Everybody knew that this was a big series coming in.  Anytime you get a couple of ranked teams together in a conference battle, there is going to be a big game feel.  That was the case in Eugene this weekend, and with this being the rubber game, the atmosphere was tense.

When the dust cleared, Oregon took home a 5-4 win, primarily on the shoulders of two homeruns hit by Duck freshman Angel Laya.  He accounted for three of the five Oregon runs.

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Nebraska took a 1-0 in the top of the first when the very hot Case Sanderson hit his third homerun in two days.

Cooper Katskee had a much better first inning than his last couple of starts going three-up and three-down, but his struggles ended up coming in the second today thanks to Laya.  Drew Smith had led the inning off with a double and scored when Laya hit his first blast.  Oregon up 2-0.

Rhett Stokes got it going again for the Cornhuskers leading off the top of the third inning against Duck starter Cal Scalari.  He chopped a single right in front of the plate that took a wicked bounce that catcher Burke Lee-Mabeus could not field in time to make a throw.

With Stokes on first, Mac Moyer got on base for the second time in as many at-bats, this time on a walk.  Catcher Jeter Worthley stepped in and laced a double to the wall in leftfield to score Stokes and Moyer.  Moyer scored from first base and made a beautiful slide at home to avoid a tag.

Class of 2027 offensive lineman Bryce Vigness recently made a trip to visit the Iowa State Cyclones to get a look at the school and learn more about the program, specifically first-year coach Jimmy Rogers.

Vigness, a product of Papillion-La Vista High School in Nebraska, had a lot of positive things to say about his experience, noting that the people he met stood out most.

“The new coaching staff is elite,” Vigness said, via Greg Smith (subscription required). “They are all winners and they treated me really well. I also loved the facilities and how close it is to home.”

New head coach Rogers made a strong impression on Vigness during his visit, particularly in how he communicated his vision and built a personal connection.

Iowa State making great impression on Bryce Vigness

The interaction gave the Class of 2027 offensive lineman a strong sense of what Rogers is building in Ames, along with a clearer picture of the program’s overall vision.

“He’s really authentic and honest,” Vigness said, speaking of Rogers. “He made me really feel wanted there and really spent a lot of time with me and my parents. He shared the vision of the program and how high of expectations he has for them in the coming years. Also, he took me through what it would look like in the first year as a football player there.”

In addition to Rogers, Vigness took a liking to offensive line coach Jake Thornton’s intense coaching style and the way he coaches his players.

As the big decision nears, Vigness has a strong sense of what he’s looking for in a school.

“Someone that believes in me as much as I believe in them,” Vigness said. “A place where I know I will be developed.”

With those priorities in mind, Vigness noted that Iowa State is “for sure” one of his top schools heading into official visits, pointing to it as a program that checks many of the boxes he’s looking for.

Vigness has an official visit to Iowa State set for May 28. He’s also planning to visit Missouri and Kansas State at some point this spring as well.

Taking those values into account, the Cyclones look to be a strong fit for Vigness — offering a combination of proximity to his hometown of Papillion, Nebraska, the coaching staff’s values and a clear vision for his development, positioning the program firmly in the mix as he heads into official visits.

