The memory is still strong. And keep it going. Buy the 2009 NU - OU DVD right here and own this memory forever. Click here to purchase.

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Our thoughts after Kansas push a gigantic dent in Nebraska's NCAA Tourney hopes Saturday.

Bottom Line: Kansas has two players Nebraska doesn't: Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins. NU head coach Doc Sadler won't give his team an inch on this issue, as he shouldn't but we will. Collins made one great shot after another (including a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to give KU a 13-point lead in the second half.) Aldrich was a force on both ends of the floor. This was one of those days when guys like Bear Jones and Brian Diaz might have made a big difference. Ah well. Next year.

Stud: Collins. One of his better games of the year, considering Nebraska's tough defense. Collins created a few shots on his own, wisely knew when to take pull jumpers on other possessions, and generally ran the floor like the professional he'll be next year.

Unsung: KU guard Brady Morningstar. Little things, little things, little things. Morningstar pushes the ball upcourt. He runs the floor on defense. He'll tangle with the trees for a rebound. A player who'd fit on Doc Sadler's team.

Stat of the game: When it came to rebounds, the Jayhawks must have put their reservation in a few hours before NU, beating them 46-24. Somewhere, Bill Russell feels pity for the smallish Huskers.

Clever Coaching Move: Sadler tried to use his defensive tricks - the trap, doubling the post - wisely. And, especially in the first half, he largely succeeded. In the second half, Nebraska lost track of Collins and Aldrich a little too often.

Up next: What amounts to an NCAA Tournament elimination game vs. Texas A&M. Neither the Aggies or Huskers can afford to lose it. NU will then have another such contest Saturday at Kansas State.

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Our collected thoughts after NU's 70-47 loss at Missouri...

Bottom line: Nebraska spilled red ink all over its NCAA Tourney resume. It was the wrong time to be sloppy against the wrong team in Missouri. If the Tigers had been able to throw it in the ocean in the first ten minutes of the game, the outcome might have been a lot worse. NU couldn't figure out Mizzou's press, and sure as heck couldn't slow down Mizzou with its own press.

Stud: DeMarre Carroll His stat line - 13 points, three rebounds - doesn't look that great, but he played the middle of the Tigers' press perfectly. He consistently forced Husker guards toward the sidelines where most Tigers awaited. He made Nebraska think too much on passes and shots.

Unsung: Ade Dagunduro. Another war in the paint for the senior. He's quickly becoming one of the hardest-working players in NU history. Maybe the hardest-working player.

Key Stat: 20 turnovers by Nebraska. That's the story of the game, right there. NU plays great defense in part because its offense bleeds clock so well. Not on Saturday.

Clever coaching move: Mizzou's Mike Anderson used his reserves deftly throughout the game. Nine players had at least 15 minutes, and bench guys like Keith Ramsey and Matt Lawrence played a key role in the victory.

Next up: Wednesday, in Lincoln, vs. Colorado. CU used to be a pushover, about three weeks ago. After taking Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas all to the wire in recent weeks, know this: The Buffaloes don't quit, even if they don't win.

Second guess: It's a minor quibble, really, but once Nebraska trailed by 16 or so with ten minutes left in the game, might that have been the time for Sadler to pack up the full-court press and try a slower comeback? Nebraska dug itself a very deep hole, and margin of loss will stick out to the NCAA/NIT like a sore thumb come March.

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(Above: Jordan Larson, photo courtesy of Huskers.com)


If you're gonna have a fun senior night in volleyball, it might as well be against the worst team in the Big 12 Conference, right?





Nebraska (26-2 overall, 17-2 in the Big 12) celebrated seniors Jordan Larson, Amanda Gates an Rachel Schwartz with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-12 sweep of Texas Tech, which hasn't won on the road in the Big 12 in two years. The Huskers were trying out new middle blocker Jordan Wilburger, who's been forced into action as Kori Cooper was lost for the season with knee injury at Texas. Wilburger did OK, with three kills.





NU was led by All-American Larson, who had 15 kills. Coach John Cook said Nebraska was a little "shaky" in the first set due to the emotions of senior night and breaking in a new middle blocker, but the action smoothed out against the Red Raiders (5-24, 0-18).



