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Huskers Complete Sweep with 13-10 Win
(Posted 05/11/2008. Written by NU Media Relations. )

Bryce Nimmo went 4-for-6 with four RBIs, as fifth-ranked Nebraska completed a doubleheader sweep of No. 9 Texas A&M, winning the nightcap, 13-10, Sunday evening at Hawks Field.

Nimmo, whose four hits matched his career high, led the charge for the Huskers (38-9-1, 17-6-1 Big 12), as Nebraska overcame an early 9-4 deficit by scoring nine runs in its final three at-bats.

The win, coupled with NU’s 9-8 victory in the opener when the Huskers scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth, pulled the Huskers within a game and a half of the Aggies (42-10, 19-5 Big 12) in the Big 12 lead entering the final weekend of action.

Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson was proud of the Huskers’ resiliency following Friday’s 16-inning loss.

“It was a pretty remarkable series. It extends from just two teams fighting their tails off. I told our kids from the baseball standpoint, whether it’s pitching, hitting, defense, we can throw those things aside this weekend. One thing that’s going to stay with me forever is how well these kids fought, even in the 16-inning game. This is a series that you could say they had a chance to sweep and so did we. That’s how tight it was. Our kids just kept fighting little by little.”

Trailing 9-4, the Huskers began to rally after a David Stewart double and an error off the bat of Andy Cotton – one of six miscues by the Aggies in the nightcap – put runners on first and second. Nimmo greeted reliever Scott Migl with a two-run triple into the corner in right before Jake Mort plated Nimmo with a ground out to pull the Huskers within two runs.

Mort went 3-for-6 with a pair of RBI, while Stewart, who drove in five runs in the opener, had two hits and scored twice as the Huskers converted the Aggie errors until six unearned runs to complete its fifth straight doubleheader sweep.

Texas A&M extended the lead to 10-7 on an RBI single by Kevin Gonzales in the seventh and had runners on second and third looking to extend the margin, but Mike Nesseth struck out Kyle Colligan and Blake Stouffer to get NU out of the inning without further damage.

Nesseth (4-1) allowed one hit and struck out five over 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win and

“It boiled down to just a few things at the end and Michael (Nesseth) was great. In that 16-inning game, we used a lot of pitching and they used a lot of pitching. On Sundays, it’s a day where teams score a lot of runs and we understand that. We happened to just score a little bit more than them.”

Migl opened the seventh by hitting both Nick Sullivan and Tyler Farst before a wild pitch from reliever Kirkland Rivers moved both runners in scoring position. DJ Belfonte walked to load the bases before Stewart’s ground out pulled NU within two runs. Shane Minks came into the game and uncorked a wild pitch to plate one run before a passed ball on Aggie catcher Kevin Gonzalez scored Belfonte to knot the game up at 10 all.

In the eighth, Farst reached on an error by Jose Duran to open the inning before Belfonte’s single to center went under the glove of Aggie center fielder Kyle Colligan, allowing Farst to score from first with the go-ahead run. Stewart made it 12-10 with an RBI single before Nimmo’s fourth hit of the day provided the final margin.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in the losing effort, while Stouffer had two RBIs on the day.

In the opener, Mitch Abeita’s RBI single in the ninth broke an 8-all deadlock, as the Huskers scored five times in the ninth to pull out a 9-8 win

The win snapped Texas A&M’s 16-game Big 12 winning streak and was the largest ninth-inning comeback at Nebraska under Mike Anderson.

Abeita sent a 1-2 pitch from Kyle Thebeau into center, scoring Bryce Nimmo from second with the winning run, as Nebraska scored five times off of Kyle Thebeau to earn their 19th come-from-behind win of the year.

Nick Sullivan opened the inning with a single before Tyler Farst reached on a fielding error. After a DJ Belfonte walk to load the bases, David Stewart’s grounder was misplayed by Luke Anders, allowing Sullivan to score to make it a three-run game. Cody Neer kept the rally going, delivering a two-run single to left to pull Nebraska within a run. Bryce Nimmo tied the game, scoring Farst on a fielder’s choice. Thebeau struck out Jake Mort for the second out, but walked Jake Opitz to put the tying run on second before Abeita’s base hit sent the crowd of 7,653 to their feet.

Stewart led Nebraska in the opener, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a career-high five RBIs, driving in the Huskers’ first four runs.

Valiant Huskers Fall in 16 Innings
(Posted 05/10/2008. Written by Nebraska Media Relations. )

Dane Carter’s three-run double in the top of the 16th broke a 3-all tie, as fifth-ranked Nebraska suffered a heart-breaking 6-3 loss to Texas A&M in 16 innings late Friday night.

