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Category: Sports

Kansas State women defeat Texas-Arlington 70-56

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MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State women’s basketball started a five-game home stand on Wednesday night with a tough start against UT-Arlington. The Wildcats overcame first quarter offensive struggles and came back to win, 70-56. K-State improved to 4-0 in Bramlage Coliseum this season.

K-State (6-2) had three players reach double figures for the eighth straight game this season, led by junior guard Kayla Goth with a career-high tying 25 points connecting on 9 of 15 shots. This is Goth’s eighth straight game scoring in double figures. Goth set the school record for points in a quarter with 18 in the third quarter to spark the Wildcats in the second half.

Junior forward Kaylee Page joined Goth in double figures with 12 points, scoring eight in the first half. Freshman guard Cymone Goodrich had a total of 10 points off the bench.

UT-Arlington (5-3) was led by Rebekah VanDijk with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Crystal Allen recorded 14 points and four assists.

Despite shooting 14 percent from the floor in the first quarter, K-State stayed close by shooting 7-of-11 from the free throw line in the opening quarter. The Mavericks would hold a 14-12 lead after the first stanza.

The Wildcats used a 14-0 run over a six-minute span to hold a 28-21 lead after the first half. After a steal by Goth in the second quarter, the Wildcats took its first lead of the night, 19-18, with a layup by freshman guard Rachel Ranke which forced a Mavericks timeout with 4:54 left in the opening half. Ranke started the run with a 3-pointer and finished the night with eight points, four assists and five steals.

K-State allowed UTA to score just seven points in the second quarter which is the fewest K-State has allowed to a foe in a second quarter this season. K-State also held the Lady Mavericks to 21 points in the first half which is the fewest points K-State has allowed this season in a first half.

In the third quarter, Goth took over the Wildcats attack. The product of DeForest, Wisconsin, scored 10 straight points, which included four straight layups and push K-State into a 42-26 lead with 5:38 remaining in the quarter.

The Wildcats would score a season-high 27 points in the third quarter, shooting 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field in the third frame. UT Arlington managed 21 points in the third quarter on 8-of-13 shooting to keep the game close entering the fourth frame, 55-42.

K-State’s Goodrich notched five points in the fourth quarter, while Page added four to keep the Mavericks at arm’s length in the final frame to send K-State to its sixth win of the season.

Kansas State shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field, but were 5-of-17 (.294) from beyond the arc. UT-Arlington shot 32.1 percent (18-of-56) from the floor, but recorded 19 turnovers to K-State’s 10. K-State capitalized with a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers, which is the eighth straight game K-State has outscored its opponent in points off turnovers.

The Wildcats also registered a season-high 21-of-32 (.656) from the free throw line. This was the second time this season K-State has made 20 or more free throws in a game (vs. Stephen F. Austin; 20).

Following a 10-day break which includes finals week, Kansas State returns to action against Little Rock on Saturday, December 16, at 2 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum.

— K-State Athletics —

Kansas women lose at home to Nebraska for first loss

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The undefeated streak came to an end for Kansas women’s basketball as Nebraska handed the Jayhawks their first loss of the 2017-18 season, 66-49, on Wednesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.

After heating up much of the first half, Kansas’ (7-1) offense went cold in the final 20 minutes of the game, making just four field goals and netting 13 points. Despite suffering a scoring drought for most of the second half, KU headed into the final quarter down by just one point. Nebraska (6-3) pushed its lead to double-digits in the fourth period, as Kansas couldn’t overcome its cold-shooting spell.

Junior guard Christalah Lyons notched a double-digit scoring effort for the eighth time this season, scoring 12 points to lead the Jayhawks. The Dallas, Texas native also grabbed three rebounds and dished out six assists, tying her career high for the third time this season. Redshirt-sophomore center Tyler Johnson knocked down 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in KU’s first loss of the season, while junior guard Kylee Kopatich concluded KU’s double-figure scorers with 10 points, while adding three rebounds and four assists.

