Football – Page 96 – North Platte Post Archive

Selection Committee Talks Strength of Schedule

Posted on December 11, 2013December 12, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) — The members of the College Football Playoff selection committee won’t say which teams they would have picked this season.

Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich says: “We all made an agreement not to answer those questions.”

Radakovich, former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne and former NCAA executive Tom Jernstedt discussed the selection committee and how it will operate Wednesday at the Intercollegiate Athletic Forum. They did not, however, delve into which teams they would have picked this season if next year’s four-team playoff was in place instead of the Bowl Championship Series. No. 1 Florida State will play No. 2 Auburn on Jan. 6 at the Rose Bowl in the final BCS national championship game.

Ahman Green to be Inducted into Packers Hall of Fame

Posted on December 10, 2013

One of the greatest running backs in Nebraska history, Ahman Green will be inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, the Packers announced on Tuesday. The 44th Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place July 19, 2014, in the Lambeau Field Atrium.

An Omaha native, Green was a cornerstone of a powerful Nebraska offense that won two national titles in his three seasons. Green, who was a member of NU’s 1995 and 1997 national championship teams, closed his three-year Husker career ranked No. 2 on Nebraska’s career rushing list with 3,880 yards on 574 carries.

Green entered the NFL Draft following his junior season and was a third-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the 1998 and 1999 seasons before joining the Green Bay Packers in 2000. Green enjoyed success in Green Bay from 2000 through 2006 and again in 2009 en route to becoming the club’s all-time leading rusher with 8,322 yards. He also holds franchise records for most yards from scrimmage (11,048), 1,000-yard seasons (six), 100-yard games (33) and rushing attempts (1,851).

The Class of 2014 will also include Packer great Ken Ruettgers, who was a fixture at left tackle for more than a decade in Green Bay.

AP Study: Hits to head still prevalent in NFL

Posted on December 10, 2013

An Associated Press review of penalties through the first 11 weeks of the NFL season finds that an average of nearly once a game, a player absorbs an illegal blow to the head or neck that could put his career at risk.

Over the past four years, the NFL has toughened the rules in an attempt to prevent such blows. Yet the AP breakdown found those hits are still prevalent.

Of the 491 major infractions charted over the first 162 games of the season, the AP identified 156 involving contact with the head and neck — an average of .962 per game. Of those, 93 were for hits to the head. Quarterbacks and receivers shared the largest brunt of those hits, with the quarterbacks taking 40 and receivers taking 38.

Bowl Destinations Set for Seven Big Ten Programs

Posted on December 8, 2013

Rosemont, Ill. – Seven Big Ten schools were selected for bowl competition on Sunday night, including two teams earning Bowl Championship Series (BCS) berths. Big Ten Champion Michigan State will represent the conference in the historic 100^th edition of the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO and Ohio State is headed to the Discover Orange Bowl. In addition, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin collected bids to postseason contests.

After winning the Big Ten Football Championship Game to secure the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy, Michigan State will take on Stanford in the Rose Bowl Game. Kickoff of the 2014 contest is set for5:10 p.m. ET on Jan. 1. The Spartans are heading to Pasadena for the first time since the 1988 Rose Bowl Game and competing in the contest for the fifth time in program history. Michigan State has advanced to a program-record seven straight postseason contests and is making its 24th bowl appearance in team history. The Spartans are 3-2 against Stanford, having last played the Cardinal in the 1996 Sun Bowl.

Ohio State makes its first official BCS appearance since the 2010 Rose Bowl Game when it heads to the Orange Bowl to take on Clemson. The game will be contested in Miami Gardens, Fla. at 8:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 3. The Buckeyes will be making their 43rd official appearance in postseason competition, having last appeared in the 2012 Gator Bowl. Ohio State will officially appear in its ninth BCS contest and will take part in the Orange Bowl for just the second time after winning the 1977 game. The only previous meeting between Ohio State and Clemson was in the 1978 Gator Bowl.

Wisconsin heads to the Capital One Bowl for the first time since the 2007 game and will face South Carolina at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, in Orlando, Fla. The Badgers are taking part in postseason play for a school-record 12th straight season and are making their 25th bowl appearance. Wisconsin will make its third trip to the Capital One Bowl, with consecutive victories following the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The New Year’s Day matchup will mark the Badgers’ first meeting with South Carolina.

