Dave Riggert – Page 717 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Beat-up Chiefs get blown out by Tennessee

Posted on September 7, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Titans were implementing a new offensive system under Ken Whisenhunt, a new defensive system under coordinator Ray Horton, and trying to make a whole bunch of new pieces fit.

Things couldn’t have gone much better in their regular-season debut.

Jake Locker threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, the Titans’ new-look defense picked off Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith three times, and Tennessee rolled to a 26-10 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant,” Locker said, “but I think we expected it to (go smoothly). We felt that way through minicamp, into fall camp and in the preseason. That was one of our expectations, that we were able to execute and we were going to be efficient on offense.”

Locker picked apart a Kansas City defense that lost Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson and starting defensive tackle Mike DeVito to Achilles injuries. He finished 22 of 33 while connecting with eight different players, including former Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster.

“Jake did great,” Whisenhunt said. “All those things we’ve worked with, footwork-wise and technique-wise, and you saw it. That’s really exciting. But it’s just one game.”

Kendall Wright and Delanie Walker had TD catches for the Titans, and Ryan Succop was perfect on four field-goal attempts against the team that released him last weekend.

“There’s no question this was a special day,” Succop said. “It was an awesome day. Great to come back to Kansas City. I’m very thankful the day went the way that it did.”

Smith, who signed a four-year, $68 million extension last weekend, was just 19 of 35 for 202 yards in a haphazard performance by a Kansas City offense weakened by suspensions.

Leading wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was forced to miss the game following an arrest last November, and right tackle Donald Stephenson served the first game of his four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

The Chiefs didn’t reach the end zone until Anthony Fasano’s TD catch in the fourth quarter.

Running back Jamaal Charles, who is the Chiefs’ biggest game-breaker, was a non-factor. He carried seven times for 19 yards and had four catches for 15 yards.

“All those things we did last year to win, we didn’t do them today,” Smith said. “We didn’t execute, didn’t execute in a lot of phases, especially offense.”

After Kansas City jumped out to a 3-0 lead, when Cairo Santos banged a 35-yard attempt off the right upright and through for the first field goal of his career, just about nothing went right. Santos missed a 47-yarder moments later and the Titans seized control.

Locker led his team 62 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, an easy toss to Walker in the back of the end zone. Succop followed with a field goal later in the half for a 10-0 lead.

Johnson went down with his Achilles injury just before the half, and DeVito was lost to a nearly identical injury on the first drive of the second half.

Locker capped that drive with a short TD pass to Wright, who managed to contort his body just enough to touch the pylon as he was going out of bounds. The touchdown gave Tennessee a 17-3 lead and started a shower of boos from a crowd that had been full of optimism.

“Those are guys who are kind of staples of their defense,” Locker said. “They were in there almost every snap, especially Derrick. You understand that’s going to change up their personnel a little bit. Yeah, you look at it and maybe understand where you can gain an advantage.”

It was an important opener for the injury-prone Locker. The Titans declined their fifth-year option on him in in the offseason, so the pressure is on Locker to perform this season.

He certainly did against a Chiefs defense that was full of questions entering the season, and has even more after a pair of serious injuries to key defensive players.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Reid and this football team and these fans,” Whisenhunt said. “We didn’t do great all the time, but we did enough. I’m very happy for that.”

— Associated Press —

Royals spoil Jeter’s special day with 2-0 win at Yankee Stadium

Posted on September 7, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas City players tipped their caps to Derek Jeter when the retiring New York Yankees captain walked up to the plate in the first inning. Then the Royals went back to work trying to make some history of their own.

Yordano Ventura pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, and the AL Central leaders beat the Yankees 2-0 Sunday on a pair of unearned runs for their second shutout in the three-game series.

Trying for its first playoff berth since winning the 1985 World Series, Kansas City maintained a two-game lead in the AL Central over the second-place Tigers, who defeated San Francisco 6-1 on Sunday night. The Royals headed to Detroit for a three-game series that starts Monday.

“We’re playing great baseball,” manager Ned Yost said. “We’re pitching, and we’re playing defense and scoring runs and winning ballgames, and that’s all I can ask.”

Kansas City scored due to errors by pitcher Shane Greene in the second inning and right fielder Carlos Beltran in the third. The Royals won 1-0 Friday night on an unearned run following third baseman Chase Headley’s error and went 4-3 against the Yankees this year to take the season series for the first time since 1999.

