Sports – Page 684 – North Platte Post Archive

Big Ten Football Players of the Week

Posted on September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 21, the offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week and freshman of the week in the Big Ten were announced this morning. Below are this week’s honorees:

Offensive Co-Players of the Week

Kenny Guiton, Ohio State

Sr., QB, Houston, Texas/Eisenhower

• Threw six touchdowns, an Ohio State record and the second-most in Big Ten single-game history, in Ohio State’s victory over Florida A&M

• Completed 24 of 34 passes for 215 yards while playing the first half only in his second career start

• Connected with five different receivers on his six touchdown throws, including his second to Evan Spencer with 13 seconds left in the first half to set the program record

• Records his second career weekly honor and second in as many weeks

• Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: Kenny Guiton (Sept. 16, 2013)

Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin

So., RB, Kenosha, Wis./Bradford

• Finished with 147 yards and a career-best three touchdowns on just 16 carries, an average of 9.2 yards per carry, in Wisconsin’s victory over Purdue

• Scored on a five-yard run in the first quarter, a 27-yard sprint in the third and a 15-yarder in the third

• Rushed for 140 yards or more in his fourth straight contest and leads the nation with 624 yards and 156.0 yards per game

• Records his first career weekly honor

• Last Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Week: Montee Ball (Nov. 12, 2012)

Defensive Player of the Week

B.J. Lowery, Iowa

Sr., DB, Cincinnati, Ohio/Hughes

• Set a school record by returning two interceptions for touchdowns and added four tackles in Iowa’s win over Western Michigan

• With under a minute left in the second quarter, returned a pass 35 yards to the end zone, before returning his second pick 13 yards for a score with 12:22 to go in the third

• Became the second Big Ten player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game this season, following Northwestern’s Collin Ellis in Week 1

• Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor

• Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Tom Nardo (Sept. 26, 2011)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Kevonte Martin-Manley, Iowa

Jr., WR, Pontiac, Mich./Brother Rice

• Became just the third player in Big Ten history to record two punt return touchdowns in a game in Iowa’s victory over Western Michigan

• On consecutive attempts in the second quarter, returned a punt 83 yards for a score then a second 63 yards for a score

• His 184 punt return yards are second most in a single game in Big Ten history, behind former Hawkeye Nile Kinnick’s 201 yards in 1939

• Wins his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor

• Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week: Mike Meyer (Oct. 15, 2012)

Freshman of the Week

Mitch Leidner, Minnesota

QB, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South

• In his first career start, combined for 222 yards of total offense and four rushing scores in Minnesota’s win over San Jose State

• Rushed for 151 yards on 24 carries and tied the Minnesota record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single game

• Wins his first career Freshman of the Week accolade

• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Philip Nelson (Oct. 29, 2012)

NPCC Lady Knights Host Hastings JV, Travel to Southeast & Johnson County Invite

Posted on September 23, 2013

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights (12-4) volleyball remains at home for another contest on Tuesday September 24 against the Hastings College Lady Broncos JV team and then travel to Beatrice to face fellow Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC) member and Region IX Division II foe the Southeast Community College (7-6) Lady Storm. The Lady Knights then travel to Overland Park, Kan. Friday and Saturday for the Johnson County Invite.

The Lady Knights return to action Tuesday for the first time sense knocking off the No. 6 Central Community College Lady Raiders in five sets last Thursday night. The Lady Knights host the Lady Broncos at 7:00 p.m. at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium. After this game, the Lady Knights will have three home games remaining this season.

On Thursday, the Lady Knights travel for an important game against the Southeast Community College Lady Storm for both the NCCAC crown and also for seeding purposes in the Region IX Division II Tournament. The game will be broadcast live by ESPN Radio 1410 and can be listened to by clicking here.

The Lady Knights currently lead the NCCAC conference race with a perfect 2-0 record by virtue of wins over McCook Community College and Central Community College. The Knights also currently lead Region IX Division II over other members Central Community College, Southeast Community College and Dawson Community College.

The Lady Knights travel to Overland Park, Kan. for the Johnson County Invite. The Lady Knights open up play at 3 p.m. against No. 4 Johnson County Community College on Friday September 27. The Lady Knights play again on Friday against No. 7 Kirkwood Community College at 5 p.m. The Lady Knights return to action on Saturday against Iowa Lakes Community College at 9 a.m. and then face Coffeyville Community College at 11 a.m. to finish out the tournament.

