LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns, Imani Cross added a career-high 109 yards and a TD, and No. 21 Nebraska beat Illinois 45-14 on Saturday night.
The Cornhuskers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are off to their best start since 2010 heading into next week’s game at No. 9 Michigan State.
Wearing all-red alternate uniforms on homecoming, the Huskers rushed for 458 of their 624 total yards.
Illinois (3-2, 0-1) started Reilly O’Toole at quarterback in place of Wes Lunt. O’Toole was 17 for 38 for 261 yards and two touchdowns and was intercepted three times, twice by Daniel Davie.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State forced UTEP into three-and-outs on its first five possessions, leaving Wildcats coach Bill Snyder pleased when the Miners finally picked up a long-awaited first down.
“It gave me something to complain about at halftime,” Snyder said with a wry smile.
There wasn’t much else to complain about.
Charles Jones ran for three touchdowns, Tyler Lockett returned a punt for another score and Snyder’s 25th-ranked Wildcats romped to a 58-28 victory Saturday.
DeMarcus Robinson and Jake Waters also had touchdown runs, and Waters threw for 209 yards and another score as the Wildcats (3-1) finished non-conference play by taking out their frustrations from a close loss to fifth-ranked Auburn on the hapless Miners.
UTEP (2-2) managed one first down and 23 yards of offense in the first half, when Kansas State raced to a 31-0 lead. Running back Aaron Jones, the nation’s second-leading rusher, was held to 47 yards — all but nine of them after halftime.
“Kansas State’s run defense was one of the best defenses I’ve seen in a long time,” UTEP coach Sean Kugler said. “They were very effective at stopping the run.”
Jameil Showers threw four TD passes for the Miners, all with the game well out of reach.
Kansas State blew a chance to beat Auburn nine days ago in part by missing three field goals, but took control early Saturday mainly on the strength of its special teams.
The Wildcats blocked a punt on the game’s first series to set up a field goal, then had another block wiped out by a referee’s inadvertent whistle. Later in the half, Lockett returned a punt 58 yards for a score, and had a 51-yard return set up another TD just before halftime.
“I’m starting to get comfortable back there,” said Lockett, who has returned four kickoffs for touchdowns but hasn’t returned punts nearly as much.
Things were such a nightmare for the UTEP special teams that the only folks in the stadium having a rougher afternoon may have been referee Alan Eck’s officiating crew.
Not only did they blow an erroneous whistle on the blocked punt, they also couldn’t seem to figure out whether to award UTEP a do-over on it. Eck spent more than 10 minutes on the radio with the replay officials trying to get everything sorted out, and then was booed by the 16th straight sellout at Bill Snyder Family Stadium when he allowed UTEP to punt again.
“Apparently there’s a rule that I’m totally unaware of, and trust me, that’s the first thing I’m going to do when I walk out of here, I’m going to find that rule,” Snyder said. “They did the best they could, it just took them an hour-and-a-half to do it.”
It didn’t matter a whole lot in the end.
Lockett torched the Miners for 84 yards receiving, moving past his uncle Aaron Lockett and former Wildcats star Michael Smith for third on the school’s career list. Lockett has 2,469 yards, trailing only Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson and his father, Kevin Lockett.
His ability to stretch the defense loosened things up for the Kansas State rushing attack, which was bottled up by Auburn. Charles Jones had 76 yards before leaving with what appeared to be a minor injury in the third quarter, and Kansas State piled up 188 yards on the ground.
“Great game plan,” Jones said with a smile.
Given how quickly the Wildcats’ offense scored, their defense could barely catch its breath.
That made its performance all the more impressive: UTEP didn’t pick up a first down until there was about 5 minutes left before halftime.
“It’s the best defense I’ve faced since I’ve been in college,” said Aaron Jones, a sophomore.
By the time the third quarter ended and Kansas State led 52-7, Snyder had his starters on the bench, resting up for a return to Big 12 play.
The Wildcats already beat Iowa State on the road earlier in the season. They welcome Texas Tech next week before a potentially pivotal showdown at No. 4 Oklahoma on Oct. 18.
“We did some wonderful things and then we fell apart (when) we had twos go on the field that weren’t ready to play, and consequently some bad things happened,” Snyder said. “I thought we played well when we had to play well in the ballgame.”
LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) — Tyrone Swoopes passed for one touchdown and ran for another and Texas picked off four Kansas passes, leading the Longhorns to a 23-0 victory Saturday in the Big 12 opener.
Swoopes, in his first start in a conference game, was 19 for 34 for 218 yards and two TDs as Texas (2-2, 1-0) beat Kansas for the 12th straight time. A stifling Texas defense limited Kansas sophomore Montell Cozart to 12 for 31 for 140 yards and the four picks. Cornerback Duke Thomas had two of the interceptions and also broke up a short pass in the end zone on fourth down. Texas also sacked Cozart four times while holding the Jayhawks to 313 total yards.
All week long, Kansas (2-2, 0-1) kept the Texas fight song blaring across the practice field and filled the locker room with reminders that the Jayhawks had not beaten Texas in 76 years.
But Texas, despite crippling injuries and nine player dismissals, never trailed the team that has now lost 30 of its last 31 Big 12 games.
Thomas’ first interception and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty set up the touchdown that gave Texas a 13-0 halftime lead. Thomas intercepted Cozart’s pass and raced 24 yards to the 26, then the half-the-distance penalty gave the Longhorns a first down on the 13. Two plays later from the 7, Swoopes went around left end and squeezed into the corner of the end zone for the TD.
