40 posts tagged “lincoln”
Nebraska's biggest football rival makes its once-every-four-year stop in Lincoln Saturday, and the Cornhuskers aren't about to waste a golden opportunity like this to show Oklahoma how much the Huskers respect their program, especially since the Sooners have played a big role in NU's own rise to national prominence.
The level of competition, of course, will determine if ABC made a good decision to put this game in prime time under the bright lights of its television cameras. But one thing is certain. It's a unique chance to showcase what a good rivalry stands for and how much one program respects the other program.
Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne decided last spring to invite Oklahoma's major individual award winners to Lincoln for a Friday night banquet at the Champions Club. Then, at halftime, OU's marquee players and coaches will be honored at the same time we introduce our own legends to another record sellout crowd.
It would be nice to say that only in Nebraska can something like this happen. But the truth is, Osborne's decision is merely a reciprocating gesture to a class move made last year by OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione to honor the 1971 Game of the Century participants in Norman.
So get ready Husker fans. Start warming up now to show your appreciation for OU's four living Heisman Trophy winners - Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Jason White and Sam Bradford. They will be introduced Saturday along with Nebraska Heisman winners Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier and Eric Crouch.
Other Husker major award winners who will attend this weekend's festivities are Trev Alberts, Tommie Frazier, Larry Jacobson, Dave Rimington, Will Shields, Dean Steinkuhler, Aaron Taylor and Zach Wiegert. Other Sooner major award winners who will be in Lincoln are Brian Bosworth, Tom Brahaney, Tony Casillas, Rickey Dixon, Josh Heupel, Greg Pruitt, J.D. Roberts, Derrick Strait and Joe Washington.
Osborne, Switzer Equally Popular in Rival States
This is just a guess, but look for Barry Switzer to get the same kind of ovation that Turner Gill, Barry Alvarez and Frank Solich got when they popped up on the big screen in Nebraska's NCAA record 300th consecutive sellout celebration.
Memorial Stadium will be rocking, and Switzer will be smiling, waving and ingratiating himself to Husker fans who had a hard time liking him when he kept breaking their hearts. But they respect him now because the emotional wounds have healed, and they realize that he set a benchmark that forced Nebraska to get better and better and better.
Saturday night, tradition will frame a pair of 5-3 teams that have always set higher standards for themselves and will never lose sight of those who have won so much before them. Bob Devaney and Chuck Fairbanks may have been the icons for their respective programs in the early 1960s, but Osborne and Barry Switzer certainly continued the unparalleled standards of excellence set by their predecessors.
And believe this - both states have a healthy respect for each other. "When Barry comes to Nebraska, he's still one of the most popular attractions for banquets and other events," Osborne said last week, adding that he gets a similar reception whenever he speaks in Oklahoma.
Osborne thinks he knows why Nebraska and Oklahoma play every game against each other with respect instead of rancor. "For almost 30 years in a row, the winner of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game determined the Big 12 champion and an Orange Bowl berth," he said. "Most of the time, we were both in the Top 10, and sometimes, we were both in the Top 5.
"OU went through a dip in the '90s, and we went through ours more recently," Osborne said. "Most of the time, the games were highly competitive. They were never nasty. There was never any trash talk. Games were always played very hard with proper respect shown on both sides. The fans of both schools picked up on that healthy respect for each other, so this has been a great rivalry, but never a bitter rivalry."
And that fact alone puts the NU-OU football rivalry in a league of its own.
A month ago, a Huskers.com poll asked fans to name Nebraska's biggest rival in football. A total of 12,310 of you cast a vote, and 7,159 - or 58 percent said Oklahoma is our biggest rival. Colorado and Missouri each received 19 percent of the total vote with CU edging Mizzou by 80 votes - 2,376 to 2,296. Kansas (228 votes) finished fourth with 2 percent of the vote, and K-State (131) and Iowa State (120) each garnered 1 percent.
Osborne: Rivalries Cannot Be Declared
Rivalries, Osborne said, cannot be declared like Colorado tried to do with Nebraska when he was still the head coach. They must be earned through tradition, a consistently high level of play and an acknowledgement from both schools that they are indeed rivals.
Unlike Michigan-Ohio State and USC-UCLA, the NU-OU rivalry thrives and prospers because the Huskers and Sooners have decidedly different recruiting bases. OU recruits Texas primarily, and NU recruits the entire country to complement the Huskers' base that includes important forays into Texas.
"While we have recruited many of the same players, we've never been embroiled in recruiting battles like Oklahoma-Texas or some of the other big rivalries," Osborne said. "We recruit a lot of the players they don't and vice versa."
Last year, when OU hosted Nebraska the night before the game in Norman, Switzer said: "We could never do something like this with Texas."
