Husker senior running back Rex Burkhead is questionable for Saturday’s road clash against UCLA. Burkhead sprained the MCL in his left knee in the first quarter of last Saturday’s 49-20 defeat of Southern Miss and did not return to the game. Husker head coach Bo Pelini said in his weekly press conference that Burkhead is day-to-day and said that he still plans to have Burkhead travel to Los Angeles at this point. Ameer Abdullah and Imani Cross combined for 145 yards on 26 carries in Burkhead’s absence. In other Husker injury news, wide receiver Tim Marlowe had surgery to repair a broken clavicle. Pelini said the surgery went well, but expects Marlowe to be out at least until the end of October. Pelini also mentioned that tight end Ben Cotton, who also left Saturday’s contest with an injury, will be good to go for the UCLA game.

Following the first week of college football, the initial 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

Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State

Jr., RB, Columbus, Ohio/Groveport Madison

• ·         Recorded career-highs with 210 rushing yards and 44 carries, scoring two touchdowns to help Michigan State defeat nationally ranked Boise State on Friday night
• ·         Amassed a career-best 265 all-purpose yards, more than Boise State’s total offensive yards (206) for the game
• ·         Scored the Spartans’ only touchdowns of the game, including the game-winner midway through the fourth quarter
• ·         Records his first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week selection and third overall honor, having earned two Freshman of the Week awards during the 2010 season
• ·         Last Michigan State Offensive Player of the Week: Kirk Cousins (Oct. 24, 2011)

Taylor Martinez, Nebraska

Jr., QB, Corona, Calif./Centennial

• ·         Threw for a career-high 354 yards and tied a career best with five touchdown strikes to lead the Huskers to an opening-day victory over Southern Miss
• ·         Completed 26 of 34 passes (76.5 percent) and became the sixth Nebraska quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 career yards
• ·         Guided Nebraska to 632 yards of total offense, the most in fifth-year coach Bo Pelini’s tenure
• ·         Wins his second career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award
• ·         Last Nebraska Offensive Player of the Week: Taylor Martinez (Oct. 10, 2011)

Defensive Player of the Week

Derrick Wells, Minnesota

So., DB, Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh

• ·         Tied for the team lead with eight tackles and added two interceptions to help Minnesota to a road win at UNLV on Thursday night
• ·         Intercepted his first pass midway through the fourth quarter to set up Minnesota’s go-ahead field goal
• ·         Picked off his second pass in the third overtime, allowing Minnesota to kick the game-winning field goal
• ·         Claims his first career Defensive Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Minnesota Defensive Player of the Week: Kim Royston (Nov. 28, 2011)

Special Teams Co-Players of the Week

Mike Meyer, Iowa

Jr., PK, Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert

• ·         Booted four field goals, tying a career best, against Northern Illinois, accounting for 12 points in the Hawkeyes’ 18-17 victory over the Huskies
• ·         Converted on field goals from 22, 29, 34 and 50 yards, with the 50-yarder coming with 9:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut the NIU lead to one possession
• ·         Wins his second career Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week: Mike Meyer (Nov. 8, 2010)

Venric Mark, Northwestern

Jr., PR/KR, Tomball, Texas/St. Pius X

• ·         Scored Northwestern’s first touchdown in a 42-41 win over Syracuse with an 82-yard punt return in the opening quarter
• ·         Totaled 134 punt return yards, breaking a 21-year-old single-game school record, and collected 49 kickoff return yards, making him NU’s all-time kickoff return yardage leader with 1,513
• ·         Matched a career high with 281 all-purpose yards, including the first touchdown catch of his career
• ·         Wins his second Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• ·         Last Northwestern Special Teams Player of the Week: Venric Mark (Nov. 29, 2010)

 

Freshman of the Week

Frankie Williams, Purdue

DB, Tampa, Fla./Coral Gables

• ·         Led the Purdue defense with six tackles, including one for loss, and a pass breakup in Purdue’s 48-6 win over Eastern Kentucky
• ·         Was part of a Purdue defense that held EKU to 85 passing yards on the day
• ·         Wins his first career weekly award
• ·         Last Purdue Freshman of the Week: Raheem Mostert (Nov. 7, 2011)

— Scott Chipman, Big Ten Conference

Lincoln, Neb. – Nebraska freshman middle blocker Meghan Haggerty was honored by the Big Ten Conference on Monday as she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. The award marks her first Big Ten weekly honor.

