We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Author: Dave Riggert

Carpenter, Cardinals shutout Philadelphia

Posted on

The St. Louis Cardinals are making a playoff push by avoiding looking at the big picture.

Allen Craig hit two homers and drove in three runs, Chris Carpenter gave up eight hits in eight innings, and the Cardinals improved their playoff chances with a 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night.

“Common sense is if you allow anything to distract you, then it’s going to take away from your best shot,” St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa said after the Cardinals pulled within 3 1/2 games of the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild-card chase. “So don’t think about anything but the next game we’re going to play. We can’t control what Atlanta does. But if we don’t win a bunch of games, then it’s all irrelevant. We’re just trying to win the game we play in the series we’re playing.”

Albert Pujols also homered for the Cardinals (83-69), who have won nine of 11. The Cardinals remained 6 1/2 back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

“We just need to take one day at a time,” Pujols said. “We took today’s game. Flip the page and hopefully come tomorrow and try to win the series.”

St. Louis has 10 games remaining while the Braves (87-66) have nine.

Carpenter (10-9) recorded all but four of his outs by groundballs, and induced three double plays. Only three Phillies reached second and none advanced to third. Carpenter finished with five strikeouts and one walk.

“I was getting ahead in the count, sinking the ball down and away and getting the ball on the ground, which is key for these guys,” Carpenter said. “My stuff was good, commanding down in the strike zone on both sides of the plate with my fastball. When you’re against guys who want to swing, if you make good pitches, you get early outs.”

Chase Utley had three hits for the Phillies (98-53), who rested just two starters a day after clinching their fifth straight NL East title. First baseman Ryan Howard, who is battling a nagging left ankle injury, and catcher Carlos Ruiz didn’t start for Philadelphia. Howard is scheduled to have an anti-inflammatory injection in the ankle on Monday.

“Their pitcher pitched good,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “He was changing speeds and had a good sinker. The double plays made it difficult to score runs.”

Pujols put the Cardinals up 2-0 in the first inning by launching Cole Hamels’ first pitch into the second deck in left field. The St. Louis slugger had been just 3 for 20 (.150) off Hamels entering the game.

“Pujols hit a fastball that looked like it was inside, but Pujols is Pujols,” Manuel said.

It was the 36th homer for Pujols, who is five RBIs shy of 100 in his quest for his 11th straight season of batting .300 with 30 homers and 100 RBIs. He went 1 for 4 and his averaged dropped a point to .300.

“I’ve seen it for 11 years,” LaRussa said. “It got everybody excited and Hamels got really, really tough, so it’s a good thing we got him before everything got working.”

St. Louis increased the margin to 4-0 in the sixth on Craig’s two-run shot. Craig twice failed in sacrifice bunt attempts, but he made up for it with a long drive to deep left center. Craig’s homer was the 17th allowed by Hamels this season, which is the most on the heralded Phillies staff.

Craig added a solo shot to center in the eighth off Joe Blanton.

“He’s hit every place he’s played,” LaRussa said of Craig. “And he’s gotten big hits and those are two big ones.”

Hamels (14-9) was vying to tie his career high with 15 wins, but two bad pitches did him in. Outside of the homers, the left-hander was solid with nine strikeouts and no walks.

Philadelphia remained four victories shy of setting a franchise record for wins in a season.

Fernando Salas completed the shutout with a scoreless ninth.

Carpenter hopes the Cardinals can continue the momentum.

“You continue to play hard, just like we have all year,” he said. “Fortunately, we’ve been pitching well and hitting well. Some things are going well for us at times and we’re pitching and playing well. That’s what you have to do.

“We’ve been playing well and hopefully we can continue it tomorrow and get back home and continue it at home.”

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western blanks Langston for second straight win

Posted on

For the first time since October 19, 2002 against Southwest Baptist (28-0) the Missouri Western football team recorded a shutout. Western defeated the Langston University Lions 47-0 in their first non-conference action of the season improving to 2-1.Western finished the game with 476 yards of total offense with 258 coming on the ground and 218 through the air.

Western took the opening kickoff right down the field but an interception by Langston defensive back Isaiah Ross on the goal line ended the Griffon threat. Western stopped the Lions on their first possession and then an Isaac Collins blocked punt set the Griffons up on the Langston seven yard line. Michael Hill plunged in from seven yards out for his first touchdown of the season and the Griffons first of the game with 10:43 to play in the first quarter.

