previous high of 13 set three times last season and also had seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Walker got the Huskers off to a quick start, scoring the first seven points for Nebraska, which led wire to wire in posting its 11th consecutive season opening win.

Three other Huskers joined Walker in double figures, including Jorge Brian Diaz, who had 11 points and a career-high five blocked shots while Brandon Richardson and Dylan Talley had 10 points apiece. Talley, a junior college transfer from Camden, N.J., nearly recorded a double-double in his debut, as he snared nine rebounds and had five assists in 20 minutes off the bench.

Coach Connie Yori’s women’s team started off with a big win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Huskers, loaded with true frosh and red shirt frosh took command early.

Tear’a Laudermill and Adrianna Maurer both scored 11 first-half points off the bench to lead the Nebraska women’s basketball team to a 56-22 halftime lead on its way to an 95-43 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the Devaney Center on Saturday afternoon.

Maurer, a 6-3 sophomore from Shawnee Mission, Kan., finished with a game-high 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting game that included a three-pointer. Maurer, who added five rebounds, also hit both of her free throw attempts.

Laudermill, a 5-9 freshman from Riverside, Calif., finished with 14 points, three steals and an assist, to help the Huskers improve to 36-2 all-time in season openers. Laudermill also connected on a game-high four three-pointers to lead six Huskers in double figures on the day.

Wrestling: Fueled by two falls by a pair of freshmen and five straight victories to close the dual, the Nebraska wrestling team defeated Bucknell, 28-9, in its season-opening dual in Lewisburg, Pa. The Huskers, who kicked off the start of a four-dual road swing this weekend, have now won 15 of their last 16 season openers.

In his first action at the collegiate level, true freshman Jake Sueflohn (141) battled back from a 4-0 deficit to pin Alex Pellicciotti (Bucknell) in 4:35 at 141 pounds. Sueflohn’s victory gave the Huskers the lead after splitting the first two matches of competition at 125 and 133 pounds. Sophomore Shawn Nagel (125) dropped a tight, 4-3, battle to Austin Miller (Bucknell), while No. 17 Ridge Kiley (133) recorded his first victory of the season with his decision over Shwan Armato (Bucknell), 2-0.

Softball: Seven talented high school players signed National Letters of Intent to play softball at Nebraska next season, Head Coach Rhonda Revelle announced.

 The incoming class of recruits fills a variety of needs for the Huskers, as the signees include one catcher, one outfielder, two pitchers and three infielders. Included in the talented class are two state players of the year (Nebraska and Oregon), one two-time high school All-American and one U.S. Junior National Team tryout invitee.

The incoming players will have big shoes to fill, as Nebraska loses six seniors to graduation, including two of its three pitchers, three returning starters, three all-conference performers, two all-region selections and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.

Another Tucson player is committed. Sammi Noland is the lone catcher in Nebraska’s signing class. She plays her high school softball for Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, Ariz., where she will complete her prep career this spring. Noland gives Nebraska a recruit from Canyon del Oro for the second straight year, as current Husker freshman Mattie Fowler was a three-year teammate of Noland’s from 2009 to 2011. Noland also played her club ball with Fowler for the AZ Desert Thunder. The Desert Thunder are coached by Mattie Fowler’s parents, Lance and Kelly, while Canyon del Oro was coached by Kelly Fowler in each of Noland’s first three seasons.

Swimming and Diving: The Nebraska swimming and diving team defeated the University of Nebraska – Omaha Mavericks 192-100 at the Devany Natatorium. The Huskers, who are 2-0 on the season, now hold a 15-0 all-time series lead on the Mavs.

Nebraska set the tone from the start, winning the first six events on the afternoon. The 200-yard medley relay team of Ellan Dufour, Shannon Guy, Natalie Morris and Hayley Martin won the first event of the day, followed by individual wins by Riley Seidel (1000-yard freestyle), Bailey Pons (200-yard freestyle), Hayley Martin (100-yard backstroke), Kristin Strecker (100-yard breast) and Shannon Guy (200-yard butterfly).

Volleyball: Continuing their march to a Big Ten championship the Lady Huskers took on Indiana on Friday night. The Huskers, (21-2, 14-1) swept the Indiana Hoosiers (25-19, 25-19, 25-20) on the road.

