Thursday, September 08, 2011

Bay Area Huskers E-News 9/7/11

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!

Great watching the Husker’s season get off to a good start last Saturday…and this time on the Big Ten Network. Hopefully everyone found the right channels to watch on their cable/satellite provider. Although the Huskers seemed to have an easy time with Chattanooga, this week’s game against Fresno State could be a little tougher. If you got a chance to watch the Bulldogs play Cal, they kept up with them for most of the game, so you know they have a good team. There is also a nice piece below about our new field goal kicker/punter (Maher) below. Looks like our worries about Henery’s replacement are answered.

Enjoy the reading below…the Volleyball and Soccer teams are facing some big competition this weekend so check out their game schedules and watch or listen to the broadcasts if you can. And the news from the homeland is pretty interesting this week.

Go Big Red (White and Blue),

Carl
P.S. Please say a prayer for those who died ten years ago this coming Sunday, Patriot Day, and say a special prayer for the first responders who gave their lives to try and save others that fateful day. And keep our military folks who are at the tip of the spear in your thoughts and prayers for defending the freedoms we take for granted in this great nation.

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!

Watch Parties:
We got reports from all the watch sites that there were lots of Red-Clad Husker fans who turned out to watch the game. This week’s game will be another opportunity to watch the Huskers at our favorite watering holes on BTN again. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. our time so get there early, get a good seat and grab some great pub grub for dinner at halftime. See you there!

We wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Mark McCoy who helped us unveil a classic Husker banner from his dad’s (the late Buck McCoy) collection at Jack’s Brewing Company last Saturday. We’ll be bringing it to many watch parties in the future. Traditions are important to us Husker fans…thanks Mark!

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HUSKERS HOST BULLDOGS SATURDAY NIGHT…

Game Information
Television: BTN (Channel Finder)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Affiliates)
Capacity: 81,091 (313th Consecutive Sellout)
Surface: FieldTurf
Series Record: first meeting
Special Events: Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Recognition

Huskers
Record: 1-0
Rankings: Coaches-11; AP-10
Last Game: def. Chattanooga, 40-7
Coach: Bo Pelini
Career/NU Record: 31-12/4th year
vs. FSU: first meeting

Bulldogs
Record: 0-1
Rankings: Not ranked
Last Game: lost to California, 36-21
Coach: Pat Hill
Career/FSU Record: 108-72/15th year
vs. NU: first meeting

The Matchup

Nebraska continues non-conference play on Saturday night when the Huskers take on Fresno State at Memorial Stadium. Saturday's matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Fresno State and kickoff for the game is set for 4 p.m. (PDT). The Big Ten Network will provide national television coverage of the game.

The Huskers enter the game after a 40-7 victory over Chattanooga in their season opener last Saturday. The win marked the 26th straight season Nebraska has opened the year with a victory, a nation-leading streak. The Nebraska defense was strong against Chattanooga, holding the Mocs to just a third-quarter touchdown and 230 yards of total offense.

Fresno State comes to Lincoln after dropping its opener to California, 36-21, in a game played in San Francisco. The Bulldogs have been a perennial power in the Western Athletic Conference and are in their final season in that league before moving to the Mountain West Conference in 2012. Fresno State has participated in a bowl game in 11 of 14 seasons under Head Coach Pat Hill, winning at least nine games four times in that span.

The matchup with Fresno State is the first in a three-game series between the schools. Nebraska will travel to Fresno in 2014, and the Bulldogs return to Lincoln in 2016.

The Series

Saturday's meeting will be the first between the two schools. The game is Nebraska's first against an opponent from the state of California since a 35-12 win over San Jose State in 2008. Nebraska has won 21 consecutive games against WAC opponents, including a 38-17 victory over Idaho in 2010.

The Coaches

Nebraska: Bo Pelini (Ohio State, '90) owns a 31-12 record in his fourth season. Pelini has guided NU to nine or more wins in each of his first three seasons as head coach, joining Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne and Frank Solich in accomplishing that feat. Pelini has guided Nebraska to a conference championship game the past two seasons and to at least a share of the Big 12 divisional crown his first three seasons as head coach.

