College – Page 165 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Copeland scores 30, Nebraska tops North Dakota 92-70

Posted on November 19, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — It took four tries for Isaac Copeland to have the kind of game he was expected to play for Nebraska this season, scoring 30 points to lead the Huskers to a 92-70 win over North Dakota Sunday.

The Georgetown transfer, who averaged just 7 points per game in Nebraska’s first three contests, made 12 of 14 shots, including 3 of 4 three pointers, and pulled down eight rebounds while triggering the early first half spurt that put Nebraska up for most of the game.

Copeland was relieved to have his first big game at Nebraska.

“It felt good,” he said. “I have a good support system around me. My dad calls pretty much daily to let me know to keep working, stay positive and this is eventually is going to happen. I didn’t expect it to be 30 points. But I’ll take it.”

Nebraska (3-1) hit six of its first nine shots, taking a 15-5 lead on Copeland’s layup with 15:13 left in the first half. The Huskers led by as many as 18 in the first half in which they hit 61 percent of their shots.

North Dakota (2-2) turned the ball over 12 times in the first half and made just 12 baskets to fall behind 49-32.

The Fighting Hawks took advantage of Nebraska’s cold shooting to open the second half to cut the Husker lead to 53-46 on a Cortez Seales jumper with 14:07 remaining. Nebraska used a 12-2 run capped by an Anton Gill 3-pointer to go up 75-55 with 8:57 remaining.

“The second half we cut it to 10, but Conner (Avants) picks two quick fouls and that kind of deflated our rhythm a little bit,” said North Dakota coach Brian Jones. “Some of the things we tried to take away we did, some of the things we needed to take away we did not. … I give them a lot of credit. They have not shot the ball even remotely or nearly as well as they had today.”

Nebraska held Geno Crandall, who came into the game averaging 28 points per game, to just two free throws in the first half. Crandall, who finished with 13 points, got his first field goal with 12:50 remaining in the game.

“Evan Taylor did a tremendous job on Crandall in the first half,” said Nebraska coach Tim Miles. “I don’t think people realize how tough he is to guard one-on-one. We had some guys helping him too, to shrink the floor. But Evan really did a great job on him. You can’t keep him forever. He still got 13.”

Marlon Stewart led North Dakota with 20 points. Avants had 16 points and Dale Jones had 11 points for the Fighting Hawks.

Gill had a career-high 16 points, Glynn Watson, Jr. had 13 points and Isaiah Roby had 11 points for Nebraska.

BIG PICTURE

North Dakota: This is the fifth-straight season the Fighting Hawks have played a Big Ten opponent and are now 0-7 all-time against the league since moving to NCAA Division 1 in the 2008-2009 season.

Nebraska: The Huskers struggled shooting through the first three games, making just 36 percent overall and only 27 percent from 3-point range. The Huskers finished at 53 percent on Sunday.

QUOTABLE

Miles on Copeland, who had back surgery and missed last season and Gill, who had knee surgery last year.

“I’m just so happy for them. Two guys go through major surgery, back surgery and the injury that Anton went down and see them just really explode, I’m just so happy for them. I know what a relief it is, how exciting it is for them and they deserve it. They’re worked every day, they’ve struggled without any groaning and griping. They’ve stayed with it … I’m really happy for those guys to bust out.”

UP NEXT

North Dakota will return to Grand Forks where it hosts Northland College in its home opener Tuesday.

Nebraska travels to Orlando where it will meet Central Florida in the first of its three games in the Advocare Invitational Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western comes up short against No. 7 UNK in MIAA Tournament championship

Posted on November 18, 2017

KEARNEY, Neb. – Griffon volleyball (24-10) fell in its first ever MIAA Championship final 3-1 to No. 7 Nebraska Kearney (33-3). The loss snaps MWSU’s 13 match winning streak, the longest since 1987.

SURVIVAL BY RALLY
In the second set, Missouri Western faced a 24-21 deficit and trailed 1-0 in the match. The Griffons fought off back-to-back set points and rallied for five straight points to win the set. Kills by Shellby Taylor started and finished off the rally to win the set.

