Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team practiced for two hours in half pads on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields Monday afternoon, as the Huskers began preparations for Saturday’s Big Ten Conference opener against Wisconsin.

Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media after practice. Beck said that the offense will have its work cut out for it Saturday against the Badgers’ defense.

“They are a very good football team,” Beck said, “They have big strong defensive linemen that are well coached. They play with their hands very well and get off their blocks well also.”

Beck also said that Nebraska’s offense has been working on what defensive coverages Wisconsin might throw at them this weekend. “We have to be ready for everything,” Beck said.

Coach Beck also talked about how the offense needs to come out and take care of the ball, just like any other game they play.

“We hurt ourselves, right now we are our own worst enemy,” Beck said of Nebraska’s recent turnovers. “We can’t get behind the chains.”

As for entering year two of the Big Ten play, Beck likes his team’s chances this year with a year of experience.

“It helps looking at a game when you have played them before,” he said. “You can see how they played you, and you can know their staff and philosophies.”

— Gage Peake, Nebraska Sports Information

D1WC released its 2012-13 preseason rankings for each weight class on Monday as six Nebraska wrestlers were named to the list. The top 25 Division I wrestlers in all 10 weight classes earned spots.

At 141 pounds, Ridge Kiley earned the No. 23 ranking. The senior started at 133 pounds last season for the Huskers, going 17-16 with an 11-8 record in duals. Kiley took eighth place at the Big Ten Championships and earned an invitation to the NCAA Championships.

Jake Sueflohn is No. 14 in the 149 weight class preseason rankings. As a freshman last season, Sueflohn went 25-11 and 13-4 in duals. After a fifth-place showing at the Big Ten Championships, the Watertown, Wis., native went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, Sueflohn finished second at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open and took third at the Cliff Keen Invitational.

Fellow sophomore James Green is ranked sixth at 157 pounds. Green was an All-American as a true freshman last season, earning a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Green won a team-best 34 matches in 2011-12, going 14-4 in dual meets. His 13 major decisions also led the team.

At 165 pounds, Robert Kokesh earned the No. 6 ranking. The sophomore from Wagner, S.D., went 30-7 as a redshirt-freshman in 2011-12. He led the Huskers with a 17-2 record in dual meets, compiling 68 dual points in the process. Kokesh finished third at the Big Ten Championships before going 2-2 at the NCAA Championships.

Senior Tyler Koehn is ranked 17^th in the 174 weight class after going 20-13 last season. The Pittsburg, Kan., native went 13-5 in duals, earning 43 points for NU. Koehn was one of eight NCAA qualifiers on the Husker squad as a junior. In addition, Koehn finished second at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open.

Fellow senior Josh Ihnen is ranked sixth at 184 pounds. The 2012 All-American went 26-8 as a junior and 16-3 in duals. His 60 dual points were second on the team while his eight major decisions were third. Ihnen, who was named Nebraska’s Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2012, finished second at the Big Ten Championships before earning an eighth-place result at the NCAA Championships.

Amateur Wrestling News released its rankings last Monday. Kiley was ranked 15^th at 133 pounds, Sueflohn earned the No. 10 ranking at 141, Green was No. 6 at 157, Kokesh ranked sixth at 165, while Koehn was 13^th at 174 and Ihnen was sixth at 184.

The Huskers open their season on Nov. 4 at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D.

— Conor Stange, Nebraska Sports Information

Jets’ Revis has torn ACL, will likely miss season 

Matinee in our nation’s capital gets things going on the diamond

UNDATED (AP) — The NL East-leading Nationals have a magic number of six entering this afternoon’s game with the visiting Brewers. The Brewers begin play trailing St. Louis by two-and-a-half games in the race for the league’s second wild card. The Cardinals play under the lights at Houston.

Also tonight in the senior circuit, Pittsburgh plays the Mets in New York and Colorado hosts Arizona.

The Yankees and Orioles continue their neck-and-neck race for the AL East title this evening. Baltimore is one game back entering a twilight doubleheader against visiting Toronto. New York plays at Minnesota tonight. The Yanks will send Andy Pettitte to the mound for the second time since he came off the disabled list. The 40-year-old left-hander threw five shutout innings last Wednesday after missing nearly three months with a fractured ankle.

Also tonight in the AL, Detroit enters its home game against Kansas City just one game behind first-place Chicago in the Central race, the White Sox host Cleveland and Oakland starts play at Texas trailing the West-leading Rangers by four games. The A’s are two-and-a-half games ahead of the idle L.A. Angels for the league’s second wild card and one game behind the wild card-leading Orioles.

