ng to execute: be nasty, be tenacious, be a dog," said Smith. "Und

Fort Worth, TX (SportsNetwork.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. Nikola Vucevic Jersey . 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. Aaron Gordon Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-evan-...r-magic-jersey/. Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. Dwight Howard Jersey . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. Jason Williams Jersey .Currently no, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs deputy director of the competitions division and head of womens competitions, said Tuesday in an interview from Ottawa.MONTREAL - The Alouettes could be pushed past their breaking point if Montreal ends up on the wrong side of another lopsided loss. Montreal lost to the BC on July 19 and the Toronto Argonauts last week by a combined score of 72-10 — their lowest two-game point tally in almost three decades — and will have a hard time against the high-scoring Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. "Theres always a breaking point," said head coach Tom Higgins, whose Alouettes have lost three games in a row and have not scored a touchdown in their last two. "Right now, — and Im not threatening anybody — we havent gotten to the breaking point, but it could be Friday. And I dont want it to be Friday. I would like for it to be smooth sailing, but there are still things that have to be tweaked here and there." Higgins said it wasnt time to sit quarterback Troy Smith, whos started all five games this season for Montreal (1-4), but the Alouettes coach wants his QB to start coming out of the gate firing. That hasnt happened much this season. Montreal has trailed at the half four times this year, has scored a league-low six touchdowns, and Smith has the worst pass rating amongst starting quarterbacks. Against the Lions, the 30-year-old Smith threw a measly 45 passing yards in three quarters of play before he was taken out in the fourth. B.C. took an early lead and never looked back, pounding Montreal 41-5. Against Toronto, the Als conceded four consecutive touchdowns en route to a 31-5 loss. But Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, who has yet to beat Montreal in two career starts, doesnt think hell pick apart the Als defence when Edmonton (4-1) rolls into town on Friday. "I dont look at how many points theyve given up; I look at their personnel," said Reilly, who will make his 26th career start on Friday. "Theyre a very good defence. They have a lot of good athletes out there. We really have to be on our A game to go in and play against these guys. "The way their season has gone so far, you know theyre that much hungrier for a win. Theyre a dangerous football team to play against. Its going to be a hard-fought football game." The numbers, however, tilt heavily in Reillys favour. The Eskimos are unbeaten on the road so far this season (2-0), and theyre playing some of their best defence in years. Chris Joness men have given up the fewest yards in the Canadian Football League, have given up the fewest first downs, and have the leagues best pass defence. Edmonton has only allowed 84 points in five games this season — what the Alouettes have given up in theirr last nine quarters.dddddddddddd. "Dont think for a moment its a rollover game, that Edmonton will just come in here and take two points from us," said Higgins. "Id be very disappointed if the team had that kind of mindset. They dont." Off the field, Montreal has been doing what it can to shake things up. On Monday, the Alouettes added former NFL and CFL quarterback Jeff Garcia to their coaching staff. A week earlier, the Als brought on their former coach and CFL Hall of Famer Don Matthews as a consultant. But the additions behind the bench wont intimidate Reilly and the Eskimos offence. Edmonton is second in the league with nine passing TDs, and second with 35 rushing first downs. Wide receiver Adarius Bowman leads the league with 359 receiving yards. "Everybody on our offence can play," said Reilly. "Were not building around a single guy, a superstar. We go and execute based on what the defence is doing. Other guys in our offence have stepped up. We go into every game expecting to win, and knowing that we should win." The Eskimos also make a point of holding onto the ball for long drives, ensuring their opponents defence stays on the field. The team keeps possession of the ball, on average, for a league-best 32 minutes per game. Montreal, on the other hand, is dead last in that category. "Theyre going to pin their ears back," said Higgins, conjuring the image of an attack dog, ready to pounce. "Edmontons coming in and theyre licking their chops. Theyre thinking: Good, this is what were going to do. Were going to shut them out, and were going to score 50 points. And its our job to not let us be shutout, and not let them score 50 points." Over the last two games, Montreal has converted just 22 of 59 pass plays, and has not visited the red zone in its last 37 possessions. "You have to show up on game day with an understanding of what youre going to execute: be nasty, be tenacious, be a dog," said Smith. "Understand that were in a slump. We dont want to be here, so something has to change. Become a different player, so to speak, mentally, and hopefully you get a different outcome." Notes: Als slotback S.J. Green (ribs) and offensive tackle Josh Bourke (knee) will be game-time decisions on Friday. … In 1985, the Alouettes scored a total eight points in two consecutive matches. … Montreal has yet to win a game when trailing after the first quarter. … The West has won 13 of 15 inter-divisional matches this season. … The Eskimos are coming off their only loss of the season, after falling 26-22 to the Calgary Stampeders. 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