The Lions took the next possession into Griffon territory but Western was able to stuff the Lions on a fourth and four. The Griffons took the ball 59 yards on 12 plays on the next possession with Taylor Anderson connecting on a 26 yard field goal with 2:28 to play in the half. Cody Kremer intercepted a Darrion Lewis pass on the next possession and once again Western had a nice drive going 49 yards on five plays with Anderson connecting on a 22 yard field goal putting the Griffons up 13-0 late in the first quarter.

Western continued to play well on both sides of the ball in the second quarter but only came away with two more Anderson field goals. One from 26 yards out and one from 19 yards out as time expired in the half helping Western to the 19-0 halftime lead.

Western had 234 yards at the half with Hill rushing 15 times for 57 yards and one touchdown. Reggie Jordan rushed once on a fake punt for 57 yards midway through the second quarter. Partridge connected on 7-of-19 passes for 105 yards as Adam Clausen had 48 yards on two catches which included a 42 yarder. Tom Madget led the Griffons with six tackles in the frame.

Lincoln had 96 yards in the half as Carlos Ross rushed six times for 17 yards. Lewis completed 10-23 passes with two interceptions. Darrow Barnes had four catches for 36 yards. Defensively Cayetano Hingle had five tackles leading the way for Langston.

The Griffon came out more determined in the second half scoring on their first play from scrimmage when Partridge connected with Tarrell Downing from 53 yards out putting Western up 26-0 early in the third quarter. Western scored again on a Partridge pitch and catch to Hill from four yards out with 8:42 to play in the quarter capping off a six play 55 yard drive.

Before the quarter was over Western tacked on one more touchdown when Partridge plunged in from one yard out as he accounted for three touchdowns in the game (2 passing, 1 rushing) capping off a four play 28 yard drive putting Western up 40-0 going into the fourth quarter.

Western put the icing on the cake late in the fourth when Dominic Thomas plunged in from ten yards giving Western the 47-0 victory.

The Griffons had another outstanding day defensively finishing with 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks. They also had three interceptions and blocked two punts. They put pressure on the Langston quarterbacks all day with five quarterback hurries. Madget finished with eight tackles while Bass had two sacks. Ben Pister had 1.5 sacks and four tackles.

Offensively Hill finished with 91 yards on 19 carries and onetouchdowns while Jerrin Walton had 47 on seven carries. Partridge had 199 yards through the air with two touchdown connecting on 12-of-24 passes. Hill had three catches while Clausen had two and Jordan had two for 36 yards.

The Lions had 212 yards with Ross finishing with 40 yards on 11 carries. Lewis had 99 yards passing connecting on 13-of-31 passes with three interceptions. Barnes had four catches for 36 yards. Hingle finished the game with 12 tackles and one sack.

Western hits the road for the first time this season when they travel to Topeka, Kan. to take on the 13th Washburn Ichabods in a nationally televised contest on Thursday, September 22. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm from Yager Stadium. The game will be on CBS College Sports Network.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats destroy Lincoln Saturday, 73-7

Posted on

Playing in wet and sloppy field conditions the Northwest Missouri State football Bearcats took a 73-7 win over Lincoln University on Saturday afternoon at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in MIAA action.

Northwest stays unbeaten on the season at 3-0 and moves to 2-0 in league play without two senior captains in uniform, Jake Soy and Blake Christopher. The Blue Tigers fall to 1-2 on the year and 0-2 in conference action.

The Bearcats jumped out early on the Blue Tigers scoring four times in the first quarter to build a 24-0 lead. However, four turnovers from the Bearcats on wet field conditions kept the game scoreless in the second quarter.

Northwest would come out firing on all cylinders to start the second half as Trevor Adams replaced Christopher and threw four touchdown passes, two in each half. Adams would find Tyler Shaw for the second time of the day to build a 31-0 lead just three minutes into the third quarter.

With seven minutes left in the third quarter Adams’ final touchdown came on a 16-yard pass to Clint Utter pushing the Northwest lead 38-0. But it was the Bearcat defense the showed pride in the final 30 minutes of action.

Lincoln would score their only touchdown on a 90-yard kickoff return from Fred Fuller; however the Bearcats would not be outdone as Jordan Simmons returned the ensuing kickoff 75-yards to pay dirt for the first special teams touchdown of the year for the Bearcats.