Sophomore guard Hannah Whitish was the only player to score in double figures for the Cornhuskers, leading all scorers with 29 points (7-of-13), while adding five rebounds and four assists.

The Jayhawks started off their eighth-consecutive home game on a 4-0 run, but Nebraska took control of the game from that moment on. The Huskers went on an 8-0 run following KU’s quick start, sparked by sophomore guard Nicea Eliely, who knocked down five-straight points with a pair of free throws and a 3-point basket. After shooting 0-of-4 from the field and suffering a three-minute scoring drought, Johnson tried to get things rolling again for Kansas.

The Huskers continued their run with four more points to take a 12-6 lead midway through the period. Two and a half minutes went by before either team could score again, but the Jayhawks ended the quarter with a free throw from junior forward Austin Richardson and a 3-pointer from freshman forward Micaela Wilson to put KU within two going into the second period.

Defensively, Nebraska forced five Kansas turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game, holding the Jayhawks to just 28.6 percent (4-of-14) shooting from the field. Despite KU’s struggles offensively in the opening 10 minutes, Kansas held the Huskers to just 25 percent (4-of-16) shooting from the field, while forcing three turnovers.

Johnson played a big role for the Jayhawks in first minutes of the second quarter, nabbing six of her eight points in the half first minute and a half of the second quarter. The Leavenworth, Kansas native split up the Nebraska layup by junior forward Maddie Simon with a layup and 3-point play to regain the KU lead 15-14. Johnson’s 3-point play started a 9-0 run for the Jayhawks. She added another free throw followed by a bucket from Kopatich and a 3-pointer from Lyons to extend the Jayhawk lead to as many as seven.

Nebraska tried to halt KU’s hot shooting, but couldn’t muster a run to cut the lead before the half. The Huskers continued to struggle offensively, shooting just 5-of-17 in the second quarter, while Kansas continued to knock down nearly every shot they took, connecting on eight of their 11 attempts from the floor. After the Jayhawks knocked down seven straight points, the Huskers answered with seven of their own to cut the lead to 34-27. Lyons knocked down a pair of free throws to hold onto a nine-point Kansas lead going into the locker room.

The Huskers came out the locker hungry to narrow the Jayhawks lead even further, coming within four points in the first two minutes of the half. Whitish knocked down a 3-pointer and a jumper for five straight points to open the half for Nebraska. Kopatich laid it in the hoop to score KU’s first points of the half, putting the Jayhawks on top 38-32.

Both teams battled back and forth throughout the period, but the Huskers came out with a one-point lead going into the final 10 minutes after outscoring the Jayhawks 19-9 in the third quarter. Kansas led by as many as six in the period, but headed into the fourth quarter down 46-45.

Nebraska ran away with its comeback effort in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Jayhawks 20-4 in the final 10 minutes. Kansas failed to knock down a field goal in the final period (0-of-14) to shoot just 12.9 percent in the second half. While the Jayhawks’ only points came from the free throw line, the Huskers made their offensive presence known. Whitish knocked down 15 of her 29 points in the final 10 minutes, with eight of those points coming from behind the charity stripe. Nebraska shot 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field in the fourth quarter to hand the Jayhawks their first loss of the season, 66-49.

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks conclude their nine-game homestand with Southeast Missouri State on Sunday, December 10, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

— KU Athletics —

Chiefs suspend Marcus Peters for Oakland game Sunday

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Peters chucked an official’s flag into the stands, stalked off the field wearing a smile, then ran back onto it without wearing socks when he realized he hadn’t been ejected.

Well, he won’t have to worry about socks on Sunday.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid suspended the volatile young cornerback for their game against Oakland after a series of antics that have humiliated not only Peters but the entire organization.

The latest came in last week’s loss to the New York Jets, when a late penalty was called and Peters picked up the flag and flung it into the stands . Peters proceeded to leave the field, assuming that he’d been kicked out of the game, and was evidently undressing when he realized his mistake.

