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Author: Dave Riggert

Nebraska loses to Creighton for a seventh straight time

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton’s Marcus Foster wasn’t much of a factor early against Nebraska. He sure was at the end.

Foster scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and Creighton beat Nebraska 75-65 Saturday for its seventh straight win over the Cornhuskers and coach Greg McDermott’s sixth in a row over Nebraska’s Tim Miles.

“Just couldn’t get a rhythm the first half,” Foster said. “Something Coach Mac has told me over and over: `Be calm and be patient, and everything is going to go your way.’ ”

Foster was held to 1-of-5 shooting in the first half and was just 4 for 11 with 4 minutes to play. He scored 10 of Creighton’s last 18 points to hold off the Huskers.

Foster’s strong finish began when he made a nifty move on the baseline for a layup. After Isaiah Roby blocked his shot, Foster picked up the ball and scored. Then, after Nebraska came out of a timeout in a 1-3-1 zone for the first time, Foster buried a deep 3-pointer for a 69-63 lead with 43 seconds left.

Mitch Ballock had 11 of his 13 points in the second half, Ronnie Harrell Jr. finished with 12 and Khyri Thomas added 11 for Creighton.

“This is a really good win for us and I think later in the season we’ll see how good a win it is for us,” McDermott said. “I’ve said this week that I feel like this is Tim’s most complete team. They’re very disruptive defensively with their length and their size in particular.”

Isaac Copeland had a double-double with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for Nebraska (7-4). The Huskers got 16 points from James Palmer Jr., and 10 from Roby. Glynn Watson had eight points and five assists before fouling out with 2:50 left.

“First of all you have to credit Creighton,” Miles said. “Their second half was outstanding. They got downhill on offense and Ballock got us early. If we’re going to beat a really good team on the road, we have to have seven or eight guys be stars in their roles.”

The Bluejays, fueled by a sellout crowd of 17,901 that was on its feet much of the second half, shot 59 percent after halftime.

They struggled in the first half, missing 5 of 7 free throws after getting in the bonus less than 8 minutes into the game, committing seven turnovers in a five-minute stretch and missing 11 of 13 3-pointers.

Still, they trailed just 33-28 at half thanks to Nebraska’s 39-percent shooting and inability to pull away when it had chances.

“Honestly,” McDermott said, “I felt fortunate to be down five with 10 turnovers and as bad as we shot free throws.”

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Huskers were coming off an upset of No. 14 Minnesota and clearly have closed the gap against Creighton. A big reason is Copeland. The Georgetown transfer’s length and athleticism bothered the Bluejays.

Creighton: The Bluejays took the all-time series lead, 26-25, against their in-state rival. The seven straight wins over Nebraska mark their longest streak in the series. Creighton has won 11 straight regular-season home games against the Huskers.

MCDERMOTT’S DOMINANCE

McDermott is now 14-0 all-time against Miles. The two longtime friends have squared off with different teams over the last 20 years, going back to when McDermott was at Wayne State (Nebraska) and Miles was at Southwest Minnesota State.

Miles joked before the game about the certainties of his life: “Death, taxes and Miles loses to McDermott.”

After the game, McDermott said, “Tim and I have been friends a long time, and I pull for his team when they’re not playing us.”

KEY NUMBERS

Creighton’s Martin Krampelj had his second straight double-double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. … The Bluejays trailed at halftime for the first time this season. … Copeland’s double-double was his first for Nebraska and second of his career. … The Huskers’ Palmer has been in double figures in 10 of 11 games. … Nebraska got to the foul line a season-low three times.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts No. 2 Kansas on Saturday.