Kansas, failing to get a first down when linebacker Ben Heeney recovered a Texas fumble at the Kansas 2, punted to Jaxon Shipley, who sped 41 yards with the return and set up the Longhorns on the 18. On third-and-3, Swoopes hit Malcolm Brown for 10 yards to the 1. Next play, Swoopes spotted M.J. McFarland wide open in the back of the end zone. The extra-point attempt failed.
After taking over on downs late in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns made it 23-0 when Swoopes connected with John Harris on a 16-yard scoring pass. In the third quarter, Nick Rose, who missed the extra point after Texas’ first touchdown, kicked a 42-yard field goal.
Kansas, following a 35-yard pass play from Cozart to Jimmay Mundine, had a second-and-8 from the 18. But Cozart’s pass was tipped high into the air at the line and floated into the arms of Texas defender Quandre Diggs in the end zone. The Longhorns then marched all the way to the 5, aided by Armanti Foreman’s 30-yard gain on a reverse. But Heeney fell on what was described as a team fumble and turned the ball back to the Jayhawks on their own 2.
With their second possession of the second half, the Jayhawks marched all the way from their own 16 to the Texas 5. On fourth down, Cozart lofted a fade pass to Nigel King. But with Thomas defending, the ball fell incomplete.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is expressing concerns about the Islamic State group militants as he makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan.
Nixon is part of a delegation of four U.S. governors who traveled to Afghanistan over the weekend to receive counterterrorism briefings and greet troops. During a conference call Sunday with reporters, Nixon said the war on terror is becoming the “new normal.”
He says the situation in Afghanistan is improving, noting the country’s election of a new president and a soon-to-be-signed security agreement. But he says the expansion of terrorist groups into other areas is “sobering” and casting a shadow over the improvements. He said the situation pointed out continued responsibilities to “protect America and our way of life.”
The U.S. Department of Defense sponsored the trip.
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NEW YORK – Four U.S. governors are in Afghanistan as part of a delegation to receive counterterrorism briefings and to greet troops stationed there. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office says he’s in country with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon at the invitation of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
KANSAS CITY (AP) – A bridge near Arrowhead Stadium is being dedicated to former Kansas City Chiefs great Len Dawson.
The Kansas City Star reports that the Missouri Department of Transportation unveiled the sign Friday that will be posted in front of the bridge on East Stadium Drive over Interstate 435.
The 79-year old broadcaster and NFL Hall of Famer joined the Chiefs’ franchise in 1962. Over the next 14 seasons, he directed the team to three AFL Championships, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory.
A MODOT program allows certain individuals, events, places or organizations to be honored on Missouri’s state highway system.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors will be able to use incriminating statements made by a Lawrence man charged in a deadly apartment shooting.
The Lawrence Journal World reports that Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin ruled Friday that the statements are admissible in court. Thirty-year-old Dustin D. Walker is charged with first-degree murder in the March killing of 39-year-old Patrick Roberts.
The probable cause statement says the shooting happened while Walker was attempting to commit aggravated burglary.
Walker is being held in Douglas County Jail on a $1 million bond. He will next appear in court on Oct. 27, when a date for his jury trial will be set.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wolf Creek nuclear power plant is asking federal regulators for more time to replace a faulty sensor unit that provides an early warning of reactor coolant leaks.
The Wichita Eagle reports that normally the plant would have 30 days to make the fix. But because the repair involves shutting down the plant, operators want to wait until a scheduled shutdown at the end of February.
An unscheduled two- to three-day shutdown would cost customers more than $1 million.
Problems began on Aug. 31 when the sensor unit began to fail, providing false indications of a leak. Records show the sensor quit altogether on Sept. 3 after operators reset it five times in three days.
A lot of you turned out at St Joseph Civic Arena Saturday for the first (annual?) BaconFest St Joe Mo!
Not even the antics of some non meat-eating protesters could dampen the enthusiasm. St Joseph Police say the protesters hung a banner and left the premises before officers arrived. There were no arrests.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Brown’s parents say they are unmoved by the Ferguson, Missouri, police chief’s apology in their son’s shooting death by a police officer.
Instead, Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr. said in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday they would rather see an arrest, and Brown Sr. said he wants the police officer “in handcuffs.”
Their unarmed 18-year-old son, who was black, was fatally shot last month by Darren Wilson, who is white.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson offered an apology (Watch Below) for Brown’s body lying in the street for more than four hours. McSpadden said “yes” when asked whether Jackson should be fired.
The parents also expressed anger at Ferguson police who wore bracelets expressing support for Wilson. McSpadden says that lets her know “how they feel.”
OLATHE — Johnson County announced that Tim DeWeese, a longtime staff member of the Johnson County Mental Health Center, will be its new director.
For nearly two years, DeWeese has served as director of clinical services, overseeing the center’s largest operating division. He also served as the center’s director of community support services and as a crisis case-management team leader.
He previously worked at the Guidance Center in Leavenworth and Comprehensive Mental Health Services in Independence, Mo.
DeWeese replaces Maureen Womack, who resigned late last year amid turmoil about the center’s finances and its general operation.
An outside review team recommended revamping of the board’s leadership structure and included two dozen recommendations for county officials to consider.
“Tim has been instrumental in assisting with navigating (the center) through the aftermath of the past executive director’s resignation, in conducting a thorough review of the organization’s programs and services, and beginning our transition back to programmatic and financial stability,” Assistant County Manager Maury Thompson said in a news release Thursday.
“Our employees have persevered through a challenging period,” DeWeese said in the release. “These challenges will assist us in making needed changes, resulting in an organization positioned for a bright future.”