So Peters ran back onto the sideline without wearing socks, only to watch the Chiefs’ last-ditch drive fall short in a 38-31 loss — their sixth in the last seven games.

“I’ve done a lot of thinking and come to the conclusion I’m going to suspend him for this game,” Reid said after Wednesday morning’s walkthrough. “I’m not going to get into detail on it. I did have the opportunity to talk to Marcus and some of the players, and I’ve got a good locker room. I fully trust them. We’ll be OK there. So that’s where I’m at.”

The team was informed of the suspension earlier Wednesday, and several players seemed to be trying to digest the news. Fellow cornerback Terrance Mitchell was asked whether a message had been sent to a team lacking discipline, and replied: “I’m not really sure.”

“You know, listen, nobody likes to lose, and when you’ve lost a few in a row sometimes funny things happen,” said quarterback Alex Smith, who typically acts as the team’s spokesman because few players are ever in the locker room when reporters are present.

“Coach made a decision and we’re going with it,” Smith said. “The stakes are too big right now with what we have in front of us. I think we have a good locker room, a mature locker room. Guys are going to handle it the right way. And we have to go as a team.”

Peters has been selected to the Pro Bowl his first two seasons, and was an All-Pro last year, so his loss even for a week is crucial. Not only did the Raiders’ Derek Carr throw for 417 yards and three TDs against the Chiefs in their October matchup, both teams are 6-6 and tied atop the AFC West.

“Any time a player goes down, whether it’s an injury or something like this, you treat it the same, and I’m sure they will,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “You go on to the next player.”

Peters came into the league with plenty of baggage after he was booted off the team at Washington for repeated run-ins with coach Chris Petersen. And for a while it seemed he’d cleaned up his act, perhaps having matured after the birth of his baby boy.

But a series of embarrassing incidents have once again called into question his character.

Two years ago he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in a game against the Raiders, and twice last season he punted the ball into the stands after creating a turnover — he was flagged for a delay of game against Carolina, while his punt against Jacksonville went unnoticed by the officials.

In a game against the Chargers earlier this season, Peters was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he got into the face of officials. The next week against Washington , he was involved in a pregame scuffle; twice got burned for touchdowns; got into a profane interaction with fans; and spent 50 seconds dropping more profanity in a postgame exchange with reporters.

During a road win over Houston the next week, Peters was caught cursing out defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on the sideline, forcing linebacker Justin Houston to intervene.

“I made it off the things that happened Sunday,” Reid said of the suspension. “I’m not going to get into the details. That’s not how I roll with these things. I deal with the player man to man, we discuss it, inevitably he’ll come back and we’ll move on from there.”

This is hardly the first time Reid has suspended his star players.

In 2005, he sat wide receiver Terrell Owens the second half of the season for an accumulation of incidents that had corroded the locker room. In 2011, it was wide receiver DeSean Jackson who got a one-game suspension after being late to team meetings.

“Any time you have to do one of these things, that’s not the best part of the job,” Reid said, “but I’m going to do what is best for this organization, for that time. Try to sit back and evaluate it, and that’s what I did with this, and this is the conclusion I came to.”

— Associated Press —

Puryear, Barnett lead Missouri past Miami (OH)

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kevin Puryear scored season-high 20 points and Jordan Barnett tied his career high with five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds as Missouri ran past Miami (Ohio) 71-50 on Tuesday night.

The Tigers (7-2) struggled out of the gate, but eventually found a stroke from three, shooting 53 percent from the field, including 10 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Kassius Robertson added 17 points, including three 3s, and Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 12 points and six rebounds for Missouri.

The Tigers limited Miami to just 32-percent shooting from the field, including 5 for 24 from 3-point range. Missouri’s defense swarmed the RedHawks in the first half, holding them to just 24 points on 28-percent shooting.

