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Author: Dave Riggert

Missouri Western soccer team shuts out Graceland

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The Missouri Western soccer team upset Graceland University the 16th ranked NAIA school 2-0 on Sunday afternoon in Spratt Stadium. Katie Kempf recorded her second and third goal of the season while goalkeeper Kelly Voigts recorded her second shutout of the season with nine saves. MWSU improves to 2-2 on the season with the victory.

The Griffons went up 1-0 in the first half when Kempf took a Teddie Serna assist in the 36th minute of play. Missouri Western recorded three shots with two on goal while the Yellow Jackets had six shots and five on goal in the first half.

In the second period MWSU went up 2-0 in the 58th minute when Kempf took a corner kick from K.C. Ramsell and put it in the back of the net. Voigts had four saves in the second period while Serna took four shots.

In the game the Griffons had 14 shots with five on goal while Graceland had 16 with nine on goal. Graceland falls to 4-1 with the loss.

The Griffons open up MIAA play on Friday, September 14 when they take on the Truman State University Bulldogs in Kirksville, Mo. Kickoff is set for 4:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Chiefs struggle in 2nd half and get blown out by Atlanta

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Tony Gonzalez boarded the first bus to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, eager to arrive as early as possible to start what’s likely his final season in the place where it all began.

The Falcons made sure it was a happy return.

Matt Ryan threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, one of them to the longtime Chiefs tight end late in the third quarter, and Atlanta pulled away with a dynamic second-half scoring outburst for a 40-24 season-opening victory over Kansas City.

“It’s been like a homecoming for me,” Gonzalez said. “I just want all the fans to know, ‘I love you very much and thank you for letting this day be special.’ ”

They didn’t have much choice.

Ryan also ran for a TD, and Julio Jones caught six passes for 108 yards and two scores, both of them enjoying a Chiefs defense missing four starters due to injuries and suspension.

The highlight, though, was Gonzalez, the five-time All-Pro who spent his first 12 seasons in Kansas City. After making his TD grab, the ball squirted loose in the end zone. Ryan tracked it down and pushed it into Gonzalez’s hands, and as he’d done so many times, the former college hoops player dunked the ball over the goalpost — getting mostly boos from a crowd that once cheered him.

“He’s such a great part of this organization, you know, probably the greatest tight end to ever play the game,” Ryan said. “I think deep down in their hearts, Kansas City fans were happy to see that one more time.

“Maybe not at the time,” Ryan quickly added. “Maybe in retrospect.”

The Chiefs matched Atlanta most of the first half, trailing 20-17 at the break, but a missed field goal by Ryan Succop early in the third quarter proved to be the turning point.

Atlanta scored 20 unanswered points to put the game away.

Matt Cassel threw for 258 yards and had touchdowns running and throwing, but he also fumbled deep in Kansas City territory to set up a short TD drive, and his two interceptions created short fields that the Falcons turned into field goals by Matt Bryant.

“It’s only one game in a long season,” Cassel said. “We obviously have to make a lot of corrections and get better as a football team. We’ve got to play collectively.”

There was no controversy surrounding the replacement officials. Both times that referee Mike Shepherd went under the hood for a video review, the original call stood.

Jamaal Charles had 87 yards rushing, and Tony Moeaki had three catches for 37 yards, both providing a bright spot for Kansas City. The pair of them, along with safety Eric Berry, played their first regular-season games since tearing their left ACLs last season.

There were still plenty of injury woes to go along with the suspension of Pro Bowl linebacker Tamba Hali, who missed the game after violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

Starting safety Kendrick Lewis (right shoulder), cornerback Brandon Flowers (right heel) and defensive tackle Anthony Toribio (right ankle) were inactive due to injuries, and that seemed like chum in the water to one of the league’s top passing offenses.

“The fact that they weren’t there, really no one cares,” said Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel, “because all anyone wants to know is did you win or did you lose, and we lost today.”

Ryan set the tone with the Falcons’ opening series, marching 80 yards behind pinpoint passing before an 8-yard pass to Jones made it 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

The teams swapped field goals before the Chiefs answered with their own TD drive.

Cassel was 4 for 4 on the series, including a 21-yard pass to Dwayne Bowe and a 22-yard TD toss to tight end Kevin Boss, who was signed in the offseason to make precisely the kind of finger-tip grabs down the seam that got him into the end zone Sunday.

The teams kept trading haymakers the rest of the half.

