Stats and comments

Steve Octavian has not been a major factory this season. Injuries have slowed him. Cody Glenn may not play again this week.

Barry Turner has been quiet in the sack department with only one. He has been quiet so far this year. Who would have thought.

Nebraska is converting third downs at a 57-percent rate, compared to 33 percent last season and 31 percent in 2004.

Nebraska has 14 rushing touchdowns this season. We only had 10 all last season. Much improved and there is no reason to think the pace won't continue. Thank you offensive line.

The offensive line is led by Byford, Austin, Christensen, Huff, Patrick, and Slauson. Murtha has moved to the second team which showed there is some distance from the first and second teams.

Where is Brandon Johnson ? Suh looks like he may be ready for some increased playing time. He looks real good.

Nebraska is among six teams nationally to rank among the top 30 in rushing offense, passing offense and total offense. The others: Missouri, Louisville, Oregon, Arizona State and Washington State.

Nebraska ranks 10th nationally in rushing offense (224.25) after winding up 107th last season at 96.0. Again the offensive line has a lot to say about this.

Nebraska ranks No. 6 in total offense (472.50) after finishing 96th last year (320.33). The competition will get a little tougher with the Big 12 coming on but not much better.

Zac Taylor has completed 70.8 percent of his passes, and his 178.26 pass-efficiency rating ranks third nationally. He is throwing the ball as well as any QB in the country. Too bad we had to play USC. Reid from Okie State has a pass-efficiency rating of 185.1.

No receiver from NU is in the top ten in receptions or receiving yards in the Big 12. Titchener is 8th in the Big 12 in punting with a 39.4 average. We have nobody in the top eight in the Big 12 in kickoff returns.

Jim Ganz was a little shaky last week but we hope he continues to improve in future games.

Itis a sure bet the Arizona St fans would like to have Sam Keller back right now. Rudy Carpenter had four interceptions in their blowout loss last weekend.

Kansas is fourth in the Big 12 in Rushing Defense allowing only 81.8 yards a game. Nebraska will up that average this weekend.

Nebraska leads the Big 12 in total offense and is third in the Big 12 in total defense.

Predictions

COLLEGE
Nebraska 27 Kansas 10
Iowa 24 Ohio State 21
Auburn 21 South Carolina 17
Florida 21 Alabama 20
Michigan 35 Minnesota 14
Texas 45 Sam Houston St. 0
Louisville 36 Mississippi 7
LSU 39 Mississippi St 10
Kansas St 27 Baylor 17
Missouri 31 Colorado 17
Iowa St 27 N. Iowa 10
Texas A & M 27 Texas Tech 21


HIGH SCHOOL
Elwood 32 Loomis 26
Cozad 25 Holdrege 21
Millard South 27 Omaha Central 14
Lincoln East 24 Lincoln NE 14
Millard North 35 Creighton Prep 14
Hastings 23 Aurora 21
Omaha Skutt 28 Gretna 17
Ralston 21 Plattsmouth 14
Wood River 29 Adams Central 7
Chase County 38 Chadron 21
Howells 42 West Point CC 14
Clay Center 28 Hampton 21

Sports Shorts

Kent Pavelka will broadcast the NU basketball games replacing Randy Lee. It was not mentioned if Matt Davison will still be at his side. This comes after Pinnacle Sports were bought out.

Cody Glenn has been missed after not playing the past two weeks.

The offensive line for NU played very well against Troy. The backs had some big holes to run through. Marlon Lucky's 51 yard TD was fun to watch as he made some nice moves.

Get Notre Dame out of the top 20 at least. They are very overrated.

Georgia 14 Colorado 13.......It's hard to believe there isn't parity on college football.

The Doane Tigers continue to lose....??

Silas Fluellen passes for three TD's to give Wayne State theit first win.

Chadron State is vastly improved as they go to 4-0. Danny Woodhead has four more TD's.

Why can't the US win the Ryder Cup?

Jeff Burton wins at Dover. It has been a while.....since there wasn't a burnout after the win. Great job Jeff!

Does anybody know who the World Heavyweight Boxing Champ is? It wasn't that long ago where having that title was one of the biggest achievements in sports.

NU dominated Troy because Troy had played two back to back games against Florida State and Georgia State AND because NU had a very good game. Special teams need to improve. Our punting is not the greatest, returns on punts and kickoffs need improvement and we need to kick off deeper so teams don't start with good field position. The kickoff coverage has been very good overall to compensate for the short kicks.

