22.10.2019, 09:53
Fort Worth, TX (SportsNetwork. Wholesale Blue Jays Jerseys .com) - A cat fight ensues at the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, as the Houston Cougars stay close to home to challenge the Pittsburgh Panthers at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Cougars, who are appearing in the postseason for the second year in a row, finished in a tie for fourth place in the American Athletic Conference standings with a mark of 5-3. The team split four non-league bouts along the way as well, and while the two victories versus Grambling State and UNLV were certainly lopsided, they were far from impressive. Even though the Cougars made it to a bowl, head coach Tony Levine was still relieved of his duties on Dec. 8 after three years at the helm. After naming David Gibbs as the interim head coach, Houston brought in Tom Herman, the 2014 Frank Broyles Award winner as Ohio States Offensive Coordinator, to lead the team moving forward. This is a tremendous opportunity for my family and I to come back to Houston and lead one of the top programs in the country, said Herman who has spent more than a decade of his career coaching in the state of Texas. I am looking forward to working with one of the top athletic directors in the country as well as Chancellor Khator in a partnership that will make the city of Houston and the great state of Texas proud. Meanwhile, the Panthers were lucky to break even through 12 games in the ACC. The squad ripped off three straight victories to open the 2014 campaign, but then won just once over the next seven outings before registering back-to-back triumphs over Syracuse and Miami in closing out the regular season. Despite the mediocre showing, Pittsburgh head coach Paul Chryst was courted by Wisconsin and took over the Badgers on Dec. 17 following the departure of Gary Andersen for Oregon State. With Chryst out of the picture, the Panthers are now under the direction of former Michigan State assistant Pat Narduzzi. Our goal was not only to find the best football coach but also a person who would uphold the values and mission of the University of Pittsburgh. In Pat Narduzzi we have found that person, said Pitts Acting Athletic Director Dr. Randy Juhl when introducing Narduzzi on Dec. 26. The Panthers began their bowl journey back in 1928 with a 7-6 loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Overall, the program sports a 13-17 record after winning the 2013 Little Caesars Bowl versus Bowling Green, 30-27. As for the Cougars, they own a 9-12-1 mark in bowl games, but have won only twice in the last 12 tests dating back to 1981. Last year the program, which split two appearances in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2008 and 2009 against Air Force, bowed to Vanderbilt, 41-24. This is just the third all-time meeting between these two programs, with each having recorded a victory previously. The most recent clash took place in Texas back in 1997, with the visitors claiming a 35-24 triumph. For Houston, the passing attack was average at best this season as Greg Ward Jr. and John OKorn handled the majority of the snaps, combining for 15 touchdowns and just as many interceptions, as the Cougars generated 226.6 ypg through the air. Ward managed to connect on 67.8 percent of his attempts and was in the lineup more often than not, yet the team still struggled in that department. Deontay Greenberry, a starter in all 12 games, was easily the most productive receiver as he caught 68 passes, more than twice as many as his closest teammate, and turned them into 756 yards and four TDs, the same number of scores tallied by Markeith Ambles with his 29 receptions. On the ground, Kenneth Farrow churned out a team-best 934 yards and scored 12 times as he averaged almost six yards per carry. The team as a whole recorded 26 rushing TDs as it helped generate 29.3 ppg, ranking the Cougars 59th nationally. The defense was a much bigger story for Houston, ranking 11th in the country with only 19.5 ppg allowed and 19th in total defense with 334.6 ypg surrendered. Leading the charge for the squad was Efrem Oliphant with a staggering 130 tackles, of which 8.5 were for a loss and 3.5 were listed as sacks. A bit further down the chart was Adrian McDonald (66 tackles) with his five interceptions, three forced fumbles and three recoveries as the Cougars forced a total of 30 turnovers in order to finish on the plus side of the ledger. The offense for the Panthers started off well enough with a 62-0 romp over FCS foe Delaware in the season opener, followed by a combined 72 points versus Boston College and FIU on the road. As a result, Pittsburgh ranks 46th nationally with 31.7 ppg, thanks mostly to the efforts running back James Conner who produced not only 1,675 yards on 277 carries, but also landed in the end zone a staggering 24 times as he averaged six yards per attempt. The third Pittsburgh running back to be named a First-Team All-American over the last half-century, Conner was also tabbed as the ACCs Offensive Player of the Year and the leagues overall Player of the Year. Im incredibly honored that the American Football Coaches Association would select me for this tremendous recognition, Conner said. Again, this gives me the opportunity to thank my own coaches and teammates. This honor is as much theirs as it is mine. I love Pitt, I love my team and Im really excited about what we can achieve moving forward. The sky is the limit for this program and we?re going to work hard every day to make our university proud. Conner buoyed a rushing attack that generated 251.3 ypg and registered 32 TDs in an effort to take some of the