Ryan connected with Roddy White three times on the Falcons’ ensuing drive, and a dump-off pass that Jones turned into a 14-yard score gave them the lead again. But the Chiefs had another answer when Cassel weaved his way into the end-zone from 5-yards out late in the second quarter.

Bryant added his second field goal just before half time for Atlanta, but Succop banged his own 40-yard try off the upright early in the second half, shifting the momentum for good.

The Falcons’ potent passing offense marched down field, Ryan capping the drive with a 5-yard scramble for a touchdown.

Three plays later, Cassel was blindsided by John Abraham and the ball squirted loose, and Stephen Nicholas pounced on it at the 7. Ryan hit Gonzalez in the back of the end zone on the very next play for a 34-17 lead, effectively putting the game away.

For the Falcons, in the most fitting fashion possible.

“Tony Gonzalez, without a doubt, is going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. “We knew it was going to be an emotional week for him and I’m sure he’s glad it’s over.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest soccer falls to Winona State

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Northwest Missouri State women’s soccer team lost a tightly contested game 2-1 to Winona State Sunday.

The first half was a battle of possession as neither team could gain an advantage. Winona State was able to get off seven shots in the first half as Northwest goalie Kelsey Adams kept the score at zero. The Bearcats managed four shots on goal but could not capitalize.

The second half started with a quick goal in the 49th minute by Samantha Fegen of Winona State.

Northwest answered back with a goal of their own by Amanda Bundrant with an assist by Natalie Long in the 57th minute.

It remained a 1-1 tie until the 77th minute when Caitlin Lilly put in what would be the determining goal for Winona State.

With the loss the Bearcats move their season record to 2-1-1. Northwest will head out on the road this week to open league play at Lindenwood at 7 p.m. Friday followed by a trip to Truman State Sunday.

The Bearcats will return home Sept. 25 to play Graceland at 4 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

No. 14 Griffons roll to 56-0 victory against William Jewell

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The 14th ranked Missouri Western football team posted a shutout for the second consecutive season against a non-conference opponent defeating William Jewell 56-0 in front of 4,811 fans in Spratt Stadium. Last season, MWSU defeated Langston University 47-0. The Griffons had 398 yards rushing as Michael Hill led the way going for over 200 yards for the second time in his career. Hill finished with 210 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 26 yards and a touchdown. The Griffons improve to 2-0 with the victory.

The Missouri Western football team dominated the first half of play against the William Jewell Cardinals taking a 35-0 lead into the locker room. In the first quarter the Griffons had 108 yards rushing with 80 through the air. Hill opened up the scoring with a 52 yard run just 48 seconds into the game giving the Griffons a 7-0 lead after the Taylor Anderson extra point.

The Griffons scored its second touchdown of the quarter just four minutes later when Travis Partridge hit Reggie Jordan from 11 yards out with 10:29 on the clock. Hill had 92 yards on eight carries in the quarter while Partridge had 80 yards passing.

The Cardinals used a trick play to get into Missouri Western territory early in the second quarter but Marc Harrison forced a fumble in the end zone which was recovered by linebacker Nick Williams.

Midway through the second quarter the Griffon offense got back on track scoring three touchdowns in four minutes. Dominic Thomas scored his first touchdown of the season on a 29 yard run with 7:36 left in the half. Hill then caught a 26 yard pass from Partridge before Raphael Spencer took his first ever rushing attempt as a Griffon 38 yards giving MWSU the 35 point halftime lead.

The Griffons had 335 yards of total offense in the frame with Hill going for 116 yards on 12 carries. Partridge finished the half with 129 yards and two touchdowns, completing 10-of-15 passes. Reggie Jordan, Derek Libby and Tyron Crockom all had two catches.

William Jewell had 127 yards with 122 coming through the air. Sean Shelton completed 8-of-10 passes for 67 yards while Jon Molzen had 76 yards on two catches.

Yomi Alli had nine tackles for the Griffons while Thomas Swoboda had eight. Griffon defensive end David Bass had one sack in the half which helped him set the all-time career sack record with 31. He broke Kinney Reddings mark of 30.5.

The second half started like the first as Hill broke tackles and tip toed down the sideline for a career long 92 yard touchdown run giving MWSU a 42-0 lead with 10:21 to play in the third.

The Cardinals put together a nice drive midway through the third but a Kirk Resseguie interception late in the third quarter ended the Cardinal threat.