Morgan Broekhuis notched 12 kills on the night with a hitting percentage of .407. Gina Mancuso tallied 11 kills, while Hannah Werth had eight for the Huskers. Brooke Delano tabbed seven kills and zero errors for NU. Nebraska was guided offensively by Lauren Cook, who had 40 assists on the night. Lara Dykstra paced NU defensively with 13 digs. Nebraska hit .321 for the match, while Indiana hit .217. The Huskers out-blocked IU 6-3.5.

Things weren’t as good on Saturday against the # 10 Purdue Boilermakers. The place really rocked as the standing room only Purdue fans cheered their team on to a sweep of the #2 Huskers 25-19, 25-19 and 25-16. Its been a long time since Big Red lost a three set match.

Hannah Werth led Nebraska on the night with 11 kills, while Gina Mancuso, Brooke Delano and Hayley Thramer all had seven kills. Lauren Cook notched 35 assists, but NU hit just .173 for the match. The Huskers had 43 digs behind Lara Dykstra’s 13. Purdue hit .410 for the match and had 57 team digs. The Boilermakers also out-blocked Nebraska 9-1.

The Husker maintained ther first place lead as Illinois lost one over the weekend. Nebraska returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 16 when they host the Minnesota Gophers at the NU Coliseum at 7 p.m. The match will be shown live on BTN.

Bowling: The Nebraska bowling team kicked off the 2011-12 regular season with a second place finish at the Crusader Classic held this weekend in Valparaiso, Indiana. The three-day event wrapped up Sunday afternoon with Valparaiso on top, while NU finished second and Arkansas State third.

Kayla Johnson (208), Valerie Calberry(202.6) and Lizabeth Kuhlkin(202.4) each earned all-tournament team honors for their individual performances. The Husker trio finished second, fourth and fifth respectively.

Cross Country: The Nebraska cross country team traveled to Urbana, Illinois for the Big Ten Championships hosted at the University of Illinois Arboretum. Katie White’s 22nd-place finish (in 20:53) led the Husker women to a seventh-place finish in a 6K race, and Trevor Vidlak’s 35th-place finish (in 24:37) paced the men in an 8K race, as they finished last in the conference as a team.

Wisconsin won its 13th consecutive and 45th overall Big Ten Men’s Cross Country Championship, placing five runners in the top six. Wisconsin posted a team score of 17, tying the second-lowest score in championships history. Michigan State won its second straight Big Ten Women’s Cross Country Championship, placing three runners in the top 10 to earn its fourth consecutive title all-time.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Oh, I wish this weekend was just about football.

By Gary Anderson

I was so looking forward to writing about how the B1G Ten’s newest members will play some “old school” B1G Ten power football in a designated rivalry game. But no one wants to read about X’s and O’s right now.

I was so looking forward to seeing the pageantry of a “white out” on Senior Day in Happy Valley this weekend. But Happy Valley is anything but happy right now.

This weekend, the Nebraska football team pays a visit to Penn State University. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Husker Nation will walk into the Lions’ den to face a wounded animal – not just the Penn State football team, but Penn State itself.

Some have suggested that, under these circumstances, this weekend’s football game should be cancelled, or at least rescheduled to another weekend. That will not happen. The schedule has been set. Like it or not, ready or not, kickoff will still be at high noon EST on Saturday. And to me that’s ok. Penn State is hurting, and needs to vent. A college football game is a great setting in which to vent.

Now it is true that our football team (and fans) may bear the brunt of all that venting. Some would say that this weekend, the Nebraska football team will be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m not so sure.

A few months ago for the B1G Ten Corn Roast, I noted that in Husker Nation, “we respect traditions that are worth keeping”. Now we have the opportunity to prove it.

In what I have read about the events of this past week, there is one phrase that jumped out at me. It comes from Penn State’s alma mater (adopted in 1901).

“May no act of ours bring shame

To one heart that loves thy name …”

That simple, noble phrase has been Penn State’s statement of values for over a century. It is a tradition worthy of respect. It is a tradition that we in Husker Nation need to respect this weekend.