And they won on Derek Jeter Day, when many Yankees stars of the past returned for a 45-minute ceremony that also included NBA great Michael Jordan and baseball ironman Cal Ripken Jr. Video messages from athletes, celebrities and even astronauts in space were shown throughout the day.

“Oh, man! That was, honestly, one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas said. “Any time anyone came on that board or anyone they announced, I got chills.”

Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie suggested to his teammates that they tip their caps.

“He was my favorite player growing up,” Guthrie said. “I was there for the final game at (the original) Yankee Stadium. I was there when he recorded his 2,723rd hit that broke the hits record for the Yankees. … And now to be here for this — I’ve seen quite a few really cool moments.”

Kansas City, which hasn’t been in first place this late in a season since 1989, hopes to give its fans a reason to celebrate this fall.

Ventura (12-9) won his third straight start, leaving after a leadoff walk in the seventh — his fourth of the game.

“When I was able to throw the curve for a strike, it really helped all of the other pitches and made for quick innings,” he said through a translator. “When the curveball wasn’t getting over for a strike, that could have been the difference in the walks.”

With closer Greg Holland sidelined by a strained right triceps, Aaron Crow, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis combined for one-hit relief.

Kansas City went ahead in the second when Josh Willingham reached on an infield single near the mound, advanced on Moustakas’ single and scored with two outs when Nori Aoki hit a slow roller that Greene (4-3) threw wildly past first base.

Beltran dropped Alex Gordon’s easy fly leading off the third, and Gordon stole second before scoring on a single by Eric Hosmer, his first RBI since July 29.

“Any way you can score runs is a good way,” Moustakas said. “It doesn’t matter how they get across as long as you’re scoring.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy headed back to Kansas City for an MRI of his sore left shoulder. Yost said Holland played catch, “felt much, much better today” and will have his status re-examined Monday.

Yankees: OF Brett Gardner missed his second straight game because of a lower abdominal strain.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-10) is slated to pitch Monday, with Justin Verlander (12-12) on the mound for the Tigers.

Yankees: RHP Hiroki Kuroda (10-8) starts Tuesday’s series opener against Tampa Bay RHP Chris Archer (8-8).

BIRTHDAY BOY

Pitching on his 29th birthday, Davis got his second save of the series — and his big league career. After Beltran singled over first leading off the ninth, Davis struck out Brian McCann on a 3-2 pitch, retired Mark Teixeira on a soft grounder to third and fanned Stephen Drew on another full-count pitch. Davis has 94 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings this season and has allowed one run in 53 innings dating to late April. That run scored when he hit the Los Angeles Dodgers’ A.J. Ellis with a bases-loaded pitch on June 25.

ROAD WARRIORS

Kansas City is 6-0-1 in its last seven road series.

— Associated Press —

Wainwright wins 17th as St. Louis rips Brewers

Posted on September 7, 2014

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Brewers had finally gotten to Adam Wainwright in the ninth when St. Louis manager Mike Matheny came to the mound to check if his ace right-hander was tiring.

Matheny didn’t expect an honest answer. Wainwright stayed in the game anyway.

Wainwright got Gerardo Parra to bounce into a double play for his fourth complete game of the season, and the Cardinals beat sliding Milwaukee 9-1 on Sunday.

Griffon volleyball wins two Saturday at Rockhurst Classic

Posted on September 6, 2014September 6, 2014

The Missouri Western Volleyball team took the court with a vengeance on day two of the Rockhurst University Volleyball Classic Saturday, sweeping all six sets from East Central and William Jewell to move to 3-1 on the season. For their efforts, Sarah Faubel and Erica Rottinghuas were named to the All-Tournament team.,

Game 1
MWSU 3, East Central 0

Missouri Western opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of East Central University.

The Griffons made quick work of the Lady Tigers, winning 25-14, 25-16 and 25-10. Erica Rottinghaus continued a strong opening weekend with 14 kills. The Griffons spread scoring between nine different players. ,Jessie Thorup finished with seven kills. Kelsey Olion and Lindsey Partridge had five kills a piece. Jordan Chohon again led the team with 28 assists.