Freshman quarterback Zach Hibbits scored his first touchdown of his career going in from three years out putting the Griffons up 49-0 with 12:20 to play in the game. Hibbits threw his first career touchdown pass late in the fourth to Andrew Molloy giving MWSU the 56-0 victory.

Missouri Western finished with 549 yards of offense with 23 first downs. Spencer finished the night with seven carries for 81 yards and a touchdown while Thomas had five carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively the Griffons held the Cardinals to just 211 yards with 178 coming through the air and 33 came on the ground. MWSU forced three turnovers, had four sacks and had nine tackles for a loss. Alli led the charge with 10 total tackles while Jordan Nicholas and Williams finished with eight.

Shelton had 118 yards passing connecting on 18-of-23 with two interceptions. Molzen had five catches for 92 yards while Shelton had 24 yards rushing on 13 carries. Jimmy DeStafano led the way with nine total tackles.

Missouri Western returns to action next Saturday, September 15 when they play host to the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Military Appreciation and Family Day. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats lose MIAA opener at Central Missouri

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A slow second quarter spelled an end to a nine-game winning streak as the 3rd-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats fell to Central Missouri 31-21 Saturday at Walton Stadium.

It was the first time since 2003 the Bearcats have lost to the Mules, which was also the last time Northwest started the season 0-1 in league play as the Bearcats would go on to claim the MIAA Championship. Overall Northwest moves its record to 1-1 while Central Missouri improves to 1-1 overall and 1-1 in MIAA play as well.

The Mules jumped out to an early 7-0 lead as Ian Colter found LaVance Taylor in the flat. Taylor made one move and then raced 62-yards for the game’s first score. Colter would go on to throw for 317 yards and four touchdowns in the UCM win.

Northwest would even the score as a James Franklin leap over the line on 4th-and-1 evened the score at 7-7. The Bearcats were held under 100 yards rushing as a team for the first time since a 2010 win over the Mules in the National Quarterfinals. Franklin led Northwest with 51 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

The second quarter would spell doom for the Bearcats as the Mules would score 17 unanswered points to extend its lead to 24-7.

Northwest would miss a 39-yard field goal attempt on its first possession of the second half. From there the Bearcats would try to recover, but the Mules would march 78 yards in 10 plays to extend the lead to 31-7 after missed field goal.

The Bearcats would scramble for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter; however the deficit proved too large.

Trevor Adams found Jordan Simmons across the middle for a 42-yard touchdown pass with 13:54 left in the game. A successful two-point conversion attempt for the Bearcats made the score 31-15.

The final score for Northwest would come after a Brandon Dixon interception set up a 34-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Bryce Young. Northwest would again go for two, however it would be unsuccessful.

Adams finished the day 28-of-49 for 335 yards, his third highest total since becoming the starter last year. He added two touchdowns with the second going to Young late in the fourth quarter to make the score 31-21.

Adams targeted Young 11 times for 163 yards and one touchdown in the loss.

Northwest returns home next Saturday to face Fort Hays State as they host Military Appreciation Day at Bearcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Mizzou loses 2nd half lead and falls to Georgia, 41-20

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No. 7 Georgia trailed by eight points early in the third quarter and was down by three late in that quarter. Missouri was rising to the occasion in its SEC debut, fueled by a sellout crowd that anticipated the game for months and had been tailgating much of the day.

“It was definitely a great challenge. There were times when I was just starting to wonder what was going to happen,” coach Mark Richt said. “And then our guys started to come through with some big plays on both sides of the ball.”

Aaron Murray hit Marlon Brown for two of his three touchdown passes, the second for the go-ahead score as the Bulldogs recovered from a shaky start with 32 second-half points that spoiled Missouri’s SEC debut in a 41-20 victory Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0) trailed 17-9 early in the third quarter before turning Missouri’s SEC debut into an unsatisfying initiation for the Tigers (1-1, 0-1) and a sellout crowd of 71,004 clad in yellow and waving yellow pom-pons.

“You can’t make the kind of mistakes we made in games like that,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “You’re not going to win games like that against people like that.”

Up by 21 points with the clock winding down, Georgia’s fan contingent, mostly concentrated in one corner of the end zone, chanted “Old Man Football! Old Man Football!” That was in reference to comments by excitable Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who said he turned off the TV last week during Georgia’s opening victory over Buffalo because he was unimpressed with the Bulldogs’ no-frills style of play.

“We try not to focus on what’s said,” Murray said. “The trash talk is pre-game. But it definitely did add a little incentive.

