Bay Area Huskers E-News 11/10/11

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!

Well, that was a real bummer of a game last Saturday.  The team had lots of good stats, but not the one that counted.  Summary is below for those that can stand the added pain ;o). 

Events at Penn State have unfortunately come at a bad time for our game this weekend.  I’m sure you are all aware of the controversy…lets hope it doesn’t overshadow the game and the good sportsmanship that should prevail.  

Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans on our list…many thanks for your service to our country.  I won’t add it to this email but there are a lot of special offers out there from restaurants, retailers and other businesses for veterans to take advantage of this weekend.  If you are a vet and are interested, drop me a line and I’ll try to send you the list I have.

The Volleyball team is doing well after their loss to Penn State a couple weeks ago, and have a couple of tough conference matches this weekend that you can follow on BTN and Huskers.com.  Lots of other good reading below…enjoy!

Go Big Red (White and Blue),

Watch Parties:

Kickoff for the Penn State game is at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, and it will be broadcast on ESPN.  Soooo…lets rise and shine and get to our favorite watch sites early for this one.  I know Jack’s and Legends serve some great breakfast fare for these early games, so get there in time for a good seat and cheer on the Huskers.

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HUSKERS VISIT NITTANY LIONS ON ESPN…

GAME 10: NEBRASKA at PENN STATE
NOV. 12, 2011 | BEAVER STADIUM
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | 11 A.M. (CT)
HUSKERS
Record: 7-2, 3-2
Rankings: Coaches-17; AP-19
Last Game:  lost Northwestern, 28-25
Coach: Bo Pelini
Career/NU Record: 37-14/4th year
vs. PSU: 0-0
NITTANY LIONS
Record: 8-1, 5-0
Rankings: Coaches-12; AP-12
Last Game:  def. Illinois, 10-7
Coach: Joe Paterno
Career/PSU Record: 406-136-3/46th year
vs. NU: 3-4
The Matchup
Nebraska continues a difficult stretch run in Big Ten Conference play this Saturday when the Huskers travel to Penn State for a matchup with the Big Ten’s only unbeaten team in league play. Game time for the meeting between two of college football’s traditional powers is set for Noon ET at Beaver Stadium, with ESPN providing the television coverage.

Nebraska dropped to 3-2 in the Big Ten and 7-2 overall with a 28-25 loss to Northwestern last Saturday in Lincoln. The loss dropped Nebraska one game behind Legends Division leader Michigan State with three weeks of conference
action remaining. Following this week’s trip to No. 12 Penn State, the Huskers travel to 22nd-ranked Michigan on Nov. 19 and close out the regular season on Nov. 25 against Iowa. The loss to Northwestern ended Nebraska’s eight-game home winning streak and dropped the Huskers to 19th in the AP Poll, No. 17 in the Coaches Poll and 19th in the latest BCS rankings.