Fresno State: Pat Hill (UC Riverside, '73) owns a 108-72 record in his 15th season at Fresno State. Hill has guided the Bulldogs to 11 bowl appearances in his time at Fresno State. Hill took the job at Fresno State after five seasons as an assistant coach in the National Football League.

Nebraska Football

Nebraska is 838-345-40 all-time, one of just eight schools with 800 all-time victories * Nebraska has won five national championships (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997). * The Cornhuskers have won 43 conference championships. * Nebraska's 47 all-time bowl appearances rank fifth nationally. * Since 1970, Nebraska has 404 wins, 24 more than any other school. * Nebraska's 99 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation. * The Huskers have had 107 All-Americans in school history.

Noting Game 1...Nebraska 40, Chattanooga 7

*-Nebraska's 40-7 victory extended Nebraska's season-opening win streak to 26 straight years. The Huskers have won each season opener since a 1985 loss to Florida State. During the streak, Nebraska has won every game by at least 10 points. Nebraska has scored at least 40 points in 19 of the 26 games, including all four openers under Coach Bo Pelini. Nebraska improved to 91-26-5 all-time in season openers.

*-Offensive tackle Tyler Moore became the true freshman offensive lineman ever to start a season opener for Nebraska. Moore is only the fourth true freshman offensive lineman to start a game at any point in a season, and only the 10th true freshman offensive lineman to play at Nebraska.

*-Nebraska's starting offensive line featured three underclassmen in Moore, sophomore Spencer Long at right guard and sophomore Andrew Rodriguez at left guard. The game marked the first time the Huskers started three underclassmen on the offensive line in any game since 2008, and the first time ever in a season opener.

*-First-time starters included Moore, Long, Rodriguez, offensive tackle Yoshi Hardrick, and receiver Quincy Enunwa on offense. On defense, the first-time starters included defensive end Jason Ankrah and cornerback Andrew Green, while Brett Maher earned his first career starts as punter and place-kicker.

*-In addition to Moore, other true freshmen to see action included I-backs Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green and Braylon Heard, receiver Jamal Turner and place-kicker Mauro Bondi.

*-Junior Brett Maher connected on a 50-yard field goal on his first career attempt in the first quarter, then field goals of 48 and 34 yards in the second quarter, and a 21-yarder in the third quarter. His four field goals tied for the third-most in school history. NU has had seven games with four or more field goals in the past four seasons, including six by Alex Henery and Maher's effort. Maher also made all four of his PAT attempts, and averaged 52.0 yards per punt.

*-Sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez rushed for 135 yards on 19 carries for his sixth career 100-yard rushing game. Martinez ran for touchdowns of 7 and 43 yards in the first half and 47 yards in the third quarter marking the fourth time in his career he has rushed for at least three touchdowns in a game, including three TD runs in the season opener each of the past two seasons. Martinez has seven career touchdown runs of at least 30 yards.

*-With his 135 rushing yards, Martinez pushed his career rushing total to 1,100 yards. Martinez became the 59th player and ninth quarterback in school history to record 1,000 career rushing yards.

*-Junior I-back Rex Burkhead had a career-long 52-yard run in the first quarter, bettering his previous long of 34 yards against Arizona in the 2009 Holiday Bowl. Burkhead finished the day with 75 yards on 11 carries, including a three-yard TD run in the third quarter.

*-Fullback Tyler Legate ran the ball on Nebraska's opening snap, marking the first carry by a Nebraska fullback since Steve Kriewald had a carry against Colorado in the 2004 season finale.

*-Nebraska finished with three penalties for 33 yards. Last season, Nebraska had at least six penalties in 13 of 14 games and was penalized at least 45 yards in all but one game. NU had a season-low three penalties for 15 yards against Oklahoma last season.

*-Tight end Ben Cotton had a career-long 27-yard reception in the second quarter. His previous long catch was a 24-yard touchdown reception at Colorado in 2009.

*-Sophomore wide receiver Quincy Enunwa caught four passes for 58 yards. Enunwa had one reception for 10 yards last season.

*-Nebraska improved to 18-2 under Bo Pelini when rushing for at least 200 yards, including 11-0 the past two seasons.