Iowa returns to the bowl scene with its fifth bowl berth in the last six seasons and will take on LSU in the Outback Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla. The Hawkeyes will make their 27th postseason appearance overall, having won three of their last four bowl contests. Iowa will make its fourth trip to the Outback Bowl, including victories in 2004 and 2009. The Hawkeyes have faced LSU just once in program history, knocking off the Tigers on a last-second touchdown in the 2005 Capital One Bowl.

Michigan heads to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl for the first time in team history and will face Kansas State. The game is slated for Dec. 28, with kick scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET in Tempe, Ariz. The Wolverines will take part in postseason competition for the fourth straight season and 43rd time in program history. The postseason contest will be the first meeting between Michigan and Kansas State.

Nebraska will face Georgia in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl at 12 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Huskers will make their 50th bowl appearance and seventh straight. Nebraska will take part in the Gator Bowl for the second time in school history after defeating Clemson in the 2009 contest. The Huskers have faced Georgia twice, including last season’s meeting in the Capital One Bowl.

Minnesota will take part in the Texas Bowl for the second straight season and will face Syracuse on Dec. 27 at 6 p.m. ET in Houston, Texas. The Gophers will be making their 16th postseason appearance and second straight bowl trip. Minnesota has faced the Orange four times in program history, owning a 3-1 mark, most recently a victory in 2012.

Huskers Selected for TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl

Posted on December 8, 2013

Nebraska will appear in a New Year’s Day bowl game for the third straight season, as the Huskers were selectedon Sunday to participate in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Nebraska will take on Georgia in theJan. 1 game at EverBank Field. The game will kick off at Noon ET (11 a.m. CT) with ESPN2 providing television coverage of the matchup.

The Huskers go into the bowl game with an 8-4 record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Nebraska will enter the Gator Bowl looking to pick up its ninth win of the 2013 season and extend its streak of nine-win seasons to six straight years.

“The Gator Bowl gives our football team the opportunity to play in a New Year’s Day bowl for a third straight season, and we look forward to the trip to Jacksonville,” Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini said. “We had a great experience at the Gator Bowl when we played there in my first year here. We have some familiarity with Georgia having played them last year in the bowl game, but these are two different football teams. This will be a great challenge for our football team, and we look forward to the opportunity.”

Nebraska’s appearance in the Gator Bowl will be the Huskers’ 50^th all-time bowl game. Nebraska will join Alabama and Texas the only schools with 50 or more bowl appearances. The 2013 season marks Nebraska’s sixth straight season with a bowl trip.

Nebraska will be making its second trip to the Gator Bowl, both under Pelini. Nebraska defeated Clemson 26-21 in the 2009 Gator Bowl to conclude Pelini’s first season as head coach with a 9-4 record.

“We are proud to celebrate our 50^th bowl appearance with a trip to Jacksonville for the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl,” University of Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst said. “The Gator Bowl has been a wonderful partner for the Big Ten for several years, and our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans will have a great experience in Jacksonville. The University of Georgia is an exceptional institution, has an outstanding football program and will be a great matchup for our team.”

The matchup with Georgia marks the second straight year the Huskers and Bulldogs have squared off on New Year’s Day. Last season, Georgia defeated Nebraska, 45-31, in the Capital One Bowl. It will mark the third all-time meeting between the schools with the other matchup occurring in the 1969 Sun Bowl, a 45-6 Husker victory.

The rematch with Georgia marks the first time Nebraska has faced the same opponent in a bowl in back-to-back years since taking on Florida State in the Orange Bowl following the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

Georgia enters the contest with an 8-4 record, including a 5-3 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs have won four of their past five games after dropping consecutive contests in October to Missouri and Vanderbilt. Georgia capped its season with a 41-34 double-overtime victory over Georgia Tech on Nov. 30.

Tickets for the Gator Bowl will go on sale Monday morning beginning at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at Huskers.com, or through the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-800-8-BIG RED. Fans can purchase tickets by using VISA, MasterCard or Discover.

Gator Bowl tickets available for sale are priced at $60, $80 and $125. Nebraska will receive an allotment of 12,750 tickets for the game.

