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Category: College

Bearcats win opener behind dominating defensive effort against East Central

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A solid defensive effort paved the way for a 33-3 season-opening win for the 3rd-ranked Northwest Missouri State football team Thursday night against East Central (Okla.) in nonconference action from Bearcat Stadium.

The Bearcats battled hard to move to 1-0 on the year while the Tigers fell to 0-1. Northwest will have nine days before opening MIAA play at Central Missouri Sept. 8.

After a record-setting season on offense in 2011, the defense answered the bell only allowing a 32-yard field goal. The Bearcat defense held ECU to only 48-yards on the ground and picked-off the Tigers three times.

Northwest jumped on the board after Brandon Dixon’s first interception of the night was tipped to Eric Reimer who raced 55-yards – setting up the Bearcats’ first score. One play later, Trevor Adams would punch it in from 3-yards out putting Northwest up 7-0.

The Bearcats would put together their longest drive marching 80-yards in six plays. Jordan Simmons scored his first touchdown from the one yard line as Northwest took a 14-0 lead into the break.

East Central picked up its only points of the night as a seven-play drive stalled at the Bearcat 30-yard line. However, Brian Gonzalez drilled a 32-yard field goal for the Tiger’s lone points.

The Northwest defense locked in as Brandon Dixon picked-off his second ECU pass and raced 38-yards to give the Bearcats a 24-3 lead.

A bad snap from ECU went through the Tigers’ end-zone giving Northwest two more points and 26-3 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

After the Bearcats forced the ECU safety, Trevor Adams would find Bryce Young with a shovel pass on the Bearcat’s first play from scrimmage. Young then raced 53-yards for the game’s final score, giving Northwest a 33-3 lead.

However after the final whistle, it was the Northwest defense that highlighted the season-opening win. Picking off ECU three times and adding three sacks Northwest held the Tigers to just under 300-yards of total offense. DJ Gnader led Northwest with 10 tackles while Brandon Dixon added seven tackles to his two interceptions.

“We have really hit it hard during practice, so it was kind of like slow motion,” Dixon said of the defenses’ solid play.

Starting his second season at the helm of the Bearcats, Dorrel was pleased with the way the defense picked up the offense.

“I’d rather have a game like tonight where the offense struggles,” Dorrel said. “Defense is what wins championships and we have a really good foundation.”

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Missouri extends AD Mike Alden’s contract through 2019

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University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton announced Thursday that Athletic Director Mike Alden’s contract has been extended by two years. The contract now extends through June 30, 2019. The extension is designed to provide support to Alden as he continues to oversee the successful athletic programs, student-athlete academic performance and sound financial management of the department.

“Mike has provided important leadership during a time of transition of conferences,” Deaton said. “His record of integrity is stellar and his national leadership in the NCAA reflects recognition of his orientation to the success of the student athlete. The academic, competitive and financial strength of our Athletic Department is due to Mike’s leadership, and the university is proud of his contributions. We want to see a stable pathway as we look to the future. This contract extension is one way to reinforce our commitment to excellence in athletics and to the academic mission of our university.”

Under Alden’s guidance, Mizzou Athletic programs have consistently competed at a higher level. The football program has competed in seven consecutive bowl games, a school record. Additionally, their 48 wins in the last five seasons ranks ninth in the NCAA among BCS automatic qualifying leagues. The men’s basketball program finished last season with 30 wins and received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The softball program has competed in the Women’s College World Series in three of the last four years, and in the last six years, six Tiger programs have won 11 conference championships (regular season and post-season combined).

“I want to thank Chancellor Deaton and our leadership at Mizzou for their continued confidence and support of our efforts in Tiger Athletics,” Alden said. “This extension is greatly appreciated, and I believe it reflects the efforts of so many people working together for academic integrity, social responsibility and competitive excellence. We look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead as we enter the SEC.”

