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Category: College

Three Jayhawks earn All-Big 12 first team honors; Williams Jr. named Offensive Freshman of the Year

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Pooka Williams Jr., was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and also picked up All-Big 12 First Team honors as both a running back and kick returner, joining seniors linebacker Joe Dineen Jr., and defensive lineman Daniel Wise as the Big 12 Conference awards were announced Wednesday. Williams, Dineen and Wise led the way as Kansas football had a total of 11 members of the program pick up all-conference honors as voted on by the 10 league coaches.

A New Orleans native, Williams is the first Jayhawk to garner Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors and is also the first KU freshman to be named All-Big 12 First Team at any position. One of the most explosive players in the league with 15 carries of 20+ yards, Williams rushed for a total of 1,125 yards on 161 carries, good for 102.3 yards per game, 7.0 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns. He added 289 yards and two scores on 33 receptions and 246 yards on 11 kick returns to lead the Big 12 and rank sixth in the FBS in all-purpose yards at 150.9 per game. Williams also threw for a touchdown-a nine-yard pass against Oklahoma.

Williams is one of two players in the Big 12 Conference to record a 100-yard rushing game (4) and a 100-yard receiving game (1) joining TCU’s Jalen Reagor. He is also one of only two players in the league to score a touchdown by way of passing, rushing and receiving in 2018 joining Texas’ Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and is one of just three true freshman in Big 12 history to accomplish the feat.

Williams’ 1,125 rushing yards tie him for eighth place in KU’s single-season history books, ranking him second among Jayhawk freshmen on that list. His 252 rushing yards at Oklahoma rank sixth in KU’s single-game records, while his 16.8 yards per carry against the Sooners was both a Big 12 Conference and Kansas record for a game with a minimum of 15 carries. His 1,660 all-purpose yards rank third on KU’s single-season list.

Williams was tabbed the Big 12 Conference’s Newcomer of the Week on four occasions during the 2018 season. He is the one of just two Jayhawk running backs to be tabbed All-Big 12 First Team, joining Jon Cornish (2006). He is also one of just two Kansas returners to earn All-Big 12 First Team accolades, joining Charles Gordon (2005).

A Lawrence, Kansas, native, Dineen closes out his Jayhawk career leading the Big 12 Conference in tackles for the second-consecutive year-just the second player in conference history to do so joining Texas Tech’s Lawrence Flugence (2001, 2002, 2003). Dineen turned in a career-best 147 tackles, which ranks sixth on KU’s single-season chart. His 12.3 stops per game in 2018 also ranks fourth in the FBS.

For the second-straight season, Dineen led the FBS and the Big 12 Conference in solo tackles with 108 during his senior campaign. Dineen collected 11 tackles-for-loss in 2018, giving him a KU-record 45.5 in his career, making him both the single-season TFL record-holder (25.0 in 2017) and career record-holder. Additionally, Dineen’s 391 career-tackles rank fourth in Kansas history.

Dineen was honored by the league coaches as a first-team member for the first time in his career after earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2017. He was tabbed Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice during his senior season. Dineen is currently a Senior CLASS Award finalist, a Jason Witten Man of the Year semifinalist and a Lott IMPACT Trophy Semifinalist after picking up its weekly award one time this season and being a weekly award nominee three other weeks. He was named Midseason First Team All-America by Sports Illustrated, an Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree and a finalist for the Pop Warner Little Scholars Collegiate Player of the Year.

Wise earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second-consecutive season, becoming the first Jayhawk to do so since Aqib Talib in 2006-07 and is the only KU defensive lineman to earn back-to-back first-team honors since the inception of the Big 12. A native of Lewisville, Texas, Wise led the Jayhawk defense with 12.5 TFLs in 2018. His career total of 44.0 tackles behind the line scrimmage rank second in KU history, just 1.5 behind Dineen.

Wise led KU in sacks in 2018 with 5.0, while he added five quarterback hurries and 34 total tackles as a senior. In addition to concluding his career at Kansas ranked second in TFLs, Wise ranks sixth in sacks with 18.5. His 16.0 TFLs in 2017 rank 10th in KU single-season history, while his 7.0 sacks in 2017 also rank 10th on KU’s single-season charts.

Williams, Dineen and Wise give KU three All-Big 12 First Team honorees for the first time since 2014 when linebacker Ben Heeney, punter Trevor Pardula and cornerback JaCorey Shepherd each earned a first-team nod from the conference coaches.

