CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has hired former Nebraska defensive coordinator John Papuchis as an assistant coach.
Papuchis coached at LSU under Nick Saban before joining Bo Pelini’s staff at Nebraska in 2008, spending the past three seasons as defensive coordinator.
Papuchis joins a staff looking to reshape a defense that gave up more points and yards than any team in program history, including allowing school records of 70 points and 789 yards in a loss at East Carolina.
Last month, the Tar Heels hired former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik as its new defensive coordinator. Head coach Larry Fedora says the 36-year-old Papuchis has “quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding teacher and recruiter.”
Team spokesman Kevin Best says Papuchis’ position assignment has yet to be determined.
The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks to snap a two-game losing streak, as the Huskers return home to take on Northwestern Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
A limited number of 300 Level tickets are available for $10 each by visiting Huskers.com, calling 800-8-BIGRED or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office Tuesday evening beginning at 5 p.m.
Tipoff is set for 6:31 p.m. and the contest will be televised nationally on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Jim Jackson on the call. Tuesday’s game is also available online and on mobile devices on BTN2Go.
The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the 37-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
The Huskers (12-9, 4-5 Big Ten) ran into tough sledding in their last outing, falling at Minnesota, 60-42, Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis. Nebraska shot just 37 percent from the field against the Gophers, and were doomed by 20 turnovers, which was twice the Huskers’ average in Big Ten play entering the contest. NU had 15 of the turnovers in the first half, as the Huskers dug themselves a seven-point deficit. Despite the turnovers, the Huskers were within seven and had a chance to cut into the lead in the final four minutes, but Minnesota closed out the win by scoring the final 11 points.
Junior forward Shavon Shields led Nebraska with 11 points in Saturday’s loss and is now nine points away from reaching 1,000 career points. The 6-foot-7 junior is enjoying his best season as a Husker, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 16.3 points per game and has topped NU in scoring in each of the past two contests. Shields also received good newsSaturday night, as his father, Will, was announced as one of the 2015 inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Northwestern (10-11, 1-7 Big Ten) is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak, as the Wildcats fell to Purdue, 68-60, on Saturday. Northwestern has had its fair share of close games in conference action, as six of its eight Big Ten games have been decided by five points or less or in overtime.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tear’a Laudermill scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half when No. 15 Nebraska took control for a 75-60 win over Michigan on Sunday.
Hailie Sample and Rachel Theriot added 14 points apiece for the Cornhuskers (17-4, 7-3 Big Ten), who shot 36 percent in the first half and trailed 31-25. Theriot had 12 points in the second half when Nebraska shot 59 percent and made all nine of its free throws after no attempts in the first half. Emily Cady had nine rebounds to surpass 1,000 for her career.
Shannon Smith led Michigan (13-8, 5-5), which shot 52 percent in the first half but 35.4 in the second, with 22 points.
Theriot and Cady had three-point plays before Theriot’s jumper tied the game at 33. Later, the Wolverines led 51-45 on Siera Thompson’s 3 before the Cornhuskers reeled off 11 straight, capped by another three-point play by Theriot.
Lincoln, Neb. – No. 10 Nebraska (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) finished a weekend sweep and picked up its fifth consecutive dual win in a 33-6 rout of Indiana at the Devaney Center on Sunday afternoon.
After the Hoosiers forfeited the opening match at 125 pounds, the Huskers won each of the next four to build a 21-0 advantage at the halfway point. Eric Montoya (133) earned a 12-4 major decision over Alonzo Shepherd in the second bout before eighth-ranked Anthony Abidin (141) added bonus points with his dominating 18-1 technical fall over Sean Brown.
At 149 pounds, Justin Arthur and Trevor Moody entered the third period deadlocked at zero before the Husker sophomore earned a reversal from the down position and tacked on a point for riding time in a 3-0 triumph.
Three-time All-American James Green (157) earned three takedowns as he cruised to an 11-4 decision over Luke Blanton. Austin Wilson (165) and Brandon Wilbourn (174) each dropped decisions to ranked Hoosiers, but NU swept the final three bouts, which included No. 20 Aaron Studebaker’s first-period pin of Jake Masengale at 197 pounds.
Sophomores TJ Dudley (184) and Collin Jensen (HWT) each picked up decisions. Dudley used an early takedown and near fall points to build a lead and never looked back in a 6-0 win over Matt Irick. Jensen also dominated from start to finish in his 7-2 triumph over Garret Goldman.