Missouri committed 17 turnovers. The Tigers turned the ball over nine times against UCF in their last outing, but committed 20 turnovers against West Virginia and 16 versus St. John’s in their prior two contests.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The turnover issue contributed to Missouri’s rough start. But its offense picked up a steady flow, capping the half with a slew of transition buckets and open threes. The Tigers’ hot-shooting night should give them momentum heading into their final four nonconference games, but their high turnover mark is definitely concerning.

Miami (Ohio): The Redhawks stifled Missouri early on defense, but couldn’t put together anything offensively. Miami has struggled to score in all but one game this season. The Redhawks need to pick up offensive production if they want a chance to finish strongly in their tough nonconference schedule.

UP NEXT:

Missouri stays home and takes on Green Bay (2-4) on Saturday before a week-long break.

Miami will return home to face Fort Wayne, which is 6-3 and has won three in a row.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State eases past South Carolina Upstate 86-49

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — One of the most important things that Kansas State basketball coach Bruce Weber talks about is guys getting in the gym and working. Kama Stokes has heeded that advice and more this season, and it’s paying off.

Stokes scored 17 points with five 3-pointers and the Wildcats cruised past SC Upstate 86-49 on Tuesday night.

Stokes said looking at film in preparation for the game helped a lot.

“We watched video, knew where the open shots were going to be and took advantage of that opportunity.” Stokes said. “Everybody was making shots, and when you get good movement on offense, shots fall.”

Barry Brown scored 15 points with four assists, Dean Wade added 13 points with seven rebounds, and the Wildcats (8-1) made 12 3-pointers and shot 50.8 percent from the floor.

Stokes hit two 3s in Kansas State’s opening 24-2 run and the Wildcats at one point shot 88 percent from the field to the Spartans’ 14 percent.

“It was fun,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s more fun when we get the lead and at the end we can get the other guys in, and let them see what it’s like to get out the court.”

The slow start wasn’t new for the Spartans and it was a major talking point after the game.

“We had a lot of trouble guarding the 3-point line,” SC Upstate coach Kyle Perry said. “We have to improve in our matchup zone and not allow open shots. We did a better job over the second half. We made some adjustments and improved.”

Kansas State outrebounded SC Upstate 35-25 and used their length and strong defensive play to take the Spartans out of their rhythm. The Spartans managed to get their offense going late in the first half but they trailed 43-23 at halftime.

Perry said he was impressed by the Kansas State defense but at the same time found a way to be encouraged by the development of his young players despite the loss.

“They (Kansas State) switch everything and do a good job of that.” Perry said. “They are long, athletic and physical, so it is tough. We are still working two freshman posts. So we are trying to get them going and get the ball inside. I think if we continue to work we will be all right down the road.”

Malik Moore scored 16 points and Carson Smith had 11 for the Spartans (3-8), who shot 36.5 percent from the floor and made just three free throws

BIG PICTURE

In a game that easily could’ve been a trap game for Kansas State, coming off of a close win on the road at Vanderbilt, the Wildcats came out hot while Upstate struggled to get in gear. Kansas State continues to gather momentum despite the caliber of opponent. Games against Tulsa and Washington State will give the Wildcats a healthy test before they open up Big 12 play.

UP NEXT

USC Upstate: USC-Upstate travels to face Denver on Dec. 9.

Kansas State: Kansas State hosts Tulsa in Wichita Dec. 9.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska upsets No. 14 Minnesota 78-68

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Glynn Watson Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half and Nebraska opened up a 16-point lead early in the second half en route to a 78-68 win over No. 14 Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Watson scored seven straight points to open the second half, and Duby Okeke’s dunk put Nebraska (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) up 48-32 with 15:35 left.

Minnesota (8-2, 1-1) made two of its first 10 shots in the half and struggled against the Huskers’ switching man-to-man defense.

Minnesota cut the lead to 67-53 after two free throws by Nate Mason with 4:37 left, but James Palmer Jr.’s 3 put Nebraska up by 17.

