Louisiana
Huskers ramp up their ground game with Haarberg and Grant in a 28-14 win over Louisiana Tech
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Heinrich Haarberg ran for 157 yards and a touchdown and Anthony Grant for 135 yards and a score to lead Nebraska past Louisiana Tech 28-14 on Saturday.
Haarberg, who started his second straight game at quarterback in place of Jeff Sims, worked in tandem with Grant as the primary ball-carriers in the absence of injured running backs Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johnson.
The Cornhuskers (2-2) had four runs of at least 30 yards and finished with 312 yards on the ground and 419 total yards.
“It wasn’t our best game,” coach Matt Rhule said, “but any time we have (312) yards rushing we’re going to be excited about that. Some of the option plays were really good plays for us. The speed options allowed us to get on the perimeter. There’s still a lot of things to improve and clean up.”
Louisiana Tech (2-3) lost its 16th straight road game over four seasons.
For Nebraska, it’s apparent the quarterback run will have to be a big part of the offense regardless of who’s playing because of a lack of depth at receiver and a shortage of running backs.
Haarberg had two more carries (19) than pass attempts (17). Nebraska hadn’t had a quarterback run so many times since Adrian Martinez had 21 attempts against Michigan State two years ago. All but 10 of Haarberg’s rushing yards came on three carries totaling 147 yards, including a 72-yard TD.
“For me, I want to be confident in myself but also want my teammates to be confident in me, so I hope they look at me and see someone who went out there and battled to the end,” Haarberg said.
Grant, the Huskers’ leading rusher last season, was projected to be the starting running back in the preseason but he got limited carries the past two games following his critical fourth-quarter fumble in the season-opening loss at Minnesota.
A week after Ervin and Johnson went down with season-ending injuries against Northern Illinois, Grant had 22 carries and went over 100 yards for the sixth time in his career.
“I feel like this is my best game, despite everything,” Grant said. “I feel like there’s more in store for us, more in store for me.”
Louisiana Tech quarterback Jack Turner made the first start of his career in place of Hank Bachmeier, who injured his right (throwing) shoulder in the second half against North Texas last week.
Turner was 27 of 42 for 292 yards. Cyrus Allen had six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown and Smoke Harris caught 10 balls for 73 yards. Harris has at least one reception in 37 straight games.
Turner got no help from the running game that managed just 46 yards on 21 attempts.
“Offensively, it was a sloppy game to say the least,” Tech coach Sonny Cumbie said. “We had too many drops. We probably had more drops than we’ve had at any point during the season. Running the football, we knew it was going to be tough against one of the top run defenses in the country.”
Grant led the way on the tie-breaking touchdown drive to open the second half. He broke a 34-yard run down the right sideline and bounced off a tackler to pick up 19 yards on a fourth-and-1 before he bulled into the end zone from the 2.
The Huskers took control of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter when tight end Thomas Fidone II caught a short pass and turned it into a 29-yard touchdown.
The Bulldogs’ touchdowns came on Jacob Fields’ 14-yard run in the second quarter and on Turner’s 20-yard pass to Allen after a 55-minute delay in the fourth quarter because of lightning.
THE TAKEAWAY
Louisiana Tech: Turner missed on a couple first-half passes that could have been big plays but otherwise made no glaring errors. His lone interception came on a tipped ball in the final minute. The Bulldogs earned a $1.55 million guarantee for the game.
Nebraska: The Huskers have held four straight opponents under 60 rushing yards for the first time since 1999.
FAKE LEADS TO TD
A fake field goal on fourth and 4 from the Tech 19 set up Nebraska’s only touchdown in the first half. Holder Timmy Bleekrode took the snap and ran through the right side for 10 yards. Billy Kemp IV scored two plays later on a jet sweep.
“I was really happy for Timmy,” Rhule said. “He’s a guy who was the starting kicker (in 2022). He’s the backup kicker, backup holder, unbelievable team guy, great student. He had a chance to go affect the game and I thought that was one of those plays … that gave us some juice.”
UP NEXT
Louisiana Tech: visits UTEP next Saturday.
Nebraska: hosts No. 2 Michigan next Saturday.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
In a major victory for Louisiana hospitals who compete with the giant Ochsner Health System, the state Legislature on Tuesday approved a bill restricting “noncompete” agreements for physicians — a step supporters say will keep more doctors in the state and improve health care.
The legislation, Senate Bill 165, says physician contracts can only contain the so-called noncompete clauses for up to five years depending on doctors’ specialties. If they leave a job while their contracts contain such a clause, doctors would be subject to those agreements for up to two extra years and would be barred from practicing medicine in as many as three parishes that surround their employer.
