Husker volleyball players Hayley Thramer and Meghan Haggerty were honored by the Big Ten Conference for their performances in a pair of Husker wins last weekend. Thramer was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week. The junior from Ewing tallied 17 total blocks in victories over Purdue and Indiana. It’s the first time Thramer has won the award. Haggerty took home Freshman of the Week honors for the fourth time this season. She had 17 kills and eight blocks on the weekend.

A pair of season-opening victories saw the Husker women’s basketball team rise three spots to 15^th in the latest AP poll. It’s the sixteenth consecutive week the Huskers have been ranked, a new program record. Nebraska was one of only six Top 25 teams to go 2-0 on the season’s first weekend. They’re back on the floor twice this weekend. Friday night they host Northern Arizona. Sunday they play their first road game of the season at South Dakota.

The Denver Broncos got good news from an MRI on defensive end Elvis Dumervil’s left shoulder yesterday. It revealed no muscle tear, meaning Dumervil shouldn’t miss much if any time. Dumervil injured the arm in the first quarter of Sunday’s win at Carolina. He’s questionable for this Sunday’s home contest against San Diego. The Broncos suffered no other significant injuries in the victory. Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller received treatment for leg injuries during the game but returned to play.

Streaking Nuggets, Thunder in NBA action

UNDATED (AP) — Denver will try to continue an early-season roll when they take on Phoenix tonight as part of an eight-game NBA schedule. The Nuggets have strung together a four-game winning streak after dropping their first three games of the season. All of their losses have come on the road, which is where the Nuggets are going to be frequently. Twelve of their next 16 games are away.

Oklahoma City is also riding a four-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game at Detroit, including a victory last night against Cleveland. The Thunder are back at it against a Pistons team that’s still looking for its first win after dropping seven straight, six of them on the road.

Minnesota starts the day just a half game back of the Thunder for first in the Northwest Division. The Timberwolves try to keep the pressure on when they travel to Dallas.

Philadelphia is back home tonight to host Milwaukee and that might not be a good thing for the 76ers. They’ve won three straight, all of them on the road.

Steelers host Chiefs

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh takes a three-game winning streak into tonight’s Monday Night NFL game against Kansas City.

The Steelers run has been highlighted by a strong running attack that’s used seemingly interchangeable parts without losing any effectiveness. When starter Richard Mendenhall went down with an Achilles injury a month ago, Jonathan Dwyer stepped in. He became the first Pittsburgh running back in four years to top 100 yards in consecutive games. When Dwyer suffered a leg injury, Isaac Redman filled in with a career high 147-yard effort in a win over the Giants.

The Chiefs are trying to turn around what has been a 1-7 start. Matt Cassel will be back under center for Kansas City after he went down with a concussion five weeks ago. The same thing happened to his replacement, Brady Quinn, in a loss to Oakland.

Regardless who has started, no one has been effective. Kansas City quarterbacks have thrown an NFL-high 14 interceptions and the team’s minus-21 turnover ratio is the worst in the league by a wide margin.

Three QB’s suffer concussions

UNDATED (AP) — Three NFL teams will be anxious to find out how their starting quarterbacks are, after three suffered concussions in Sunday games.

Michael Vick was knocked out of the Eagles loss to Dallas yesterday after a back-to-back hard hits. He didn’t speak with reporters after the game but appeared groggy. Nick Foles replaced Vick.

Bears starter Jay Cutler went down in the loss to Houston last night. Jason Campbell came on but couldn’t pull out the win.

San Francisco lost Alex Smith in the tie with St. Louis. He went down after taking a hard hit to neck area on a second-quarter scramble. Smith was replaced by Colin Kaepernick.

Lakers hire D’Antoni

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Mike D’Antoni, signing the former coach of the Suns and Knicks to replace Mike Brown. D’Antoni got the high-profile job running the 16-time NBA champions only after the club’s top brass extensively discussed the job with former Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

The 11-time NBA champion coach met with Lakers owners Jerry and Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak on Saturday to weigh a return for a third stint on Los Angeles’ bench.

The Lakers instead went with D’Antoni, a respected offensive strategist who coached Lakers point guard Steve Nash in Phoenix during the best years of their respective careers. D’Antoni was less successful during four seasons in New York, but at least restored the once-moribund Knicks to competence before resigning last March.

