Huskers – Page 139 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Open Big Ten Slate at No. 22 Iowa

Posted on December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

The Nebraska basketball team begins its third season of Big Ten Conference action on New Year’s Eve, as the Huskers travel to Iowa City for a matchup with the Hawkeyes.

Tipoff is set for 6:06 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the game will be carried nationally on BTN (Ch. 610 on DirecTV, Chs. 439 and 9500 on Dish; Chs. 2, 1333 on Time Warner Cable) with Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo on the call. The game will also be available online and on mobile devices on BTN2Go.

Tuesday’s game will also be carried across the state on the 27-station Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka calling all of the action, including flagship stations KLIN (1400 AM/94.5 FM) in Lincoln and KFAB (1110 AM) in Omaha. The game can also be heard for free on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as Sirius and XM Radio.

The Huskers’ Big Ten opener is the middle game of a three-game road swing, as Nebraska is 8-4 on the season following a 74-59 loss at Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. In that game, Nebraska was within 47-44 with 9:30 left, but the Bearcats’ strength on the boards and foul shooting helped the hosts pull away. Cincinnati out-rebounded Nebraska, 40-30, and hit 25-of-30 from the foul line, including 18-of-21 in the second half. Nebraska’s two road losses have come against teams which are a combined 21-4 on the season (Cincinnati and Creighton).

Despite the loss, Nebraska received strong efforts from sophomore Terran Petteway and senior Ray Gallegos, who combined for 40 of Nebraska’s 59 points. Petteway had a game-high 22 points for his fifth 20-point game of the year, while Gallegos matched his season high with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.

For the third straight season, the Huskers open Big Ten play against a ranked opponent, as Iowa is 11-2 on the year and ranked 22nd in the latest AP poll. Dating back to last season, this will be the third meeting between the two teams in Nebraska’s last six regular-season Big Ten games.

The Hawkeyes have been off since Dec. 22, after beating Arkansas Pine-Bluff, 86-61. Iowa averages a Big Ten best 88.7 points per game and has been held to under 80 points just once in its first 13 games. Senior Roy Devyn Marble’s 15.3 points per game leads seven Hawkeyes who average at least seven points per game.

Nebraska-Purdue MBB Time Set

Posted on December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

Nebraska-Purdue Men’s Basketball Time Set
The Big Ten Conference announced late Sunday the start times for the men’s and women’s basketball games on Sunday, Jan. 12. The times were listed as TBA on the schedule until the NFL Playoff schedule was set. The Huskers will take on Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., at 11 a.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on BTN.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014
Nebraska at Purdue (MBB), BTN, 11a.m. CST
Iowa at Ohio State (MBB), CBS, 12:30 p.m. CST
Michigan State at Michigan (WBB), BTN, 3:30 CST

TD Run by 7-Year-Old Voted Top Nebraska Story

Posted on December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A touchdown run by a 7-year-old boy with cancer has been voted by Associated Press newspaper and broadcaster members as the top Nebraska news story for 2013.

The 69-yard scamper by little Jack Hoffman occurred during the spring intrasquad game. Jack’s pluck and the players’ aid captured the hearts of Nebraska football fans and people who saw a YouTube video that’s received nearly 8.4 million viewings. The video was played over and over on national television and it won an ESPY award as the “Best Moment.”

In October Jack’s father, Andy Hoffman, said an MRI test showed that the cancer was in remission. The encouraging news was tempered by warnings from the boy’s doctors, his dad said: More than half of all kids in Jack’s situation have relapses.

Finishing second in the voting was the resignation of Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy after revelations that he made thousands of calls to women other than his wife on a state-issued cellphone. The calls were revealed after the Omaha World-Herald reviewed his phone records.

University of Nebraska Regent Lavon Heidemann was sworn into office as the state’s 39th lieutenant governor less than two weeks after Sheehy resigned. The former state senator had to vacate his seat on the university’s governing board.

U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns’ decision to not seek a second term finished third in the voting. He announced Feb. 18 that he would not run for re-election in 2014, saying he wanted a “quieter time” to focus on his family following a busy political career that included stints as governor and President George W. Bush’s agriculture secretary. Republican candidates to replace him include Omaha banker Sid Dinsdale, Omaha attorney Bart McLeay, former Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn and Midland University President Ben Sasse.