In addition to the trio of first-team honorees, KU junior offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji and sophomore punter Kyle Thompson each were tabbed to the All-Big 12 Second Team.

A native of Garland, Texas, Adeniji picked up All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the first time in his career after being recognized as an honorable mention honoree during his first two seasons as a Jayhawk. Adeniji started all 12 games at left tackle for KU, helping pave the way for Williams’ outstanding all-purpose performance.

Thompson, who hails from El Cajon, California, was the Big 12’s top punter in 2018, averaging 43.3 yards per punt. He recorded 17 kicks of 50 yards or longer and dropped 26 of his punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Thompson turned in a career-long 76-yard punt in KU’s season-finale against Texas.

Four Jayhawks picked up honorable mention nods from the conference coaches in senior kicker Gabriel Rui and juniors defensive backs Hasan Defense, Mike Lee and Bryce Torneden. Additionally, both Wise and Dineen earned honorable mention honors for Defensive Player of the Year (Dineen) and Defensive Lineman of the Year (Wise), while freshman cornerback Corione Harris was honorable mention Defensive Freshman of the Year and sophomore wide receiver Stephon Robinson was honorable mention Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Overall Kansas football had 11 players recognized with 15 honors, its most players honored since it had 11 recognized in 2016 and its most honors since it had 17 honors in 2005.

— KU Athletics —

Risner leads five Wildcats named to All-Big 12 Teams

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior right tackle Dalton Risner, the 2018 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, led five Wildcats that were named to the Coaches’ All-Big 12 teams, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Risner was a first-team recipient for a third-straight season, while running back Alex Barnes and defensive back Duke Shelley were named to the second team. Punter Devin Anctil and defensive end Kyle Ball were both honorable mention selections. Shelley earned his second All-Big 12 honor from the league’s coaches as he was an honorable mention last year, while Barnes, Anctil and Ball picked up their first-career accolades.

A product of Wiggins, Colorado, Wiggins is the second Wildcat to earn Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year honors, the first being B.J. Finney in 2014. He was joined as an Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2018 by Oklahoma’s Dru Samia and West Virginia’s Yodny Cajuste.

Risner is the fourth offensive lineman in conference history to earn First Team All-Big 12 accolades in three-straight seasons, while he is the fourth player in school history to accomplish the feat, joining defensive tackle Will Geary (2015-17), Finney (2012-14) and linebacker Mark Simoneau (1997-99).

Risner led an offensive unit that finished third in the Big 12 by averaging 182.6 rushing yards per game, which included a 184.2-yard average in conference games to rank second. The Wildcat rushing attack averaged 208.6 yards and 2.3 rushing touchdowns per game in the final seven contests after averaging 146.2 yards and 0.8 rushing touchdowns in the first five.

A majority of that rushing yardage went to Barnes, the Big 12’s regular-season rushing champion at 112.9 yards per game with a league-high tying 12 touchdowns. The Pittsburg, Kansas, native was even better in conference play as he averaged 125.2 yards per game with 11 scores.

Barnes’ season rushing total of 1,355 yards ranked fourth in school history and seventh nationally at the end of the regular season. He topped the 100-yard rushing mark on seven occasions to tie for third in school history. His impressive junior campaign improved his career rushing total to 2,616 yards to rank fifth in K-State history, while his 12 career 100-yard games is tied for second.

Shelley concluded his senior campaign with a team-high three interceptions despite missing the final five games of the season due to injury. His interception total included two against Oklahoma State, while he had one the previous week at Baylor. The Tucker, Georgia, native finished his career with eight interceptions – just outside the school’s top-10 list – while his 39 career passes defended ranked seventh. He also had two pick-sixes in his career to tie for fourth in school history.

Anctil had a great finish to the season as he punted the final six games, averaging 43.6 yards per punt with 10 landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and six that traveled at least 50 yards. His average would lead the Big 12 if he met the required minimum amount of games played. His six punts of at least 50 yards are the most by a Wildcat since 2013, while his five punts downed inside the TCU 20-yard line were the most by a Wildcat in a single game since 2014.

Ball completed the 2018 season with 16 tackles, including 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, while he also batted away two passes. The Prairie Village, Kansas, product carded a season-high seven tackles at Oklahoma, while his sacks came against UTSA and Oklahoma State.

Coaches’ All-Big 12 Teams (Kansas State)
Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year: Dalton Risner (joined by Oklahoma’s Dru Samia and West Virginia’s Yodny Cajuste)
First Team: Dalton Risner (OL).
Second Team: Alex Barnes (RB) and Duke Shelley (DB).
Honorable Mention: Devin Anctil (P) and Kyle Ball (DE).