Creighton hosts Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Friday, December 8

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BOYS

Lafayette 77 (3-2)
Platte County 65

Bishop LeBlond 68 (4-2)
Stanberry 27

Harrisonville 52
Benton 41 (0-5)

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT – 5TH PLACE
Central 52 (3-4)
St. Pius X 50

GIRLS

Lafayette 48 (3-1)
Platte County 36

Stanberry 67
Bishop LeBlond 16 (1-5)

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT – 5TH PLACE
St. Pius X 43
Central 39 (1-3)

Mizzou names Ryan Walters defensive coordiantor

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has promoted Assistant Coach Ryan Walters to the position of defensive coordinator, as announced today. Walters is in his third year with the Mizzou defensive staff, and he’s spent the past two seasons as co-defensive coordinator for the Tigers. In 2017, Walters assumed control of the entire secondary, after focusing on the safeties in his first two years with the program.

Walters oversaw a secondary that developed nicely during the stretch run of the 2017 season, as his group played a key role in Mizzou’s defensive resurgence that helped lead to its current six-game winning streak heading into the Dec. 27 Academy Sports + Outdoor Texas Bowl against Texas.

Eight of Mizzou’s 12 interceptions gained in 2017 came during the final five games of the year, with six of those going to Walters’ secondary. Senior safety Anthony Sherrils had a pair of pick-offs during that stretch, as did true freshman corner Adam Sparks, who emerged late in the year as a solid contributor despite his youth.

“I’m really excited for Ryan and the stability that he will bring to our program, he’s been a tremendous leader and mentor for our players,” said Odom. “He’s one of the best recruiters I’ve been around and his football IQ is top of the line. He’s been a great addition to our staff, we’ve been able to work together now for some time, and he’s had an opportunity every year to go somewhere. He’s a loyal guy who loves Mizzou, he cares about our student-athletes and he cares about having a great defense. He’s done a great job down the stretch here helping us get better every day on that side of the ball,” Odom said.

“This is definitely very humbling, I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity,” said Walters. “Any time you get a chance to work for a great man in Coach Odom and a great school like the University of Missouri, it’s very exciting. I’m looking forward to working with our staff; it’s been a collective effort from the beginning. We’ve got great chemistry in that room, and I’m looking forward to continue building relationships and getting our student-athletes to succeed on and off the field. I’m excited for the future and can’t wait to get to the bowl game and do everything we can to end this season the right way,” he said.

Walters came to MU from Memphis along with Odom in February of 2015 when Odom took over as Mizzou’s defensive coordinator, and he was retained when Odom was named head coach in December of that year.

Walters was a key factor in Mizzou’s 2015 defense that finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense. He came to Mizzou after spending the 2014 season as cornerbacks coach at Memphis, where he worked with Odom. At Memphis, the pair oversaw a defense that was among the most improved in the nation. Memphis went 10-3 in 2014, thanks in large part to its defense that ranked fifth nationally in points allowed (17.1 avg.) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 avg.) in the regular season.

Walters, a Los Angeles, Calif., native, played collegiately at Colorado, where he was a standout safety for the Buffaloes (2004-08). He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Colorado working with the secondary in 2009, and then spent two years on staff at Arizona, where he was a graduate assistant in 2010, before being promoted to defensive backs coach for the 2011 season.

From there, Walters moved to the Oklahoma staff as a graduate assistant cornerbacks coach in 2012, as the Sooners went 10-3 and played in the 2013 Cotton Bowl. He moved to North Texas for the 2013 season, where he coached corners and helped lead UNT to a 9-4 record in its first year in Conference USA and a win in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mean Green defense that season ranked fourth nationally in turnovers gained (34), eighth in points allowed (17.8 ppg), 13th in interceptions (18) and 17th in total defense (348.3 ypg).

As a player, Walters had a standout career at Colorado as a safety. He started in 33 games and played in 46 contests for the Buffaloes. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press and first-team All-Colorado honors from the state’s National Football Foundation his senior year.