No Democrat has yet publicly declared his or her candidacy. Jim Jenkins, a central Nebraska cattle rancher, is running as a nonpartisan candidate, but he previously identified as a Democrat.

Fourth place in the AP members’ voting was the October blizzard that decimated cattle herds in westernNebraska ranching country.

Finishing fifth was the confirmation of former Nebraska U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel to become secretary of defense in the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama.

The tornado that struck the northeast Nebraska community of Wayne in early October finished sixth in the voting. The twister caused millions of dollars in damage and several dozen jobs at a mattress pad company that has chosen not to reopen its damaged plant. No one died in the storm, and the injuries reported were minor.

Two stories tied for seventh in the AP voting: The decision to build a new Central Nebraska Veterans Home in Kearney got the same number of votes as the arrest of an Indiana doctor in the slayings of four Omaha people tied to a Creighton University medical school program.

The doctor, Anthony Garcia, had been fired from the program more than a decade ago. He is charged with fatally stabbing Thomas Hunter, the 11-year-old son of Creighton University pathologist William Hunter, and the family’s housekeeper, Shirlee Sherman, in 2008. Garcia also is charged in the May deaths of Creighton pathologist Roger Brumback and his wife, Mary.

The state’s decision to replace the outdated Grand Island home with a new facility in Kearney was greeted with howls from Grand Island. A Grand Island/Hall County group has prepared its own proposal for upgrading the Grand Island home and says it could save 40 percent of the state’s proposed cost.

In eighth place on the AP members’ list was the Keystone XL pipeline. In January the governor approved a pipeline route through the state. The Obama administration is still considering whether to approve the project.

No. 9 in the balloting was the looming governor’s race. Gov. Dave Heineman must step down after next year because of term limits. The race has taken a series of surprising turns. Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy and Falls City businessman Charles Herbster withdrew from the Republican race, following former Speaker Mike Flood, who bowed out last year. State Sen. Annette Dubas dropped out of the Democratic primary. Remaining in the primary contests are six Republican candidates and one Democrat.

The fate of the Nebraska football team finished 10th in the voting. The Huskers finished a disappointing regular season at 8-4, plagued by injuries and miscues. Head coach Bo Pelini kept his job, though, with a vote of confidence from the athletic director.

Gator Bowl Players To Visit Wolfson Children’s Hospital

Posted on December 29, 2013December 29, 2013

JACKSONVILLE, FL—Select players and cheerleaders from the University of Nebraska and the University of Georgia will visit Wolfson Children’s Hospital tomorrow, Monday, December 30 at 12:00 noon. This provides an opportunity for the children in the hospital to meet role models and is an ideal way for the players from both universities to lift the spirits of local hospitalized children.

Media will meet in the lobby of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, 800 Prudential Drive, where further instructions regarding the visit will be relayed.

Wolfson Children’s Hospital is also the beneficiary of the Gator Bowl VyStar 5K Run that is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31 at the Jacksonville Landing.

Hooper, Huskers Fly By Golden Eagles, 89-53

Posted on December 29, 2013

Lincoln – No. 18 Nebraska opened the game with a 24-0 run and cruised to an 89-53 women’s basketball victory over Oral Roberts at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

All-American Jordan Hooper erupted for 30 points and added 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year in just 20 minutes of work against the Golden Eagles. It was Hooper’s eighth career 30-point game and 32nd career double-double, as she moved past Kiera Hardy into No. 5 on Nebraska’s career scoring list.

The Huskers closed the non-conference portion of their schedule by improving to 10-2 on the season.

Hooper, who had 23 points and eight rebounds in the first half, led five Huskers in double figures as Nebraska exploded for a school-record 62 first-half points. Nebraska also hit a season-high 12 three-pointers, knocking down 50 percent of their triples on the day.

Nebraska hit 52.5 percent (32-61) of its shots from the field overall, including a season-best 63.9 percent (23-36) in the first half. NU opened the game 7-for-7 from the field. The Huskers, who also hit 13-of-17 free throws for the game, outrebounded ORU, 41-29, and won the turnover battle, 22-15.