Packers at Seahawks tonight

UNDATED (AP) — The Seahawks and Packers hook up tonight in Seattle, with both teams sitting at 1-1.

Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson notched his first NFL win last week when the Seahawks topped the Dallas Cowboys 27-7. Green Bay beat Chicago 23-10 last week.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 2-0 vs. Seattle.

The Seahawks have to find a way to deal with Clay Matthews. The Packers linebacker has a league-leading six sacks over his first two games.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto at Baltimore 3:05 p.m. (first game)
Kansas City at Detroit 6:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Detroit 6:05 p.m.
Toronto at Baltimore 6:35 p.m. (second game)
Oakland at Texas 7:05 p.m.
Cleveland at Chi White Sox 7:10 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Minnesota 7:10 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee at Washington 12:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh at N-Y Mets 6:10 p.m.
St. Louis at Houston 7:05 p.m.
Arizona at Colorado 7:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE TONIGHT on ESPN Radio 1410)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Green Bay at Seattle 7:30 p.m.

Cardinals, Falcons and Texans have something in common

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL season is three weeks old and three teams have managed to make it through without a loss

The Cardinals blew past the visiting Eagles 27-6 in a matchup of previously unbeaten teams. Kevin Kolb passed for 222 yards and two TDs against his old team. And James Sanders returned a Michael Vick fumble 93 yards for a touchdown.

The Falcons went cross country and beat the Chargers 27-3 to get to 3-0 and drop San Diego to 2-1.Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw touchdown passes to three different receivers. Ryan completed 30 of 40 passes for 275 yards and threw his first interception of the season. Safety Thomas DeCoud had two interceptions and a fumble recovery for the Falcons, who’ve opened with three victories over AFC West teams.

In other Week 3 action:

— Baltimore nipped visiting New England 31-30 under the lights. Justin Tucker booted a disputed 27-yard field goal as time ran out. Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith caught two touchdown passes less than 24 hours after his younger brother was killed in a motorcycle accident.

— After starting the season with decisive victories over playoff teams Green Bay and Detroit, the San Francisco 49ers stumbled in Minnesota, losing 24-13. Ex-Viking receiver Randy Moss had a quiet afternoon with three catches for 27 yards.

— Chicago’s defense came up big in a 23-6 win over visiting St. Louis. The Bears held the Rams to just 160 yards of offense while sacking Sam Bradford six times.

— DeMarco Murray’s 11-yard touchdown run and three field goals from Dan Bailey lifted Dallas past Tampa Bay 16-10 in the Cowboys’ home opener.

— Jacksonville earned its first victory by edging Indianapolis 22-17. Blaine Gabbert connected with Cecil Shorts III on an 80-yard TD pass with 45 seconds left for the game-winning score.

— Tennessee stunned Detroit 44-41 in overtime. Rob Bironas (bih-ROH’-nihs) kicked a 26-yard field goal in overtime for the game-winner.

— In another overtime game, the New York Jets rallied to beat Miami 23-20 on a Nick Folk 33-yard field goal. Mark Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes for a 38-yard gain to set up the game-winning kick.

— Cincinnati improved to 2-1 by outscoring Washington 38-31, the Redskins’ seventh straight home loss. On the game’s very first snap, the Bengals lined up rookie receiver Mohamed Sanu behind center, and he promptly tossed a 73-yard touchdown to A.J. Green.

— The old, bumbling New Orleans “Aints” of the past are back. The Saints were unable to protect an 18-point, third-quarter lead, and fans in the Superdome watched in dread as Kansas City’s Ryan Succup booted his club-record sixth field goal to lift the previously winless Chiefs to a 27-24 overtime victory.

— Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 43-yard field goal on the last play as the Oakland Raiders to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-3. Oakland scored the final 13 points after wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was knocked out and hospitalized by a scary hit.

— In the Battle of Lake Erie, Buffalo dropped Cleveland to 0-3 with a 24-14 win. Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed three TD passes.

Players siding with refs…AP source: 2 sides met Sunday

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL players’ union has sent an open letter to team owners calling on the league to end the lockout of on-field officials.

The players hint that the lockout could violate the collective bargaining agreement that ended their own lockout last year. They cite a lack of a safe working environment.

The union also asks why Commissioner Roger Goodell issues suspensions and fines “in the name of player health and safety” while the regular officials the league entrusts to maintain health and safety are locked out.

Meanwhile, two people familiar with the talks say that the NFL and the locked out officials’ union met on Sunday.

It was uncertain whether progress was made in an attempt to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, or when further negotiations would take place.

Another long Sunday for replacements

UNDATED (AP) — Suspect officiating decisions during several games contributed to a chaotic third Sunday of the NFL season.

