Thursday, October 25, 2007

Bay Area Husker ENews 10-25-07

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans,

Another disappointing week....three losses in a row (with two at home) is tough to take, and virtually unheard of for most Husker fans under 60. With a 4-4 record, and looking at several tough games ahead (and mostly away games), the Huskers' post-season play is in doubt for the second time in Callahan's tenure. Yet its amazing to see that the networks are still willing to televise our games. Not only is the Texas game on ABC this weekend (12:30 start) but Fox Sports Network is picking up the Kansas game next weekend as a regular broadcast instead of a PPV game. Not sure if the K-State game will be televised but the Colorado game was set before the season started for a broadcast on ABC at 9 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving. So we'll activate the watch sites the next two Saturdays and hope our die-hard Bay Area fans will turn out for the game and cheer on the Huskers against the Longhorns. On a positive note there is a lot of coverage of Tom Osborne's first week at the helm of the Athletic Department (see below), and the defending National Champion Volleyball team continues to roll, although they stumbled this last night with a loss to Texas.

The self-deprecating humor has already started for the Husker football program, and I've added a couple samples in the Husker Humor column at the end of the email. Remember that laughter and gallows humor are nature's way of getting us through the tough times, so hope these bring a smile or a laugh to all of us who are suffering.

Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl


Watch Sites:

The Huskers-Longhorns game is on ABC Regional TV this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time. I checked the broadcast map and it appears it will be broadcast on the ABC-Channel 7 affiliate in San Francisco. We've been caught short on these types of broadcasts before when they decide at the last minute to show something else instead of our game, so I would still recommend visiting your favorite Bay Area Husker Watch Site (they all have the package) for some Big Red camaraderie, some great Pub Grub and a couple of ales to sooth the pain or lift your spirits depending on the outcome. Get there early for a good seat and lunch before the game. Hope to see you there!

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HUSKERS GEAR UP FOR TEXAS OFFENSE...

The Nebraska defense will be challenged by Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who threw for 220 yards last year against NU.

The Nebraska football team continued to prepare for a tough Texas offense Thursday afternoon during a two-and-a-half hour workout in Memorial Stadium in shoulder pads and shorts.

The focus of the preparation has been stopping Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, who ranks third in the Big 12 at 278.8 passing yards per conference game and had 220 yards passing on 25-of-39 passes last year against the Huskers in UT's 22-20 win in Lincoln. McCoy, who as a sophomore ranks fifth in the Texas record books in career passing yardage, has shown the ability not only to make throws downfield, but also to make plays when the pocket breaks down.
"One of the things I see in McCoy is that, when he's executing the offense, when something breaks down, he's able to keep everything alive and he's able to keep plays growing and create out of the pocket and use his God-given athletic ability to make plays downfield, " head coach Bill Callahan said. "That's probably the most impressive thing I see in their passing game is that McCoy can extend the play. "


One of McCoy's top targets is sophomore tight end Jermichael Finley. The sophomore tight end has 28 catches for 396 yards this season and had a then-career-high four catches for 37 yards last year against Nebraska.

"He's a good tight end," Callahan said. "He has all the tools and all the traits you look for in an excellent tight end. Blocking-wise, he's complete. In terms of getting downfield, he can stretch the field. He has all the cuts."

Nebraska may be forced to face the Longhorns with a depleted linebacker corps. Neither Blake Lawrence or Bo Ruud practiced Thursday. Along with senior center Brett Byford, their status remains questionable for Saturday's game against Texas.


"Hopefully, they'll be ready tomorrow," Callahan said. "Hopefully, they'll all be on the trip. No one has been ruled out. They're still questionable right now."

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HUSKERS FALL TO AGGIES...

Marlon Lucky hauled in a school running back record 13 catches for 125 yards against Texas A&M on Saturday.

Lincoln - Marlon Lucky broke his own Nebraska running back record by hauling in 13 receptions for 125 yards, but it was not enough to offset a powerful Texas A&M running game, as the Huskers fell to the Aggies, 36-14, at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in front of an NCAA-record 288th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium on a perfect day for football, the Huskers trailed 16-14 at the half, before Texas A&M took control of the game in the third quarter.

Nebraska, which slipped to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12 with the loss, watched Texas A&M produce three long scoring drives to consume most of the second-half clock. The Aggies, who improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference, scored on drives of 80, 80 and 76 yards in the second half, eating up 15:40 on 34 plays on those drives.

Texas A&M's Jorvorskie Lane capped all three drives with short touchdown runs, as he finished the day with 15 carries for 130 yards and four scores. Lane wasn't the only Aggie to put up big numbers on the ground. A&M quarterback Stephen McGee carried a career-high 35 times for 167 yards.

As a team, the Aggies rushed for 344 yards, while adding 100 yards through the air to finish the day with 444 yards of total offense. The Huskers also amassed more than 400 yards of total offense, led by Sam Keller's 275 passing yards. NU added 130 yards on the ground, including 60 yards and one touchdown on just nine carries from freshman I-back Quentin Castille.

Although the total offense numbers were similar, Nebraska was victimized by three fumbles, while Texas A&M did not commit a turnover on the afternoon.

For the rest of the article see Huskers.com

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HUSKERS GAME AT KANSAS TO BE TELEVISED ON FSN (regular broadcast...NOT PPV this time)...

The Big 12 Conference and Fox Sports Net have announced that Nebraska's Nov. 3 contest at Kansas will be televised by the network. Game time from KU’s Memorial Stadium is set for 9:30 a.m. (PDT - set clocks back on Sunday the 4th)

The NU-Kansas game will mark the first time in 2007 that a Husker game will be part of FSN's regular Big 12 television package. The Huskers have had games against Ball State and Oklahoma State televised by FSN on a pay-per-view basis.

This will mark the second consecutive year the Husker-Jayhawk game has been televised by FSN. A year ago, Nebraska defeated Kansas, 39-32, in overtime in Lincoln.

Nebraska's matchup with Texas this Saturday in Austin will be televised regionally by ABC, with a 12:30 p.m. PDT kickoff. A game time and television information for the Huskers' Nov. 10 home finale against Kansas State will be announced six to 12 days in advance, while NU's Nov. 23 regular-season finale at Colorado will be televised nationally by ABC beginning at 9 a.m. PST.
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GOT TOM??

Great article from USA Today (thanks Shari)...

OSBORNE'S RETURN PLEASES NEBRASKA FAITHFUL...

Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne takes over as the school's interim athletic director and will be in charge of turning around the football team's fortunes. "If I can help, I'll try to do it," Osborne told supporters.

By Steve Wieberg, USA TODAY

LINCOLN, Neb. He stood before them, tall and still trim at age 70, glancing at notes he'd scrawled on the back of an envelope.

"If I can help, I'll try to do it," Tom Osborne said, speaking in a low, easy-going tone familiar to generations of Nebraskans. "We'll do the best we can."

On the football field where he once conducted business, things are a mess. Nebraska fell 36-14 to Texas A&M on Saturday, the Huskers' third loss in as many weeks and their third this season at home, something that hadn't happened in Memorial Stadium in almost four decades.

Hours earlier, however, some 300 boosters, fans and local dignitaries were gathered a few blocks away inside a ballroom in the school's student union. And they were utterly content. Osborne, just appointed Nebraska's interim athletics director and the featured guest at a reception hosted by Chancellor Harvey Perlman, spent nine minutes at the microphone in front of them. Telling a few jokes. Talking about his new job.

Soothing 300 souls.

"Everything is going to be better. I'm convinced it's going to be better," said Bill Poehling, a Nebraska alum and retired natural gas executive who was part of the gathering. "I'm just thrilled he decided to take this. There's no one that can do what Tom can do."

The call to Osborne, the former coach and icon who won 255 games, 13 conference championships and three national titles in 25 years with the Huskers, comes in their time of greatest need since the early '60s. Three-plus seasons under current coach Bill Callahan are all but deemed a failure. The athletics director who hired him, Steve Pederson, was fired last week over issues with his management style that were compounded by the losing.

Osborne insisted before Saturday's game that a similar fate for Callahan isn't a given. "I told the coaches, 'I don't want to make a change here. It's bad for recruiting. It's bad for the school,' " he said. "I want to see how everybody responds, the coaches, the players and then we'll go from there."

But Nebraska's performance against A&M was hardly a résumé-builder. One of the nation's lowest-rated defenses was plundered by the Aggies' option game, yielding 167 yards rushing to quarterback Stephen McGee and 130 yards and four touchdowns to jumbo running back Jovorskie Lane.

The Huskers' offense went scoreless in the second half, rushing for just 24 yards in the half and 130 for the game.

That underscored a fundamental objection to the system and mindset Callahan brought with him from the NFL in 2004: that they stray too far from the dearly held traditions of Nebraska football. Osborne's power-option teams pounded opponents on the ground. They featured Nebraska-born-and-bred players whose dreams began and ended with wearing the simple red "N" on their helmets.

Callahan's team, which counts just one offensive starter and nine of 44 first- and second-teamers from Nebraska, does neither.

The odds of a late surge by the Huskers don't appear great. Three of their four remaining games are on the road, starting with trips to Texas and Kansas the next two weekends.

Osborne has said he'll wait until the end of the season to decide on Callahan. If the choice is to change, though, that's running late in an era when many schools move quickly to get a jump on the most attractive replacement candidates and regain recruiting momentum before the February signing date.

Callahan concedes disappointment in Nebraska's slide to 4-4, which makes him 26-19 in his fourth season. But he's doing nothing to fuel speculation that he might save Osborne the trouble and resign. Pederson signed him to a new five-year, $1.75-million-a-year contract just seven weeks ago.

"We want to go to a bowl. We want to be better," Callahan said. "There's an opportunity to get better these next four games so we're going to do everything we can to do that."

Said quarterback Sam Keller, "There's nothing else to do but be men and keep working. I can't tell you why things are happening the way they are. I can't. All I can say is we just have to keep trying."

Osborne has attended practices, spoken to the coaching staff a couple of times and visited with players. What he says he's looking for, beyond wins and losses, is better effort than the Huskers showed in 35- and 31-point losses to Missouri and Oklahoma State that preceded Saturday's defeat by A&M.