Game 2
MWSU 3, William Jewell 0

After a convincing start to the match, a 25-6 opening set victory, the Griffons clawed their way back from an early deficit to take the second set 25-23 and finished the sweep with another tight one in the third, 25-22.,

Rottinghaus again paced the squad with 15 kills and Jessie Thorup wasn’t far behind with 12. As a team, MWSU totaled 48 kills, including eight from Amanda Boender, seven from Kelsey Olion and five from Lindsey Partridge. Jordon Chohon continued her impressive weekend with a 43 assist match.,

For the tournament, Rottinghaus had 62 kills and Chohon had 161 assists. Sarah Faubel earned her way onto the All-Tournament Team with 51 digs and a .963 serve percentage.,

The Griffons will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota next week for the University of Sioux Falls Tournament. MWSU opens play in the tournament with Bemidji State and Augustana on Sept. 12.,

— MWSU Sports Information —

Mauk throws five TDs as No. 24 Mizzou rolls past Toledo

Posted on September 6, 2014September 6, 2014

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Maty Mauk was sharp for most of the day — and when he did make a big mistake in the first half, receiver Bud Sasser was there to bail him out.

Sasser hustled back and forced a fumble after Mauk threw an interception in the first quarter, and No. 24 Missouri had a fairly easy time after that in a 49-24 victory over Toledo on Saturday. Sasser also caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter, helping coach Gary Pinkel to a win against his former program.

The Tigers (2-0) were only up 14-7 when Jordan Haden intercepted a pass by Mauk and returned it all the way to the Missouri 12 before Sasser caught him and forced the fumble. Missouri recovered.

“I started to follow him as soon as he picked it off, and I knew he didn’t know where I was. So I was just hoping that I was going to be able to catch him,” Sasser said. “That was the first thing that went through my mind — get the ball back, get it out and give someone else a chance to hop on it.”

Mauk threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns and ran for a TD. The Tigers never trailed in what was expected to be a tricky road game against one of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference. Missouri led 35-7 in the third quarter, and the Rockets (1-1) could get no closer than 14 points in the second half.

Pinkel coached Toledo from 1991-2000 before taking over at Missouri. He is the winningest coach at both schools.

Toledo’s Kareem Hunt ran for 148 yards and three touchdowns, but Rockets quarterback Phillip Ely went down with a right knee injury late in the third quarter.

Toledo coach Matt Campbell said it was too early to make a final determination on the severity of the injury.

“Doesn’t look good,” Campbell said. “That’s all I know.”

Mauk went 21 of 32 and was intercepted twice. His five touchdown passes equaled a career high, and this was his first time surpassing 300 yards passing.

“We came out and had a really good game plan,” Mauk said. “We knew when we wanted to take shots, based on alignment. There were multiple things we practiced all week that we were able to execute today.”

Missouri was the first Southeastern Conference school to play at Toledo’s Glass Bowl. The Tigers hosted the Rockets last year — but Pinkel doesn’t sound interested in another home-and-home series any time soon.

“I don’t think that would be a very good idea, just because Toledo’s too good,” Pinkel said.

The Tigers opened the scoring on Russell Hansbrough’s 16-yard touchdown run. Hunt answered with a 38-yard scoring run later in the first quarter.

Mauk threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Darius White and added a 1-yard scoring run of his own to make it 21-7. He then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jimmie Hunt with 6:12 remaining in the second quarter.

The Tigers led 28-7 at halftime, although Toledo could have kept it closer if not for a couple mishaps deep in Missouri territory. Haden’s interception-turned-fumble was one of them. Then in the second quarter, with Missouri up 21-7, Toledo had first-and-goal from the 6, but a false start and a 17-yard sack forced the Rockets to try a field goal, which was blocked.

Mauk threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Murphy early in the third, but Kareem Hunt answered with two touchdowns for Toledo. The Rockets had a chance to get the ball back again, but Mauk found Sasser for 47 yards on third-and-7, and on the next play those two connected again for a 25-yard touchdown.

That 75-yard drive took only 57 seconds, and Missouri led 42-21. Mauk also threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jimmie Hunt in the fourth.

Of the game’s 10 touchdown drives, only two were longer than 1:31, and four took less than a minute.

Ely went 17 of 34 for 204 yards with an interception. Kareem Hunt rushed for more than two touchdowns for the first time, but his statistical output was small consolation afterward.