Replacement officials admitted making two mistakes in Minnesota’s victory over San Francisco, while several other games included questionable calls that could have affected the outcomes.

Referee Ken Roan said he twice granted 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh video challenges after Harbaugh called timeout in the fourth quarter. Neither challenge should have been allowed once Harbaugh asked for time.

In the Lions-Titans and Bengals-Redskins games, officials marched off too much yardage on penalties.

The Redskins were penalized 20 yards instead of 15 for unsportsmanlike conduct in the final seconds of their 38-31 loss.

Trying to keep up…Tigers fall game back of White Sox

UNDATED (AP) — The two contenders for the AL East title both suffered streak-breaking losses on Sunday, keeping the Yankees one game ahead of the Orioles.

New York got beat by visiting Oakland 5-4 for their first loss in eight games.

Cliff Pennington’s RBI single in the sixth inning after a key error by backup shortstop Eduardo Nunez snapped a 4-4 tie.

Meanwhile, Cody Ross doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Andrew Bailey escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth as Boston ended Baltimore’s six-game winning streak 2-1. Boston avoided a sweep at Fenway Park and ended a four-game skid.

Also in the AL:

— Ryan Dempster allowed two runs and six hits over six-plus innings and Mike Napoli and Geovany Soto homered to lead the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. That keeps the Rangers’ four-game lead over the Oakland A’s in the AL West intact.

— B.J. Upton hit his eighth home run in 14 games and Tampa Bay blanked the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0. Mark Hellickson pitched a solid 5 2/3 innings to earn his first win in more than a month, helping the Rays notch their fifth straight victory.

— Jamey Carroll hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Minnesota Twins beat Detroit 2-1, winning both games of a doubleheader to prevent the Tigers from tying or passing the slumping White Sox. Earlier in the day, Joe Mauer drove in four runs as the Twins rallied against Max Scherzer and pulled away for a 10-4 win in the first game.

— Jered Weaver kept the Los Angeles Angels within striking distance in the AL wild-card chase. He won his league-leading 19th victory on Sunday with a 4-1 decision over the struggling White Sox, who’ve dropped five straight.

— Carlos Santana hit two homers and drove in five runs as Cleveland routed Kansas City 15-4. It’s the Indians’ highest-scoring game of the season.

In the NL:

— Adrian Gonzalez slugged a pair of home runs in the L.A. Dodgers’ 5-3 win over the NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers are three games out of the league’s final wild card spot.

— Tim Hudson tossed two-hit ball over 7 1/3 innings of a 2-1 win at Philadelphia that has Atlanta on the brink of claiming a playoff spot. Hudson improved to 16-6 and sent the Braves home with a shot at winning at least an NL wild-card berth.

— St. Louis won for the sixth time in seven games, holding its lead in the NL wild-card race with a 6-3 victory over the Cubs in Chicago. Kyle Lohse moves to 16-3 by giving up three runs and five hits in six innings. The Redbirds remain 2½ games ahead of Milwaukee for the second wild-card spot.

— The Brewers pounded out 15 hits in a 6-2 victory over the Nationals in Washington. The Nationals magic number to clinch the East Division title remains at six.

— Yonder Alonso’s two-run single in the seventh inning snapped a tie and helped the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4, one day after the Giants clinched the NL West for the second time in three years.

— A.J. Burnett allowed one run in eight innings for his 16th win as Pittsburgh pummeled Houston 8-1. Josh Harrison had a career-high four hits for the Pirates, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Burnett is the first Pittsburgh pitcher since 1991 to win more than 15 games.

— Ruben Tejada singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 3-2 victory over the visiting Marlins. David Wright’s first-inning homer accounted for New York’s other two runs. It’s the seventh straight time the Mets have beaten the Fish.

New No. 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Oregon has slipped past LSU to No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 behind Alabama after the Ducks rolled to a victory and the Tigers struggled to remain unbeaten.

Oregon routed Arizona 49-0 on Saturday night in Eugene. No. 3 LSU hung on to win at Auburn 12-10.

Alabama got 59 of 60 first-place votes from the media panel, with LSU receiving the other.

Florida State remains No. 4 after its 49-37 victory against Clemson, and Georgia holds steady at No. 5. No. 6 South Carolina gives the Southeastern Conference four of the top six teams in the nation.

Kansas State moved up eight spots to No. 7 after beating Oklahoma 24-19, the Wildcats’ best ranking since September 2006.

The Sooners dropped from sixth to 16th.

Big payday for Snedeker

ATLANTA (AP) — Brandt Snedeker played the round of his life and claimed the biggest payoff in golf.