— K-State Athletics —

Missouri’s rally comes up short in home loss to Temple

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Quinton Rose scored 18 points to lead Temple to a 79-77 victory over Missouri.

Shizz Alston finished with 15 points and six assists, De’Vondre Perry added 11 points and Ernest Aflakpui grabbed 12 rebounds for the Owls (6-1).

Temple outscored Missouri 16-4 in the final 3:20 of the first half to open a 42-32 halftime lead. The Tigers (3-3) got within two points in the final two minutes thanks to outstanding outside shooting — they were 11 of 19 from 3-point range — but the Owls never gave up their lead after intermission.

Missouri’s Jordan Geist hit a 3-pointer to cut the Temple lead to 77-75 with 14 seconds left, but Alston was fouled and made both free throws to secure the game.

Mark Smith led Missouri with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Kevin Puryear added 16 points and Jeremiah Tilmon had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Temple: It was the Owls’ third victory over a Power 5 conference opponent this season, after they previously defeated Georgia and California.

Missouri: Temple entered the game ranked seventh nationally with 10.5 steals per game, and Missouri entered with a minus-2.2 turnover margin. As expected, turnovers hurt the Tigers, who committed 15 while forcing only five.

UP NEXT

Temple: The Owls return to Philadelphia for a game at Saint Joseph’s on Saturday.

Missouri: The Tigers will face a second straight American Athletic Conference opponent when UCF visits Mizzou Arena on Sunday. Temple was picked to finish sixth in the AAC by the league’s coaches, while UCF was projected to win the league.

— Associated Press —

Bruder becomes Northwest’s first volleyball All-American

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Northwest Missouri State can celebrate its first volleyball All-American in senior Maddy Bruder.

Bruder, a senior from Firth, Nebraska (Norris HS), is the first Bearcat in program history to earn American Volleyball Coaches Association First-Team All-America honors. Bruder led the MIAA in kills (4.26 per set) and ranked No. 17 in the nation in that category. Bruder blew away the competition in MIAA matches by averaging 4.30 kills per set with 275 kills in 64 sets. Bruder notched a team-best 17 double-doubles, including 12 in MIAA play.

Earlier this month, Bruder was named the MIAA player of the year.

Griffons hold on for 78-75 win at William Jewell

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LIBERTY, Mo. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (5-4) used a balanced offensive effort and solid team defense to pick up a road win over William Jewell 78-75 on Monday night. The win snaps a three-game losing skid and wraps up the Griffon’s five-game road trip.

NOTABLES

  • There were 19 lead changes and five ties throughout the game. The Cardinals held the lead for over 27 minutes, compared to just nine for the Griffons.
  • Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as the Griffons trailed 34-33 going into halftime. Missouri Western held William Jewell to just 37 percent shooting in the first half.
  • Bryan Hudson sank a three pointer with 14:24 remaining to cap off a 10-3 run and give the Griffons their first lead of the second half.
  • William Jewell lost its final lead of the game at 10:24 remaining after Jonathan Mesmacque knocked down a pair of free throws.
  • Hudson’s dunk stretched the lead to double digits with under two minutes remaining off of a Tyrell Carroll assist.
  • Four different Griffons scored in double figures in the win.
  • Free-throw shooting is one area the Griffons can improve after Monday’s win. The Griffons shot just 57 percent from the line.

LEADERS

  • Lavon Hightower scored 17 points on just seven shot attempts.
  • Hudson also finished with 17 points, his fifth-straight game in double-figures.
  • Tyrell Carroll added 15 points. His seven assists are the most by a Griffon this season.
  • Mesmacque was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 12 points and nine boards.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will have nine days before its next game.
  • The Griffons will host Lindenwood (6-3) in the MIAA opener on Dec. 6.
  • The Lions defeated NAIA institution Culver Stockton 95-53 in their last game.

— MWSU Athletics —

Nebraska wins at Clemson in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

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CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Isaac Copeland Jr. wasn’t about to let this resume-builder slip away for Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers had watched Clemson cut an eight-point lead down to 66-64 in the final seconds and made sure his teammates knew it was time toughen up. “We’re winning this game. We’re winning this game,” Copeland, a senior, shouted in the huddle.

“Chill out, bro, chill out,” James Palmer told his teammate, according to Nebraska coach Tim Miles.

“Hey guys, it’s OK,” Miles told them. “We’re all on the same team. We’re all in the same direction.”

