Football – Page 39 – North Platte Post Archive

1 Game Likely to Decide B10 East; West is a Mess

Posted on October 28, 2014

Two things are apparent in the Big Ten as November approaches.

The Ohio State-Michigan State game in two weeks will decide the winner of the East Division unless both teams inexplicably hit the skids. The West is a jumbled mess with no clear favorite among the four top contenders.

Ohio State-Michigan State for months has been looked at as the conference’s marquee regular-season game. No. 13 Ohio State hosts Illinois on Saturday. The No. 8 Spartans are off.

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said he and his players know the big game is looming. Meyer said some of “luster” will be lost from that game if Ohio State doesn’t win this week. In the West, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin each have one conference loss.

Vizio to Sponsor Fiesta Bowl

Posted on October 28, 2014

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Vizio will be the new title sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl.

The Fiesta Bowl is part of the six major “New Year’s Six” bowls that will rotate as semifinal hosts in the new College Football Playoff. The first two semifinals will be at the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.

This season’s Fiesta Bowl will be Dec. 31 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Vizio replaces Tostitos, which had been the Fiesta Bowl sponsor since 1996. Vizio previously sponsored the Rose Bowl from 2011-14.

Nebraska AP High School Football Rankings

Posted on October 28, 2014October 28, 2014

Here are the Associated Press Nebraska high school football rankings in Classes A through D-2. Listings include name of school, season record, previous week’s ranking, previous week’s result and this week’s opponent (NR-not ranked). The rankings are based on a formula that includes ratings from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star plus experts for each class. Class A: Dale Miller, Grand Island Independent. Class B: Jeff Fielder, Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Class C1: Tom Behmer, Norfolk Daily News. Class C2: Brent Wasinius, Fremont Tribune. Class D1: Andrew Bottrell, North Platte Telegraph. Class D2: Nick Blasnitz, Hastings Tribune.

CLASS A

1. Omaha North (9-0), 1, def. Bellevue East 48-0, Lincoln Southwest.

2. Millard North (9-0), 2, def. Papillion-La Vista 49-29, Bellevue East.

3. Creighton Preparatory School (8-1), 3, def. Papillion-La Vista South 28-10, Omaha Burke.

4. Bellevue West (6-3), 4, def. Omaha Central 34-28, Papillion-La Vista South.

5. Grand Island (8-1), 7, def. North Platte 59-7, Columbus.

6. Papillion-La Vista South (6-3), 5, lost to Creighton Preparatory School 28-10, at Bellevue West.

7. Omaha Central (6-3), 6, lost to Bellevue West 34-28, at Lincoln East.

8. Lincoln East (7-2), 8, def. Omaha Bryan 49-7, Omaha Central.

9. Millard West (6-3), 10, def. Lincoln Southeast 35-28, Omaha Westside.

10. Kearney (6-3), NR, def. Norfolk 37-24, at Norfolk.

Others receiving votes: None.

CLASS B

1. Omaha Skutt Catholic (7-2), 3, def. Elkhorn 24-21, Waverly.

2. Elkhorn South (7-2), 5, def. Gretna 42-35, Beatrice.

3. Gretna (8-1), 1, lost to Elkhorn South 42-35, Lincoln Pius X.

4. Elkhorn (7-2), 2, lost to Omaha Skutt Catholic 24-21, York.

5. McCook (8-1), 4, def. Adams Central 55-6, Omaha Gross Catholic.

6. Scottsbluff (8-1), 6, def. Alliance 45-14, Aurora.

7. Blair (6-3), 7, def. Mount Michael Benedictine 62-21, at Crete.

8. York (7-2), 8, def. Aurora 21-12, at Elkhorn.

9. Sidney (7-2), 9, def. Gering 48-0, at Seward.

10. Crete (7-2), 10, def. Norris 12-7, Blair.

Others receiving votes: Seward.

CLASS C1

1. Boone Central/Newman Grove (9-0), 1, def. Norfolk Catholic 32-16, Milford-Dorchester.

2. Ashland-Greenwood (9-0), 3, def. Douglas County West 48-7, Central City.

3. Norfolk Catholic (8-1), 2, lost to Boone Central/Newman Grove, 32-16, Falls City.

4. Columbus Scotus (8-1), 4, def. Columbus Lakeview 42-3, Pierce.

5. Wilber-Clatonia (9-0), 5, def. Milford-Dorchester 14-0, Grand Island Central Catholic.

6. Cozad (8-1), 6, def. O’Neill 39-7, Fort Calhoun.

7. Chadron (7-1), 7, bye, Ogallala.

8. Kearney Catholic (8-1), 8, def. Holdrege 27-14, Boys Town.

9. Falls City (8-1), 9, def. Conestoga 50-9, at Norfolk Catholic.

10. Grand Island Central Catholic (7-2), 10, def. St. Paul 45-34, at Wilber-Clatonia.

Others receiving votes: None.