Scouting Fresno State

Fresno State opened its 2011 season with a 36-21 loss to California in San Francisco Saturday. The Bulldogs will be playing their first true road game of the season in Lincoln. FSU finished 8-5 overall last season and was 3-2 on the road. Fresno State has shown the ability to put up points in recent road matchups with BCS conference schools, scoring 38 points at Mississippi last season, 31 at Wisconsin in 2009, 31 at UCLA in 2008 and 45 points at Texas A&M in 2007.

Against Cal, Fresno State struggled at the beginning of each half, getting outscored 33-7 in the first and third quarters. The Bulldogs totaled only 210 yards of offense, as they struggled to sustain drives, converting only 2-of-14 on third down. Quarterback Derek Carr, the brother of former FSU star David Carr, completed 21-of-33 passes but totaled only 142 yards and was sacked four times.

Defensively, the Bulldogs limited Cal's Zach Maynard to only 16-of-35 through the air, but Maynard averaged 16.6 yards per completion while totaling 266 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, two long runs helped Cal rush for 147 yards. FSU's defense gave up runs of 39 and 48 yards, but otherwise held the Bears' rushing attack to 60 yards on 32 carries.

Fresno State's fourth-leading receiver is redshirt freshman Josh Harper, who is the only Bulldog to catch a touchdown pass this season. Harper is the son of former Husker Willie Harper, who was a defensive end on Nebraska's back-to-back national championship teams in 1970 and 1971. Willie Harper was a consensus All-American in 1971 and 1972 before playing 10 seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
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MARTINEZ, HUSKERS MOW DOWN MOCS IN OPENER…

Lincoln, Neb. - Quarterback Taylor Martinez rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns and Brett Maher enjoyed a perfect debut as Nebraska's starting kicker in the Huskers' 40-7 win over Tennessee at Chattanooga on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Playing in front of an NCAA-record 312th consecutive sellout of 84,833 at Memorial Stadium and a Big Ten Network television audience in the Huskers' season opener, Martinez produced the sixth 100-yard rushing game of his career. The sophomore from Corona, Calif., also sprinted for touchdown runs of 47, 43 and seven yards in Nebraska's new-look offense.

In Nebraska's first-ever game as a member of the Big Ten Conference, the Huskers rolled to 364 yards of total offense on 68 plays, including 229 rushing yards. Junior I-back Rex Burkhead added 75 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries for NU.

Martinez also completed 11-of-22 passes for 116 yards. Quincy Enunwa led the NU receivers with four receptions for 58 yards, while tight ends Ben Cotton (1-27) and Kyler Reed (1-13) also added key catches for the Huskers.

Maher added a nearly flawless performance in his starting debut in replacing 2010 first-team All-American Alex Henery. The junior place-kicker/punter went 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 50-yarder against the wind on the first attempt of his career. He added a 48-yarder on his second attempt, before connecting on tries from 34 and 21 to close the game. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points, while booming four punts for an average of 52 yards on the day.

While Martinez and Maher combined to put up 34 of Nebraska's 40 points, Cameron Meredith, Jared Crick and Lavonte David led the Blackshirts against the Mocs.

Meredith, a junior defensive end from Huntington Beach, Calif., uncorked a pair of sacks for 22 yards in losses of Chattanooga's B.J. Coleman and intercepted a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Crick. That interception set up Burkhead's third-quarter touchdown run to put the Huskers ahead 33-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, Meredith also scooped up a UTC field goal attempt that was blocked at the line by Josh Williams. Meredith ended the game with three tackles.

Crick, a senior preseason All-America defensive tackle from Cozad, Neb., finished with five tackles, including two tackles for loss. David, a senior preseason All-America linebacker from Miami, Fla., closed with a team-leading nine tackles, including a TFL.

The solid team effort in all phases allowed Nebraska to extend its nation-leading win streak in season openers to 26. The last time the Huskers lost a season opener came to Florida State (17-13) in 1985. NU has won every game in the streak by at least 10 points, and the Huskers have scored 40 or more points in 19 of the 26 games. NU has also held their opponents to 14 or fewer points 18 times.