“That is as good as I’ve seen one of my team’s play offensively, in the first half especially, in a long time,” Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. “I thought our ball movement was really good and obviously it helps that we made a lot of shots. I also thought our defense was pretty good in the first half, especially in the first 15 minutes.”

The Huskers raced to a 24-0 lead after a Hooper layup with 13:12 left in the first half. ORU didn’t get on the board until Kaylan Mayberry hit a jumper with 12:39 left.

Nebraska then answered with 11 straight points to take a 35-2 lead after an Emily Cady three-pointer. Cady, a 6-2 junior forward, finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a pair of threes.

Mayberry heated up to score 17 points in the first half, but Nebraska kept scoring, eventually pushing the lead to 39 points at 49-10 on a Rachel Theriot jumper with 4:09 left in the half. Theriot finished the game with 11 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Junior guard Tear’a Laudermill added another strong performance with 11 points, a career-high five assists and a season-high three steals in just 18 minutes of work. Sophomore guard Sadie Murren added her second straight game with double digits, pumping in 11 points including a trio of three-pointers.

Hooper pushed NU’s lead to 40 for the first time, burying a three-pointer with 2:25 left in the half to make it 56-15. Hooper added another three-pointer and a three-point play in the next 38 seconds to finish the first half with 23 points.

Nebraska’s lead grew as large as 49 points on a pair of occasions in the second half, the last coming after seven straight points from Hooper capped by a steal and layup to make it 83-34 with 9:49 left.

Oral Roberts opened the game just 1-of-12 from the field and never recovered. The Golden Eagles slipped to 1-9 on the season after going 20-of-58 (34.5 percent) from the field. ORU did hit 8-of-17 three-pointers (47.1 percent) and 5-of-8 free throws. Christian Key led ORU with 25 points, scoring 23 of ORU’s 28 points in the second half.

Nebraska wraps up its five-game home stand by opening Big Ten Conference play with Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 2. Tip-off between the Huskers and Wildcats is set for 8 p.m., and tickets are on sale now at Huskers.com. The game will also be televised live nationally by the Big Ten Network.

Huskers Adjust to New Practice Site

Posted on December 29, 2013

Jacksonville, Fla. – Due to rain throughout the day on Saturday that saturated the practice field on the campus of the University of North Florida, the Nebraska football team moved to a new practice site on Sunday, as the Huskers prepared for the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs on field turf at Creeks Athletic Association.

The Huskers were set to practice in the morning, but moved practice to the afternoon due to morning rain in the Jacksonville area. The team continued to prepare for Wednesday’s Gator Bowl with the Bulldogs for just under two hours in shorts, helmets and shoulders pads.

Head Coach Bo Pelini met with the media following Sunday’s practice and thought his team adjusted well to the schedule and locations changes.

“It was the right thing to do, the field (at the University of North Florida) got pretty tore up with the rain yesterday,” Pelini said. “I thought our tempo was good and our guys were enthusiastic.”

The time off since the end of the regular season has given players time to heal, specifically junior wide receiver Jamal Turner, who missed five games in 2013 due to injury.

“Jamal feels a lot better, he’s more confident,” Pelini said. “At the end of the year he was frustrated. He didn’t feel like he had his burst.”

The Huskers have the rest of Sunday off and will return Creeks Athletic Association tomorrow for their final practice before the Gator Bowl. The game is set for 11 a.m. (CT) on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at EverBank Field, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Check out the Huskers’ official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account for photos and videos throughout the Huskers stay in Jacksonville.

Jackson Leads Cincinnati Over Nebraska 74-59

Posted on December 28, 2013December 28, 2013

CINCINNATI (AP) — Justin Jackson had his third straight double-double, and Cincinnati used its free-throw shooting and defense to overcome a poor shooting game by top scorer Sean Kilpatrick on Saturday, pulling away to a 74-59 victory over Nebraska.

The Bearcats (11-2) have won four in a row since back-to-back losses to New Mexico and Xavier.

Jackson had 15 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Freshman Kevin Johnson had a career-high 11 points, all in the first half as Cincinnati pulled ahead to stay.

Kilpatrick, who averages 18.9 points per game, went 2 of 13 from the field and missed all of his five shots from behind the arc. He drew fouls and went 17 of 18 from the line. Cincinnati was 25 of 30 overall on free throws.