I do not expect this to be an easy weekend for Husker Nation or for Penn State. But I am hopeful. I have to believe that, deep down, the true fans of Penn State will do their best to uphold their alma mater this weekend. The challenge for Husker Nation is to do the same, to live up to our billing as the classiest fans in college football, and to stand with Penn State in this difficult time.

As for the game itself, I expect a hard-fought physical and emotional contest. The Big Red had better be wearing “big boy” pads this weekend. [The players may actually have it easier than the fans on Saturday – players get to channel and release their emotions on each other as part of the game.] And when it is done, I expect the players from both sides to shake hands, kneel together in the middle of the field, and then walk back to their locker rooms with heads held high. If that is indeed the case, then both teams will be winners no matter what the scoreboard says.

I hope there is a big turnout for the tailgate at Touchdowns on Saturday. And I hope some of the Penn State faithful can join us for some Husker hospitality.

Go Big Red!

Gary Anderson

You Bet The B1G Is A Tough Conference. 

OK, where do we go from here? A tough loss to a team who really came here to play and that they did. Say what you want to about the Huskers, but we were outplayed, out coached and seemingly flat on desire to win according to Coach Pelini.

“We had a lot of passion in practice and that really got spread around,” Wildcat defensive end Quentin Williams said. “Really, the defense and the whole team collectively really put our foot down and said enough is enough. We really needed to come out here and play a complete game, defense especially.” Earlier NW had lost five straight games before last weeks defeat of Indiana.

Nebraska finished with a season-low 122 yards on 35 carries, the third time this season it did not rush for at least 200 yards. Burkhead, who had 100-yard outings in five of his last six games, was limited to 69 yards on 22 carries.

Now for some side bits.

 T-Magic was on the mark with his passes just about every time. Hitting 28-37 with a couple of drops by Bell and one by Kinnie and also bouncing one of the helmet of his blocker. A very nice stretch on the 2 point conversion and a good run that was called back because of a penalty. After NW went up 28-18 with 1:34 left, Taylor drove the Huskers 74 yards in ten plays in 1:10 with Bell catching the 14 yard TD pass. He did a good job with decision-making, not forcing throws, being patient enough to find the open guy. I thought he showed some real growth there.

Bo Pelini said the team had suffered some bumps and bruises in the last game and maybe it showed up here. Burkhead just didn’t seem he had the hard drive he showed against Michigan State. It seemed to me he did a little limping going off the field. Kyler Reed has been overcoming injuries, some type of muscle pull. The D Line is missing Crick, and Randle and now Rome. That hurts, not just them but the play of the D Line.

Two lost balls in the red zone really hurt. The first one involved Burkhead at the 1 or 2 yard line. Now that didn’t seem like a “fumble” to me the way the ball came flying out but rather good defensive play by NU. The Wildcats have forced a number of take-a-ways, 11 and have recovered 7 of them.

The one in involving Enunwa, well maybe that was a take-a-way too or just not a firm grip on the ball.

Time of Possessions is usually in favor of the Huskers.  This time it was the Huskers on the short end with the Cats taking up 34:06 minutes and the Huskers taking the other 25:54 minutes. Those two NU drives in the second half  really shut down our offense and tired out our defense.

That’s not as bad as it sounds though. The real time waster is going down field getting into the red zone and then loosing the ball on the 4 yard line. Time consumed 6:46 and nothing to show for it. The other turn over was Enunwa, two plays and starting at the 49, the pass was caught but then turned over in two plays down to the NU 19 yard line.

Defense seemed like  was turned on and off all day. Yes we were short because of injuries, but so was NU. After Martinez scored that 2 point conversion the Cats started on their 34 and then ran 14 plays and scored the back breaking TD. In that spell, all but two plays went for yardage. The other two were stopped at the line. The total amount of time used up in this drive was 7:05.

AP Ratings: There is no B1G team in the top ten as Nebraska dropped out. Heading the B1G is Penn State 12^th, MSU 13^th, Badgers 16^th, Huskers 19^th, and Michigan 22nd.

The Legends: Before the season even started I read a comment by a sports writer who said that the Big Ten rarely has a top BCS challenger since they seem to beat themselves up in conference play. That seems true as of right now Michigan State has the lead on representing the Legends in Indianapolis in December. They finish out against Iowa, Indiana and Northwestern. If the Cats and the Hawkeyes can keep up the style of play they showed in Lincoln and against Michigan, it could be they will help us if we win out against Penn State, Michigan and Iowa.