“I feel like it doesn’t really mean that much, because we didn’t get the win,” he said. “I can rush for like 57 yards, and if we win, I’ll accept that.”

— Associated Press —

Duffy leaves after 1st inning as KC loses at New York 6-2

Posted on September 6, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Obtained by the Yankees from Arizona in separate July trades, Brandon McCarthy and Martin Prado are doing their best to keep alive New York’s slim playoff hopes.

McCarthy won for the second time in six starts and Prado had three hits as the Yankees feasted on Kansas City’s bullpen in a 6-2 win Saturday after Royals starter Danny Duffy left because of an injury following his first pitch.

McCarthy, dealt on July 6, allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a walk. He is 6-4 with a 2.87 ERA for the Yankees after going 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA in 18 starts for the Diamondbacks.

“It’s nice just to contribute,” he said. “I spent the first half of the season being a hindrance on an organization, and that’s something that doesn’t sit well. So to come somewhere where there’s a playoff race going on, and you’re a positive influence on something that’s helping the team win, that’s really all you can ask for.”

Prado, acquired on July 31, played for the first time since straining his left hamstring Tuesday and had three hits, raising his average to .309 with the Yankees. He hit .270 with the Diamondbacks.

Prado’s 10th multihit effort in his last 16 games fueled a rare offensive outburst by the weak-hitting Yankees, who scored as many as six runs for the first time since Aug. 29. A night earlier, a 1-0 loss in the series opener dropped them 4 1/2 games back for the AL’s second wild card.

“Hitting is contagious, I believe,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It just picks your club up It’s uplifting. The last 20 games, he’s been unbelievable.”

The Yankees scored all their runs in the first five innings off Liam Hendriks and Casey Coleman, called on because of Duffy’s sore left shoulder.

Prado doubled off Hendriks (1-1) with two outs in the first and gave his hamstring a test when he came around on Mark Teixeira’s single.

“I was like, please, just let me get to home plate,” Prado said.

Prado said he is playing at less than 100 percent but wants to be in the lineup as the Yankees try to avoid missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992 and `93.

“I’m trying to be smart,” Prado said. “I want to be in there for my teammates.”

After Alex Gordon’s RBI bloop single tied the score in the third, the Yankees went ahead for good in the bottom half on Jacoby Ellsbury’s run-scoring triple and Derek Jeter’s sacrifice fly.

Chase Headley make it 4-1 in the fourth when he scored from third after Perez overthrew third base for an error on a pickoff attempt. Carlos Beltran doubled in a run in the fifth and scored on a single by pinch-hitter Ichiro Suzuki.

Mike Moustakas had a sacrifice fly in the seventh, ending McCarthy’s day, but Shawn Kelley, Dellin Betances and David Robertson combined for hitless relief. New York relievers have thrown 11 innings of scoreless, three-hit relief in their last four games with 14 strikeouts and no walks.

“Just a good team game,” McCarthy said.

Kansas City (78-62) remained two games ahead of Detroit in the AL Central, but the Royals were far more concerned with the state of Duffy’s left shoulder. Duffy, who returned in August 2013 following elbow ligament-replacement surgery, entered the day with a 2.44 ERA, third-best in the AL.

“We will send him home tomorrow and get an MRI to see what we are dealing with,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Kansas City scored four runs or fewer for the eighth straight game — including a suspended game against Cleveland on Aug. 31 that will resume on Sept. 22. But the Royals are 4-3 in that span thanks to their pitching.

“We will get a hit here and there, but not really consistent all-around,” Gordon said. “We just need to get more consistent and have some big innings.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Greg Holland was missed his second straight game due to a tight right triceps. “Hopefully a day or two or three recovery and be ready to go,” Yost said. … DH Josh Willingham returned Saturday after missing six games because of a sore back and went 1 for 4.

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka threw a 34-pitch bullpen session. Girardi said the club needs to see Tanaka pitch in a game this season to know whether he can pitch without surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. … C Francisco Cervelli missed the game because of a migraine. … OF Brett Gardner didn’t play after aggravating an abdominal injury Friday. Girardi said he was questionable at best for Sunday.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Shane Greene (4-2) opposes Royals RHP Yordano Ventura (11-9) in the series finale after a pregame ceremony on Derek Jeter Day.