HS Game of the Week..... Holdrege and Cozad

College Games of the Week... Ohio State at Iowa Oregon at Arizona State

Rudy Carpenter had four interceptions this week. Do you suppose Arizona State wants Sam Keller now?

Can we improve from our 40-15 loss to Kansas last year when we play them for Homecoming this week? Hard to believe now that we lost that bad last year.

Matt Hill interview

Picture Source:Rivals.com

This article was sent to us by Cindy Hill, Matt's mother. Read to hear the latest on Matt. The interview was done by TexasSports.com.

Q&A with Matt Hill

09/21/2006

Post Matt Hill is one of seven freshmen preparing for their first season of college basketball with the Longhorns. Hill was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at Lincoln Southeast High School (Lincoln, Neb.), where he set school career records in scoring (1,242 points), rebounds (755) and blocks (244).

He averaged 20.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game while leading Southeast to a 20-5 mark and the Nebraska state semifinals as a senior. Hill was tabbed Mr. Basketball and the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Nebraska in his senior season.

Hill recently sat down with TexasSports.com to talk about his early impressions of Texas Basketball, the transition between high school and college and the start of individual workouts.

What are your general thoughts now that you are three weeks into fall semester classes and individual workouts? It has been a little difficult managing both school and workouts. It feels like most days you go from place to place to place with no breaks for a while. It has been an adjustment, but it's definitely teaching me the importance of managing my time.

How do you feel you are progressing on the court in the workouts? I feel pretty good about how I'm doing on the court. I'm trying to learn the system, do what the coaches tell me to and adjust to the college game.

What are the major differences you've seen to this point between high school and college basketball? Everyone is your size. The speed of the game and the individual players are a lot faster at the college level. Players are much more skilled and there is definitely more action above the rim.

What have been some of the differences between your hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska and Austin? Austin is a little more liberal. It is different than Lincoln, but I like it and it's been a good change for me. I'll always love Lincoln since it's my hometown, but I definitely have grown to like Austin a lot.

How important was it for you to come in early this summer with the rest of the freshman class? It was really important. Getting to know where all the buildings are on campus and getting adjusted to taking college classes was very helpful. It also was important to get to know the other players. Coming in cold in the fall would have been really tough. The chemistry that we built over the summer was pretty big.

Did you see any benefits from your time with (strength and conditioning coach) Todd Wright over the summer? Coach Wright knows his stuff. It's almost like he knows my body better than I do, so he is able to point out areas for improvement. Being able to work with him is really going to be big for my development. He really helped increase my flexibility and range-of-motion during the summer.

How does it make you feel to hear all the players consider you the surprise of the summer pick-up games? It does make me feel good. I knew I was under-the-radar coming in, so I didn't expect the other guys to know that much about me. I felt like I played the way I always have during the summer.

With so many new faces playing together for the first time, how would you rate the chemistry of the team right now? I think our chemistry is great. All the players get along really well. Coming in this summer helped a lot. You can tell that on the court, we are starting to get know each other's games and play well together.

Is there a difference between Coach Barnes as a recruiter and the coach you see on the court? He does bring a different demeanor once he gets on the court. He wants you to get better every time you get on the court, and I like that. But I do think he is the same guy I got to know during the recruiting process. He is pretty personal with all the players.

What's your favorite part of playing in the post? I like being able to do the dirty work. I like the feeling of outworking other guys, being physical, getting rebounds and being scrappy.

http://www.texassports.com/?s=&url_channel_id=16&url_article_id=4835&change_well_id=2

Mike Masin will be NU walkon

In the Lincoln Southeast-Lincoln East basketball game last year, this writer noticed the big kid who come in the game for Matt Hill. He could run well and was quick. His name was Matt Masin. . As a basketball player, Matt went 7-7 from the field in consecutive games.

Matt is one of the biggest kids playing high school football in Nebraska in 2006. He is 6'7" and weighs 300 lbs.

Masin was a leader for the Lincoln Southeast team. He started on both defense and offense in the line. Last year they were beaten by the state champs Millard North in the first round of the playoffs 49-0. This game was a huge disappointment but also was a building block during the summer for them to get better in 2006.