Arizona Football Player Died of Blunt Force Trauma

Posted on December 5, 2013

POLACCA, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona officials have determined that a high school football player who collapsed on the field last month died of blunt force trauma to his head.

Charles Youvella took a hard fall during the fourth quarter of a Nov. 9 state playoff game and later died in Phoenix hospital. The 17-year-old Hopi High School senior had scored his team’s only touchdown in a 60-6 loss to Arizona Lutheran Academy.

The Maricopa County medical examiner’s office said Thursday that the cause of death is listed as accidental and that the full autopsy report isn’t yet complete.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association has said Youvella died of a traumatic brain injury.

Bowl Tickets on Sale Monday Morning

Posted on December 5, 2013

Fans wishing to purchase tickets for Nebraska’s bowl game may do so beginning Monday morning at 8 a.m. Nebraska will learn its bowl destination and opponent on Sunday evening.

Bowl tickets can be purchased on-line at Huskers.com, or through the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-800-8-BIG RED. Tickets can be purchased using VISA, MasterCard or Discover.

Nebraska will be making its 50^th all-time bowl appearance this season, joining Alabama and Texas the only schools with 50 or more bowl appearances. The 2013 season marks Nebraska’s sixth straight season with a bowl trip.

Big Ten Leads All Conferences with Eight Football Academic All-Americans

Posted on December 5, 2013

Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten led all conferences with eight student-athletes named to the Capital One Academic All-America first or second teams in football as announced today by CoSIDA. The Big Ten has now led all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences in Academic All-Americans for nine straight seasons, with 72 honorees over that time span.

The Big Ten’s total of eight Academic All-Americans topped all conferences, as no other conference produced more than five honorees. The Big Ten also led all conferences with six first-team selections, while Nebraska led all schools with three honorees. Michigan State was one of just three schools to have two student-athletes earn placement on the first team.

The Academic All-America first-team honorees from the Big Ten are Indiana’s Mark Murphy, Iowa’s James Morris, Michigan State’s Max Bullough and Mike Sadler, Nebraska’s Spencer Long and Penn State’s John Urschel. Urschel was one of two players among this year’s honorees to earn first-team accolades for a second time while both Bullough and Sadler earned second-team accolades last season. The Big Ten’s second-team Academic All-Americans are the Nebraska pair of Jake Long and C.J. Zimmerer.

To be eligible for the award, a player must be in at least his second year of athletic eligibility, be a first-team or key performer and carry a cumulative 3.30 grade point average (GPA).

Long Brothers, Zimmerer Named Academic All-Americans

Posted on December 5, 2013

Three Husker seniors were named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I football team on Thursday, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Offensive guard Spencer Long was a first-team selection, while tight end Jake Long and fullback C.J. Zimmerer were named to the second team.

The three academic All-America selections continues Nebraska’s long tradition of academic honors. Nebraska was the only school with three players on the Division I team, with six schools having two honorees each. This marks the third straight year Nebraska has had multiple Academic All-Americans in football, boasting three in 2011 and two in 2012.

In Bo Pelini’s six seasons as Nebraska head coach, the Huskers have had 11 first- or second-team academic All-America picks. The 11 academic All-Americans in the past six seasons is the second-most in the country in that time period, trailing only Penn State’s 14 honorees in the same period.

The three honorees also increase Nebraska’s nation-leading totals of academic All-Americans in football and across all sports. Spencer Long’s first-team selection gives Nebraska 69 CoSIDA first-team Academic All-America picks, and the additional second-team honorees give the Huskers 107 all-time first- or second-team academic All-Americans in football. Notre Dame is second in the nation with 58 football academic All-Americans.

Across all sports, Nebraska increased its nation-leading total to 310 academic All-Americans. Notre Dame is second in all sports with 234 academic All-Americans.

Spencer Long carries a 3.79 grade-point average in biological sciences and plans to pursue medical school after graduation. Long is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, and has been a standout on the field as well. Long was a second-team All-American in 2012, and a first-team All-Big Ten choice, before his senior season was cut short by a knee injury.

Long is the first Nebraska offensive lineman to earn academic All-America honors since Kurt Mann was a first-team choice in 2005.

Jake Long owns a 3.86 grade-point average in biological sciences and, like his brother, also plans on a medical career following graduation. Jake Long is a two-time first-team academic all-district pick. On the field, Long has been a key contributor at tight end each of the past three seasons and was the veteran of that group this season.

