Peyton Manning was picked off at the goal line on his first drive leading the Denver Broncos offense in their 31-3 preseason win over the Chicago Bears last night in Chicago. Manning’s first play as a Bronco was a short pass dropped by tight end Jacob Tamme. His first completion was to Tamme off of a deflection. He completed 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards on the twelve-play opening drive, which ended on an interception by Chicago’s Major Wright. Manning was pulled for Caleb Hanie before playing a second series. The Broncos rolled to victory behind their defense, which allowed just 132 total yards, forced three turnovers, and didn’t allow the Chicago offense to cross midfield until the second half. Manning makes his home debut in the next preseason game next Saturday night as the Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks.

The United States women’s volleyball team and former Husker Jordan Larson are heading to the Olympic Gold Medal Match after beating South Korea in three straight sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) in the semifinal round at the 2012 London Olympics on Thursday.

Larson, who posted the second-highest kill total on the team, notched 10 kills, three blocks, a total of 14 points and one ace during the three-set match.

The teams traded small leads throughout much of the first set, but the U.S. took control on a 5-0 run with four points on Larson’s serve. South Korea stayed in front of the United States during most of the second set, until two errors by South Korea gave the Americans a 23-22 lead before Larson’s touch kill gave them set point. In the third set, the two teams were tied at 21, but the Americans dominated in the final stretch, winning four of the last five points. A stunning serve by Larson set up match point, where a kill by Logan Tom clinched the match and sent the U.S. to the final.

The U.S. women, who are 7-0 at the 2012 London Olympic Games and are 30-1 overall this year, are in search of their first Olympic Games gold medal after winning silver medals in 2008 in Beijing and 1984 in  Los Angeles. Team USA also won the bronze in 1992 in Barcelona. The team will face Brazil. The gold medal match is slated for Saturday, Aug. 11 at 12:30 p.m. CT and will be shown via tape delay on NBC or live on nbcolympics.com.

— Hillary Winter, Nebraska Sports Information

Preseason honors continued to roll in for senior I-back Rex Burkhead on Thursday, when he was named a second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated. Burkhead was one of four running backs tabbed as a preseason All-American, joining Wisconsin’s Montee Ball to give the Big Ten two All-America backs.

For Burkhead, it was his second preseason All-America honor, as Athlon also tabbed him as a second-team running back. A native of Plano, Texas, Burkhead is also one of 50 players on the watch list for the Walter Camp Award (college football player of the year) and one of 65 candidates for the Doak Walker Award (nation’s top running back).

Burkhead carried 284 times for 1,357 yards last season in a workhorse role for the Huskers. He posted the second-highest carry total in school history, while tallying the seventh-highest rushing total in NU history and the highest by a Husker I-back since 1997. Burkhead ranked 19th nationally in rushing last fall, averaging 104.4 yards per game. He enters his senior season with 2,654 career rushing yards, good for 12th place in school history. He is only 90 rushing yards shy of moving into Nebraska’s all-time top 10.

Burkhead also set school records for single-game carries (38 vs. Iowa) and most consecutive games with a touchdown (10) in 2011. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award.

An outstanding student-athlete, Burkhead is also a returning CoSIDA Academic All-American, after earning first-team honors as a junior in 2011. Burkhead was also chosen as one of Uplifting Athletes Champions of 2011-12 for helping to put a national focus on helping children with rare diseases. An active member of the community, Burkhead earned his third straight appointment to the Brook Berringer Citizenship team this past spring.

— Matt Smith, Nebraska Sports Information

LONDON (AP) – Tina Charles and Diana Taurasi scored 14 points apiece and the U.S. women’s basketball team cranked up its defense in the second half to beat Australia 86-73 on Thursday and advanced to a fifth straight gold medal game.

The Americans, who had cruised through their first six Olympic games, were challenged by the Australians and 6-foot-8 Liz Cambage.

Australia went right at the U.S. behind its budding star, but once again the Americans depth and pressure defense wore down another opponent.

After Cambage scored 19 first-half points, the U.S. held her scoreless the rest of the game.

The Americans have won 40 consecutive Olympic contests dating back to the bronze medal game in 1992.

Australia and the U.S. had met in the previous three gold medal games. This was the first time they had played in the semifinals since 1996. Australia will play for the bronze medal.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino expresses regret for the affair that led to his April firing, and says he hopes to coach again.

Petrino, speaking publicly for the first time since his firing in an interview with ESPN, admits to the affair with former football staffer Jessica Dorrell and says he is in counseling with this wife, Becky.

The former Atlanta Falcons and Louisville coach was fired by Arkansas on April 10 for a “pattern of misleading” behavior following an April 1 motorcycle accident. Petrino initially said he was the only passenger but later admitted to Dorrell’s presence and that he had given her $20,000 in gifts.

Petrino was 34-17 in four seasons with the Razorbacks. He says he won’t coach this season but hopes to get one more chance.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – Minnesota’s second-round draft pick Robbie Hummel says he will play in Europe rather than the NBA next season.

Hummel tells the Lafayette Journal and Courier he has agreed to a deal with El Obradoiro, which plays in Spain’s top professional league.

He says the deal was made with the approval of the Timberwolves, who drafted Hummel 58th overall in June. Hummel says Minnesota has a lot of forwards on the roster, but believes the Timberwolves and the NBA are still in his future.

Hummel starred at Purdue and was considered their top player until tearing the ACL in his right knee twice in less than 12 months.