Terran Petteway scored 22 points and Ray Gallegos matched his season high with 18 points for Nebraska (8-4).

Huskers Keep Focus on Georgia

Posted on December 28, 2013

Jacksonville, Fla. – Rain welcomed the Nebraska football team to the University of North Florida campus on Saturdaymorning for the Huskers’ second practice during the team’s stay in Jacksonville.

All-American running back Ameer Abdullah met with the media at the conclusion of practice and mentioned that it was good for the Huskers to prepare in less than ideal conditions.

“We needed today,” Abdullah said. “On a day like this you have to stay focused. When it’s wet you can’t think about the weather, you have to stay focused on what you have to do.”

The Huskers have been hit by injuries in 2013, but with the extended time off between the end of the regular season and the bowl game, the team is hopeful to have a majority of the team healthy for next week’s game.

“The time off helps a lot,” Abdullah said. “During a 4-to-5 month season playing that much football takes a toll on your body, especially playing running back. I’m just ready to get back and play this game.”

The Huskers have time to relax in Jacksonville, but know that a reason for their trip to Florida is to get a win.

“We want to win,” Abdullah said. “We aren’t messing around. We understand what a win could do for this program going into next year. We are focused and have the right attitude.”

The Huskers have now hit the mid-way point for practice, as they continue to prepare for the Gator Bowl on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 11 a.m. (CT), where the Huskers will take on the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs.

Following this morning’s practice, the Husker coaching staff hosted its annual clinic for area high school coaches. Later tonight, the Huskers will head to Latitude 30 for a fun-filled evening at one of Jacksonville’s newest and most popular entertainment venues. The team will be treated to two hours of bowling, billiards and arcade games.

Check out the Huskers’ official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account for photos and videos throughout the Huskers stay in Jacksonville.

Huskers’ Pelini Says DE Moss is Out of Gator Bowl

Posted on December 27, 2013December 27, 2013

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Nebraska defensive end Avery Moss returned to his home in Arizona to attend to a personal issue and won’t play in the Gator Bowl against No. 23 Georgia next week.

Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini also announced Friday that linebacker Jared Afalava and receivers Richard Wynne and Ishmail Jackson violated team rules and won’t be on hand for Wednesday’s game in Jacksonville, Fla.

Moss has played in every game, starting three, and was second on the team with 4.5 sacks and six quarterback hurries.

Afalava played in four games but has not been on the game field since October. Wynne and Jackson have caught no passes.

Huskers Open Bowl Practice in Jacksonville

Posted on December 27, 2013

Jacksonville, Fla. – After arriving at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort yesterday afternoon, the Nebraska football team practiced on the campus of the University of North Florida for the first time on Friday morning in preparation of next week’s Gator Bowl with the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs. The Huskers and Bulldogs are set to battle on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 11 a.m. (CT) on ESPN2.

The Huskers practiced in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts for just over two hours under cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 50’s. It was the first of four practices for the Huskers during their time in Jacksonville.

Head Coach Bo Pelini met with the media following practice and was happy with how his team started practice in Florida.

“We had a detail-oriented practice that was a good on both sides of the football,” Pelini said. “Our guys were enthusiastic and had good tempo.”

The Huskers will meet Georgia for a second straight year after playing the Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl at the end of the 2012 season.

“It’s a great opportunity for us (to play Georgia) and we have a lot of respect for them,” Pelini said. “We are really looking forward to the challenge.”

One of the marquee matchups of next week’s game will be at running back, as both Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Georgia’s Todd Gurley are each averaging over 100 yards per game on the season. Abdullah, a third-team AP All-American in 2013, ranks seventh in the country at 130.7 yards per game, while Gurley ranks 30^th nationally at 100.3 yards per game.

“They are different types of runners with different body types, Ameer is a make-you-miss guy and Gurley runs more downhill,” Pelini said. “They are both very productive football players.

This afternoon, the Huskers have a chance to relax at the Players Beach Party event, hosted near the Atlantic Ocean at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, one of North Florida’s most exclusive resorts.

Check out the Huskers’ official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account for photos and videos throughout the Huskers stay in Jacksonville.