LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini isn’t feeling sorry for himself after seeing as many as three players lost for the season because of injuries and a bunch of others ailing.
Pelini said after practice Wednesday that “there’s nothing you can do about it” and that other teams are in the same situation.
Nickel back Charles Jackson and linebacker Michael Rose are out with season-ending knee injuries and running back Adam Taylor broke his ankle and probably won’t make it back this season. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams is day to day with an ankle injury.
No. 1 right offensive tackle Zach Sterup and long snapper Gabe Miller are among other players who are hurt.
Pelini also announced defensive tackle Aaron Curry has quit the team.
Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team continued its third week of the 2014 Fall Camp Wednesday afternoon, as the Huskers practiced for just under two hours inside the Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke with media following practice, noting that Wednesday’s practice was a good one, mainly because the Huskers mixed and matched their personnel throughout practice, giving different guys different looks.
“We wanted to look at some specific guys, and look at specific (situations) with certain guys,” Pelini said. “On both sides of the football we did that, there was a reason why we did that and at the same time it gave some of our more experienced guys a little bit of a rest.”
Pelini also announced that junior defensive tackle Kevin Williams will be day-to-day with an ankle injury suffered Monday at practice. That prognosis is much better than originally thought according to Pelini, as Williams has been sidelined with two knee injuries throughout his NU career.
“Kevin is day-to-day, he is fine, it is more of an ankle injury than anything else,” he said. “It is a very mild one, I think it scared him more than anything.” \
Lincoln native and Lincoln Southeast graduate D.J. Foster has changed positions from offensive guard to defensive tackle according to Pelini. Foster, a true freshman out of Lincoln Southeast, is the brother of current NU sophomore tight end Trey Foster.
“Just looking at D.J. over there, he is obviously a tremendous athlete and a guy who was playing well at guard,” he said. “When Kevin Williams went down, it got me to thinking to build our depth over there.”
Pelini added that Foster so far has been impressing at defensive tackle.
“We put him in there yesterday and he looked really good. He did a really good job. Long term he is going to be an offensive lineman unless he chooses not to be. I know in the short term, he can help us out on the defensive side of the ball. Especially with what he has shown me in these first two days.”
The Huskers will be back on the practice fields Thursday to continue the 2014 Fall Camp. Check back here or at Huskers.com for a practice report and video coverage following practice immediately.
Nebraska fans are reminded about their opportunity to be on hand at Memorial Stadium as the Huskers kick off the 2014 season. Fans can purchase the Cornhusker Kickoff Combo package for the Florida Atlantic game on Aug. 30 and the matchup with McNeese State on Sept. 6. The two-game package can be purchased at Huskers.com for $100. Fans can also purchase single-game tickets to all games other than the Miami and Minnesota games at Huskers.com.
The No. 13 Nebraska soccer team begins the 2014 campaign with two games this weekend at the Nebraska Soccer Field. On Friday, the Huskers take on SMU at 6 p.m. (CT)before facing DePaul on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Huskers and Mustangs are meeting for the first time since 1996 and for the third time overall in their respective histories. The series is tied 1-1-0 with the road team taking each match.
Nebraska battles DePaul for the third time also, but the Huskers hold a 2-0-0 advantage in the series. NU hosted both previous matches, with the most recent occurring in 2003.
Both matches will be streamed live on Huskers.com.
Last Time Out: Johnson’s Hat Trick Leads NU in Exhibition Victory
Sophomore forward Jaycie Johnson scored three goals to help No. 13 Nebraska to a 5-3 exhibition win over Colorado College at Stewart Field on Friday, Aug. 15.
Johnson’s first goal came in the 15th minute as she slid past the Tigers’ goalkeeper on the left side and put the ball in the back of an open net. Colorado College responded with two goals over the next 15 minutes to take a 2-1 advantage over the Huskers.
In the 34th minute, sophomore midfielder Caroline Flynn tied the score 2-2 with a shot from 20 yards out that soared above the goalkeeper’s head into the top right corner of the net.