Spencer and Jake Long join an elite group of brothers at Nebraska to be named academic All-Americans. The Longs join Grant (1996, 1997) and Tracey Wistrom (2001) and Rob (1992, 1993, 1994) and Jon Zatechka (1997) as the only sets of brothers in school history to both earn academic All-America honors.

Zimmerer gives the Huskers three Omaha area natives on the academic All-America team. A criminology and criminal justice major, Zimmerer completed his undergraduate work in December of 2012 with a 3.82 grade-point average. On the field, Zimmerer has been a regular contributor at fullback for the past three seasons. His selection marks the third straight year Nebraska has had an academic All-America running back, following Rex Burkhead, who was a first-team selection in both 2011 and 2012.

Final AP Nebraska High School Football Rankings

Posted on December 4, 2013

Here are the final Associated Press Nebraska high school football rankings in Classes A through D-2. Listings include name of school, season record and previous ranking (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: Mark Obermeier, North Platte Telegraph. Class D2: Nick Blasnitz, Hastings Tribune.

CLASS A

1. Omaha North (12-1), 2.

2. Omaha Westside (11-2), 3.

3. Millard West, (10-2), 1.

4. Grand Island (10-2), 7.

5. Omaha Burke (7-4), 6.

6. Omaha Creighton Prep (7-4), 9.

7. Papillion-La Vista (7-4), 5.

8. Millard North (5-6), 4.

9. Bellevue West (6-4), 10.

10. Omaha Central (6-4), 8.

Others receiving votes: Lincoln East.

CLASS B

1. Omaha Skutt Catholic (12-1), 2.

2. York (11-2), 4.

3. Gretna (11-1), 1.

4. Ralston (9-2), 3.

5. McCook (10-2), 6.

6. Elkhorn South (7-4), NR.

7. Elkhorn (6-4), 5.

8. Aurora (8-3), 8.

9. Norris (6-4), 7.

10. Beatrice (6-4), 10.

Others receiving votes: Omaha Gross Catholic, Sidney.

CLASS C1

1. Cozad (13-0), 2.

2. Boone Central/Newman Grove (11-1), 1.

3. Ashland-Greenwood (11-2), 8.

4. Norfolk Catholic (8-3), 4.

5. Columbus Lakeview (9-3), 10.

6. Pierce (7-3), 5.

7. Syracuse (9-1), 3.

8. Kearney Catholic (7-3), NR.

9. Gothenburg (8-3), 9.

10. Lincoln Christian (9-2), NR.

Others receiving votes: Bishop Neumann.

CLASS C2

1. Doniphan-Trumbull (13-0), 1.

2. Battle Creek (11-1), 2.

3. Aquinas Catholic (10-3), 10.

4. Lutheran High Northeast (9-2), 5.

5. Archbishop Bergan (8-2), 3.

6. Malcolm (9-3), 9.

7. North Platte St. Patrick’s (9-2), NR.

8. Hastings St. Cecilia (8-3), 6.

9. Hershey (9-1), 8.

10. Hartington Cedar Catholic (7-3), NR.

Others receiving votes: Blue Hill, Sutton.

CLASS D1

1. Exeter-Milligan (13-0), 1.

2. Hemingford (12-1), 10.

3. Creighton (11-1), 3.

4. Howells-Dodge (10-1), 2.

5. Overton (11-1), 5.

6. High Plains Community (8-2), 6.

7. Randolph (9-2), 8.

8. Elm Creek (9-2), 9.

9. Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (9-1), 4.

10. Guardian Angels Central Catholic (8-2), 7.

Others receiving votes: Twin Loup.

CLASS D2

1. Falls City Sacred Heart (13-0), 1.

2. Wynot (11-1), 2.

3. Giltner (9-2), 3.

4. Humphrey St. Francis (9-2), 5.

5. Stuart (11-2), 9.

6. Fullerton (7-3), 7.

7. Amherst (10-2), NR.

8. Lyons-Decatur Northeast (8-2), 8.

9. Lawrence-Nelson (6-3), 10.

10. Medicine Valley (8-3), NR.

Others receiving votes: Wallace, Nebraska Lutheran.