The Lady Knights return home next week on Thursday October 3 for a match against Northeast Community College at 7 p.m. It is the first of a three game home stand and the last three home games of the year for the Lady Knights.

Nebraska Routs Jackrabbits 59-20 without Martinez

Posted on September 22, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. and Ron Kellogg III combined to pass for 305 yards, Ameer Abdullah ran for a career-high 139 yards and Nebraska shook off South Dakota State in the second quarter in a 59-20 victory Saturday.

Armstrong got the start in place of the injured Taylor Martinez, but playing time was evenly split between the redshirt freshman and Kellogg.

Nebraska (3-1), which finished with 645 yards, scored 38 straight points after falling behind 17-14 in the first quarter against the Championship Subdivision Jackrabbits (3-1).

Martinez didn’t practice this week because of a turf-toe injury on his left foot and was in shorts and a T-shirt on the sideline. He had started 32 straight games since 2010.

The victory will do little to quell concern over Nebraska’s defense. SDSU’s Zach Zenner ran for 202 yards, tied for 10th-most by a Nebraska opponent, and the Jackrabbits finished with 465 total yards.

Former Nebraska Football Star Suh Gives Back

Posted on September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (ehn-DAHM’-uh-kehn SOO) is giving back in Nebraska.

Omaha television station KETV reports (http://bit.ly/18Fp31J) that a group of Fontenelle Elementary School students in Omaha have received new backpacks filled with school supplies from the former Husker defensive lineman.

Suh’s sister, Ngum Suh, leads the charitable Suh Foundation. She met with the students Thursday and said the foundation’s goal is to give children everything they need to succeed in school.

Ngum Suh says she hopes the students are inspired to do their best work every time they see their new backpacks.

She says the foundation met with teachers to learn what supplies students needed most.

NPCC Lady Knights Knock Off No. 6 Central Community College

Posted on September 19, 2013September 19, 2013

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights (12-4) volleyball team defeated the No. 6 Central Community College Lady Raiders (14-4) on Thursday night in five sets (15-25, 28-26, 25-22, 19-25, 15-13). The win was a pivotal win for both the Region IX Division number one seed in the post-season tournament and in the race for a Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference crown.

The Lady Raiders started out the night with the first run of the match as they opened up an early 0-4 lead that forced the Lady Knights into an early timeout. The Lady Knights responded by cutting the score to 7-8 but could never get any closer the rest of the way. The closest the Knights would come was at 14-17. The Lady Raiders then scored seven straight points before winning the first set 25-15.

The second set was a reversal of the first set as the Lady Knights were the team to race out to an early 5-1 advantage. The Lady Knights would maintain a little cushion until the Lady Raiders were able to tie the set at 12 apiece forcing a North Platte timeout. The sides would trade points back and forth before Columbus went on a 0-4 run to take a 17-22 lead. The Lady Knights would answer with a 4-0 run of their own. The Lady Raiders and Lady Knights alternated set point opportunities before the Lady Knights strung together three points to win the second set 28-26 on a Sandrina Hallahan kill.

The Lady Knights would capitalize on the momentum they gained at the end of the previous set in the third as they raced out to early leads of 6-1 and 8-2 forcing Columbus to call a timeout. The Lady Knights would stretch their lead throughout the match at scores of 12-6, 15-7, 18-11 and 20-12. The Lady Raiders would then score six straight points to cut the deficit to 21-18. The Lady Knights would then score two straight points which the Lady Raiders answered by scoring three straight of their own. The two teams would side out the rest of the set to give the third set victory to North Platte on a kill by Samantha Byrn at a score of 25-22.

The fourth set started out with the two teams trading points before the Lady Raiders went on a 0-5 run to take a 2-7 lead that forced the Lady Knights into a timeout. Columbus would maintain a four point lead in the early stages of the set before the Lady Knights cut the deficit to one at 14-15 that forced the Lady Raiders into a timeout. The Lady Raiders would maintain a lead the rest of the set to win 19-25 and force a deciding fifth set.