Under current law, hospitals can put noncompete clauses into contracts for as long as they wish. And there’s no restriction on the number of parishes the deals can cover, which can bar doctors from moving freely between jobs in Louisiana, supporters of regulation say.
The bill, carried by Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, passed the state House 100-0 Tuesday after initially passing the Senate unanimously, too. It’s the culmination of a years-long battle between Ochsner and its competitors.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell, who presented the bill for McMath in the House. “It’s an important piece of legislation (not just) for our physicians, but for patients and the people of Louisiana.”
In a statement on the vote provided by a spokesperson, Ochsner Chief Physician Executive Dr. Robert Hart said the health system makes “significant investments in our care teams and specialty programs so we can continue to attract and retain top talent.”
“We will continue to work with our physicians, the Louisiana Department of Health and the state legislature to ensure access to high-quality care in our communities,” Hart said.
The hospital system is a staunch believer in noncompete agreements, deploying them regularly with physicians they employ. Ochsner and other defenders of the practice say it lets hospitals limit risk, ensuring they aren’t investing big money into training and supporting doctors only to see them leave and take their patients to another nearby clinic.
Supporters of rolling back noncompete agreements counter that they force doctors out of the state, especially as Ochsner has grown its footprint to include a wide swath of Louisiana. Many agreement provisions say that once an Ochsner doctor leaves, they can’t work for two years in any parish where Ochsner has a presence.
The outcome of McMath’s legislation, which heads now to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry, was cheered by some of Ochsner’s main competitors. Ryan Cross, a lobbyist with Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which runs Our Lady of the Lake Health, called the vote “a big win for patients and physicians across Louisiana,” and said the legislation will keep strong physicians in the state.
The bill now heads to the governor for his signature or veto. A Landry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about the governor’s position on the bill. But McMath, the bill’s sponsor, said that Landry’s appointed health secretary, Dr. Ralph Abraham, was pivotal in marshaling support for the bill.
The debate over hospital noncompete clauses last surfaced in 2021 when a bill by Rep. Mark Wright, R-Covington, proposed similar restrictions on the practice. Wright’s House Bill 483 laid out a time limit and a buyout provision for certain doctors and sought to exempt rural hospitals that use noncompete clauses from the limits.
After passing the House, that bill died in a Senate committee.
McMath cast it as a means to bolster care in rural and underserved parts of Louisiana where hospitals already struggle to hire and retain physicians. He said he personally knew of three physicians who’ve left Louisiana rather than violate the terms of noncompetes.
Separately from the legislation approved in Louisiana, the Federal Trade Commission voted several weeks ago to enact a total ban on noncompete agreements. According to the FTC, 30 million people — roughly one in five workers — are now subject to such restrictions.
The rule, which doesn’t apply to workers at non-profits, is to take effect in three months but is expected to face in legal challenges. The FTC rule also doesn’t apply to not-for-profit employers. Ochsner is a not-for-profit health system.
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Per a press release from the Arena Football League on Tuesday evening, the Louisiana VooDoo will not be retained as one of the 10 teams the league will move forward with.
The VooDoo were introduced in November and were supposed to play their home games at the Lake Charles Event Center, but on April 19, just eight days before their first game was set to be played, it was announced that they would be moving to Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette.
The team alleged that the move was due to problems with the company that manages the Lake Charles Event Center, ASM, which ASM rebutted, saying the team never provided the necessary insurance documents, nor had payment been received for the lease.
Following the Voodoo’s first game on April 27, in which they beat the Philadelphia Soul 53-18, their next two games were postponed, and canceled due to problems with the netting at Blackham Coliseum.
Included in the press release was the announcement that former NFL head coach Jeff Fisher will serve as the league’s new interim commissioner. Fisher is the current President of Football Operations for the Nashville Kats, one of the 10 teams retained by the league per the press release.
The press release did state that they will “be speaking to the other teams not mentioned, to discuss, and perhaps include them in current games in current games/seasons.”
Officials with the VooDoo said the team is still trying to work something out with the Arena Football League to be included in plans for the future of the league.
Copyright 2024 KPLC. All rights reserved.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE) – State lawmakers advanced a bill which would ban consumable THC products in the state.
THC (or Tetrahydrocannabinol) is a substance found in hemp which can provide a “high” when consumed.
In a 7 to 5 vote, the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice advanced SB237 sponsored by Sen. Thomas Pressly (R-Shreveport).
Pressly argued the bill will help keep children from consuming the hemp products containing THC. Consumable hemp products are currently legal in Louisiana for adults.
Congress made hemp federally legal through the 2018 Farm Bill.
Business owners testified the bill punishes law-abiding businesses, will push customers to the black market and cost Louisiana jobs.
It will need to pass the full House of Representatives before landing on the governor’s desk.
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Copyright 2024 WVUE. All rights reserved.
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