What others in and around the program were looking for, they now have. As the hot new T-shirts in town proclaim: got tom!

"From the fan base perspective, there's definitely new life," said former Nebraska receiver Matt Davison, a Tecumseh, Neb., native who's now the Huskers' radio analyst. "Everybody's excited to have him back, first of all. But it's also the connection to such fond memories of Coach Osborne's last few years coaching. Everyone feels now that they're connected again to what Nebraska football used to be."

Current players also feel the vibe. "(When) he talked to us. "that's the first time I'd ever really heard him. I got goose bumps," said junior defensive end Zach Potter, who's from Omaha. "He came out to practice a couple of times. I looked and thought, 'Wow, Coach Osborne's over there. That's neat.'

"I'm not going to lie. I try harder when he's out there because he's, he's Coach Osborne. It's sweet."

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OSBORNE LIKES INCREASED INTENSITY...

Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne had his first "Talk to Tom" radio show on Tuesday night.

Lincoln - In his first radio show as Nebraska's interim athletic director Tuesday night on the Husker Sports Network, Tom Osborne offered up some encouragement for a team trying to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday at Texas.

"The thing I felt good about is the intensity level, especially when we were minus-three in turnovers," Osborne said. "I felt better about Saturday's game (against Texas A&M) because I saw more effort."

Osborne also liked what he saw of the Huskers in Tuesday's practice in full pads. "They ran it like they were undefeated," he said. "Our coaches are very professional. They've been around the block."

Osborne acknowledged that it would take a "monumental" effort for the 4-4 Huskers to beat the heavily favored Longhorns. But, he said, "We can still knock 'em off . . . these guys (coaches) are capable. They know football."

Earlier in the show, Osborne said his biggest challenge after one week on the job is "people are killing me with kindness." He said he's gotten so many phone calls, e-mails and personal visits that "I can't find the time to do things I really need to do."

Osborne said one of his highest priorities is meeting with every head coach in the athletic department and their respective teams. "By next week, I probably will have hit all the coaches in the program," Osborne said.

The link to Nebraska's Audio Archive provided above this story provides the full three hours of Sports Nightly on the Husker Sports Network. Osborne appeared on the show for an hour-long segment starting in the second hour of the program.

Osborne's hour-long "Talk to Tom" call-in show, is carried on the Husker Sports Network and available free world-wide on Huskers.com. It will air during its regular time slot on Mondays at 7 p.m. starting next week.

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RANDY YORK'S N-SIDER...

Tom Osborne: That Was The Week That Was

The minute I looked at front page feature stories on Tom Osborne in both The Omaha World-Herald and The Lincoln Journal Star on Sunday, I thought of a satirical television comedy program that originated in the 1960s on the British Broadcasting Company and later became popular in the United States.

It was called That Was The Week That Was, and David Frost used those six words to sign off after every episode.

I'm relatively sure that Tom Osborne, with a bit of satire in mind himself, would like to tell everyone that the week that was will never be again, and no one is happier about that than he is.
The Week That Was


ESPN College GameDay

Interview with Jim Rome
ESPN Radio Interview
KFAB Interview
Third Quarter Interview

Friday, as he climbed out of his car in front of the Holiday Inn before speaking to an overflow crowd at the Big Red Breakfast in Omaha, Nebraska's new interim athletic director said: "Randy, I've tried to help out (from a media relations perspective) in about every way I can this week, but I really prefer to get out of the limelight and work more behind the scenes."

I understand where Coach Osborne is coming from . . . I really do, and anyone who tried to keep up with him in his first week on the job would understand his position as well.

But after 255 wins, three national championships, six years in the U.S. House of Representatives and taking over an athletic department in one of the most crucial times in Nebraska history, stepping outside the limelight becomes a bit more difficult.

That's why, over the last six days, among other important things, Osborne has accommodated a small army of local, state and regional media. He has done national interviews with the Jim Rome Show, ESPN College Game Day, ESPN Radio with Mike Tirico and Kirk Herbstreit and with Fox Sports Radio Nationwide.

Coach Osborne even squeezed in an interview with a USA Today writer on Saturday shortly before speaking at the Chancellor's Pregame Tailgate Party at the Student Union Ballroom. On Sunday, another national publication informed us that a writer is en route to Lincoln and will be camped out here all week.

In other words, The Week That Was looks like Another Week That Will Be.

While Coach begins to rebuild the process that will produce the type of positive national attention Nebraska fans traditionally enjoy, let me make a few observations relevant to his first week on the job.

Bill Callahan and his coaching staff are embracing their relationship with Osborne, who insists that "I'm here to serve you; you're not here to serve me."

Nebraska's football players are also enjoying their new relationship with the legendary coach. They've given him loud ovations both times he's addressed the team. And Head Athletic Trainer Jerry Weber says they love having pictures of Nebraska's All-American players hanging outside the locker room.

Even though Coach was anointed a King at the recent Ak-Sar-Ben Coronation Ball in Omaha, he insists there are no magic wands for coaches or athletic directors. "I am not a genius, and I don't have a crystal ball," he says. "And I think most everyone knows that in athletics, there are no quick fixes."

Osborne will continue to talk about the only culture he knows organizational loyalty, work ethic, unity and sacrifice. He believes intensity and chemistry grow out of those four qualities.
Osborne is in the process of meeting individually with every men's and women's team in the athletic department and will speak to prospective recruits in all sports when they are on campus.

Last Thursday afternoon, Osborne addressed Doc Sadler's basketball team. Sitting at the training table for dinner that night, three of those players described Osborne's speech as "life changing." They said his insight also gave them a different focus on how to handle competitive demands.

Jack Lemke, an NU sophomore middle distance runner who won three Nebraska Class A 800-meter titles at Omaha Benson and ran the second fastest 800-meter time in Nebraska prep history, must have heard the basketball players talking about Coach Osborne. A few minutes later, he asked: "When is Coach Osborne going to talk to the track team? Everyone who's heard him this week said he makes the hair on your arm stand straight up. I grew up idolizing that man, and now he's our athletic director. How cool is that?"

I understand why Coach Osborne wants to stay out of the limelight, so he can devote more time to inspiring our coaches and to helping the more than 500 Husker athletes he now leads and serves.

I also understand why so many fans are touched when they see or hear Coach Osborne. If you've had a personal experience with him, I'm interested in hearing about it. And even if you haven't had a personal experience with Coach, I'm sure that something he has said, or done or even stands for means something personally to you.

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OSBORNE TO RECEIVE BRYANT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD...


The Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards committee of the American Heart Association (AHA) has announced that longtime Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne has been named the 2008 winner of its' Lifetime Achievement Award.

Osborne will receive the award at the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coaching Awards Dinner Thursday, Jan. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston. The award recognizes excellence in coaching on and off the field during a career, allowing recipients to take their place in history alongside legends such as Bryant. Recent Lifetime Achievement recipients include Glenn "Bo" Schembechler, Jack Pardee and Lou Holtz.

Osborne coached for 25 seasons at Nebraska, earning three National Championships and 13 conference titles. He led the Cornhuskers to a bowl appearance in every season, and broke Bryant's record of 24 straight postseason trips. Osborne retired with a record of 255-49-3 (.836), the fifth-best winning percentage in Division 1-A history and 12th best among all-time coaching wins.

In his final five seasons, the Huskers went 60-3, winning national titles outright in 1994 and 1995 and a co-championship in 1997. Osborne coached 47 first-team All-Americans who won 55 total honors, two Heisman Trophy winners, six Outland winners (top lineman), one Butkus winner (top linebacker) and one Johnny Unitas winner (top quarterback).

Retiring after the 1997 season, Osborne was named to the College Football Coaches Hall of Fame, earning a waiver on the three-year waiting period for induction. The playing field at Nebraska was also christened that year in Osborne's honor.

After a 36-year career in college football, Osborne turned his attention to politics, winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Nebraska's third district in 2000. Osborne served three terms in Congress. He recently returned to the college athletics arena when he was named interim athletics director at the University of Nebraska on Oct. 16.

Osborne is a fourth-generation Nebraskan, earning his bachelor's degree in history from Hastings College, and his master's and doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska.

After graduating from Hastings, he played three seasons in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. Osborne switched to coaching in 1962, becoming an assistant coach at Nebraska under Bob Devaney and serving in various assistant positions before taking over the reigns as head coach in 1973.

Osborne and his wife of 44 years, Nancy, have three children and four grandchildren. He and Nancy founded the TeamMates Mentoring Program in 1991, in which University of Nebraska football players and other community volunteers mentor middle school students one-on-one in Nebraska public schools.

The Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards honors excellence in coaching while raising funds to fight heart disease and stroke, the nation's No. 1 and No. 3 killers. Bryant himself suffered a heart attack prior to his death in 1983. Funds raised benefit research, community education and outreach programs of the AHA.

Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to reducing disability and death from diseases of the heart and stroke. These diseases, America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim over 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2005 '06 the association invested over $543 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives.

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NO. 1 HUSKERS FALL TO TEXAS...

Sarah Pavan had 17 kills in NU's loss at Texas.

Austin, Texas " Sarah Pavan totaled a match-high 17 kills, but fifth-ranked Texas snapped the Huskers' 29-match win streak with a 30-22, 30-25, 30-20 victory over top-ranked Nebraska Wednesday night in Austin.

Destinee Hooker and Juliann Faucette combined for 30 kills, as Texas became the first Big 12 team to sweep the Huskers since the Longhorns accomplished the feat in 1997.

With the win, Texas (15-3, 11-1 Big 12) forged into a tie with Nebraska (19-1, 11-1 Big 12) at the top of the Big 12 standings. The Huskers swept the first meeting between in the teams in Lincoln on Sept. 12. The Huskers, the last remaining unbeaten team in the country, fell for the first time since Nov. 11, 2006, at Colorado, a span of 30 matches Since then, NU had dropped only six games in that span prior to Wednesday's sweep and none in the last 17 matches.