The Lady Raiders would draw first blood in the fifth set as they scored the first four points before the Lady Knights could get on the board. The Lady Knights would score four of the next five points to make the score 4-5. The Lady Raiders were the first to eight as the teams switched sides with Columbus leading 6-8. The Lady Knights would even the score at nine points apiece and then take an 11-9 that forced the Lady Raiders to take a timeout. The Lady Knights would then score two of the next three points to force another Lady Raider timeout. The Lady Raiders scored the next three points to tie the deciding set at 13 and force a Lady Knights timeout. Kylie Wroot put down a kill to give the Lady Knights a set and game point. Samantha Byrn ended the game with a kill to give the Lady Knights a 15-13 fifth set victory.

“The game was nerve wracking, exciting and a lot of fun,” said freshman Samantha Byrn. “The gym was loud and everyone played hard. I had to go over the block to get that last kill.”

The Lady Knights were led by Sabrina Hallahan with 12 kills on the night. Samantha Kennedy had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 blocks. Joli Hopping led the Lady Knights with 25 assists and Shannon Liewer had 35 digs to lead the team.

“We beat a great team tonight,” said head coach Sally Thalken. “Our kids played with a lot of heart tonight. I was very pleased with the way we battled especially in the second set when we battled back to win and in the fifth set when we got down 2-6 and battled back into the game.”

The Lady Knights take the weekend off before hosting Hastings College JV next Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. The Lady Knights then travel to Region IX Division II and NCCAC foe Southeast Community College on Thursday, Sept. 26. for a game at 4 p.m.

Pelini Praises Teams Focus

Posted on September 19, 2013September 19, 2013

The Nebraska football team wrapped up preparations for South Dakota State on Thursday by holding a 90-minute practice on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center.

Head Coach Bo Pelini met with media after practice, noting that he believes the team has responded well to the adversity the Huskers faced during the week.

“I thought we had a good week of practice, I thought the kids had great focus, great energy.” Pelini said, “I like the week of preparation we had, time to let it all go on Saturday and I think our kids are ready to get back out there and play.”

Senior quarterback Taylor Martinez has been battling a turf toe injury this week, and Pelini believes it is serious enough that he may miss Saturday’s game due to it.

“Taylor right now is doubtful, we will look at this film today and make a decision in how we are going to go. If Taylor doesn’t play you will see both guys (Tommy Armstrong and Ron Kellogg III).” Pelini said, “If we were going to start today, we would probably start Tommy Armstrong, but you will see Ron Kellogg. We want to make sure we look at this practice film and I haven’t visited with them yet after practice, but that was kind of what we were leaning towards going into today.”

Pelini added later that if either backup quarterback struggles during the game, you will not see Martinez come in as a backup. In Pelini’s words, “He (Martinez) is either going to play or he is not.” Pelini also mentioned that Martinez did sit out practice today.

Husker fans should not worry if the redshirt freshman makes his first career start on Saturday, as Pelini said, he has full confidence in Armstrong’s ability.

“Tommy has made a big jump in the last two weeks, he was struggling a little bit, and a little frustrated because of the time he missed.” Pelini said, “He had a tremendous week of practice.”

Pelini also mentioned that he believes Kellogg and Martinez both have helped Armstrong grow as a football player in the last two years.

“Those guys do a great job, they really all help each other.” Pelini said, “That happens across the board on this team, the guys work together and push each other, that is what it is all about, the competition is important.”

Check back here at Huskers.com for updates throughout the week as the Nebraska football team prepares for battle against South Dakota State on Saturday. The Huskers and Jackrabbits kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised to a national audience on the Big Ten Network.

Pelini: Armstrong Likely Starting QB for Huskers

Posted on September 19, 2013September 19, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini says Taylor Martinez is doubtful for Saturday’s game against South Dakota State and that redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong Jr. is the probable starter.

Martinez has missed all week of practice because of a turf toe injury on his left foot.

Pelini said after practice Thursday that Armstrong and fifth-year senior Ron Kellogg III would take snaps against the Jackrabbits. Both played in the second half of the 56-13 win over Southern Mississippi on Sept. 7.

Pelini said the competition between Armstrong and Kellogg is close but that Armstrong had a “tremendous” week of practice.