Penn State has won seven straight games since a loss to No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 10. The 8-1 Nittany Lions are 5-0 in Big Ten play and can clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game by winning two of their final three games, but Penn State also faces a difficult road. After the visit from Nebraska, the Nittany Lions finish with road games at Ohio State and Wisconsin. Penn State is ranked 12th in both the AP and Coaches Poll, and also 12th in the BCS rankings.
The matchup with Penn State will be Nebraska’s second game of the 2011 season between two programs with 800 all-time wins, following a meeting earlier this fall with Ohio State. Nebraska’s sixth such game in school history will come with another 800-win meeting at Michigan on Nov. 19.
The Series
The game will be the first between the two schools as members of the Big Ten and the 14th all-time matchup. Penn State holds a 7-6 advantage, including a 5-1 advantage on its home field. The schools most recently met in 2002 and 2003 when they split a home-and-home series. This will the sixth time in the series that both teams have been ranked.
The Coaches
Nebraska: Bo Pelini (Ohio State, ‘90) owns a 37-14 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.
Penn State: Joe Paterno (Brown, ‘50) owns a 409-136-3 record in his 46th season as Penn State’s head coach. Paterno became the winningest coach in Division I history with PSU’s win over Illinois on Oct. 29. He has guided the Nittany Lions to two national championships, five unbeaten seasons and 37 bowl appearances.
Nebraska Football
*-Nebraska is 844-347-40 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 410 wins, 25 more than any other school.
*-Nebraska's 99 football Academic All-Americans leads the nation.
*-The Huskers have had 107 All-Americans in school history.
Scouting Penn State
Penn State has the Big Ten’s best record at 8-1 this season, and the Nittany Lions are on top of the Leaders Division with a 5-0 mark as the only team unbeaten in conference play. The Nittany Lioins can clinch at least a share of the division title with a win over the Huskers on Saturday. Penn State is 5-1 at home this season and has held three of its five home oponents to a touchdown or less this season.
Overall, Penn State possesses one of the nation’s best defenses. The Nittany Lions rank third nationally in scoring defense, third in pass efficiency defense, seventh in pass defense, eighth in total defense and 24th in rushing defense. PSU is allowing only 12.4 points per game, which leads the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions have held six of their first nine opponents to 10 or fewer points.
Penn State also brings pressure, as the Nittany Lions rank 12th nationally with an average of 7.7 tackles-for-loss per game and are tied for 24th nationally with an average of 2.6 sacks per game. Devon Still ranks fourth nationally
with 15.5 TFLs this season.
Offensively, Silas Redd leads the Penn State rushing attack, as he ranks third in the Big Ten and 18th nationally with an average of 111.8 yards per game. Redd has posted five straight 100-yard rushing games.
As a team, Penn State rushes for 162.4 yards per contest, while adding 194.2 yards through the air. The Nittany Lions rank 88th nationally in total offense and 100th in scoring offense, having been held to 16 points or less five
times this season.
Matt McGloin, who made his first start two weeks ago, is the Nittany Lions’ top passer, throwing for 1,193 yards and seven touchdowns.
Series History
Penn State leads the all-time series 7-6, including a 5-1 edge at University Park. The teams have only met twice over the past 28 seasons, with each team winning at home. The 18th-ranked Huskers defeated Penn State, 18-10, at Memorial Stadium in 2003, when Bo Pelini was the Huskers’ defensive coordinator. The unranked Nittany Lions cruised to a 40-7 victory over No. 8 NU at Beaver Stadium the previous season.
Prior to those meetings, the teams last met every season during a five-year stretch from 1979 to 1983. Both teams were ranked in the top 20 each of those meetings, including two battles of top-10 teams and one top-five matchup. Nebraska won three of those five meetings, including a 1-1 record at Penn State. The Huskers have lost two straight games at Beaver Stadium and are looking for their first win in the venue since a 21-7 victory in 1980. NU has been held to 59 points in their six trips to Penn State, including two shutouts and two games where they were held to seven point.

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HUSKERS FALL TO WILDCATS…

Lincoln - Taylor Martinez completed 28-of-37 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to prevent No. 9 Nebraska from being upset by visiting Northwestern, 28-25, at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

With their first home loss of the season, the Huskers slipped to 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten while playing in front of the NCAA-record 317th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium and a Big Ten Network television audience. Northwestern improved to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

Despite producing one of the most efficient passing days of his career, and rushing 12 times for 53 yards, Martinez and the Husker offense managed just 25 points against a stingy Wildcat defense.

Martinez and the Huskers managed 397 yards of total offense, but Nebraska trailed from nearly start to finish against the Wildcats. Northwestern produced 470 yards of total offense with a balanced attack that included 261 passing yards and 209 rushing yards.

Northwestern held Nebraska's rushing game to just 122 yards on 35 carries, led by Rex Burkhead's 69 yards on 22 carries. Kain Colter led the Wildcat running game with 17 carries for 58 yards and two scores, while Treyvon Green added 14 carries for 54 yards, and Jacob Schmidt added 13 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Martinez played a turnover-free game for the Huskers at quarterback, but Nebraska lost two other fumbles. However, the Blackshirts forced three Northwestern turnovers on the afternoon, including Austin Cassidy's interception in the end zone and 50-yard return to set up Nebraska's first touchdown in the third quarter. Northwestern committed just two penalties for 20 yards on the day, while Nebraska was flagged six times for just 41 yards.

The Wildcats led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a two-yard touchdown run by Schmidt.

Nebraska cut the lead to 7-3 at the half on Brett Maher's 36-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Huskers were unable to take advantage of several scoring opportunities in the quarter, including losing a fumble inside the Wildcat 5. The Huskers also lost a fumble on a completed pass later in the quarter as they were approaching the red zone.

Northwestern went up 14-3 early in the third quarter on Colter's three-yard run, before Nebraska answered with Martinez's 15-yard touchdown pass to Tim Marlowe. It was Marlowe's first career touchdown.

The Wildcats struck quickly in the fourth quarter, as Colter connected with Jeremy Ebert on an 81-yard touchdown pass. It was Northwestern's longest play from scrimmage of the season and capped a career-best 147-yard receiving day on six catches for Ebert.

Nebraska answered less than four minutes later to cut the Cat lead to 21-18 on Burkhead's one-yard touchdown plunge and Martinez's ensuing two-point conversion run with 8:55 left in the game.

The Blackshirts needed to stop the Wildcats on the next drive, but Colter engineered a 13-play, 66-yard drive that consumed 7:14 and resulted in his one-yard touchdown run. Northwestern went up 28-18 with 1:34 left and left Nebraska in need of a miracle.

