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Author: Dave Riggert

Kansas to play in the 2014 Old Spice Classic

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KUThe 2014 Old Spice Classic field was announced Nov. 29 and will feature Kansas, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Michigan State, Rider, Santa Clara, Tennessee and Xavier. The ninth annual event will be held Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 27, 28 and 30, at the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

The 2014 Old Spice Classic, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 30.

Gonzaga captured the 2012 Old Spice Classic title, its second tournament championship (also 2008). Previous winners were Dayton (2011), Notre Dame (2010), Florida State (2009), North Carolina State (2007) and Arkansas (2006). Kansas has yet to participate in the Old Spice Classic.

For more information, including travel packages, visit the Old Spice Classic web site at www.oldspiceclassic.com.

The Old Spice Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, a subsidiary of ESPN.

— KU Sports Information —

Missouri’s Pinkel named finalist for Maxwell Coach of the Year Award

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MUMizzou Football head coach Gary Pinkel has been named a finalist for the Maxwell Football Club’s Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, the organization announced Tuesday (Dec. 3). In his 13th season leading the Tigers, Pinkel has firmly led Mizzou back into the national spotlight with its 11-1 overall record and Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title (7-1 SEC), in only the school’s second season of SEC competition.

The Tigers’ resurgence in 2013 is one of the best turnaround stories of the college football season as injuries derailed Mizzou’s inaugural SEC campaign in 2012. A refocused and healthy Mizzou squad has ascended to No. 5 in the Bowl Championship Series standings heading into Saturday’s SEC Championship Game vs. BCS No. 3 Auburn inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

Mizzou’s 28-21 victory over then-No. 19 Texas A&M (Nov. 30) not only clinched the SEC East for the Tigers, but also matched Pinkel with legendary Tiger head coach Don Faurot with an all-time program-best 101 wins. It was also Mizzou’s fourth over a ranked opponent this season.

Under Pinkel, the Tigers have consistently competed at the highest level. Mizzou has won a conference division title in four of the last seven seasons (2007, 2008 and 2010 Big 12 North; 2013 SEC East). This year’s group for Pinkel became the third team in school history to win 11 games or more in a season (1960, 11-0; 2007, 12-2).

Joining Pinkel as a finalist are Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn. Voting is now open for the finalist selection for the MFC Collegiate Coach of the Year. Eligible voters include NCAA Bowl Subdivision Head Coaches and Football Sports Information Directors, Maxwell Football Club members and selected national media. The winner announcement will be made on Thursday, Dec. 19 and the award will be formally presented at the 77th Maxwell Awards Gala which will be held in March 2014 in Atlantic City, N.J.

The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football club of its kind in America. The organization is devoted to recognizing excellence at all levels of football from high school through the NFL ranks. Under the stewardship of MFC President Ron Jaworski the Club has grown rapidly and has members in 40 states. The MFC provides educational and training programs for players and coaches, and also provides scholarships to outstanding student-athletes who demonstrate excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.

More information on the MFC can be found at www.maxwellfootballclub.org.

Kickoff for the nationally-televised SEC Championship Game will be on CBS and is set for 3 p.m. CT., Saturday.

— MU Sports Information —

Kansas City signs DT Jerrell Powe; releases Kyle Love

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Buccaneers Chiefs FootballThe Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that the club has signed defensive tackle Jerrell Powe and released defensive tackle Kyle Love. Additionally, the team has added FB Toben Opurum to the practice squad roster.

Powe (6-2, 331) originally joined the Chiefs as the club’s sixth-round pick (199th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. He has played in 10 contests in two NFL seasons with the Chiefs (2011-12) recording six tackles (five solo). Powe was released by the club on Sept. 1, 2013. He saw action in 37 games (22 starts) at Mississippi, recording 69 tackles (49 solo), 24.0 stops for loss (-80.0 yards) and 7.0 sacks (-29.0 yards). He also had an INT, two passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and three QB pressures. Powe spent one season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. He was named a Parade All-American as a senior at Wayne County High School in Waynesboro, Miss.

Opurum (6-1, 250) originally joined the Chiefs as a rookie free agent on May 17, 2013. He has served on the club’s practice squad before being released on Nov. 20. Prior to joining the club, he played defensive end and linebacker at the University of Kansas where he recorded 109 tackles (59 solo), 6.5 sacks (-47.0 yards), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and seven passes defensed. Opurum played running back for the Jayhawks in 2009, rushing 133 times for 554 yards and nine touchdowns. He also served on the school’s special teams unit. The Richardson, Texas, native prepped at Plano East High School in Plano, Texas.