BETANCES MOVING ON UP: Betances threw a perfect eighth inning with one strikeout, his 125th of the season. That’s the second-most in team history for a reliever, three strikeouts ahead of Rich Gossage in 1978 and five shy of Mariano Rivera in 1996.

“Look at the names — one Hall of Famer and one just waiting four more years,” Girardi said. “That’s how dominant he has been this year, and how good he has been.”

THE M&M BOYS: McCarthy credited catcher John Ryan Murphy — whom he’d never thrown to before Saturday — for helping him labor through a 105-pitch effort on a humid 89-degree afternoon.

“Wasn’t really sharp, but I felt like Murphy did a good job getting me through it and making sure we could kind of keep going deeper into the game and make those runs that they gave me early hold up,” McCarthy said. “Just kind of one of those days where you’re working for everything you get. Nothing really comes easy.”

ELLSBURY DOES IT ALL: Ellsbury went 1 for 4 and is hitting .359 with 13 RBIs in his last 18 games.

Ellsbury also saved at least two hits in center: He ran down a potential RBI extra-base hit by Josh Willingham in the gap in the fourth and caught Gordon’s sinking liner in the eighth.

“He’s a tremendous center fielder,” Girardi said. “As good as it gets.”

— Associated Press —

No. 20 Kansas State rallies past Iowa State 32-28

Posted on September 6, 2014

AMES, Iowa (AP) — For about a quarter, it looked as if Kansas State was going to get run out of Ames.

The Wildcats survived a furious upset bid from Iowa State by leaning heavily on quarterback Jake Waters and a defense that shined in the second half.

Waters had an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:30 left to push 20th-ranked Kansas State past host Iowa State 32-28 on Saturday.

Waters threw for 239 yards and ran for a career-high 138 yards for the Wildcats (2-0, 1-0 Big 12). They allowed 28 consecutive points in one stretch of the first half, but Waters rescued the Wildcats with a stellar winning drive.

Waters followed a key 23-yard completion to Tyler Lockett with a 25-yard run with just under two minutes left. Then, Waters capped an 80-yard drive that took just 1:31 with his second touchdown run of the day.

“We’ve got a lot of mistakes to (clean up). The good thing is if you can win when you’re making those mistakes, there are some attitude issues that could serve in your favor,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said.

Jarvis West caught and threw touchdown passes and ran a punt back for a third TD for Iowa State (0-2, 0-1), which was held scoreless in the second half.

It was a tough loss for the Cyclones: They nearly knocked off a ranked opponent just a week after losing by 20 to FCS school North Dakota State and two days after starting tackle Jacob Gannon quit the team for personal reasons.

“We did certain things necessary to put us in position to win the football game. We didn’t do certain things at the end to allow us to win the football game,” Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said.

Still, the Cyclones nearly pulled off a stunner.

Kansas State’s Randall Evans ripped the ball away from West for an interception with 9:15 left. The Wildcats went 54 yards in 74 seconds, making it 28-26 on a 4-yard TD run by Charles Jones.

Waters went for the tie on 2-point conversion run. But Kamari Cotton-Moya — who was ejected from last week’s loss for targeting — sprinted to the hole, turned Waters sideways at the goal line and preserved Iowa State’s lead.

That seemed like it would be the game’s key play. But Lockett’s crucial reception, which held up upon review, helped give Waters one more chance to decide the game with his feet.

Jones added 75 yards rushing for the Wildcats.

“Our line gave me some great holes to run through. I had to take on that running game on a little more than I usually do,” Waters said. “When we needed a play, we made it — and that’s big.”

Iowa State was in need of a decent showing after allowing 506 yards and getting shut out for the final 44 minutes last week.

The Wildcats made it look way too easy way too soon.

Lockett went 57 yards off a short catch just four plays in, and Jones walked in untouched from four yards out for a quick 7-0 lead.

The Wildcats tacked on a pair of field goals before Iowa State finally woke up.

The Cyclones flipped things around by relying on West’s versatility.

West kicked off his career day with a leaping 17-yard TD catch. Then he took a punt 82 yards for a touchdown and a 14-13 lead early in the second quarter.

West ended a brilliant first half with a perfectly thrown 29-yard TD pass to Allen Lazard off a double reverse. That made it 28-13 Iowa State, thrilling a capacity crowd that once seemed resigned to defeat.