TURNING POINT
The third set saw the Griffons lead 6-0 early and 24-21 late. However, the Lopers rallied off three consecutive points late in the set. UNK had to fight off set point four different times before finally winning the decisive set 29-27.

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
For the second match in a week, Erin Erb came off the bench for career nights. Erb had a career-high 16 kills in the match against the Lopers. In MWSU’s win against UNK on Nov. 11, she came off the bench for a then career-best 14 kills.

BEST SEASON
Missouri Western’s 2017 season is one for the record books as it won the most matches since 1997. The Griffons claimed a share of the conference regular season title for the first time since 1987. MWSU set new program records for digs (2,264) and assists (1,597) in a single season. MWSU also knocked off four ranked opponents. For head coach Marian Carbin, the season allowed her to win her 100th career match and lead her alma mater to 16 conference wins for the second time in her career and program history.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western awaits its NCAA Tournament fate to be announced on Monday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. central time. Eight teams make the Central Region and the Griffons were ninth in the NCAA Central Region rankings on Nov. 15.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons hang on to defeat Quincy 63-61

Posted on November 18, 2017

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (2-2) never trailed, but had to hang on for its second win of the season, 63-61 over Quincy (0-4) Saturday afternoon.

CLOSE CALL
The Griffons led by 18 with 3:19 left in the game, but Quincy ended the game on an 18-2 run and had the final possession, but couldn’t get off the final shot. Missouri Western’s only points during the Quincy run were two free throws. The Griffons also missed a pair of free throws with eight seconds left, giving the ball to Quincy.

ANOTHER WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
Missouri Western scored the first points of the game and never trailed. It was the second wire-to-wire for the Griffons this season. So far the scripts have been similar for the team’s wins and losses. Both losses have come in overtime with the Griffons never trailing in either win.

LEADERS
Lavon Hightower led the Griffons with 18 points. He was one of three Griffons in double-figures as Seth Bonifas and Trey Brown each scored 10 points. Hightower, T.J. Evans and Cheikh Fall tied for the team lead with six rebounds each. Clearman led the team with five assists and also had a team-high three steals.

UP NEXT
The Griffons play their next three games on the road, beginning with a trip to Rockhurst on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

— MWSU Athletics —

Defending Champion Bearcats lose at Ashland in playoff opener

Posted on November 18, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University football team fell to Ashland University, 21-18, on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs at Jack Miller Stadium in Ashland, Ohio.

– The Bearcats finish the season with a 9-3 overall record while Ashland (11-1) advances and will host Harding next Saturday.

– Northwest is now 47-16 all time in NCAA playoff games, making 22 total appearances all time.

Key Northwest Defensive Statistics
– For the 12th time this season, the Bearcat defense did not allow an individual runner to go over 100 yards or score a rushing touchdown.

– The Eagles were forced into five turnovers, three coming by way of interception.

– Ashland was just 3-for-13 on third down attempts and 0-for-2 on fourth down.

– Ben Althoff set a career-high with 15 tackles.

– Caleb Mather blocked two punts. He blocked and recovered a ball in the second quarter at the Ashland 36 yard line. He also altered a fourth-quarter punt that traveled just 14 yards.

– Chance Hall had two interceptions on the day and Najeem Hosein had one pick.

– Blake Bayer had nine tackles and Caleb Mather added eight with 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack.

– Linebacker Jarrod Bishop had six tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack.

– Nick Hess had seven tackles with a forced fumble.

Key Northwest Offensive Statistics
– Jonathan Baker ran for a second quarter score and finished the day with 57 passing yards.

– Emanuel Jones had 40 yards of rushing on a team-high 16 attempts.

– Jordan Grove caught three passes for 38 yards with a touchdown from Zach Martin in the fourth quarter.

– Quincy Woods caught four passes for 33 yards.