“I still don’t know exactly know what old man football is. We’re just saying all week, `Hey, we play grown man football. `”

Brown had eight catches for 106 yards with an 11-yard score that put Georgia ahead for good at 24-20 late in the third quarter. A pair of big plays by linebacker Jarvis Jones helped put it away.

“We’ve got to come out and play a full four quarters,” Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines said. “I felt like they saw our `A’ game in the first half. We didn’t get it done in the second half.”

Jones returned an interception to the 1 midway through the fourth quarter to set up a score by Todd Gurley, then just three plays later he forced a fumble on a sack that gave Georgia possession at the 5 and set up a 6-yard scoring run by Ken Malcome.

“Obviously, he may be the best defensive player in America,” Richt said about Jones.

Georgia outscored Missouri 32-10 in the second half, making a statement to three defensive starters left behind due to suspensions that there’s plenty of depth.

Missouri got two touchdown passes from James Franklin but had little success with the run while falling short of lofty expectations. Pinkel predicted on media day that it would be a game that “will go down in history.”

Missouri peaked on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Franklin to L’Damian Washington that made it 17-9 early in the third quarter.

The schools were a combined 1 for 7 on third down conversions with five first downs and three punts apiece in a sloppy, scoreless first quarter. Each opened 3-and-out, Missouri with minus-22 yards and Georgia with minus-12.

Center Mitch Morse was behind Missouri’s shaky start with two high snaps dooming the opening series. The second was looped far above quarterback James Franklin’s head for a 24-yard loss back to the 4 leading to a punt.

The Tigers and Bulldogs each one big gainer in the second quarter, with Franklin hitting Marcus Lucas for a 41-yard touchdown, and a 34-yarder from Murray to Tavarres King on a screen to the 2 that set up a 2-yard scoring pass from Murray to Marlon Brown with 30 seconds to go in the half.

But Georgia missed a shot to tie it when freshman Marshall Morgan, who hit a 52-yard field goal earlier in the second quarter, was wide right on the extra point kick.

Missouri senior offensive tackle Elvis Fisher was carted off with a right knee injury in the second quarter after getting hurt in a pileup on a running play. Pinkel said the injury was to the MCL, which could sideline Fisher for a month.

Fisher was granted a sixth year of eligibility after missing last season with surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee. He started every game from 2008-10.

— Associated Press —

Western volleyball goes 1-1 on final day at Missouri S&T

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Missouri Western Volleyball lost to Upper Iowa, its first of two matches on Saturday.

The Griffons fell to the Peacocks in three sets (26-24, 25-16, 25-23) and sit at 5-2 so far this season.

MWSU didn’t trail in the first set until Upper Iowa went on a rally to score the final four points and take the first set 26-24. The Griffons led by four points three different times but could never close as Upper Iowa came back each time.

Upper Iowa stayed strong in the second set, defeating MWSU 25-16 to take the 2-0 advantage. The third game remained close throughout, as the game went to a 23-23 tie. Melanie Behnke scored the final two points to take the set and seal the victory 3-0 for the Peacocks.

The Griffons were led by Jessie Throup, who finished the match with 11 kills. Holly Pollock tallied 11 digs to lead the Griffons, and Stephanie Hattey finished with 23 assists.

Missouri Western 3, Missouri-St. Louis 1

The Griffons had better luck in their second match of the evening, defeating Missouri-St. Louis 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18).

MWSU took both of the first two games 25-21. The Griffons used Amanda Boender to secure the first set as Kelly Scannell, who finished the match with a game-high 31 assists, set Boender up for the kill.

MWSU and UMSL battled closely in the next set it was tied at 14. The Griffons steadily pulled away, and scored the final two points to take a 2-0 lead.

The Tritons trailed early in the third set but used a nice four-point rally in the middle to go ahead 17-13. They eventually won 25-22 to put the game into a fourth set.

Missouri Western ended the match with another set victory. It was close as the Griffons had a slim 15-13 lead before they pulled away, winning 10 out of the next 15 points to win the final game of the Middle of Everywhere Classic. Sarah Faubel helped the Griffons pull away, scoring four straight points to give the Griffons a 24-17 lead before a service error and then an attack error ended the game.

Up Next: The Griffons play their first home match of the season, taking on Northwest Missouri State at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

— MWSU Sports Information —

No. 21 K-State crushes Miami, 52-13

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Turns out Collin Klein can throw the ball a bit, too.