Northwest would finish with 577 yards of total offense while holding under 150 total yards of offense. The Bearcat defense held the Blue Tigers to only 10 first downs in the game compared to 28 for Northwest.

The only blemish in the Bearcat blowout would be five Northwest turnovers. Trevor Adams was picked off twice and Tyler Seals once. It was the first time in 2011 the Bearcats allowed an interception and the first turnover since the opening drive of the season at Truman.

Northwest returns home to host Fort Hays State in the first ever blackout at Bearcat Stadium. Kickoff between the Bearcats and Tigers is set for 1 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Josey, Mizzou run over Western Illinois

Posted on

Henry Josey rushed for three touchdowns and 263 yards while James Franklin threw for three scores as Missouri overwhelmed Western Illinois 69-0 on Saturday.

Missouri (2-1) set a school record with 744 yards of offense and tied a school record for most points scored while holding Western Illinois (1-2) to just one first down and 44 total yards. That outburst broke the previous record of 665 yards against Kansas in 1949.

The Tigers built a 42-0 halftime lead against the overmatched Leathernecks of the Football Championship Subdivision. Josey scored on rushes of 6, 21 and 68 yards, breaking his career high of 112 yards in the first quarter. He didn’t play in the second half, missing a chance to top Devin West’s school-record 319 yards against Kansas in 1998.

Wes Kemp caught two TDs for Missouri, and backup QB Jimmy Costello threw his first career touchdown in fourth-quarter mop-up duty.

— Associated Press —

Griffon volleyball wins home & MIAA opener against Fort Hays

Posted on

Missouri Western opened up MIAA and home action with a 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-21) victory over the Fort Hays State Tigers on Saturday afternoon in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Western improves to 5-4 overall and 1-0 in MIAA play. Senior’s Tahler Johnston and Alex Behnke led the way with 12 and 11 kills respectively. Both players have had double digit kills in five different matches this season.

The two teams played set one close for the first 16 points as the score was tied at eight. Western used a 7-1 run pushing their lead to 15-9 after a kill by Stephanie Hattey. Western continued to play well outscoring the Tigers 10-8 on their way to a 25-17 set one victory. Western hit .375 in set one with 18 kills. Tahler Johnston led the way with five kills while Hattey recorded 14 set assists. Fort Hays had nine kills with Kylee Hoagland collecting four.

The Griffons opened up set two scoring five of the first seven points after two kills from Alex Behnke. The Tigers gained momentum the next half of the match taking a four point lead at 15-11 after a 13-6 run. Western stayed poised battling back little by little. The Griffons scored the final four points of the set claiming the 26-24 victory and taking a 2-0 lead in the match. Western had 16 kills with Hannah Zimmerman and Behnke both recording four in the set. Hattey had 15 set assists while Faubel had 10 digs. The Tigers had nine kills with Madison Schwartz collecting five.

The two teams played set three close for the first 18 points as the score was tied at nine. Western opened up a four point lead at 15-11 after a kill by Zimmerman. Both teams scored 10 points the rest of the way as Western was able to claim the 25-21 set three victory and the 3-0 victory in the match.

Hattey finished the match with 39 set assists while Faubel, Kelley Scannell and Johnston had 16, 10 and 10 digs respectively. Meredith McCormick led the way in hitting percentage hitting .333 with seven kills in 15 attempts. Western had 47 kills and 55 digs in the match.

Fort Hays falls to 6-5 on the season and 0-3 in MIAA play. They had 29 kills with Schwartz leading the way with nine. Kayla Zoglman had 25 set assists while Tacie Hileman had 21 of their 57 digs.

Western returns to action on Friday, September 23 when they hit the road to take on the 22nd ranked Hornets of Emporia State. Game time is set for 7:00 pm in Emporia, Kan. in White Auditorium.

— MWSU Sports Information —

K-State shuts out Kent State Saturday

Posted on

Kansas State didn’t need any late-game heroics this time.

David Garrett returned an interception 45 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, Collin Klein dazzled with his legs and the Wildcats beat penalty-prone Kent State 37-0 on Saturday night for their first shutout in more than five years.

Kansas State, which needed a touchdown pass by Klein in the closing minutes two weeks ago to beat Eastern Kentucky, had no such trouble with the Golden Flashes. The Wildcats scored on five of six first-half drives to build a 34-0 lead, and then coasted through an uneventful second half.