Northwest Scoring Drives
– Northwest’s first score came on a 22 yard field goal by Parker Sampson. Hall’s first interception of the day gave the Bearcats the ball on their own 47 yard line after Ashland was driving. The drive was helped by a pass interference call on the Eagles that moved the ball down to the Ashland 32 yard line.

– On the ensuing drive, Marcus Jones forced a fumble that Ben Spaeth was able to recover for Northwest at the Eagles’ 17 yard line. four plays later, Baker called his own number and ran in the score from three yards out to make it 10-7 Bearcats in the second quarter.

– Midway through the fourth quarter, Hess was able to force a fumble that Edward Richey recovered at the Ashland 37. Two plays later, Martin found Grove on a 35 yard touchdown strike to make it 21-16. The Bearcats decided to go for two and after the first play was negated due to a penalty, Baker ran the ball in from the one, making the score 21-18 Ashland.

— Northwest Athletics —

Western women get blown out at No. 7 Drury for first loss

Posted on November 18, 2017

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – No. 7-ranked Drury (3-1) handed the Missouri Western women’s basketball team (3-1) its first loss of the season, Saturday, 80-53.

Drury built a wide margin in the second quarter, outscoring the Griffons 24-12 in the quarter after leading by just one through the first quarter. Drury opened the second quarter with a 17-2 run and never led by less than seven the rest of the game.

Missouri Western continued to force turnovers, getting 20 from Drury, but the Griffons doubled their season total for turnovers in the game. Missouri Western turned the ball over 27 times, resulting in 22 Drury points. Drury shot 50 percent from the field in the game, while Missouri Western shot 40 percent.

Katrina Roenfeldt scored 11 points in the first quarter, but didn’t score again for the Griffons. Brittany Atkins scored at team-high 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 19 minutes of play. Melia Richardson added 10 points. Roenfeldt and Dossou Ndiaye.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts the Fairfield Inn Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 24 and 25 in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Northwest Missouri, Saint Mary (Kan.) and Rockhurst will all participate. The Griffons open play Nov. 24 at 7:30 against Saint Mary.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 1 Northwest pulls away for 20-point win over Truman State

Posted on November 18, 2017

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team stared at a seven-point deficit early in the first half. No problem. The Bearcats unleashed their most potent offensive attack so far in this young season.

Northwest zoomed past Truman State midway through the first half, increased its lead to 21 early in the second half and cruised to a 90-70 victory Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. Northwest, ranked No. 1 in Division II, improved to 4-0.

“A lot of times when we start off slow, it is our defense,” said senior Xavier Kurth, who finished with 14 points. “Our offense is really not a problem. We might miss a couple of shots, but it really starts for us on defense.

“Our job is to provide that spark on defense. I tried my best to shut down their leading scorer and cause some chaos.”

Everybody who stepped on the court for Northwest contributed on offense. One of the Bearcats finding his scoring mojo was Kurth, who also sparkled on defense. His most notable play came with 10 minutes left in the game. Northwest held a 73-54 lead and was in complete control. Northwest missed a shot and Truman State grabbed the rebound under the basket.

Kurth didn’t give up on the possession. He ripped the ball out of the Truman State player’s hands and kicked the ball back outside. Kurth got the ball back and scored, making it 75-54.

Another player who rose up and had his best game in a Bearcat uniform was junior Joey Witthus. He made four three-pointers in the first half that contributed to the comeback and finished with 18 points.

“It felt great,” Witthus said. “I give credit to my teammates. They continue to put their trust in me that I am going to hit the open shot when I am open. They found me when I was open. I give all the credit to them.”

And then there was senior Chris-Ebou Ndow. Truman State needed some Duke players to show up at Bearcat Arena to stop him. Ndow drilled three-pointers and drove strong to the basket for points in the paint. Ndow finished with 14 points.

“We are starting to learn each other’s strengths,” Kurth said. “We have a lot of new guys getting into the rotation this year. We are learning how to play together. I’m excited to see what this year brings for us.”

From the start of the second half, it was obvious Truman State didn’t have a chance. Northwest took at 47-36 lead into halftime, and the program’s all-time leading scorer, Justin Pitts, only had four points. Pitts, though, finished with 20 points.