Nebraska continues its three-game season-opening homestand next week when the Huskers play host to Fresno State. Kickoff with the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. with a Big Ten Network telecast.

Scoring Summary
Final: #10 Nebraska 40, Tennessee at Chattanooga 7
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)

First Quarter (NU, 10-0)
NU - 10:08 - Taylor Martinez 7 run (Brett Maher kick) - 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:45, NU 7-0
NU - 1:52 - Brett Maher 50 FG - 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:23, NU 10-0

Second Quarter (NU, 23-0)
NU - 10:11 - Maher 48 FG - 12 plays, 40 yards, 3:53, NU 13-0
NU - 2:07 - Martinez 43 run (Maher) - 10 plays, 76 yards, 4:35, NU 20-0
NU - 0:10 - Maher 34 FG - 8 plays, 40 yards, 0:46, NU 23-0

Third Quarter (NU, 40-7)
UTC - 11:43 - Marlon Anthony 13 pass from B.J. Coleman (Nick Pollard kick) -
                       7 plays, 72 yards, 3:10, NU 23-7
NU - 8:30 - Maher 21 FG - 7 plays, 38 yards, 3:12 - NU 26-7
NU - 7:28 - Rex Burkhead 3 run (Maher kick) - 1 play, 3 yards, 0:04, NU 33-7
NU - 6:08 - Martinez 47 run (Maher kick) - 1 play, 47 yards, 0:11, NU 40-7

Fourth Quarter (NU, 40-7)
No Scoring

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KICKER MAHER (we like to call him ‘Maker”) PICKS UP TWO AWARDS…(and we were worried that they couldn’t replace Henery)…

Lincoln - Nebraska place-kicker/punter Brett Maher was recognized for his performance in the Huskers' season opener, while also making Nebraska football history on Monday.

The junior from Kearney, Neb., was named the Big Ten Special Teams Co-Player of the Week this morning and earned the College Football Performance Award as National Place Kicker of the Week this afternoon.

Maher's Big Ten honor is the first individual honor won by a Husker football player. He shared the Big Ten honor with Penn State kick returner Chaz Powell.

Maher went 4-for-4 on field goals, including kicks of 50 and 48 yards, and 4-for-4 on extra points in helping the Huskers to a 40-7 win over Chattanooga. In addition, he punted four times, averaging 52.0 yards per kick, and placed a pair of kicks inside the UTC 20-yard line. Maher's was the highest single-game average by a Husker since 2005 and the best at home since the 2002 campaign.

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PELINI PLACES FOUR PLAYERS ON SCHOLARSHIP…

Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini has awarded scholarships to four members of the Husker football program. Former walk-ons earning scholarships include senior I-back Austin Jones, senior fullback Tyler Legate, senior defensive back Lance Thorell and junior long snapper P.J. Mangieri.

Pelini said it was rewarding to be able to add the four players to scholarship before the start of the 2011 season and commended their well-rounded work as members of the football program.

"These four young men are very deserving of being placed on scholarship," Pelini said. "They come from different backgrounds and different circumstances, but each of them represents what Nebraska football is all about. They have worked hard and done the right things on and off the field. The walk-on program has been a vital part of the success here for decades, and it will continue to be very important for us into the future."

A senior from Aurora, Colo., Jones has played in 10 games as a reserve I-back the past two seasons and compiled 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 career carries.

Legate joined the Nebraska program in 2008 after one season at South Dakota. Legate has played in 27 games the past two seasons, including 10 starts at fullback. He has four career receptions, including a pair of touchdown grabs. Legate was Nebraska's 2009 walk-on MVP and was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick in 2010.

A native of Loomis, Neb., Thorell has been a fixture in the Nebraska secondary for the past three seasons. Thorell has played in 39 games, including six career starts, and has often being used in a nickel or dime role. Thorell has recorded 38 career tackles and two pass breakups. He is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 pick and a three-year member of the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team.

Mangieri joined the Nebraska program as a walk-on from Peoria, Ill., in 2009 and has started every game the past two seasons as Nebraska's long snapper. His work helped former NU place-kicker Alex Henery shatter numerous school records the past two seasons.