They’ll carry some momentum into a high-profile showdown at Miami next weekend.

Klein finished with 139 yards rushing and 74 yards passing, nearly becoming the first Kansas State quarterback since Allen Webb in 2004 to eclipse 100 yards in each category. He had a hand in all three touchdowns scored by the offense, two on the ground and one through the air.

Kansas State (2-0) didn’t give him much help — John Hubert and Robert Rose each had 29 yards rushing — but the defense more than made up for the paltry offense. The Wildcats held the second-worst offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision to 12 first downs and 199 yards.

Trayion Durham had 72 yards rushing for Kent State (0-3), while Spencer Keith was 11 of 23 for 81 yards with a pair of interceptions.

The Golden Flashes didn’t do much to help themselves, committing 11 penalties for 136 yards. That included eight personal fouls, one of which spoiled a first-and-goal situation at the Kansas State 3 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats managed to keep the Golden Flashes out of the end zone to secure their first shutout since beating Florida Atlantic 45-0 on Sept. 9, 2006.

Garrett’s interception set the tone for the game.

The senior cornerback waited until Keith finally unloaded a looping pass toward Eric Adeyemi near the sideline. Garrett deftly stepped in its path and corralled the ball near his shoestrings, and took off untouched 45 yards down the sideline to give Kansas State a 7-0 lead.

It was the first interception returned for a touchdown by Kansas State since Jeffrey Fitzgerald did it against Texas Tech on Oct. 10, 2009.

The Wildcats’ offense started purring for the first time all season on their next series.

Backed up to his 3 after a false start, Klein picked his way through the line for a 46-yard gain on first down, and Kansas State methodically marched the rest of the way. Kent State helped with a pair of personal fouls, and Klein capped the 95-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run.

It was the first of three straight drives that Kansas State turned into touchdowns.

The Wildcats went 98 yards the next time they had the ball, converting four third downs along the way, the final one when Klein hit Sheldon Smith sliding just across the goal line for a 3-yard TD toss that made the score 21-0.

Unable to get anything going offensively, Kent State resorted to trying a fake punt after its next drive stalled, but even that failed. The turnover gave Kansas State the ball at the Golden Flashes’ 48, and Klein completed three straight passes before scampering in from 4 yards out for another score.

Anthony Cantele tacked on a pair of field goals for Kansas State, and the Golden Flashes were well on their way to starting 0-3 for the first time since the 2000 season.

— Associated Press —

Northwest soccer handles Southwest Baptist, 2-0

Posted on

Northwest Missouri State University soccer team blanked the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 0-2 Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Pitch as Northwest goalkeeper Kelsey Adams recorded her second shutout of the season.

The Bearcats are now 2-2-2, 1-0 MIAA after tying Truman 0-0 Thursday.  With the loss Southwest Baptist University fell to 1-4-1, 0-1 MIAA.

Northwest was outshot in the first half 14-9 with Adams having eight saves.

Northwest went on the attack in the second half outshooting Southwest Baptist 15-3.  Victoria Von Mende struck first for the Bearcats when she scored her fifth goal of the season in the 51st minute.  Northwest would strike again and put the game out of reach in the 71st minute when Tammie Eiberger scored her seventh goal of the season.

Southwest Baptist had six corner kicks in the contest while the Bearcats had four.  Kelsey Adams recorded nine saves in the match for Northwest.  Megan Link saved thirteen shots for the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist.

The Bearcats (2-2-2, 1-0 MIAA) continue MIAA action this week when they host the No. 25 ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies (4-1-0, 0-0 MIAA) at Bearcat Pitch on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m.  Central Missouri was picked to win the MIAA in the preseason coaches’ poll.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Kansas gives up record numbers in loss at Georgia Tech

Posted on

For Georgia Tech, it felt like a video game.

The option offense was working to perfection Saturday, and Kansas couldn’t find the off switch.

Led by Orwin Smith, who had more than 100 yards rushing and receiving, the Yellow Jackets piled up a school-record 768 yards in a 66-24 rout of the Jayhawks.

Georgia Tech (3-0) also set a school mark with 604 yards rushing and played with a passion and focus that was missing a year ago in an mistake-plagued loss to Kansas.