Prior to coming to MU, Alden was director of athletics at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He has worked in athletic administration for Division I schools since 1985, serving as assistant athletic director for administration at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., and as associate athletic director for development at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M.

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou basketball announces 2012-2013 schedule

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Missouri Basketball released its 2012-13 non-conference schedule on Wednesday and the start of a home-and-home series with UCLA, the annual Busch Braggin’ Rights clash with Illinois in St. Louis and this year’s top preseason tournament, the Battle 4 Atlantis, highlight the schedule.

In addition, Missouri will begin its first season of play in the Southeastern Conference, which includes 18 regular-season games as the Tigers look to make their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

In all, Missouri will have 19 home games, beginning with exhibition contests vs. Northwest Missouri State (Oct. 29) and Missouri Southern (Nov. 4). The Tigers will also host in-state foe Southeast Missouri State in a regular season game on Dec. 4.

Mizzou will have the opportunity to play a number of ranked opponents during non-conference play. UCLA welcomes the country’s No. 1 recruiting class and the Bruins return to the renovated Pauley Pavilion this season. Head Coach Frank Haith’s club will also face three difficult challenges in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving. That tournament field includes Missouri, Stanford, Louisville, Duke, Memphis, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and VCU. Each of those teams won at least 20 games a season ago and six of the eight teams, including Missouri, are ranked among CBS’s Preseason Top 25 (courtesy Jeff Goodman). Louisville is ranked No. 3 in that early poll along with No. 12 Duke, No. 14 Memphis, No. 19 Missouri, No. 24 Minnesota and No. 25 VCU. Stanford, Missouri’s opening opponent in the event, fell just outside those rankings, but won the 2012 Postseason NIT.

“This schedule will have some big time opportunities, including starting a home-and-home series with UCLA,” Haith said. “There is no question that the Battle 4 Atlantis will be a big challenge for us, especially as we work in a number of new players early in the season.

“When you look at the 18-game league schedule on top of that and of course our annual game with Illinois, I like how our team will be tested early and often this year. Something that was also important was playing in games and tournaments that create national exposure. With our league schedule we will have 18 games on national TV this season.”

As Haith mentioned, that national TV number is the highest in school history. Missouri had 16 regular-season games appear on national networks last year and official start time and national network information for the Dec. 22 Braggin’ Rights Game will be announced at a later date. The remaining games will be aired on the Mizzou Sports Network and the SEC Network. Those games are typically carried on ESPN3.com as well, bolstering the club’s national visibility.

Complete television/time information for the Mizzou Sports Network will be released at a later date. The Mizzou Sports Network games are aired on Fox Sports Midwest in St. Louis, Metro Sports in Kansas City and KOMU in Mid-Missouri.

Missouri concludes non-conference play against defending Patriot League regular season champion Bucknell on Jan. 5. The Bison finished 25-10 last year.

Click here to see the entire 2012-2013 schedule.

— MU Sports Information —

Griffon men’s basketball adds five to 2012-2013 roster

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Missouri Western men’s basketball coach Tom Smith has announced the addition of five student-athletes the 2012-2013 roster. The Griffons welcome junior college transfers Dzenan Mrkaljevic of Fishers, Ind. (Kankakee Community College), Alfreeman Flowers of Milwaukee, Wis. (Ellsworth CC), Cedric Clinkscales of Anderson, S.C. (Roane State CC), Kalvin Balque of Alexandria, La. (Kansas City Kansas CC) and Adarius Fulton of Lithonia, Ga. (St. John’s River CC) to next year’s squad.

Mrkaljevic, a 6-8 forward from Fishers, Ind. transfers to Missouri Western from Kankakee Community College out of Kankakee, Ill. He played his high school basketball at Hamilton Southeastern. He is originally from Bijeljina, Bosina. Last season he played in 32 games shooting the long ball extremely well making 42.2-percent (57-of-135) from beyond the arc. He averaged 7.6 points and three rebounds per game. He made 56.9-percent of his field goals making 86. He plans on majoring in sports management at Western.

