Nebraska Beats Missouri 31-17 Behind Roy Helu’s Record Day

Things looked pretty scary there for a second when the Cornhuskers' lead was cut to ten, but Roy Helu Jr. has come to the rescue once again.

Missouri took their second possession of the half all the way to the house to temporarily cut Nebraska's lead to 24-10. For the record, the drive ended with a 23-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert to T.J. Moe (great name), Gabbert's first of the day.

With Taylor Martinez out, the Cornhuskers went to Roy Helu Jr. on the next drive. Needless to say, he delivered.

Already with touchdown runs of 66 and 73 yards, Helu Jr. it the hole and went 53 yards for yet another touchdown. That gives him a career-high 228 yards on 10 carries (that's a 22.8 yard average, folks), the majority of which has come on those three runs. He ended up finishing the day with 307 yards rushing against the #6 ranked Missouri team.

Missouri came into the game allowing only 114.6 yards on the ground every game, and shut down DeMarco Murray last week. So much for that.

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PFP College Football Highlights 2010

Here are some highlights of some of the many Polynesian College Football players doing it big this 2010 football season! Enjoy!

Idaho Linebacker JoJo Dickson’s College Career Is Over

Idaho linebacker JoJo Dickson underwent successful surgery Saturday, just hours after he broke his leg during the second half of the Vandals’ homecoming win over New Mexico State.

Dickson suffered a dislocated ankle and a broken leg after he was hit from behind by New Mexico State running back Kenny Turner, who was flagged for a personal foul on the play.

“You hate to see anybody get hurt, but I don’t think it was a vicious deal,” said Akey, who received an on-the-field apology from Turner after the game.

Akey said the injury looked worse than it actually was.

“I  thought both bones were broken because everything was turned in the other direction,” Akey said. “The ankle was dislocated, which was why things were pointing the wrong way. The doctor was able to fix that right out on the field.”

Akey went to the Gritman Medical Center in Moscow and helped wheel Dickson into the operating room.

The senior was out of surgery by 8:30 p.m. that night, and was discharged Monday morning.

“I went and saw him (Monday morning) and the surgery went great,” Akey said.

The injury ends Dickson’s college career, but Akey is hoping the captain can make the trip to Hawaii this week. Dickson is one of four Idaho players from Hawaii.

The Vandals leave for Honolulu on Friday.

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Bingham RB Langi To Play In Army All-American Bowl

Bingham High School running back Harvey Langi was selected to play in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which features the nation's top 90 high school football players.

"Harvey is a talented athlete whose exemplary leadership and teamwork qualities have made him a standout at Bingham High School," said Col. Derik Crotts, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. "The strength, dedication, leadership and teamwork skills necessary to succeed on the football field are the same qualities mirrored in Army Strong Soldiers. We are proud to honor all of our U.S. Army All-American Bowl players and congratulate them on their selection."

Langi was selected by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee, which consists of All American Games' network of regional directors, Rivals.com and Tom Lemming. U.S. Army All-American players are eligible for the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award, the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year Award, the Pete Dawkins Game MVP Award, and the Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard U.S. Army Awards.

As a result of Harvey Langi being selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, his head coach David Peck is invited to travel to San Antonio and attend the U.S. Army Coaches Academy, an elite three-day learning experience featuring NFL and NCAA coaches, as well as participate in game-week activities.

The game will be played on Saturday, January 8, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The annual East vs. West match-up will be televised live on NBC at 11:00 a.m.

The game also crowns the U.S. Army Player of the Year during Bowl Week in San Antonio.

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'The Samoan Bulldozer' Garnering National Attention

Greer (SC) Greer inside linebacker Adam Ah Ching is earning a lot of attention on the recruiting trail, and with a nickname like "The Samoan Bulldozer", it would seem hard not to. The 6-1, 210-pound Ah Ching has picked up early offers from BYU, Colorado and Oregon State while schools like Notre Dame, Alabama, Cal, Clemson, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington are showing serious interest.

One of the main things Ah Ching is letting college coaches know is his intent to serve his Mormon mission and how important that is to him, so that could play a factor in his recruitment.

"Any school that will let me serve my church mission, it's always been my dream to serve my mission," Ah Ching said. "It's always been my goal to let the coaches know that if they let me serve my mission I'll be interested in them.

"Some schools shy away from that because you leave for two years and some kids are out of shape. BYU is really not a favorite right now, it's just a matter of whatever school makes me a better person and is a great atmosphere for me."

Ah Ching, who has about 62 tackles (15 for loss) two sacks and a forced fumble this season, said that BYU "has always been like my dream school," and he camped with the Cougars this summer where he earned the defensive MVP award.

But he's keeping all of his options open and there are plenty of schools coming after the standout junior linebacker.

"LSU, Stanford, Notre Dame," said Ah Ching, who visited Clemson for a recent game. "I could go down the list."