Pavan finished with 17 kills, but the Huskers hit a season-low .145, nearly .200 points below their national-best .343 hitting entering Wednesday's contest and were swept for the first time since the 2005 NCAA title match. Hooker tied Pavan for match-high honors, while hitting .455 on 33 swings. Faucette finished with 13 kills, seven digs and three blocks, as UT out-blocked the Huskers 12.5-7 and hit .371 against the Big Red.

Nebraska Coach John Cook said the Huskers' inability to put pressure on the Longhorns, allowed Texas an opportunity to get rolling offensively.

"Texas played well tonight, and we were out of sync," Cook said. "If you don't pass the ball and stress them with serving, they are hard to stop. We allowed Destinee and Brandy (Magee) to get free swings and they are hard to stop if you do that. We did not pressure them serving and we didn't pass well. "

Cook said the Huskers didn't match the intensity that Texas brought to the gym tonight.

"We haven't been pushed all year. We were pushed tonight, and we didn't push back," Cook said. "It was disappointing with this team that they couldn't find a way to push back."

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HUSKERS SWEEP PAST HAWAII IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD...

An NCAA record crowd of 13,396 watched Nebraska host Hawai'i.

Lincoln : The venue was different but the result was the same as the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team swept past No. 11 Hawaii, 30-22, 30-16, 30-24, Sunday in front of an NCAA regular-season record crowd of 13,396 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Playing a home match away from the friendly confines of the NU Coliseum for the fourth time this season, Nebraska (19-0) remained the lone unbeaten team in the country while extending its home court winning streak to 66 in a row and sweeping an opponent for the 17th consecutive match.

Hawaii fell to 16-4 with the loss and saw its 13-match winning streak snapped at the hands of the Huskers.

The crowd of 13,396 broke the NCAA regular-season attendance mark of 13,081 set earlier in the year between Nebraska and Penn State at Qwest Center Omaha.

"It's pretty awesome to sit down there and look up," Nebraska Coach John Cook said. "This was a historic crowd, and it's great for the sport of volleyball. Probably what I'm most proud of is that it's really a tribute to this team and these kids. These are all great students; they're great people. They give back to this community. They represent everything you want in a college student-athlete. It really started blossoming with this senior class."

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LARSON GARNERS BIG 12 HONOR...

Lincoln -- Nebraska outside hitter Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.) was honored by the Big 12 Conference on Monday, as she was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

Larson earned the honor after averaging 4.33 digs and 0.67 blocks per game, while also being perfect on serve receive in the Huskers' 3-0 week. Against Missouri, Larson recorded a season-high 18 digs and in the Huskers' sweep of Missouri. Larson totaled four blocks and six digs in Saturday's win over Kansas before rebounding with a match-high 15 digs against No. 11 Hawaii.

NU held the Rainbow Wahine without an ace on Sunday, the fifth Husker opponent held without an ace against NU this season. The Huskers also held Hawaii to just .140 hitting in snapping the Rainbow Wahine's 13-match win streak.

Larson, the tri-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, is the second Husker to earn the Big 12's weekly defensive honor this season, joining Christina Houghtelling, who garnered the award on Aug. 27.

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PAVAN BREAKS RECORD, HUSKERS SWEEP KANSAS...

Lincoln : One a night where the Husker volleyball program reached one milestone, Sarah Pavan reached another, helping No. 1 Nebraska remained undefeated with a 30-16, 30-25, 30-26 sweep of Kansas Saturday night.

The Huskers, who were celebrating their 100th consecutive home sellout in the historic NU Coliseum, rolled to their 65th consecutive home win, while Pavan passed Allison Weston for NU’s all-time lead in career kills.

Pavan, who now has 1,780 career kills, passed Weston with her 16th kill of the night, a shot down the line that gave the Huskers the lead for good in the finale at 22-21. She finished with a match-high 17 kills on .406 hitting, two aces and three blocks.

"It means a lot," Pavan said, "The Nebraska program has had some great players come through it, and it's definitely one of the top programs in the country. I'm very excited to be able to do that, just follow Allison Weston, one of the greatest players to ever play at the collegiate level. It's really humbling."

"I just know Sarah wants to be one of the greatest players ever to play here," Cook said. "One way you measure that is by stats and records, and it's quite an accomplishment considering all the players who have been in this program for Sarah to pass that. It's a major accomplishment."

Weston, a three-time All-American at Nebraska and national player of the year as a senior, totaled 1,778 kills between 1992 and 1995.

"I knew I had 15 to go," Pavan said. "When I got my 16th kill, I could hear the crowd, so I figured I had probably reached 16. It was a really good feeling."

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HUSKER SOCCER LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK IN ROAD GAMES...

Senior Abby Penas and the Huskers will look to rebound against Kansas and Missouri.

Lincoln-The Huskers will attempt to return to their winning ways as NU returns to the road for the final time this regular season this weekend. With two conference losses over the weekend, Nebraska (5-8-3, 1-6-0 Big 12) slipped further in the conference standings and now faces an uphill battle, as the Huskers travel to Lawrence to face Kansas (4-9-4, 2-2-3 Big 12) at 3 p.m. Friday and to Columbia on Sunday to battle No. 16 Missouri (11-4-0, 5-2-0 Big 12) at 1 p.m.

Sundays have hardly been a day of rest for the Huskers this year. Last Sunday's game against No. 3 Texas A&M was the fifth of the last six Sundays that NU has squared off against a team ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The road ahead does not get any easier either. This Sunday's game sees the Huskers face No. 16 Missouri. The Tigers started the year unranked but have clawed their way into second place in the Big 12 and a national ranking. Three of MU's four losses have been to teams ranked sixth or higher in the nation. The Tigers' youth has possibly been one of their strengths this year as several underclassmen have stepped up to the plate, including sophomore Kristin Andrighetto.

Nebraska has a chance to creat some momentum before the Missouri game, as the Huskers play Kansas on Friday. Like the Huskers, Kansas has faced several ranked opponents and, like the Huskers, have found the competition stiff. The Jayhawks currently sit eighth in the conference and hold the last bid to the Big 12 Championships. The Huskers will try and claim that spot for their own by focusing on the KU defense. The Jayhawks have forced senior goalkeeper Colleen Quinn to make 80 saves so far this season.

NU boasts an 82-30-4 all-time conference record, but is 1-3-1 away from Lincoln this year.

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HUSKER BASEBALL UNVEILS CHALLENGING 2008 SCHEDULE...

Courtesy: Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations

The Huskers open the 2008 baseball season on Feb. 22 at Stanford.

Lincoln : An impressive home schedule, 27 games against NCAA Tournament teams and a season-opening trip to national power Stanford highlight the 2008 Nebraska baseball schedule released Thursday.

The Huskers, who reached the title game of an NCAA Regional for the sixth time in the last eight seasons in 2007, will be tested against a slate that features five teams "Arkansas, Texas, Wichita State, Texas A&M and Missouri " which were No. 1 seeds in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

According to Head Coach Mike Anderson, the Huskers' non-conference schedule, which also features NCAA qualifiers UC Riverside, Louisiana-Lafayette and Creighton, will prepare Nebraska for the rigors of Big 12 action. Anderson credited the Huskers' tough non-conference slate in 2007 as a key reason the Big Red reached postseason play for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.

"We're going to challenge ourselves again with this schedule," Anderson said. "We understand that, but it was worth it to get our team ready for the postseason."

"Last year was an example where playing a tough schedule paid off in getting into the NCAA Tournament," Anderson said. "Because of the tough non-conference schedule we played and the wins against good teams outside of the Big 12, it not only helped us prepare for the conference, but also helped us in the NCAA Regional."

The 55-game regular-season schedule includes 32 home games, including a four-game series with NCAA qualifier UC Riverside to open the home schedule on Feb. 29. Other marquee non-conference tilts include a two-game series with SEC power Arkansas (March 18-19), a three-game series against Louisiana-Lafayette (May 2-4) and single games against Wichita State (April 15) and Creighton (April 22).

The Huskers open the 2008 season at Stanford's Sunken Diamond for a four-game series with the Cardinal Feb. 22-24. It marks the Huskers' first trip to Stanford since the 2000 Super Regional. One week later, the Huskers will open the home campaign with another familiar foe, as UC Riverside visits Hawks Field for a four-game series. The Huskers took on the Highlanders, who won the Big West Conference title in 2007, at the Tempe Regional last June. The four-game set begins a 10-game homestand prior to the Huskers' Big 12 opener at Kansas State on March 14.

Following the series at K-State, Nebraska begins a seven-game homestand with a bang, as Arkansas makes its first-ever visit to Hawks Field for a two-game series on March 18-19. The week continues with a key Big 12 Conference series against Oklahoma and two games against Northern Colorado. The Huskers wrap up the month with a series at defending Big 12 regular-season champion Texas.

The month of April is heavy into conference action, as NU hosts Texas Tech (April 4-6) and Kansas (April 18-20) and travels to Oklahoma State (April 11-13) and Baylor (April 25-27). The Huskers will play several midweek contests including the first two games of a three-game series with Creighton (April 1 and April 22) as well as matchups with Iowa (April 8), Wichita State (April 15) and two games against Western Illinois (April 29-30) which begin NU's final homestand of the year.

The Huskers will spend the first two weekends of May at Hawks Field, hosting Louisiana-Lafayette (May 2-4) and Big 12 Tournament champion Texas A&M (May 9-11) in the final home weekend of the regular-season. NU wraps up its three-game series with Creighton in the annual game at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium on Tuesday, May 13, before closing conference play at Missouri on May 16-18.

Postseason play begins with the annual Big 12 Tournament at the Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City from May 21-25 before NCAA Regionals (May 30-June 2), NCAA Super Regionals (June 6-9) and the College World Series (June 14-25) at Rosenblatt Stadium.

For the list of games see Huskers.com

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HUSKER HUMOR...

(Yes...its started....folks are using all of the well known sports jokes and are now substituting Nebraska where other stumbling teams were once listed as the brunt of harsh humor)...so here goes...enjoy!

Frustrated Bride...
A woman walked into a bridal shop one day and told the sales clerk that she was looking for a wedding gown for her fourth wedding.

