What had been speculated all week long was finally confirmed yesterday by Huskers head coach Bo Pelini. Current defensive line coach and special teams coordinator John Papuchis will be promoted to fill the defensive coordinator spot vacated by the departed Carl Pelini. Replacing Papuchis as the defensive line coach will be Rick Kaczenski, who spent the last five seasons in the same role at Iowa. Kaczenski is expected to join the Huskers staff for their trip to the Capital One Bowl on January 2^nd. Also joining the Huskers for their bowl game will be starting center Mike Caputo. Pelini announced yesterday that he would permit Caputo to play after the senior pled guilty to reckless driving, stemming from an incident on December 11^th. Pelini said that Caputo would be punished internally.

Tonight on ESPN Radio 1410, it’s North Platte Bulldog basketball. It’s a doubleheader to round out the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule as the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs welcome the Lincoln East Spartans to the Doghouse. Both the Bulldog squads are coming off weekends that saw them split their games. The Bulldog boys lost to McCook but rebounded with a win over Columbus, while the Lady Bulldogs topped the Bison but fell to the Discoverers. The boys carry a 2-4 record into tonight, while the girls are 3-3. The visiting Spartan boys have struggled to a 1-5 start, while the Lady Spartans are off to a 4-2 record. The girls game starts the action at 5:15 tonight, with the boys game to follow at 7. ESPN Radio 1410’s coverage gets underway with the Kwik Stop Pregame Show at 5.

The 24^th ranked Husker women’s basketball team needed big nights from their two team leaders to finish non-conference play on a high note. Jordan Hooper and Lindsey Moore led the Huskers to an 80-71 win over South Dakota State at the Devaney Center. Hooper posted a game-high 30 points, her second such performance of the season, and added 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the campaign. Moore tallied 27 points and dished out six assists. Nebraska led the visiting Jackrabbits by just two points at the half but built a seventeen-point second half lead. South Dakota State would get as close as seven late in the game before the Huskers finished them off. Nebraska moves to 11-1 on the season with the win. Their first ever Big Ten conference game is next Friday at Penn State.

Nebraska center Mike Caputo will not be charged with driving under the influence following a citation from Lincoln police earlier this month. Caputo was arrested in the early morning hours of December 11^th when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a parked car with the engine turned on. He was cited and released that morning. On Wednesday, Lincoln city prosecutors elected to charge Caputo with reckless driving. He’ll appear in Lancaster County court today. Huskers head coach Bo Pelini has not announced whether Caputo will be permitted to play in the Capital One Bowl on January 2^nd. Earlier this week, Pelini did announce that linebacker Eric Martin would be allowed to play in the game. Martin had been cited by Lincoln police for leaving the scene of an automobile accident on December 10^th.

The Nebraska men’s basketball team’s fourth straight win did not come easily. The Huskers knocked off a stubborn Central Michigan squad 72-69 at the Devaney Center last night. Nebraska hit seven of their eight free throws down the stretch to hold off the Chippewas, who trimmed a 12-point Husker lead down to three in the final seconds. All five Husker starters scored in double figures, with Brandon Richardson and Bo Spencer leading the way with 15 points apiece. Brandon Ubel, Caleb Walker and Toney McCray each scored 11 points. McCray led the team with eight rebounds, while Spencer handed out a game-high nine assists. Nebraska wraps up their non-conference play with a 8-3 record. They return to action next Tuesday night in their first ever Big Ten game, hosting Wisconsin.

The Colorado Rockies introduced their big free agent prize of the offseason yesterday. The Rockies agreed to terms with former Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer on a three-year contract worth 31.5 million dollars. Cuddyer appeared at a press conference in Denver yesterday. At that press conference, the Rockies also announced the signing of another veteran, infielder Casey Blake. Blake is a 38 year-old third baseman who spent the last three and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted .252 with 4 home runs in 63 games in 2011, a season that saw him make three trips to the disabled list. He’s a lifetime .264 hitter with 167 homers in 13 big-league seasons. Blake’s contract is a one-year deal worth two million dollars with a million more in incentives, though it is not guaranteed money.

The 24^th ranked Husker women’s basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of their schedule tonight, as they welcome South Dakota State to the Devaney Center. After beating Vermont 94-41 on Sunday and moving up one spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll, the Huskers try and close out their pre-conference slate with the second-best 12-game start in school history. Only the 2009-2010 Huskers, who opened the season 12-0, have ever began a season brighter than this year’s 10-1 squad. The visiting South Dakota State Jackrabbits are 7-5 on the season and are coming off a 59-51 loss at Marquette on Monday. The Jackrabbits beat the Huskers in Lincoln in the previous meeting between the two schools back in 2006. Tonight’s game tips off in Lincoln at 7:05.

The Nebraska men’s basketball team plays their final non-conference game tonight at the Devaney Center, as they welcome the Central Michigan Chippewas to town. Doc Sadler’s Huskers have won three straight games, including Saturday’s 60-46 triumph over Alcorn State in Lincoln, and have improved their record to 7-3. It’s a banged up Husker squad that will take the floor tonight. Center Jorge Brian Diaz will miss his second straight game with a foot injury, and wing Dylan Talley will be a game day decision with a deep thigh bruise. Senior Toney McCray filled in for Talley in the lineup on Saturday and scored a career-high 20 points. Central Michigan is 5-6 on the season and is coming off a seven-point road loss at Iowa State on Sunday. Tipoff from the Devaney Center is set for 7 PM.