Volleyball play returned home after a 1-1 road trip back east. Again before awesome crowds the Huskers won two against the two Michigan schools and maintained their first place B1G lead and defended their #2 national ranking.

On Friday night the Wolverines took the first set 17-25 as the Huskers were a little slow starting. The Huskers trailed 8-4 early in the first set until a kill by Brooke Delano made it 12-8, Michigan. Back-to-back kills by Gina Mancuso and Hayley Thramer put NU within four, before the Wolverines pulled away to make it 20-16. Delano’s kill helped Nebraska close it to 20-17, but Michigan did not let up and won the first set 25-17.

The Huskers came out with new life in the second set, tying with the Wolverines nine different times. Nebraska went ahead 10-8 on a kill by Delano and tied the match at 15 by capitalizing on an error from Michigan. Another kill by Delano put the Huskers ahead 20-17, but the Wolverines would not give up, eventually tying the match at 23. The Huskers hit a second gear and closed out Michigan with a 26-24 second-set win on an attack error by U-M.

After the break, the Huskers came back as a stellar dig by Paige Hubl led NU to a 7-2 advantage, and a tip by Root gave Nebraska a 9-2 lead. Mancuso ended a three-point run by Michigan to put Nebraska ahead 12-6. The Wolverines cut it as close as 13-11, but the Huskers pulled away to make it 16-12. NU went up 22-18 late in the third set and went on to win 25-20, leading the match 2-1.

Nebraska and Michigan were tied early in the fourth set at four apiece. A solo block by Werth put Nebraska up 6-4 and a long rally and huge block by Thramer made it 11-7, Huskers. Michigan came back to tie the set at 12, but Nebraska went up 16-13. The Wolverines once again tied the set at 17, but the Huskers showed the same fight that kept emerging all night and went ahead 23-19 on an error by Michigan. Nebraska closed out the fourth set with a 25-21 win and took the match 3-1.

The Huskers were led by a rock solid performance from Brigette Root in her first career start at setter. Root notched the first double-double of her career in front of a roaring 4,156 crowd at the NU Coliseum with 25 assists and 11 digs. She paced Nebraska on the night in a gutsy comeback win.

 

 

Gina Mancuso guided the team with an impressive 16 kills for a hitting percentage of .341. Morgan Broekhuis had nine kills for NU, while Brooke Delano notched eight and Hannah Werth tabbed six, rounding out an impressive even attack for the Huskers. Werth led NU defensively with 17 digs.

The East Lansing Spartans must not like coming to Lincoln since they lost the football game and then the Huskers used a fantastic defensive effort to take down one of the top-hitting percentage teams in the conference. Nebraska held MSU to a .026 hitting percentage, while hitting .263 on their own. NU out-dug Michigan State 49-36 and out-blocked the Spartans 11-5, while forcing them to commit 27 errors on the night.

Gina Mancuso led Nebraska in the match with 13 kills on 26 attacks for a .385 hitting percentage. Hannah Werth tallied 11 kills and 10 digs for her seventh double-double on the season. Morgan Broekhuis had eight kills for the Huskers and also notched five blocks. Hayley Thramer also had five blocks of her own, while Brooke Delano tallied four. Brigette Root guided Nebraska on the night with 34 assists in her second career start, while Lara Dykstra led NU defensively with 11 digs.

 Tennis anyone? NU’s team of Christopher Aumueller and Benedikt Lindhiem were victorious in their semifinals match over Columbia’s duo of Nathaniel Gery and Winston Lin, 8-2. In the finals, Princeton’s squad of John Collins and Maros Horny were victorious, 9-7, over NU’s duo. The loss ended Nebraska’s run at the Indoor Championships.

“Aumueller and Lindheim lost in the finals of the consolation today, and even though it was a tough loss they have gained valuable experience,” Nebraska head coach Kerry McDermott said. “Hopefully it will benefit our team in the spring. “We coaches are proud of their effort overall throughout the tournament and hope that their experience at National Indoors will help them finish strong in the second semester as we start team competition.”