Haggerty hit .545 against UC Irvine over the weekend, recording seven kills on 11 swings to go along with four blocks to help the Huskers to a 3-0 victory. She averaged 2.3 kills and 1.3 blocks per set in the match.

The Huskers return to action this weekend as they host the 2012 Ameritas Players Challenge at the NU Coliseum.

— Hilary Winter, Nebraska Sports Information

The Colorado Rockies offense embraced the spirit of Labor Day and took the day off in a 6-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Rockies managed just five hits against Braves starter Kris Medlen, who struck out 12 in a complete game effort. Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood only gave up three hits in his three innings of work, but allowed five runs thanks to five walks, an error and a wild pitch. Jordan Pacheco had the lone RBI for the Rockies in the losing effort. Tonight the Rockies and Braves play game two of their four-game series in Atlanta. First pitch is set for 6:10.

Saturday
BASEBALL
American League
Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees, 12:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.
Texas at Cleveland, 6:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 6:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City, 6:10 p.m.
Boston at Oakland, 8:05 p.m.
National League
San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 12:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Atlanta, 3:05 p.m.
St. Louis at Washington, 3:05 p.m.
Cincinnati at Houston, 6:05 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Miami, 6:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 6:10 p.m.
San Diego at Colorado, 7:10 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Arizona at L.A. Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.
FOOTBALL
Top 25
No. 1 Southern Cal vs. Hawaii, 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 8 Michigan at Arlington, Texas, 7 p.m.
No. 3 LSU vs. North Texas, 6 p.m.
No. 4 Oklahoma at UTEP, 9:30 p.m.
No. 5 Oregon vs. Arkansas State, 9:30 p.m.
No. 6 Georgia vs. Buffalo, 11:21 a.m.
No. 7 Florida State vs. Murray State, 5 p.m.
No. 10 Arkansas vs. Jacksonville State, 6 p.m.
No. 11 West Virginia vs. Marshall, 11 a.m.
No. 12 Wisconsin vs. Northern Iowa, 2:30 p.m.
No. 14 Clemson vs. Auburn at Atlanta, 6 p.m.
No. 15 Texas vs. Wyoming, 7 p.m.
No. 17 Nebraska vs. Southern Miss., 2:30 p.m.
No. 18 Ohio State vs. Miami (Ohio), 11 a.m.
No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. Savannah State, 6 p.m.
No. 22 Kansas State vs. Missouri State, 6 p.m.
No. 23 Florida vs. Bowling Green, 2:30 p.m.
MOTORSPORTS
Formula One, Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 7 a.m.
Nationwide, NRA American Warrior 300 Qualifying, Hampton, Ga., 2:30 p.m.
IndyCar, Grand Prix of Baltimore, Qualifying, 5 p.m.
Nationwide, NRA American Warrior 300, Hampton, Ga., 6 p.m.
NHRA, Full Throttle, U.S. Nationals Qualifying, Clermont, Ind., 1 p.m.

Sunday
BASEBALL
American League
Texas at Cleveland, 12:05 p.m.
Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees, 12:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City, 1:10 p.m.
Boston at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Seattle, 3:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 7:05 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
National League
N.Y. Mets at Miami, 12:10 p.m.
St. Louis at Washington, 12:35 p.m.
Cincinnati at Houston, 1:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.
San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.
San Diego at Colorado, 2:10 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Arizona at L.A. Dodgers, 3:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Atlanta, 4:05 p.m.
FOOTBALL
Top 25
No. 25 Louisville vs. Kentucky, 2:30 p.m.
MOTORSPORTS
NASCAR Sprint Cup, Advocare 500, Hampton, Ga., 6:30 p.m.
Formula One, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 6:30 a.m.
IndyCar, Grand Prix of Baltimore, Qualifying, 1:45 p.m.
NHRA, Full Throttle, U.S. Nationals, Clermont, Ind., 10 a.m.

OTHER EVENTS
Tennis
USTA, U.S. Open, New York
Golf
PGA Tour, Deutsche Bank Championship, Norton, Mass.