Mike will be a NU walk on this fall. Read what Mike had to say before the 2006 football season:

Favorite Game Memory:

"Beating Lincoln Northeast last season"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:

"Zach Potter"

Best Team You have Played Against and the Year:

"Millard North 2005"

Favorite Team (Pro and College):

"Nebraska"

Favorite Player:

"Kurt Mann"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Iowa State, Kansas, Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Colorado State, Nebraska, UN-Kearney"

College(s) You Are Interested In:

"Iowa State, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado State"

PERSONAL

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Will Ferrell"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:

"Talledega Nights"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:

"The Daily Show"

Which Person Would You Like To Be Like:

"Will Shields"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Music and my farm"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:

"Work Hard"

At the Louisiana Tech/NU game last fall,Jake Gdowski and Masin were together visiting. This writer motioned over Jake and in visiting with him, he was asked about Masin. Jake said "he is really nice guy and a good football player!" He was the biggest recruit visiting that day.

We wish Mike the best of luck at Nebraska and will be looking forward to following his progress in the coming seasons.

Thanks for providing us with this information.

Matt May

Picture Source:Rivals.com


C-1 #2 ranked Chase County has rolled over their opponents this fall. They are 3-0 with wins over Perkins County (41-0), Hershey (49-0) and Kimball (66-8) They are led my Mike May, a standout running back and linebacker.

Last year Matt ran for 1700 yards, had 177 receiving yards, and 28 touchdowns. On defense he had 130 tackles with 2 interceptions.

Luke Pinkelman, of Cozad, rated Matt May as the "Best Athlete He Has Played Against".

Here is what Matt had to say in his questionaire:

Favorite Game Memory:

"Beating Cozad on a last second field goal"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:

"Eric Pieper-Norfolk Catholic"

Favorite Team (Pro and College):

"Indianapolis Colts, Miami Hurricanes"

Favorite Player:

"Walter Payton, Present-A.J Hawk"

Colleges Interested in You:

"University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ohio, South Dakota State, Iowa, UNO, Colorado State, Iowa State"

College(s) You Are Interested In:

"Same"

PERSONAL

What Are Your Favorite Book:

"Crunch Time-Jim Grassi"

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Will Ferrell"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:

"Friday Night Lights"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:

"My Name is Earl, The Colbert Report"

Which Person Would You Like To Be Like:

"Steve Carell"

What Are Your Hobbies:
"Lake Activities, watching movies"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:

"Work hard, play for the right reasons, use my teammates"

Matt is 6'1" and weighs 185 lbs. He thinks he will play safety or cornerback in college. He will make an outstanding addition to whatever college he attends. He benches 300 lbs. and squats 600 lbs. He runs the 40 in 4.5 and has a 32 inch vertical jump.

We wish Matt well and will follow his progress as the year goes. Chase County should battle Norfolk Catholic in the finals in C-1 if everything goes as they should.

One interesting point is Hershey is ahead of Chase County in wildcard points 48 to 45 but Chase County beat them 49-0.

Thanks Matt for providing us with your information.

Not embarrassed against the Trojans

Two years ago we lost to Texas Tech 70-10. Last year we lost to Kansas 40-15. Last Saturday we went against USC at the Coliseum in LA. We lost 28-10. WE played hard and we played smart overall.

Bill Callahan and staff went with a game plan that if we would have had a couple of breaks in the 4th quarter, we might have been in a position to win. So why all the fuss about we didn't play to win. If we would have come out throwing on every play which is what the quick and fast USC team wanted us to do, the score might have been 65-20 and we would have been out of the game in the first quarter.

We had a couple of passes we could have picked off for TD's which would have been the break we needed. We had a Lucky fumble that was crucial. We had a 15 yard penalty after a 20 yard run by Wilson. It seemed we had the momentum at that point. But they played hard.

We had them confused on defense until they threw the pass to a receiver on the line of scrimmage and then another received blocked the CB and the receiver ran for a number of yards. They ran this play a few times and were successful. When we had to cover this play, it opened up a number of opportunites for USC. Their passing game opened up and was successful. But even then with a couple of breaks we could have won. Should we have won, no, but we were given a chance because of the game plan.

Basketball teams didn't try to run against the old UNLV teams cause that would have played right into their game. When Lucky was caught from behind by a 260 lb linebacker you knew they had a bunch of skilled players.

USC is darn good and I think they will have a good chance to end up #1. Jarrett and Smith will catch a lot of balls in the NFL. They have five or six defensive players who may star in the NFL. John David Booty can play in the NFL.