D’Antoni agreed to a three-year deal worth $12 million, with a team option for a fourth season. His hiring comes two days after the Lakers fired Mike Brown just five games into the season.

Grizzlies beat the Heat…Lakers 2-0 for Bickerstaff

UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Heat’s early season four-game win streak is over. Reserve Wayne Ellington had career bests with seven 3-pointers and 25 points in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 104-86 win over the Heat. That’s the Grizzlies’ fifth straight win.

The Grizzlies have won 14 straight home games dating to last season.

Rudy Gay added 21 points and Zach Randolph had his sixth double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis.

In other NBA Sunday action:

— While Lakers management is trying to lure Phil Jackson out of retirement to coach once again, the Lakers team is actually playing better since Mike Brown was fired after a 1-4 start. The Lakers improved to 2-0 under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff by beating Sacramento 103-90. New Lakers center Dwight Howard had a monster game — 23 points and 18 boards.

— Brooklyn completed a home-and-home sweep of Orlando with an 82-74 victory over the visiting Magic. Brook Lopez led the way with 20 points while Kris Humphries added 14 points and 21 rebounds.

— Blake Griffin scored 16 points, Chris Paul had 15 points and eight assists and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 89-76 on Sunday. Atlanta committed 22 turnovers that were converted into 24 Clippers points.

— Oklahoma City routed Cleveland 106-91. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 27. Kevin Durant added 26 as the Thunder placed five players in double figures.

And then there were none…Seahawks drop Jets to 3-6…QBs Vick, Cutler, Smith suffer concussions

UNDATED (AP) — The 1972 Miami Dolphins can rest well once again. They are still the only NFL team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season.

The Atlanta Falcons suffered their first loss when New Orleans scored a back-and-forth 31-27 victory at the Superdome. Drew Brees threw for 298 yards and three TDs. His favorite receiver was tight end Jimmy Graham, with seven catches for a career-best 146 yards and two TDs.

Matt Ryan had a career day in the loss. The Atlanta signal-caller passed for 411 yards and three TDs. His tight end, Tony Gonzalez, had 11 receptions for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Falcons didn’t go down without a fight. They drove to the New Orleans 1-yard in the final two minutes. But on a fourth-down play, Ryan’s pass was tipped away. And with it, Atlanta’s perfect season died.

In other Week 10 results:

— Denver routed Carolina 36-14 on coach John Fox’s return to where he got his start as an NFL head coach. Peyton Manning threw for 301 yards and a TD. The Broncos have won five of six to improve to 6-3.

— Cincinnati took advantage of a pair of Eli Manning interceptions and upset the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants 31-13. Andy Dalton tossed a career-high four TDs for the 4-5 Bengals.

The Seattle Seahawks routed the New York Jets 28-7 behind a pair of TD passes by rookie Russell Wilson. The Seahawks are 6-4. Meanwhile, the Jets fell to 3-6, their worst start since 2007.

— Baltimore scored on six of its first seven possessions and set a club record in scoring during a 55-20 rout of Oakland. Joe Flacco threw three TD passes.

— Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher, rumbled for 171 yards on 27 carries in Minnesota’s 34-24 win over Detroit.

— Dallas scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and continued the nightmare season for the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-23. After a 3-1 start, the Eagles have dropped five straight. That’s the first five-game losing streak in the 14 seasons that Andy Reid has been coaching Philadelphia. After a slow start, the Cowboys are 4-5, just a game and a-half back of the NFC East-leading Giants. To make matters worse, Eagles QB Michael Vick suffered a concussion.

— New England, a 12-point favorite, had a tougher-than-expected time in beating last-place Buffalo 37-31. The Pats are 11-0 against the Bills since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002.

— Tennessee went on the road and surprised Miami 37-3. The Titans forced four turnovers, including picking off three Ryan Tannehill passes. That’s Miami’s worst home loss since 1968.

— The St. Louis Rams and NFC West-leading San Francisco played to a 24-24 tie, the first tie in the NFL since 2008. Rams rookie Greg Zurelein kicked a 53-yard field goal in OT, but it was wiped out when the Rams were penalized five yards for delay of game. He then missed from 58 yards. That came on the Rams’ first possession after usually reliable David Akers, the 49ers field goal kicker, missed a potential game-winning 41-yard field goal. Niners starting QB Alex Smith left early with a concussion.

— Tampa Bay improved to 5-4 with a 34-24 win over San Diego for the Bucs’ third straight victory. Josh Freeman tossed a pair of TDs.

