Football – Page 20 – North Platte Post Archive

Coaches Selected for 2015 West Nebraska All-Star Football Game

Posted on January 1, 2015

SCOTTSBLUFF—The coaches have been selected for the 2015 West Nebraska All-Star Football Game. This marks the 37^th year for the West Nebraska All-Star Football Game. The 2015 West Nebraska All-Star Football game will be played Saturday, June 13^th at Bearcat Stadium in Scottsbluff. Game time is 7 p.m. MDT.

Ryan Smith from Hershey High School will lead the West team. This past season Smith helped the Panthers finish with a 5-4 record. This is Coach Smith’s second time serving as a coach in the game. He previously served as an assistant coach for the East team in 2005.

The West assistant coaches are; Randy Heimstra from Hemingford High School, Nick Kuxhausen from Kimball High School, and CJ Bach from Chadron High School.

Jeff Rowan from Lexington High School will lead the East team in 2015. This past season Rowan’s team posted a 3-6 record. This will be Coach Rowan’s second time coaching in the West Nebraska All Star Game. He served as an assistant coach for the East team in 2008.

The East assistant coaches are; Ryan Jones from Maxwell High School, Jayce Dueland from Elm Creek High School and Dru Young from Cozad High School.

A portion of the proceeds from the West Nebraska All-Star Games benefit local charities. From last year’s proceeds, $5,000 was donated to three local charities.

Lions’ Suh Pleased with Decision to Let Him Play

Posted on December 31, 2014January 1, 2015

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh says he is “pleased” that the NFL has decided not to suspend him for Sunday’s NFL playoff game at Dallas.

And that’s about all.

Suh spoke Wednesday, one day after a hearing officer reduced a one-game league suspension to a $70,000 fine.

Suh originally was suspended for stepping on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ left leg twice last Sunday in a loss to Green Bay for the NFC North title. He stepped on Rodgers once with each foot, which violated unnecessary roughness rules, according to the league.

Suh declined to discuss the incident with reporters, and kept his answers short when asked about the suspension and fine.

Peyton Manning gets Head Start on Long Furlough

Posted on December 31, 2014January 1, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning said his plan was to spend the Broncos’ bye week getting healthy and he’s doing just that.

The quarterback skipped practice Wednesday for the second consecutive day, something he hadn’t done since coming to Denver in 2012.

Manning said after the Broncos’ 47-14 rout of the Raiders on Sunday that earning the AFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye was imperative because of the team’s long list of banged up players.

He counted himself in that group although he didn’t go into specifics. Two weeks ago, he strained his right thigh in a victory at San Diego when he was dehydrated from the flu.

Husker Fans Pay Bill for Fired Pelini’s Meeting with Players

Posted on December 29, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A group of 51 Nebraska fans has paid the bill for Bo Pelini’s unauthorized use of a high school auditorium to meet with his players after his firing.

Lincoln Public Schools associate superintendent Liz Standish said Monday her office received a $262.50 money order from Brooklyn, New York, last week.

Cornhuskers fan Sarah Krusemark organized the online campaign that raised $810 through donations of $5 to $50. Krusemark plans to send the extra money to the Team Jack Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research.

An unidentified North Star High School staff member initially received the bill after failing to follow protocol in allowing Pelini to use the auditorium.

An audiotape from the meeting revealed Pelini’s expletive-filled criticism of athletic director Shawn Eichorst. Pelini is now the coach at Youngstown State.

Lions DT Suh Suspended for Playoff Game

Posted on December 29, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) â Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been suspended for this Sunday’s wild-card playoff game against Dallas for a violation of safety-related playing rules against Green Bay in the season finale.

The league announced Monday that Suh was suspended for stepping on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ left leg twice, once with each foot. Suh also applied pressure and pushed off Rodgers’ unprotected leg with his left foot, violating unnecessary roughness rules, the league said in a statement.

Suh, who will be reinstated next Monday, can appeal the suspension within three days. He can ask for an expedited appeal, which would be heard by either Derrick Brooks or Ted Cottrell, hearing officers employed by the NFL and the players’ union.

Broncos Rout Raiders 47-14, Clinch First-Round Bye

Posted on December 28, 2014

DENVER (AP) — C.J. Anderson ran for three touchdowns, and the Denver Broncos earned a first-round bye and the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a 47-14 rout of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Peyton Manning guided the Broncos (12-4) to at least a tie for the best record in the NFL for the third consecutive season since his arrival in Denver. That’s something he accomplished just twice in his 13 years in Indianapolis before missing all of 2011 because of spinal fusion surgery.