Flowers, a 6-5 forward from Milwaukee, Wis. transfers to the Griffons from Ellsworth Community College out of Iowa Falls, Iowa. He played his high school basketball at John Marshall. Last season he played in 31 games scoring 14.5 points per game and snaring 7.9 rebounds per contest. He had 246 rebounds with 118 coming on the offensive end of the floor. He made 36 three point shots and 168 total field goals. For his efforts he was a DII first team All-Region selection. He plans on majoring in social work at Western.

Clinkscales, a 6-7 forward from Anderson, S.C. transfers to Missouri Western from Roane State Community College out of Harriman, Tenn. He played his high school basketball at T.L Hannah. Last season he played in 26 games averaging 13.6 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. He had 219 rebounds with 74 coming of the offensive end of the floor. He made 57.6-percent (144-250) of his field goals and 41-percent (9-22) of his long range shots. He is also an unselfish player dishing out 2.27 (59) assists per game. He was a first team All-TCCAA (Tennessee Community College Athletic Association) selection this past season. He is undecided on a major at Western.

Balque, a 6-3 wing from Alexandria, La. transfers to the Griffons from Kansas City Kansas CC. Last season he played in 25 games averaging 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He had 100 rebounds on the year with 34 coming on the offensive end of the floor. Of his 109 field goals made 25 of them were from beyond the arc.

Fulton, a 6-2 guard from Lithonia, Ga. transfers to Missouri Western from St. John’s River CC in Florida. He played his high school basketball at Miller Grove HS where he led the Wolverines to back-to-back Class AAAA State Championships in 2009 and 2010. He made 57-percent of his long range shots during his senior season. During his career at St. John’s River he scored 721 points making 130 long range shots while dishing out 357 assists and snaring 213 rebounds. For his efforts he was named first team All-Mid Florida Conference in 2011 and 2012. He was also named to the All-Region team in 2012.

“We are extremely pleased with our recruiting efforts during the spring and summer,” commented Head Coach Tom Smith. “We have addressed most of our short comings from last year. We have got more size and strength at the guard position with Balque and Fulton. On the inside we have increased mobility with Flowers and Clinkscales. We have also added an inside out player who can shoot the “3” in Mrkaljevic. There is no doubt we will be much improved in 2012-2013 and I am excited to begin practice with this group” commented Smith.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western announces 2012-2013 basketball schedules

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Missouri Western men’s head coach Tom Smith and women’s head coach Rob Edmisson have released their 2012-2013 basketball schedules.

There will be 17 home regular season dates which includes nine home MIAA doubleheaders. The Griffons open up MIAA play at home on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 hosting the Truman State Bulldogs. Game times are set for 5:30/7:30 pm.

Once again this season the Saturday MIAA doubleheaders will be at 1:30/3:30 pm with the Wednesday doubleheaders starting at 5:30/7:30 pm.

The Griffon men open up exhibition play in Springfield, Mo. on October 30 against Missouri State University while the women will take on Livin the Dream on November 2 in St. Joseph, Mo. with a time to still be determined.

The Missouri Western men open up home action on November 13 against Sterling College (Kan.) at 7:00 pm and host the 21st Annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic on November 16-17. Western will take on William Jewell on the 16th and Rockhurst on the 17th. Both games are scheduled to tip at 7:30 pm. The Griffons last non-conference home game is on December 1 at 7:30 pm against the University of Illinois-Springfield.

The Griffon women open up home action against Metropolitan State University out of Denver, Colo. on November 10 at 6:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons two other home non-conference games are against Quincy University on November 27 and Rockhurst University on December 1st. The Quincy time is still to be determined while the Rockhurst time will be at 5:30 pm.

The MIAA Tournament will once against be held in Kansas City, Mo. at Municipal Auditorium. This years dates are March 7-10, 2013.

Click here for the complete men’s schedule.

Click here for the complete women’s schedule.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kickoff time for Fall Classic moved to 4 p.m.