Carter, who went 2-for-8 on the night, came up with the game’s biggest hit, a three-run double to right center, as the Aggies (42-8, 19-3 Big 12) won their 16th consecutive conference game and moved 3.5 games ahead of the Huskers (36-9-1, 15-6-1 Big 12) in the Big 12 race.

The Huskers overcame a pair of deficits and sent the game into extra innings in the ninth, but could not come up with the big hit against Aggie closer Travis Starling, who tossed a career-high eight shutout innings of relief to up his record to 8-0.

In the 16th, the Aggies loaded the bases with three straight one-out infield singles. Jennings struck out Blake Stouffer for the second out, and had Carter on the ropes, but NU catcher Mitch Abeita could not come up a foul ball behind the plate. Carter, who leads the Big 12 in hitting, took advantage, sending a 2-2 pitch from Dan Jennings into the gap in right center, clearing the bases.

Jennings (5-1) took the loss, allowing three runs over 2.1 innings of work, as the Husker pitching staff struck out 19 Aggies and allowed just 11 hits to the conference’s top hitting team. The 19 strikeouts marked the second straight game that Husker pitchers had recorded 19 strikeouts, two shy of the school record set in 1999.

The game, which lasted 5:20, lived up to its advance billing, waging a war of attrition in front of a sellout crowd of 8,708 at Hawks Field. It was the Huskers’ longest game since a 16-innning win over Texas in 2006.

Jake Mort led Nebraska, going 2-for-6 and scored all three of the Huskers’ runs, matching his career high, while Ben Kline and Tyler Farst had two hits apiece.

“I thought our kids did a good job tonight,” Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. “It was a hard-fought game, and somebody ended up having to win. Our kids fought hard, I thought they did a good job. The key to it is that you can be disappointed with the loss but you can’t be discouraged with it. Our kids will come out and we’ll fight again tomorrow. Obviously this is a good ballclub, and we think we’re a good ballclub, so what you had was two very strong, determined teams getting after it, and something had to give.”

Texas A&M put up a pair of runs on NU starter Johnny Dorn in the top of the second, as a walk and a hit batter keyed the Aggie uprising. With one out, Dorn walked Luke Anders and hit Darby Brown to put runners on first and second. Brian Ruggiano put the Aggies on the board with an RBI single up the middle. Brodie Green then laid down a sacrifice bunt that Dorn threw past first baseman Craig Corriston, allowing Brown to score from second with Texas A&M’s second run.

The Huskers, who suffered just their third home loss in 29 games, pulled to within 2-1 in the bottom of the third. Mort led the inning of with a double, advanced to third on a balk and scored on Mitch Abeita’s grounder to third.

Mort helped the Huskers tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, as he tripled down the line in right before scoring on a wild pitch by reliever Kyle Thebeau.

The Aggies regained the lead against Dorn in the eighth, as Ruggiano drove in his second run of the night with a RBI single, scoring Jose Duran, who was hit by a pitch and moved to second on an Anders walk.

Dorn pitched well in a no-decision, allowing two earned runs on just five hits over eight innings before the Husker relievers Mike Nesseth, Zach Herr, Erik Bird and Dan Jennings combined for seven shutout innings of relief until the Aggies broke through in the 16th.

The Huskers fought back, pushing across the tying run in the ninth against the Aggie bullpen. Mort was hit by a pitch to open the ninth before Jake Opitz drew a walk to put the tying run in scoring position. Abeita laid down a perfect sacrifice to push both runners into scoring position against Starling. Corryton, who returned to action following arthroscopic surgery last Wednesday, tied the game with a grounder to short.

The two teams will continue the series Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. Thad Weber takes the hill for the Huskers looking for his ninth win of the year.

Mo signs with Cincy
(Posted 05/08/2008. Written by Chris Schmidt. )

Former Husker wide receiver Maurice Purify has inked a two year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. He attended the Bengals rookie mini-camp last weekend. The 6-3, 224 pound wide out had 57 receptions for 814 yards, with nine touchdowns.

NU gets ready for Aggies
(Posted 05/08/2008. Written by NU Media Relations. )

The fifth-ranked Husker baseball team finishes finals week with another important Big 12 test, as Texas A&M comes to town. The three-game series begins Friday night at 6:35 p.m. with afternoon games set for both Saturday (2:05) and Sunday (1:05). Sunday’s game will also be senior day, when the 2008 seniors will be honored.