Shortly after halftime, the Tigers reclaimed the lead with Rachel Herron’s goal off the crossbar in the 47th minute. Trailing 3-2, the Huskers scored three unanswered goals over the final 34 minutes to put away the victory.
Johnson, a Lake Winnebago, Mo., native, scored her second goal in the 57th minute from 12 yards out on the left side off an assist from Haley Hanson. She added her third goal of the afternoon in the 81st minute off a Samantha Areman assist to give Nebraska a 4-3 lead.
Junior forward Katie Kraeutner added Nebraska’s final goal with less than two minutes remaining on a direct kick from 20 yards out. The Huskers outshot Colorado College for the game, 15-8, while taking two more shots on goal, 8-6.
Sophomore Kelly Schatz earned the start at goalie and picked up three saves over 90 minutes.
Final Season at Nebraska Soccer Field
The Huskers begin their 10th and final season at the Nebraska Soccer Field this weekend before moving into the Nebraska Soccer and Tennis Complex next season. Since moving to campus in 2005, NU has compiled a 63-24-12 record, which includes an impressive 42-15-5 mark over the last six seasons.
2014 Season Outlook
Nebraska’s 2014 team includes five seniors as Head Coach John Walker begins his 21st season at the helm of the school’s soccer program. The Huskers also welcome back All-Big Ten second-team member Jaycie Johnson, who begins her sophomore year in 2014 after leading the team with 17 goals last season. The Huskers added 12 newcomers in the offseason in addition to their 12 returning letterwinners from 2013.
Huskers to Make Three BTN Appearances
Nebraska will appear on the Big Ten Network three times this season, while also making seven Big Ten Digital Network showings.
The Huskers open BTN’s 2014 soccer coverage on Thursday, Sept. 11 against Northwestern at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The game is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.
Nebraska will host Big Ten newcomer Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m., on BTN. The game was originally set for 1 p.m., but was changed for TV scheduling. NU’s final regular season appearance on the network is Thursday, Oct. 2 at Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
Huskers Ranked 13th in NSCAA Preseason Poll
The Nebraska soccer team earned the No. 13 spot in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Division I Preseason Rankings when the list was announced on Wednesday.
The Huskers will play three teams in the NSCAA preseason poll: No. 7 Michigan (Oct. 2), No. 15 Marquette (Aug. 31) and No. 24 Penn State (Oct. 24).
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coaches and players are showing support in a video message for the 8-year-old cancer patient they befriended two years ago.
Jack Hoffman of Atkinson, Nebraska, received national attention for his touchdown run in the 2013 spring game. He traveled to Boston with his family this week for treatment for a recurrence of brain cancer.
Coach Bo Pelini, with players gathered around him, tells Jack “you’re going to come out of it on top. There’s no doubt you’re a strong young man. We want you to understand you have our support. We’re behind you, and we’re thinking about you through this whole thing.”
Players Kenny Bell, Ameer Abdullah, Jake Cotton and Josh Mitchell also say a few words.
The video closes with the Huskers shouting, “Team Jack!”
Lincoln – Tim Miles rounded out his basketball staff with the hiring of Ali Farokhmanesh (pronounced fuh-ROAK-muh-NESH) as a graduate assistant manager on Wednesday.
“I’m fired up to have Ali part of our program,” said Miles, the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year. “He’s had a distinguished career as a player and has a great mind for coaching. He will definitely be a key addition for us as we try and move the program forward.”
Farokhmanesh spent the last four seasons playing professionally overseas in Holland, Austria and Switzerland. Last year, he was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Dutch Basketball League, averaging 10.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. His best season was with SAM Massagno Basket in the Swiss league in 2010-11, where he averaged 19.5 points, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 48 percent from 3-point range.
Farokhmanesh is best known for the two seasons he spent at Northern Iowa, helping the Panthers to a 53-16 record with two NCAA appearances, including the school’s first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2009-10. He finished his career seventh on UNI’s career 3-point chart with 152.