“You’re emotions are flying all over the place," Cook said "For me, it was very hard for me to be focused tonight because a lot of times as a coach you feel what your players are feeling. I knew they were very emotional today. They have invested so much in this program and done so much and to know this is going to be their last match in the Coliseum, you’re emotions are all over the place.”





The three seniors have yet to lose a match in the NU Coliseum in their careers. They won 70 matches in a row. The only way that and an overall 86-match home court winning streak can be broken is in the NCAA Tournament.





Read more about this match here.

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(Above photo courtesy of Huskers.com)




Nebraska's wrestling team has never been better at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha than it was on Saturday, as eight Huskers won individual titles, and NU swept every weight in the elite division from 157 to heavyweight.



Junior Jordan Burroughs won Outstanding Wrestler honors for his title at 157. Burroughs socred 6-4 victory Saturday over sixth-ranked Dustin Schllater of Minnesota. It was Burroughs' second win over a ranked opponent this season. Burroughs won three other matches in the tournament, including a pin and a 24-10 major decision.




Junior Howells native Craig Brester was no less impressive, winning three of his four matches by pin en route to a title at 197. Brester pinned No. 14 Andrew Anderson of Northern Iowa in 1:49 in the title match, his fourth pin in five matches.




Not surprisingly, junior Steven Swyer (165) and senior Brandon Browne (174), went 4-0 to win their respective weight classes. At 184, senior Vince Jones, now No. 7 in the nation, won his division by beating teammate Romero Cotton 8-2 in the title match. Jones has emerged as an All-American contender in weight class, and would seem, right now, to be the best wrestler in the Big 12 at that weight.



At 133, Patrick Aleksanyan finished fifth, winning two match by pins, losing two tight matches to Big Ten wrestlers, and winning by medicial forfeit. At 141, Curtis Salazar was fourth. He lost again to Tennessee-Chattanooga's Cody Cleveland, this time 8-4, in the semifinals.



Nebraska did not place at 149 and had no elite division wrestlers at 125. In the amateur division, Ridge Kiley (125) and Tyler Koehn (157) won titles for NU.




Next up for the Huskers: Duals against Augustana and Oregon State on Nov. 28.

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NU Coach Doc Sadler


For the better part of the first half, Nebraska's basketball team struggled to shake one of college hoops' worst teams, Arkansas-Pine Bluff.



But NU guards Steve Harley and Sek Henry were able to penetrate and make plays in the paint, combining for 32 points and 13 free throw attempts as the Cornhuskers (3-0) eventually pulled away from the Golden Lions (0-4) for a 67-53 victory Saturday in Lincoln. Henry added four assists and four steals, as well.


Nebraska coach Doc Sadler will never turn down a win; it doesn't mean he was thrilled about struggling against a team that lost 82-50 at Creighton a few nights ago and is not expected to win any of its non-conference games, all of which will be played on the road.




"I don’t think there is any time that you can accept a team coming into your building and playing harder then you did and Pine Bluff did that in the first half today," Sadler said. "There can’t be a legit reason for that."



Said Henry: "I think we probably just didn’t take them serious, maybe that was it. We should have taken them more seriously before the game, and we just came out sluggish. That’s our fault on that. We should have been more mentally focused. We can’t do that next time."




The Huskers overcame an early 19-11 deficit as Henry and Harley scored 14 of the team's last 21 points in the half, and NU's defense, which forced 23 turnovers, held the Golden Lions to just five points for the rest of the half. Nebraska led at the break 32-24, extended that lead to double digits early in the second half and held off Pine Bluff from there.





NU got very little from redshirt freshman guard Toney McCray, who was sick, took no shots, and only played eight minutes. McCray entered the game as Nebraska's leading scorer and rebounder.




"When he isn’t able to be in the game, that hurts us," Sadler said. "I thought Sek Henry picked up defensive pressure for us and got his hands on some basketball, which helped us get going.


Senior guard Paul Velander pitched in three treys, while redshirt freshman guard Brandon Richardson added nine points and two assists.


Next up: Saint Louis and coach Rick Majerus roll into Lincoln Wednesday. Could be a 40-39 final score, for all we know.

