Football – Page 2 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers-Michigan State to be Played in Prime Time

Posted on April 23, 2015April 24, 2015

The Big Ten Conference and ESPN/ABC announced Thursday that Nebraska’s Nov. 7 game against Michigan State will be a prime-time contest at Memorial Stadium.

The will be carried on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, with kickoff at either 6 or 7 p.m. CT. The final network designation and kickoff time will be announced at a later date.

The Huskers’ matchup with Michigan State is one of the top Big Ten games this fall. The Spartans finished with an 11-2 record in 2014 and were ranked fifth in both of the final national polls.

Nebraska and Michigan State will be televised in prime time on the ESPN family of networks for the second straight season. A year ago, Michigan State defeated Nebraska,27-22, in a night game at Spartan Stadium.

Overall this will mark the fifth straight year the Nebraska-Michigan State tilt has been televised on an ESPN platform. The 2011 game in Lincoln was televised on ESPN, with each of the past three matchups were on ABC.

The Nebraska-Michigan State game is one of seven Big Ten games that will be televised in prime time on the ESPN family of networks.

As announced last week, Nebraska will also play host to South Alabama in a prime-time game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12. That contest will be televised by BTN.

Elway on Demaryius Thomas’ Absence: ‘Makes no Sense’

Posted on April 23, 2015April 24, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos general manager John Elway disagrees with Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas’ strategy to skip the team’s offseason program while angling for a long-term contract.

Elway said Thursday during a news conference to discuss the upcoming draft that “there’s zero value of him being away from here.”

A prolonged boycott by Thomas could hinder the installation of new coach Gary Kubiak’s offense that will feature Peyton Manning’s tactical and timing proficiencies while placing a greater emphasis on the run and two-tight end sets.

The Broncos placed their franchise tag on Thomas, guaranteeing him $12.8 million in 2015 — which is about the same amount as he’s made in his first five NFL seasons combined.

6 Hall of Famers to Announce Picks at NFL Draft

Posted on April 23, 2015April 24, 2015

CHICAGO (AP) — Six Pro Football Hall of Famers will be among the 32 former players who will announce second-round selections at next week’s NFL draft.

Announcing the selections for their teams will be linebacker Dick Butkus (Bears), quarterback Jim Kelly (Bills), cornerbacks Willie Brown (Raiders) and Mel Blount (Steelers), center Dwight Stephenson (Dolphins), and 2015 electee DE-LB Charles Haley (49ers).

The second and third rounds will be held Friday night, May 1, as the draft shifts from New York to Chicago. Round 1 is the previous night, and the fourth-seventh rounds will be on May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

Combined, players who will announce second-round picks own 22 Super Bowl championships.

No Winston or Mariota at Draft, 26 Others Accept

Posted on April 14, 2015

CHICAGO (AP) — While 26 draft-eligible players have accepted invitations from the NFL to attend the proceedings later this month, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are not among them.

The two most recent Heisman Trophy winners and highest-profile players in this year’s crop have opted to stay home with their families for the April 30-May 2 draft. The quarterbacks are projected to go at the outset of the draft, which has moved to Chicago from New York this year. It was last held in Chicago in 1964.

Agreeing to attend are such All-Americans as running back Melvin Gordon, defensive end Vic Beasley, offensive tackle Brandon Scherff, defensive tackle Danny Shelton and safety Landon Collins.

Wide receiver Devin Smith of national champion Ohio State, and DE Arik Armstead, Mariota’s teammate at national runner-up Oregon, have agreed to attend.

Big Score: College Bowl Game Payouts Surpass $500 Million

Posted on April 14, 2015

Bowl games paid more than a half billion dollars to college football conferences and schools last season, an increase of almost $200 million from the final season of the Bowl Championship Series to the first of the College Football Playoff.

According to an NCAA report to be released Tuesday, the 39 postseason FBS games distributed $505.9 million to the participating conferences and schools. The schools spent $100.2 million to take part in bowl games.

Total payouts from 35 postseason games from the 2013-14 season were $309.9 million while schools spent $97.8 million to participate.

The increase in payouts is due mostly to the increased value of media deals with the seven games — six bowls and a national championship game — that are part of the College Football Playoff.

Ex-NFL and Husker Running Back Suspected of Killing Prison Cellmate

Posted on April 14, 2015April 14, 2015

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips is suspected of killing his cellmate in a Central California prison.

Prison officials said Monday that Phillips’ cellmate at Kern Valley State Prison was found lifeless over the weekend and later pronounced dead.

Phillips, 39, was once one of the nation’s top college football players at Nebraska. He played for the St. Louis Rams, until he was released in 1997 for insubordination. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.

Phillips is serving a sentence of more than 31 years.

He was convicted of twice choking his girlfriend in 2005 in San Diego and later that year of driving his car into three teens after a pickup football game in Los Angeles.

It wasn’t clear if Phillips has an attorney.