“We have so many weapons that it could be him (Pitts) one night,” Witthus said. “It could be Chris another night and Xavier another night. There are so many weapons we have on offense that nobody worries about getting theirs because we all trust in each other to score on offense.”

The Bearcats got Pitts involved early in the second half. A backdoor cut by Pitts and a perfect bounce pass from senior Brett Dougherty led to an easy layup that made it 49-36.

After Truman State scored, Pitts drilled a three-pointer and Witthus followed with a three-pointer, making it 55-38. Northwest held a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

“Joey is big for us,” Kurth said. “He can set screens and can drive and he can pop them if you leave him open.”

The first half started with Northwest briefly stunned by the seven straight shots Truman State knocked down that put the Bearcats in a 15-8 hole.

The aggressive play by Kurth helped the Bearcats quickly climb above the break-even point. His strong moves to the basket awakened the Bearcats on both ends of the floor.

One of the strong moves by Kurth led to two free throws, which he made. It help Northwest close to 17-14. The Bearcats tied the game at 17-17 on the next possession on a three-pointer by freshman Ryan Hawkins with 13:14 left in the first half.

Three minutes later, Northwest took its first lead at 24-21 on three-pointer by Witthus. The Bearcats then had a 4-minutes stretch in which they hit three-pointer after three-pointer. Ndow had two. Witthus added his fourth three-pointer of the half that increased Northwest’s lead to 35-26 with 6:25 remaining.

Northwest stayed hot and built a 47-31 lead late in the first half. Truman State closed out the half by scoring the last five points, but the Bulldogs still went into halftime down double-digits.

Defensively, the Bearcats struggled some. But give credit to Truman State for knocking down shot after shot. The Bulldogs went 15 for 23 from the field in the first half for a blistering 65.2 percent.

Northwest was nearly as good on offense, going 16 for 28 from the field for 57.1 percent, and that included eight for 14 from beyond the arc.

It was a well-rounded offensive attack for the Bearcats. Kurth and Dougherty provided the offense in the paint with strong moves to the class. Witthus, Ndow, Hawkins and sophomore Ryan Welty drilled shots on the outside.

— Northwest Athletics —

Thompson, Pringle help K-State upset No. 13 Oklahoma State

Posted on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Looks like 78-year-old Kansas State coach Bill Snyder still knows how to reach young people.

Snyder made it a point to tell his team it was a heavy underdog heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 10 Oklahoma State, and it was the perfect button to push. Byron Pringle caught three touchdown passes and returned a kickoff for another score to help the Wildcats stun the Cowboys 45-40 on Saturday.

The Wildcats were a 19 1/2-point underdog Friday.

“We all knew it wasn’t an accurate number, but I told them you’re going to have to go out there and prove it, and we proved it tonight,” Snyder said.

Oklahoma State nearly erased a 29-point deficit in the second half, but Kansas State (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) held on to become bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season.

“This is what we’ve been capable of all year long,” Kansas State linebacker Jayd Kirby said.

Pringle caught four passes for a career-high 166 yards the day after his 24th birthday. His kickoff return touchdown covered 89 yards. The junior entered the game with eight career touchdowns, and he had never scored more than two in a game.

Freshman Skylar Thompson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 93 yards and a score in his second start for the injured Jesse Ertz.

Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph passed for 425 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. James Washington caught eight passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (8-3, 5-3, No. 13 CFP).

Kansas State led 28-13 at halftime. The Wildcats ran for 132 yards in the first half and intercepted two of Rudolph’s passes. Pringle got loose for a 46-yard touchdown grab to put the Wildcats up 35-13 in the third quarter, then caught a 60-yarder a few minutes later to make it 42-13 before Rudolph got it going.

Rudolph threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Stoner to cut Kansas State’s lead to 45-40 with 4:02 to go. The Wildcats went three-and-out to give Oklahoma State a chance to take the lead, but Rudolph missed four straight passes, then Kansas State ran out the clock.