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Kickoff time for the 11th annual Fall Classic between Northwest Missouri State University and Pittsburg State University on Saturday, Oct. 13 has been moved to 4 p.m.

Previously scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m., tickets for the game are still available. Tickets are $25 for Lower Level seating and $37 for tickets on the Scout Investments Club Level. Parking for the game is $20 per car and $30 for RV/bus parking. Tickets can be ordered by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-300, online at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Arrowhead Stadium Ticket Office located between Founder’s Plaza and the Hy-Vee Gate on the north side of the stadium.

“We are happy that we could work with the Chiefs and Pitt State to push the Fall Classic game time back to 4 p.m.,” Northwest Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “We believe this will make it easier for our fans who may have other activities or young children that participate in youth sports on Saturday to be able to attend.  We are looking forward to another great game against the Gorillas in the region’s top venue.”

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Griffon DE David Bass named to Senior Bowl watch list

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Missouri Western senior defensive end David Bass (St. Louis, Mo.) has been named to the first ever Senior Bowl Watch list which was announced late Wednesday (Aug. 23) evening.

The Senior Bowl will once again have a wide range of talent to choose from when selecting the top senior college football players for its annual showcase event. The nation’s premier all-star game unveiled its first ever “Watch List”, highlighting 309 seniors and top NFL draft prospects from 114 different schools to keep an eye on during the 2012 college football season.

Bass is one of just 29 seniors from non-FBS schools represented on the list. So far this season Bass has been named to four preseason All-American lists (D2 vs. NAIA Senior Bowl, USA Football News Division II, Lindy’s Magazine and Beyond Sports Network).

Last season Bass was named to numerous all-america teams which included first team honors from D2Football.com, Don Hansen Football Gazette, AP “Little” All-American and Beyond Sports College Network. His 20 tackles for a loss set a school record for most in a season while his 14.5 sacks led the MIAA and left him one-half sack short of the Griffons single season record. He has 28.5 sacks in his career which is 1.5 short of the school record. He tied a single game high with four sacks in a game twice and was fourth in the nation in sacks per game at 1.21. He earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors twice and was the D2Football.com Player of the Week once.

He finished the season with 55 tackles with 35 being solo. He had eight quarterback hurries, four pass break-ups and one forced fumble. He was named first team All-MIAA for the first time in his career last season.

The top 100 seniors in the country will be invited to participate in the 2013 Senior Bowl, set for Saturday, January 26th in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to earn an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

“The Senior Bowl is very pleased to announce our first-ever ‘official’ Watch List,” Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage said. “We want both college and pro football fans to enjoy tracking the players on our list as they begin their journey towards the Senior Bowl and the 2013 NFL Draft. We have included prospects from almost every level of the college game and look forward to monitoring their progress throughout the upcoming season.”

Invitations for the 2013 Senior Bowl will be begin being extended in the next few weeks and continue throughout the 2012 season.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Mizzou’s SEC home football game tickets go on sale Friday

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The University of Missouri Athletics Department has announced that Southeastern Conference home football game tickets will go on sale beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24. A limited number of reserved ticket locations will be available for the Vanderbilt game (Oct. 6) and the Homecoming contest against Kentucky (Oct. 27). In addition, a very limited number of general admission tickets for the Georgia (Sept. 8) and the Alabama games (Oct. 13) will be available for purchase.

Beginning at 6 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 24, fans will be able to purchase tickets online at mutigers.com. Tickets for the Vanderbilt and Kentucky games will also be available via Ticketmaster outlets. However, tickets to the Georgia and Alabama games will ONLY be available for purchase through mutigers.com. Fans can purchase up to four tickets to the Georgia and Alabama games.

If tickets remain, fans can order via phone at 1-800-CAT-PAWS or in person at the Mizzou Arena Ticket Office starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27.