West, a senior, is just the fourth player since 1996 with a passing, receiving and punt return touchdown in the same game, according to STATS LCC.

“You expect a fifth-year guy to step up. He played like a leader and like a guy we need him to be all season,” Rhoads said.

But Kansas State pulled to 28-20 just before halftime on a plunge from Waters following a Lockett catch that had Iowa State fans howling, claiming he was out of bounds.

Waters — who grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, cheering for the Cyclones — took over in the second half and handed his boyhood team one of its toughest defeats in years.

Rhoads is now 0-6 against the Wildcats.

“I was proud of Jake. In this game, you’d like to think that they compete in every single game exactly the same way. This one has a little different meaning to him because his family is here. He had to beg borrow and steal for tickets,” Snyder said. “He was ready to compete.”

— Associated Press —

Abdullah’s late TD helps No. 19 Nebraska escape McNeese State

Posted on September 6, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. — Desperation brought out the best in Ameer Abdullah.

With No. 19 Nebraska and McNeese State of the second-tier FCS tied Saturday, Abdullah turned a short pass from Tommy Armstrong Jr. into a jaw-dropping 58-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left for a 31-24 victory.

Abdullah broke five tackles on his way to the end zone on what may end up as the signature play of his career. As far as Abdullah was concerned, the game shouldn’t have come down to that against an opponent from a lower division.

“Very disappointed right now,” he said, “but you definitely get a little extra energy. I don’t know if it’s God pushing me a little bit more or something chemically that humans are made with that gives you a little more oomph to make the big play.”

McNeese State had erased a 10-point deficit to tie it 24-all with 4:21 to play. The Huskers’ winning possession started with 1:14 left, and they were facing third-and-6 when Abdullah made his game-changing catch and run.

After catching a pass short of the first-down marker, he first made McNeese State’s Bo Brown miss. Then he rammed into a pack of three Cowboys’ defenders, bounced off Aaron Sam and zoomed past Brent Spikes.

“They had the ball last and that kid made a heck of a play,” Cowboys coach Matt Viator said. “Got to be on a highlight somewhere.”

Nebraska (2-0) improved to 11-0 all-time against FCS opponents and before Saturday had never allowed one to come closer than two touchdowns. Coach Bo Pelini said this week that the Cornhuskers won’t play any more opponents from the FCS because of Big Ten scheduling policy.

Pelini and his team got all they wanted and more from the Cowboys (0-1), who had beaten their past two Bowl Subdivision opponents and looked primed to win for the first time in nine all-time games against teams from the Power 5 conferences.

“We shot ourselves in the foot time after time after time,” Pelini said. “We got outcoached, we got outplayed and we were lucky to win the football game. This football team needs to take a good hard look in the mirror, starting with me.”

Armstrong passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 131 yards and a TD. Abdullah, who ran for a career-high 232 yards a week ago against Florida Atlantic, was held to 54 yards on the ground.

But the senior was at his best at the end after freshman Alex Kjellsten’s 24-yard field goal tied it 24-24 with 4:21 to play. The Cowboys had to settle for the field goal after an illegal formation penalty cost them what would have been Derrick Milton’s go-ahead 8-yard TD run.

Nebraska, which amassed 784 yards against Florida Atlantic, wasn’t nearly as sharp against McNeese State.

“You play like that — I see 9-4 all over again,” cornerback Josh Mitchell said, referring to the Huskers’ run of six straight four-loss seasons.

The Huskers led 21-14 at half and went three plays and out on four of their first five possessions of the second half. Armstrong had a touchdown nullified by offensive lineman Jake Cotton’s tripping penalty.

The Cowboys had the Memorial Stadium crowd nervous after Daniel Sams, who was playing his first game since transferring from Kansas State, led most of a drive that pulled the Cowboys to 24-21. Sams hit Kent Shelby for 40 yards on third-and-long and ran 26 yards on a fourth-and-5 to the Nebraska 1. Quarterback Tyler Bolfing re-entered and went the last yard.

“We came here to win,” Viator said. “We came up short, but I am really proud of the effort by our guys. I thought we hung in there and really played hard.”