As a senior, he earned honorable-mention All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, averaging 9.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, as UNI went 30-5, including an upset of top-seeded Kansas to reach the Sweet 16. In that game, Farokhmanesh had 16 points, including a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left to clinch the victory and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He also provided the heroics in UNI’s second-round win over UNLV, finishing with 17 points, including a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left for the final margin. Farokhmanesh scored in double figures 17 times as a senior, including a career-high 23 points against Old Dominion, while his 77 3-pointers were the third most in school history.
In his first season at UNI, Farokhmanesh started all 34 games and averaged 9.6 points and 1.6 assists per game en route to being named to the MVC All-Newcomer squad. He hit 75 3-pointers and totaled a pair of 20-point games that season, including a 20-pooint effort against Indiana State with all of his points coming in the second half and overtime.
He played two years of junior college basketball, earning first-team NJCAA Division II All-America honors at Kirkwood Community College, when he averaged 17 points, five assists and three rebounds per game. In his lone season at Kirkwood CC, the Eagles went 32-3 and placed third at the national tournament. Originally from Pullman, Wash. Before moving to Iowa, Farokhmanesh was a first-team all-state selection at Iowa City West High School, averaging 18.5 points and 5.5 assists per game as a senior.
Farokhmanesh received his degree in finance at Northern Iowa in 2010 and is currently studying educational administration at Nebraska. He married the former Mallory Husz in June of 2014.
The Big Ten Conference announced on Tuesday that the Nebraska soccer team will make three appearances on the Big Ten Network this season.
The Huskers open BTN’s 2014 soccer coverage on Thursday, Sept. 11 against Northwestern at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The game is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.
Nebraska will host Big Ten newcomer Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m., on BTN. The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but was changed for TV scheduling. NU’s final regular season appearance on the network is Thursday, Oct. 2 at Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
The Big Ten Network will also provide coverage for both semifinal matches of the Big Ten Tournament as well as the championship game. The semifinals are slated for Friday, Nov. 7 in West Lafayette, Ind., while the title game is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 9. Times for all three matches will be announced at a later date.
In addition to its three BTN showings, Nebraska will appear seven times on the Big Ten Digital Network as part of its Student U production. For up-to-date information on Nebraska’s soccer schedule, visit Huskers.com.
Nebraska Soccer Appearances on Big Ten Network in 2014
Thursday, Sept. 11: Northwestern – 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28: Maryland – 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2: at Michigan – 2:30 p.m.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Ryker Fyfe has turned his frustration over being a walk-on into positive energy.
To the surprise of many, but certainly not Fyfe, the redshirt sophomore has passed heralded 2013 recruit Johnny Stanton on his way to the No. 2 quarterback’s job behind Tommy Armstrong Jr.
It’s been quite the ascent for Fyfe, whose only scholarship offer coming out of Grand Island High was from Division II Nebraska-Kearney.
“It does fuel your fire,” Fyfe said. “I thought after my senior year I’d have a bunch of offers. I was like, ‘I feel I’m a D1 player.’ ”
Fyfe accepted Nebraska’s invitation to walk on and brought with him an “I’ll-show-them” attitude. He hopes to be among the players awarded scholarships at the end of the week.
Offensive coordinator Tim Beck said Nebraska didn’t have a scholarship available for Fyfe after Armstrong verbally committed to the 2012 recruiting class. That Fyfe wasn’t offered by any Division I school surprised Beck.
“I thought he was a good enough player,” Beck said, “but we didn’t really have enough to take two. Getting him was like getting two.”
It’s helped Fyfe that he has a year’s more experience than Stanton, who was on the scout team last year, and that the roster isn’t packed with quarterbacks. Four-year starter Taylor Martinez and backup Ron Kellogg III exhausted their eligibility. Four-star recruit Bubba Starling signed in 2011 but decided to pursue professional baseball, and Brion Carnes and walk-on Bronson Marsh transferred.
