Nebraska sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez picked up his second watch list recognition of the summer on Friday, as he was named to the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch List.

The O’Brien Award recognizes the nation’s top collegiate quarterback, and Martinez was a semifinalist for the award in 2010. He comes off a freshman campaign where he threw for 1,631 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 950 yards and 12 scores.

Martinez nearly became the third freshman quarterback in FBS history to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season. He finished the 2010 season with five 100-yard rushing games, including a NU quarterback record 241 yards against Kansas State. Martinez became the first Husker quarterback to rush for 100 yards and throw for 300 yards in a game at Oklahoma State, when he ran for 112 yards and completed 23-of-35 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns in a win over the Cowboys.

Martinez is one of three returning semifinalists from Big Ten teams,  joining Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins, and is one of six Big Ten quarterbacks on the O’Brien Award watch list.

Also, Junior running back Rex Burkhead became the latest Husker to earn preseason recognition, as he was named to the Doak Walker Award watch Friday afternoon.

Burkhead comes off a sophomore season when he rushed for 951 yards and seven touchdowns, while also completing three touchdown passes out of the wildcat formation. Burkhead totaled three 100-yard games while splitting time with All-Big 12 performer Roy Helu Jr. in 2010. Burkhead rushed for a career-high 129 yards in a win at Iowa State. In addition to his running and passing exploits, Burkhead also hauled in 15 catches out of the backfield in 2010.

He is one of seven Big Ten running backs on the 51-member Doak Walker watch list, which is presented to the nation’s top running back.

— NU Sports Information —

Nebraska Senior linebacker Lavonte David earned a spot on his fourth watch list of the fall, as he was named to the Butkus Award Watch List on Thursday.

David is one of the favorites for the 2011 Butkus following a record-setting campaign in 2011. The Miami, Fla., native racked up a school-record 152 tackles in his first season at Nebraska, breaking Barrett Ruud’s mark of 149 set in 2003. His emergence helped the Blackshirts rank in the top 12 nationally in both scoring defense and total defense in 2010.

A first-team All-Big 12 pick and the league’s newcomer of the year, he ranked 11th nationally in tackles per game and was second on the team in sacks (six), tackles for loss (15 for 60 yards) and pass breakups (10) to earn first-team All-America honors from several outlets. David had eight games with at least 10 tackles, including a season-high 19 against South Dakota State and 17 in the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma.

He is one of five Big Ten players on the Butkus Award list this season, representing the nation’s top linebacker. David has already been named to watch lists for the Bednarik and Lombardi Awards, as well as the Nagurski Trophy.

— NU Sports Information —

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Three Husker football players were honored Friday, as they were selected for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy watch lists. Senior All-American defensive tackle Jared Crick was named to both the Outland and Nagurski watch lists, while teammates Lavonte David and Alfonzo Dennard joined Crick on the Nagurski Trophy list.

The Outland Trophy is presented to the top interior lineman in the country and Crick is one of 16 defensive tackles on the 65-player list, while the Nagurski Trophy is presented to the nation’s top defensive player. Both awards are voted on by the Football Writers Association of America.

Crick anchored a Husker defensive line which helped Nebraska rank in the top 12 nationally in scoring defense and total defense in 2010. He totaled 70 tackles, including 36 solo stops, and had 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss to rank second in the Big 12. He is one of 16 defensive tackles on the 65-player list with the remaining players being offensive linemen.

Dennard played alongside NFL first-round pick Prince Amukamara in a talented 2010 Husker secondary that helped the Huskers rank in the top five nationally in pass efficiency defense and passing yards allowed. He totaled 30 tackles, four interceptions and seven pass breakups in 2010.

David, a first-team All-Big 12 pick and the league’s newcomer of the year, recorded 152 tackles to set the single-season school record. He ranked 11th nationally in tackles per game and was second on the team in sacks (six), tackles for loss (15 for 60 yards) and pass breakups to earn first-team All-America honors from several outlets.

2011 Watch Lists
Bednarik Award – Alfonzo Dennard, Jared Crick, Lavonte David
Maxwell Award – Taylor Martinez
Mackey Award – Kyler Reed
Nagurski Trophy – Alfonzo Dennard, Jared Crick, Lavonte David
Outland Trophy – Jared Crick

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University of Nebraska tight end Kyler Reed became the latest Husker football player named to a watch list, as the John Mackey Award announced its official list for the nation’s top tight ends on Tuesday.

Reed enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign for the Huskers in 2010, catching 22 passes for 395 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the Huskers with an average of 18 yards per catch. His eight TD receptions matched the school record for tight ends and was the fourth-highest total in school history. Reed became more of a factor as the season progressed, catching multiple passes in seven of the Huskers’ final eight games, including four grabs and two TDs against Colorado.