The Huskers hit the road next weekend for two duals in the Great Lakes State. NU battles Michigan on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) in Ann Arbor, Mich., before facing Michigan Stateon Sunday at 11 a.m. in East Lansing. Both duals will be streamed on BTN Plus, with a subscription required to watch the matches.
Results 125: #11 Tim Lambert (NEB) by forfeit (NEB 6, IND 0) 133:Eric Montoya (NEB) by major dec. over Alonzo Shepherd (IND), 12-4 (NEB 10, IND 0) 141:#8 Anthony Abidin (NEB) by tech. fall over Sean Brown (IND), 18-1 (NEB 15, IND 0) 149:Justin Arthur (NEB) by dec. over Trevor Moody (IND), 3-0 (NEB 18, IND 0) 157:#4 James Green (NEB) by dec. over Luke Blanton (IND), 11-4 (NEB 21, IND 0) 165:#6 Taylor Walsh (IND) by dec. over Austin Wilson (NEB), 4-2 (NEB 21, IND 3) 174:#16 Nate Jackson (IND) by dec. over Brandon Wilbourn (NEB), 6-1 (NEB 21, IND 6) 184:#18 TJ Dudley (NEB) by dec. over Matt Irick (IND), 6-0 (NEB 24, IND 6) 197:#20 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) by pin over Jake Masengale (IND), 2:47 (NEB 30, IND 6) HWT:#17 Collin Jensen (NEB) by dec. over Garret Goldman (IND), 7-2 (NEB 33, IND 6)
A pair of former Nebraska offensive line greats were among eight individuals selected to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2015 class of inductees.
Mick Tingelhoff was a standout center for the Minnesota Vikings following his Nebraska career, while Will Shields followed his Husker career by becoming a perennial All-Pro for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The announcement of the Hall’s 2015 class came on Saturday evening in Arizona as part of the NFL’s Super Bowl weekend. Tingelhoff was chosen for induction by the Hall’s senior committee, while Shields was elected in his fourth season as a modern-era Hall of Fame finalist.
They are joined in the 2015 class by Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Charles Haley, Junior Seau and contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf. The class of 2015 will enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.
Tingelhoff and Shields will become the fourth and fifth Nebraska players to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The duo joins Guy Chamberlin, Roy “Link” Lyman and Bob Brown as Nebraska players to be a part of the Hall of Fame. Brown was the most recent Husker inductee, being enshrined in the Hall in 2004.
A native of Lexington, Neb., Tingelhoff started all 240 games he played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1962 to 1978. Regarded as the best center of his era, Tingelhoff played on four Vikings’ teams that advanced to the Super Bowl. Tingelhoff played in 19 total playoff games during his career, and helped the Vikings win 10 division titles between 1968 and 1978.
Tingelhoff was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, and a five-time first team All-Pro choice, while also earning second-team All-Pro honors one time in his career. Tingelhoff was a true ironman for Minnesota. In addition to playing in every game during his career, he reportedly never missed a practice with the Vikings.
Tingelhoff is part of the Viking Ring of Honor and his #53 Minnesota jersey is retired by the organization.
Tingelhoff was an undrafted free agent following his Nebraska playing career. A three-year letterwinner, Tingelhoff was a co-captain of the 1961 Cornhuskers. He played on the offensive line alongside Bob Brown, now a fellow NFL Hall of Famer. Tingelhoff was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Will Shields
Shields also joins Brown and Chamberlin as the only Nebraska players in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Shields was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2011.
A consensus All-American and a Lombardi Award semifinalist as a senior in 1992, Shields is one of only six Husker linemen to earn all-conference honors for three straight seasons. As a senior, Shields received votes for Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors from Kodak, AP, UPI, Walter Camp and Football News.
During his junior campaign, he was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Eight team and a second-team All-American, helping the Huskers rank first in the conference in rushing offense and total offense.
Shields became the second offensive lineman to play as a true freshman in 1989, appearing in nine games. In his second year, Shields became the first sophomore lineman since College Football Hall of Famer Dave Rimington to earn first-team all-conference honors for NU, helping the Huskers lead the Big Eight in scoring, rushing and total offense. Shields’ No. 75 Nebraska jersey was retired at the 1994 Spring Game, one of 17 Nebraska retired jerseys.
Following his collegiate career, Shields was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He spent 14 seasons as one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the NFL until retiring after the 2006 season. Shields earned a spot in 12 Pro Bowls and started more than 200 straight games in his brilliant professional career.