He finished ninth on the Boilermakers’ career scoring list (1,772), fourth in rebounds (862), fourth in 3-pointers (216) and seventh in blocks (112).

AMERICAN LEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Detroit 12:05 p.m.
Toronto at Tampa Bay 12:10 p.m.
Boston at Cleveland 6:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Baltimore 6:05 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami at N-Y Mets 11:10 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis 12:45 p.m.
Arizona at Pittsburgh 3:05 p.m.
Cincinnati at Chi Cubs 7:05 p.m.
Washington at Houston 7:05 p.m.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Washington at Buffalo 6:00 p.m.
Baltimore at Atlanta 6:30 p.m.
New Orleans at New England 6:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 6:30 p.m.
Green Bay at San Diego 7:00 p.m.
Denver at Chicago 7:30 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)

NFL-NEWS
Reid is back
UNDATED (AP) – Andy Reid has returned to the Philadelphia Eagles a day after his 29-year-old son’s funeral. Garrett Reid was found dead Sunday morning in his dorm room at Lehigh University where he was assisting the team’s strength and conditioning coach during training camp.

In other NFL doings:
– Trent Richardson’s ailing left knee may be more seriously injured than the Cleveland Browns thought. The team issued a one-sentence statement saying that the running back, picked No. 3 overall in April’s draft, will see a specialist on Thursday.
– Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas has undergone surgery on his left knee. The four-year veteran missed the final five games of last season after injuring the knee in a Thanksgiving loss to Green Bay.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
Holgorsen gets new deal…Expansion for CAA
UNDATED (AP) – West Virginia football coach Dana Holgorsen will earn $2.3 million this season under a new six-year contract, according to athletic director Oliver Luck. Holgorsen finished his first season at WVU with a 10-3 record and a Big East championship, as well as a 70-33 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

In other college gridiron news:
– The Colonial Athletic Association has added two football only schools in Albany and Stony Brook. Georgia State, Old Dominion and Rhode Island all announced plans to leave the league following this season, leaving just eight teams.
– Prosecutors in Pennsylvania hope to steer some of the $60 million in fines Penn State must pay the NCAA over the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal to children’s advocacy centers across the state.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 6, Minnesota 2
Texas 10, Boston 9
Oakland 9, L.A. Angels 8
N.Y. Yankees 12, Detroit 8
Baltimore 9, Seattle 2
Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 2
Kansas City 2, Chicago White Sox 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 3, Cincinnati 2
San Diego 2, Chicago Cubs 0
Pittsburgh 7, Arizona 6
Atlanta 12, Philadelphia 6
Miami 13, N.Y. Mets 0
Washington 4, Houston 3
San Francisco 15, St. Louis 0
L.A. Dodgers 6, Colorado 4

Speed and athleticism are on the prime time docket tonight. Jamaican Usain Bolt will try and double his golden fortune in the 200 meter final tonight. He’s aiming to become the first man to repeat in the 100 and 200 in consecutive Olympic Games. Also today at Olympic Stadium, the men’s decathlon wraps up, with American Ashton Eaton the heavy favorite. You’ll also see the men’s 800 meter and the triple jump in prime time, along with one of the newest Olympic sports – men’s BMX racing. At London’s historic Wembley Stadium, the US women’s soccer team goes for gold against Japan. After their thrilling 4-3 extra-time win over Canada in the semis, team USA aims to avenge their loss to Japan in the Women’s World Cup in 2011. US women’s basketball and women’s basketball play semifinal games tonight: the hoops team takes on Australia while the volleyballers play South Korea.

It’s been one year and 213 days since Peyton Manning last took the field in a live NFL game. Tonight, Manning will take snaps for the first time since then, and for the first time as a Denver Bronco. The Broncos open their preseason schedule tonight as they take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Manning’s last game was as an Indianapolis Colt, in an AFC Wild Card playoff game against the New York Jets on January 8, 2011. He missed the entire 2012 season due to a nerve injury in his neck. Manning will take just 12 snaps tonight, no matter how many drives it takes to get to that number. The Broncos defense will face a pair of former Broncos in Bears QB Jay Cutler and receiver Brandon Marshall. ESPN Radio 1410 will have the action tonight. Pregame coverage begins at 5:35, with the kickoff set for 7:30.

The Colorado Rockies’ two-game winning streak is over. The Rockies fell 6-4 in the series finale in Los Angeles against the Dodgers last night. The Rockies started promisingly. Eric Young Jr. opened the game with a flash of lightning, leading off with an inside-the-park home run and helping the Rockies build an early lead. The Dodgers took a 3-2 advantage on a three-run homer by Matt Kemp in the first, but the Rockies battled back to tie it on DJ LeMahieu’s RBI single in the fourth. However, unlike the previous two nights, the Rockies ‘piggyback’ reliever struggled, as Carlos Torres gave up three runs in his two innings of work as the Dodgers took a 6-3 lead. The Rockies pulled a run back in the seventh on an RBI single by Young, but would get no closer. Today is an off day for the Rockies. They’re headed to San Francisco to open a three-game set with the Giants Friday night.

The Husker football team notched its thirteenth commitment to the recruiting class of 2013 in offensive lineman Zach Hannon. The coaching staff had long targeted Hannon, a three-star prospect from Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Hannon ranks as the eighteenth-best offensive line prospect in the country according to Rivals. He’ll play tackle in his senior season. Hannon is the second O-line prospect to join the Husker class of 2013. Dan Samuelson out of Plymouth, Indiana is the other.