Love (6-1, 315) has played in 42 games (25 starts) in three NFL seasons with the New England Patriots (2010-12) and Kansas City Chiefs (2013). He saw action in one contest with the Chiefs vs. San Diego on Nov. 24. He has tallied 65 tackles (36 solo), 5.5 sacks (-22.0 yards), one fumble recovery and one pass defensed. Love was acquired via waiver claim by the Jacksonville Jaguars on May 16, 2013 and released by Jacksonville prior to the start of the regular season. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Patriots in 2010. Love played in 44 games at Mississippi State, finishing his career with 71 tackles. Born in the Republic of South Korea, the Fairburn, Ga., native prepped at North Clayton High School in College Park, Ga.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Kansas’ Ellis named a NABC Good Works Team nominee

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KUKansas sophomore forward Perry Ellis was named a nominee to the Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced Tuesday.

The award, presented by the NABC and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), recognizes 201 nominees at all levels of college basketball. It honors college basketball student-athletes who represent the sport’s finest in the areas of leadership and charitable achievements amongst their peers. The student-athletes nominated for this honor embody the true spirit of teamwork and giving back.

From the 117 NABC men’s nominees and 84 WBCA women’s nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, special voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA. The final roster of 20-award recipients will be unveiled in February.

A preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Ellis was named to the Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the event Nov. 30. The Wichita, Kan., forward is KU’s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game and second-leading rebounder at 6.6 rpg through seven games this season. He also earned co-Big 12 Player of the Week honors earlier this season (Nov. 18).

Off the court, Ellis recently represented the University of Kansas by posing for a poster photo shoot for KU Libraries. He also participates with the Kansas men’s basketball team in shopping for needy families during the holiday season, the annual Wilt Chamberlain Special Olympics Clinic, Ladies Night Out (which supports breast cancer research through Jayhawks for a Cure), autographs more than 1,500 basketballs (which generate funds for a variety of charities) and speaks regularly to youth at camps and clinics throughout the year.

No. 6/7 Kansas (6-1) is in action next at former conference foe Colorado on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2:15 p.m. (Central). The game will be shown on ESPN. CU was 7-1 on the season entering its Dec. 3 contest at Colorado State.

— KU Sports Information —

MU’s Gaines shares weekly SEC defensive honor

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MUMizzou Football senior cornerback E.J. Gaines (Independence, Mo.) has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.

Gaines turned in an amazing lockdown coverage performance against Texas A&M standout wide receiver Mike Evans, as he held Evans to season-low totals of four receptions for just eight yards, which was a key part of Mizzou’s stellar defensive effort. Evans came into the game averaging 119.5 yards per outing, with 12 receiving touchdowns, and his long catch last Saturday in Mizzou’s win was just a 10-yarder.

Gaines finished Mizzou’s Senior Night with six total tackles, as the Tiger defense held the Aggies to 21 points and 379 yards of total offense, well below Texas A&M’s pre-game averages of 45.6 points and 552.6 yards. The senior Tiger ranks fourth in the SEC (31st in the NCAA) with his team-leading four interceptions to date, and he ranks third-best on the Tigers team with his 59 tackles on the season, despite missing two-and-a-half games due to injury.

The recognition is the 12th SEC honor for a Mizzou player in 2013, continuing to reset Mizzou’s best for conference honors in a season. Head coach Gary Pinkel’s 2007 squad brought home a total of eight individual honors. Gaines joins sophomore LB Kentrell Brothers (Guthrie, Okla.) and senior DE Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) as Mizzou’s three players to earn Defensive Player of the Week recognition.

The honor is the second weekly award of Gaines’ career, with the first also coming from an extraordinary outing against the Aggies. Gaines recorded 10 tackles and a career-best four pass breakups in Mizzou’s 38-31 overtime win at Texas A&M on Oct. 29, 2011.

No. 5 Mizzou (11-1, 7-1) has reached the SEC Championship Game, with head coach Gary Pinkel leading the Tigers against No. 3 Auburn (11-1, 7-1) in Atlanta, Ga..  Kickoff for the nationally-televised CBS game is set for 3 p.m. CT., on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Georgia Dome.

— MU Sports Information —

Kansas’ Embiid named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

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KUIn blocking a Kansas freshman record seven shots in KU’s 67-63 win against UTEP, freshman C Joel Embiid was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers men’s basketball the conference announced Monday.

Embiid scored in double digits in two contests as the Jayhawks recorded a 2-1 record at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas, over Thanksgiving weekend. The 7-0 Yaoundé, Cameroon, native also had 10 blocked shots while shooting 63.2 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. His seven rejections versus UTEP set the KU freshman record for blocked shots in a game, previously held by Nick Collison (six vs. Nebraska in 2000). Embiid averaged 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in the event.

Averaging 9.1 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds, Embiid leads Kansas in field goal percentage at 67.6 percent and is third in the Big 12 with 2.3 blocked shots per game. His 7.0 boards per game are ninth in the league.

Embiid joins sophomore F Perry Ellis and freshman G Andrew Wiggins who have also been named to weekly Big 12 honorees this season. Ellis was the co-Big 12 Player of the Week Nov. 18 and Wiggins the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, also on Nov. 18.