Nebraska Associate Athletic Director Jeff Jamrog said Pelini has now placed 10 former walk-ons on scholarship in his four years as Nebraska head coach. The group includes projected 2011 starters Mike Caputo at center and Austin Cassidy at safety.

"Coach Pelini truly understands the value of the Nebraska walk-on program," Jamrog said. "Since day one, he has stressed the importance of getting talented young men into our program as walk-ons, and also rewarding those that do the right things once they are in our program."
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HUSKER BASEBALL ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL BIG TEN SCHEDULE…

Lincoln - The Nebraska baseball team released its 2012 schedule on Friday, as the Huskers will play 31 home games at Hawks Field and will have 13 contests against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams, including a four-game home stand against 2011 College World Series qualifier California. The 56-game schedule starts with 10 games on the road before the Huskers host their home opener against former Big 12 foe Kansas State on Tuesday, March 6. The Huskers will play eight Big Ten Conference series, with the only conference teams not on the schedule including Penn State and Michigan State, as well as Wisconsin, which doesn't have a baseball program.

Darin Erstad will start his first season as NU's head coach on Friday, Feb. 17, when the Huskers open a three-game series with Gonzaga in Peoria, Ariz. The Zags are led by lefty Marco Gonzales, who was named a freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and Collegiate Baseball in 2010 after posting an 11-2 record with four complete games and a 2.57 ERA. The Huskers head to Corpus Christi, Texas, the following weekend to play four games in three days with two games against Utah, as well as one each against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UNLV.

Nebraska will open the month of March at the Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., with games against West Virginia, New Mexico and Minnesota. It will be the Huskers' first trip to the tournament since 2006, when they swept Notre Dame, Arizona and Minnesota. Even though the Huskers and Gophers are now both in the Big Ten Conference, NU's meeting with Minnesota on Sunday, March 4, will be a non-conference game.

The Huskers then return home for a 17-game home stand that starts and ends with games against Kansas State. Following the game with the Wildcats on March 6, the Huskers will host Nebraska-Kearney the following afternoon in preparation for Cal's visit to Hawks Field. The Huskers and Bears will open their four-game series on Friday, March 9, with first-pitch set for 1:35 p.m. It will mark the second straight year that the Huskers have hosted a non-conference series against a team that played in the College World Series the previous season, after NU hosted 2010 CWS qualifier UCLA during the 2011 campaign.

Following the Cal series, the Huskers will host South Dakota State (March 13), Louisiana Tech (March 16-18) and Northern Colorado (March 20-21) before Illinois comes to Lincoln for NU's first Big Ten Conference series. The Fighting Illini will enter Lincoln as the league's defending conference tournament champion after defeating Michigan State last season. Since the tournament started in 1981, Illinois has won four titles, with last season's win its first since 2000. Overall, Minnesota holds the most tournament titles with nine, while Michigan is in a close second with eight.

After completing their 17-game home stand with Kansas State on Tuesday, March 27, the Huskers head to Evanston, Ill., for their first Big Ten road series when they visit Northwestern for a three-game series that starts on Friday, March 30. The Wildcats, who were 10-13 in conference play last season, hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Huskers.

The month of April starts with the final game of the Northwestern series and is followed by a mid-week road trip to Manhattan for a final meeting with KSU on Tuesday, April 3. The Husker host Iowa (April 6-8) the following weekend before playing the first of three games against Creighton on Tuesday, April 10, at Hawks Field. The final two games will be at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha on Tuesday, April 24, and Tuesday, May 8.

April also includes a conference road series at Ohio State (April 13-15) and a home series with Purdue (April 20-22), while the month is concluded with a three-game slate with Cal State Bakersfield at Hawks Field starting on Friday, April 27. It will be the Roadrunners' second trip to Lincoln in four years after they took 2-out-of-3 games from the Huskers during the 2009 campaign.

Along with non-conference games with Missouri Valley programs Creighton and Wichita State in May, the Huskers finish out the conference season with trips to Indiana and Michigan, as well as a home stand with Minnesota. Michigan holds the most overall Big Ten championships in conference history, as the Wolverines have won a combined 38 regular-season and tournament titles dating back to 1899, but are coming off a season that saw them finish last in the league with a 7-16 record.