The Gophers forced a pair of turnovers, hit three 3-pointers in the final three minutes, and Reggie Lynch’s dunk with 1:01 left cut the lead to 72-64. Watson and Isaac Copeland made 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute to seal it.

The Huskers held Big Ten scoring leader Jordan Murphy to 10 points, 11 below his season average, and held high-scoring Minnesota 21 points below its season average.

Mason led Minnesota with 20 points, and Amir Coffey had 17 points.

Copeland finished with 12 points for Nebraska and Palmer had 11 points.

BIG PICTURE

Minnesota missed six shots to open both halves. The Gophers hit just 32 percent of their shots Tuesday. They entered averaging 49 percent shooting.

Nebraska, an up-and-down shooting team, hit 47 percent of its shots, 57 percent in the second half. The Huskers shot just 27 percent in their 86-57 loss at Michigan State on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Nebraska travels to Omaha on Saturday to meet intrastate rival Creighton, which dropped out of the AP Top 25 after being ranked for one week.

Minnesota is at Arkansas on Saturday to play its second road contest and third game of the week.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Monday, December 4

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MONDAY’S RESULTS

GIRLS
Benton 45 (3-0)
Notre Dame de Sion 31

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT – 1ST ROUND
Kearney 56
Central 13 (0-2)

 

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

BOYS
Bishop LeBlond vs. St. Joseph Christian

LIBERTY NORTH TOURNAMENT – 1ST ROUND
Central vs. Kearney

 

GIRLS
Bishop LeBlond vs. St. Joseph Christian

Four Tigers earn AP All-SEC football honors

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four Mizzou Football standouts earned Associated Press All-SEC honors, announced Monday. Junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named All-SEC First Team Quarterback while DE Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.), WR J’Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas) and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Springfield, Ill.) each earned All-SEC Second Team honors.

Lock is the first Mizzou player to earn First Team All-SEC distinction since 2015 when LB Kentrell Brothers earned the same honor. He is the first Mizzou QB to earn First Team All-SEC and the first Mizzou QB to earn a first team all-conference nod since Chase Daniel did so in 2007. The junior QB reset the SEC’s single season passing touchdown record with 43 this season, also passing Daniel’s previous school record of 39 in 2008. Lock leads the nation in passing touchdowns heading into bowl season.

Lock’s five-touchdown performance in the regular season-finale at Arkansas gives him six such games in his career and a national-best four this season. He has more five-touchdown games than any SEC quarterback in the last 20 seasons (Tim Couch is second with five from 1996-98). Only four Power 5 QBs have ever thrown for more TD passes in a single season (BJ Symons, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell (twice), Kliff Kingsbury) than Lock’s 43. All five did so in 13 or more games. His 43 TDs this season rank 23rd in NCAA history. Lock’s 448 yards at Arkansas also give him five career 400-yard games, also a school record.

On the year, Lock leads the SEC in nine major categories while leading the nation in passing TDs (43), points responsible for (264) and passing yards per completion (16.5). He completed 224-of-358 passes (58.2 percent) for 3,695 yards, the third-most ever for a Mizzou QB. He closed his season by throwing at least three TD passes in eight straight games, becoming the first Power 5 quarterback this century to accomplish that feat.

Frazier’s All-SEC Second Team nod gives Mizzou a defensive lineman on the All-SEC team in every year since joining the conference (dating back to 2012). Frazier had a monster senior season, emerging as one of the leaders and top playmakers along #DLineZOU, leading the SEC in total tackles for loss (13.5) while ranking second in TFLs per game (1.12). He also added 36 tackles (20 solo) with 13.5 for loss and 7.0 sacks with eight QB hurries and five pass break-ups. He closed his season in a flurry, tallying 11.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks over his final eight games, registering at least 0.5 TFLs in all eight of those games. Frazier was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week following his dominant performance against Tennessee (11/11) during which he tallied 2.0 sacks and two more QB hurries with three tackles. He was equally as impressive at Arkansas, tallying a career-high eight tackles, a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one QB hurry and a career-high three pass deflections.