The Aggies, who are ranked as high as sixth nationally, lead the Big 12 by 2.5 games over the second-place Huskers heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Texas A&M has won 15 straight Big 12 games dating back to March 23 and comes to Lincoln with a 41-8 record after defeating Sam Houston State, 13-9, Tuesday evening. The Aggies lead the Big 12 with a .330 average and feature the leagues’s top two hitters in Dane Carter (.411) and Jose Duran (.396).

The Huskers (36-8-1) have been off for final exams since sweeping Louisiana-Lafayette by identical 4-3 scores on May 3, including a 14-inning win in the nightcap. Nebraska’s strength has been on the mound, where it leads the Big 12 with a 3.46 ERA, and experience in close games, where the Huskers are a combined 15-2 in games decided by two runs or less this season. This weekend’s series between the Huskers and Aggies will be the first time NU has hosted a weekend series between top-10 teams since 2005.

One tape turned over by Walsh shows Patriots also stole offensive signals
(Posted 05/08/2008. Written by espn.com. )

From Day 1 of the Spygate saga in September, the controversy over New England's illicit videotaping practices has centered on the Patriots' efforts to steal their opponents' defensive signals. But the tapes delivered via FedEx to NFL headquarters in New York on Thursday morning also include evidence of an effort by New England to steal offensive signals, which would broaden the extent of the team's surveillance operation.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and staff members began viewing the eight tapes within hours of their long-awaited delivery, in anticipation of Tuesday's scheduled interview with former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh. As part of an indemnification pact reached last month with the league, Walsh agreed to turn over any videotapes or related materials he had from his tenure with the team.

Perhaps the surprise entry on the list of videotaping documents Walsh turned over to the league was tape No. 3, labeled "OFF Signals" from New England's game against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 7, 2001. That is the only tape labeled as such on a copy of the list obtained by ESPN.com. Walsh's attorney, Michael Levy, confirmed it was the lone footage in Walsh's possession of offensive coaches' signaling from the sidelines.

"[It] contains shots of Miami's offensive coaches signaling Miami's offensive players, followed by a shot from the end zone camera of Miami's offensive play, followed by a shot of Miami's offensive coaches signaling Miami's offensive players for the next play, then edited to be followed by a shot of the subsequent Miami offensive play," Levy said of the tape. "And that pattern repeats throughout the entire tape, with occasional cuts to the scoreboard."


Goodell has made repeated references to the stealing of defensive signals by New England. That is, in part, presumably because the league has allowed direct radio communication from a coach to the quarterback since the 1994 season, diminishing the need for hand signals.


"We don't know [about attempts to steal offensive signals] yet because we haven't looked at the tapes," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday before the league had completed its review of the new evidence. "All we have is the list supplied last night [by Walsh's attorney]. One of them is labeled 'OFF signals.' None of others are listed that way. Let us look at the tapes and we'll have more to say about that.

"The rule which the Patriots violated was the policy that prohibits use of equipment for the taping of offensive or defense signals. I know there've been references to defensive signals, which is more logical. But let us look at the tapes and verify what is on there."

Although Walsh turned over eight tapes this week, the number of games in which he personally videotaped opposing coaches is unclear. One source told ESPN.com that it "absolutely" is not the case that the six games on the eight tapes are the only instances the Patriots taped opponents during Walsh's tenure with the team.

One of the eight tapes in the package was shot by someone other than Walsh. It is a Sept. 29, 2002, game against San Diego, which was shot after Walsh was promoted from the video department. That tape captures just the coaches on the sideline, and the scoreboard before the game action is edited in.

The advancing sophistication in New England's videotaping practices apparently is also evident on the tapes, which begin with a Sept. 25, 2000, game against Miami and run through a Sept. 29, 2002, game with San Diego. It's also obvious throughout that the video shooter has one job on game day: to capture the opposing team's sideline coaches.

In one of the last tapes that Walsh shot -- the 2002 AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers -- the finished product includes sideline footage of the Pittsburgh coaches sending in signals, followed by a scan of the scoreboard that captures down, distance and game time, followed by two separate shots of the ensuing play, one from above the press box and the other from an end zone camera.

"The other seven tapes show the final product, which is a series of coaches' signals, followed by the play, followed by coaches' signals and then the next play -- all lined up one after another," said Levy, who represents Walsh. "So the final videotapes contain the opposing coaches' signals lined up directly with the play that was run, one after another."

Goodell is likely to quiz Walsh on these issues at their meeting scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Walsh is scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C., later in the day to meet with Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.