"Of course, madam," replied the sales clerk, "exactly what type and color dress are you looking for?"

The bride to be said: "A long frilly white dress with a veil."

The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature are considered more appropriate for brides who are being married for the first time - for those who are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?"

"Well," replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, "I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as a first-time bride. You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding, he died as we were checking into our hotel. My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the limo on our way to our honeymoon that we had that wedding annulled immediately and never spoke to each other again."

"What about your third husband?" asked the sales clerk.

"That one was a Nebraska Football Coach," said the woman, "and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be, but nothing ever happened."

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Vandalism in Lincoln, Nebraska


A late model automobile, with two U of N football tickets visible on the dashboard, was vandalized in Lincoln sometime between midnight and 7am this morning. The vandal caused little damage to the vehicle, but did leave two additional football tickets on the dash.

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And this from a travel agency I know in Lincoln...

Sad thing happened after the Husker football game

I heard that a father gave his two children tickets to see the Nebraska - Texas A&M football game on Saturday. Sunday the police were at his door. It appears that the Huskers played so poorly that the authorities said that any father that made their children watch the Huskers could be cited for child abuse.

Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.

Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Bay Area Husker ENews 10-18-07

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans,

It was a big week for Husker Athletics. The firing of the AD followed by the hiring of Tom Osborne as the interim AD was national news. I know there was a huge sigh of relief from many Husker fans and we're all hopeful that Dr. Tom will breath new life into the traditions of Husker athletics. See the link to his interview with Jim Rome below for a good idea of how he is approaching his new role. I've seen lots of humorous doctored photos of the departure of Steve Pederson but I won't include them here. Lots of other Husker news to pass below.

The game this Saturday against Texas A&M will not be broadcast on TV so we won't be activating our watch sites. You will however be able to listen to the game on www.Huskers.com via the internet.

Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl


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Perlman announces Osborne will be interim athletics director


Released on 10/16/2007

Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Lincoln, Neb., October 16, 2007 -- In a new development in leadership changes in the athletic department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Chancellor Harvey Perlman announced today that Tom Osborne has agreed to serve as director of intercollegiate athletics on an interim basis.

Osborne left his head coaching post at Nebraska in 1997 after 30 years coaching football, including leading the Nebraska Cornhuskers to three national championships, 12 Big Eight titles and one Big 12 title. Osborne's teams finished in the top 10 17 times. He ended his head-coaching career with a record of 255-49-3.

Osborne left his post as 3rd district U.S. representative following a gubernatorial bid in 2006. He has been a senior lecturer in the UNL College of Business Administration, teaching leadership and business ethics.

Osborne met with Perlman this morning to discuss the interim post and Osborne agreed to serve, on an open-ended arrangement, until Perlman finds a permanent athletics director. Perlman on Oct. 15 fired Steve Pederson, who had held the AD post since 2002.

Osborne said he looks forward to the challenge.

"I've spent the majority of my life working with the Athletic Department at the university and I want to do what I can at this point to continue in the pursuit of excellence that has been previously established," he said.

Osborne said he anticipated taking over duties right away and would also finish the semester teaching his two classes, which he enjoys.

Chancellor Perlman said he is pleased that Osborne agreed to provide leadership and that the university will benefit from Osborne's vast experience.

"I am very pleased that Tom Osborne has agreed to help bring some leadership and direction to our athletic program. Tom is committed to making the entire program successful. He brings the right experience, an understanding of Nebraska, and our aspirations. I look forward to working with him."

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OSBORNE INTERVIEW WITH JIM ROME...(thanks to Mike Ray for sending this along)...

Tom Osborne was interviewed on the Jim Rome radio show yesterday. As always, Dr. Tom makes perfect sense and has a way to make us all feel better. Go to www.huskerpedia.com, click on the #2 after the words, "The Jungle", and then click on the free audio.

Lincoln - Nebraska Interim Athletic Director Tom Osborne took a few minutes out of a busy first day on the job at Memorial Stadium to discuss Husker Athletics on the nationally syndicated Jim Rome Show at 12:30 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday.

In the interview, Osborne talks with Rome about the unique role Nebraska football plays in the lives of people in the Cornhusker State and his desire to re-unify Husker fans across the country.

He also talks about his first day on the job, including finding his new office in the building that bears his name - The Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex.

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HUSKERS LOOK TO REBOUND AT HOME AGAINST TEXAS A&M...

Wide receiver Maurice Purify snagged a game-winning TD against A&M last season.
Nebraska hopes to rebound from back-to-back losses on Saturday when the Huskers take on Texas A&M at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:05 a.m. (PDT) with no television coverage of the game planned. The game will be played in front of the 288th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium.

The Huskers enter the contest with a 4-3 overall mark and a 1-2 record in Big 12 Conference action, following a 45-14 home setback against Oklahoma State on Saturday. The loss was the Huskers’ first against Oklahoma State in Lincoln since 1960 and just the second time the Cowboys have been victorious in Lincoln in series history. Nebraska will be looking to avoid its first three-game slide since losing three straight games midway through the 2005 campaign.

Texas A&M will also be entering Saturday’s game coming off a tough conference loss. The Aggies lost to Texas Tech, 35-7 in Lubbock on Saturday afternoon, dropping A&M to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 Conference play. Despite the loss, the Aggies remain in the thick of the Big 12 South race, as they are tied for the divisional lead with Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as they head to Lincoln.

Texas A&M has dropped its only two road games of the season, also losing at Miami, in addition to the loss at Texas Tech. The Aggies will also be looking to buck a trend of struggles at Memorial Stadium in Saturday’s game, as A&M is just 1-6 against the Huskers in Lincoln, with the only win a 27-0 victory in 1955. Nebraska holds a 10-2 overall lead in the series, including a 5-1 edge since the two schools have been members of the Big 12 Conference. The Huskers have won four straight against the Aggies overall, including last year’s 28-27 victory at College Station, which clinched the Big 12 North Division title for Nebraska. You will be able to listen to the game online at Huskers.com.

Conference games scheduled to be televised are: Oklahoma at Iowa State (9:30 a.m. PDT, FSN); Texas at Baylor (9:30 a.m. PDT, VERSUS); Texas Tech at Missouri (12:30 p.m.PDT, ABC); and Kansas at Colorado (2:45 p.m. PDT, ESPN).

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HUSKERS PREPARE FOR A&M TRIPLE THREAT...

Lincoln The Husker football team will face one of the best running games in the nation this Saturday when Texas A&M comes to Lincoln for a 1 p.m. match-up. Nebraska hit the halfway point of its game week preparation Wednesday afternoon with a 2 1/2-hour practice inside the Hawks Championship Center.

“I’m really impressed by A&M, with (Mike) Goodson, (Jorvorskie) Lane and of course (Stephen) McGee,” head coach Bill Callahan said after the workout. “It’s a triple threat. Everything they do is centered and oriented around the option attack. It’s very interesting to watch all the different frames, schemes and actions that come with the option. They give you a lot to defend.”

The Aggie running game is ranked 10th in the nation and second in the Big 12 at 234.5 rushing yards per game. The trio of Goodson, Lane and McGee was a large force in last year’s NU-A&M match-up as each had one rushing touchdown before the Huskers’ thrilling 28-27 come-from-behind win.

“They’re talented,” Callahan said. “But the thing I’m most impressed with is their offensive line. You can’t run the ball and have the success they’re having without that front five. They’re doing a real nice job.”

Rain forced the Huskers inside for the second straight day, but the Huskers remained positive as they look to get back on the winning track with just one full practice remaining in the week.

“We had a very spirited practice,” Callahan said. “The guys worked hard and were upbeat. It’s a credit to their resiliency and focus.”

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CASTILLE POSTS FIRST CAREER 100 YARD GAME IN LOSS TO OSU...

Quentin Castille rushed for 102 yards on 20 carries against Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Lincoln - Freshman I-back Quentin Castille posted his first career 100-yard rushing game, but it was not enough to prevent the Nebraska football team from falling 45-14 to visiting Oklahoma State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Playing in front of the 287th consecutive sellout in Memorial Stadium on Homecoming, the Huskers fell behind 38-0 at halftime and were unable to recover. Oklahoma State's victory snapped a 20-game losing streak to Nebraska in Lincoln, and also gave the Cowboys their largest-ever win over NU in the history of the series.

Nebraska slipped to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12 with the loss, while Oklahoma State improved to 4-3 and 2-1.

Castille worked his way for 102 hard-fought yards on 20 carries to produce career-bests in both categories. Fellow freshman running back Roy Helu added 55 yards on 14 totes for career-bests as well. Junior I-back Marlon Lucky carried 13 times for 66 yards to push his season total to 698 yards through seven games, as NU finished with 206 yards on the ground.

Nebraska remained committed to its ground game despite falling behind early in the game to the Cowboys. Zac Keller and the Huskers through for a season-low 129 yards, but he attempted just 18 passes on the day, completing 10 of them.

Keller connected with senior tight end J.B. Phillips on a 13-yard touchdown pass just five seconds into the fourth quarter to cut OSU's lead to 38-7. After Oklahoma State answered with a score, Keller gave NU its final touchdown of the day with his one-yard toss to fullback Thomas Lawson with 39 seconds left in the game. It was Lawson's third touchdown reception of the season, with all three coming in Nebraska's last two home games.

Along with outscoring the Cowboys 14-7, in the second half, Nebraska put up 236 second-half yards compared to OSU's 194. The Huskers rushed for 122 yards in the second half, compared to the Cowboys' 85 yards on the ground. Although the Huskers won the second half, they were unable to prevent the Cowboys from registering just the second win by a visiting team on Homecoming at Memorial Stadium in the past 39 years.

Oklahoma State controlled the first half, scoring on its first six possessions - including five touchdowns - en route to a 38-0 halftime lead, the most first-half points surrended at home in school history. The Cowboys rolled up 357 yards of offense - 232 on the ground and 125 through the air, while averaging more than eight yards per play. The OSU defense held Nebraska to just five first downs and 101 total yards.

For the game, Oklahoma State's offense amassed 551 yards, including 317 on the ground and 234 through the air.