A winning one for the Cornhuskers, who closed out the Tigers for a 68-66 win to start the ACC/Big Ten Challenge — and gained a critical check mark when the NCAA Tournament committee looks to fill the field next March.

Palmer scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Copeland added 16 points for Nebraska (6-1), which earlier had dropped a game Texas Tech it came in expecting to win.

“We had been tested before with Texas Tech and we gave up early, and that’s why we lost by so much,” Copeland said of the 70-52 loss last week. “We knew going into this game we had to be strong, stay together.”

That’s just what they did when, ahead by two, they forced a turnover from Clemson’s Marcquise Reed with 9.4 seconds left. Glynn Watson Jr. followed with two foul shots seconds later to seal the win.

“It’s our first real road test of the year, so passing it was really important,” Miles said.

Nebraska thought it had a strong NCAA case after winning 22 games and going 13-5 in Big Ten play. But the Cornhuskers were left out, then got beat in the NIT opening round. A win like this, Copeland said, will help change that.

“We’re headed to high places,” he said.

Nebraska took control midway through the second half as Palmer had two straight baskets and Copeland followed with a power jam. When Thomas Allen struck with a 3-poiner from the right corner, the Cornhuskers were ahead 64-56.

Clemson, despite its late surge, could not catch up and lost its second straight game after starting 5-0.

It was also a strong start for the Big Ten, which has lost the past two challenges to the ACC — last year by an 11-3 margin. The conferences play 14 games in all, the majority on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The win improved Nebraska to 5-3 in challenge games since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12. The Cornhuskers picked up their third road win in challenge play after victories at Wake Forest (2012) and Florida State (2015).

It was also a bit of revenge for a tight loss at Clemson in the 2016-17 challenge when it was the Tigers pulling out a 60-58 win.

Elijah Thomas led Clemson with 16 points. Reed, who scored 24 and 27 points the past two games, was 6-of-14 shooting for 15 points.

Shelton Mitchell said it was frustrating to follow its 87-82 loss to Creighton in the Cayman Islands Classic final by dropping a home game. “But this is the time we need to stick together,” he said. “We lost two games, but it’s a long season.”

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers looked fast, strong and talented and they’ll have a chance to show that in Big Ten play starting this week against Illinois as the league begins its 20-game regular season.

Clemson: The Tigers dropped out of this week’s Top 25 after losing the final of the Cayman Island Classic to Creighton 87-82 last week. They still looked like they were on island time as they played a step slow as Nebraska had 10 offensive rebounds and five steals.

STAT STUFFER

Isaac Copeland Jr. made a mark all over the place for Nebraska. He had six rebounds, three of them on the offensive glass. He made all four of his foul shots, had three of his team’s 10 assists to with a block and a steal.

TURN ABOUT

Nebraska coach Tim Miles recalled how his team had several chances to win here in 2016 before losing 60-58 as Clemson controlled much of the second half. This time, Miles said it was the Cornhuskers who dictated things in their victory. “You have to play from the lead on the road,” he said. “It’s really important.”

The Cornhuskers never gave up the lead after Copeland’s basket put them ahead 39-37 with 16:03 to go.

UP NEXT

Nebraska opens Big Ten Conference play against Illinois on Sunday.

Clemson faces St. Peter’s on Dec. 4.

— Associated Press —

KU’s Lawson earned Big 12 Player of the Week honor

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IRVING, Texas – Kansas redshirt junior Dedric Lawson posted back-to-back double-doubles in being named the most valuable player of the NIT Season Tip-Off and has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday.

This is the second time this season Lawson has earned the honor and the third-straight week Kansas has taken home the conference player of the week. Lawson’s two weekly league honors, Nov. 12 and 26, were sandwiched by Jayhawk senior Lagerald Vick being named Nov. 19.

Lawson scored 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Kansas’ 77-68 win versus Marquette (11/21) in the NIT semifinals. The Memphis native also had three assists and two blocked shots against the Golden Eagles.

In KU’s 87-81 overtime win against No. 5 Tennessee (11/23) in the title game, Lawson scored 24 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and had five assists. It marked the first time since 2003 a Jayhawk has posted 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. He averaged 25 points and 12.5 rebounds in Kansas’s NIT title run and in the title game against the Volunteers, Lawson scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and overtime.

Lawson is the only player in the Big 12 currently averaging a double-double. He leads the league with a 10.4 rebound average and his 17.6 points per game are sixth in the Big 12. He also ranks among the conference leaders in assists (ninth at 3.8).