Moore is just the second Mizzou pass catcher to post two 1,000-yard seasons after hauling in 60 catches for 1,017 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning All-SEC Second Team honors for the second consecutive year. He finished the regular season ranked second in the SEC in total yards (1,017) and yards per game (84.8) while his 10 receiving TDs ranked third in the SEC and 15th nationally. Moore now ranks fourth in school history in career receiving yards (2,412) and in career TD grabs (21). He needs two in the Texas Bowl to move into sole possession second all-time at Mizzou Has nine career 100-yard games, the fourth-most in school history, trailing only Justin Gage (11), Danario Alexander (10) and Jeremy Maclin (10).

Moore had one of the best games in his career to close the 2017 regular season at Arkansas (11/24), posting 10 catches for 160 yards, including a 19-yard fourth-quarter TD that gave Mizzou the lead. He made a diving, sprawling and spinning catch inside the pylon in double coverage to haul in the go-ahead TD.

Okwuegbunam is Mizzou’s first All-Conference TE since Michael Egnew in 2011. He led all tight ends and all freshmen nationally in touchdown grabs (11) and finished the season as the top graded TE in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus. His 11 TDs ranked ninth nationally among all players and led the SEC while resetting Mizzou’s freshman record, which was nine originally held by Jeremy Maclin. A native of Springfield, Ill, he had five games with multiple receiving touchdowns as he emerged as one of the nation’s top red zone threats midway through the season – he had 20 of his 25 catches and 10 of his 11 touchdowns over the final eight games of the season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Nebraska’s Frost announces seven assistant coaches

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Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost has announced the hiring of seven assistant coaches on his Husker football staff. A 2017 national coach of the year candidate, Frost was hired as Nebraska’s head coach this weekend.

The seven new Nebraska assistant coaches all come to Lincoln after spending the past two seasons on Frost’s UCF staff. The group has been a part of orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. UCF went from a winless season in 2015 before the staff’s arrival to a 12-0 season, American Athletic Conference Championship and berth in the Peach Bowl just two seasons later.

The assistant coaches named to Frost’s staff include:
· Greg Austin, Offensive Line
· Erik Chinander, Defensive Coordinator
· Mike Dawson, Defensive Line
· Jovan Dewitt, Outside Linebackers/Special Teams
· Travis Fisher, Defensive Backs
· Ryan Held, Running Backs
· Mario Verduzco, Quarterbacks

The group of seven assistant coaches has a history of championship experience and brings a collective total of 123 years of coaching experience to the Nebraska staff. Including Frost, the staff has combined to coach in nine national championship games.

“This is an outstanding group of coaches and men of tremendous character who have played a key role in our success at UCF the past two seasons,” Frost said. “They are excellent teachers, mentors and recruiters and have earned great respect from the young men who play for them. I am proud they have chosen to join our staff as we get started at Nebraska.”

Austin, Held and Verduzco were part of the Knights’ offensive staff, helping UCF lead the nation in scoring offense at 49.4 points per game. UCF scored at least 30 points in all 12 games this season and ranks fifth nationally in total offense at better than 540 yards per game.

Chinander, Dawson, Dewitt and Fisher formed the UCF defensive staff that led an impressive improvement over the past two seasons. Chinander served as the defensive coordinator as the UCF defense improved its scoring defense by more than 12 points per game over the past two seasons. The Knights had 55 takeaways over the past two seasons to rank fourth among all FBS schools in that time period.

Former Nebraska linebacker Barrett Ruud is also a member of Frost’s staff and is currently on the road recruiting for the Huskers.

The new assistant coaches will all have two-year contacts through Dec. 31, 2019. All of the coaches are currently part-time employees to allow them to coach UCF in the Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl. Their status will change to full-time after the UCF bowl game.