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NEBRASKA-TEXAS GAME SET FOR ABC TELECAST...
(This will be regional coverage so you may not be able to get it at home...more info on watch sites next week)

The Oct. 27 Nebraska-Texas game will be carried regionally by ABC.

The Big 12 Conference and ABC Sports have announced that Nebraska’s Oct. 27 game at Texas will be carried on the network. ABC will televise the game on a regional basis with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. (PDT)

The Huskers’ appearance on the network will be their third ABC contest of the season, after home contests on the network against Nevada and USC. It will be the Huskers’ fifth appearance of the season on ABC or ESPN, as NU’s road games at Wake Forest and Missouri were carried on ESPN.

This marks the third straight meeting between Nebraska and Texas that has been carried by ABC. Next Saturday’s meeting will be the eighth between the schools since the formation of the Big 12, with seven of those games televised by ABC.

Nebraska will also be shown on ABC for its Nov. 23 regular-season finale against Colorado in Boulder. Game times and television information for the Huskers’ Nov. 3 game at Kansas and Nov. 10 home game against Kansas State will be announced six to 12 days in advance.

The other Big 12 games selected for Oct. 27 telecast were: Colorado at Texas Tech (9 a.m. PDT on ABC) and Kansas at Texas A&M (4 p.m. PDT on ESPN2).

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RANDY YORK'S N-SIDER...REFLECTIONS ON A CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR...(a good read!)...
1997 National Champions


Tom Osborne: Leadership for 1997 Team Began in January

Tom Osborne: Oh, How The Years Go By

The Pro Impact: 10 From 1997 Team Still Playing in the NFL

Nebraska National Championship Team Members
Provided Lessons in Leadership

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

I don’t know if Tom Osborne and Dwight Eisenhower ever met, but I think Nebraska’s legendary football coach and our nation’s 34th president would have liked and respected each other.

They were both Republicans, and they both understood the essence of leadership.

Since the Huskers are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their last national football championship this weekend, we asked Coach Osborne to sit down with us on Thursday and recall what laid the groundwork for that 13-0 season, which ended with a 42-17 pasting of Tennessee and quarterback Peyton Manning in the Orange Bowl.

Osborne took about two seconds to get to the heart of the accomplishment.

“I had two players, (juniors) Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter, come into see me. They were probably going to be first-round draft picks,” Osborne recalls. “That was the general rumor that they were at that level. I thought they were going to tell me that they were going to do what was best for them and their families . . . the usual speech (when players leave school early and declare for the draft).”

But Osborne’s instincts were wrong. “They said they wanted to let me know that we were going to stick around because we were disappointed that we lost two games (in ’96), and we are going to finish it up right, and we are going to win them all next year.”

Osborne knew then nine months before the season started that his top two players were more motivated about 97 than anyone. Before Wistrom and Peter ever walked out his door, he knew he was seeing the very essence of leadership. He didn’t have to create a vision. Two accomplished, driven players were doing something that needed to be done because they wanted to do it.

“They had been on two national championship teams (in ’94 and ’95), so they knew what that was all about,” Osborne said, adding that without Wistrom’s and Peter's leadership and talent, 1997 would not have unfolded like it did.

"They really set the tone for that 1997 team,” he said. “It was a very, very good team.” Later, Osborne said the talent level was “obviously pretty good, but the dedication and commitment was exceptional.”

The ’97 championship team wasn’t created in the weight room or on the field. It was made from something that Wistrom and Peter had deep inside them, and their desire and their dream became the vision for everyone else.

Take a few minutes and listen to Osborne’s comments and the snapshot of his career through the years. Check out the 10 players from that ’97 team who are still playing in the NFL.

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HUSKER Q&A WITH MIKE ROZIER...

Mike Rozier

Bio
Career Highlights (1 2)
1983 Heisman Trophy
Photo Gallery
Huskers in the College Football of Fame
My Community, My Choice Challenge

Alltel Wireless has partnered with Mike Rozier to sponser the "My Community, My Choice" Challenge. Until Oct. 18, fans are encouraged to vote for the one of the following charitable initivies. The winner will receive $25,000 worth of supplies and materials, while the two runners-up will receive a $10,000 donation

To vote, Alltel customers can visit alltel.com/community or send a text message to 102101 with the corresponding key word (FOOD, HOME or PARK) for the inititve of their choice

Lincoln Food Bank
(Text: FOOD)


Lincoln-Lancaster County Habitat for Humanity
(Text: HOME)


Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department
(Text: PARK)

Mike Rozier is Nebraska’s newest member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was in Lincoln earlier this week for last Saturday’s game against top-ranked USC and to kick off Alltel’s “My Community, My Choice Challenge.” Huskers.com took the opportunity to reminisce with Rozier about his playing days and to talk about his newest project.

How often do you get back to Lincoln?
I come back three or four times a year and will be back again in October for Huskerfest.

What are you doing now?
I’m back in New Jersey. I do a lot of speaking engagements, autograph shows, golf outings and charity work such as the March of Dimes and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. I like to talk to people and joke around with them, and I get a chance to meet a lot of people. I love it!

Do you stay in touch with Irving Fryer and Turner Gill?
Irving and Turner were both at the golf event we had in New Jersey two weeks ago. Irving played on Friday and said the team prayer for Turner’s Buffalo team on Saturday in Philadelphia. They beat Temple, 42-7. Turner is turning that program around. Irving is a preacher and in the insurance business. I go to his church in Mt. Holly.

Do you keep in touch with Coach Osborne?
Yes. In fact, I just ran into him as he was heading to his class.

Thinking back, what memories at Nebraska stand out?
If I had to pick a game, it would have been the Missouri game as a junior because I had a hip pointer and came back to play well. That was a meaningful game for me. The UCLA game in 1983 was a big game and the Oklahoma game as a senior was memorable. We lost only five games in my three years here, so I had a lot of good memories and was able to play with some great people,”

What’s the one thing that you take most from your days at Nebraska?
Respect. Coming through here and earning respect, even though I joked around and had fun. Its been 20 years since I played and people still respect me.

Which accomplishment means more: winning the Heisman Trophy or being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame?
Both mean a lot really because my parents are still alive and were able to see me accept those achievements. If I didn’t get inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, it wouldn’t bother me because I still have the trophy. If I didn’t get the trophy, I was still able to play with good guys and play for the University of Nebraska. I wasn’t going to college thinking I was going to win the Heisman Trophy and break records. It was because of the guys who blocked for me that I won the Heisman. We did it as a team.

Who are the running backs that you admired most?
My No. 1 running back is Gale Sayers. I loved the way he ran. He was a hell of a running back but didn’t play too long because of injuries. In watching his highlights with the Bears, it was always muddy and he could cut like it was dry. It is had to do those types of things in the mud, but he made it look easy. When I was a little kid, I used to watch Chuck Muncie and enjoyed the way used the spin move and tried to put that in my running.

Can you talk about the Alltel Program and why you’re giving back to the community?
It’s for the people, in general, who don’t have a lot. We have more than others in the community and some people take that for granted until something happens in their family down the road. Then they want to get involved. My goal is to do something before you get to that point. When I talk to people, I tell them the same thing-you don’t have to wait until something happens to get involved. It allows us to get out and reach others. I’ve been blessed. Why not give back to help others?

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PETERSON TO RECEIVE BROOK BERRINGER SCHOLARSHIP...

Junior Todd Peterson is the 2007 recipient of the Brook Berringer Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

Nebraska junior wide receiver Todd Peterson is this year's recipient of the Brook Berringer Memorial Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship was endowed in the memory of former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer, who died in a plane crash on April 18, 1996.

Peterson and his parents, Ron and Becky, will be part of an on-field presentation before the start of Saturday’s game against Ball State. Brook’s mother, Jan, and other members of the Berringer family will also be on hand for the presentation.

Criteria for the Brook Berringer Memorial Scholarship includes the following: Must be a football student-athlete; must be involved in community service along with high ideals, excellent character and integrity.

A native of Grand Island, Peterson embodies the description of the Berringer Scholarship criteria. He has been a contributor to the Nebraska receiving corps since his freshman season in 2005 and has made 34 career receptions, including six touchdown grabs.

Off the field, Peterson is heavily involved in community outreach. He was selected to the 2007 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team, which recognizes Husker football players who take a leading role in Nebraska's community outreach activities. Peterson is also a member of the Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Peterson is majoring in nutrition, exercise and health science and carries a 3.726 cumulative grade-point average. He is a two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

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COMMENTS AND OTHER NEWS ABOUT THE FIRING OF THE AD...

Folks might want to view a video clip from OMAHA KETV it shows Pederson walking from office and departing campus. http://www.ketv.com/sports/14345816/detail.html.

The story also says fans were cheering and going to have a national championship type celebration. I'd say the buy out of 2.2 Million will sooth Pedersons feelings. Can Callaghan be far behind ???

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RYE WINS SECOND ROUND OF ATHLON SPIRIT CONTEST...

Husker fans voted Nebraska Cheer Squad member Anne Marie Rye into the championship round of the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest.

Lincoln – Nebraska Cheer Squad member Anne Marie Rye earned nearly 150,000 votes to win the second round of the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest, sponsored by JVC. Voting ended Oct. 13, and Husker fans pushed Rye into the finals by more than 27,000 votes ahead of second-place Taylor Nix from Florida State.

Voting for round two began Saturday, Sept. 22 and will run through 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.

The Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest is in its fifth year. At least 32 spirit contestants from across the country are chosen to participate in the contest, which runs from September until the national championship game in January.

The competition consists of four rounds, featuring seven cheerleaders or dancers in each round (one from each BCS conference and one non-BCS representative). Fans can vote for their favorite spirit contestant, and at the conclusion of the regular season, spirit contestants will advance to the championship round, which is held during the bowl season.

Rye automatically advanced to the championship round by receiving the most votes in the second round. The winner of the championship round wins the overall contest.

Rye, a junior communications major from Lincoln, will try to become the second Husker to win the Athlon Sideline Spirit Contest. In 2004, former Husker Cheer Squad member Chelsea Kimmerling captured the honor. The nursing major from Beatrice, Neb., received more than 95,000 votes, nearly 36,000 votes ahead of the runner-up from North Carolina State.