It was Oklahoma State’s third home loss, and it crushed the Cowboys’ already slim chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.

“We all need to look at ourselves and figure out what’s going on because for whatever reason, we’re not showing up,” coach Mike Gundy said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats finally caught a break in a close game. They had lost by seven points to Vanderbilt, six points to Texas, seven points to Oklahoma and five points to West Virginia this season.

“The defense had a role in it, the offense had a role, special teams had a role,” Snyder said. “We can be a decent team when all three aspects are involved.”

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys couldn’t get their offense going until late. Rudolph was off, and his receivers had some costly drops early.

Rudolph wasn’t sure why he struggled to start of the game.

“I don’t really know,” he said. “That’s a good question. I don’t think we played very well as a whole, so we’ll have to go back and watch the tape.”

STAT LINES

Oklahoma State’s offense posted big numbers, despite being dormant for a long stretch. In one span of six possessions from the middle of the second quarter to late in the third, the Cowboys ran 25 plays, gained 55 yards and did not score.

“We couldn’t throw and couldn’t catch, which the chances of that happening are slim in my opinion,” Gundy said.

QUOTABLE

Thompson on Pringle’s performance: “We just have a lot of confidence in one another and I know if I see any separation with Byron, I know I can put it in a spot and I know he’s going to go get it for me. It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders, I know I can just put it up there in a spot where he can go get it, and gosh dang, he did it today.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Hosts Iowa State on Saturday.

Oklahoma State: Hosts Kansas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas gets rolled by No. Oklahoma 41-3

Posted on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — On his way to the bus, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield stopped outside the visiting locker room at Memorial Stadium to sign a handful of autographs for wide-eyed kids who clearly idolize him.

Their opinions of him hadn’t changed over the course of a blowout win over Kansas.

Those of many other people probably did.

After getting dissed by the Jayhawks’ captains during the coin toss, the Heisman Trophy front-runner spent the rest of an otherwise ho-hum 41-3 victory trading insults with them. At one point he told Kansas fans behind the bench to “go cheer on basketball,” and after throwing his third and final touchdown pass, video cameras caught him grabbing his crotch and cursing at the opposing sideline.

“I got caught up in a competitive game, a chippy game, but what I did tonight was unacceptable,” said Mayfield, who threw for 257 yards in just over three quarters. “It’s disrespectful. It’s not the example I want to set. It’s not the legacy I want to leave. I truly do apologize.”

Everything began when Mayfield tried shaking hands with Daniel Wise, Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Joe Dineen Jr. after the coin toss, but they stared stoically back at him. Mayfield quickly pulled his hand away, clapped a couple of times and set about burnishing his Heisman Trophy candidacy.

He threw TD passes to Rodney Anderson and Marquise Brown in the first half, then founded Mark Andrews late in the third quarter, which prompted more insults between Mayfield and the Jayhawks.

That was the point when he grabbed his crotch and cursed the Kansas sideline from his own bench.

“It was chippy from the second their guys decided they didn’t want to shake our hands,” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said. “Despite all that, there’s no excuse for it. Baker’s a competitive guy.”

Riley said he would need to see video of the game before deciding whether punishment was needed, but he did point out that Mayfield was repeatedly hit after the whistle.

“I’m proud of our guys for getting to a point and not just — you’re not going to take it anymore,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “You’re going to stick your feet in the ground and you’re going to defend your grass. I think we got to display it better than that, obviously, but I get it.”

The histrionics added at least some interest to a game that figured to be a blowout. The Sooners (10-1, 7-1) are fourth in the College Football Playoff ranking and clinched a spot in the revived Big 12 title game, while the Jayhawks (1-10, 0-8) have yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision foe.

Mayfield got most of the fourth quarter off as the defensive-minded Sooners won their 17th straight road game and 15th in a row in the Big 12, setting a league record. It was also their 12th consecutive win over the Jayhawks, their longest winning streak against any opponent.

Carter Stanley had 117 yards passing for Kansas. Khalil Herbert had 37 yards rushing.