“When we’re making our blocks, it’s like a video game,” said Embry Peeples, who had a 63-yard touchdown run to spark a 42-point second half. “It’s score after score after score.”

The Yellow Jackets ran at will and mixed in three long passes against Kansas (2-1), which looked as if it had never seen the option offense.

“It’s a bad position to be in when you can’t adjust out of it,” Kansas defensive coordinator Vic Shealy said. “You can’t slow it down, and it snowballs on you.”

Georgia Tech avenged a 28-25 upset by the Jayhawks last season, a bitter defeat that sent the Yellow Jackets spiraling to a losing season.

“We wanted to show them that last year was a fluke game,” Peeples said. “The fun that they had was not going to be had today.”

Georgia Tech also set a school record with 604 yards on the ground in its highest-scoring game since a 69-14 win over Samford in 2007. Roddy Jones also scored running and receiving, while David Sims had a pair of rushing TDs.

Losing its 10th straight road game, Kansas gave up three one-play scoring drives to the Yellow Jackets, including their first offensive snap of each half.

Completing befuddling the Jayhawks with fakes, pitches and guys darting in all different directions, Georgia Tech averaged 12.1 yards each time they ran the ball. That broke the NCAA record, an 11.9-yard performance in 1973 by one of Bear Bryant’s powerhouse Alabama teams against Virginia Tech.

Smith needed only five carries to put up 157 yards. Peeples added 110 yards on five carries.

Smith set the tone on Georgia Tech’s first offensive play, breaking off a 95-yard touchdown for yet another record — longest run in school history. He swept through a huge hole, then picked up key blocks downfield from receivers Stephen Hill and Tyler Melton.

“Our offense is based on the perimeter,” Smith said. “If we’re getting blocks on the perimeter, we’re going to have a big game.”

Tevin Washington had another efficient day at quarterback, completing 4 of 7 for 164 yards. He connected with Smith on a 67-yard touchdown and hooked up with Jones on a 52-yarder. Washington also completed a 41-yard pass to Smith that came up short of the end zone, giving the junior A-back 108 yards on his two receptions.

Georgia Tech had gone seven years since its last player, Calvin Johnson, had rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game. Both Smith and Jones did it against the Jayhawks.

Smith also was the first Yellow Jackets player since at least 1978 to account for more than 100 yards on the ground and through the air. The school wasn’t able to immediately determine if anyone did it before that.

Kansas kicked a field goal on the last play of the first half and actually went to the locker room only down 24-17. It was all Georgia Tech after that.

Peeples took off from the 37 on the opening play of the third quarter, was barely touched on his way to the end zone and the rout was on.

The Yellow Jackets were perfect — six possessions, six touchdowns — before running out the clock the final time they got the ball. They finished with their highest-scoring second half since putting up 96 over the final two periods of their famous 222-0 victory over Cumberland in 1916.

Georgia Tech broke the school record of 558 yards rushing against VMI in 1975, and the 706-yard mark for total yards set in 1948 against Citadel. The Yellow Jackets had 10 plays of at least 21 yards — and three that went for more than 50.

“We were spreading the love,” Washington said. “When everybody’s touching the ball, everybody’s happy.”

Especially when they have huge holes to run through. Numerous times, a Georgia Tech runner would burst past the line of scrimmage — every defender tied up by a blocker — and find a clear path to the end zone. It wasn’t farfetched to say the Yellow Jackets appeared to have extra players on the field.

Now, after averaging 59 points per game, they are off to their first 3-0 start since 2005 heading into Atlantic Coast Conference play.

“A lot of big plays,” coach Paul Johnson said. “It was fun. Especially after last year, it was fun.”

— Associated Press —

Nebraska wins shootout against Washington

Posted on

Another time, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini would have been enraged by his defense’s performance.

Not this time.

No. 11 Nebraska defeated Washington 51-38 in a wild game Saturday in which the teams combined for 884 yards of offense — and the usually defensive-minded Pelini was all smiles.

He wouldn’t say it during the week, but this game was about revenge.

“I would hope our football team took personal what happened out in San Diego, losing that football game,” Pelini said. “End of the day, we all wanted a win. I don’t care what the score is.”

The Cornhuskers (3-0) won the third meeting of the teams in 364 days. Nebraska won 56-21 in Seattle last September but lost 19-7 in a rematch at the Holiday Bowl.