Giants streak into Windy City

UNDATED (AP) – The National League West leaders get the first at-bat on today’s full major league schedule. San Francisco brings a three-game winning streak into its road series in Chicago. The Giants have opened up a 4 1/2-game lead over the division-rival rival Dodgers. Los Angeles hosts Arizona tonight.

Also this evening in the NL, East leader Washington hosts wild card-hopeful St. Louis, Central leader Cincinnati puts a three-game winning streak on the line at Houston, wild card-leader Atlanta is home to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh continues its push for a wild-card berth at Milwaukee, Miami entertains the New York Mets and Colorado hosts San Diego.

In the AL tonight, Baltimore enters the opener of a three-game series in New York just three games behind the AL East-leading Yankees, wild-card leader Oakland will be aiming for a seventh straight victory when they host Boston, West leader Texas is four games up on the A’s entering its game at Cleveland, Central leader Chicago will be trying to hand the Tigers a fourth straight loss when they hook up in Detroit, Tampa Bay is a game and a-half out of a wild card entering its road contest in Toronto, Kansas City is home to Minnesota and Seattle hosts the L.A. Angels.

One loss and Roddick is done

NEW YORK (AP) – The 2003 champion could play the final match of his career tonight at the U.S. Open. Andy Roddick announced yesterday, his 30th birthday, that this would be his final tournament before retiring. The 20th seed takes on unseeded Bernard Tomic of Australia tonight in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Roddick will be followed on court by women’s No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.

Defending women’s champion Sam Stosur is first up in the main stadium on Day 5 of the U.S. Open. The seventh-seeded Australian is matched up against 31st-seeded Varvara Lepchenko of the U.S.

Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and American hopeful John Isner are also on the afternoon card in New York.

Maybe some progress today

NEW YORK (AP) – The NHL’s collective bargaining talks resume today.

The players’ union is expected to table a counterproposal to an offer extended by the owners earlier in the week.

The current agreement expires Sept. 15, when the league has said it will lock out the players.

The two sides are at odds over hockey-related revenue. The league wants to knock down the players’ percentage from 57, what it was last season, to 46.

Spartans, Broncos and Cardinal on tonight’s schedule

UNDATED (AP) – Three teams in the lower half of the AP’s preseason Top 25 are preparing to take the field on the second night of the new college football season. Two of them will be sharing the same field, with No. 13 Michigan State hosting 24th-ranked Boise State. The Spartans put a 14-game home winning streak on the line against a Broncos program that went 24-2 over the past two years. Michigan was 22-5 over that time period.

Stanford begins the post-Andrew Luck era this evening against visiting San Jose State. Redshirt junior Josh Nunes will be under center for the 21st-ranked Cardinal, who have beaten the Spartans each of their last four meetings, including a 57-3 romp last season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore at N-Y Yankees 6:05 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Detroit 6:05 p.m.
Texas at Cleveland 6:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Toronto 6:07 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City 7:10 p.m.
Boston at Oakland 9:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Seattle 9:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco at Chi Cubs 1:20 p.m.
St. Louis at Washington 6:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Miami 6:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Atlanta 6:35 p.m.
Cincinnati at Houston 7:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee 7:10 p.m.
San Diego at Colorado 7:40 p.m.
Arizona at L.A. Dodgers 9:10 p.m.

TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(24) Boise State at (13) Michigan State 7:00 p.m.
San Jose State at (21) Stanford 9:00 p.m.

Gamecocks survive scare

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The first ranked football team to take the field this season was almost the first upset victim.

Marcus Lattimore scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 11:25 left in the fourth quarter as No. 9 South Carolina rallied to beat Vanderbilt 17-13 on opening night in Nashville.

Lattimore scored a TD earlier in the game and finished with 110 yards rushing, helping Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier improve to 23-1 in season openers.

South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw shrugged off a banged up throwing shoulder to lead the winning drive. The junior ran for 92 yards.

The Gamecocks have high expectations after going 11-2 last season and finishing second in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division.

Issac’s aftermath leaves mixed results…BYU ruins Leach’s return to coaching

UNDATED (AP) – Thursday night’s scheduled college football game between Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech was postponed in the wake of Isaac’s dousing of Shreveport. But Saturday’s game involving Rutgers and Tulane will take place as scheduled in New Orleans, only days after the storm swept across the area with hurricane force winds.