Think about all the criticism given to Callahan and his staff. They spend 18 hours a day studying football and they have a staff that is as good as any in college football. I guess it is everybody's right to say what we should have done to win the game. Most of the critics never played football but they now know more than a coach that has taken a team to the Super Bowl. This writer believes we did the best thing for us to win.

We have a really tough game coming this Saturday and we will need to be at the top of our game to win. Then on to the Big 12 and the run to the champioship game. Should be fun and have faith in the players and coaches!

Let us know how you feel about the game plan with USC and the rest of the season outlook.

Matt Donahue

Picture Source:Rivals.com
Fremont High School has one of the finest receivers and defensive backs in Nebraska high school this year. He is Matt Donahue. Recruiters are impressed with his 6'2" 170 lb. frame and his speed.

Fremont is 1-2 this season with all the games being close. Against Lincoln NE, Matt finished with three receptions for 94 yards, including a 59-yard TD reception. Matt also had three interceptions.

Here is what Matt had to say in our questionaire.

Favorite Game Memory:

"My junior year against North Platte or beating Lincoln Southwest my sophmore year"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:
"John Fisher-Lincoln Northeast"

Best Team You have Played Against and the Year:

"Kearney"

Favorite Team (Pro and College):
"Tampa Bay, Huskers"

Favorite Player:

"Chad Johnson"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Colorado State, Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Iowa St., Illinois, South Dakota St., Northern Iowa"

College(s) You Are Interested In:
"Don't know yet"

PERSONAL

What Are Your Favorite Books:

"Comedy"

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:
"Wedding Crashers"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:
"Sports Center"

Which Person Would You Like To Be Like:
"Michael Jordon-He is an all-around good guy"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Playing catch with a football"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:
"My grades"


Matt had 734 yards receiving and four interceptions in 2005. After only two games in 2006 he has four interceptions and 300 yards receiving.

Matt benches 215 lbs. and squats 315 lbs. He has a 4.48 40 time and has a vertical jump of 36 inches.

Matt averaged 21.8 yards a catch, with eight touchdowns in 2005. He tested well in the camps he attended this summer. Watch his progress this year and see if the Fremont Tigers can make it to the playoffs.

Thanks Matt for sending this information!

Wild scores

College

Iowa 27 Iowa St 17

Michigan St 38 Pittsburgh 23

#4 Auburn 7 #6 LSU 3

#2 Notre Dame get clobbered by Michigan This game was at Notre Dame For most teams this would knock them out of the Top 20 or so. I am sure ND will still be rated high.

#15 Oklahoma gets beat by Oregon in a wild one. Oklahoma had it won and then lost in the closing minutes.

#13 Tennessee lost to Florida

Texas Tech was beaten by TCU

Nebraska High School
Franklin 30 Cambridge 6 You have to look at that one for a while. Hard to believe. Franklon 3-0 and Cambridge 1-2

Millard South 27 Kearney 17 Omaha World-Herald's #1 Kearney gets its first loss. Millard South has beaten then #1 Millard North also.

Lincoln Southwest 24 Omaha North 23 The game of the week as Austin Cassidy hit Micah Fisher with a 76 yard TD pass late in the game. Omaha North has QB Philip Bates (Iowa State) and Niles Paul (Nebraska). They connected for two TD's.

Lincoln East 27 Omaha Benson 7 QB Ebke scores four times.

Ralston 27 Beatrice 20 OT

Millard North 21 Millard West 14 OT #4 MN beats #8 MW to go to 3-1.

#1 McCook 21 # Aurora 0 Kansas St recruit Josh Cherry ran for two touchdowns and throws for one.

Hastings beats Holdrege 23-17 in OT Holdrege had the lead 17-10 late in the game.

Lincoln SE beats #10 Creighton Prep 14-7 Souteast is playing better ball.

C-2 #2 Creighton 3 #10 Wakefield 8

8 Man-1 #5 Axtell 19 #4 Overton 15

8-Man-2 Clarkson 32 #2 Dodge 6

Anselmo-Merna 22 #4 Sargent 0

USC 28 NU 10

Nebraska played the top team in the nation tonight and gave a great effort. USC had the better talent but things could have been different if........

1. Andre Jones would have intercepted the pass in the second half. He had an easy trip to the end zone.

2. Marlon Lucky's fumble gave USC excellent field position and later they score a TD.

3. Cody Glenn's running would have helped as our success would have been from power vs speed tonight. USC was very quick and fast.

4. NU would have went to the pass more frequently and earlier in the game. It appeared we were trying to stay in the game by eliminating an huge turnovers and wait for some breaks to get us the lead. In the second half most of the breaks went to USC.