The gritty run-first quarterback of No. 21 Kansas State was nearly perfect through the air on Saturday, throwing for 210 yards and a touchdown — and of course, adding 71 yards and three more scores on the ground — as the Wildcats pounded Miami 52-13 on a sun-splashed afternoon.

This was no repeat of last season, when the Wildcats needed a defiant goal-line stand in the closing minutes to eke out a 28-24 victory in Coral Gables, Fla.

Behind the masterful play of Klein, who was 9-of-11 passing, the Wildcats scored on their first four series, led 24-6 at halftime and then tacked on a couple late scores for good measure.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Klein, who burnished a national reputation by bulldozing his way for 27 touchdowns rushing last season. “Credit our coaches with a great game plan going in, and putting us in some good opportunities.”

Not just for Klein, either.

John Hubert added 106 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Daniel Sams had two scores on the ground as the Wildcats (2-0) rolled up 498 yards of total offense while holding Miami to 262.

“They were excellent. They beat us in all three phases,” Miami coach Al Golden said. “They outplayed us, outcoached us, starting with me, and that’s it. No excuses. They deserved to win.”

Stephen Morris threw for 215 yards for Miami (1-1), but was sacked five times. The Canes lost three fumbles and managed 40 yards rushing — an average of 1.4 per attempt.

Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown, who began his career with the Hurricanes, ground a bit of dirt in their wounds. The Butkus Award candidate recovered a fumble in the first quarter to set up a short TD drive, then helped cause a turnover-on-downs with a third-quarter sack.

The senior captain finished with a game-high 10 tackles.

“Guys kept saying on the sideline, ‘This is fun,'” Brown said. “This is what we prepare for.”

The Wildcats improved to 6-0 at home against BCS nonconference opponents under Bill Snyder, who has the program he elevated to elite status humming again. Kansas State hosts North Texas next Saturday, which means it likely will be 3-0 heading to No. 5 Oklahoma on Sept. 22.

“We’re a work in progress,” Snyder said, “but we’re vastly improved.”

Hard to say the same for the Hurricanes, whose performance was summed up by a 5-second span in the fourth quarter: Morris fumbled the ball away while getting sacked, and Sams sprinted 15 yards on the next play to give Kansas State a 45-6 lead with 10:51 remaining.

Miami (1-1) scored its only touchdown in the closing minutes, when backup quarterback Ryan Williams completed a short scoring pass following a long kickoff return.

“That’s basically what football’s about — adversity and overcoming it,” Miami running back Duke Johnson said, “and that’s something we try to do time and time again.”

The Canes, opening with consecutive road games for the first time since 2005, certainly looked like an inexperienced bunch against the senior-laden Wildcats. Fourteen players appeared in their first game a week ago, including 12 freshmen from a roster that has 42 first-year guys.

Johnson, their talented freshman tailback, managed only 19 yards on the ground after gaining 135 in last Saturday’s win at Boston College, when Miami rallied from an early 14-0 deficit.

The Canes’ defense never gave them a chance to come back this time.

Kansas State’s first empty possession was its fifth one, when Anthony Cantele missed a short field goal. Klein had touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards, and hit Curry Sexton down the seam for a 27-yard scoring strike before the Hurricanes even knew what hit them.

“The thing is we had such a good game plan,” Sexton said. “We just had to execute.”

The Hurricanes had trouble doing the same thing, their best drive coming while running their 2-minute offense. Jake Wieclaw’s second field goal at the end of the first half made it 24-6.

Klein answered with his third touchdown run early in the third quarter, and after the Wildcats held Miami on fourth down deep in their own territory, the senior quarterback led Kansas State on a 97-yard drive highlighted by a 58-yard pass to backup tight end Zach Trujillo.

This time, it was Hubert capping the drive with a touchdown run.

Klein’s day was done after that, and when Miami fumbled on its next possession, Sams took over the offense. The elusive freshman needed one play to scoot 15 yards for a touchdown, and then added an 11-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter to punctuate the victory.

“We know where we’re at right now as a team. We’re building,” Golden said. “I didn’t think we had arrived last week, and clearly we can’t play that way against Kansas State out here and spot them a lead and think we’re going to come back.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest volleyball falls to SW Minnesota and Missouri S&T

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The Northwest Missouri State volleyball team finished 2-2 at the Missouri S&T Middle of Everywhere Classic losing to No. 3 Southwest Minnesota State and host Missouri S&T Saturday.