The Cornhuskers (2-1) have an open date after this week and open Big Ten play Oct. 5 at home against Illinois.

Robert Lovell’s Week 3 College Football Power Rankings

Posted on September 19, 2013

Ranking	School	Record	LW	Next Game
1	Alabama	2-0	1	September 21 vs. Colorado State
2	Oregon	3-0	4	September 28 vs. California
3	Ohio State	3-0	2	September 21 vs. Florida A&M
4	Louisville	3-0	5	September 21 vs. Florida International
5	LSU	3-0	6	September 21 vs. Auburn
6	Clemson	2-0	7	September 19 @ NC State
7	Oklahoma State	3-0	8	September 28 @ West Virginia
8	Florida State	2-0	10	September 21 vs. Bethune-Cookman
9	Georgia	1-1	9	September 21 vs. North Texas
10	Ole Miss	3-0	15	September 28 @ 1 Alabama
11	Texas A&M	2-1	3	September 21 vs. SMU
12	Michigan	3-0	11	September 21 @ Connecticut
13	Notre Dame	2-1	12	September 21 vs. Michigan State
14	Miami	2-0	13	September 21 vs. Savannah State
15	Oklahoma	3-0	17	September 28 @ 13 Notre Dame
16	Stanford	2-0	16	September 21 vs. 24 Arizona State
17	South Carolina	2-1	18	September 28 @ U. Central Florida
18	Florida	1-1	20	September 21 vs. Tennessee
19	Washington	2-0	21	September 21 vs. Idaho State
20	Northwestern	3-0	23	September 21 vs. Maine
21	Baylor	2-0	24	September 21 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
22	UCLA	2-0	NR	September 21 vs. New Mexico State
23	Oregon State	2-1	25	September 21 @ San Diego State
24	Arizona State	2-0	NR	September 21 @ 16 Stanford
25	Arizona	3-0	NR	September 28 @ 19 Washington
Next Five: Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Texas Tech, TCU, BYU

Community Support Helps Make ‘2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo’ a Reality

Posted on September 18, 2013

When the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association awarded Mid-Plains Community College with a collegiate rodeo competition earlier this summer it came as no surprise that individuals and businesses in the community were quick to offer their support and assistance.

“Right off the bat we had Don Kurre and his staff allowing us to team up with the increasingly popular Rail Fest event,” said Chuck Salestrom, Area Associate Vice President of Marketing, Public Information and Development. “We also had First National Bank-North Platte offering their sponsorship and we had the support of the Nebraskaland Days organization right from the start. When the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau came onboard, we knew we were on solid ground.”

According to Salestrom, Gate Sponsors for the rodeo include Complete Eye Care Associates, Double D Trailer & AG Repair, Eagle Radio (Mix 97 and ESPN), Great Plains Regional Medical Center, KNOP NEWS 2, Kwik Stop, Mid-Nebraska Physical Therapy and Sports Center, the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Nebraskaland Days, North Platte Telegraph, Snell Services and Wayne Dowhower Construction, Inc. Stepping up as Rodeo Partners are Hansen Construction, Pro Printing & Graphics and the Walmart Distribution Center.

The rodeo will take place Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21, at the Nebraskaland Days Wild West Arena in North Platte. It will begin at 7 p.m. on both nights.

General admission tickets for each night are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Tickets are available at the Nebraskaland Days office, 509 E. 4th St. in North Platte, or online at https://www.elevate.com/boxoffice/?cref=bd322850-b5ac-4bc3-b8cd-406ccad7fbac. They may also be purchased through the MPCC website at www.mpcc.edu.

Big Ten Defenses Under Aerial Attack

Posted on September 18, 2013

Three weeks into the season, half of the Big Ten’s defenses are under aerial attack.

Six of the conference’s teams are allowing 250 or more yards passing a game.

Nebraska gave up big yards in a 41-21 loss to UCLA. Coach Bo Pelini said his defense looked good at times. But they gave up big yardage in the decisive third quarter.

Illinois coach Tim Beckman says his team failed to pressure Washington quarterback Keith Price in a 34-24 loss. Price threw for 342 yards.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald’s team is giving up 319 yards a game. He says he hopes weak defenses don’t mean an offensive explosion is ahead in conference play.