All University of Nebraska Basketball: Well yes it was since it was UNL vs. UNK pairing off in the second exhibition game Sunday.

Jordan Hooper scored 28 points in another strong exhibition effort to led the Nebraska women’s basketball team to a 85-55 victory over Nebraska-Kearney at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska completed exhibition play 2-0, including an 86-55 win over Pittsburg State last Sunday in Lincoln. The Huskers posted their 10th consecutive exhibition victory over UNK, while facing the Lopers for the 10th straight season.

Hooper, a 6-2 sophomore forward from Alliance, Neb., scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the opener before adding 28 against the Lopers. Hooper has scored 20 or more points in all four exhibition games of her young career.

Hooper powered an otherwise balanced  Nebraska offense along with Lindsey Moore.  Although Hooper and Moore were the only Huskers in double figures, Nebraska received significant contributions from their 11 active players.

Freshman forward Emily Cady pitched in eight points, four rebounds and three assists to average 11 points in a pair of exhibition games. Senior guard Kaitlyn Burke added eight of her own to go along with five steals, while Hailie Sample, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Rebecca Woodberry each contributed five points. Junior Meghin Williams pitched in four points, while Katie Simon added three.

B1G Basketball: This will be an exciting year introducing themselves to the B1G women’s basketball. Of the 12 players on the team 2 are seniors 2 are juniors and the rest are red shirt or true frosh players.

The team took a trip to the Nordic countries this summer and through that trip the bonding of the team has been terrific, according to Head Coach Connie Yori. Connie herself has been deprived of contact with the team for a month since she has been recovering from medical problems and has to depend on her staff to develop the players in being ready to broach the B1G ranks.

A Special Award to Nebraska’s senior player Kaitlyn Burke was named one of 30 candidates nationally for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, honoring the nation’s top all-around women’s basketball student-athlete.

Burke, a 5-7 shooting guard for Coach Connie Yori’s Huskers, is the most experienced member of the women’s basketball team and one of the top all-around leaders on the Nebraska campus.

Burke has taken on an even greater leadership role off the court, serving as the 2011-12 President of Nebraska’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In addition to her significant duties as SAAC President, Burke also finds time to coach a Special Olympics basketball team among numerous outreach activities. 

The two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection is also a seven-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She carries a 3.541 grade-point average as an advertising and business administration major.

Burke’s many talents preceded her to the University of Nebraska. Prior to becoming a Husker, Burke was a multi-sport standout at Argyle Secondary School in North Vancouver. Her final year before coming to Nebraska, she was one of the first Canadians to attend the National Elite Development Academy in Ontario. She was a member of the 2005 Canadian Cadet National Team and the Canadian Junior National Team in both 2006 and 2007.

As a youngster, Burke was a childhood actress in several feature films. She starred in Questar’s Bear with Me (2000) and Ms. Bear (1997). She also appeared in Disney’s Life-Size with Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan (2000). She also appeared in A Song from the Heart (1999) and National Lampoon’s Dad’s Week Off starring Henry Winkler (1997).

From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the 2011-12 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in late January. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert

　

　

　

　

The Northwestern Wildcats are not recognized as a strong team in the B1G, but one that is recognized as a “don’t take them for granted” team.

For instance, Northwestern senior superback Drake Dunsmore has been tabbed the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week following his record-setting outburst at Indiana on Saturday. Dunsmore broke Northwestern’s all-time mark for single-game touchdown receptions with four and finished with seven catches for 112 yards.

Dunsmore caught his four touchdowns in a span of five Northwestern possessions over the second and third quarters, with the lone exception coming courtesy of an NU kneel-down to end the first half. His scores came on plays of 22, 10, six and nine yards and included a spectacular one-handed grab made while fending off a defender in the end zone.

It was a wild day in Bloomington as after a first half shootout in which Northwestern and Indiana combined for 59 points and nearly 700 yards of total offense, the Wildcats closed out a 59-38 victory over the Hoosiers.

Passing seems to be their major action with Dan Persa averaging 250 yards and back up, Kain Colter adding another 66 yards a game. The interesting thing is that Persa has only played in 5 games while Colter has been in 8. Surprising , Colter is the leading rusher for the Wildcats averaging 57 yards a game while Persa is only 7 yards per game.