The 2011 postseason will open on Wednesday, May 23, when NU will look to be one of the league's six teams who advance to the Big Ten Tournament. The five-day tournament is held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, which is the home park of the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A organization, the Columbus Clippers.

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HUSKER VOLLEYBALL TEAM HOSTS AMERITAS PLAYERS CHALLENGE…(all times Central)

No. 11 Nebraska vs. Creighton • Thursday, Sept. 8 • NU Coliseum • 7 p.m.
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
TV: NET
Live Stats: Huskers.com

No. 11 Nebraska vs. Saint Mary's • Friday, Sept. 9 • NU Coliseum • 7 p.m.
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

No. 11 Nebraska vs. Weber State • Saturday, Sept. 10 • NU Coliseum • 2 p.m.
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Web Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

After playing its first four matches of 2011 on the road, the No. 11 Nebraska volleyball team will play its first match of the year at the Nebraska Coliseum on Thursday against Creighton.

Thursday's meeting will be the first match of the three-day Ameritas Players Challenge, which will also include Saint Mary's and Weber State.

There will be two matches on Thursday, including Weber State vs. Saint Mary's (4:30 p.m.) and Nebraska vs. Creighton (7 p.m.), with all matches taking place at the Coliseum.

Friday's action will be at the Coliseum, where Weber State will take on Creighton at 4:30 p.m., before Nebraska and Saint Mary's face-off at 7 p.m.

The weekend will conclude on Saturday at the Coliseum, where Creighton will face Saint Mary's at 11:30 a.m., and Nebraska takes on Weber State at 2 p.m.

Fans can listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha. Fans outside the state will also be able to catch the live audio feed for free on Huskers.com.

The Nebraska-Creighton match will air live on NET, while live video of Nebraska's matches with Saint Mary's and Weber State will be available through Nebraska's premium video page, HuskersNside. Live stats for all matches will be available at Huskers.com.

Noting the Nebraska Cornhuskers

  • The Huskers open the Ameritas Player's Challenge with a 3-1 record after going 1-1 over the weekend in Fort Collins, Colo. Nebraska fell in dramatic fashion (2-3) to Colorado State on Friday, but bounced back to sweep Albany on Saturday afternoon.
     
  • Nebraska will celebrate a streak of 150 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum on Sept. 8. It is the longest sellout streak across all NCAA women's athletics. The Huskers averaged 4,632 fans per home contest last season.
     
  • Under Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers improved to 305-9 when winning the first set of the match after their sweep of Albany on Sept. 3.
     
  • Nebraska won its first set against Colorado State on Friday night, but ended up losing the match 2-3. The last time Nebraska had won the first set but lost the match was in 2006 against Texas.
     
  • Nebraska enters this weekend ranked third in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage (.107) and third in blocks, averaging a total of 2.75 per set.
     
  • Junior Gina Mancuso posted a career-high 24 kills against Colorado State on Sept. 2. Mancuso ranks eighth in the Big Ten Conference in kills and ninth in hitting percentage.
     
  • Senior Brooke Delano is averaging a hitting percentage of .403, putting her at fourth in the Big Ten Conference in hitting percentage.
     
  • Junior Lauren Cook ranks sixth in the Big Ten Conference in assists with 10.88 per set, while sophomore Morgan Broekhuis is 10th in the conference in blocks, with 1.19 per set.
     
  • The Huskers have four players averaging 2.44 kills per set or more, including Mancuso (3.75), Broekhuis (2.88), Hannah Werth (2.69) and Delano (2.44).
     
  • Werth has recorded four service aces so far in 2011, while junior Paige Hubl has two of her own.
     
  • Nebraska's 63 kills against Colorado State were their most since tallying 67 against Illinois on Sept. 11, 2010.
     
  • Head Coach John Cook returns a loaded and youthful team in 2011 that lost only two starters from 2010 and returns nine letter winners. His team finished 29-3 last season, while Cook has won over 92 percent (336-29) of his matches in 11 seasons as the Huskers' leader.
     