CLASS C2

1. Battle Creek (9-0), 1, def. Lutheran High Northeast 35-0, Lutheran High Northeast.

2. North Platte St. Patrick’s (9-0), 2, def. Bayard 42-7, Southern Valley.

3. Sutton (9-0), 3, def. Superior 68-21, Hartington Cedar Catholic.

4. Aquinas Catholic (8-1), 4, def. Archbishop Bergan 28-0, Gibbon.

5. Hastings St. Cecilia (8-1), 5, def. Sandy Creek 58-0, Southern.

6. Hartington Cedar Catholic (7-2), 8, def. Ainsworth 48-0, at Sutton.

7. Oakland-Craig (8-1), 6, def. Wisner-Pilger 44-8, Fillmore Central.

8. Archbishop Bergan (7-2), 7, lost to Aquinas Catholic 28-0, Malcolm.

9. Freeman (8-1), 10, def. Elmwood-Murdock 43-7, Stanton.

10. Stanton (7-2), NR, def. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge 1-0 (forfeit), at Freeman.

Others receiving votes: Fillmore Central, Malcolm.

CLASS D1

1. Hemingford (8-0), 1, def. Sutherland 81-26, Shelton.

2. Creighton (8-0), 2, def. Hartington-Newcastle 36-0, Twin Loup.

3. Guardian Angels Central Catholic (8-0), 3, def. Omaha Nation 72-6, Pawnee City.

4. Heartland (8-0), 4, def. Nebraska Lutheran 80-20, Lourdes Central Catholic.

5. Friend (8-0), 6, def. Omaha Christian Academy 80-36, Cross County.

6. Fullerton (8-0), 7, def. High Plains Community 60-46, Sutherland.

7. BDS (7-1), 8, def. Pawnee City 50-6, Omaha Christian Academy.

8. Blue Hill (5-3), 10, def. Axtell 55-26, North Central.

9. Elm Creek (7-1), 9, def. Franklin 49-20, Arapahoe.

10. Burwell (7-1), NR, def. Amherst 52-48, Perkins County.

Others receiving votes: Amherst.

CLASS D2

1. Exeter-Milligan (8-0), 1, def. Red Cloud 50-6, Red Cloud.

2. Stuart (8-0), 2, def. St. Mary’s 38-20, Osceola.

3. Humphrey St. Francis (8-0), 3, def. Heartland Lutheran 86-6, St. Mary’s.

4. Anselmo-Merna (8-0), 4, def. Brady 70-32, Southwest.

5. Falls City Sacred Heart (6-2), 5, def. Parkview Christian 62-14, Emerson-Hubbard.

6. Kenesaw (7-1), 6, def. Elwood 29-28, Meridian.

7. Giltner (6-2), 7, def. Lawrence-Nelson 56-18, Lawrence-Nelson.

8. Garden County (8-0), 9, def. Crawford 84-46, Mullen.

9. Elwood (6-2), 8, lost to Kenesaw 29-28, Loomis.

10. Randolph (6-2), 10, def. Osmond 58-10, Bancroft-Rosalie.

Others receiving votes: Maxwell.

Chiefs’ Smith Sustained Shoulder Injury vs Rams

Posted on October 28, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith played through a sprained throwing shoulder that he sustained just before halftime of Sunday’s 34-7 rout of the St. Louis Rams.

Smith never mentioned the injury in his postgame remarks, and it wasn’t until Chiefs coach Andy Reid brought it up Monday that anybody learned of it outside the Kansas City locker room.

Reid said that Smith landed on his shoulder but played through the pain. The game was still very much in the balance when the injury happened, the Chiefs leading just 10-7 at the break.

Smith went through a series of examinations Monday. Reid said the quarterback is “tender” and declined to say whether he will miss any practice time this week.

The Chiefs play the New York Jets on Sunday.

Nebraska’s Abdullah B10 offensive Player of Week Again

Posted on October 27, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah has been named Big Ten offensive player of the week for the fourth time this season.

Abdullah amassed a school-record 341 all-purpose yards in a 42-24 victory over Rutgers on Saturday. He carried 19 times for 225 yards and three touchdowns while adding 90 kickoff return yards and 26 receiving yards.

Abdullah leads the nation in all-purpose yards, total rushing yards, total touchdowns, points scored and yards from scrimmage.

Abdullah has rushed for 1,249 yards and 17 touchdowns and has a career total of 4,226 yards, second in program history behind Mike Rozier’s 4,780. Abdullah’s 6,604 career all-purpose yards ranks second in Big Ten Conference history, trailing only Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne.

Chiefs Score 34 Unanswered in 34-7 Rout of Rams

Posted on October 26, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jamaal Charles ran for two touchdowns, Knile Davis returned a kick 99 yards for another score and the Kansas City Chiefs trounced the St. Louis Rams 34-7 on Sunday.