Recruiting was one big reason why, but former Husker All-America defensive tackle John Dutton was struck by something else Switzer said that evening - that OU coaches, players and fans have never quite grasped how Nebraska has been able to beat the Sooners so often with players they never would have considered recruiting themselves.
Dutton's answer to that is a simple one. "We were always in better physical condition than the teams we played against," he said, "and everyone pushed everyone in practice every single day. It was a relentless mindset. From the scout team to the first team, no one would even think about losing."
The NU-OU rivalry proves that respect can be an integral part of an intense rivalry, and Osborne said Nebraska lobbied to keep the annual game intact when the Big 12 was organizing into two divisions. "It's my understanding that because Oklahoma's prime recruiting ground was Texas, they preferred to be in the South," he said.
"So I guess they were leaning more toward their rivalry with Texas than ours," Osborne said. "We tried to find a way to keep our game going on an annual basis, but it would throw the conference structure out of kilter, so we are where we are now. We still have the same respect for each other, but the rivalry just isn't the same when you don't get to play each other every year."
ULL radio man Jay Walker comes away enthralled by the Lincoln experience.
Sep 28
Monday, September 28, 2009 8:53 AM
This is my 18th season covering Cajuns football. And, for eight years before that, I had the opportunity to broadcast selected games on TV as well.
I've been to nine SEC stadiums. (I'll go to a tenth next season at Georgia.) I've seen the grove at Ole Miss, experienced the Gator Chomp, the Mississippi State cowbells, been a part of Alabama football in both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. I've been called "Tigerbait" in Baton Rouge and experienced some pretty good hospitality in South Carolina.
I've said hello to the folks at Illinois and Minnesota. Felt September heat in Tempe, AZ.
Been to Manhattan, Lubbock, Austin, Stillwater and College Station. College Station was probably the best. Folks say "Howdy" when they see you. And they say "welcome."
Haven't been to the Horseshoe, the Big House or Happy Valley. Nor have I seen Touchdown Jesus.
But I've been to College Football Nirvana.
It's located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
From the time we touched down ("Welcome to Lincoln," the police officers doing the escort said) to the time we left the stadium ("Thanks so much for coming, have a safe trip home. We hope you'll come back again") every Cajun fan felt like a guest.
That's right. A guest. Not the opposition...not the enemy....a guest.
Check into the Cornhusker Marriott, not far from campus. Fans of Big Red Nation are already there. Smiles, handshakes....welcome to Lincoln. Good luck tomorrow.
Board the bus for dinner. Arrive at Misty's, Lincoln's famous steakhouse (I mean, you gotta eat a steak, right?). There were about 25 in our party. We had to wait about twenty minutes for them to get everything ready. No problem. As soon as the patrons saw the Cajun gear, they wanted to talk...introduce themselves....welcome to Lincoln....thanks so much for coming. Hope you enjoy the game.....
Is this for real??
And, it continued throughout the evening and into the night. We made lots of friends. We Cajun people make friends pretty easily, but it's even easier when folks want to be friends.
In Lincoln, they all want to be your friend.
Gameday is different in Lincoln. They tailgate, sure....but it's tougher because, well, there's just not a lot of tailgaiting spots. But they do open the soccer field next to the stadium. Families can let the kids roam free. Nebraska radio does a pregame show there. And, a band plays during the commercial breaks.
I did an interview at the soccer field with the Nebraska radio folks. And then, had a pretty good trek to the media entrance. At each gate, the sight was the same. Hundreds lined up, waiting for the gates to open so they could get into the stadium and watch their team warm up.
By the time Nebraska came out, about 45 minutes before kickoff, the stadium was about 65% full. There was no "hey, let's stay outside and pound a few more beers."
Because it was gameday. And they came to see football.
By the time the band was ready to come out, 86000 strong were in their seats. They stood and clapped along when the Cornhusker Band played "Fight on Cajuns" to honor their guests. And when the band played "There is no Place Like Nebraska" I knew that the statement was true.
For the first time ever in my years covering the Cajuns, I did not hear a single boo when the Cajuns came out of their tunnel onto their sidelines; in fact, I heard a smattering of applause.
During the game, 86000 cheered as Nebraska rolled. They didn't leave at halftime to go out and start drinking (and remember it was 34-0 at the half). Some were outside, but they had passes to get back in and by the time the second half was ready to kick off, they were all back in their seats.
In the fourth quarter there were STILL over 80000 in the stands. Security keeps an eye out for the sign of alcohol in the stands, which is how trouble starts. If they see alcohol they don't turn a blind eye. After all, college football is about a FAMILY atmosphere.
And when it ended, the fans stayed for another Cornhusker tradition. They applauded the Cajuns as they left the field.