That left Fyfe the presumptive No. 3 QB last spring almost by default. Stanton led one of the nation’s top teams at Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic High and was ranked among the top 30 quarterback prospects. With those credentials, he was considered the front-runner to be the top backup or maybe challenge Armstrong for the starter’s job.
Fyfe ramped up his underdog approach to compete with and pull even with Stanton.
“I decided I’m going to go out there and attack it,” Fyfe said. “I don’t have much to lose. I’m a walk-on and I only get to do this once, so I’m going to go out and do it and prove myself.”
After his strong showing in the spring game, Fyfe was named co-No. 2 QB with Stanton, ahead of another big-time recruit, Zack Darlington. It became apparent early in preseason practice that Fyfe had separated himself from Stanton.
“He’s a walk-on, and nothing is really given to him,” Armstrong said. “He’s earned everything. He’s in the film room, and he’s making the right decisions and he’s leading the right way. He’s in the same grade as I am, and we’re making each other better by coming out here and competing.”
Fyfe passed for 3,400 yards and 34 touchdowns his last two years of high school. He was 15-6 those two years and never advanced Grand Island past the second round of the playoffs.
That he wasn’t offered a scholarship by Nebraska followed a trend. The last homegrown quarterback who arrived in Lincoln on scholarship, and who took snaps in a game, was 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch. Kellogg, an Omaha native who split time with Armstrong last year, was put on scholarship for his final season.
“I’m sure Nebraska high school football isn’t as good as it is down in Texas or in California and Florida,” Fyfe said, naming the home states of Armstrong, Stanton and Darlington. “You’ve got kids like Johnny and Zack who won state championships, and that’s appealing to the coach’s eye. I didn’t even win in Nebraska.”
Now that he’s the top backup, he refuses to slip into complacency.
“I have to keep hold of it right here to end fall camp,” he said, “and still keep pushing Tommy every day for No. 1.”
Lincoln – Sophomore Tai Webster survived the final round of cuts early Tuesday morning and was selected for the New Zealand National Team that will compete in this month’s FIBA World Cup.
Webster, who has started for New Zealand during its most recent training swing in Lithuania this week, has helped the team to a 7-3 record during its current overseas tour following Monday’s loss to Greece. New Zealand has two more pretournament games in Serbia before heading to Spain for the competition.
Webster will be in the second Husker to play in the FIBA World Cup, which until 2010 was known as the FIBA World Championships. In 1954, Bill Johnson was a forward on the gold medal winning United States team in Rio de Janeiro.
New Zealand is in Group C, a six-team bracket which includes Team USA (Sept. 2) along with Turkey (Aug. 30), Dominican Republic (Aug. 31), Ukraine (Sept. 3) and Finland (Sept. 4). A complete schedule is listed below.
Webster started 30 games for the Huskers in 2013-14, helping Nebraska make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. He averaged 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He topped the Huskers with 63 assists and scored in double figures four times as a true freshman.
The FIBA World Cup will be Webster’s second major international competition representing his country. In 2012, he made his national team debut, leading New Zealand in scoring three times in six contests in his first competition on the senior national team. He averaged 13.5 points per game in the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. He made his debut at age 17, becoming the youngest player to make the New Zealand National Team at the time.
Webster is the second Husker to make a national team this season, joining forward Leslee Smith, who played for the British Virgin Islands earlier this summer.
New Zealand FIBA World Cup Schedule
Date Opponent Time Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. Turkey 9 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31 vs. Dominican Republic 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 vs. United States 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3 vs. Ukraine 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 4 vs. Finland 8 a.m.
Sat.-Sun., Sept. 6-7 Round of 16 TBA
Tues.-Wed., Sept. 9-10 Quarterfinals TBA
Thurs.-Fri., Sept. 11-12 Semifinals TBA Saturday, Sept. 13 Third-place game 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept, 14 Championship 2 p.m. All times listed are central
Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team began its third week of the 2014 fall camp Monday afternoon, as the Huskers practiced for just under two hours at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck spoke with the media following practice, noting that he has seen some progress with the NU offense, but would like to see the team continue to progress going through the final week of fall camp.