Kansas (6-1) is in action next at former conference foe Colorado on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2:15 p.m. (Central). The game will be shown on ESPN. CU was 7-1 on the entering its Dec. 3 contest at Colorado State.

— KU Sports Information —

Chiefs lose to Broncos again for third straight loss

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ChiefsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs had no answer for Peyton Manning and Eric Decker.

In two tries this season, they haven’t had an answer for the Denver Broncos, either.

Manning threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns, four of them to Decker, and the Broncos held off a furious rally to beat the Chiefs 35-28 on Sunday and seize control of the AFC West.

Decker had eight catches for a career-high 174 yards for the Broncos (10-2), who moved a game clear of the Chiefs (9-3) in the division. With four games left, Denver also holds the tiebreaker by virtue two wins over Kansas City in the last three weeks. The Broncos have the AFC’s best record.

Jamaal Charles had 93 yards rushing for the Chiefs, and capped a 17-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:32 left in the game to close within a touchdown.

After forcing a punt with 3:32 remaining, Kansas City used three long pass plays to move deep into Broncos territory. But Alex Smith’s pass to Dwayne Bowe in the end zone on fourth-and-4 with 1:45 left fell incomplete, allowing the Broncos to run out the clock.

Smith threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City, while Knile Davis returned a kickoff 108 yards for another score as the Chiefs jumped out to a 21-7 lead.

The Broncos promptly scored 28 straight points to take control.

Denver did it without of slew of injured players, including three starters on defense and tight end Julius Thomas, who has developed into one of Manning’s favorite red-zone targets.

No need to worry. Decker more than shouldered the burden.

The fourth-year pro caught a 41-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, two more TD passes in the third and a short fade for a score in the fourth quarter. Most of the time, Decker was abusing Chiefs defensive back Marcus Cooper, an undrafted free agent who’d become a starter.

Manning now has 41 TD passes, breaking his franchise record of 37 set last season.

The Broncos rebounded nicely from a disheartening overtime loss last week in New England, and are poised to get coach John Fox back on Monday. They went 3-1 under interim coach Jack Del Rio, who stepped in when Fox needed heart surgery during the team’s bye week.

The Chiefs, who lost for the third straight week, squandered far too many chances on Sunday, including one right of the gate. They had marched deep into Broncos territory before Smith was picked off by Wesley Woodyard in the end zone.

Still, Kansas City seemed to have more energy in the first half.

The Chiefs took the first lead when Smith threw a touchdown pass to Junior Hemingway. And after Decker beat Brandon Flowers for a tying score, Davis took the ensuing kickoff deep in his own end zone and stepped out of two tackles before running untouched the rest of the way for a touchdown.

The 108-yard return was the longest in franchise history, and the first return touchdown by a Chiefs player since Jamaal Charles took a kickoff back against the Steelers during the 2009 season.

Smith’s touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano, who made a nice one-handed grab, made it 21-7.

The Broncos closed within a touchdown later in the half when Manning hooked up with Decker for another long gain. This time, it was a short TD pass to Knowshon Moreno that capped the drive.

Manning began the second half off with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Decker, who made a nifty grab with his fingertips as he rolled into the end zone. Then after forcing a punt, the 12-time Pro Bowler hit Demaryius Thomas for 77 yards to set up Decker’s 15-yard touchdown reception.

The Broncos’ run of points ended when Decker caught a fade pass for a 35-21 lead. It turned out to be all the points they needed.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou volleyball selected as No. 4 overall seed, will host first two rounds

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MUFor the 11th time in 14 seasons under Wayne and Susan Kreklow, the Mizzou volleyball program is headed to the NCAA Tournament, as announced by the NCAA live on ESPNU Sunday (Dec. 1). Mizzou, ranked fourth in this week’s AVCA Top-25 at a perfect 34-0 and 18-0 in SEC play, earned the No. 4 overall seed, a program-best. The Tigers were also selected to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Hearnes Center on Dec. 6-7, marking the first time that Mizzou will host those rounds since 2005, when the team advanced to the Elite Eight. Joining Mizzou in Columbia next weekend will be first-round opponent IUPUI, Central Arkansas and Purdue, who will meet in the first match of the sub-regional

“This is obviously a big day for our program and opportunities like what we have now are why you compete and why you put in so many hours of preparation all year,” head coach Wayne Kreklow said. “It really is an honor to play the first and second rounds here in the Columbia as well. Our fans have been phenomenal all year long and this is almost like a reward for them as they get to see our team a few more times this season. We drew a tough field here in the opening weekend, so we are going to have to prepare as we did all season long, but I am excited about the opportunity that is ahead of us.”

Of course, Mizzou earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after clinching the school’s first-ever SEC Championship after defeating Mississippi State on Nov. 22 at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou finished the regular season at a perfect 34-0, including an 18-0 mark in SEC play as it is the first ever SEC team to run the table in the regular season. Times for each match will be released Monday (Dec. 2).

— MU Sports Information —

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