Now you might say...sure, it's easy to clap for someone when you just beat them 55-0. But they do that when their team LOSES. The newspaper on Saturday morning reprinted a handwritten letter from Florida State coach Bobby Bowden after the Seminoles got a hard fought 18-14 win years ago. Yep, the Nebraska fans cheered them as they left.
More of the same post game. There was a young man in a wheelchair where the Cajun players were getting their postgame meal. As each player came out, the young man thanked them for coming and wished them safe travels home. Many of the players stopped to chat for a minute.
Then it was over. And, as the buses left for the airport, the fans that were still there waved and applauded. No one finger salutes. No "you suck" chants. Simply, safe travels, my friends.
If the two teams should play again in the future, plan ahead Cajun Fans. Make the long drive or the relatively short flight. Come in Friday...leave Sunday. And, you will learn what REAL college football atmosphere is about.
Because, trust me.....there is no place like Nebraska.
Conference Championship:
Nebraska (17-3-1) at 2009 Big 12 Championship
Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Huskers.com
Television: Finals live on FSN (channel 37 in Lincoln) at 7 p.m.
Lincoln - The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team begins postseason action by hosting the 2009 Big 12 Championship in the NU Coliseum on Saturday. The pigtail round begins at 11 a.m., with semifinals at noon. The second session commences at 4 p.m. with consolation matches, while the finals start at 7 p.m. Tickets to the event can be purchased by calling the Nebraska Ticket Office at (800) 8-BIGRED or online at Huskers.com.
The Huskers finished the dual season with a 17-3-1 record after a 30-10 loss to Iowa State on Feb. 22 in Lincoln. NU’s record is the seventh-straight season and 19th time in the last 20 years that the Huskers have won at least 10 duals. Nebraska’s 17 team wins are the most since the Huskers recorded 19 in 2004-05. Jordan Burroughs claimed a major decision over Cyler Sanderson, while Vince Jones pinned Jerome Ward for the second time this season for NU’s two victories.
Burroughs will look to continue that momentum at the Big 12 Championship, as he is the only undefeated wrestler competing in the tournament. Burroughs claimed Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet honors last season to lead three Huskers to titles. Senior Brandon Browne will also look to defend his title from last season, as he likely enters as a two seed. Burroughs, along with Jones, will be one seeds. Final seedings will be announced after the coaches’ meeting on Friday night.
With the installation of a new qualifying system for the NCAA Championships, the Big 12 tournament takes on a new meaning this year. The NCAA announced on Feb. 26 that the Big 12 had earned 37 qualifiers, including all five wrestlers at 197 and heavyweight. The final 52 at-large bids to NCAAs will be awarded on March 11.
Live coverage of the tournament will be available through Huskers.com or Big12sports.com, while FSN will air the finals live at 7 p.m.
Husker History at the Big 12 Championship
While
Nebraska has not won a conference championship since securing the Big
Eight crown in 1995, the Huskers have been in the thick of the
conference title chase. Last year, Nebraska finished in second after
racking up 62.5 team points. NU finished in the top three from
2004-2006, including a runner-up finish in 2004 and a pair of
third-place finishes.
Individually, Husker wrestlers have earned 53 conference championships over the years, including 13 since the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1997. The list of recent conference champions is led by four-time Big 12 champion Bryan Snyder at 157 pounds. The four-time All-American brought home the conference gold for Nebraska from 1999-2002, but was the last Husker to win a conference championship until 197-pound wrestler B.J. Padden broke the NU drought with championships in 2005 and 2006.
Last Year at the Big 12 Championship: Burroughs Leads NU to Second at Big 12s
The
Nebraska wrestling team claimed 62.5 points and second place at the
2008 Big 12 Championship, thanks in large part to the Outstanding
Wrestler of the Meet performance of sophomore Jordan Burroughs. The
Huskers earned three individual championships and two second-place
finishes, but the spotlight shined the brightest on Burroughs at the
Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
Burroughs entered the tournament seeded first and lived up to his billing with two bonus-point victories on his way to the title. Burroughs earned 10 takedowns in his first match, a 24-9 technical fall over Oklahoma’s Will Rowe, and followed up with a 15-6 major decision over Iowa State’s Mitch Mueller. Burroughs was one of only two Huskers to score a bonus-point victory.
Two juniors joined Burroughs atop the awards stand as Paul Donahoe captured the title at 125 pounds and Brandon Browne earned first at 174 pounds. Donahoe gave up a takedown 30 seconds into his finals match against Tyler Shinn of Oklahoma State, but held Shinn to two escapes the rest of the way to win 7-4 and earn his first Big 12 crown. Browne entered the third period of his finals match down by two, but scored a takedown with nine seconds left to come from behind for the win.