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Nebraska wrestling’s first dual of the 2008-2009 campaign will go down as a 29-15 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga. But it might be better remembered as the start to a very intriguing season.



The sixth-ranked Cornhuskers unveiled an altered lineup Thursday in front of 598 fans at the NU Coliseum, moving one of their best wrestlers, junior Jordan Burroughs, from 149 pounds to 157. That means Chris Hacker and Robert Sanders, slated to battle for wrestling time at 157, will drop a weight instead vie for position there.



Burroughs, ranked No. 3 nationally, kicked off competing at his new weight by dominating No. 19 Joey Knox in a 17-7 major decision that included seven takedowns.



“Jordan had grown into a big 149-pounder,” NU Coach Mark Manning said. “So he’ll go at 157 for us. We made that decision earlier in the week. It’s gonna be good for us. Really Chris Hacker and Robert Sanders are 149-pounders.”



The move takes Burroughs out of a ultra-competitive weight class that included Iowa’s Brent Metcalf – who beat Burroughs last year – and puts him in a more wide-open national race.



“It kinda bothers me a little bit, knowing I was a 149-pounder last year,” Burroughs said after the match. “I’m just doing what’s better for myself, so I’m not really thinking about what anyone else thinks. It’s my decision. I’m just doing what’s healthy for me, and what makes me feel strong.”



The rest on Thursday was business as usual. Sort of. At 125 pounds, redshirt freshman Andy Pokorny scratched because of illness, and NU had to forfeit. At 184, Levi Wofford wrestled instead of Vince Jones and, under the circumstances, scored an impressive 15-3 major decision that included nine back points.



Fourth-ranked Brester had a quick night at 197, pinning UTC’s Ethan Winel in two minutes, 45 seconds. Brester had a takedown 19 seconds into the match, and finally worked Winel to his back for the fall just before the first period had ended. Brester joked he was trying win swiftly Thursday as his former high school, Howells, was playing a state championship football game in nearby Memorial Stadium.



“The old man told me to make it quick,” Brester said. “…You just take what’s there. I saw an opening there, and I took it, and it worked out. It’s always nice to get done early.”



No. 3 Brandon Browne shrugged off what he called a slow start to take a 12-6 decision UTC freshman Jason McCroskey, who came into the match 6-0. Browne busted an 8-5 match with a reversal late in the second period.



“As the match went on, I got more comfortable,” Browne said. “I had to relax and started doing what I do best, the points would start coming.”



At 165, Stephen Dwyer handled the Mocs’ Seth Garvin 9-3 in a defensive match. Nebraska’s Tucker Lane scored a 5-3 win over Cody Sliger thanks to a reversal early in the third period.



The Huskers’ two losses of the night were 141 and 149 pounds. At 141, Curtis Salazar held a 3-2 lead over fourth-ranked Cody Cleveland after one period, but Cleveland scored the pin just 38 seconds into the third period after Manning said Salazar got “a little tentative.” Brian Litch lost at 149 pounds to Dan Waddell 11-4. Waddell had six takedowns and a point for riding time.



Nebraska next heads to Omaha for the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nebraska-Omaha’s campus. Wrestlers from many of the nation’s top programs, including Iowa and Iowa State, will be there.



“It’ll be a grind,” Brester said. “A long day.”


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(Above: UT volleyball player Destinee Hooker)




An unforgettable name. And against Nebraska's No. 3 volleyball team, a fairly memorable performance, too.




Texas outside hitter Destinee Hooker pounded 24 kills - including 12 in the first set - to help the Longhorns outlast the Cornhuskers in four games, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22. If NU and UT win out as expected, they will share the Big 12 crown.




In front of 4,324 fans at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin - an atmosphere that can be as cramped and uncomfortable as NU Coliseum - UT hit .333 for the match, the best any Nebraska opponent has performed this season. Texas also had 14 total blocks of Nebraska's attacks, compared to just 4.5 for NU.



The Huskers, meanwhile, committed 33 errors to just 13 for Texas. While Jordan Larson had 15 kills, it was a particularly tough night for Tara Mueller and Lindsey Licht, who had 11 errors apiece. On a positive note, senior Amanda Gates had one of the best nights of her season, notching 11 kills and hitting .450.



