LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns, Imani Cross added a career-high 109 yards and a TD, and No. 21 Nebraska beat Illinois 45-14 on Saturday night.
The Cornhuskers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are off to their best start since 2010 heading into next week’s game at No. 9 Michigan State.
Wearing all-red alternate uniforms on homecoming, the Huskers rushed for 458 of their 624 total yards.
Illinois (3-2, 0-1) started Reilly O’Toole at quarterback in place of Wes Lunt. O’Toole was 17 for 38 for 261 yards and two touchdowns and was intercepted three times, twice by Daniel Davie.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Ameer Abdullah says 2013 winner Jameis Winston of Florida State needs to clean up his act.
Abdullah and Winston both grew up in the Birmingham, Alabama, area and trained together at the same gym. He said he considers Winston a friend.
Abdullah says Winston lacks maturity and needs to understand that how he presents himself has consequences.
Winston was suspended for last Saturday’s game against Clemson after several students said he stood on campus last week and shouted an obscene phrase that may have derived from an internet meme. Last April, Winston was caught leaving a supermarket without paying for crab legs and crawfish and was ordered to perform community service.
Nebraska I-back Ameer Abdullah earned Big Ten weekly honors for the second time this season on Monday.
Abdullah shared Big Ten Offensive honors with Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon following Nebraska’s 41-31 win over Miami Saturday night. Abdullah totaled 313 all-purpose yards – an NCAA single-game high in 2014 – as he rushed for 229 yards on 35 carries and two scores and added a three-yard touchdown reception. He also had four kickoff returns for 81 yards in the win, as his all-purpose yard total was second in Nebraska school history. He moved from fifth to third on Nebraska’s career rushing list while also becoming the Huskers’ career all-purpose yards leader, passing College Football Hall of Famer Johnny Rodgers.
Abdullah also earned the weekly honor against Florida Atlantic in the season opener when he rushed for 232 yards. Abdullah is one of only two players in the country with multiple 200-yard rushing games in 2014. Nebraska has won at least one Big Ten weekly award in each of the first four weeks of the season.
The Big Ten honor was one of several for Abdullah, as he was also named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for the second this season on Monday and was chosen as the Athlon Sports Big Ten Player of the Week.
Below are this week’s honorees:
Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
Sr., RB, Homewood, Ala./Homewood
• Recorded 313 all-purpose yards, including 229 rushing yards, in Nebraska’s victory over Miami (Fla.)
• Carried the ball a career-high 35 times, reaching the end zone twice on the ground and adding a third touchdown on a three-yard reception in the second quarter
• Became Nebraska’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards, passing 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers
• Records the third Offensive Player of the Week award of his career and second of the season
• Last Nebraska Offensive Player of the Week: Ameer Abdullah (Sept. 1, 2014)
Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Jr., RB, Kenosha, Wis./Bradford
• Needed just 13 carries to register 253 yards and matched a school record with five touchdowns in Wisconsin’s win against Bowling Green
• Averaged 19.5 yards per carry, shattering the previous school record of 14.9 yards per attempt
• Helped Wisconsin set a modern-era Big Ten record with 644 team rushing yards and a school record for total offense with 756 yards.
• Earns the second Offensive Player of the Week award of his career
• Last Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Week: Melvin Gordon (Sept. 23, 2013)
Defensive Player of the Week
William Likely, Maryland
So., CB, Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Central
• Recorded nine tackles, including one tackle for loss, and an interception to lead Maryland to a victory at Syracuse
• Notched his second career interception late in the second quarter and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown
• The interception return for a touchdown was the longest by a Maryland player since 1989
• Claims his first career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor
• First Maryland Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award
Special Teams Player of the Week
Chris Gradone, Northwestern
Jr., P, Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier
• Averaged 44.1 yards on seven punts as Northwestern defeated Western Illinois
• Six of his seven punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, including two inside the five-yard line
• Claims his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor
• Last Northwestern Special Teams Player of the Week: Jeff Budzien (Dec. 2, 2013)
Co-Freshmen of the Week
Tegray Scales, Indiana
LB, Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain
• Recorded five tackles and one sack to help Indiana defeat No. 18/19 Missouri
• Registered his first career sack as the Hoosiers collected their first road win over a top-20 team since 1987
• Wins his first career weekly award
• Last Indiana Freshman of the Week: Ralphael Green III (Nov. 25, 2013)
Chris Streveler, Minnesota
QB, Crystal Lake, Ill./Marian Central Catholic
• Logged 161 yards on 18 carries, including a touchdown, to lead Minnesota to a victory over San Jose State in his first career start
• Posted the third-most rushing yards ever by a Minnesota quarterback
• Wins his first career weekly award
• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Mitch Leidner (Sept. 23, 2013)
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini used his weekly news conference to take responsibility for his team’s poor performance in an embarrassingly close win over McNeese State.
The Huskers (2-0) are unranked this week after going into the McNeese State game ranked No. 19. Since the AP poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989, no team ranked as high had ever dropped out after a win.
Nebraska, which plays at Fresno State (0-2) on Saturday, had problems on multiple fronts. Of particular concern was the use of star running back Ameer Abdullah. He touched the ball just once in the fourth quarter before he broke the 58-yard winning touchdown with 20 seconds to play.
Pelini said he should have demanded that offensive coordinator Tim Beck get Abdullah more involved.
Lincoln – Husker I-back Ameer Abdullah was one of four players around the nation named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll exemplifying their versatility on the field.