Sophomores Stephen Dwyer and Craig Brester opened the day with upsets of higher seeds in their respective classes, but both were unable to capitalize on the momentum as both lost their finals match to finish second. Dwyer dropped a tight 3-2 decision to Missouri’s Nick Marable while Missouri’s Max Askren defeated NU’s Craig Brester 8-3.
The five Husker wrestlers in the finals earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, while Jon May (285), Vince Jones (184) and Kenny Jordan (133) earned wild card selections to allow NU to send eight wrestlers to St. Louis.
Iowa State claimed the team title for a second consecutive year, but Nebraska’s 62.5 team points are the most the Huskers have ever accrued at the Big 12 Championship. NU matches its best finish ever as a team, as the Huskers also claimed runner-up honors in 2004 and went on to place fifth at the NCAA Championships. Nebraska’s three individual champions are the most since 1995.
New NCAA Qualifying System
With
the installation of a new NCAA qualifying system this season, the
procedure at the Big 12 Championship has changed. Wrestlers earn bids
for each weight class of each conference tournament during the year,
and Big 12 wrestlers earned 37 bids for the conference. Below is a
breakdown of the allocation of bids to each weight class.
- 125 pounds - 3
- 133 pounds - 3
- 141 pounds - 3
- 149 pounds - 2
- 157 pounds - 4
- 165 pounds - 5
- 174 poudns - 3
- 184 pounds - 4
- 197 pounds - 5
- Heavyweight - 5
Wrestlers who do not claim one of automatic bids will still have a chance to make it to the NCAA Championships, when the final at-large bids are announced on March 11. A more detailed explanation of the new qualifying standards will be available in the Big 12 Championship program on March 7.
Undefeated Dual Season
Jordan
Burroughs continued his assault on the Nebraska record book at the
Huskers’ dual with Iowa State on Feb. 22. With a 12-3 major decision
over the Cyclones Cyler Sanderson, Burroughs claimed a 19-0 dual record
during the 2008-09 season. The mark tied him for fifth on NU’s top 20
season dual victories list and put him atop the top 10 season dual
winning percentage list. Fourteen other Huskers have completed the dual
season undefeated (10-match minimum), but Burroughs racked up the most
wins.
Scouting Iowa State (15-3, 3-1 Big 12)
Iowa
State will be looking for its third team title in as many years when
the Cyclones take to the mat for this year’s Big 12 Championship in
Lincoln. Under the direction of Head Coach Cael Sanderson, five ISU
wrestlers will be looking to return to the top of the awards stand this
season. ISU’s Nick Fanthorpe (133), Nick Gallick (141), Cyler Sanderson
(157) and Jake Varner (184) were conference champions last year, while
David Zabriskie was the heavyweight champion as a freshman in 2007.
The Cyclones wrestled to a 15-3 overall dual record and finished 3-1 in Big 12 action during the 2008-09 season. ISU beat then-No. 3 Nebraska in the NU Coliseum, 30-10, on Feb. 22 to end the regular season. The Cyclones topped Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, 23-15 and 24-12, respectively, in a span of three days, after defeating the Huskers 20-19 for third-place at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 10-11. At the Midlands Championships in late December, the Cyclones took second place with 153.5 points.
Individually, Zabriskie leads Iowa State in victories, racking up a 28-2 record during his junior campaign to be ranked first in the nation by the NWCA. Varner is also a top-ranked Cyclone, earning the nod at 197 pounds after spending the last two seasons at 184. The junior is 25-1 this season, including a perfect 17-0 in duals. Iowa State has six individuals ranked in the top 10 of their respective classes and all 10 wrestlers are ranked within the top 20 by the NWCA.
Scouting Missouri (18-4, 3-1 Big 12)
Fifth-ranked
Missouri closed out the regular season with an 18-4 record, marking
just the third time in program history that the Tigers have reached a
program-high 18 wins in a single season. In Big 12 competition, MU
wrapped up the year with a 3-1 mark, a feat last accomplished in
2006-07.
Throughout the season, the Tigers met 11 opponents ranked among the top-20 in the nation. Missouri, who started the season ranked fifth, managed two upset victories, besting then-No. 2 Cornell, 18-14, before ending the dual schedule with an 18-15 home win over second-ranked Iowa State. Tiger Head Coach Brian Smith, in his 11th year at the helm, became MU’s winningest wrestling coach in program history after recording win No. 126 at the Northeast Duals on Nov. 29.
Missouri boasts several of the nation’s top-ranked wrestlers including six ranked among the top 10 of their respective weight class by the NWCA. Junior heavyweight Mark Ellis owns the highest individual ranking of his teammates at second and enters the Big 12 tournament with a 2-1 record against league foes.