pressure off quarterback Chad Voytik, who completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 2,011 yards and 15 scores, against seven interceptions. While Conner was carrying the load coming out of the backfield, Tyler Boyd made a name for himself further down the field as a receiver with 69 catches, 51 more than his closest teammate, resulting in 1,149 yards and eight TDs. Boyd also handled kickoff and punt returns, averaging 28.7 yards per kickoff return on 13 opportunities. Like Houston, the Panthers also dialed up the pressure on defense as they limited foes to only 349.3 ypg (26th nationally) and permitted just 192.7 ypg through the air (19th). Anthony Gonzalez was the leading tackler with 74 stops, but making a significant impact on only 13 total tackles was Rori Blair with a team-high four sacks. Blue Jays Jerseys 2019 . Napoli beat high-flying Hellas Verona 3-0 to keep up the pressure on the top two while AC Milan had another disappointing night as four goals from teenage forward Domenico Berardi saw relegation-threatened Sassuolo come back from two goals down to win 4-3. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts . Gaborik was acquired in a trade with Columbus on Wednesday and skated on the top line with centre Anze Kopitar and right-winger Justin Williams. "We created some things," said Gaborik, who logged 16:38 of ice time. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ .C., won gold in the womens 200-metre backstroke, and Dominique Bouchard of North Bay, Ont. BOSTON -- When their game against Boston was postponed Wednesday due to inclement weather, the Tampa Bay Rays made it clear they had no interest in playing a doubleheader Thursday. The Red Sox got their way. The Rays got the last laugh. Yunel Escobar homered off Boston closer Koji Uehara leading off the ninth inning to propel Tampa Bay to a 6-5 win and a day-night doubleheader sweep on Thursday night. The Rays won the opener 2-1. "I really believe that we had vociferously fought for just one game, for a lot of obvious reasons," said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. "I mean, Im not going to hide from the reasons -- we have a lot of guys injured, we had a lot of very difficult games more recently, so we wanted one game and pick it up later when were at greater health. "It just did not work out that way, thus our players came out and made a statement today and I kind of enjoyed it." Escobar crushed the second pitch from Uehara (0-1) over the Green Monster in left field for his second homer of the year, and Grant Balfour recorded the final three outs for his second save of the day and sixth of the season. "Hes a very good relief pitcher and it was a very uncomfortable at-bat," Escobar said through a translator. "(I) got a splitter up and (I) just tried to get good wood on the ball and (I) was able to hit it out." Sean Rodriguez and Desmond Jennings also went deep for last-place Tampa Bay, which won for just the third time in nine games. "I didnt know we didnt want to play. No one asked me," Balfour said with a laugh. "Im pretty happy that we did." So is Maddon. "Im so proud of our guys, the way they handled the entire moment," he said. "Nobody complained about anything. Nothing -- and they just went out and played really good baseball for 18 innings. It was pretty astounding to watch the whole thing play out." The first game was just as wild, but for an entirely different reason. With Tampa Bay leading 2-1 in the seventh, Dustin Pedroia was called out on a close play at the plate, thrown out on a relay from Escobbar at shortstop while attempting to score from first on Ortizs double high off the Monster. Fake Blue Jays Jerseys. After a 1 minute, 52 second delay, it was announced the call "stands." Boston third base coach Brian Butterfield was ejected by first base umpire Toby Basner for slamming his helmet to the ground. "I just dont like the whole inconclusive deal," said Pedroia, who didnt think he was tagged before crossing the plate. "Replay, you should go check it out and youre either out or safe. I dont know what inconclusive means. Maybe that means someone doesnt want to make a decision." Pedroia may have beaten catcher Jose Molinas sweeping tag with a feet-first slide, but it was unclear if he touched the plate before the tag. Basner, rotating as the umpires moved on the play, made the call at the plate. "I thought not only did Dustin beat the throw, beat the tag, but felt like his left foot made some contact with home plate," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Our video internally showed that that was the case." The Rays then charged back from a 5-2 deficit in the nightcap. Rodriguezs two-run homer off Boston starter Felix Doubront in the sixth brought Tampa Bay within one, and Rodriguez tied it in the seventh off reliever Junichi Tazawa, doubling and scoring on James Loneys single. Uehara then uncharacteristically surrendered Escobars blast, just the fourth homer he has allowed at Fenway Park since joining Boston before last season. "It happens every year, April, May," Uehara said through a translator. "I think even last year I didnt pitch that well." NOTES: It was the first doubleheader for both teams since last year when the Red Sox swept the Rays in Fenway Park on June 18. ... The Rays open a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Friday. Tampa Bay LHP David Price (3-2, 4.75) will oppose New York LHP Vidal Nuno (0-0, 6.59). . Boston will host the Oakland Athletics for a three-game series beginning Friday, with Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz (1-2, 6.66) facing Athletics RHP Dan Straily (1-1, 5.14). ' ' '