Brief Bios on Nebraska Staff
Greg Austin—A former Nebraska offensive lineman, Austin brings eight years of coaching experience to the Husker staff. Austin has spent a total of five seasons working on offensive staffs with Frost, including the past two seasons as UCF’s offensive line coach. Austin helped the UCF offensive line rank among the national leaders in fewest sacks allowed in 2017, while heading into the bowl season ranked first in the nation in scoring and fifth in total offense. Austin also has three seasons of NFL coaching experience, working on Chip Kelly’s Eagles staff from 2013 to 2015. Austin made 18 career starts as an offensive guard at Nebraska and was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick in 2006.

Erik Chinander—Chinander has spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at UCF. A 2016 Broyles Award nominee as the nation’s top assistant, Chinander comes to Lincoln after leading a dramatic defensive turnaround. His UCF defense allowed 12.5 fewer points in 2017 than it did in the season before his arrival. Chinander’s defense also ranked fourth nationally in takeaways in 2017. Chinander spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as the outside linebackers coach at Oregon, after serving on the Philadelphia Eagles defensive staff in 2013. Chinander has been on the staff of one FCS and two FBS teams that have played in a national championship game.

Mike Dawson—Dawson brings 19 years of coaching experience to Nebraska, including the past two seasons on the UCF staff and three years of experience in the National Football League. At UCF, Dawson’s defensive line ranked fourth in the AAC in rushing defense in 2017 and two of his three starting defensive linemen earned all-conference honors. Dawson spent three seasons on Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles staff from 2013 to 2015, working with the defensive line. Dawson also has college coaching stops at several schools, including Boston College, Akron, New Hampshire, Pittsburgh and Maine.

Jovan Dewitt—Dewitt brings a wealth of experience to the Nebraska staff, with 18 overall years of coaching experience, including nine seasons as a defensive coordinator and four years as a special teams coordinator. Dewitt spent the past two seasons as the associate head coach at Central Florida, where he worked with the linebackers and served as special teams coordinator. In 2017, Dewitt’s linebackers helped UCF rank third in the AAC in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. Dewitt has previous college FBS experience at Army and Florida Atlantic and worked on the staff at Northern Iowa from 2009 to 2011.

Travis Fisher—A former NFL cornerback, Fisher join’s Frost staff after working on the UCF defensive staff for the past two seasons. Fisher’s defensive backs were a big reason why the Knights recorded 55 takeaways and scored eight defensive touchdowns over the past two seasons. In 2017, UCF ranked fifth nationally with 18 interceptions. Fisher had two defensive backs earn first-team All-AAC honors and UCF ranked in the top 20 nationally in interceptions. A former Knight cornerback, Fisher was selected in the second round of the 2002 Draft by the St. Louis Rams and played eight seasons in the NFL. He began his coaching career at UCF in 2013, spent one season at Southeast Missouri State and has been in Orlando the past three seasons.

Ryan Held—Held returns to his alma mater with 17 years of college coaching experience, including 12 seasons as a head coach. On Frost’s staff at UCF the past two seasons, Held has coached the running backs as the Knights led the nation in scoring offense in 2017, while ranking fifth in total offense. Held previously made a name in the coaching community as a successful junior college, Division II and NAIA head coach. Held served as a head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Highland (Kan.) CC, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma Panhandle State and Peru State. Held was a part of two national championship teams in 1994 and 1995 as a walk-on receiver for the Huskers, and began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant on Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team.

Mario Verduzco—Verduzco brings 41 years of coaching experience to the Nebraska staff, including serving as both a junior college and high school head coach. Verduzco served as the UCF quarterbacks coach the past two seasons and directed the development of McKenzie Milton who was one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in 2017. Milton completed better than 69 percent of his passes this season, while throwing for 3,795 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns. Verduzco was Missouri State’s offensive coordinator in 2015, after a 14-year stint with Northern Iowa, working on the same staff as Frost for two seasons. Verduzco spent five seasons at Rutgers from 1996 to 2000, and prior to that coached for 19 season at various levels in his home state of California.

— NU Athletics —

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