The Jayhawks actually forced the Sooners into four three-and-outs in the first half, one of the worst defenses in the nation holding in check one of its best offenses. But they still trailed 21-3 at the break as a result of their own miscues more than anything else:

– The Jayhawks held Oklahoma to fourth-and-3 at their own 34-yard line, and had Mayfield in trouble when they inexplicably stopped covering Anderson. He caught a pass in the middle of the field and outran the defense to the end zone to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead.

– Deep in the Jayhawks’ own territory, Stanley skipped a pass off the hands of wide receiver Evan Fairs that was picked by Emmanuel Beal. Jordan Smallwood scored three plays later for a 14-3 lead.

– And late in the first half, after the Sooners took over at their own 16, a 30-yard pass play was augmented by a roughing-the-passer penalty. The Jayhawks got hit with defensive holding on the next play, and Brown’s 24-yard TD catch with 10 seconds left capped a three-play, 84-yard drive.

The Sooners eventually hit their stride in the second half, when the animosity between their star quarterback and the Kansas defense reached a crescendo, and easily pulled away.

“They have great players on defense. They kind of set the tone with how they were feeling with the coin toss,” Mayfield said. “They did a great job of being physical. It’s a team that’s given us fits.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma could have run up the score but instead coasted, perhaps a result of the friendship between Riley and Beaty. Still, it was an oft-underwhelming performance by a team with national title hopes.

Kansas hardly had reason to celebrate Senior Day. Less than half the announced crowd of 22,854 showed up, and half of that were Oklahoma fans. The coin-toss snub and the embarrassing antics toward Mayfield by several people on the Jayhawks’ sideline only underscored a dismal home finale.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma wraps up the regular season against West Virginia next Saturday.

Kansas concludes the season at No. 13 Oklahoma State next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska falls at Penn State for third straight loss

Posted on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Still a junior, Penn State’s Saquon Barkley wasn’t included Saturday in the Senior Day festivities even though it might’ve been his final game in Happy Valley, too.

If Penn State’s 56-44 victory over Nebraska was indeed it for Barkley — who’ll be coveted by the NFL should he decide to forgo his senior season — the Heisman Trophy candidate put on a memorable performance.

Barkley broke Penn State’s career touchdown record with three scores and had 208 of 224 total yards in the first half to lead the No. 13 Nittany Lions to their 18th win in 21 games. Barkley passed Lydell Mitchell for the record with his 39th touchdown.

Trace McSorley ran for a touchdown and threw for 325 yards on 24-of-36 passing with three touchdown passes for Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten). Mike Gesicki caught two scoring passes and became Penn State’s career touchdowns leader by a tight end with 13, and DeAndre Thompkins also had a touchdown catch in the highest-scoring game in Beaver Stadium history.

Backup quarterback Tommy Stevens added a touchdown pass to tight end Nick Bowers to help the Nittany Lions go unbeaten at Beaver Stadium for the second straight season. Penn State’s 609 yards of offense were the most by a Nittany Lion team since it put 661 on Rutgers in 1995.

“The first half was probably the best half of football we’ve played,” McSorley said.

Nebraska’s Tanner Lee returned from concussion protocol to complete 26 of 41 passes for 399 yards and three touchdowns.

Morgan Stanley Jr. caught seven passes for 185 yards and a touchdown for Nebraska (4-7, 3-5). De’Mornay Pierson-El and Jack Stoll added touchdown catches for the Cornhuskers, who outscored Penn State 34-14 in the second half after trailing 42-10 at halftime.

“We just got off to a horrible start in the game and Penn State was real good,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. “(Barkley) made a big run early that set us off in a bad way. It got out of hand like that right off the bat.”

Devine Ozigbo and MIkale Wilbon ran for touchdowns and Drew Brown added a 23-yard field goal for the Cornhuskers. They will miss out on a bowl game for the first time since the 2007 season.