“I am pleased. There is progress, and I think that is all you can ask at this point,” Beck said. “Too many drops today, but we threw the ball on time and our guys are doing some good things. Again, I like where we are at and where we are going.”
Sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong has really been impressing the NU coaching staff as of late. According to Beck, Armstrong, who started eight games last season, had a great week of practice last week, and brought it with him today on the practice field.
“He seemed to really step his game up, much more crisp in the passing game, much more decisive in the running game, read and option games.” Beck said. “I saw a little extra gear in him (Armstrong), separating himself a little bit.”
The competition is still hot for the back-up quarterback position Beck said. Noting that all three quarterbacks bring something special to the field.
“We are still evaluating that right now. I am really still evaluating all of them at this point,” he said. “Tommy has been doing some really good things, Ryker and Johnny both had a good day today. They all possess some things that make them pretty good players.”
An offensive lineman that has been catching the eyes of the coaching staff has been junior offensive tackle Matt Finnin of Crete, Ill. Standing in at a towering 6-foor-7, Beck hopes Finnin can play a key role in the right side of the offensive line in 2014.
“Matt has really kicked it into gear (this past week). I have been really pleased with his camp. He has been doing some really good things, and I think he will be able to help us this year.”
The Huskers will be back on the practice fields Tuesday to continue the 2014 Fall Camp. Check back here or at Huskers.com for a practice report and video coverage following practice immediately.
Lincoln – University of Nebraska Basketball Coach Tim Miles announced Monday that Andrew White III has transferred to the University of Nebraska and joined the Husker basketball program. White, who spent the previous two seasons at the University of Kansas, will sit out the 2014-15 season and have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2015-16 campaign.
White, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound guard from Richmond, Va., spent the last two seasons at Kansas, playing in 44 contests. He helped the Jayhawks to a pair of Big 12 titles in his time at the school. White chose Nebraska over Maryland, Richmond, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Miami and Florida State.
“I am really excited to add Andrew to our program. I believe he can be an impact guy for us. He has pro potential and reminds me of Paul Pierce.” said Miles, the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year. “Andrew has been involved in the elite levels of high school, AAU, and college basketball and that will continue with the Huskers.
“I really liked getting to know Andrew throughout this process. He is mature and thoughtful and wants the best for all involved,” Miles said. “He wants to get better, and he definitely wants Nebraska to continue to rise in major college basketball.”
White joins a Husker team that returns all five starters, including All-Big Ten performers Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields, from a team that went 19-13, finished fourth in the Big Ten and reached the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Huskers have been ranked in the top 25 of several preseason polls for the 2014-15 season.
This past season, he appeared in 19 games off the bench for the Jayhawks, averaging 2.3 points per game on 44 percent shooting and added 1.2 rebounds per game. He posted a pair of double-figure efforts off the bench, highlighted by 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, in 14 minutes against Towson. He also had 12 points, including 3-of-5 from long range, in a season-high 19 minutes against Louisiana Monroe.
White played in 25 games as a freshman, averaging 5.0 minutes and 2.2 points per game in 2012-13. A three-point sharpshooter, White scored a career-high 15 points against Belmont and grabbed a personal-best six rebounds against Oregon State during his freshman year. As a freshman at Kansas, he also led the team in scoring and steals during the Jayhawks’ European Exhibition Tour.
White is a strong performer in the classroom, where he was a two-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll at Kansas. He was also a member of the National Society of College Scholars.
White attended the Miller School in Charlottesville, Va., where he averaged 22.9 points and 10 rebounds per game for Coach Scott Willard as he was named the Virginia State Player of the Year in 2012. White’s senior season featured a game with 46 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists. He was ranked No. 48 by ESPNU100 and No. 51 by Rivals.com in the class of 2012 and ESPN’s No. 11 small forward in the country that season. He originally selected Kansas over North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Richmond, Texas and Georgetown among others. Andrew White III is the son of Andrew, Jr. and Sheryl White.