Specter has been critical of the NFL for destroying evidence turned over in September by New England, including six other tapes and notes from other taped games. Although those tapes only date back to the 2006 season, Aiello, the NFL spokesperson, said Thursday the notes dated to at least the 2002 season.

The notes were destroyed, and Aiello said he is uncertain whether there is any record of the games involved. He did say that Goodell previously informed Specter that details on the taping of the 2002 AFC championship, as well as three other games with Pittsburgh, were part of the notes.

Aiello said it has yet to be decided whether the Walsh tapes will be made public. But as the tapes arrived at the league office in New York, officials were relieved to find the package didn't include a long-rumored video of the St. Louis Rams' walk-through practice the day before the 2002 Super Bowl, which would have put a huge cloud over the league's marquee event.

"That is fair assumption," Aiello said of the feelings of relief in the league office. "I'd rather leave those questions and answers to the commissioner, but it's unfortunate that that had been reported, and apparently there's no substance to it."

Progress reports could mean tougher penalties for teams
(Posted 05/07/2008. Written by ESPN.COM. )

College teams that consistently underperform in the classroom are getting hit harder by the NCAA.


Nearly 150 college teams face possible scholarship losses next season and 26 others are in danger of being banned from postseason play if they don't improve next year.

The NCAA's annual academic progress report was released Tuesday. It showed more than 700 teams fell short of the mandated cut score.

But only 218 were penalized with warning letters, potential reductions in scholarships and practice time and warned they face possible postseason bans. Some were granted waivers by the governing body.

Thirty-six teams were assessed two penalties and three schools had more than one team make the list twice -- Alabama-Birmingham in men's basketball, football and men's golf; San Diego State in baseball and football; and San Jose State in baseball and men's basketball.

When a team does not improve, the punishments can become harsher with three consecutive scores under 900 leading to a postseason ban. A fourth consecutive offense would prevent them from competing at the Division I level.

Schools already facing a possible postseason ban include football teams at San Jose State, Southern and Temple, and men's basketball teams at New Mexico State, Centenary and East Carolina.

Money is becoming a more notable factor in academic success or failure. According to the report, 180 teams cited low resources as the reason for their poor scores, while 253 teams said they were hurt by the departures of academically ineligible players. Teams can cite more than one explanation for scores when filing the report with the NCAA.

This year's result also show the largest Division I schools, those in the Bowl Championship Series conferences, performed relatively well.

Eighteen BCS teams were penalized, eight in men's and women's basketball and two in football. Of those, only four teams -- Kansas State, Purdue, Southern California and Tennessee -- made the NCAA men's basketball tournament and all four could lose up to two scholarships next season if a player leaves school while academically ineligible.

Also making the list were traditional powers like the LSU baseball team and Tennessee men's swimming team.

Tennessee and West Virginia, which each had three teams on the list, were the only BCS schools with more than one team penalized. Each school had three teams make it - West Virginia in men's soccer, wrestling and women's rowing and Tennessee in men's basketball, men's swimming and baseball.

Women continue to outperform men, with a four-year average of 969 compared to 951.

Historically black colleges and universities, which last year had a disparate percentage of the low scores, fell more in line with the national averages this year. Eleven teams, 4.3 percent of the overall total, at eight historically black schools were penalized. The national average was 4.0 percent.

The most recent report includes scores from the 2003-07 academic years. An athlete earns one point for remaining academically eligible each semester and another point each semester they remain at the school, accumulating a maximum of four points each year. The scoring is altered slightly for schools on a quarters-based calendar.

Over the past four years, the scores improved slightly in 26 of the 29 sports measured by the NCAA, with decreases shown only in men's ice hockey, men's swimming and water polo.

Chamberlain allows Dellucci's late homer as Indians rally past Yankees
(Posted 05/07/2008. Written by ESPN.COM. )

Turns out, Joba Chamberlain is not untouchable.


Pinch-hitter David Dellucci stunned the New York Yankees with a go-ahead homer off Chamberlain, and the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 5-3 victory Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series.

"I was just kind of out of whack out there," Chamberlain said. "You're not always going to be perfect."

Dellucci's three-run shot with two outs in the eighth inning spoiled a strong start by Andy Pettitte and boosted a Cleveland offense that's been struggling mightily.

It was only the second home run allowed in 37 career innings by Chamberlain, the hard-throwing reliever who has been nearly unhittable since reaching the majors last August. Boston's Mike Lowell hit the other one on Sept. 16.

Dellucci's shot also marked the first regular-season runs Chamberlain has allowed at Yankee Stadium.