USC will have three or four players in the first round of the draft next year.

Danny Woodhead ran for four TD's and 324 yards as Chadron State upended Wayne State.

Joe Dailey did not play for North Carolina today and Josh freeman did not play for Kansas State.

The Big 12 is not a power this year. Five or six teams from the MAC Conference could play in the Big 12 and be very competitive.

Florida St and Miami (Fla) are down this year.

Top five college teams are 1) USC 2) Ohio St 3)Michigan 4)Auburn 5)Florida One team from the Pac-10, two from the Big 10 and two from the SEC.

Nebraska at USC

What's the score going to be. Post a comment.

Eric Love

Picture Source: Eric Love
Eric Love's most memorable game was in the playoffs last year. Sounds like it could be made into a movie, it is so amazing. Read below to see what he had to say.

The Cozad Haymakers went to 2-0 Friday with a win over No. 6 Scottsbluff at Scottsbluff 22-16. Eric scored an 11-yard run with 2:11 remaining in the game to give Cozad the win. He had 99 yards rushing. The previous week they beat Gothenburg 34-0.

Eric is a 5'9" 185 lb. running back. He benches 270 and squats 390. He has run a 4.56 40 and has a vertical jump of 30 inches.

In 2005, his junior year, Eric ran for 2015 yards and had one reception. He had 58 tackles and four interceptions of which he returned two for touchdowns of 40 and 50 yards.

Here is what Eric had to say in the questionaire:

Favorite Game Memory:

"Set a NSAA state single game post season rushing record against Kearney Catholic in the 2nd round of last year's playoffs. 33 carries for 445 yards. Went to the hospital at halftime for an IV. Scored four touchdowns in the game. First half I had 274 yards rushing and two touchdown runs of 19 yards and 94 yards. Second half I had 171 yards rushing and two touchdowns of 82 yards and 3 yards."

Favorite Team (Pro and College):

"Cowboys, Nebraska"

Favorite Player:

"Emmitt Smith"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Princeton, Colorado School of Mines, University of Nebraska, Omaha, South Dakota State, University of South Dakota, Chadron State College"

College(s) You Are Interested In:

"UNL, UNO, Colorado School of Mines, South Dakota State, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Colorado State"


PERSONAL

What Are Your Favorite Books:

"None"

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Will Ferrell"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:

"Animal House"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:

"Myth Busters"

Which Actor Would You Like To Be Like:

"None"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Hanging out with friends, snowmobiling, playing tennis, playing my guitar"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:

"Dedication and hard work in the weightroom and in the classroom"

Eric Love is a returning All-Stater this year. It looks like Cozad will be in the playoffs even though they have moved up to Class B. We wish you well this year.

Thanks for providing your information.

Chadron State 35 Montana State 24

Last week-Montana State 19 Colorado 10 The team that beat Colorado gets beat by Chadron State the following week. Just shows how wacky this season has become already. Chadron looks to be vastly improved.

Kansas State 45 Florida Atlantic 0 Josh Freeman goe 0-4 in passing with one interception. Too bad

Florida St. 24 Troy 17 Suppose Nebraska is looking past USC to Troy. Just kidding.

Kansas 21 Louisiana -Monroe 16 Is the Big 12 down that much this year. The Warhawks (whatever that is) had 453 total yards to Kansas's 360.

Ohio State 24 Texas 7 Ohio State is now clearly #1

I-AA New Hampshire 34 Northwestern 17 Wow! Parity in football is here.

Steve Octavien had six tackles today. His Blackshirt is on "pause" due to academic issues.

Buffalo 40 Bowling Green 48 2 OT's

Ohio 35 Northern Illinois 23

Maurice Purify caught his first TD pass today. He will have many more.

LUKE PINKELMAN

Picture Source:Rivals. Com

Cozad defeated Class B #6 Scottsbluff on Friday to go 2-0. Cozad is for real in Class B and one of the main reasons is Luke Pinkelman. Pinkelman plays offensive guard. At the Colorado St. football camp this summer he impressed their coaches. Many colleges are watching his progress this season.

Pinkelman also is a great shot putter. He won the Kansas Relays this spring with a throw of over 62'. He is talented to the level where he may be a two-sport participant at whatever college he attends.