The 2007 Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest winner will be featured in the 2008 Athlon Sports College Football annuals and her school's spirit squad will receive $1,000, plus 2 JVC Camcorders, a 42-inch LCD JVC TV and a JVC Portable Kaboom Box.

Earlier this season, Husker fans showed their school spirit by voting Lil' Red into the third induction class of the Mascot Hall of Fame.

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NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS TIGERS, 3-0...

Tracy Stalls put down 15 kills on only 19 swings while hitting .737 and adding six blocks.
Columbia, Mo. – It was too much Tracy Stalls, as top-ranked Nebraska continued its winning ways with a 31-29, 30-18, 30-14 victory over Missouri Wednesday night in front of a crowd off 6,059 at the Hearnes Center.

Stalls, who is second nationally in hitting percentage, hammered home 15 kills on just 19 swings for the Huskers (17-0, 10-0 Big 12). The senior middle blocker set season bests in both hitting percentage (.737) and blocks (six) to power a potent Husker attack. It was Stalls’ highest kill total since Aug. 25, and the first time in eight matches that she reached double figures in kills.

Sarah Pavan led Nebraska with 18 kills on .516 hitting and four stuffs, while outside hitter Christina Houghtelling was the third Husker to finish in double figured in kills with 11 while adding three service aces – all coming in a 10-0 Husker spurt in game two.

Rachel Holloway guided the Huskers to .458 hitting percentage, totaling 55 assists – her best three-game total of her career – and adding five digs and four kills on seven swings of her own. She helped NU hit over .400 in all three games, including at a .513 clip in the finale, as NU posted its 15th consecutive sweep.

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HUSKERS STORM PAST SOONERS...

Norman, Okla. – Behind an sterling performance from outside hitter Christina Houghtelling, the No. 1 ranked Nebraska volleyball team remained undefeated with a 30-25, 30-21, 30-25 sweep of No. 25 Oklahoma Saturday afternoon in Norman.

Houghtelling, who had a career-high 20 kills in NU’s triumph in Norman two years ago, recorded her third straight double-double with 14 kills on a season-best .609 hitting and 19 digs. The .609 hitting was Houghtellling’s highest hitting percentage since hitting .615 against Florida in the 2005 NCAA Omaha Regional.

Nebraska Coach John Cook said that setter Rachel Holloway continually put Houghtelling in opportune positions to put shots away against OU. Holloway dished nearly recorded a double-double of her own with 49 assists and eight digs, while helping NU hit .350 or better in the final two games.

“I thought Holloway was doing a great job of running our offense, and Chris made the most of when she had sets and found ways to get kills,” Cook said.

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HUSKER SOCCER TEAM RETURNS TO LINCOLN FOR MORE TEXAS OPPONENTS...

Michaella Fulmer and the Huskers host Baylor on Friday.

Lincoln-After traveling to Texas for two consecutive weekends, the Huskers get some home cooking as they return to Lincoln. Nebraska (5-6-3, 1-4-0 Big 12) hosts Baylor (6-7-2, 0-5-1 Big 12) in a 4 p.m. contest on Friday and welcomes No. 5 Texas A&M (11-2-1, 5-1-0 Big 12) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both games will be played at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

This weekend's game are the fourth and fifth consecutive games that NU has faced an opponent from the state of Texas. The Huskers dropped a hard-fought battle to No. 3 Texas 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 7 and racked up 44 shots in a 4-0 win over Lamar last Friday. NU scored first against Texas Tech last Sunday but came up short in a 2-1 loss.

Friday's match up features both teams looking to get back in the win column. Baylor has had its own share of troubles as the Bears enter the weekend on a five-game losing streak and are winless in the Big 12. Recent games, including last year's overtime contest, have been close so Friday's game has the potential to be a good one.

The Huskers close out their Texas opponents with a tough match on Sunday against No. 5 Texas A&M. The Aggies enter the game riding a five-game winning streak and sit atop the Big 12 standings at 5-1-0. Sunday's game may be an upset alert as the Huskers are 5-2 all-time against the Aggies in Lincoln.

NU boasts an 82-28-4 all-time conference record, and a 4-1-2 home record this season.

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HUSKER SOFTBALL TEAM FARES WELL IN FALL SEASON...

Right-handers Molly Hill (pictured) and Alex Hupp combined for seven shutouts in nine fall games.

The Nebraska softball team completed a successful fall season earlier this month by sweeping three games from Pittsburg State at the Big Red Fall Classic at Bowlin Stadium.

With the three victories, the Huskers finished 8-1 in the fall, suffering only a 7-4, six-inning setback to Michigan, which finished the 2007 season one win shy of advancing to the Women’s College World Series while earning a No. 13 final ranking.

Nebraska began the fall season with a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska-Omaha. As was the theme of the fall, Husker right-handers Molly Hill and Alex Hupp were dominant. Hill, a junior from Wayne, Neb., tossed a shutout in Nebraska’s opening 2-0 victory. Hupp, a sophomore from Olathe, Kan., threw a shutout in game two, which the Huskers won by a score of 5-0.

Newcomers paced the offense on the opening day of the fall season, as freshmen Julie Brechtel and Kelli Linke, along with junior Amanda Duran, a transfer from Pima (Ariz.) Community College, combined to produce all five of Nebraska’s RBIs on the night and 10 of the Huskers’ 17 hits.

The Huskers traveled to Notre Dame the next day for four games in two days at the Worth Fall Classic. Facing a tough field, NU posted a 3-1 record, earning victories over Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago and Western Michigan. Hill pitched a shutout against the Fighting Irish, while Hupp blanked both UIC and WMU.

In the opening game of the tournament, Hill posted a three-hit shutout as NU defeated host Notre Dame, 3-0. Brechtel again provided the clutch hit in the victory, as her two-run single in the top of the fifth inning put the game out of reach.

Hupp gave the Huskers four consecutive shutouts with a five-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Illinois-Chicago. Brechtel added her third RBI of the day in the win, while junior Crystal Carwile provided the big blow with a three-run home run.

The next day, Hupp picked up where she left off, winning a 1-0 pitchers’ duel with Western Michigan on the strength of three-hit, 10-strikeout performance. Junior Meghan Mullin manufactured the lone run of the game, as she singled, stole second and third and scored on an error.

Nebraska’s lone blemish of the fall season came in the final game of the tournament. The Huskers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first on the strength of a triple from Mullin and an RBI single from Duran. Michigan then snapped Nebraska’s scoreless streak at 35.1 innings with a four-run first off Hill. The Wolverines led 6-2 after two innings and the Huskers could get no closer than 7-4 when the game was called after six innings due to a time limit that was in effect.

NU wrapped up the fall season with the Big Red Fall Classic at Bowlin Stadium. Playing in front of nearly 400 fans, the Huskers opened the tournament with 7-0 and 8-0 wins over Pittsburg State. Hill tossed a no-hitter in the first game with nine strikeouts, while the Nebraska offense came alive late, scoring all seven runs in the sixth inning. Carwile, junior Haley Long and freshman Ashley Guile each had two-RBI hits in the inning.

Hupp earned a five-inning shutout in the 8-0 nightcap victory, as the Husker offense scored eight runs in 4.1 innings to post their lone run-rule victory of the fall. Hupp struck out 11 of the 19 batters she faced and also added a three-run, first-inning double and a pair of walks. Mullin and Linke also enjoyed big games, as each finished with two hits and two RBIs.

On the final day of the classic, Nebraska won 4-1. The Huskers had to rally from an early 1-0 deficit as Hupp surrendered her only run of the fall in the top of the third inning, snapping her scoreless streak at 28.2 innings. Mullin tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, while Long scored the go-ahead run and drove in Nebraska’s third run.

Huskers Hope Fall Success Leads to Successful Spring

If recent history is any indication, Nebraska’s strong showing in the fall could mean good things for the spring. The Huskers posted an 8-1 record this fall after finishing 8-4 last fall. The last time Nebraska finished with at least a .750 fall winning percentage, the Huskers went on to finish runner-up in the Big 12 Conference and establish the third-best winning percentage in school history during the 2006 season.

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NIMMO LEADS BASEBALL WHITE TEAM TO WIN...

Bryce Nimmo was 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Whites to an 8-2 win.

Bryce Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs to pace the White squad in an 8-2 win over the Red team in game one of the Red/White Series for the Nebraska baseball team Wednesday afternoon at Hawks Field.

The Red squad scored in the top of the first on an RBI single by Jake Opitz, but the White team responded with three two-out runs in the bottom half of the inning. A bases-loaded single by Tyler Rank and a two-run double by Brett Sowers were the big hits, giving the Whites a 3-1 lead through one.

After Drew Gray drove in David Stewart with a two-out single to left in the top of the third to cut the White lead to 3-2, the White squad answered with three more runs on a bases-loaded double to right by Nimmo to extend its lead to 6-2.

In the bottom of the fourth, the White team scored when a throwing error on a rundown to try and put out Rank allowed Clay Cuno to score from third. An infield single by Nimmo with the bases loaded gave the Whites an 8-2 lead through four.

The bullpens would take over from there, as the two teams had only a combined three hitters reach base in the final two-and-a-half innings.

Along with Nimmo, Rank was 2-for-4 for the White squad with a pair of infield singles. Opitz went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Red squad, which also had 2-for-3 performances from Gray, Craig Corriston, and Dan Johnston.

Eric Rose picked up the win for the White team, fanning three and allowing one earned run over five innings. Mike Mariot came out of the bullpen and overcame a leadoff double to the first batter he faced to face the minimum in two innings of work.

Aaron Pribanic took the loss for the Red squad, surrendering eight runs (six earned) through 3 2/3 innings of work. Pribanic walked five and hit two batters while striking out two.

The Nebraska baseball team is back in action on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. as it plays the second game of the two-game Red/White Series. The Huskers will close fall workouts with a scrimmage against Nebraska-Kearney at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon at Hawks Field.

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OTHER NEWS FROM THE HOMELAND...