Taylor Martinez threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third in the fourth quarter that looked to put away the Huskies (2-1).

But the Huskies wouldn’t quit in the mist at Memorial Stadium, with Keith Price passing 52 yards to James Johnson for his fourth TD toss to make it a 13-point game with 4:27 left.

“I think we could have easily cashed it in there when the game was out of hand,” Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said, “and I thought our guys competed for four quarters.”

The Huskies (2-1), who had their six-game winning streak ended, kept coming back after big mistakes allowed Nebraska to quickly increase its 20-17 halftime lead to 34-17.

Washington’s Chris Polk ran 22 times for 130 yards, and Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead had 22 carries for 120.

Price was 21 of 37 for 274 yards. He was intercepted twice, with his last one allowing Nebraska to go into victory formation with just over a minute to play.

Martinez completed 10 of 21 passes for 155 yards, and he ran for 83 yards on 17 carries.

It looked as if the Huskers would take control after Washington, as Sarkisian said, had a “complete meltdown” in the third quarter.

The Huskies gave Nebraska a short field when Desmond Trufant was penalized 15 yards for interfering with Burkhead as he tried to catch a punt, and they were charged another 5 yards for sideline interference.

Nebraska started at its 44 and ran on seven of eight plays before Burkhead bulled into the end zone from the 1.

The Huskers were set up at the Washington 1 second later. Bishop Sankey dropped the kickoff, and teammate Kevin Smith couldn’t come up with the ball as a horde of Huskers converged. Mathew May recovered, and Burkhead punched it in for his second touchdown in 9 seconds.

“It’s a present in your hands,” Burkhead said of Washington’s turnover. “It’s a great feeling. You just scored a touchdown, and you realize you’ve got another opportunity right there.”

Pelini said it was a great effort by May, who lunged for the ball over teammate Eric Martin.

“You feel for that kid from Washington,” Pelini said.

At the time, some Nebraska players thought the win had been secured.

“I didn’t personally think we put them away,” Martinez said, “but I kind of think our team did.”

Linebacker Lavonte David said, “We kind of let down a little bit.”

Nebraska was up 44-17 after Aaron Green’s 6-yard TD run with 12:18 left, but within five minutes it was a 13-point game. Polk scored on a 2-yard run, and Price hit Johnson for a 10-yard TD.

“I didn’t like the way we finished defensively,” Pelini said. “We relaxed a little and did a couple boneheaded things there at the end. But I like where we are right now. We’re 3-0 and the process continues.”

Martinez threw for two touchdown passes in the first half, marking the second time in his career he has thrown for more than one TD in a game.

Martinez connected with Kenny Bell for 50 yards on the game’s first play from scrimmage before flipping a 3-yarder to fullback Tyler Legate for a touchdown. It was Nebraska’s first on an opening series in nine games.

After Ameer Abdullah’s 66-yard kick return set up the Huskers at the Washington 34 in the second quarter, Martinez threw a 25-yard TD pass to Green.

Washington copied from Fresno State’s game plan a week ago against Nebraska and had Price roll the pocket to the outside. He and Jermaine Kearse teamed up for two touchdown passes, a 38-yarder on the Huskies’ first series and a 6-yarder after Abdullah muffed a punt.

Nebraska has scored at least 40 points in each of its first three games for the first time since the 1995 national championship season.

“It was a good win for our football team,” Pelini said. “I told the team that the beautiful part about it is there’s a lot more out there for us. We can get a lot better in every phase.”

— Associated Press —

Missouri State loses big at Oregon

Posted on

After giving No. 12 Oregon all it wanted early in Satuday’s non-conference matchup, Missouri State couldn’t stop the Ducks from rolling to a 56-7 victory over the Bears before a sellout crowd of 58,847 at Autzen Stadium. Oregon seized momentum from a key defensive stop early in the second period to score on six consecutive possessions and turn a 14-7 contest into a 49-point margin.

Oregon, which racked up 681 total yards and scored on five of its first six possessions of the game, took advantage of three Darron Thomas touchdown passes and a 90-yard run by LaMichael James to seize control. Thomas connected on 11-of-15 pass attempts for 203 yards overall, and hooked up with Lavasier Tuinei on two of his three touchdown strikes.