Seniors Marcus Hoehn (141) and Raymond Jordan (174) along with junior Nicholas Marable (165) enter the tournament with spotless league records. Jordan, last year’s 184-pound Big 12 Champion ranks fifth in the nation at 174 pounds according to the NWCA and is one of three Missouri wrestlers looking to defend their 2008 Big 12 titles. Marable and 197-pounder Maxwell Askren also won at the conference tournament last season, as all three went on to collect All-America accolades at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
Scouting Oklahoma (16-4, 1-4 Big 12)
The
Oklahoma wrestling team experienced its most success in seven seasons,
as the 2008-09 squad finished with a 16-4 overall record to claim its
most wins since the 2001-02 campaign. The Sooners bounced two top 25
opponents along the way, including its in-state rival Oklahoma State on
Dec. 7, marking the second consecutive victory against the Cowboys.
With identical regular-season records, the prestigious OU and OSU
programs tied for fourth place in the Big 12 Conference during the
regular season.
OU climbed to No. 10 in the NWCA poll on Jan. 6, its highest team ranking since the 2006-07 season. The Sooners finished the regular season with three wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in their respective weight classes, and seven total in the top 20.
OU went an impressive 15-0 against non-conference foes this season, including a dominant 3-0 performance at the Big 12/Pac-10 Challenge. The Sooners also posted a 4-0 record at the Lonestar Duals and earned a first place crown over a talented field at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic.
In his 16th season at OU, head coach Jack Spates leads a young and talented group of Sooners into Lincoln for the Big 12 Championship. Junior Kyle Terry has won 24 straight matches for a team-leading 26-1 overall record, including 5-0 in the conference.
Oklahoma looks to add to its impressive postseason resume that includes 23 conference team titles, including two in the Big 12 era, and 171 individual conference champions.
Scouting Oklahoma State (15-7, 1-4 Big 12)
Highlighted
by a team title at the Reno Tournament of Champions and six dual wins
over teams ranked in the top 25, the 2008-09 Oklahoma State regular
season came to an end with the Cowboys compiling a 15-7 overall record.
Senior 165-pounder Brandon Mason became only the 32nd person in the storied history of Oklahoma State wrestling to hit the 100-win mark for his career when he accomplished the feat at the Virginia Duals in January. Other notable highlights were provided by junior heavyweight Jared Rosholt, who earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Virginia Duals and was a Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. Junior 133-pounder Chris Notte stepped into the lineup in mid-December and rattled off a 15-2 dual match record that included two wins over ranked opponents.
Oklahoma State endured its share of setbacks during the regular season, losing seven duals for the first time since 1993. Of those seven losses, six were to teams ranked in the top eight in the nation. The seventh was an 18-15 loss to Oklahoma in which OSU’s Tyler Shinn, ranked No. 12 in the nation at the time, was forced to take an injury default after breaking his collarbone during his match against an unranked Sooner.
OSU comes into the Big 12 Championship with some momentum, as the Cowboys dominated each of their final three dual match opponents and claimed a 27-6 win over Oklahoma to cap the regular season.
Last Time Out: Huskers Drop 30-10 Dual to Cyclones
Jordan
Burroughs and Vince Jones posted bonus-point victories against
fourth-ranked Iowa State, but No. 3 Nebraska came up short in a 30-10
dual in front of more than 1,670 fans at the NU Coliseum on Feb. 22.
The Huskers finish the regular season at 17-3-1, while ISU moved to
15-3. Both teams went 3-1 in Big 12 duals.
Burroughs picked up his 12th win of the season over a ranked opponent with a 12-3 major decision over No. 8 Cyler Sanderson. Burroughs nearly pinned the Cyclone a minute into the first period, picking up a two-point nearfall, and did the same in the third en route to claiming the win. The junior also earned a major decision against Sanderson in their previous meeting at National Duals.
Likewise, Vince Jones pinned ISU’s Jerome Ward at National Duals in their first matchup, and accomplished the feat again Sunday. Ward had a cradle locked in early in the bout, but neither wrestler could score a takedown in the scramble. After a restart the two scrambled again with Jones earning the upper hand to post the pin in 1:31. The senior has 11 falls this season, and a team-leading 29 overall wins.
Iowa State won close matches at 165, 197 and heavyweight, claiming each match by less than three points. Another decision at 149 and major decisions at 133, 141 and 174 helped the Cyclones pull away before earning a forfeit at 125 for the final margin.
Taking Down Records
With
his two technical falls in NU dual wins over UNC Greensboro and North
Carolina on Feb. 14, Jordan Burroughs set Nebraska’s single-season dual
takedown record. Burroughs set the record last season with 98, but
after racking up 21 against the Spartans and Tar Heels, the native of
Sicklerville, N.J., moved to 114 this season. He picked up three more
against Iowa State in the final dual of the season to finish with 117
dual takedowns in 2008-09.