Ah Ching also went to Oregon's camp this past summer and then made the short trip to Corvallis to check out Oregon State.

He already has the three early offers and also lists interest from Alabama, Cal, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington. Many other schools should get involved as well.

"I'm having a great season," Ah Ching said. "Hopefully I get more offers and schools looking out for me after I send my highlight tape out."

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Ohio's Boo Jackson Named MAC Player of the Week

Ohio senior quarterback Boo Jackson (Gardena, Ca.) was selected as Rivals.com's Mid-American Conference Player of the Week Monday on the heels of his performance in Ohio's 34-13 win at Miami.

                                                                             

Jackson completed 10 of 19 passes for 149 yards and an interception, while rushing for 31 yards and two touchdowns in the key MAC East game.

Jackson, already the program's all-time leader in completion percentage (.603), pass efficiency (134.9), total offense per play (6.17) and passing yards per attempt (7.5), now has 29 career touchdown passes, just one shy of breaking Cleve Bryant's (1967-69) record. He also stands fourth in passing yards (3,611), sixth in touchdown responsibility (36), seventh with 290 completions and eighth with 481 pass attempts.

Ohio will face Louisiana Saturday at Peden Stadium at 2 p.m. ET.

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Valiant Masoli: 425 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Defeat

Thursday night, Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli watched as his former team, the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks, smoked UCLA 60-13 to move to 7-0.

Masoli watched a talented, veteran team, filled with his friends and filled with speedy playmakers, make play after dazzling play.

Here Saturday afternoon, Masoli endured a physical beating, two long lightning delays and a 38-24 defeat to Arkansas. Playing on a team that dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC, Masoli operated behind a leaky, inexperienced line, often threw to freshman and sophomore receivers or handed off to young running backs. Yes, and Masoli probably played as well as he ever played in leading Oregon to the Rose Bowl and certainly as well as any Ole Miss quarterback has played since Eli Manning played out his eligibility.

Masoli ran for 98 yards on 15 carries. He completed 21 of 36 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. His 425 yards of total offense was the second highest single-game total in Ole Miss history behind only Archie Manning's magnificent 540-yard effort against Alabama 41 years ago.

Archie Manning lost that game, too, but everyone who saw it remembers his superb effort. Masoli lost this game, but we should all remember his heroic play. Even his gaudy numbers don't tell the entire story, because he often scrambled away from the fierce Razorbacks pass rush and threw while on the run. And when there was no running room, Masoli would just lower his head and push Arkansas tacklers backward.

Coming off two straight nine-victory, Cotton Bowl seasons, Ole Miss is off to a 3-4 start and Rebels fans are understandably disappointed. But any who still blame Masoli - or Houston Nutt for giving Masoli a second chance - just aren't paying attention. Presently, Jeremiah Masoli is an outstanding, experienced player on a mediocre, inexperienced team. Said Nutt, succinctly, "Jeremiah gives us a chance."Saturday afternoon, after all the weather delays and all the heckling from Arkansas fans, only one question left Nutt momentarily speechless: Where would you be without Masoli?

Nutt paused, whistled softly and shook his head. "Don't ask me that," he finally said.

Paying the price

We all know Masoli has made mistakes in his past. He is paying for those now. He should be the quarterback of those high-flying Ducks. He should be a Heisman Trophy candidate. It's his fault he is not. But say this for the guy: He is making the best he can of the situation. And he is making Ole Miss a competitive team, one that trailed 21-0 early, but fired back behind Masoli's remarkable play.

Through seven games, five starts, Masoli has thrown for 1,258 yards and run for 400 more. He has thrown 10 touchdowns, run for three. More than that, Nutt says, "He has been a great teammate and he has gone about everything the right way. Sometimes I want to pull him aside and ask him, 'Are you the same guy who got in trouble out there?' He's a winner. We couldn't ask any more of him."

Both Nutt and co-offensive coordinator Mike Markuson talked about how Masoli has become a team leader, trying to encourage his younger teammates. Said Markuson, "He's been there. He's won big games. He knows what it takes and he's trying to show the rest of them."

And what does he tell them?

"Just keep fighting," Masoli said. "That's all you can really tell them. There's only one way to get better and that's keep fighting. I thought we did keep fighting today, but to lose when you have so many opportunities, it's just frustrating."

He plays behind a line that included two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior. He throws to mostly freshmen and sophomores.

"We don't have a lot of experience," he said. "That's not an excuse."

It's just a fact. So is this: Oregon starts mostly seniors.

"They look really, really good," Masoli said of his former team. "They are really clicking on offense. I wish them well. I hope they go all the way."

Meanwhile, Masoli intends to continue to make good on his second chance."Every new SEC stadium I play in, I soak it in," Masoli said. "I feel blessed."