Adrian Fiala, Former Nebraska LB and broadcaster, Dies at 67

Posted on April 14, 2015April 14, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Adrian Fiala, who played football for Nebraska in the 1960s and later worked as a broadcaster covering the Cornhuskers, has died. He was 67.

Fiala’s wife, Fran, said that her husband had been battling an incurable lung condition for eight years. He died Monday afternoon.

Fiala played at Ryan High School in Omaha before joining Bob Devaney’s up-and-coming football program. He lettered three years as a linebacker, with the Huskers finishing 9-2 and tying for first place in the Big Eight in his senior season in 1969. He also was the catcher on the baseball team.

Fiala was a color analyst on Huskers radio broadcasts from 2000-10 and also was a fixture on the popular statewide “Big Red Wrapup” show on public television.

Huskers-S. Alabama to Be Played in Prime Time

Posted on April 13, 2015

The Big Ten Network announced its schedule of 2015 prime-time football games on Monday, including Nebraska’s Sept. 12 home game against South Alabama.

The exact kickoff time for the Husker-South Alabama matchup will be announced at a later date. The meeting will be the first ever between the two programs. South Alabama plays in the Sun Belt Conference and reached the Camellia Bowl in 2014 in its second season as a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision ranks.

BTN has selected 10 games to air in prime-time this fall, beginning on Sept. 4 and continuing through Nov. 14.

Additional Nebraska games could be selected for prime-time telecasts by other television partners.

BTN Announces 2015 Primetime Football Schedule

Posted on April 13, 2015

CHICAGO – BTN’s 2015 primetime football schedule will feature the conference’s 2014 West Division Champion Wisconsin Badgers, Cotton Bowl Champion Michigan State and Michigan in its first year under new head coach Jim Harbaugh among its contests on six key Saturday nights.

Twelve of the 14 Big Ten schools will play in primetime on BTN, and four of the games are conference contests, including Minnesota at Iowa in the first-ever primetime battle for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy at Kinnick Stadium.

“Since BTN launched, there has never been more anticipation leading into the football season,” said BTN President Mark Silverman.

The first of BTN’s conference matchups in primetime features Rutgers at Penn State on Sept. 19. Last season in the Scarlet Knights’ Big Ten debut, the Nittany Lions played the spoiler and left Piscataway victorious after a late touchdown drive. This year at Beaver Stadium, Rutgers will look to even the score in this budding rivalry of neighboring state schools.

On Oct. 3, Michigan visits Maryland in a Big Ten East Division clash. The Terrapins defeated the Wolverines 23-16 last year, but with a new regime in place, Michigan has high hopes of returning to the top of the pack. Maryland impressed in its first Big Ten season, finishing the season with a 7-6 record, including 4-4 in conference play.

Michigan State, which ended last season ranked No. 5 in the country after its dramatic comeback victory over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl, visits Rutgers on Oct. 10. The Spartans, a preseason top-10 squad, return quarterback Connor Cook and a number of key cogs on the defensive side who are intent on earning a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff.

BTN closes out its primetime slate on Nov. 14 with the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry game, when the Hawkeyes host the Gophers. Iowa has won six of the last 10, but Minnesota looks to capture the trophy for the second straight season after its impressive 51-14 victory last year.

BTN’s other primetime selections include Pittsburgh at Iowa on Sept. 19, when former Michigan State defensive coordinator and now Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi makes his return to the conference. Also on the schedule are Hawaii at Wisconsin and Ball State at Northwestern.

In all, BTN will televise at least 40 football games this fall. Start times and television arrangements for other early season games will be announced at a later date.

BTN’s Primetime Schedule

Saturday, Sept. 12

South Alabama at Nebraska

Saturday, Sept. 19

Rutgers at Penn State

Saturday, September 26

Hawaii at Wisconsin

Saturday, October 3

Michigan at Maryland

Saturday, October 10

Michigan State at Rutgers

Saturday, November 14

Minnesota at Iowa

*Kent State at Illinois on Friday, Sept. 4 previously announced

*Florida International at Indiana on Sept. 12, Pittsburgh at Iowa on Sept. 19 and Ball State at Northwestern on Sept. 26 will also appear in primetime in the Big Ten team’s home market and on Extra Football Game Channels and BTN2Go elsewhere.

Riley Amazed as 76,000-Plus Show up for Huskers’ Spring Game

Posted on April 11, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mike Riley agrees with his new school’s fight song, which says there is no place like Nebraska.

When he came out of the tunnel Saturday, there were 76,881 fans waiting to watch his first Red-White Game as the Cornhuskers’ coach.

Riley says he’s been in great football environments, but never one like that for a spring game.

The Red squad was stacked with most of the experienced players and outscored the White 24-15 in front of the second-largest crowd for a spring game at Nebraska. The school record of 80,149 was set in 2008 for Bo Pelini’s first spring game.

Riley alternated sidelines and was with the Red team as time ran out. Players doused him with Gatorade.