Burroughs could also approach the career dual takedown record before his time is up at NU. The current record holder is Travis Pascoe, who posted 328 from 2001 to 2005. Pascoe earned 65, 93, 81 and 89 dual takedowns in his career. Burroughs had nine as a freshman, 98 as a sophomore and 117 this season for 224 total.
Undefeated Streak
Nebraska
posted a 9-0-1 mark from Jan. 23 to Feb. 14, its longest unbeaten
streak since notching the same mark to start the 1995-96 season. The
Huskers went on to finish second in the Big 12 and fifth at NCAAs that
season, with four NU wrestlers earning All-America accolades and two
Big 12 titles.
Minus One?
Nebraska
posted a 43 to -1 victory over UNC Greensboro on Feb. 14, and while a
negative team score is fairly odd, it wasn’t the first time an NU
opponent has gone under zero. The Huskers also beat Arizona State 37 to
-1 on Jan. 10, 2004, at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., a
tournament NU went on to win. Teams can be deducted team points for
unsportsmanlike conduct by the wrestlers or coaches.
Hanging in There
Nebraska
has wrestled in some high-pressure situations during duals this year,
but has performed well under pressure. The Huskers are 7-1-1 in duals
decided in the final match, with their only loss coming to
second-ranked Iowa State at the National Duals. In fact, NU has won
three Big 12 duals by a combined five points.
Facing the Ranked
Above
157 pounds, the Huskers’ starters have found a fair amount of success
against ranked foes. Nebraska is 39-20 in those six weight classes
against ranked opponents, including an impressive 8-0 mark by Jordan
Burroughs against the top 10. Below 157 pounds, NU is 0-36 against the
top 20.
Measuring the Majors
Jordan
Burroughs added to his long list of accolades on Jan. 25, as he notched
his 10th major decision of the season and became the first known NU
wrestler to post back-to-back seasons with at least 10 major decisions.
Statistics are incomplete prior to the 1982 season. Burroughs notched
12 last season at 149 pounds and has earned 12 through 28 matches this
year at 157.
Pinning Down Vince
Vince
Jones collected his 11th pin of the season on Feb. 22, his second pin
of the season of ISU’s Jerome Ward. Jones is the first Nebraska
wrestler since Tolly Thompson to record at least 10 pins in each season
he competed. Jones posted 14 pins in 2005-06 as a true freshman, sat
out his sophomore year and notched 10 last season. Thompson
accomplished the same feat at heavyweight from 1994-97, racking up 53
total pins.
Fit to be Tied
NU’s
17-17 tie at Central Michigan on Jan. 25 was just the third tie in Head
Coach Mark Manning’s 169 duals at Nebraska. Nebraska also knotted Penn
at 17 on Feb. 17, 2007, in the final dual of the 2006-07 season and
dualed Wisconsin to a 19-19 tie on Jan. 8, 2005, at the Lone Star
Duals. All three of NU’s ties under Manning have come on the road.
Totaling 20
Seven
varsity Nebraska wrestlers have moved above the 20-win mark this
season, including Vince Jones (184) who lead the team with 29
victories. Jordan Burroughs (157) has earned 28 wins, while Craig
Brester (197) has 27. Brandon Browne (174), Tucker Lane (Hwt), Robert
Sanders (149) and Stephen Dwyer (165) have each notched 24 victories.
Last season, eight Huskers eclipsed the 20-win mark, including three (Burroughs, Dwyer and Browne) that topped 30 wins on the season.
Big Time at the Big Weights
Nebraska
has posted an impressive mark so far this season in the upper weights.
In 21 duals, Nebraska has a 102-22 record from 157 pounds to
heavyweight, including three wrestlers holding at least 16 dual wins in
that weight range. Below 157, Nebraska is 32-51.
Lane Garners Big 12 Honor
Nebraska
heavyweight Tucker Lane was selected as the Big 12 Wrestler of the
Week, the conference announced on Jan. 13. Lane, a redshirt freshman
from Redvale, Colo., shared the weekly honor with Iowa State’s Jake
Varner.
Lane was a key component in the Huskers fourth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals, finishing with a 3-1 record at the tournament. He posted an 8-5 decision over Ben Kuhar to give the Huskers a 19-18 victory over No. 20 Northwestern in the opening round, and followed with a 4-2 decision over Cameron Wade to solidify a come-from-behind 20-16 win versus No. 14 Penn State. Against No. 2 Iowa State, Lane scored an early takedown over No. 3 Dave Zabriskie and added a three-point nearfall in the second period to take a 7-6 victory and nearly lead the Huskers to an upset of the Cyclones.