Luke is 6'3" and weighs 275 lbs. He benches 410 and squats 530 lbs. He has ran the 40 in 5.07 and has a vertical jump of 27 inches. Luke has broke some of Chris Dishman's lifting records at Cozad.

In addition to Pinkelman, Nebraska commit Jared Crick and standout Eric Love also play for Cozad.

Here is what Luke had to say in our questionaire:

Favorite Game Memory:

"Playoffs against Kearney Catholic"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:

"Matt May-Imperial"

Favorite Team (Pro and College):

"Minnesota Vikings"

Favorite Player:

"Dan Marino"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Colorado State, Nebraska, Northwest Missouri State, Ohio, Iowa State, Oregon, Kansas, South Dakota State, Wyoming, Chadron State"

College(s) You Are Interested In:

"Nebraska, Northwest Missouri State, Iowa State, Colorado State, Chadron State, Oregon"

Are there other sports in College you would like to participate in:

"Track"

PERSONAL

What are your favorite books:

"Where the Red Fern Grows"

Who is Your Favorite Actor:

"Owen Wilson"

What is Your Favorite Movie:

"Friday Night Lights"

What is Your Favorite TV Show:

"ESPN"

What Actor Would You Like To Be Like:

"Owen Wilson"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Hunting and Fishing"

What is Important For You To Be Successful:

"To work hard, have goals, and to have character"

Luke will have to decide between Division I football and track or both. He is a very talented individual. He will be a major contributor to the Cozad Haymakers this year and they should go far into the playoffs. We hope you have a great year in football and track.

Thank you for sharing your information with us.

ALEX STOVER

Picture Source:Rivals.com
The Gretna High School Dragons had a player verbally commit to a Division I school this week. He is Alex Stover, a standout offensive/defensive lineman and he will be playing for the Wyoming Cowboys next year. Alex is a three year starter on both offense and defense for Gretna. Alex plays guard and tackle on offense and noseguard and tackle on defense.

The 6'2" 260 lb. star will play in the defensive line for the Cowboys. He likes defense because it is more aggresive. Wyoming was attractive because it he likes to fish and hunt and he really likes the campus.

Alex benches 295 lbs. and squats 450 lbs. He has a vertical jump of 27". He ran a 4.87 at the Nebraska camp this summer.

Alex is one of five returning starting linemen for Gretna this year and they have high hopes to go a long way in the playoffs. He is a returning all-stater in Class B.

Here is what Alex had to say from our questionaire.

Favorite Game Memory:

"Winning"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:

"Wayland Latham and Cole Brunner"

Editor note: Cole Brunner, from Elkhorn Mt. Michael is playing for the Ohio Bobcats this year. Wayland Latham played for Omaha Skutt and was also a standout wrestler.

Favorite Team (Pro and College):

"Broncos"

Favorite Player:

"Terrel Davis"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Iowa, Iowa State, South Dakota State, Colorado State, Wyoming, Kansas, and Kansas State"

College(s) You Are Interested In:

"Wyoming"

Personal

What Are Your Favorite Books:

"Any Louis L' Amour or Gary Paulsen books"

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Vin Diesel"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:

"Gone in 60 Seconds"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:

"Law and Order, CSI"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Hunting, fishing, outdoors, cars, friends, and family"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:

"So I look back and know I made an impact. A difference"

Wyoming coach Joe Glenn feels he can make a difference for them in the next couple of years too. Good luck to Alex this year in doing well in the playoffs.

Thank you for completing the questionaire!

NOAH KELLER

Picture Source:Rivals.com

Class A top ranked Kearney has two outstanding linebackers that are as good as pair in high school football in Nebraska this year. One is Joey Rousseau. The other is Noah Keller. Scout.com says this about Noah. "Keller ranks as the top linebacker prospect in Nebraska in 2006. As a junior, in nine games, he recorded 121 tackles (48 solo), 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception. "

Noah is 6'1" and weighs 225 lbs. He benches 330 lbs and squats 600 lbs. He runs the 40 in 4.6 and has a vertical jump of 37 inches. Allen Bradford, the five-star recruit that went to USC in the 2006 recruiting class, had a vertical jump of 29 inches.

In 2005, Keller had 306 yards rushing as a fullback and 147 yards receiving. Keller and Rousseau both can become Kearney's all-time tackler with app 100 tackles this year. They were tied at the beginning of the year.

As a junior Keller won the all-class gold medal with a throw of 62' 31/4" at the Nebraska State Track meet.

We received Noah's questionaire and here is what he had to say.