Cairo Santos added a pair of field goals for Kansas City (4-3), including a career-best 53-yarder. Alex Smith was 24 of 28 for 226 yards, while Davis capped a run of 34 unanswered points with a short touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

Justin Houston had three of the Chiefs’ seven sacks.

The banged-up Rams (2-5) lost their sixth straight to Kansas City dating to Sept. 25, 1994, when they were still in Los Angeles. Austin Davis threw for 160 yards with a touchdown and a pick.

Miss State, FSU, Alabama, Auburn in AP Poll Top 4, Nebraska Drops

Posted on October 26, 2014

Mississippi’s first loss of the season dropped the Rebels four spots in The Associated Press college football poll to No. 7 and left Mississippi State, Florida State, Alabama and Auburn in the top four as the College Football Playoff selection committee prepares its first rankings.

No. 1 Mississippi State (46 first-place votes) and No. 2 Florida State (14) are the only unbeaten team left in the Big Five conferences.

Alabama, which lost 23-17 at Ole Miss earlier this month, moved up a spot, as did No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Oregon and No. 6 Notre Dame.

Ole Miss was beaten 10-7 at LSU on Saturday night. The Tigers moved up eight spots to No. 16, the largest jump after a weekend when only two ranked teams lost.

The first selection committee top 25 will be released Tuesday night. The pairings for the College Football Playoff will be revealed Dec. 7.

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 25, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

	Record	Pts	Pv
1. Mississippi St. (46)	7-0	1,486	1
2. Florida St. (14)	7-0	1,453	2
3. Alabama	7-1	1,290	4
4. Auburn	6-1	1,267	5
5. Oregon	7-1	1,199	6
6. Notre Dame	6-1	1,161	7
7. Mississippi	7-1	1,095	3
8. Michigan St.	7-1	1,086	8
9. Georgia	6-1	1,074	9
10. TCU	6-1	1,030	10
11. Kansas St.	6-1	930	11
12. Baylor	6-1	839	12
13. Ohio St.	6-1	676	13
14. Arizona	6-1	669	15
15. Arizona St.	6-1	667	14
16. LSU	7-2	574	24
17. Nebraska	7-1	535	16
18. Utah	6-1	524	19
19. Oklahoma	5-2	430	17
20. West Virginia	6-2	379	22
21. East Carolina	6-1	366	18
22. Clemson	6-2	265	21
23. Marshall	8-0	184	23
24. Duke	6-1	121	NR
25. UCLA	6-2	106	25

Others receiving votes: Colorado St. 29, Southern Cal 22, Wisconsin 14, Stanford 9, Louisville 8, Missouri 7, N. Dakota St. 3, Oklahoma St. 2.

Abdullah Leads No. 16 Nebraska over Rutgers 42-24

Posted on October 25, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for 225 yards and three touchdowns and set a school record with 341 all-purpose yards, leading No. 16 Nebraska to a 42-24 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.

Abdullah surpassed 200 yards rushing for a nation-leading fourth time this season and fifth time in his career. He broke Roy Helu Jr.’s record of 321 all-purpose yards with his 23-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Cornhuskers (7-1, 3-1) reached the halfway point of conference play tied with Minnesota for first in the West Division.

Big Ten newcomer Rutgers lost 56-17 at Ohio State a week ago and has been outscored 98-41 in its past two games.

The Scarlet Knights (5-3, 1-3) lost quarterback Gary Nova on the second-to-last play of the first half. Nova held his right knee after Maliek Collins brought him down as he got rid of the ball. Chris Laviano played the rest of the game.

Big Audiences for New CBS Thursday Night NFL Games

Posted on October 24, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — CBS’s new Thursday night NFL package drew big audiences despite a string of blowouts.

The Broncos’ 35-21 win over the Chargers on Thursday was the last of seven straight games to air on CBS, with simulcasts on NFL Network. The broadcasts now switch to NFL Network only.

Five of the matchups were decided by at least two touchdowns, including three by more than 30 points.

The seven games still averaged 16.5 million viewers between CBS and NFL Network, nearly double the 8.5 million for last year’s games that aired on NFL Network with simulcasts on local channels in each team’s home market. CBS is available in nearly 60 percent more households than NFL Network.

Union Questions NFL’s Domestic Violence Plan

Posted on October 24, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The players’ union has questioned why the NFL’s domestic violence training and education program “treats all players as perpetrators.”

In a memo sent to NFL Players Association members by Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and obtained by The Associated Press, the union also said the plan “doesn’t build a positive consensus to warning signs.”

Smith described two meetings this month with the league in which an NFLPA commission was briefed on the league’s approach to educating players, coaches, executives, owners and NFL personnel about domestic violence. He wrote that a “good overview of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse” was presented. But “it did not address larger issues of violence in and outside of the home.”