Check out the full story right here.

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Nebraska wrestling coach Mark Manning isn’t sure what to think of his team’s No. 6 national preseason ranking from InterMat. Too high for right now? Too low for what this team is capable of? Just right? The Cornhuskers entered 2007 in a No. 14 slot, and walked away from the NCAA Championships in fourth.




“You’re never quite sure why they rank you where,” Manning said outside his team’s practice room, a low-ceiling, rectangular hothouse just to the north of the Bob Devaney Sports Center’s basketball courts. “We’re really focused on getting better right now. We gotta get tougher and we gotta get better.”





An all-energy, no-frills kind of a guy, Manning enters this season having experienced a full life in the last year. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year last spring. His team peaked at the NCAA Championships with a glut of then-underclassmen. He coached the U.S. Junior Olympic squad in Turkey.





All that behind him now, the coach can look forward to season largely spent in Nebraska. The Huskers have eight home meets – including duals against national powers Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania – and host the Big 12 Championships in the NU Coliseum. Given that four of the Big 12 teams in the nation’s top seven and five are in the top 20, the Big 12 meet could be the nation’s best this side of the National Duals and the NCAA Championships.




The first of those home matches is against Tennessee-Chattanooga Thursday night at the Coliseum.


“It’s what our guys want,” Manning said. “And it’s what we want. It’s a great way for us to kinda showcase our program and get more fans and build our fan base and really show people how we compete.”




Junior Jordan Burroughs agreed.





“It’s always good to have home crowds cheering you on, having little kids run up to you after the match asking for your autographs,” he said. “It just gives you a little bit more inspiration when you get that takedown and crowd cheers.”




The Huskers are led by a quartet all ranked in the top five of respective weight classes: Burroughs is No. 3 at the ultra-competitive 149 pounds; junior Stephen Dwyer is No. 5 at 165; senior Brandon Browne is No. 3 at 174 pounds; and Craig Brester is No. 4 at 197 pounds. All finished inside the top eight at last year’s NCAA Championships to garner All-American status; this is the most returning Huskers with that honor since the 1995-96 season.




“Team unity is great,” Brester said. “I think we’ll really grow as a team. Every dual, every tournament, we’ll get better as we go along.”




After those four, NU fills in some of the spots with young pups. Redshirt freshman Andy Pokorny, from Bennington, looks like the starter at 125 pounds. Sophomore Curtis Salazar and freshman Jon Burns are battling at 141 points. Redshirt freshman Chris Hacker will start at 157 pounds and another redshirt freshman Tucker Lane, starts at heavyweight.




“That’s gonna be the fun part of our season,” Manning said. “To see how those guys come together.”




Said Burroughs: “Everybody takes their lumps. It’s just a learning experience. It’s a point where you have to stop being happy to just be there and actually want to win. “


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Nebraska volleyball announced its recruiting class Friday. We don't have to tell you its filled with talent, but all four were top 100 recruits, according to PrepVolleyball.com.





"I think the Husker Nation is going to love watching this class develop over the next four years,” NU Coach John Cook said. “It is a group that combines skill and athleticism with great competitiveness. We believe it is one of the top-five classes in the country, and may be the most competitive group of players that we’ve recruited here.”



[url]You can get the fat skinny, as it were, [url=http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=1624692]right here[/url].



The headliner is 6-foot-1 outside hitter Hannah Werth, who rewrote all the records in her home state of Illinois and is the nation's No. 4 recruit. Werth committed back in January and is a crucial piece for the 2010. She could play almost immediately. Her brother is Jayson Werth, a right fielder who just completed his best season and won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Her uncle and grandfather played in the Majors, too.




But the best story of the bunch Hayley Thramer, a 6-2 middle blocker, from tiny Ewing, Neb., who initially committed to Wisconsin because Nebraska didn't have a scholarship for her. Then an NU freshman quit this fall, Thramer got the offer, and took it. She's the first woman from her school to get an athletic scholarship to NU, and the second athlete overall. Cool, huh?



"She is very long and plays over the net, and we believe she has the ability to become a great middle blocker in our program after a little development," Cook said.



