Nebraska Husker News and Notes for Feb. 11, 2009

Husker News and Notes

Former Husker great Ahman Green has been cut by the Houston Texans but wants to continue to play. That is, of course, if anyone wants a 31-year-old running back with 250,000 miles on the odometer.

Former Husker Andre Jones finds himself in trouble with the law:

Andre Jones, 25, was arrested in August on allegations he stole a 50-inch plasma-screen TV two months earlier. The case was dismissed to pretrial diversion in September.

But late last month, prosecutors renewed the criminal case and sought a warrant for his arrest after diversion didn’t work out.

They also sought a warrant on an allegation that came out last month that he’d forged a signature on a $20,000 loan.

In the earlier incident, police alleged Jones stole a 50-inch Pioneer TV worth about $2,800 from the basement of a home where he’d been staying in June.

IMG Marketing contract has given the Athletic Department financial stability:

IMG has grown into much more than that, and with its long-term deal with Nebraska, the company is much more than a radio network.

Among Witty’s biggest responsibilities are:

* Hiring talent and taking care of all technical aspects that allow for a network and the ability to put the games on the air.

* Coming up with sales plans to generate revenue. Those can range from selling advertising spots during games to corporate sponsorships that are promoted through on-air plugs or visual displays on the replay boards at Memorial Stadium and the scorer’s table at the Devaney Sports Center and NU Coliseum.

Mark Schlabach has the Huskers 19th in his pre-preseason rankings:

19. Nebraska Cornhuskers

In his first season as Nebraska’s coach, Bo Pelini went a long way toward restoring the pride in the Cornhuskers’ defense. Nebraska will have to worry more about its offense going into the 2009 season after losing quarterback Joe Ganz, tailback Marlon Lucky, and receivers Todd Peterson and Nate Swift. Patrick Witt and Zac Lee will battle to replace Ganz, and Roy Helu looked like Nebraska’s best running back at times during the 2008 season.

Seven starters should be back on defense, including Ndamukong Suh, who returned to school instead of entering the NFL draft. The Big 12 schedule might set up nicely for the Cornhuskers, who will play Texas Tech and Oklahoma at home and won’t play Texas during the regular season.