TOMORROW. LUKE IS BACK WITH US NOW. LUKE. IT’S WARM OUT, BUT IT’S NOT WARM. REALLY ENJOY WITH HOW HUMID IT IS. I KNOW WE HAVEN’T REALLY HAD A TASTE OF THAT HUMIDITY YET THIS YEAR. IT KIND OF REMINDS YOU OF WHAT YOU DIDN’T LIKE LAST SUMMER. YOU KNOW WHEN IT GETS SUPER HUMID OUTSIDE, IT’S NOT SUPER HUMID TODAY, BUT YOU CAN FEEL IT MORE THAN YOU DO THESE PAST FEW DAYS. THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THAT’S FOR SURE. AND OF COURSE, WITH THE HUMIDITY COMES THE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. AND WE HAVE A SLIGHT RISK THAT WOULD BE A TWO OUT OF FIVE FROM THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER, MOSTLY FOR FAR SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. IT GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO THE I-80 CORRIDOR. IT DOES NOT REALLY INCLUDE WESTERN IOWA OR MUCH OF ANY OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI. THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK THAT EXPANDS OVER THAT SLIGHT RISK FOR PRETTY MUCH ALL OF OUR AREA. THERE IS A TORNADO WATCH AS WELL UNTIL 11 P.M. THIS INCLUDES YORK COUNTY, SALINE COUNTY, JEFFERSON COUNTY, AND GAGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. AND THAT’S WHERE WE SEE ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS RIGHT NOW. OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS, WE’VE SEEN STORMS FORM IN KANSAS, AND THERE’S BEEN A LITTLE MORE UPSCALE GROWTH AS THEY’VE TRIED TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO NEBRASKA. BUT BECAUSE OF OUR CLOUD COVER, I THINK IT’S LIMITED. SOME OF THE INSTABILITY THAT WE HAVE, AND THEREFORE THE STORMS REALLY HAVEN’T GOTTEN SUPER STRONG. SO HERE’S THE STORM THAT’S MOVING INTO JEFFERSON COUNTY RIGHT NOW NEAR FAIRBURY JUST HAD A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED ON IT THAT I BELIEVE GOES TILL 7 P.M., I BELIEVE. AND IT DID HAVE SOME OF THOSE DARKER SHADES IN THERE. THE BLACK THAT WAS INDICATING SOME HAIL CORE, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN UP TO HALF DOLLAR SIZED HAIL. IT DOESN’T SEEM AS ORGANIZED RIGHT NOW. WE’VE ALSO BEEN WATCHING FOR SPIN INSIDE THE STORM. SO ROTATION AND THAT’S ALSO BEEN VERY, VERY BROAD. SO WE HAVEN’T SEEN DEFINED ROTATION THAT WOULD INSIST TO US THAT THERE COULD BE A TORNADO INSIDE THAT THUNDERSTORM. SO THAT’S SOME GOOD NEWS THERE. AND THERE IS SOME LIGHT SHOWERS THAT ARE EXTENDING UP INTO GAGE COUNTY NOW, AND THAT WILL EVENTUALLY GET INTO LANCASTER COUNTY AND AREAS LIKE CASS AND OTOE COUNTY AS WELL. SO THAT WOULD JUST BE LIGHTER RAIN. AND I THINK THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL BE LIMITED THE FURTHER IT EXTENDS NORTH UP TOWARDS OMAHA. SO WE’LL WATCH FOR THIS BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS JUST RIGHT BY THE BORDER. ALSO IN WESTERN KANSAS. BUT THOSE LOOK LIKE THEY’RE FIZZLING OUT A LITTLE MORE. THIS COMPUTER MODEL ACTUALLY DOESN’T PICK UP ON THE STORMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ENTERING INTO SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA, BUT THOSE STORMS IN WESTERN KANSAS COULD BE HERE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, AND THEY WOULDN’T BE A SEVERE THREAT LIKE BY THAT POINT. AND THEY WOULD SKIRT OFF VERY QUICKLY. SO THAT’S OUR OVERNIGHT CHANCE. NOW WE ZIP THROUGH SUNDAY. IT LOOKS MORE LIKE MISSOURI THAN IT DOES US. AND WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE CLEARING IN THE SKIES LATER ON SUNDAY. AND THAT MAY LEAD TO A STORM NORTH OF US. THAT’S ALL COMPUTER MODELS ARE REALLY SHOWING FOR US INTO MONDAY. WE’LL ACTUALLY HAVE TO WATCH LATE IN THE EVENING FOR STORMS THAT WILL LIKELY FIRE TO OUR NORTH, BUT THAT LOOKS LIKE MORE OF A MESS FOR MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES UP INTO GREEN BAY THAN US. SO FOR TOMORROW IT’S A MARGINAL RISK. ANOTHER ONE OUT OF FIVE FOR A STRONG TO SEVERE STORM. AND THEN MONDAY NIGHT WE’RE UNDER ANOTHER RISK WITH THE FAVORABLE INGREDIENTS ARE SHIFTING EAST AND NORTH OF US. SO WE REALLY MIGHT NOT GET MUCH THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS. TONIGHT MIGHT BE OUR BEST CHANCE. THERE’S A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE. WE GOT SOME CLOUDS OUT THERE, 67 DEGREES, A SOUTH WIND AT 14MPH, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE WARMTH IS TO OUR WEST AND TO OUR SOUTH. OMAHA STILL AT 67, LINCOLN AT 73. SO THERE IS STILL SOME INSTABILITY OVER THERE. I’M GOING TO GO IMPACTS 9 P.M. AND ONWARD FOR THOSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NEAR GAGE COUNTY AND NEAR JEFFERSON COUNTY RIGHT NOW. IF THEY CAN MAKE IT UP HERE BY NINE, TEN, 11:00, MAYBE WE’LL HAVE SOME SHOWERS OR RUMBLES OF THUNDER BY THAT TIME. SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, WE ARE GOING IMPACT WEATHER BECAUSE THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. BUT COMPUTER MODELS JUST AREN’T SHOWING MUCH. SO IF A STORM FORMS, IT MIGHT BE STRONG, BUT IT’S JUST UNLIKELY THAT ONE WILL FORM. SO I WOULD MAYBE HAVE THE UMBRELLA WITH YOU SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY. HAVE A WAY TO RECEIVE ALERTS, BUT IT’S UNLIKELY YOU’LL NEED TO SEE THOSE ALERTS OR NEED THAT UMBRELLA, BUT IT WILL BE WARMER AND WILL BE MORE HUMID, THAT’S FOR SURE. IMPORTANT REMINDER THAT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR. SO GOOD TIME TO REMAIN