  • The Huskers were picked to finish in a tie for second in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll. The Huskers also had three players picked to the preseason All-Big Ten list. Unanimous selection senior Brooke Delano was joined by juniors Lauren Cook and Hannah Werth.
     
  • Hannah Werth is coming off a sophomore season that saw her earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year AVCA All-America honors.
     
  • Lauren Cook was named the 2010 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after transferring from UCLA.
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MARLBOROUGH EARNS SHARE OF BIG TEN SOCCER HONOR…

Lincoln - Junior Morgan Marlborough earned her first Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week award on Monday after scoring five goals over the weekend, including a hat trick against Northern Arizona on Sunday. Marlborough shared the honor with Penn State sophomore Maya Hayes, who also had a hat trick against Pittsburgh.

Marlborough's hat trick on Sunday was the 28th hat trick in Nebraska soccer history and her third career hat trick. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native has notched three of NU's last four hat tricks, as Ann Caniglia produced the other against Kansas in 2009.

After not scoring a goal in the first two games of the season, Marlborough has now scored seven goals in Nebraska's last three games. She started the year seventh on Nebraska's all-time goals chart with 39 goals over her first two seasons and has now moved to fifth on the all-time list with 46 goals. She is two goals away from tying Meghan Anderson for the No. 4 spot.

As a player in the Big 12 Conference during her first two seasons, Marlborough earned five weekly awards, including newcomer of the week once and the conference offensive player of the week four times.

Marlborough and the Huskers will now take their 2-2-1 record to Blacksburg, Va., for two tough games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest at the Virginia Tech Classic. The Huskers and Hokies are set to meet at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday night, before taking on the Demon Deacons on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

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NEWS FROM THE HOMELAND…

* Nebraska football: Pelini says NU was evaluating in win over Chattanooga
It was what reasonable fans should have expected. Nebraska thumped
Tennessee-Chattanooga, 40-7 in the season opener. More of the same
should come this week against hapless Fresno.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/05/4e662fd04fc20

* Michigan and Wisconsin voted to boot NU from the AAU
When some people pat you on the back they’re just looking for a
place to insert the knife. Think of a couple of NU's new pals in the
Big Ten.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/06/4e6621457bf61

* Energy Secretary signals green light likely for XL Pipeline
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is saying nice things about the
controversial sand tar oil pipeline that TransCanada wants to run
across the Nebraska Sandhills and over the Ogallala Aquifer. That
means the thing is more likely than ever to be approved.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/02/4e60b0994eed2

* Perlman's big vision includes bigger UNL
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman called for
an increase in student enrollment and graduation, tenured faculty and
research spending by 2017 to increase UNL's competitiveness in the
Big Ten.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/02/4e60909ae0861

* UNK defeats Wayne to win first opener since 2002
The 16th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney football team overcame seven
turnovers to rack up 700 yards of total offense Thursday night in a
41-20 win at Wayne State. It was the Loper’s first season-opening
win in nine years.
UNK...
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/02/4e60859b786cb

* Chadron State falls to University of Mary
BISMARCK, N.D. – Chadron State College mounted a furious
fourth-quarter rally but the Eagles fell to the University of Mary,
32-24.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/02/4e608b038529c

* Nebraska Football: Young NU receiver says Huskers should put up 60 points - every time
Jamal Turner is many things. He is fast, as he showed in the spring
game and Saturday's season opener. He is also versatile, having made
the switch to wide receiver after playing quarterback in high school.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/07/4e674d8af05ed

* Fort Calhoun will get more NRC oversight
Of the 104 nuclear power plants in the United States, Nebraska’s
sleeping Fort Calhoun reactor appears to be one of the two most
dangerous, according to a report from the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/07/4e669342c4ee6

* NU system enrollment is stagnant
Enrollment is pretty much stagnant in the University of Nebraska
system, but the Kearney campus is doing just great.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/07/4e673d8e501a9

* Three states have record levels of exceptional drought
The percent of land area experiencing exceptional drought reached
record levels in August in three U.S. states – Texas, Oklahoma and
Kansas – amid new concerns about how long the conditions may
persist, according to a University of Nebraska scientist.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/09/07/4e668757c0bee


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