* Tom Osborne Returns to Nebraska's Athletic Department

He walked away in 1997 at the height of his success. Served in Congress. Watched his hand-picked successor get the ax from a guy who used to work for him. Failed in a bid for the governor's seat. Became a professor. Tuesday,... http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/10/16/4715661da8eaa


* Rest In Pride, Steve Pederson

Two hours. That's roughly how it took for then-Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson to announce and explain the firing of Frank Solich at the end of the 2003 regular season. Those 120 minutes defined Pederson's tenure at NU.... http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/10/16/4714482b615bb


* Pederson Out as NU Athletic Director

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman fired NU Athletic Director Steve Pederson Monday, saying Pederson had "lost the respect" of the employees working for him, and thus was "no longer positioned to move the... http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/
display.v/ART/2007/10/15/4713f8ce83c13

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Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.

Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Bay Area Husker ENews 10-05-07

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!

It was another one of those weeks for us Husker fans. The defense was having its issues and the offense at times could not keep hold of the ball. Fortunately both sides of the ball did come to life with Bo Ruud's interception for a touchdown late in the third quarter. Blackshirts may have given up allot of plays but they came up with some big plays when it counted and ultimately the team was able to seal their 4th win of the season and first in the Big Twelve North race. Next up the Missouri Tigers.

This week's game against Missouri will be shown on ESPN with a Kickoff of 6:15 PST. So be sure to join fellow Husker Fans at one of our local watch party sites as we look to tame the tigers and celebrate a win and then remember the unbelieveable finish that occurred 10 years ago with the now famous kick and timely catch by Matt Davidson.

Next weeks game against Oklahoma State will be on FSN PPV and is set to start at 9:30 AM. I will post information as it becomes available but at this point I would assume that we will be showing the game at the normal watch sites and then asking for donations to help off set the cost to the establishments we meet at each week.

Go Big Red

Brian Webmaster
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Big Plays Key NU Win over Iowa State in Big 12 Opener

Nebraska rallied from a 10-0 second-quarter deficit with 28 unanswered points and went on to a 35-17 victory over Iowa State on Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams. In a game that featured plenty of crucial changes of possession on turnovers, senior linebacker Bo Ruud made the game’s biggest play with his 93-yard interception return late in the third quarter that keyed the win for the Huskers.

Ruud’s interception was created by a breakup by cornerback Cortney Grixby inside NU’s 10-yard line, and helped NU improve to 4-1. Grixby’s assist on Ruud’s huge return was one of many big plays for the senior from Omaha. With Iowa State leading 10-0 in the second quarter, Grixby changed momentum with a 51-yard kickoff return. The Husker offense cashed in quickly, as Marlon Lucky threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean Hill to cap a seven-play, 47-yard drive and pull NU within 10-7 with less than five minutes to play in the half.

After getting the ball back on its own 18-yard line, NU marched 82 yards on 10 plays to give the Huskers their first lead of the day on Sam Keller’s six-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Lawson. The catch was the first of Lawson’s career. The Blackshirts forced another three-and-out on ISU’s last possession of the first half, and the Huskers appeared poised to capitalize, but the first-half clock ran out with the Huskers threatening to add to their lead.

Although Nebraska was unable to extend the lead before half, it took less than one minute to take a 21-10 edge after halftime. Lucky capped the drive with a 41-yard score to give the Huskers a comfortable edge. Lucky finished the day with 107 rushing yards for his third 100-yard performance this season.

Iowa State appeared poised to stay in the game late in the third quarter, driving deep into NU territory, before Grixby and Ruud teamed up for the play of the day. Ruud was escorted by a bevy of Blackshirt blockers on his 93-yard jaunt to the end zone.

The Cyclones sliced the lead to 28-17 midway through the fourth quarter and held a sliver of hope for the upset until Grixby stepped into a passing lane and picked off an ISU pass for the second time. He returned the pick 41 yards to the ISU 3 to set up Lawson’s second touchdown reception of the day to ice NU’s 18-point win.

Grixby finished with a 140 all-purpose yards, including 87 yards on two kickoff returns, a 12-yard punt return and 41 yards on his two interception returns. The four turnovers by the Blackshirts were key in determining the outcome after ISU had capitalized on three NU turnovers in the first eight offensive snaps.
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NU Continues History of Success in League Openers

Nebraska has a long-standing tradition of opening conference play on a positive note and that continued with Saturday’s 35-17 victory over Iowa State in Lincoln. The Huskers have now won 32 of their past 33 conference openers since 1975, with the only blemish a 2002 loss at Iowa State. Saturday’s victory was NU’s fourth straight to open Big 12 play under Coach Callahan, and ended a streak of two consecutive years of opening league play with an overtime victory.

In addition to its overall success in league openers, Nebraska has won its last 30 conference home openers since a 24-21 setback against Iowa State to begin the 1977 home Big Eight campaign. Nebraska is 92-18-2 all-time in conference openers, including a 42-6-1 mark in Lincoln. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, Nebraska is 11-1 in league openers.
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Huskers Make Second ESPN Appearance

Nebraska’s appearance on ESPN against Missouri marks the Huskers’ second apperance on the network this season. Nebraska also played on ESPN in a 20-17 victory at Wake Forest on Sept. 8. The national TV appearance marks the Huskers’ third national TV airing it its first six games. In addition to the Wake Forest contest, the Nebraska-USC game was televised nationally in prime time by ABC. Additionally, the Huskers’ season opener against Nevada was carried by ABC on a regional basis.

The second ESPN appearance in 2007 marks the first time NU has had two regular-season games on the network since 1992 when the Huskers played three times on ESPN. The Nebraska-Missouri game will also mark the first time Nebraska has played a conference game on ESPN since a Thursday-night contest at Oklahoma State to open the 1995 season.
Nebraska has a history of success on ESPN, posting a 26-5-1 all-time record on the network, including victories in its past four games on ESPN.
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Husker Offense Finds Success in Red Zone

Nebraska has been extremely efficient in the Red Zone the past two seasons. A year ago, the Huskers finished the season with an 86 percent efficiency rate in the Red Zone (44-of-51), including 41 touchdowns. At one point in the season, Nebraska was perfect in the Red Zone for seven straight games.

The 2007 Husker offense is showing the same ability to convert scoring opportunities into points. Through five games, Nebraska has an 87 percent (20-of-23) Red Zone conversion rate. The Huskers have scored 17 touchdowns and connected on three field goals after moving inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Nebraska had failed Red Zone opportunites at the end of the game against Nevada and the end of the first half against Iowa State, and also committed a turnover on the ISU 1-yard line.

Nebraska ranks sixth in the Big 12 in Red Zone efficiency. Missouri has also been efficient when moving inside the opposing 20-yard line, converting 15-of-17 Red Zone opportunities.
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Ruud Continues to Show Knack for Big Plays

Nebraska senior linebacker Bo Ruud continues to show his knack for providing big plays for the Husker defense. Against Iowa State, Ruud intercepted a third-quarter Bret Meyer pass and raced 93 yards down the sideline for a touchdown that gave the Huskers a comfortable 28-10 lead. The interception return for a score marked the second straight week Ruud had found the end zone. A week earlier, Ruud intercepted a Ball State pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown to help fuel Nebraska’s come-from-behind victory.

The interceptions the past two weeks give Ruud five career interceptions, including three that he has returned for touchdowns (also 2005 vs. Maine). Ruud has made the most of his five interceptions, returning them a total of 208 yards and each of them at least 14 yards. The three interception returns for touchdowns are a record for a Husker linebacker.
The 93-yard interception return against Iowa State was the longest ever by a Nebraska linebacker and the third-longest in school history. Ruud also became the first Nebraska linebacker to score two touchdowns in a season since Julius Jackson had a fumble and an interception return for a score against Southern Miss in 1999. Ruud’s two interception returns for touchdowns in a season ties a Nebraska linebacker record.

In addition to his interception stats, Ruud has also consistently been around ball-carriers during his career. The Lincoln native has forced six fumbles in his career, while recovering four others.

Ruud is in his third season as a starter for the defense. He lined up at WILL linebacker the past two seasons before moving to the SAM linebacker spot in 2007. Ruud ranks third on the team with 31 tackles, including a season-high 14 stops against Iowa State. The 14 tackles were one off his career high of 15 stops at Colorado in 2005. Ruud, a 2006 All-Big 12 pick, has 193 career tackles and has joined his father, Tom, and brother, Barrett, in the top 30 on the NU tackle list. Barrett is the Huskers' all-time leader with 432 tackles, while Tom is nine tackles in front of Bo’s career tackle total.


Huskers Tackle Tigers in Top 25 Showdown
Courtesy: NU Media Relations

Nebraska at Missouri Game Notes

Nebraska travels to Columbia to take on Missouri in NU's Big 12 road-opener this Saturday.

Nebraska will take to the road for its second matchup of the season against a nationally ranked opponent, taking on No. 17 Missouri in a key Big 12 North Division matchup. Game time at Mizzou’s Faurot Field is set for 6:15 p.m. PST on Saturday and the game will be televised to a national audience by ESPN.

The Huskers enter the contest with a 4-1 overall record and a 1-0 Big 12 Conference mark after a 35-17 victory over Iowa State on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, completing a three-game homestand. The win marked the 32nd time in the past 33 seasons that Nebraska has opened league play with a victory and gave the Huskers 15 straight victories over Iowa State in Lincoln.

Saturday’s victory over Iowa State kept the Huskers in this week’s national polls. Nebraska enters the matchup in Columbia ranked 25th in the Associated Press Poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll.

Missouri enters Saturday night’s tilt with a perfect 4-0 record. The Tigers were idle last weekend after using a high-octane offensive attack to cruise through non-conference play without a blemish. Missouri has scored at least 38 points in all four games this season and ranks fifth nationally in total offense.