The decision to play comes after inspections show the Superdome survived the storm with only superficial damage.

In other college football news:

— BYU ruined Mike Leach’s first game as Washington State coach. BYU held Washington State to four yards rushing in the first half and coasted to a 30-6 win over Leach’s Cougars at Provo. Leach was out of coaching briefly following nearly a 10-year run at Texas Tech. Riley Nelson tossed a pair of TD passes for BYU. He is 8-1 as a starting quarterback.

– New Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco says the conference wants to add a 14th member for football, and is planning to have a championship game after next season. Aresco declined to say which teams the Big East is pursuing. The Big East, which lost West Virginia to the Big 12, and will lose Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC next season, will span four time zones starting next season with the addition of programs such as Boise State.

– Notre Dame radio analyst Allen Pinkett has been pulled off the broadcast of Saturday’s season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland. It follows comments made on a Chicago radio station earlier this week that in order to win, the Irish need “a few bad citizens” on their team. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick called Pinkett’s comments “nonsense.”

Red-hot Harper helps Nats expand lead…Angels sweep the Sox…Giatns lead by 4 and a-half games

UNDATED (AP) — Washington’s 19-year-old phenom rookie Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer — his third in two nights — and drove in three runs in leading the first-place Nationals over the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals 8-1. It was Harper’s 15th homer. Jayson Werth also went deep for the Nats.

Edwin Jackson, the Nats’ No. 4 starter, held the Cardinals to one run on four hits in his eight innings. Michael Gonzalez finished up the four-hitter.

The win moved the Nats five and a-half games ahead of idle Atlanta in the NL East.

In the rest of the NL:

–Hunter Pence is killing his former team. Pence hit a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied again for an 8-4 win over the Astros. On Wednesday, he hit a three-run homer in the Giants’ victory over Houston.

– The Giants now lead the Dodgers by four and a-half games in the NL West. That’s because Arizona blanked L.A. 2-0 for the Diamondbacks’ seventh straight win over the Dodgers. Ian Kennedy outpitched Clayton Kershaw for the win. Chris Young’s two-run homer was all the scoring.

– The Phillies avoid a three-game sweep by slipping past the visiting New York Mets 3-2. Kyle Kendrick allowed solo homers in the first two innings to Mike Baxter and Scott Hairston, but did not permit another run before leaving with two outs in the eighth. Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless ninth for his 30th save. Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel benched star shortstop Jimmy Rollins after a pair of baserunning blunders in the sixth inning.

– Jonathan Lucroy hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs for Milwaukee, but it wasn’t enough as the Cubs came back with three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Brewers 12-11. Alfonso Soriano’s RBI single capped the big, three-run ninth. In a seesaw game featuring a combined 15 extra-base hits, the Cubs led 3-0, trailed 9-3 and were still down 11-9 going into the ninth.

Over in the AL:

– Zack Greinke yielded five hits over seven strong innings, Albert Pujols hit an early two-run double and the Los Angeles Angels swept their season series with Boston for the first time with a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox. The Angels have won seven of nine to stay in the midst of the AL wild card race.

– Carlos Villanueva pitched six sharp innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat slumping Tampa Bay 2-0 on Thursday night, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Rays. Tampa Bay lost for the fifth time in six games and dropped 1-1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild-card berth.

– The Baltimore Orioles completed a 5-1 homestand with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Taylor Teagarden and Adam Jones went deep for the Birds while Zach Britton was striking out a career-high 10 batters to earn his fourth win in five decisions this season. The O’s eighth win in 11 games moves them within three games of the idle Yankees in the AL East race. Baltimore opens a three-game series in New York on Friday night.

– The Athletics pounded four home runs in a 12-7 victory at Cleveland. The Athletics’ sixth straight win keeps them a full game ahead of Baltimore for the league’s first wild card. The Indians have lost five straight, 14 of 15 and are 1-6 since owner Paul Dolan said he had no immediate plans to fire second-year skipper Manny Acta.

– Seattle got past Minnesota 5-4.Trayvon Robinson had a pair of RBIs for the winners while Josh Willingham belted his 33rd home run in a losing cause. The M’s took three four in the series.