On defense, David Nwabuisi leads with 27 solos and 33 assists followed by Brian Peters with 25-31 but has also added 3 interceptions.

The Wildcats are more inclined to pass, averaging 244 per game while ground plays average 187.

This will be an interesting match up with Nebraska’s “Jump Around” defense. This seemed to confuse the MSU OL as the Husker D Line kept jumping around from hole to hole not letting the offense know who they were blocking. Now this was against the best rated defense in the B1G and the Huskers pulled of 4 sacks and a number of losses. With the help of a very active DB, the QB was throwing the ball away many a time or throwing into close quarters.

I wonder if Carl P thought of this “Jump Around” after seeing the whole stadium do this at the Wisconsin game. Since Northwestern loves to throw the ball I bet you can count on seeing more of this “Old Steelers Style” of defense.

The outstanding performance of the Defensive Team was rewarded with the distribution of the Blackshirts. But does this mean that individual players will retain these shirts? Not according to the Pelini brothers. Practice efforts count as much as game efforts in retaining the Blackshirts.

Now we all know Head Coach Bo Pelini has been somewhat criticized for his very vocal style with either Refs or players. But often we don’t really know what Bo was saying. So here is your chance to umm, try and guess what he was really saying and we can have some fun. With this picture, write me what you think Bo was saying and I will post them on the next Husker Huddle: Huskerketel@aol.com . Remember it doesn’t have to be about football.

Women’s Golf: It was a rather weird ending for the Husker ladies fall golf season. In the first round of play the Huskers were sitting pretty with a 6 over par and in 9^th place. Sophomore Steffi Neisen led the team with a 72 followed by Maddie Sheils at 73, true Frosh Shelby Martinek a 74 and Kayla Knopik with a 75. This was the lowest round for the team this fall.

At the end of the second round, the Huskers moved from 9^th to first place by shooting a school record low round of 280, eight under par. With five players on the team, and picking the four best scores, yesterdays team leader Neisen fired a 73 but was the high score for the team since Sheils and Knopik each marked a tough 69, with Arizona native and freshman, Martinek with a career low 70 and Katelyn Wright added an even par 72.

Day two was not a follow up of day one. Golf can be a humbling game. I always think of Golf as being a four letter word. For Maddie and Shelby it was a lot of double boogies with them scoring 84 and 89. Katelyn had an 82. But Kayla Knopik came in with a 75.

The proud performance of the day for the Huskers was Steffi Neisen who shot a hot 69 for the final round and her 2 under par 54 hole score earned a tie for second place in the individual play, one stroke out of first place. Now following that great finish, Steffi was selected as Big Ten Women’s Golfer of the Week. She now joins Maddie Shiels who has been honored twice this fall season.

 

Women’s Soccer: Three Lady Huskers were honored by the B1G Soccer Coaches.

Junior Morgan Marlborough ranked second in the Big Ten this season in both points (2.56) and goals (2.56) per game, while also ranking in the top ten in assists with 0.33 per game. During conference play, Marlborough scored 11 goals and averaged 2.27 points per game in 11 Big Ten contests. An All-American in 2010, Marlborough notched three hat tricks on the year, including two during the Big Ten season against Northwestern and Purdue.

Jordan Jackson was a second team selection at midfield. Jackson was one of NU’s premier offensive threats again in 2011 with eight goals and six assists. Her six assists tied for the team high along with Marlborough and senior Molly Thomas. The Overland Park., Kan., native had two multiple goal games on the year and set a career high for assists in a game with three against Northern Arizona in a 8-1 Husker win.

Nebraska’s Stacy Bartels was one of 12 student-athletes honored with the Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

 

Husker Heroes: Have you an idea who I am writing about? No, think again. I want you to learn about 170 freshman athletes and a big number of upper-class athletes who spent a few hours with around 800 special need children and adults and their families this past Sunday night.

Go to Randy York’s article at Huskers.com and read about the Husker Heroes and especially see the slide show. This will touch you and maybe even, well you might have a handkerchief or tissues handy.

http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205325089&db_oem_id=100

Roger

The Red Clad Coot in the Desert