COOK OFF TO UCLA
(Posted 04/30/2008. Written by Associated Press. )

The daughter of Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook says she'll play at UCLA rather than stay home and play for her dad. Lauren Cook is a junior setter for Lincoln Pius X. She says she's accepted a scholarship offer from longtime UCLA coach Andy Banachowski. Cook says she pledged to the Bruins during a weekend visit to Los Angeles. She says she wants to make a name for herself out of the shadow of her father.
Cook has set the single-season record for assists two straight years while leading her high school team to a second consecutive Class B championship. She's the Gatorade Nebraska volleyball player of the year and PrepVolleyball.com's national player of the year for the junior class.

CWS STAYING PUT
(Posted 04/30/2008. Written by Associated Press. )

The College World Series will be played in Omaha at least through 2030, under an agreement the city and NCAA have reached. The city and NCAA have been discussing a long-term contract for months, with much of the discussion centered on the construction of a new downtown ballpark to replace 60-year-old Rosenblatt Stadium. Plans for a ballpark adjacent to the Qwest Center have been moving forward for weeks, and Wednesday's "memorandum of understanding" promises a commitment of at least 20 years once the current contract expires after the 2010 CWS. Mayor Mike Fahey spokesman Joe Gudenrath says the memorandum paves the way for a final agreement to be reached by the June 14 start of the College World Series.

SCC OFF TO NATIONALS
(Posted 04/30/2008. Written by Sandy Conners. )

Southeast Community College’s men’s golf team secured a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division II National Tournament with a convincing victory at the Region IX Division II Tournament held April 26-27 at Scottsbluff Country Club. Southeast’s Derek Nicholson took medalist honors after winning a playoff, and three of his teammates finished in the top five to help the Storm run away with the 54-hole event.
SCC’s David Oldham was third, Nate Koch fourth and Brandon Schrock fifth. They helped Southeast to a team score of 934, a whopping 66 strokes better than runner-up Central Community College of Columbus. Miles City Community College of Montana was third. The tournament featured 36 holes of play on the first day, followed by a final 18 holes on the second day. The NJCAA Division II National Tournament will take place May 20-23 at Goodyear, Ariz.

Stars, Lancers go to Game 5
(Posted 04/30/2008. Written by Chris Goforth. )

The Lincoln Stars will force a series deciding game 5 against Omaha after defeating the Lancers 4-3 last night. After trailing 2-1 after the first period, Lincoln was able to battle back and even the score 3-3 at the end of regualtion. Lincoln's Chris Forfar made the winning goal in overtime to give the Stars a little more life. The final game of the series will be tonight in Omaha. The puck drops at 7:05.

Big Sixth Inning Pushes Huskers Past Creighton
(Posted 04/23/2008. Written by Chris Goforth. )

It took one big inning and a strong bullpen outing for Nebraska to defeat interstate rival Creighton last night 4-3. Ben Kline's single in the bottom of the sixth brought in the third and fourth runs for the Huskers to help cap the win. Mike Nesseth stepped to the mound for the Huskers in the bottom of the eighth inning to finish the game, striking out the final batter of the game in dramatic fashion. The two teams will play once more tonight, this time in Omaha. First pitch scheduled for 6:35pm.

Omaha Takes Game One Against Stars
(Posted 04/23/2008. Written by Chris Goforth. )

Omaha dominated Lincoln last night, defeating the Stars 5-0 in game one of the second round of the playoffs. The Lancers took a 3-0 lead after the first period and never looked back. Lincoln never got their offense rolling, recording only 18 shots on the night. Omaha amassed 18 shots in the third period alone and ended the night with 40. The Stars will look to rebound in front of the home crowd at the Ice Box for game two Friday night.

Former Husker defensive end Mike Rucker

Former Husker Rucker Retires from NFL
(Posted 04/22/2008. Written by Chris Goforth. )

Former Nebraska defensive lineman Mike Rucker announced today that he is retiring from pro ball. Rucker, drafted by Carolina in 1999, spent his entire career as a Panther and became of the teams most beloved players. Rucker retires as the second-leading tackler in franchise history with 553 tackles and also amassed 55.5 sacks.

Nebraska Takes 2 out of 3 from Kansas
(Posted 04/21/2008. Written by Chris Goforth. )

Kansas avoided the sweep over the weekend, defeating Nebraska in the third game 6-3. Nebraska won the first two games by only one run in each game. Jayhawks pitcher T.J. Walz played his longest outing of the season, pitching 7.2 innings with 5 strikeouts and allowing the three runs off six hits. Nebraska will refocus and play a non-conference interstate rivalry series against Creighton. First pitch is set for Tuesday at 6:35pm and will be played at Hawkes Field.