Reed is one of seven Big Ten players on the 34-member watch list. The Mackey Award will trim the list to eight semifinalists on Nov. 14 while the three finalists will announced on Nov. 21. The winner will be announced during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8.

The John Mackey Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding tight end in college football. In addition to demonstrating outstanding athletic prowess on the field, the award also stands for positive sportsmanship-like behavior, good academic standing & exceptional leadership abilities.

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The University of Nebraska Athletic Department announced on Tuesday that it has self-reported to the NCAA violations pertaining to student-athletes who inadvertently received recommended course textbooks, in addition to their required textbooks.  Recommended textbooks are not permissible under NCAA legislation.  Nebraska admitted violations pertaining to NCAA Bylaws 15.2.3 (book scholarship), 16.02.3 (extra benefit), and 2.8.1 (failure to monitor).

In the report, the University of Nebraska Athletic Department acknowledged and regretted the mistakes made and immediately implemented a new process for disbursing student-athletes their scholarship books.  No intentional wrongdoing, no monetary reward and no competitive advantage was gained on the part of any of the student-athletes involved.  In all cases, the bookstore staff provided the textbooks believing it permissible and the student-athletes who received them also believed it was permissible.

Nebraska uncovered the violations on its own, conducted a full and thorough investigation of potential violations, and acted expeditiously as soon as it learned that violations were committed by reporting the violations.

While the NCAA permits an institution to provide textbooks and course supplies with no dollar limit as part of an athletics grant-in-aid, these textbooks and course supplies must be required by the professor and listed in the course syllabus.  After an internal investigation which began in November of 2010, Nebraska officials determined that over a four-year period covering Spring 2007 through Fall 2010, Nebraska student-athletes in 19 varsity sports received books and supplies recommended by the professor but not required for the course.

The total value of the non-required textbooks provided to student-athletes from Spring 2007 to Fall 2010 was $27,869.47, with the average amount less than $60 per student-athlete. The total value was calculated by taking the cost of the book when purchased, minus the amount refunded to athletics when the books were returned. The student-athletes involved individually paid to a charity of their choice the amount of extra benefit they received.  Between February 17 and April 18, 2011, the Nebraska compliance staff processed 57 repayments and reinstatement requests to the NCAA (of those student-athletes whose extra benefits totaled more than $100) and processed repayments by an additional 181 student-athletes whose extra benefits totaled less than $100.

As outlined in the report, Nebraska Athletics self-imposed a two-year probationary period as well as a fine of $28,000 payable to a charity as designated by the NU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The report, prepared by Josephine Potuto, UNL’s Faculty Athletics Representative and law professor, was recently submitted to the NCAA.

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The National Football Foundation Hall of Fame’s Nebraska Chapter president, Irv Veitzer, is pleased to announce Nebraska Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011.

The five former Husker standouts voted into the Hall by Chapter membership include defensive tackle Carel Stith (1965-66), linebacker Bob Terrio (1970-71), middle guard Lawrence Pete (1986-88), rover Mike Brown (1996-99) and cornerback Ralph Brown II (1996-99).

The two players from the Nebraska Sate College/University four-year level, voted into the Hall by Chapter membership, are offensive/defensive end Jimmy Jones (1962-65) of Omaha University (now University of Nebraska at Omaha) and offensive guard Dave Meyer (1972-75) of Midland Lutheran College (now Midland Lutheran University).

Leo McKillip, former head football coach (1985-92) at Dana College in Blair, Neb., was voted by Board Decree as recipient of the Chapter’s Coaching Hall of Fame honor.

The Chapter’s Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award will be presented to Jay and Kim Noddle of Omaha, for their strong support of the Nebraska Athletic Department and the University’s football program.

The Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award recipients are Bruce and Darla Evertson of Kimball, Neb., in honor of their generous contributions to Nebraska’s football program and to the Athletic Department in general.

Induction and award ceremonies will be held Friday evening, Sept. 9, 2011 at the West Stadium Club with on-field pre-game recognition extended to all honorees at the Nebraska-Fresno State game on Saturday, Sept. 10.

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Nebraska baseball coach Darin Erstad announced the second addition to his coaching staff on Friday, as Ted Silva has been hired as the Huskers’ pitching coach. Silva comes to Lincoln from the West Coast, where he has spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach at UC Irvine and Loyola Marymount.