Abdullah earned the honored as he totaled 184 all-purpose yards in a 31-24 win over McNeese State. His 58-yard touchdown reception with 20 seconds left, which was the No. 1 play on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Saturday, provided the winning margin for the Huskers. It was one of three receptions for the Husker I-back, as he finished with a career-high 96 receiving yards on three catches. His 96 receiving yards were the most by a Husker I-back since 2007. In addition, he also had 54 yards and a scoring run on 17 carries and had a 34-yard kickoff return.
Abdullah is now 247 yards shy of Nebraska’s all-purpose yards record of 5,686 held by 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.
The Huskers return to action Saturday night as they travel to Fresno State. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. (CT) on the CBS College Sports Network and statewide on the Husker Sports Radio Network.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah is the Big Ten’s offensive player of the week.
The senior from Homewood, Alabama, rushed for a career-high 232 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in the Cornhuskers’ 55-7 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
It was Abdullah’s 18th career game over 100 yards rushing and his 12th in the past 14 games.
He also became the eighth player in school history to surpass 3,000 career rushing yards. He now stands No. 6 on the Huskers’ all-time list.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah is poised to become the first Nebraska player to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Earning that distinction doesn’t seem to rank very high among his goals.
Abdullah said Monday all he wants is to win games and a championship. He said he’s willing to do anything to help the Huskers make it to the Big Ten championship game, even if it means playing on the punt-block unit.
Coach Bo Pelini said Abdullah has added size and explosiveness and that his drive to win has been palpable since the spring.
The 22nd-ranked Huskers open Saturday at home against Florida Atlantic.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced today its fourth annual football Players to Watch list, with 10 players earning preseason recognition. The preseason Players to Watch list is selected by a media panel and consists of five student-athletes each from the East Division and West Division.
Representing the East Division are Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Michigan wide receiver Devin Funchess, Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun, Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller and Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Miller was named to the Big Ten Football Players to Watch list for the third straight season.
Randy Gregory
Nebraska and Wisconsin lead the way with two players each on the West Division Players to Watch list. Husker running back Ameer Abdullah and defensive end Randy Gregory are joined on the list by Badger running back Melvin Gordon and right tackle Rob Havenstein.Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff rounds out the division’s honorees.
The Players to Watch list includes the reigning two-time Big Ten Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year in Miller. Other individual award winners from last season to claim preseason honors include the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year in Hackenberg, the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year in Funchess and the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year in Calhoun.
Abdullah, Calhoun and Scherff were each named All-Americans last season. All 10 players earned all-conference honors in 2013, including first-team accolades for Abdullah, Calhoun, Funchess, Gregory, Miller and Scherff.
The complete list of Big Ten football preseason Players to Watch appears below:
Husker senior I-back Ameer Abdullah and junior defensive end Randy Gregory continued an impressive collection of preseason accolades on Friday, as both were named to watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year.
The Walter Camp Player of the Year is the fourth-oldest individual college football award. A total of 50 players were named to the Walter Camp list with Nebraska being one of nine schools with two or more players on the list. Abdullah was one of seven running backs on the list, while Gregory was one of only 17 defenders to make the watch list, including just five defensive linemen.
The 5-9, 195-pound Abdullah has previously been named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Paul Hornung Award. He has also been recognized as a preseason All-American by several media outlets and is considered a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.
Abdullah earned first-team All-Big Ten honors when he rushed for 1,690 yards in 2013, the most of any player returning for 2014. Abdullah owns 2,977 career rushing yards to rank third among active returning players in career rushing yards, and he leads all active players with 4,914 career all-purpose yards.
Randy Gregory
Gregory has now been named to five watch lists in the past two weeks. In addition to being named to the Walter Camp list, he was also on the watch lists for the Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy.
As a sophomore, Gregory became one of the Big Ten’s top defenders last season and has earned preseason All-America accolades in 2014. In his first year with the Huskers, Gregory led the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. Nine of Gregory’s sacks came in Big Ten Conference play, including a season-high three sacks at Michigan.
Abdullah and Gregory are two of eight Big Ten players on the Walter Camp list. Ten semifinalists for the award will be announced in mid-November, with the winner announced on Thursday, Dec. 11.
Three Huskers have won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, most recently Eric Crouch in 2001.
Abdullah and teammates Kenny Bell and Corey Cooper will represent Nebraska at Big Ten Media Days later this month in Chicago. Abdullah will also be a featured speaker at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, speaking on behalf of the 42 student-athletes in attendance.
Nebraska senior I-back Ameer Abdullah has been named as one of the preseason candidates for the 2014 Doak Walker Award Thursday morning. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top college running back.
The 5-9, 195-pound Abdullah rushed for 1,690 yards in 2013, the most of any player returning for 2014. Abdullah owns 2,977 career rushing yards to rank third among active returning players in career rushing yards, and he leads all active players with 4,914 career all-purpose yards.
In addition to earning first-team All-Big Ten honors last season, Abdullah was one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award. He is one of three 2013 Doak Walker semifinalists who are among the 2014 preseason candidates, joining South Carolina’s Mike Davis and Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin. Abdullah is one of eight Big Ten running backs on the watch list.
The semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award will be named on Nov. 18, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will narrow the list to three finalists by Nov. 24. The recipient of the 2014 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on Thursday, Dec. 11, on the ESPN College Football Awards show.
The announcement of preseason watch lists wraps up on Friday when the preseason list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year is announced.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns, Imani Cross added a career-high 109 yards and a TD, and No. 21 Nebraska beat Illinois 45-14 on Saturday night.