Shields was also one of the most active volunteers and community leaders in the NFL. He is the co-founder of the Will to Succeed Foundation with his wife, Senia. The foundation was organized to guide, inspire and improve the lives of abused and neglected women and children. For his remarkable work with charitable and community organizations, Shields was named the NFL Man of the Year in 2003.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mo Walker led Minnesota with 19 points and eight rebounds and Andre Hollins added 12 points, helping the Gophers avenge a recent loss to Nebraska with a 60-42 victory over the sputtering Huskers on Saturday.
Hollins had six assists and five rebounds, too, and the Gophers (14-9, 3-7) bounced back from their latest of six Big Ten losses by five points or fewer. One of those was a 52-49 decision at Nebraska 11 days ago, when Walker had a woeful four points, three turnovers and four fouls.
Shavon Shields had 11 points for the Huskers (12-9, 4-5), who were outscored in the paint 30-18. Terran Petteway scored 10 points, but this was the second straight lackluster performance by the high-caliber duo. After combining to shoot 5 for 23 from the floor in a 58-44 loss at Michigan on Tuesday, they were 8 for 23 this time including a 2-for-11 from 3-point range.
Evanston, Ill. – No. 10 Nebraska (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) held a one-point lead after seven matches before winning each of the final three en route to a 25-11 win over No. 24 Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday night.
Two Huskers knocked off ranked Wildcats as Eric Montoya downed 20th-ranked Dominick Malone, 6-2, at 133 pounds and No. 20 Aaron Studebaker (197) won in sudden victory against No. 12 Alex Polizzi in the final bout.
Montoya’s win marked his second straight against a ranked foe. Studebaker won his fourth consecutive match of the season and took down a top-12 opponent for the second time in that stretch.
No. 11 Tim Lambert (125) picked up his fifth consecutive win in a 7-1 decision over Garrison White in the second match of the night. Following Montoya’s win, eighth-ranked Anthony Abidin continued Nebraska’s momentum with a 9-7 triumph over Jameson Oster at 141 pounds.
Three-time All-American James Green (157) used four takedowns to capture his 20th win of the season in a 9-4 triumph over Ben Sullivan. Fellow All-American Robert Kokesh won by forfeit at 174 pounds before 18th-ranked TJ Dudley dominated in his 10-0 major decision over Mitch Sliga at 184 pounds.
All three of Nebraska’s losses came against top-eight opponents. Collin Jensen (HWT) fell to No. 4 Mike McMullan, Justin Arthur fell to defending national champion and third-ranked Jason Tsirtsis at 149 pounds and Austin Wilson (165) dropped his bout against No. 8 Pierce Harger.
The Huskers return home to face Indiana on Sunday at the Devaney Center at 1 p.m. (CT). The dual will be streamed on Huskers.com, with a premium subscription required to watch the matches.
Results HWT: #4 Mike McMullan (NW) by dec. over #17 Collin Jensen (NEB), 8-2 (NW 3, NEB 0) 125: #11 Tim Lambert (NEB) by dec. over Garrison White (NW), 7-1 (NEB 3, NW 3) 133: Eric Montoya (NEB) by dec. over #20 Dominick Malone (NW), 6-2 (NEB 6, NW 3) 141: #8 Anthony Abidin (NEB) by dec. over Jameson Oster (NW), 9-7 (NEB 9, NW 3) 149: #3 Jason Tsirtsis (NW) by major dec. over Justin Arthur (NEB), 10-2 (NEB 9, NW 7) 157: #4 James Green (NEB) by dec. over Ben Sullivan (NW), 9-4 (NEB 12, NW 7) 165: #8 Pierce Harger (NW) by major dec. over Austin Wilson (NEB), 13-3 (NEB 12, NW 11) 174: #1 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by forfeit (NEB 18, NW 11) 184: #18 TJ Dudley (NEB) by major dec. over Mitch Sliga (NW), 10-0 (NEB 22, NW 11) 197: #20 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) by sudden victory-1 over #12 Alex Polizzi (NW), 7-5 (NEB 25, NW 11)
The No. 15 Nebraska women’s basketball team shoots for a sweep of its two-game Big Ten home stand when the Huskers clash with Michigan Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Tip-off between the Big Red (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) and the Wolverines (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten) is set for 2 p.m., with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Tickets can be purchased on game day at the Pinnacle Arena Box Office beginning two hours prior to tip-off.
Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, 93.3 FM in Omaha and 880 AM in Lexington. The game will be televised live statewide by Nebraska Educational Television (NET) with Larry Punteney and former Husker Meghin Williams calling the action. Live premium video of the NET production will be available to subscribers of BTN Plus.