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Antolin Runs Over Washington

The ebb and flow of the game drained dry when Keola Antolin broke the longest play from scrimmage for Arizona in the second quarter during the Wildcats’ 44-14 romp over Washington.

Not only did Antolin twist and sidestep his way past Washington sophomore safety Justin Glenn on the 78-yard touchdown sprint in the second quarter, he effectively ran over the Huskies’ psyche. Only 18 seconds before Antolin’s run, Washington had cut the lead to 17-14 with 7:55 left in the second quarter on a Chris Polk 7-yard touchdown run.

Another Pac-10 classic at Arizona Stadium was in the making. The Huskies drove 55 yards on seven plays and appeared to be ready to match the UA drive-for-drive. That’s when Antolin went into overdrive on the very next offensive play from scrimmage after Polk’s touchdown.

“That was a long run, man,” Antolin said incredulously. “I felt like I ran 300 yards.”

“We challenged the offensive line to be more a physical unit, and to protect the quarterback better,” said UA coach Mike Stoops, whose team had more rushing yards a game (120.7) than only Washington State (80.1) in the Pac-10 entering the game.

“We were hard on those guys this week and they responded in a positive way.”


It helps to be blocking for a quick and physical runner like Antolin, who at 5-foot-8 and 186 pounds is hard to see charging into the line and tough to tackle once a defensive player is able to get a hand on him. Including Saturday night’s performance, in the last three games, Antolin has rushed for 281 yards on 43 carries (6.5 yards per attempt).

When asked if this is the best he’s played in his career, Antolin thought for a second and said, “Yes it is.” He also tried to deflect credit for his long touchdown run, giving props to a clear-out block from Grigsby. But his juke of poor Justin Glenn allowed him to break free and break Washington’s back.

“All week in practice coaches say you have to make a guy miss,” Antolin said. “I made (Glenn) miss and I went all the way.”

Antolin was so winded that he said it took him four minutes to recuperate. He did not lose energy on the sprint, however, while separating himself from Glenn and other Washington defenders.

“There was no way I was going to let anybody catch me,” Antolin said, “or else I know I’d hear about it from the coaches.”

Arizona center Colin Baxter knows all too well what it’s like to hear coaches in practice challenging players, especially this week for the beleaguered offensive line. He acknowledged, “You know, Coach Stoops is an excited guy …”

“We felt like we weren’t playing up to our potential,” Baxter said. “If Matt in there it enables us to do some QB run stuff … so that opened some stuff up.

“We hit on our assignments and our techniques.”

Antolin gets the glory of a 78-yard highlight-reel run. What does the offensive line get after a difficult week in practice and an effective performance Saturday night? A free lunch courtesy of Antolin?

“He should buy us one,” Baxter said with a laugh. “The bottom line is we did what we were supposed to do. I’ll take the win.”

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Martinez Gains More National Recognition

 

The honors continued to roll in for Taylor Martinez on Monday, as the redshirt freshman was announced as one of 16 semifinalists for the 2010 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, in addition to earning a pair of player-of-the-week honors.

Martinez is the only freshman among the Davey O'Brien semifinalists and is one of four quarterbacks from the Big 12 Conference to make the list. He is the first Husker to be a semifinalist for the award since Eric Crouch, who won the award in 2001. The Davey O'Brien Award also features a fan vote that accounts for five percent of the voting total. Fans can vote for Martinez by visiting www.voteobrien.org.

A native of Corona, Calif., Martinez has led Nebraska to top-20 national rankings in rushing (fifth), scoring offense (10th) and total offense (17th). He has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, Martinez has rushed for 870 yards on 100 carries, scoring 12 times.

Martinez needs only 130 rushing yards to become just the third freshman in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history to both run and pass for 1,000 yards. Martinez is also 223 yards away from posting the highest rushing total ever by a freshman quarterback. Among the individual NCAA leaders, Martinez ranks in the top 10 nationally in rushing yards per game (9th) and scoring (t-10th) and is among the top 25 individuals in passing efficiency (20th) and total offense (23rd).

In addition to being a Davey O'Brien semifinalist, Martinez was also honored as the Big 12 co-Offensive Player of the Week and the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week. The Big 12 honor marked Martinez's second honor in the past three weeks, while he was named the national freshman of the week for the fourth time this season. On Sunday, Martinez was also selected as the Walter Camp Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week.

Martinez was honored with those awards following an outstanding performance in Nebraska's 51-41 win at previously unbeaten Oklahoma State last Saturday. Against the Cowboys, Martinez completed 23-of-35 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns, with each of those totals setting a Nebraska freshman record. He added 112 rushing yards on 19 carries to become the first Husker and only the fifth freshman in NCAA history to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game.