Favorite Game Memory:

"Shutting out Millard West, then the #1 ranked team in the state, 24-0."
"Winning the State Class A and All-Class shotput this last May at the Nebraska State Track meet"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:

"Zach Potter"

Favorite Team (Pro and College):

"San Fransisco 49-ers and Virginia Tech Hokies"

Favorite Player:

"Lawrence Taylor"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Colorado State, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio plus many others"

College(s) You Are Interested In:

"Same as above"


Personal

What Is Your Favorite Books:

"Bleachers , By John Grisham"

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Will Ferrell"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:

"Friday Night Lights"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:

"Family Guy"

Which Actor Would You Like To Be Like:

"Samuel L. Jackson"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Football, hanging with friends, and paintball"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:

"Grades"

Noah was picked as one of the "Super Six" players in Nebraska this year by the Omaha World-Herald. Noah has been offered Division I scholarships by Colorado State and Ohio. He would look great in a Nebraska uniform. Good luck in picking your school.

Thank you Noah for completing the questionaire!

Sports shorts

Former Husker Drew Anderson, of Kearney, has now played in 13 games with AAA Nashville. He is batting 301 with three doubles, one triple, five RBIs, and 12 runs.

Alex Gordon is batting 325 with 29 HRs and 97 RBIs.

Ben Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy and will miss the opener. He was not wearing a helmut during the surgery.

Doc Sadler's brother Pedro has said that the NU practices will be unlike any we have seen before. Most of the practices will be open to the public.

The NFL season starts in three days.

Who is the best running back for NU? They are all good. Brandon Jackson had the run of the day on his touchdown. Kenny Wilson had a great run for a TD but it was called back. Glenn ran really well shoeing power and speed. Marlon Lucky showed a lot of power vs last year.

The offensive line seemed to work best when Nicks, Slauson, Patrick, Austin, Huff, Christensen, and Mann were in the rotation. They are improved this year.

The loss of Philip Dillard will be felt. He was having a sensational game before his injury. With his loss, Lance Bradenburgh moves over to back up McKeon at middle linebacker and Clayton Sievers moves behind Stewart Bradley. Sievers played tight end Saturday also.

With the loss of Isaiah Fluellen, backup to Cortney Grisby, Titus Brother or Corey Young or Anthony West will need to stepup to a backup roll. Corey Young is a true freshman from Millard North. Anthony West is also a true Freshman. Seems like we have ten receivers that are excellent but the secondary backups are good but young.

There is celebration in Orleans, Beaver City, and Oxford as Southern Valley beat Cambridge 21-0. This is the first time since they consolidated in 1995.

Ratings here are: Class A #1 Lincoln Southwest #2 Millard South #3 Omaha Westside #4 Millard North #5 Kearney

Class B #1 Omaha Skutt #2 Elkhorn #3 McCook

The Kansas City Royals are now competitive and fun to watch.

One last race to the Chase. Kasey Kayne is only 30 points from the top ten. The next race is Richmond Saturday night. What a track for the final race. Anything can happen.

Surprise College football scores.......Montana State 19 Colorado 10...Rutgers 21 North Carolina 16 Joe Dailey actually had a good game hitting 67% of his passes for 234 yards and one touchdown. He had two interceptions but the last one on the final drive was caused by the receiver not continuing his pattern. ............Oklahoma 24 UAB 17......Kansas State 24 Illinois State 23 Josh Freeman did not play ........Iowa State 45 Toledo 43

Nebraska High School football

Brad Hartzog, who officiated at the Overton-Kenesaw game was impressed with Andy McCarter and Joel Hodgson. McCarter had 2 rushing T.D.'s. One for 60 yards and the other 55 yards. Hodgson had 3 T.D.'s. First was 4 yards, second was 1 yard and third was 39 yards. Overton won 35-6.

Jake Gdowski who attended the Nebraska game said that Jim Ebke of Lincoln East was "an impressive player". Ebke threw for 180 yards and three toughdowns and had 98 yards rushing and a touchdown in the 35-7 win over Grand Island.

Lincoln Southwest, who this writer rates #1 in Class A, was led by Austin Cassidy who ran for 219 yards from his QB position.