A team captain for the Buffaloes in 2008, Walters was also picked by his teammates as the team’s MVP. He had 87 tackles, two sacks, seven pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions his senior year. His 20 career passes defended rate No. 15 in Colorado history and his 223 career tackles were No. 45 all-time.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Nebraska’s Frost adds three more to coaching staff

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Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost has announced the addition of three coaches to his Husker staff. Troy Walters and Sean Beckton were added to the Nebraska offensive staff after serving on Frost’s UCF staff the past two seasons, and Zach Duval will lead the Husker football strength and conditioning program.

The addition of Walters and Beckton ensures that Frost will keep his full-time UCF on-field coaching staff intact at Nebraska. The group has been a part of orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. UCF went from a winless season in 2015 before the staff’s arrival to a 12-0 season, American Athletic Conference Championship and berth in the Peach Bowl just two seasons later.

Walters was a finalist for the 2017 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. He will serve as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator and receivers coach after holding the same positions at UCF the past two seasons, while Beckton will coach Nebraska’s tight ends.

At UCF, Walters and Beckton helped the Knights lead the nation in scoring offense at 49.4 points per game. UCF scored at least 30 points in all 12 games in 2017 and ranks fifth nationally in total offense at better than 540 yards per game.

A Nebraska graduate, Duval will serve as the Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Huskers. Duval’s sports performance program at UCF has helped trigger the Knights’ on-field turnaround the past two seasons. Duval began his strength and conditioning career at Nebraska in 1994 and worked in various role with the Husker Power program for nearly a decade.

Walters, Beckton and Duval have two-year contacts which run through Dec. 31, 2019.

Brief Bios
Troy Walters—Walters brings an impressive resume as a coach and player to Nebraska. A finalist for the Broyles Award in 2017, Walters coordinated the nation’s most explosive offense at UCF. The Knights averaged nearly 50 points per game and better than 540 yards of total offense. His top receiver Tre’Quan Smith was an all-AAC pick in 2017 and totaled 1,082 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, while averaging 20.0 yards per catch. In his two seasons as UCF offensive coordinator the Knights increased their scoring production by more than 35 points per game and their total offense output by more than 270 yards per game. Walters also had coaching stops at Indiana State, Texas A&M, North Carolina State and Colorado, before his time at UCF. As a player, Walters was a consensus All-American and Biletnikoff winner at Stanford in 1999, and holds the Pac-12 record for career receiving yards. He went to play in the National Football League for eight seasons, totaling 98 catches for 1,135 yards, while accumulating nearly 4,000 yards in returns in pro football.

Sean Beckton—A veteran coach, Beckton has 22 years of total coaching experience, all in the state of Florida. Beckton has 19 years of collegiate coaching experience all at UCF, including the past two seasons as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator on Frost’s staff. UCF tight end Jordan Akins was a first-team All-AAC pick in 2017 and Beckton’s tight ends averaged better than 16 yards per reception this season. Beckton had two stints as UCF’s receivers coach, highlighted by coaching six-time NFL Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall. He also coached one season with the Orlando Predators (AFL) and three seasons of high school football in Florida. As player, Beckton ended his career with UCF records of 196 catches and 2,493 yards.

Zach Duval—Duval is a veteran in the strength and conditioning profession and a Nebraska graduate. Duval has been the Director of Sports Performance for football at UCF the past two seasons, assisting in one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. Duval has more than 20 years of experience in the sports performance world, beginning as part of the Nebraska strength and conditioning staff from 1994 to 2002. While at Nebraska he was part of national championship teams in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Duval returned to Nebraska for one year in 2008, and also has worked at Creighton, Buffalo and Wyoming.

— NU Athletics —

K-State’s Reed named Walter Camp All-American

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – One of the most dynamic return men in the country, Kansas State junior D.J. Reed has been named a Second Team All-American, the Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Thursday night.

Reed is the third Wildcat kick returner in the last four seasons to be named an All-American, following Morgan Burns (2015) and Tyler Lockett (2014). It is the 13th time a Wildcat has been named a Walter Camp All-American, the oldest All-America team that released its 128th edition on Thursday.