NU also added Gina Mancuso - the Papillion star who's the sister of former Husker Dani Mancuso, one of the key engines behind Nebraska's 2006 national championship - and Megan Pendergast, a libero from League City, Texas.

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Two standouts in the lower weights, the son of a four-time Super Bowl winner, the brother of a Nebraska football player and a smart, successful in-state kid comprise NU wrestling’s recruiting class, announced Thursday by coach Mark Manning.



The sixth-ranked Cornhuskers plucked two top 100 recruits – Kyle Waldo and David Klingsheim - to compete at 125 pounds beginning in the 2009-10 season. Waldo, a three-time state champion from Rockford, Mich., was ranked as the 96th best prospect by InterMat. Klingsheim, out of Brentwood, Calif., wrestles in the single-class California system, and is ranked No. 62.



“He is very much a go-getter who wrestles at a high pace and tempo,” Manning said of Klingsheim. “People are going to really like to watch this young man compete because he gets after it.”



Caleb Kolb, of Grove City, Penn., is the son of Jon Kolb, who started 177 games on the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers during their golden age. Kolb, ranked No. 78, should wrestle 174 at NU.



Cody Compton, meanwhile, is the younger brother of NU linebacker Will Compton, who is redshirting this season. Compton, Manning said, is a raw talent that could be molded into a top-notch competitor at 157 or 165 pounds.



“His attitude is very infectious,” Manning said of Compton. “He has a huge upside because he hasn’t had the benefits a lot of young men have had, as far as being exposed to a lot of things.”



Kearney Catholic product Michael Klinginsmith rounds out the class; he’s gone 83-0 in his last two seasons, has a 4.0 grade-point average and scored 35 on his ACT. He’ll wrestle at 149 or 157 pounds.



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Nebraska's volleyball swept an overmatched - but spirted - Missouri team Wednesday, winning 25-19, 25-22, 25-14 in front of 4,103 at the NU Coliseum. It was the 84th straight home win.




“I thought it was a nice match tonight,” Nebraska Coach John Cook said. “I thought Missouri played well, and we had to battle really hard tonight. I was really proud of our team. They competed really well and we did some really good things tonight. We hit .350 and I thought it was a fun, entertaining match for the fans.”




Senior Jordan Larson again led the way for the Huskers with 16 kills and 13 digs. She also served an ace to close out a hard-fought second game, which ended any real hopes Mizzou had of pulling the upset.




Tara Mueller had 13 kills while Kori Cooper added 10. Redshirt freshman Brooke Delano had her best match of the season with four kills and four blocks, which helped bust open game one. The third-ranked Huskers (24-1 overall and 15-1 in the Big 12 Conference) enjoyed a height advantage over the Tigers, who struggled to put up a consistent block against NU's stable of hitters.

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Nebraska’s still in the mix for a New Year’s Day bowl game.



The Gator Bowl would “strongly consider” the Cornhuskers if they win their last games and the Big 12 lands two teams in the Bowl Championship Series, Gator Bowl Association president Rick Catlett said Tuesday.



“We’d be delighted in an 8-4 Nebraska,” Catlett said, adding that NU “brought thousands and thousands of fans to Florida when they went to Orange Bowl.”



Played in Jacksonville, Fla., the Gator Bowl pits the No. 3 ACC team against one of the following: a Big East school, Notre Dame or, twice every four years, a Big 12 school. Texas Tech came from behind to beat Virginia 31-28 in the game last year. The payout to each team is $2.5 million.



Although it’s presumed that the Gator Bowl would select the Notre Dame should the Irish finish 7-5, Catlett said an 8-4 NU team would make a compelling argument.



Under those circumstances, the Huskers would have won five of their last six games. ND, should it lose to USC, would have finished 3-4 to end its season. Nebraska has historically traveled well to any bowl game, and NU nearly matches ND in name recognition. The Irish also hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record in 2008.



“Plus, you factor in that (Nebraska) didn’t go to a bowl last year, and they’ve never played in the Gator Bowl,” Catlett said. Notre Dame lost to North Carolina State in 2003 and Georgia Tech in 1999.



Notre Dame might have an edge in “television considerations” but overall, Nebraska “compares favorably.”