Denver won’t have the top seed this time, however. That went to the New England Patriots, who rested many of their starters in a loss to Buffalo on Sunday.

And Manning, who completed 21 of 37 passes for 273 yards, failed to throw a TD pass for the second time in four weeks after throwing one for 51 consecutive games, just three shy of Drew Brees’ NFL record.

Chiefs Beat Chargers 19-7 as Both Miss Playoffs

Posted on December 28, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs beat San Diego 19-7 on Sunday to eliminate the Chargers from playoff contention, moments before they were eliminated themselves by games happening elsewhere.

The Chiefs needed Cleveland to beat Baltimore and Jacksonville to beat Houston, and neither of those outcomes transpired. The Ravens wound up with the AFC’s final playoff spot.

San Diego (9-7) needed merely to beat Kansas City (9-7) to reach the postseason.

Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston piled up four sacks to finish with 22 on the season, breaking Derrick Thomas’s franchise record, and Cairo Santos had four field goals.

The Chargers’ Philip Rivers threw for 291 yards, but was picked off twice. Branden Oliver ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Kessler leads No. 24 USC to 45-42 Win over Huskers

Posted on December 27, 2014

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Adoree’ Jackson scored on a 98-yard kickoff return and a 71-yard pass from Cody Kessler, and No. 24 Southern California blew most of an 18-point, third-quarter lead before beating No. 25 Nebraska 45-42 in the Holiday Bowl on Saturday night.

Kessler threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns for USC (9-4), which was playing Nebraska (9-4) in a bowl game for the first time.

USC stuffed De’Mornay Pierson on fourth-and-3 from the USC 31 with 2 1/2 minutes left. Nebraska had one final shot but Tommy Armstrong Jr.’s desperation pass as time ran out was knocked down inside the 10.

Armstrong had brought Nebraska back from a 45-27 deficit with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Westerkamp and a 15-yard keeper and a 2-point conversion pass to Kenny Bell.

Armstrong threw for 381 yards and three TDs.

USC had 515 yards of total offense and Nebraska finished with 525.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith Out with Lacerated Spleen

Posted on December 26, 2014December 26, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith will miss Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers because of a lacerated spleen. Chase Daniel will start in his place.

Team trainer Rick Burkholder said Friday that Smith was likely hurt on a hit during the third quarter of last weekend’s loss to the Steelers, but the quarterback didn’t have significant symptoms.

The lacerated spleen was diagnosed by a scan Thursday when Smith continued to experience mild discomfort after practicing all week. He will not need surgery and a full recovery is expected.

If the Chargers beat Kansas City, they make the playoffs. The Chiefs would need to win and have Baltimore and Houston lose to earn a postseason berth.

Smith would be out for a potential playoff game.

Daniel has one career start in six NFL seasons.

Huskers Hold Walkthrough at DeVore Stadium, Head to SeaWorld

Posted on December 25, 2014

Chula Vista, Calif. – The Nebraska football team held a walkthrough on Christmas morning at Southwestern College, practicing for roughly one hour on the field turf at DeVore Stadium. It was the team’s third practice during its time in San Diego before holding its final practice tomorrow afternoon in preparation of Saturday night’s Holiday Bowl against the USC Trojans.

The Huskers spent Wednesday afternoon at the San Diego Zoo and will spend the rest of Christmas Day at SeaWorld. The Huskers will wrap up practice tomorrow afternoon following a trip to the USS Essex for the Navy & Marine Corps Luncheon.

Interim Head Coach Barry Cotton met with the media following practice and discussed how the team’s time in San Diego has been going.

“We decided to hold a walkthrough today” Cotton said. “Tomorrow we’ll have a very crisp, high intensity last practice.”

Nebraska’s defensive line will try to take advantage of a young USC offensive line.

“They are a young, but physical bunch,” Cotton said. “They have some guys that we tried to recruit from California, but they decided to stay at home. We do know a bit about them from their high school careers.”

Even though the Huskers have played 12 games in 2014, Cotton discussed that the Huskers need to be ready for new things.

“We’ve had a good prep so far,” Cotton said. “Our last eight practices have been against nothing but USC defenses. We should be well prepared, but you always have to be ready for something new. We have 12 games under our belt, we’ve seen about every defense you can play against. If they throw something new at us hopefully we can make the adjustments on the field.”

Saturday’s bowl game is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Qualcomm Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, and will be carried nationally on ESPN.