Nebraska enters its game at Missouri as the winner of eight straight games against Big 12 North Division opponents, its longest winning streak against divisional foes since winning nine straight from 1998 to 2000. In order to continue the winning streak the Huskers will need to end a two-game slide against the Tigers in Columbia. A victory would also mark the highest ranked team Nebraska has defeated since a win over No. 2 Oklahoma in 2001. Nebraska lost its first game of the season against a ranked opponent, dropping a 49-31 contest against No. 1 USC on Sept. 15 in Lincoln.
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No. 1 Huskers Head to Colorado

Match Preview: Nebraska at Colorado

Husker Q and A: Rachel Schwartz

Christina Houghtelling Interview

Nebraska (13-0, 6-0 Big 12) at Colorado (5-9, 0-6 Big 12)
Sat., Oct. 6 • Boulder, Colo. (Coors Event Center) • 7:30 p.m.
Television: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com
Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

Top-ranked Nebraska looks to extend its win streak to 24 matches, as the Huskers venture to Boulder, Colo., this weekend to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. First serve from the Coors Event Center is set for 7:30 p.m. (Central) and fans can listen to all of the action on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com. In addition, HuskersNside subscribers can watch Saturday’s match against CU.

The Huskers (13-0, 6-0 Big 12) continued to roll along, sweeping No. 17 Kansas State Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum. Sarah Pavan had 16 kills and a season-high five blocks, while Kori Cooper added 11 kills on .688 hitting and a season-best seven stuffs in helping the Huskers hit .387 against a solid Wildcat defense. The Huskers lead the country with a .350 hitting percentage and have been even better in conference play, hitting at a .379 clip through their first six league matches. A team has hit .350 or better in a season just seven times in NCAA history, a feat which has been done by only five programs (Hofstra, Penn State, St. Mary’s, Florida A&M and Long Beach State), while the conference single-season record is .331 by the Huskers back in 1986.

Colorado (5-9, 0-6 Big 12) has been snakebit in Big 12 play, dropping five of its six matches in five games, including matches against nationally ranked Kansas State and Oklahoma. In all, seven of CU’s nine losses have been five-game setbacks. The Buffaloes also have one of the most impressive non-conference wins by a Big 12 team this season, a sweep of No. 11 Cal in Boulder in September. Last season, the Huskers swept CU in Lincoln before the Buffaloes came back with a five-game win in Boulder, snapping a 17-match losing streak to the Huskers.
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Huskers Volleyball Team Matches Home Mark with Sweep of K-State

Photo Album

Boxscore

John Cook Postmatch Interview

Kori Cooper and Jordan Larson Postmatch Interviews

Sarah Pavan totaled 16 kills and five blocks in NU's sweep of K-State.

Lincoln – Sarah Pavan’s 16 kills led three Huskers in double figures, as the top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team rolled to a 30-16, 30-16, 30-25 sweep of No. 17 Kansas State Wednesday night at the Nebraska Coliseum.

Pavan totaled 16 kills on .364 hitting and a season-high five blocks, as the Huskers improved to 13-0 overall and 6-0 in Big 12 action with their 11th consecutive sweep. Pavan’s 16 kills also equaled her highest total in conference play, as she also had 16 in the Huskers’ Big 12 opener against Texas.

Wednesday’s win was NU’s 63rd straight home triumph, matching the school mark originally set between 1999 and 2002. It is now the third-longest home winning streak in NCAA Division I volleyball history.

Pavan, the reigning AVCA National Player of the Year, was one of three Huskers to eclipsed season bests against K-State. Sophomore Kori Cooper continued her string of impressive efforts, as she totaled 11 kills without an error on 16 swings and paced NU with a team-high seven blocks. Cooper’s blocks were not only a season best, but the highest total by any Husker in 2007. In addition, Christina Houghtelling paced NU with a season-high three aces and paced the Huskers with 13 digs while adding seven kills in the victory.

After winning the first two games comfortably, the Huskers were challenged in game three, falling behind by as much as five points and trailed 21-17 before regrouping behind Pavan, who had two kills and a block as part of NU’s 7-1 spurt to regain the lead at 24-22. Kansas State (13-4, 5-2 Big 12) ran off two straight points to tie the score at 24 on a Natalya Korobkova kill, but could not stay with the Huskers, who closed the match with a 5-1 run. Cooper, who has reached double figures in kills in each her last three Big 12 matches, had three kills and combined with Pavan on a block in the spurt, helping NU wrap up its 12th sweep in 13 contests this season.

Nebraska Head Coach John Cook was pleased with how his team handled the adversity in game three.

“I was interested to see how our team would respond,” Cook said. “Kansas State upped their level of play. They started digging balls, and they were serving very tough. You have to give K-State credit for really battling because they could have packed it in.”

“You could see the crowd was getting a little antsy, and we were getting a little antsy,” Cook said about the third game. “I could see their competitiveness start coming out and their determination. I was really pleased with how our team responded and was really competitive when we got down. We haven’t been in that situation in a couple of weeks and it was fun to see that.”

Cook had plenty to smile about early on, as the Huskers were precise during the first two games. NU hit well over .400 in each of the first two games, while holding the Wildcats, who led the Big 12 in aces per game, without an ace heading into the intermission.

The Huskers used a strong start and great serving from Rachel Holloway to key NU’s 30-16 victory in the opener. Holloway served 10 of NU’s 30 points, including a run of six straight points to open the contest, and dished out 14 assists in helping the Huskers hit .424 as a team.

While Holloway carved K-State up with her serving, Jordan Larson capitalized with three kills and a block in a four rally sequence, slamming home a pair of overpasses in the process. KSU got to within 9-5, but NU ran off four straight points to force the Wildcats to used their second timeout after Larson’s shot found the corner and gave the Huskers a 13-5 lead. The Huskers continued to expand the lead and never led by fewer than eight points in cruising to 14-point win.

Nebraska continued the momentum in game two racing out to a 9-3 lead in posting another 30-16 victory. The Huskers hit a blistering .457 as a team with Houghtelling, Pavan and Larson adding four kills apiece. Nebraska continued to blister the Wildcats with strong serving, pushing the lead to 12-4 after consecutive aces by Houghtelling. The Wildcats eventually whittled the lead to 15-9, but a Holloway kill keyed a 4-1 sport that made it a 19-10 lead and essentially took the visitors out of the game.

Korobkova led Kansas State with a match-high 19 kills, but the Wildcats were held to .117 hitting, well under their .272 team average entering Wednesday’s contest.

The Huskers, who have won 23 straight matches dating back to last season, now travel to Boulder, Colo., to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. (Central) on Saturday and fans can listen on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and on Huskers.com.
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Lady Soccer Huskers Drop 4-0 Game to Buffaloes

Box Score

Brittney Lanier produced three shots against Colorado on Friday in Boulder.

Boulder, Colo. – Nebraska allowed four first-half goals as Colorado notched a 4-0 win in front of more than 900 fans at Prentup Field on Friday.

The loss dropped the Huskers to 4-4-3 and 1-2 in Big 12 play, while the Buffaloes improve to 5-3-3 and 1-1-0 in the conference.

Nebraska outshot CU, 16-13, but the Buffs placed eight of their shots on goal. The Huskers managed four shots on goal on the afternoon.

Colorado jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, as junior midfielder Nikki Keller found the back of the net. NU goalkeeper Jessica Mills deflected a Michaela DeJesus shot, and Marshall put the rebound home. The Buffs struck again just two minutes later as freshman forward Mel Hicks found sophomore forward Nikki Marshall on a cross from the left. Marshall one-touched the ball and put CU up 2-0.

Freshman defender Kym Lowry and Hicks combined on a give-and-go to beat Mills in the 20th minute on a Lowry shot, before junior midfielder Alex Cousins dropped a ball over the NU defense to Marshall in the 32nd minute for Marshall's second goal of the game.

NU’s best scoring opportunity came in the 58th minute off an Anna Caniglia corner. The sophomore defender curled a pass into the box that senior midfielder Jessie Bruch headed off the post. Sophomore defender Carly Peetz put the rebound in the back of the net, but the goal was called back for an NU foul prior to the shot.

Sophomore forward Brittney Lanier led the Huskers’ offense with three shots, including one on goal, while five Huskers recorded two shots.

Mills made four saves on the day, but CU goalkeeper Kara Linder matched that effort with four saves of her own.

The Huskers, who were shut out for the second straight game, played without junior forward Aysha Jamani who suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the week. Jamani was one of NU's top offensive threats on the year, leading the Huskers in shots on goal through the first 10 games.

Sophomore forward Shay Powell also missed the majority of the first half with an injury. Powell did return in the second half and managed two shots in the second period.

The Huskers return to action on Sunday at 1 p.m., as they face No. 3 Texas in Austin.
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Turning Potential Into Production: Five Keys to Missouri

Huskers need to stare down tough crowd and take control of Big 12 North
by Samuel McKewon
Judging by the mood on the message boards, in the streets and around the bars, Nebraska fans are in the basement padding their televisions and hiding any PTOs. Potential Throwing Objects. Meanwhile, at the long dining room table .

Monday Column: Go Beyond Raw Numbers to Measure Blackshirts' Improvement

Grixby, better linebacker play help Nebraska's defense while Oklahoma and Texas struggle
by Samuel McKewon
Good morning from the center of the universe, where, suddenly, Nebraska's struggles don't look so bad. It's like every good college football team entered the "Cheers" bar at once. You know, where .

Harvest Begins

Anyone driving along Nebraska's highways and county roads this weekend, know that harvest is getting into full swing. The crop looks good. With a corn crop forecast at 1.51 billion bushels, 29 percent above last year, loaded .

Fahey unveils plans for new College World Series ballpark

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey officially announced his plan to build a new ballpark for the College World Series Friday, saying it would bring more than $1 billion to Omaha over the next 20 years.

Patrol tickets 50 speeders in I-80 effort

The Nebraska State Patrol troopers handed out 50 speeding tickets within 2 1/2 hours during a special enforcement effort in a construction zone on Interstate 80.

Visit our Bay Area Huskers website for additional Husker information, Links, Upcoming Events, Past Events, Watch Sites, and the Schedule of Games. Also order Merchandise online, and get information on Husker Scholarships. Check out the History of the Huskers and meet our Directors.

Say hello today, email us, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member of the Bay Area Huskers Alumni Chapter.