Reed ranks second nationally in both kickoff- (35.3) and punt-return (17.1) average, while he has a touchdown of each variety this year. A 2017 First Team All-Big 12 kick returner, Reed is the first Wildcat since Terence Newman in 2002 to return have a kickoff-return touchdown and a non-blocked punt-return touchdown in the same season.

A product of Bakersfield, California, Reed currently holds the top mark in Big 12 history in single-season kickoff-return average, while his 32.7-yard career average rank second in school history. His punt-return average this year ranks sixth in K-State history.

Reed earned a pair of Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors this year after combining for 181 yards and a punt-return touchdown in the season opener against Central Arkansas before topping that mark with 189 combined yards and a kickoff-return touchdown against Kansas. His two combined return yardage marks rank first and second in the Big 12 this year.

Also a First Team All-Big 12 performer at defensive back, Reed enters the bowl season ranking second in the Big 12 and 21st nationally in both interceptions and passes defended. He has 32 career passes defended to sit just two away from entering the school’s career top-10 list.

Kansas State faces UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl inside Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, December 26. The game, which will kick off at 8 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

Four Mizzou football players earn Freshman All-SEC honors

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four Mizzou Football standouts earned Freshman All-SEC honors, as voted on by the league’s 14 coaches, announced Thursday by the SEC office. Earning a spot on the team were C Trystan Castillo (Webb City, Mo.), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Springfield, Ill.), AP/KR Larry Rountree III (Raleigh, N.C.) and DE Tre Williams (Columbia, Mo.).

Castillo made an immediate impact in his freshman season, starting all 12 games at center, the first Mizzou freshman to accomplish that since current Arizona Cardinal Evan Boehm in 2012. He was part of a Mizzou offensive line group that leads the nation in tackles for loss allowed (2.83 per game), a mark that is on pace to be the best ever in college football since the NCAA began archiving the state; Mizzou set the mark a year ago (2.90). Castillo’s O-Line also allows just 1.00 sack per game, the SEC’s top mark and the nation’s seventh-best. He also consistently graded as one of Mizzou’s top pass protectors and run blockers, helping the Tigers average 511.5 yards of total offense per game, the seventh-best mark nationally.

Okwuegbunam, who was on both the coaches and Associated Press All-SEC Second Team, led all tight ends and all freshmen nationally in touchdown grabs (11) and finished the season as the top graded TE in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus. His 11 TDs ranked ninth nationally among all players and led the SEC while resetting Mizzou’s freshman record, which was nine originally held by Jeremy Maclin. A native of Springfield, Ill, he had five games with multiple receiving touchdowns as he emerged as one of the nation’s top red zone threats midway through the season – he had 20 of his 25 catches and 10 of his 11 touchdowns over the final eight games of the season.

Rountree was named Freshman All-SEC at all-purpose and kick returner. He led Mizzou in all-purpose yards with 1,106, averaging 92.2 per game and 8.2 yards per play. He ran for the third-most rushing yards by a freshman in Mizzou history, accumulating 629 yards on 112 carries, averaging 5.62 yards per attempt, while scoring six times. He also had 21 kickoff returns for 457 yards, averaging 21.76 per return.

Williams emerged as a key part of Mizzou’s third down defense package and posted 16 tackles in his first year as a contributor along the defensive line. He tallied 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, including a career-high 2.0 vs. Tennessee.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Former Chiefs GM John Dorsey named new Browns General Manager

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CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) – John Dorsey turned the Kansas City Chiefs back into winners.

His new project is more daunting.

The Cleveland Browns hired Dorsey on Thursday to be their new general manager and fix a team that has won just one game over the past two seasons and remains in a perpetual search for a franchise quarterback.

Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam wasted no time in landing Dorsey, who was brought in hours after the team fired vice president of football operations Sashi Brown after less than two seasons.