Martinez's 435 yards of total offense set a Nebraska freshman record and ranked third overall in Husker history. Through seven games, Martinez has already set Nebraska freshman records for season passing yards (1,046), longest rush (80 yards, twice) and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (3), along with tying Ahman Green's freshman record of five 100-yard rushing games.

Martinez has also set Nebraska freshman game records for rushing touchdowns (4), passing touchdowns (5), passing yards (323) and total offense (435), and he also owns the Nebraska quarterback record for most rushing yards in a game (241).

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Safety Troy Polamalu A Danger To Pittsburgh's Opponents

There goes Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, using his uncanny instincts to leap, Superman style, and sack the quarterback an instant after the ball is snapped.

And there's Polamalu again, reaching back to snare an impossible one-handed interception, the ball stuck like Velcro in his grasp.

Polamalu, among the NFL's best defensive players, is everywhere on the field — and the Steelers (4-1) are back in a familiar spot, atop the AFC North as one of the league's three one-loss teams.
The man with the cartoonish large pouf of jet-black hair cascading across his shoulders conjures a different type of cartoon for wary opponents.

"He's like 'Where's Waldo?'" Tampa Bay Coach Raheem Morris said recently. "You've got to know where he is on the field."

Miami will certainly be keeping tabs. The Dolphins play host to Pittsburgh on Sunday and will be especially aware of playing keep-away from Polamalu as they try to get the ball into the hands of star receiver Brandon Marshall.

How much of a game-changer is the former USC safety? Consider that the Steelers won three of their first four games this season without the services of suspended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, yet were completely lost last season when Polamalu was sidelined with a knee injury. He makes that kind of impact.

The 16th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Polamalu is on a collision course with Canton and is among an elite collection of All-Pro NFL players to emerge from Los Angeles schools in the past two-plus decades — a group that includes USC's Junior Seau and Tony Boselli, and UCLA's Troy Aikman.

So what separates Polamalu from other safeties? A few experts on the position make their case.
 
Hands

NBC's Rodney Harrison, another two-time All-Pro safety, calls Polamalu "the defensive Randy Moss" for his ability to pull down any pass in his area code.

"I've never seen a guy make so many one-handed interceptions," Harrison said. "Every time that ball hits his hands. I don't care if it's one-handed, if it's behind him, if it's on the sideline, he's going to catch it and he's going to make sure he taps his feet."

Steelers fans won't soon forget the leaning, left-handed pick Polamalu made against Tennessee in last year's opener, a candidate for the most spectacular defensive play of the year.

Feet

One of the reasons the Steelers can get so creative with Polamalu, nudging him close to the line of scrimmage or deep in the defensive backfield, is his ability to cover ground so quickly.

"He's got feet like a running back," said NBC's Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl-winning coach and a former Pittsburgh defensive back. "He's not off balance very much, he can change directions quickly, and he's hard to knock off his feet when you're trying to block him.

"His feet allow him to stay in position and not miss many tackles."

Instincts

Harrison says the Steelers safety has such a good feel for what's about to happen, it's as if he has "football ESP." Hall of Fame safety Rod Woodson, also a former Pittsburgh star, said those instincts allow Polamalu to bend the rules a bit in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's system.
"I remember when I was with Coach LeBeau in Pittsburgh, and he would always tell us not to turn our back to the ball," said Woodson, an NFL Network analyst. "Well, heck, Troy always turns his back to the ball. I asked Coach, 'Why do you let him do it?' And Coach said, 'Because he can.'

"I think that's an indication of how good he is as an athlete, knowing where he wants to go, and over the years becoming a student of the game. When we first saw Troy come into the league, he was kind of just a kamikaze guy. He was all over the place but wasn't making a whole bunch of plays, he'd miss some tackles. But what he's done the last three years, he's taken his game to the next level."

Heart  

As wild as he is on the field, Polamalu is remarkably humble and soft-spoken away from it.

"I don't think football comes naturally to me," he said. "I'm not like [Baltimore linebacker] Ray Lewis that can go out there and say, 'I'm the beast of the field. I own this field.' I'm more or less fighting out of fear."

That has inspired Polamalu to go to extremes when training in the off-season, including going on long runs in the middle of the night "to get my body used to things it doesn't want to do."

He and his wife are devout Eastern Orthodox Christians, and he weaves his spirituality into every facet of his life. That includes what he calls "spiritual workouts," or pushing himself to the point of total fatigue — then beyond.

For example, he has tested himself at a gym near his La Jolla home by turning a treadmill up to maximum speed, then sprinting on it as long as he possibly can until collapsing off it in a heap.

"You're pushing yourself beyond a limit where it stops working on you physically, and it starts working on your spirit," he said.

"As an athlete, if you're able to push yourself to those limits, it can give you a certain confidence. That doesn't come out of pride or ego, it comes out of humility.

"I know this guy's pushing himself hard. I know he works out eight hours a day. So I have to do something more than him in order to compete."

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