It didn’t take Barkley long to snap out of a recent rushing funk. The Heisman Trophy candidate broke his streak of three games with 63 rushing yards or less when he galloped 65 yards down the sideline on his first carry.

Barkley gave Penn State the lead for good with a 1-yard plunge late in the first quarter to make it 14-10 and passed Mitchell on an 8-yard run up the middle in the second.

Nebraska took advantage of two short fields to pull ahead 10-7 early.

The Cornhuskers recovered a punt that hit a Penn State player and Brown made a short field goal eight plays later. A shanked Blake Gillikin punt gave the Cornhuskers the ball in Penn State territory again and Ozigbo capped a short drive with a 1-yard scoring run that gave Nebraska a 10-7 lead with 6:17 to play in the first.

Nebraska managed just seven yards of offense the rest of the half and went 3-and-out six times, with five in a row to end the half.

But Lee had plenty left and led five touchdown drives on the Cornhuskers’ final seven possessions.

“The second half, obviously it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, offense and defense,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “We didn’t play up to our standard at the end.”

BETTER THAN LYDELL?

Barkley passed a man who has always been regarded as one of, if not, the best player to wear a Nittany Lion uniform.

Former coach Joe Paterno used to refer to Mitchell, who was an All-American in 1971, finished fifth in Heisman Trophy balloting that season and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, as the best player he ever coached.

Franklin could likely say the same about Barkley who’s put highlight after highlight on tape in his three seasons. Franklin gave Barkley his opinion before the season about what he should do next but wouldn’t reveal that to reporters after the game.

“If I think they should leave early now, then I tell them that,” Franklin said. “If IBM came to our computer engineering department and offered a junior a $12 million contract, they’d be gone.”

Barkley remained mum on his future afterward.

“To be honest, I’m not really thinking about the future right now,” he said.

WIDEOUT DUO SHINES

Until this season, Nebraska never had two receivers reach the 800-yard mark. Stanley and Spielman have ended that drought and should give the Cornhuskers hope that the offense has playmakers on the outside moving forward.

Spielman bounced back from an apparent early shoulder injury to finish with six catches for 96 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Nebraska: The loss knocked the Cornhuskers out of bowl contention and speculation about head coach Mike Riley’s job security will likely ramp up in the coming days. Nebraska has lost five of six and allowed a combined 235 points in those defeats.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions got a confidence boost for what had become a one-dimensional offense lately and delivered a big blow in the series. Their 56 points are the most a Penn State team has put on a Nebraska squad ever, surpassing a 40-7 win in 2002.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Iowa on Saturday.

Penn State travels to Maryland on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Griffons rally past UCO in five sets to advance to MIAA Tournament championship

Posted on November 18, 2017

KEARNEY, Neb. – Griffon volleyball (24-9) advanced to their first-ever MIAA Championship final with a five-set win over No.12 Central Oklahoma (28-5) Friday night at the Health & Sports Center in Kearney, Nebraska. The win gave Missouri Western head coach Marian Carbin her 100th career win.

MAKE HISTORY, REPEAT HISTORY
As MWSU made history with its first-ever win in the MIA Semifinals, it also repeated history. The Griffons beat the 12th-ranked Bronchos in five-sets for the second time this season. Similar to the first match on Oct. 13, Missouri Western trailed the match 2-1 headed into the fourth set. As history happened, it looked eerie similar as MWSU won the fourth set 25-20, just as it did at the first match. The Griffons surged late in the fifth-set to repeat history.

CAREER NIGHTS
Head coach Marian Carbin became the fourth coach in program history to record 100 wins. Carbin also coached her alma mater to its 24th win of the season, the most in her career and most for the program since 1997. Shellby Taylor was the fire Missouri Western needed for the win. Taylor finished the match with 22 kills, a new career-high. Kayla Ruff added to her historical career with a career-best 38 digs. Her 38 digs is the second most for a five-set match in program history.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western advanced to the MIAA Championship final on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. in Kearney, Nebraska. The Griffons will play the winner of No.7 Nebraska Kearney and No. 18 Central Missouri.

— MWSU Athletics —