Martinez and the Husker offense answered the call by covering 74 yards in 10 plays and just 1:10 capped by Martinez's 14-yard touchdown strike to Kenny Bell with 18 seconds left.

After Maher's extra point cut the lead to 28-25, he attempted an onside kick to give Martinez and the offense one last shot at victory. But the Wildcats recovered the kick and claimed their first-ever win in Lincoln.

Nebraska returns to road action next week when the Huskers travel to University Park, Pa., to take on Penn State. Kickoff time and television information for the game between Nebraska and the Nittany Lions will be announced by Sunday afternoon.

Scoring Summary
Final: Northwestern 28, #9 Nebraska 25
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)

First Quarter (NW, 7-0)
NW - 2:08 - Jacob Schmidt 2 run (Jeff Budzien kick) - 13 plays, 80 yards, 4:48, NW 7-0

Second Quarter (NW, 7-3)
NEB - 2:26 - Brett Maher 36 FG - 5 plays, 18 yards, 1:38, NW 7-3

Third Quarter (NW, 14-10)NW - 12:13 - Kain Colter 3 run (Budzien kick) - 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:39, NW 14-3
NEB - 3:52 - Tim Marlowe 15 pass from Taylor Martinez (Maher kick) - 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:53, NW 14-10

Fourth Quarter (NW, 28-25)NW - 12:16 - Jeremy Ebert 81 pass from Colter (Budzien kick) - 2 plays, 84 yards, 0:40, NW 21-10
NEB - 8:55 - Rex Burkhead 1 run (2PAT Good, Martinez run) - 12 plays, 74 yards, 3:15, NW 21-18
NW - 1:34 - Colter 1 run (Budzien kick) - 13 plays, 66 yards, 7:14, NW 28-18
NEB - 0:18 - Kenny Bell 14 pass from Martinez (Maher kick) - 10 plays, 74 yards, 1:10, NW 28-25

Final: Northwestern 28, #9 Nebraska 25
Attendance: 85,115
Time of Game: 3:15
Game Start: 2:42 p.m. (central)

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DAVID NAMED LOTT TROPHY SEMIFINALIST…

Nebraska senior linebacker Lavonte David was one of eight players named a semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy on Wednesday. The Lott Trophy is presented annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.

David was one of five linebackers on the list and one of two players from the Big Ten Conference, along with Ohio State defensive lineman John Simon. The Huskers boast a semifinalist for the award for the second time in three seasons, as Ndamukong Suh was a finalist in 2009.

A Miami native, David leads Nebraska with 88 tackles this season, after setting a school record with 152 tackles in 2010. David has also paced the Huskers this fall with seven tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He ranks in the top 25 nationally with an average of 9.78 tackles per game, including four games with at least 10 tackles this season. He has twice been named the Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week this season, earning the honor against both Ohio State and Michigan State.

In his career, David's 240 tackles are the most among two-year players in school history. He enters Saturday's game at Penn State in 13th place on Nebraska's career tackle chart, needing only nine tackles to move into the top 10. David's career numbers also stack up well against his current peers, as his career average of 10.4 tackles per game ranks fourth nationally among all active players.

2011 Lott Trophy SemifinalistsEmmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
Brodrick Brown, DB, Oklahoma State
Lavonte David, LB, NebraskaDont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
Chase Minnifield, DB, Virginia
John Simon, DL, Ohio State
Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame

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HUSKER VOLLEYBALL LOOKS TO INDIANA, PURDUE…

No. 2 Nebraska at Indiana • Friday, Nov. 11 • University Gym • 6 p.m. (central)
Web Video: BTN.com (subscription)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: iuhoosiers.com

No. 2 Nebraska at No. 10 Purdue • Saturday, Nov. 12 • Intercollegiate Athletic Facility • 6 p.m. (central)
Web Video: BTN.com (subscription)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KTWI 93.3 FM in
Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: purduesports.com

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team travels to take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. and the No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. The Huskers' matches with both Indiana and Purdue will be available on BTN.com (subscription). 

The Huskers (20-2, 13-1) went 2-0 over the weekend, topping No. 23 Michigan 3-1 and sweeping Michigan State 3-0.

Purdue and Nebraska have met 14 times, with NU holding a 10-4 record over the Boilermakers. The last time the two teams met was on Oct. 7 when Nebraska posted its 10th-straight win over Purdue in a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22) victory.

Indiana and Nebraska have met three times, with Nebraska leading the all-time series 2-1. The last time the two teams met was on Oct. 8, with the Huskers winning 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-13).

Fans can listen to all of the action with John Baylor and Lindsay Peterson 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.

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HUSKERS STIFLE SPARTANS…

Lincoln, Neb. - The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team (20-2, 13-1) outmatched Michigan State on Saturday night, sweeping the Spartans 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-23) in front of 4,136 fans at the NU Coliseum.