Jordon Langer of Lincoln Christian had 329 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Casey Hauptman of Millards North had 257 yards passing and two touchdowns. Yes, Coach Fred Petito must be passing more this year. Tyler Vandament, from Bellevue West had 170 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Tyler's grandparents are from Holdrege. Niles Paul, the Husker recruit, had 165 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Surprise scores of the week.......C-2 #10 Amherst 0 Ravenna 41 Class B #1 Beatrice 13-#4Elkhorn 28 8 Man-2 #4 Falls City SH 32 NC Lourdes 50

Lincoln Southwest plays Lincoln Southeast this week. Standouts Ollie Sloup and Austin Cassidy will lead the favorite Southwest team against SE.

Elkhorn plays at Gretna this week in a game that means a lot every year in Class B. Lineman Alex Stover leads Gretna this year. Kevin Thomsen of Elkhorn has had offers from Wyoming and Colorado State.

In C-1 #10 Auburn plays Ashland-Greenwood who is rated 7th in a big game. Two-time 1000 yard rusher Luke Lundy plays for Auburn.

Kearney Catholic plays Hastings St Cecelia. Kearney Catholic is rated #8. Clay Center goes to #2 in EM-1 Bruning-Davenport. Clay Center is #1 in EM-2. Bruning-Davenport is the returning champion and has Cory Voss, a linebacker, and Preston Lentler, a lineman, who are standouts.

Also in EM-2 action, Mullen plays at #6 Sargent. Jacob Davenport had 39 TD's and 2,314 yards rushing in 2005. They also have LB Ian Cox who is a defensive standout.

Go to a game and enjoy!!!!!

Tunnel Walk

Saturday's game began with a pregame ceremony that included the display of a large "Power of Red" banner and the performance of "God Bless the USA" by grammy award-winning artist Lee Greenwood before the Huskers took the Tunnel Walk onto the field from North Stadium for the first time since the 1973 season. This writer found the salute to the armed forces who have given their lives or have placed their lives in harms way very emotional. One person said "Am I in heaven" as Lee Greenwood sang.

Before the first tunnel walk, on the new HuskerVision big screen was the appearance of legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy by stating there was no place better to be than Memorial Stadium on a college football Saturday. Two national guard members who were in Iraq opened the "door" to the tunnel as the Cornhuskers entered the field.

This writer was in the new North Stadium where his seats are in section 40 row 86. The new big screen was easy to see which was a concern before the game. The view of the game was great. The crowd was great. The players played great for a first game.

The only negative that could be said about the new North Stadium was the distance to the exit to get to and from your seat. It takes a little more time but it is manageable.

The whole event was an "experience" that many are looking forward to again this Saturday against Nicholls State.

What are your comments as to the pre-game and the new addition?

Nebraska gets their 10th commit

Quentin Castille, a running back from LaPorte, Texas, commited to Nebraska today. According to Rivals.com, he had favored Nebraska before the visit and was very impressed during the visit. He is a 6' 1" 234 lb running back. Nebraska plans to take one more back this year.

Wild and Crazy predictions for the game today!

Be ready for some real surprises today!

We are supposed to be in our seats today for something special. Here is my vision for something special. With the new north endzone there will be excitement today. As the Tunnel Walk begins you will see the players come through the walk going crazy and the crowd ignites. Red smoke filters through the air as the players to get close to the northwest part of the field. As the smoke is blinding, out comes Bill Callahan leading the Huskers on to the field. To the Coach's right is Larry The Cable Guy in a four wheeler holding a Nebraska flag. To his left is Taylor Hicks, the winner of America Idol, running and bobbing to his left. Right behind the Coach is Shakira in a skimpy red outfit. The crowd erupts and cheers for 37 minutes as the game is delayed. Finally Larry The Cable Guy talks in the loud speaker and says "Now that was fun right there, I don't care what you say! Go Huskers!" The crowd gives a standing ovation for 18 more minutes during which time Taylor Hicks and Shakira dance and wiggle around and arouse the crowd. Taylor Hicks sings the National Athem with Shakira with Shakira mostly dancing.

Highlights of the game include 8 sacks by half time with Adam Carriker having four. Kenny Wilson runs the ball on the last play of the first half. He breaks tackles to get from the 22 yard line down to the one. He stops runs backs the other way 20 yards and them runs back through the endzone breaking a total of 29 tackles.

Maurice Purify catches three passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Nebraska rushes most of the day and piles up over 300 yards in rushing but the defensive players are the heroes.

Nebraska 57-7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry The Cable Guy makes his NU prediction!!

Go to the Lincoln Journal Star Blog and read Larry's prediction and the comments made!

Lincoln Journal Blog

Now thats funny right there!!!