Single game tickets for the three non-conference games are currently available for purchase. Fans can purchase a 4-pack of tickets to the home opener against Southeastern Louisiana State on Sept. 1 for only $100, while supplies last. Only general admission tickets are available for the Arizona State game on Sept. 15, while reserved tickets remain for the Nov. 17 matchup with Syracuse.

— MU Sports Information —

Kansas State’s game with North Texas now sold out

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For the second time in six days K-State fans have sold out Bill Snyder Family Stadium as department officials announced Thursday that all public tickets to the September 15 matchup with North Texas have been sold.

The feat marked the first time since 1999 that multiple games have been declared a sellout prior to the start of a season, and based on the limited number of tickets remaining for the KU, Oklahoma State and Texas, that number could continue to climb.

The sellout crowd will be the 10th at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since the 2009 season and mark the eighth time since the 1999 stadium expansion that multiple games will be at full capacity in the same season.

“Our fans continue to provide us forward momentum towards our goal of selling out all seven home games this season,” Athletics Director John Currie said. “We are closing in on several additional sellouts and also encourage our fans to reserve their seats now for the Miami game on September 8, which will be among the nation’s best matchups that day.”

Fans still have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the five additional home games and are encouraged to act now. A very limited number of seats remain for the KU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas games, while great seats are still available for the highly-anticipated matchup with Miami on September 8.

To purchase tickets fans can visit the ticket office online at www.kstatesports.com, call the ticket office by phone at (800) 221-CATS, or purchase in person at the Bramlage Coliseum Ticket Office between 8:30 a.m., and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Fewer than 300 student combo passes remain available for the season.  Students interested in purchasing the remaining tickets should do so as soon as possible through their iSIS account.

K-State opens the season September 1 against Missouri State. The sold-out contest will kick at 6:10 p.m.

— KSU Sports Information —

Missouri State football assistant Bob Montgomery steps down

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Faced with what he termed a career-changing business opportunity, Missouri State assistant football coach Bob Montgomery announced late Wednesday (Aug. 22) that he will step down from his post with the Bears’ staff next week.

The MSU tight ends and special teams coach, who joined the Bears in 2008, will be replaced on an interim basis by Rob Bolks who served on Coach Terry Allen’s staff here from 2006 until his retirement in 2010. Bolks also worked with Allen at previous stops at Northern Iowa (1985-88) and Kansas (1998-2001) and spent the 2011 season as a color analyst on Bears’ radio broadcasts.

“Bob has an incredible financial opportunity outside of coaching that will be a wonderful thing for he and his family,” said Allen. “We appreciate the time and effort he has put into our program, and we wish him nothing but the best. We are extremely fortunate to have Rob Bolks in the community and his wiliness to come out of retirement to help our program throughout the season is an incredible stroke of luck. Rob and I have coached together for over twenty years and his knowledge of our program will make this a very easy transition.”

Montgomery said his appreciation to Allen and the Missouri State community is heart-felt.

“I’m grateful to Coach Allen, Bill Rowe, Kyle Moats for the opportunity they have given me at Missouri State,” said Montgomery. “I’ve made some good friends, met some great people, and I really feel like the program and the university are headed in the right direction. The decision (to leave) was very hard, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I just cannot pass up. I feel like it is the best thing for my future and for my family.”

A 2004 graduate of Iowa State, Montgomery was a star player and academic standout for the Cyclones before entering the coaching profession. He began as an assistant at Ames (Iowa) High School in 2004-05 before coaching three years at Bryant (R.I.) University from 2005-07. His most-recent career stop in Springfield which began in 2008 with his wife Kirby was also memorable with the birth of their two daughters, Kinsley and Kollins, here.

Montgomery coached an all-conference tight end in three of his four years at MSU, including 2012 preseason All-MVFC performer Matt Thayer and Clay Harbor who was a consensus All-America pick in 2009 and is currently playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bolks, also a product of Iowa State (1974), is expected to serve on the Missouri State staff for the remainder of the 2012 season.

— MSU Sports Information —

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