— Alex Gordon homered to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Detroit Tigers 2-1 for a three-game sweep.

Nats skipper says Strasburg shutdown imminent

WASHINGTON (AP) – Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson says Stephen Strasburg has “probably” two or three starts remaining before the ace is shut down for the season. Johnson says he delivered the news to Strasburg on the plane ride home from Wednesday’s win over the Miami Marlins.

Johnson says he has a “pretty firm plan” to shut down Strasburg after about 160 innings or so.

Strasburg is 15-6 and has thrown 150 1-3 innings. His next start is supposed to be Sunday against St. Louis.

Venus loses in second round…Federer rolls

NEW YORK (AP) – Venus Williams is done at the U.S. Open. The two-time U.S. Open champion dropped five of her last six games and ended up losing to sixth-seed Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in a second round match that lasted nearly three hours.

In the other women’s action, former top-ranked players Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic advanced to round three with straight-set victories. Ivanovic is seeded 12th. Jankovic is No. 30.

Serena Williams, another former No. 1, beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in straight sets in the second round. The 14-time Grand Slam champion won 6-2, 6-4. Williams overcame six double-faults and 24 unforced errors.

On the men’s side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the highest-seeded player to be bounced from the first week of this year’s U.S. Open. The fifth-seeded Frenchman lost to 52nd-ranked Martin Klizan of Slovakia 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in second-round play.

Before Tsonga’s loss, top-five seeds on the men’s and women’s sides had played 14 matches – and won all 14 in straight sets.

This year’s Open has generated plenty of drama in one area: comebacks from two sets down. American Mardy Fish rallied to beat Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2, the 10th time in this tournament a man had won after losing the first two sets – already an Open record.

Top-seeded Roger Federer used a second-round victory in the U.S. Open to work on his net game, winning 32 points from the front of the court in a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Bjorn Phau of Germany. Federer finished with 15 aces in a 90-minute victory over his 83rd-ranked opponent.

Surprise announcement from Roddick

NEW YORK (AP) -Former world No. 1 Andy Roddick says the U.S. Open will be the last tournament of his career. The 2003 U.S. Open champion announced his plans to retire at a news conference on his 30th birthday.

The 20th-seeded Roddick is scheduled to play Bernard Tomic in the second round Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The American’s surprising decision to walk away from the sport comes a day after four-time major champion Kim Clijsters played the last singles match of her career, a second-round loss to Laura Robson at Flushing Meadows.

Bengals starting QB goes down…Bills owner in hospital

UNDATED (AP) – Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton left on the Bengals’ first series Thursday night with a bruised right arm, but the injury was not deemed to be serious. Dalton was hit by Robert Mathis and others on the Bengals’ sixth offensive play. Bruce Gradkowski replaced Dalton.

In other NFL news:

– The Buffalo Bills have announced that owner Ralph Wilson has been taken to a hospital and is listed in good condition. Club spokesman Scott Berchtold was unable provide further information or where Wilson was hospitalized. The 93-year-old Hall of Fame owner usually spends his summers at his home in suburban Detroit.

– The NFL moved to try to shut down lawsuits filed by thousands of former players who say they suffered or fear suffering permanent brain injuries from football-related concussions. The NFL is calling the issue a “labor dispute” that should be resolved not by courts but by terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Oakland 12 Cleveland 7
Baltimore 5 Chi White Sox 3
Seattle 5 Minnesota 4
Toronto 2 Tampa Bay 0
Kansas City 2 Detroit 1
L.A. Angels 5 Boston 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 3 N-Y Mets 2
Chi Cubs 12 Milwaukee 11
Washington 8 St. Louis 1
San Francisco 8 Houston 4
Arizona 2 L.A. Dodgers 0

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Jacksonville 24 Atlanta 14
Philadelphia 28 N-Y Jets 10
St. Louis 31 Baltimore 17
Detroit 38 Buffalo 32
Pittsburgh 17 Carolina 16
Indianapolis 20 Cincinnati 16
Green Bay 24 Kansas City 3
Houston 28 Minnesota 24
Tennessee 10 New Orleans 6
Chicago 28 Cleveland 20
Seattle 21 Oakland 3
San Francisco 35 San Diego 3
Denver 16 Arizona 13

TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
( 9) South Carolina 17 Vanderbilt 13