Nebraska, already playing without star defensive end Randy Gregory (knee), lost two receivers to injuries. Kenny Bell left in the first quarter with a groin pull and was in street clothes for the second half. Jamal Turner was on crutches after tearing his Achilles’ tendon in the second quarter.

The Huskers looked ready to break the game open early in the second quarter, driving from its 20 to the Cowboys 9. But Sam stepped in front of Armstrong’s pass for Jordan Westerkamp at the 2 and returned it 98 yards to tie it 14-all. The only longer interception return against the Huskers was a 99-yarder by Minnesota’s Gary Hohman in 1969.

“The football gods were on our side today,” Abdullah said, “but we got lucky.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas survives scare, beats SE Missouri State 34-28

Posted on September 6, 2014September 6, 2014

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Montell Cozart threw three touchdown passes, two to Nick Harwell, and Kansas withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by Southeast Missouri State for a 34-28 victory Saturday night.

De’Andre Mann ran for 121 yards and freshman Corey Avery added 91 yards and a score, helping the Jayhawks (1-0) survive after blowing most of a 24-0 first-quarter lead down the stretch.

The Redhawks’ Kyle Snyder threw three touchdown passes, all in the fourth quarter, the last of them a 26-yard pass to Paul McRoberts on fourth down with 1:33 left. The Redhawks (1-1) tried an on-side kick, but Harwell hopped on the loose ball, allowing Kansas to run out the clock.

Snyder wound up throwing for 269 yards, though he also tossed three interceptions.

Dexter McDonald had two of them for the Jayhawks, who are in their third year of Charlie Weis’s massive rebuilding project. And if there isn’t significant progress this season — they’ve won four games his first two — he may not be around for the rest of his five-year contract.

The Redhawks, who beat football newcomer Missouri Baptist 77-0 a week ago in coach Tom Matukewicz’s debut, found it hard to overcome themselves. They were penalized 14 times for 174 yards, the abundance of yellow flags often scuttling some promising drives.

In typical Kansas fashion, a stretch of very good play was followed by some very bad.

First was the good, a 24-point opening quarter that was the Jayhawks’ best 15-minute period since they scored 34 points in the fourth quarter of a game against Colorado on Nov. 6, 2010.

After taking a 3-0 lead, Matthew Boateng’s pick gave the Jayhawks good field position. Three players later, Avery took an option pitch over the left side from 10 yards out for a score.

Cozart added a 6-yard TD pass to Harwell later in the first quarter, and his 10-yard pass to the former Miami of Ohio star moments later gave the Jayhawks a 24-0 lead.

Then came the bad, a second quarter spent mostly going backward.

The Redhawks sacked Cozart to foil one drive, forced a three-and-out on the next, and then caused a comical fumble to end the half. While players from both teams jumped into a pile near midfield, the loose ball squirted away without anybody noticing. Kansas right tackle Damon Martin finally did, but only after staring dumbfounded at the ball for several seconds.

The Jayhawks managed just 13 yards in the second quarter.

The Redhawks finally got going in the third, blocking Matt Wyman’s 49-yard field goal attempt and returning the ball to the Kansas 22. Jackson scored four plays later to make it 24-7.

Sensing some momentum, Southeast Missouri State appeared to recover an onside kick, only to be flagged for being offside. Kansas wound up with good field position on the ensuing kick, and Cozart hit Tony Pierson for a 67-yard TD pass that briefly restored some order.

Southeast Missouri State refused to go quietly.

Snyder hit Spencer Davis with a 37-yard TD strike early in the fourth quarter, and then found McRoberts from 68 yards out to make it 34-21 with 10:39 left. But by the time he hit McRoberts to make it a one-possession game, the Redhawks had nearly run out of time.

— Associated Press —

Adams, Taveras help Cardinals beat Brewers 5-3

Posted on September 6, 2014September 6, 2014

MILWAUKEE — Matt Adams and Oscar Taveras homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 on Saturday night to open a four-game lead in the NL Central.

Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings as St. Louis won for the seventh time in its last eight games. Trevor Rosenthal got three outs for his 43rd save in 48 chances.

The Brewers have lost 10 of 11. Ryan Braun had an RBI single in the first, and Lyle Overbay doubled home a run in the sixth.

Milwaukee right-hander Kyle Lohse (12-9) lasted just four innings. He allowed five runs and four hits with two walks.

— Associated Press —