At the time, Lane was 19-5 on the season, including 8-2 in duals, with three pins. It was his first career honor, and he was the second Husker to earn recognition from the Big 12 this season, after Jordan Burroughs earned the honor earlier in the season.
Ruling the Rankings
The
Huskers remained fourth in the latest NWCA dual rankings after having
last weekend off. NU moved up to as high as third after winning the Las
Vegas Inviational. Nebraska started the season ranked sixth in the
nation and has been ranked in the top 25 ever since the NWCA and
InterMat polls combined in 2004, including 23 straight polls in the top
10.
Bonus-Point Brester
Craig
Brester has been a bonus-point machine for the Huskers this season. A
junior from Howells, Neb., Brester has posted a 27-3 record, including
18-3 in duals. Twenty of his 27 wins have come by bonus points,
including eight pins, three technical falls and nine major decisions.
Brester notched five pins in his first six matches, and has rolled from
there. In early December, he went 5-0 at the Las Vegas Invitational to
claim the title at 197 pounds. He started the tournament with a fall,
posted his first technicall fall of the season in the second round, and
finished with three straight major decisions.
Quickest Pin
The
award for quickest pin so far this season goes to freshman Josh Ihnen
at 184 pounds. Ihnen notched a 28-second fall of Morningside’s Joe
Lockett at the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 13 to earn the honor. Ihnen has
four pins on the year, while the Huskers as a whole have notched 86 so
far.
The Pin King
Vince
Jones, Nebraska’s resident pin king, is back at it again this season.
He led the Huskers in falls with 12 in 2005-06 and accomplished the
feat again with 10 in 2007-08. The senior is well on his way again this
season with 11 pins in 35 matches, including three straight to start
the year.
Jones has some competition this season from junior Craig Brester, the Huskers’ 197-pounder. Brester is 27-3 on the year with eight pins and three technical falls and nine major decisions. All of Brester’s falls have come in the first period, including one against No. 14 Andrew Anderson of Northern Iowa at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 22.
Best Start Since
The
Huskers rushed to an 8-0 start to this season, before falling to No. 1
Iowa at National Duals. The mark was NU’s best start since 2004-05, a
season in which Nebraska finished third at the Big 12 Championships and
19th at the NCAA Championships.
The Wrestler Formerly Known as Jordan
Nebraska’s
Jordan Burroughs is quickly earning a new nickname - OW. The junior
from Winslow Township, N.J. has claimed four Oustanding Wrestler honors
at four tournaments. He started last season with an OW honor at the
Cowboy Open. He posted a technical fall and major decision en route to
being named the Outstanding Wrestler at last year’s Big 12
Championships, while also earning the title at the Kaufman-Brand Open
with a 5-0 record on the day and a defeat of former NCAA champion
Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Burroughs picked up his third OW honor
in early December at the Las Vegas Invitational when he posted another
five wins, including two over All-Americans and another against a
former NCAA champion in Cornell’s Jorden Leen.
Topping Off National Duals
NU’s
fourth-place finish at National Duals this season was the 11th time the
Huskers have finished in the top five since the inception of the event
in 1989. The Huskers improved their all-time record to 48-29 in the 16
appearances at National Duals.
4-0 for National Duals
Two
Huskers posted a perfect 4-0 record at National Duals, leading the
Huskers to a fourth-place team finish. Jordan Burroughs was the most
impressive, earning victories over three ranked foes and two
All-Americans. The junior opened with a decision over No. 17 Jason
Welch of Northwestern, before adding another decision against
eighth-ranked Dan Vallimont of Penn State, an All-American last season.
Burroughs added a 22-7 technical fall over Iowa’s Matt Ballweg and
ended with a 12-4 major decision over No. 5 Cyler Sanderson of Iowa
State, also an All-American last season.
Senior Brandon Browne also contributed four victories to the Huskers’ cause, winning all his matches by decision. He posted a 14-7 decision against Northwestern’s Robert Kellogg and defeated No. 14 Quentin Wright of Penn State, 3-1, on the first day. Browne got a measure of revenge with a 5-4 decison over No. 5 Jay Borschel of Iowa, who defeated him in the consolation finals of last year’s NCAA Championships, and capped the tournament with a 7-4 win over Iowa State’s Andrew Sorenson.
Next up: Nebraska Travels to NCAA Championships
The
Huskers will head to the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., for a
second consecutive year for the 2009 NCAA Championships on March 19-21.
Fans can purchase tickets through Tickmaster.com or by calling (866)
646-8849. Huskers.com will have a full preview of the tournament next
week.
(Source)
Definitely glad that I bought mine when I did.