Catlett also indicated that Nebraska might be more attractive than a 10-3 Missouri team coming off a loss in the Big 12 Championship game, which is where the Tigers seemed headed. Under similar circumstances, Mizzou was passed over by the Orange Bowl last year in favor of Kansas. Bowls are reluctant to select conference title game losers because of a perceived fan letdown. ND could face a similar problem should it get blown out in its last regular season game at USC.



When asked to compare Nebraska and a potential 9-3 Oklahoma State, Catlett said “I don’t think we’d have a chance to pick Oklahoma State.”



That’s because Catlett believes, as do most college football pundits, that the Big 12 is almost a lock for two bids in the BCS. The winner of the Big 12 title game gets the automatic bid. A second bid is then up for grabs amongst Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech, should Missouri win the Big 12 Championship.



If the BCS selects two Big 12 teams, that leaves the Cotton Bowl to select the No. 3 team and the Holiday Bowl to select the No. 4. Oklahoma State hasn’t been to San Diego since Barry Sanders’ Heisman season in 1988, and seems a logical fit there.



The Gator Bowl is sponsored by Konica Minolta and held at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, home to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and site of the annual Florida-Georgia game.



Other possible bowl destinations for Nebraska include the Alamo Bowl, the Sun Bowl - which could select a Big 12 team if the Gator Bowl does not - and the Insight Bowl.

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Marlon. Roy. Quentin.



During fall camp and the initial month of Nebraska’s football season, the first names of NU's three running backs set up camp on the tongues of reporters and NU's offensive coaching staff, as the Cornhuskers' ground game resembled the Exxon Valdez.



Should senior Marlon Lucky still be the starter, or should sophomore Roy Helu, Jr. supplant him? What about sophomore Quentin Castille, the gifted-but-fumble-prone big back? Running backs coach Tim Beck would offer up patient smiles and the occasional "jeez oh man" to the same questions posed a different way.



While that drama continues to unfold, Nebraska's top three receivers - Nate Swift, Todd Peterson and Menelik Holt - have quietly, but effectively, gone about their business, combining for 74 catches for 944 yards and seven touchdowns. More than 20 percent of their production (20 catches, 202 yards) came in NU's 37-31 loss to Texas Tech.



Among his five grabs, Holt caught two on third down plays. Peterson caught three on Nebraska's game-tying drive - two "tiptoe jobs" nesr the sideline and the touchdown itself. Swift ignited the Huskers' second-to-last touchdown drive with an over-the-shoulder 43-yard play on a first down.



“On a consistent basis, those guys along with Joe (Ganz) have been the MVP’s,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “They’re playing very well. Not only running routes and catching balls, but blocking on the perimeter. They’re playing at a high level, I really like it.”



Swift and Peterson, both seniors, and Holt, a junior, have experience in offensive coordinator Shawn Watson's attack, and a solid rapport with senior quarterback Joe Ganz. Peterson, in particular, seems more in sync with Ganz than he ever was with Sam Keller.



For Ganz, the crucial development has been in Holt, the San Diego native who plays opposite Peterson in Mo Purify's old outside position, allowing Swift to return to slot receiver, where he spent most of his time in 2006.



"Nate's at his best in the slot," Ganz said. "His ability to get open, his ability to shake people in the slot has really been big for our offense. To have Meno come in and develop and play outside, play big, play physical. It’s not a real surprise but it's been a nice thing for us to have."



At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Holt was billed as the heir apparent for the now-graduated Purify, who could dazzle with his acrobatic catches and big play ability. Through six games, Holt hasn't been that guy, partly because NU's opponents are shutting down the routes on which Purify did most of his damage. Since the Western Michigan game, defenses have mostly kept their safeties conservatively deep, and Nebraska's so-so running game hasn't been able to consistently draw those safeties into run support.



So the deep post and 'go' routes that Holt's body is suited for just haven't been there for the taking.



"We save those routes," Holt said. "Those are big shots, and we practice those a lot. They're shots we know we can take, but it's all about timing.



"The defenses we've been playing, these "Cover 2" and "Tampa 2" teams, the middle of the field is pretty much closed and the outside lines are taken care of, so it's kinda hard to take those shots deep. You've got to pick and choose."

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