Snedeker needed to win the Tour Championship to beat out Rory McIlroy for the FedEx Cup. He made three big birdies on the back nine at East Lake en route to a 2-under-par 68 to finish 10-under for the tournament, three strokes better than runner-up Justin Rose.

Snedeker collects $1.44 million for winning his second title of the year. And he won $10 million for capturing the FedEx Cup, which comes with a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy and Tiger Woods, both of whom could have won the FedEx Cup with a victory Sunday, faded early and were never a factor.

Hamlin weaves his way to victory

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Denny Hamlin got a mistake-free trip at New Hampshire and won his series-high fifth Sprint Cup race of the season. He started 32nd after his crew had the wrong pressure in his tires during Friday’s qualifying. Hamlin has won three of the last five Sprint Cup races.

Jimmie Johnson finished second and took the lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Polesitter Jeff Gordon was third.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 10 Detroit 4 (first game)
Minnesota 2 Detroit 1 (second game), , 10 Innings
Oakland 5 N-Y Yankees 4
Boston 2 Baltimore 1
Tampa Bay 3 Toronto 0
Cleveland 15 Kansas City 4
L.A. Angels 4 Chi White Sox 1
Texas 3 Seattle 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
N-Y Mets 3 Miami 2
Atlanta 2 Philadelphia 1
Milwaukee 6 Washington 2
Pittsburgh 8 Houston 1
St. Louis 6 Chi Cubs 3
Arizona 10 Colorado 7
San Diego 6 San Francisco 4
L.A. Dodgers 5 Cincinnati 3

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Buffalo 24 Cleveland 14
Cincinnati 38 Washington 31
Tennessee 44 Detroit 41, OT
Jacksonville 22 Indianapolis 17
Kansas City 27 New Orleans 24, OT
N-Y Jets 23 Miami 20, OT
Minnesota 24 San Francisco 13
Chicago 23 St. Louis 6
Dallas 16 Tampa Bay 10
Atlanta 27 San Diego 3
Arizona 27 Philadelphia 6
Houston 31 Denver 25
Oakland 34 Pittsburgh 31
Baltimore 31 New England 30

Another frantic fourth quarter comeback fell short as the Denver Broncos lost their second straight game, 31-25 to the Houston Texans in Denver. The Texans held a 31-11 lead with 10 minutes to play in the game, but the Broncos recovered a fumble near midfield and Peyton Manning found Brandon Stokley for a 38 yard touchdown two plays later Then with three minutes to go, Joel Dreessen caught a deflected Manning pass for a score from six yards out to make it a six point game. But just like in last week’s game against Atlanta, the Broncos couldn’t get the defensive stop they needed to get the ball back with enough time, and a last-second hook-and-lateral play failed. Manning threw for 330 yards on the night but completed just half of his 52 pass attempts. The 1-2 Broncos host the Oakland Raiders next Sunday afternoon.

The Colorado Rockies continue to stagger towards the finish line in the 2012 season. They lost their ninth straight game, 10-7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field yesterday afternoon. The Rockies came back from an early 3-0 deficit and took a 4-3 lead on a Charlie Blackmon RBI single in the sixth inning. But Arizona scored four times in the eighth and three more times in the ninth off the exhausted Rockies bullpen. Colorado scored three times in the ninth to make the final score appear more respectable. For the Rockies offensively, Wilin Rosario and DJ LeMaiheu had three hits apiece. It’s the fourth-straight three hit game for Rosario. Blackmon and Tyler Colvin each had two RBI. The Rockies conclude their four game series against the Diamondbacks tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action, with the pregame show at 7:05 and first pitch at 7:40.

After only six months with Tim Miles’ coaching staff, director of player development Ronald Coleman is leaving the Husker men’s basketball program. Coleman has taken an assistant coaching position at Bradley. Coleman was considered a major asset to Miles’ staff as a recruiter. He has ties to the Chicago area and was instrumental in arranging visits to Lincoln for some of the city’s top recruits this summer. But Coleman chose a more active coaching role with Bradley over the non-traveling role he had at Nebraska.

The Husker football team moved up in both the AP poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll after their 73-7 demolition of Idaho State on Saturday. Nebraska hopped three spots to 22^nd in the AP poll and rose two places to 20^th in the coaches poll. Nebraska is one of only three Big Ten teams ranked in each poll. While the Huskers remain ranked, the one team that has beaten them this season, UCLA, fell out of both polls after their home loss to Oregon State. Nebraska hosts Wisconsin, who is 23^rd in the coaches poll, on Saturday in their Big Ten opener.