The Huskers used a fantastic defensive effort to take down one of the top-hitting percentage teams in the conference. Nebraska held MSU to a .026 hitting percentage, while hitting .263 on their own. NU out-dug Michigan State 49-36 and out-blocked the Spartans 11-5, while forcing them to commit 27 errors on the night.

Mancuso led Nebraska in the match with 13 kills on 26 attacks for a .385 hitting percentage. Hannah Werth tallied 11 kills and 10 digs for her seventh double-double on the season. Morgan Broekhuis had eight kills for the Huskers and also notched five blocks. Hayley Thramer also had five blocks of her own, while Brooke Delano tallied four. Brigette Root guided Nebraska on the night with 34 assists in her second career start, while Lara Dykstra led NU defensively with 11 digs.

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HUSKERS FIGHT BACK, TOP MICHIGAN 3-1…

Lincoln, Neb. - The No. 2 Nebraska Volleyball team (19-2, 12-1) fought back from one set down to overcome the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines 3-1 (17-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-21) Friday night. The Huskers were led by a rock solid performance from Brigette Root in her first career start at setter.

Root notched the first double-double of her career in front of a roaring 4,156 at the NU Coliseum with 25 assists and 11 digs. She paced Nebraska on the night in a gutsy comeback win.  

Gina Mancuso guided the team  with an impressive 16 kills for a hitting percentage of .341. Morgan Broekhuis had nine kills for NU, while Brooke Delano notched eight and Hannah Werth tabbed six, rounding out an impressive even attack for the Huskers. Werth led NU defensively with 17 digs.

Despite Michigan tallying 18 more kills and 24 more digs on the night, the Huskers outmatched the Wolverines and out-hit them .189-.142. Nebraska committed only 16 errors, while U-M committed 38.

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WISCONSIN VOLLEYBALL MATCH TO BE TELEVISED ON NET AND BTN.COM…

Lincoln, Neb. - Fans of the Nebraska volleyball team will have another chance to catch the Huskers on NET Television as NU's match against Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 19 will be televised statewide on NET-1 and NET-HD at 7 p.m. CT

The NET Sports broadcast team of Larry Punteney and Kathi Wieskamp will bring fans all of the action from the NU Coliseum, as the Huskers take on the Badgers in their final home match of the regular season.

The match will also be streamed live on BTN.com and will be shown on BTN on a tape-delayed basis. In addition, audio for every match of the 2011 season will be carried on the Husker Sports Radio Network and on the Internet at Huskers.com.

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OMAHA WORLD HERALD ARTICLES…

Marlowe back at Penn State — as a Husker receiver

Four years ago, Tim Marlowe was just an undersized, under-recruited high schooler tagging along with his best friend. Mike Zordich was one of the best linebacker prospects in the nation. He had scholarship offers from across the country, but his choice was easy. His dad was an All-American safety at Penn State and his mom was a Nittany Lion cheerleader. The kid didn't need to be sold on playing for Joe Paterno, but he took the visits to Happy Valley anyway. On one of them, Zordich brought his buddy with him.

Barfknecht: Spanier should step forward

The stench of the child sex-abuse charges at Penn State makes it mighty difficult to focus on Big Ten football right now. While the details of the grand jury testimony are nauseating enough, the actions of Penn State President Graham Spanier in the aftermath add to the general queasiness. The day after perjury charges were filed against Penn State's athletic director and another administrator, Spanier issued a statement offering "unconditional support" to the two.

Huskers: Wildcats didn't steal our play-calling signals

Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez said Monday that he and his offensive mates weren't the only ones glancing over to see plays being signaled in on Saturday. The Northwestern defense also was taking a peek. "I kind of caught on that every time we would look over there, (they) were looking at me for the play or at the sidelines for the play," Martinez said. "So during the game we kind of mixed up each signal." Northwestern ranked No. 98 in total defense and No. 90 in scoring defense heading into a Big Ten game in which it limited Nebraska to three first-half points. The Huskers eventually threw for a season-high 289 passing yards, but never really got their running game untracked in the 28-25 loss.

Obama may delay pipeline decision

The White House considers requiring TransCanada to reduce environmental risks to gain approval.

NU run game sputters; defense can't solve backup QB

The offense stumbled early. The defense withered late. And a notable giant-slayer notched another mark on its Big Ten slingshot. Northwestern 28, Nebraska 25. It's the fifth straight year the Huskers have lost to an unranked team at home. "We laid an egg," defensive end Eric Martin said. Nebraska lost control of the Big Ten Legends Division as quickly as it gained it. NU's newly anointed Blackshirts were red-faced after giving up 468 yards — 308 in the second half — to the Wildcats' three-headed quarterback.

'Mr. Baseball' caught Carson's jabs

Johnny Carson's foundation gives $1 million to establish a performing arts scholarship at UNL.

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