The Bearcats hung with the 3rd-ranked Mustangs in the day’s first match before falling 25-17, 25-19, 25-9. Southwest Minnesota stepped up with solid defensive play recording nine blocks as a team as the Bearcats posted four.

The Lady Miners did no favors for Northwest as they took the tournament’s final match 25-21, 27-29, 25-17, 25-21. A pair of Bearcats would post double-doubles to highlight the tournament’s final game of the weekend.

Abby Graves tallied her first double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs in the loss.

The Bearcat defense stepped up as well with Tori Beckman recording 28 digs to lead the team. Dallas Gardner also finished with a double-double as she added 31 assists and 10 digs.

Northwest moves to 4-4 on the year as they will open conference play at Missouri Western on Tuesday. Tipoff from St. Joseph is set for 7 p.m. as the Bearcats will open their home schedule on Friday against Lindenwood.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

No. 17 Nebraska gets upset at UCLA

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Brett Hundley passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns in an outstanding Rose Bowl debut, Datone Jones sacked Taylor Martinez for a tiebreaking safety with 8:44 to play, and UCLA surprised No. 17 Nebraska 36-30 Saturday night.

Johnathan Franklin rushed for 217 yards and caught an 8-yard TD pass with 2:13 to play for the Bruins, who improved to 2-0 under new coach Jim Mora with an impressive offensive performance against the Cornhuskers (1-1).

Joseph Fauria caught two TD passes and Steven Manfro grabbed another from Hundley, the redshirt freshman who went 21 for 31 and coolly led the Bruins to 653 total yards.

After Jones’ ferocious sack put the Bruins ahead in a defense-dominated second half, Andrew Abbott intercepted a long pass by Martinez and returned it to the Nebraska 16, setting up Franklin’s TD catch.

Martinez passed for 179 yards and made a 92-yard TD run in his return to his native Southern California.

Ameer Abdullah rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskers, who struggled on both sides of the ball in the second half.

Martinez went 17 for 31, but just 4 for 14 after halftime on the field where the Corona, Calif., native always imagined playing for the Bruins, who only recruited him as a safety and never offered him a scholarship.

After a tentative third quarter for both teams, UCLA got a break when Jones somehow was left unblocked on Nebraska’s first snap after a punt from its own 5, emphatically sacking Martinez. Franklin broke a 54-yard run moments later for the Bruins, but they missed a field goal with 6:49 left.

After Abbott’s interception on a poorly thrown ball and Franklin’s TD, Brett Maher’s third field goal pulled the Huskers within 36-30 with 1:38 left. But UCLA recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock on just its second win over Nebraska in eight meetings since 1973.

The Bruins were undeniably impressive in the home debut of Mora, the veteran NFL coach who took over for Rick Neuheisel last winter after four mostly dismal seasons. Mora arrived with no significant college experience, but the former Falcons and Seahawks coach immediately energized UCLA by hiring a strong staff and landing an impressive recruiting class.

With this effort against a perennial national power, the excitement in Westwood will only grow.

UCLA has topped 640 yards of offense in each of its first two games under new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, the former Arizona State coordinator. Hundley, who rushed for a 72-yard TD on his first collegiate snap last week, repeatedly targeted Fauria, his 6-foot-7 tight end, and hit freshman Devin Lucien three times for 70 yards.

Blue-clad Bruins fans might have barely outnumbered an enormous contingent of red-wearing Huskers supporters who filled the Rose Bowl parking lots hours before kickoff and raised chants of ”Go Big Red!” in the stadium. Eight Nebraska players are from Southern California.

Nebraska made its first visit to the Rose Bowl since losing the 2002 BCS title game to Miami, and the Huskers came into Pasadena hoping to return on New Year’s Day as the Big Ten’s representative.

Both offenses moved easily in the 24-24 first half, combining for 705 yards. Manfro’s 49-yard TD catch-and-run put the Bruins ahead late, but Maher’s 54-yard field goal at the gun evened the halftime score at 24.

Both teams made significant mistakes in the third quarter, with Nebraska fumbling on its first play and UCLA later failing on a fake field goal from 37 yards. When Hundley left the game for a few plays to get his right ankle re-taped, the Bruins had to settle for a field goal inside the Nebraska 5.

The Huskers didn’t convert a third down until the first play of the fourth quarter, but Maher barely missed a go-ahead, 37-yard field goal with 12:12 to play.

— Associated Press —

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