No. 2 Kansas (5-0) returns home to host Stanford (3-2) in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 4:30 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

Tigers’ Jordan Elliott named SEC Defensive Player of the Week

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri sophomore DT Jordan Elliott (Missouri City, Texas) has been named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced this morning by the league office. Elliott, who shares the weekly award with LB Devin White of LSU, was cited after a career performance on Friday which keyed Mizzou’s 38-0 shutout win over Arkansas that closed the regular season and improved the Tigers to 8-4.

It is rare for an interior lineman to impact a game the way Elliott did Friday, but he was a virtual one-man wrecking crew against the Razorbacks as the Tiger defense pitched its first SEC shutout in program history, while earning MU’s first shutout of a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school since a 14-0 win at Iowa State in 2010. It was also Mizzou’s largest shutout win over an FBS foe since a 58-0 win over Colorado in 2008.

Elliott keyed the day thanks to career highs in both quarterback sacks (3.0) and tackles for loss (4.0), on his way to a five-tackle day. His second-quarter blind-side sack jarred the ball loose and ended in a fumble recovery for a touchdown for teammate Akial Byers which made the score 21-0 with 12:33 left in the first half. Elliott’s three sacks marked the first of his Tiger career, and his four tackles behind the line of scrimmage equaled his 11-game season total coming into the contest.

Mizzou held Arkansas to just 187 yards of total offense in the shutout effort, well below the Razorbacks’ season average of 349.2 yards and 23.6 points per game coming in. Arkansas’ minus 21 yards rushing in the first half was also the lowest first-half rushing total by any FBS team in 2018.

He is the first Tiger to win SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors since Nov. 6, 2017 when safety Anthony Sherrils was honored for his game against Florida – and he’s also the first Tiger defensive tackle to win the award.

This marks the ninth time since Mizzou joined the SEC in 2012 that a Tiger has won or shared the weekly Defensive Player of the Week award. That history includes: 2012 – S Kenronte Walker (Sept. 17 vs. Arizona State); 2013 – LB Kentrell Brothers (Oct. 14 vs. Georgia); 2013 – DE Michael Sam (Oct. 21 vs. Florida); 2013 – CB E.J. Gaines (Dec. 2 vs. Texas A&M); 2014 – DE Shane Ray (Sept. 13 vs. UCF); 2014 – DE Markus Golden (Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee); 2015 – LB Kentrell Brothers (Sept. 12 vs. Arkansas State); 2017 – SS Anthony Sherrils (Nov. 6 vs. Florida).

Mizzou will be heading to its second-straight bowl game under Head Coach Barry Odom, and the Tigers will learn of their bowl destination this Sunday afternoon.

— Mizzou Athletics —

MWSU women’s game Tuesday vs. Adams State postponed

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ST. JOSEPH – Due to current driving conditions between Alamosa, Colorado, and St. Joseph, the Missouri Western women’s basketball game versus Adams State on Nov. 27 has been postponed until Dec. 30.

The two teams were scheduled to play Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse, but weather conditions made travel unsafe for Adams State. The game has been re-scheduled for Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The new date and time will make the game part of a non-conference doubleheader as the Missouri Western men’s basketball team will host Illinois-Springfield at 3 p.m. on Dec. 30.

— MWSU Athletics —

Schuchts’ career day helps No. 21 Missouri women defeat Duke

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ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Hannah Schuchts made every shot she took except a free throw in the final seconds, setting career highs with six 3-pointers and 25 points, to lead No. 21 Missouri to a 62-54 win over Duke for fifth place in the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday.

Schuchts, a junior forward whose previous career game highs were four 3-pointers and 12 points, was 8-of-8 shooting and 3 of 4 from the line, her only miss coming with 18 seconds left.

The Tigers (5-2) were 16 of 34 outside the arc for 47 percent and only 3 of 20 inside it.

Duke dominated points in the paint 24-4, matched Missouri with 19 field goals but made only five 3-pointers and missed 7 of 18 free throws.

Lauren Aldridge added four 3-pointers and 13 points, seven in the fourth quarter, for Missouri.

Haley Gorecki had four 3-pointers and 24 points, while Leaonna Odom added 15 points and Onome Akinbode-James grabbed 11 rebounds for the Blue Devils (3-3).

Missouri led 39-38 after three quarters. Schuchts and Aldridge opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers and the Tigers held on, going up by nine with 30 seconds to go. Schuchts had 11 points in the final period.

— Associated Press —

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