Brown was able to acquire future assets during his tenure, but he missed on quarterbacks in the draft and the Browns went just 1-27 under his watch.

“We are thrilled to have John Dorsey lead our football operations,” the Haslams said. “John has been immersed in the NFL for 26 years, won two Super Bowls, built sustainable winning football teams and is highly respected for his football acumen. We know we have a critical and very positive opportunity ahead of us to profoundly impact the foundation of this football team.

“Bringing in someone of John Dorsey’s caliber, his track record of success and his experience, significantly strengthens our opportunities to build a winning football team and that has been, and continues to be, what we want for our fans.”

Dorsey was fired by the Chiefs in June, ending a successful four-year run. But while he was Kansas City’s GM, the club flourished, going 43-21 and advancing to the postseason three times. After starting 1-5 in 2015, the Chiefs went 12-4 the following year and won the AFC West.

While with Kansas City in 2013, Dorsey traded for quarterback Alex Smith, who has developed into a Pro Bowler. He also selected All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, cornerback Marcus Peters and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

A former NFL linebacker, Dorsey is looking forward to the challenge of rebuilding the Browns.

“Football is what I know, it is what I love, it is what I have worked my whole career at and I thrive on every element that goes into building a winning football team,” said Dorsey, who worked in Green Bay’s front office before joining the Chiefs.

“I have spent a majority of my football life with two franchises that also have storied history and I think I have a feel for the mentality of the fans in Cleveland and what it would mean to recreate the success this franchise once had. I also have quickly realized how passionate Jimmy and Dee are about bringing a winning team to the city and would have not taken the job if I didn’t think the right ownership was in place.

“I am eager to work with Hue, his staff, and our personnel department and help bring us the success these fans so deserve.”

Along with firing Brown, the Haslams said coach Hue Jackson will return in 2018 despite winning just one game in two seasons.

— Associated Press —

Griffons come up short against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State 74-60

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (3-7,1-2 MIAA) lost to No. 1 Northwest Missouri (9-0, 3-0 MIAA) in the MWSU Fieldhouse Wednesday 74-60

MWSU opened the game by scoring the first five points and led for the first three minutes of the game. The Bearcats answered the early Griffon run with a 13-2 run as Missouri Western couldn’t quite chip away enough to lead the game again.

NOTABLES
– MWSU had three players score in double figures led by Lavon Hightower’s 15 points

– Hightower scored in double figures for the seventh time this season

– Missouri Western used a 10-4 run over a 3:54 span in the first half to cut the Northwest Missouri lead down to one

– The Bearcats forced 15 Griffon turnovers

– The Griffons outshot their opponent from the field in back-to-back games

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Central Missouri on Dec. 14 for a 7:30 p.m. game in Warrensburg, Missouri.

— MWSU Athletics —

Western women extend win streak to five with dominate performance against Bearcats

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (8-1, 3-0) ran its win streak to five games with a dominating 77-48 win over rival Northwest Missouri (1-8, 0-3).

The Griffons jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back, leading 23-7 after the first quarter of play. It was the seventh win in a row in the series for Missouri Western, last losing to Northwest Missouri on Feb. 5, 2014.

NOTABLES
– Four Griffons scored in double-figures: Brittany Atkins and Erin Anderson with 14 each and Dossou Ndiaye and Savannah Lentz with 10 each

– Missouri Western out-rebounded the Bearcats by 10 (41-31)

– MWSU out-scored Northwest 44-16 in the paint

– KeShara Scott had a team-high nine rebounds along with eight points

– Missouri Western held Northwest Missouri to 28.8% shooting from the field

– The Griffons led for the entire game, leading by as many as 30 points with 19 seconds to go

– With the win, Missouri Western was alone in first place in the MIAA standings at 3-0 in conference play

UP NEXT
Missouri Western steps out of MIAA play this Sunday, Dec. 9 to host Peru State in the MIAA Fieldhouse for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

— MWSU Athletics —

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