— On a rainy night at Soldier Field, the Houston Texans did just enough offensively to beat Chicago 13-6 in the Sunday night game. Arian Foster made a diving catch in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown for the only TD of the game. Jay Cutler suffered a concussion in the first half and Jason Campbell finished up as Bears QB. The Bears suffered four turnovers in the first half. Houston improved to 8-1. The Bears are 7-2.

Ducks reach the top rung of ladder…BCS has K-State first, Oregon second

NEW YORK (AP) — Oregon is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll after Alabama gave up the top spot following a loss to Texas A&M.

The Ducks picked up 45 of 60 first-place votes. Kansas State is No. 2 with 14 first-place votes. Notre Dame is third and received one first-place vote.

The Crimson Tide, which had been No. 1 for 10 straight weeks, dropped to fourth after a 29-24 loss to the Aggies in Tuscaloosa. Texas A&M moved up six spots to No. 9.

Georgia, Ohio State, Florida and LSU are 5 through 8, respectively. Florida State rounds out the top 10.

No. 25 Kent State is ranked for first time since early November of 1973.

Meanwhile, the new BCS standings have the Wildcats (.9674) first and the Ducks (.9497) second. The top two teams in the BCS meet Jan. 7 in Miami for the BCS championship.

Tim Miles’ first official game at the helm of the Husker men’s basketball team ended in victory, but it did not come easily. A big night from Brandon Ubel helped the Huskers stave off Southern 66-55 at the Devaney Center Sunday night. Ubel led the Huskers with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He made eight of twelve shots from the field and all five of his free throws. Joining Ubel in double figures were Ray Gallegos, who scored 17 points in his first game after redshirting last season, and Dylan Talley, who chipped in 16 points. The Huskers led by just six at halftime and had a sixteen-point second-half lead trimmed down to eight with just under four minutes left, but a three-point play by Ubel helped keep the Jaguars at bay. The Huskers host Valparasio in the first game of the inaugural Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic this Thursday night.

The “Cardiac Cornhuskers” moved up two spots to 16^th in the AP poll and two spots to 14^th in the USA Today coaches poll after yet another comeback victory. The Huskers also rose two spots in the BCS standings to 14^th. Nebraska’s 32-23 win over Penn State saw them comeback from a double-digit second-half deficit for the fourth time this season, which leads the nation and sets a single-season program record. The Huskers wrap up their home schedule against Minnesota this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30.

 

The Denver Broncos racked up their fourth straight victory with a 36-14 rout of the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte yesterday afternoon. After falling behind 7-0 early, the Broncos reeled off 29 consecutive points. Trindon Holliday’s 76-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter broke a 7-7 tie and gave the Broncos a lead they would never relinquish. Peyton Manning threw for 301 yards and a touchdown, but the afternoon belonged to the Broncos defense. They sacked Carolina quarterback Cam Newton seven times, forced four turnovers, and contributed a touchdown and a safety. Tony Carter returned an interception for a score in the third quarter, and Mike Adams sacked Newton in the end zone in the fourth. The Broncos move to 6-3 with the victory. They host the San Diego Chargers next Sunday.

The eighteenth-ranked Husker women’s basketball team opened their season with a pair of home victories over the weekend. Friday night they defeated North Carolina A&T 68-50. Lindsey Moore led three Huskers in double figures with 15 points to beat the Aggies. On Sunday afternoon, Jordan Hooper’s double-double helped the Huskers topple Temple 64-39. Hooper scored 12 points and collected 14 rebounds, both team highs. The Huskers are back in action Friday night, hosting Northern Arizona.

Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium between Nebraska and Penn State could be a wet one, if weather forecasts calling for severe storms are accurate. Though the temperature around kickoff time at 2:30 is expected to be in the high seventies, strong winds and possible rain are supposed to roll in later in the afternoon and evening, potentially impacting the second half of the game. The temperatures could turn bone-chilling, appropriate for a game that promises to be bone-jarring. Nebraska will send the nation’s sixth best rushing offense into the teeth of Penn State’s vaunted linebacking corps led by Butkus Award semifinalist Michael Mauti. Defensively, the Huskers will hope to apply pressure to Penn State’s standout senior quarterback Matt McGloin. This is the fifteenth meeting all time between Nebraska and Penn State. The two teams have split the first fourteen, seven wins each.