Silva, a native of Redondo Beach, Calif., and a 1995 All-America pitcher at Cal State Fullerton, helped lead UC Irvine to national prominence from 2008-10 when the Anteaters qualified for three straight NCAA Regionals and won the 2009 Big West Conference title. He moved on to Loyola Marymount under longtime friend and former Titan teammate Jason Gill for the 2011 season.

“I know the University of Nebraska sets the bar with its great tradition, fan support and facilities” said Silva, who was an assistant coach for UC Irvine at the 2008 Lincoln Regional. “Now having the opportunity to come back and work with Coach Erstad is extremely humbling and exciting. I have been fortunate to be a part of some great teams the past few years, and I cannot wait to help this prestigious university. It is an exciting time for the Nebraska baseball program.”

In Silva’s first season as pitching coach, UC Irvine won the 2008 Lincoln Regional, including a 3-2 win over host Nebraska. The Anteaters nearly advanced to the College World Series, but fell one inning short of sweeping No. 2 LSU before the Tigers came back to win the Super Regional. While at UCI, Silva’s pitching unit produced a 3.89 ERA and helped the program to its first Big West Conference championship. The Anteaters qualified for the NCAA Tournament all three years and were eliminated in 2010 by eventual national runner-up UCLA.

“Coach Silva is one of the best in the country,” Erstad said. “He has been a part of many successful teams, and his track record speaks for itself. I wanted to keep an open mind through the search and in the end I knew who I had to go after. I look forward to working with Coach Silva and am extremely excited he is coming to Nebraska.”

Silva took an assistant coaching position at Loyola Marymount under Gill for the 2011 season. The two were teammates on the 1994 Cal State Fullerton squad that finished 47-16 and reached the College World Series. In his only season with the Lions, Silva’s pitchers posted a 3.25 ERA to rank 30th nationally, cutting the team’s ERA nearly in half from 2010 (7.21). A trio of LMU pitchers were selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, including a pair of top-15 round selections in Jason Wheeler (8th round) and Alex Gillingham (11th round). During his first two seasons, Wheeler was 1-4 with a 7.80 ERA before improving to 6-4 with a 3.84 ERA in his junior year under Silva. Gillingham, who earned 2011 first-team All-West Coast Conference honors, saw similar improvement, as he was 6-8 with a 5.51 ERA before producing an 8-4 campaign in 2011 with a 2.49 ERA.

Silva and Gill were on staff at their alma mater in 2005 and 2006 when Silva served as a volunteer assistant coach. The Titans won the Big West Conference championship both years and reached the College World Series in 2006 when CSF produced an NCAA-best 2.73 ERA. Silva helped coach All-Americans and future first-round selections Ricky Romero (2005) and Wes Roemer (2006) to Big West Pitcher of the Year honors. After a year at Fresno State, Silva accepted the UC Irvine pitching coach position and led four Anteater hurlers to a combined 19 All-America awards. Scott Gorgen (2008) and Daniel Bibona (2009-10) collected Big West Pitcher-of-the-Year accolades in his three years at UCI to give Silva a hand in five Big West Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year awards.

During his three seasons at UCI, the Anteaters posted some of the best marks in school history, including the nation’s third-best ERA in 2008 at 3.27, the program’s best since 1974. The same season, UCI struck out a school record 503 hitters. The following year, UCI tied the school record with 20 saves, while the 2010 season saw the Anteaters achieve the league’s second-best totals in ERA (3.98) and strikeouts (483).

Silva spent the 2007 season at Fresno State and helped the Bulldogs to an NCAA Regional appearance. As a team, Fresno State finished with the second-best ERA in the WAC at 4.54, while three Bulldog hurlers ranked in the top 10 individually.

Prior to his coaching days, Silva was a standout pitcher at Cal State Fullerton from 1993-95. A two-time first-team all-conference selection, Silva was 26-7 over his career with a 2.92 ERA and 26 saves, the fourth-most in school history. Silva, who earned 1995 first-team All-America honors, played a key role in the Titans’ run to the national title, including earning the win in the championship game against USC. The 1995 Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year, Silva finished the season as the national leader in victories with a single-season school-record 18 wins (18-1) to go along with six saves. He produced a 2.83 ERA with 142 strikeouts.

As a sophomore, Silva was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball after he went 4-4 with a 2.29 ERA and 13 saves, the third-most in Titan history. He earned a spot on Team USA following the season.

Silva was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 21st round of the 1995 MLB Draft, the same year Erstad was the No. 1 overall pick by the California Angels. He spent five seasons in the Rangers organization, including one year pitching overseas in Taiwan, while also playing in the independent Atlantic League.

Silva, who also served as an assistant coach at Villa Park High School in 2004, attended Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, Calif., and graduated in 1992.