Nebraska is coming off a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Illinois on Thursday. Natalie Romeo’s three from the right corner with 1:11 left gave the Huskers their only lead of the night. The freshman from Martinez, Calif., hit NU’s first and last field goals to finish with six points and three assists.
Fellow Californian Tear’a Laudermill led the Huskers with 16 points. The 5-9 senior guard has led Nebraska in scoring for three straight games to increase her season averages to 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Rachel Theriot, who finished with 11 points, six rebounds and eight assists against Illinois, became Nebraska’s 30th 1,000-point scorer on Thursday. She leads the Huskers and ranks among Big Ten leaders with 16.7 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Allie Havers, a 6-5 sophomore from Paw Paw, Mich., put three Huskers in double figures against the Illini with 10 points in 11 minutes off the bench. Havers own three double-digit efforts in Big Ten play.
Michigan, which opened the week with a 70-57 win over Illinois on Monday night, closed a two-game home stand with a 91-65 loss to No. 5 Maryland Thursday, falling a game behind Nebraska in the Big Ten standings. The Wolverines are one of the Big Ten’s best shooting teams, hitting 38.3 percent of their three-point attempts while making 6.4 threes per game.
#15 Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 13.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 16.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg Off the Bench
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 4.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 2.1 ppg, 0.3 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – Redshirting Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (257-146); 25th Season Overall (452-286)
Michigan Wolverines (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten)
14 – Nicole Elmblad – 5-11 – Jr. – F/G – 6.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg
22 – Cyesha Goree – 6-3 – Sr. – F – 15.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg
2 – Siera Thompson – 5-7 – So. – G – 11.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
5 – Shannon Smith – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 13.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
20 – Danielle Williams – 5-9 – So. – G – 1.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg Off the Bench
3 – Katelynn Flaherty – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 14.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
1 – Madison Ristovski – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 4.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg
11 – Jillian Dunston – 5-11 – Fr. – G/F – 2.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
32 – Kelsey Mitchell – 6-0 – Fr. – F – 0.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
23 – Maria Backman – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
12 – Terra Stapleton – 6-4 – Fr. – C – 1.2 ppg, 0.1 rpg
15 – Paige Rakers – 5-11 – So. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (Montclair State, 1993)
Third Season at Michigan (55-32); 19th Season Overall (325-238)
Nebraska fans will have their first opportunity to see Coach Mike Riley’s first Cornhusker football team at the Red-White Spring Game on Saturday, April 11. Fans will be able to secure their tickets for the game beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 8 a.m.
Nebraska fans may purchase tickets online at Huskers.com, by phone at 1-800-8-BIG-RED or in person at the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office, located in the Stadium Drive Parking Garage (8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays). Beginning Monday, Feb. 9 through Monday, Aug. 3 the Ticket Office windows will be located at the Guest Relations desk inside West Stadium (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays).
All tickets for the Red-White Spring Game are reserved and cost $10 each. All individuals must have a ticket for the game. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early to ensure good seats as demand is expected to be high. Each of the past several years, more than 20,000 tickets were sold by the end of the first day of sales.
Nebraska has drawn more than 54,000 fans for every Red-White game over the past decade.
Nebraska will once again conduct the Drug Free Pledge at this year’s game. Youth (eighth grade or younger) are encouraged to take part in the Drug Free Pledge, and those who do will be admitted to the game for free.
New in 2015, fans will be able to secure their free youth tickets when buying adult tickets, with a limit of two complimentary youth tickets for each regular price ticket purchased. Any requests for more than two complimentary youth tickets per adult ticket would need to be made over the phone or in person at the Ticket Office prior to game day.
A limited number of $15 club seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. UNL faculty and staff will be able to purchase reserved tickets to the spring game for $5. Faculty and staff should purchase their tickets in person at the Ticket Office or over the phone in advance to receive their discount. Faculty and staff will also be asked to show their staff ID at the gate on game day.
UNL students will be admitted free to the game, but will need to have a ticket in hand for admittance. UNL students may also visit Huskers.com beginning Feb. 4 to secure their ticket.
2015 Red-White Spring Game Date:Saturday, April 11Kickoff: TBD Tickets: $15 club seats (limited availability); $10 reserved tickets, UNL Faculty & Staff, $5; UNL Students, Free (must secure a ticket) all tickets on sale Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 8 a.m. Drug Free Pledge: Youth 8th grade and younger are encouraged to take Drug Free Pledge (admitted for free, but must have a ticket, available on-line) Radio/Internet: Husker Sports Network/Huskers.com