Nebraska has sold 63,000 tickets for the April 18 Red-White Spring Game, according to NU ticket manager Holly Adam. She expects a sellout (Memorial Stadium’s capacity is officially listed at 81,067). Tickets went on sale Feb. 4. For the first time, NU is selling nearly all of Memorial Stadium on a reserved-ticket basis for the spring game. “Last Wednesday the phones were (ringing) non-stop, and Thursday it was most of the day,” Adam said. “It slowed down Thursday afternoon and into Friday. Tickets were still selling but the phones were at least manageable. We could kind of get a break in between the calls.
“Now they’re slowing, and we’re getting up into the upper rows of the end zones. Those tickets won’t last too long, but there are still some out there to be had.” Tickets may be purchased on-line at Huskers.com, by phone at 1-800-8-BIG-RED, or in person at the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office, located in the Stadium Drive Parking Garage. Reserved tickets are $10 each. No television is planned for the game.
I woke up roughly 60 minutes ago and went through my "morning" routine of checking email, reading articles, updating my cheers on facebook and being meowed at by the fat cat. But like in my title, I'm really stoked. I purchased (or will purchase) 3 sets of tickets, 2 of the events are this month. First, I won my tickets to watch the Celtics vs. Mavericks (Go Celts!) on the 12th. Second, I'm waiting on the good word for my ticket to the Slipknot concert on the 22nd. Finally, I bought a few tickets to the annual Red/White spring scrimmage up in Lincoln.
I haven't been to the spring game since 2005 and I'm overdue. The sights and sounds of Memorial Stadium in the spring are unmatched. Last season the event sold out. The university managed to sell 80,149 seats to watch the game. Basically, it looks like a regular season game. There's so many fans dressed in the scarlet and cream. I miss being in Lincoln for the games and even the scrimmage. Lincoln, is a great town. It's a college football town. The spirit of college football lives there. The fans are quite knowledgable about the team and the sport.
What I love about college football, the loyalties lie to the program, the school, and most of all the state. It's not about contracts, player shifts, it's about the pride in the program. Tom Osborne knew this, that's why he's a coaching legend within the state (also to the college football world). I think with Tom as the A.D. and Bo as the head coach, the program is in good hands.
GEAUX BIG RED!
- The Spirit
- Yes Man
- Valkyrie
- Gran Torino
- The Day the Earth stood still
Last night while watching the Sugar Bowl, we browsed the times available for each showing and even read a few reviews. So far, "The Spirit" is out, it had a 13% fresh rating on rotten tomatoes. Valkyrie is looking like a 2nd choice while Gran Torino is leading the way. The film "Yes Man" looks mildly amusing.
I'll admit, I'm really not a Jim Carrey fan these days. Every time I watch his films (now as opposed to his Ace Ventura days) all I see is the same recycled jokes and facial expressions. Where's the new stuff Jim? I think it's just that I'm more removed from the physical "slapstick" comedy. The ONLY reason why I'd go and see "Yes Man" is for one particular scene. Jim joins Husker Nation for a day. That's it. Plain and simple. I know it sounds bad, but hey, how often does Husker Nation make it on the big screen?
I would just buy the ticket(s), go to watch, and then walk out after the Nebraska scene. Hmmm, or I could just wait for the Blu-Ray release and fast forward to the desired bit. HA!
Cheers
GEAUX BIG RED!
The Gator Bowl is looking better and better. Nebraska fans can become familiar again (this year anyway) with that former tradition of playing in a New Year's Day game. Under first year coach Bo Pelini, the program (and the fans) have seen quite the turnaround from last year's 5-7 squad under former coach Bill Callahan. With the more than likely New Year's Day game waiting, also waiting is the bigger payout to the school (2.5 million), which will help along with the added television time.
This season swept by so quickly, I'm already looking forward to the 2009 Spring scrimmage. Here's a quick screen shot of the Big 12 North (and overall league) ending the regular season. Once the season officially wraps up, the coaches can hit recruiting trail again for those next bunch of recruits.
I really dug this article.
Nebraska coaching chronology
Nebraska's coaches since Bob Devaney began the Cornhuskers' resurgence in 1962.
| Coach | Years | Record | Pct. | Comment | |
| Bob Devaney | 1962-72 | 101-20-2 | .829 | National champions 1970, 1971, eight Big Eight crowns. | |
| Tom Osborne | 1973-97 | 255-49-3 | .836 | Three national titles, 13 league titles, 25 bowl bids. | |
| Frank Solich* | 1998-2003 | 58-19 | .753 | Big 12 champions in 1999. | |
| Bo Pelini** | 2003 | 1-0 | 1.000 | Victory in Alamo Bowl. | |
| Bill Callahan | 2004-07 | 27-22 | .551 | Won Big 12 North in 2006. | |
| Bo Pelini | 2008 | 7-4 | .636 | Will play in bowl game. |
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