James, meanwhile, matched a career high with three rushing touchdowns and totaled a season-high 204 yards on 12 carries, including a 90-yard touchdown run that represented the longest in the 45-year history of Autzen Stadium.

While Oregon’s offense rolled, it was the Duck’s defense that turned in perhaps the biggest play of the opening half. The Bears’ offense provided plenty of reasons for optimism early in the game, piling up 11 first downs in the opening half to surpass their total for the entire game against previous FBS opponent Arkansas. MSU outgained the Ducks 147-98 in the first quarter, as Wooden would connect on all four pass attempts for 80 yards in the period.

But, with Missouri State driving toward a potential game-tying touchdown early in the second quarter, the Ducks’ defense rose to the occasion, stopping Chris Douglas on a fourth-and-one attempt at the seven yard line to thwart the MSU drive and spark a turning point in the game.

The Ducks would score three unanswered touchdowns over the ensuing six-and-a-half minutes to build a 35-7 halftime lead, then found the endzone on their first three possessions of the second half to put the game out of reach for good. Oregon’s defense did its part as well, as the Ducks totaled 10 first downs in the second half before the Bears got their first and limited MSU to 32 total yards in the third period en route to running their record to 2-1 on the season.

The outcome marked a stark contrast to the onset of the contest that saw the Bears take the opening kickoff and march down the field for a nine-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by Douglas’s three-yard touchdown run.

Sophomore quarterback Trevor Wooden hooked up with junior tight end Matt Thayer on a pair of key completions to set up the drive. On a third and five from the Missouri State 21 yard line, Wooden found a wide open Thayer down the sideline for a 30-yard gain. Following a 18-yard scamper by Wooden, the MSU signal-caller found Thayer once again, this time for an eight-yard gain to the Oregon 16. A 12-yard pickup by freshman Julian Burton moved the ball to the Ducks three, and Douglas punched home his first touchdown of the season to punctuate the drive at the 10:22 mark.

The early score handed the Bears their first lead over an NCAA FBS opponent since the 2005 season, when they claimed a 3-0 advantage over Arkansas.

The Ducks wasted little time in recovering, as De’Anthony Thomas turned in the first of two critical first-half returns to get the ball rolling. The freshman brought  the ensuing kickoff out to the Oregon 44 to set up a 10-play, 56-yard drive. Darron Thomas connected on three of four passing attempts, and James nicked the Bears’ defense for 26 yards on six carries, including a one-yard run that knotted the score at 7-7 with 7:21 to play in the opening quarter.

After yielding a first down via a Wooden 10-yard completion to Burton on Missouri State’s next possession, Oregon’s defense clamped down to force the Bears’ first punt of the afternoon.

That’s when De’Anthony Thomas struck again, returning Jordan Chiles’s punt 48 yards to the MSU 37 to spark another Ducks’ scoring drive. After three different Ducks rushed for 29 yards to set up a first-and-goal at the MSU eight, Darron Thomas found a wide-open Tuinei in the end zone to put the home team on top for the first time.

Missouri State went right back to work, however, as a 13-yard run by freshman Vernon Scott and a 32-yard completion that deflected off of at least two Bears put MSU in prime position to put points on the board once again.

Oregon needed just three plays and 37 seconds to find the endzone and push its lead to 21-7, as Darron Thomas connected with three different receivers to cover 93 yards, the last seven coming on a short completion to Colt Lyerla with 12:11 to go in the half.

James extended the Oregon lead further with his record-breaking run with 8:36 to go. The big run for the 2010 Doak Walker Award winner also matched the longest TD run for a Bear opponent in the 100-season history of the MSU program. UO added another touchdown with 5:33 remaining on the clock, as Darron Thomas again found Tuinei on a scoring strike, this one from 34 yards out to push the Duck lead to 35-7.

MSU, which finished with 289 yards of total offense controlled the clock throughout the game, totaling nearly 40 minutes in time of possession.

Wooden led the Bears with 73 yards rushing on 16 carries to go along with a 6-of-13 showing through the air, good for 91 yards. Scott sparked the Bears’ rushing attack with 53 yards on 14 carries in his first game action for Missouri State.

Up next, the Bears (0-3) conclude their season-opening four-game road swing next Saturday (Sept. 24) against Southern Illinois (1-1) to kick off the 2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference campaign. Game time at Salukis Stadium is set for 6 p.m.\\\

— MSU Sports Information —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File