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y way (it was Hameed who was mos

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08.03.2019 11:02
von dasg234 • 3.635 Beiträge

DETROIT -- With a conference championship finally in tow and his teams unbeaten record still intact, P.J. Fleck stopped holding back.Before he was even asked about it, the Western Michigan coach made it clear where he thought his team should be headed next.We deserve to be in the gosh darn Cotton Bowl, he said. Period. Write it down.The 13th-ranked Broncos might indeed end up there, but only after holding on for a dramatic 29-23 victory over Ohio on Friday night in the Mid-American Conference title game. WMU wrapped up its first MAC championship since 1988 when Robert Spillane intercepted a pass with 51 seconds remaining.The Broncos (13-0, No. 17 CFP) led 23-7 at halftime, but Ohio rallied and had the ball in WMU territory in the final minute when Spillane intercepted Greg Windhams pass over the middle. Spillane immediately took a knee at his own 30, then was mobbed by teammates as a Ford Field crowd full of Broncos fans roared.Ohio (8-5) never led and didnt do much on offense until the final quarter, but the Bobcats still came achingly close to their first MAC championship since 1968.Instead, WMU became the first undefeated team to win the MAC title game since Marshall in 1999. The question is whether the Broncos have done enough to make it to the Cotton Bowl. WMU is trying to earn the Group of Five bid to a New Years Six bowl.When asked previously about the playoff committee and its perception of his team, Fleck had been diplomatic, refusing to do too much lobbying. That changed after Fridays win, especially when he was asked about whether hed be paying attention to Navy this weekend.The Midshipmen, two spots behind WMU in the most recent playoff rankings, are another contender for the Cotton Bowl, and they play Temple for the American Athletic Conference title Saturday.I dont think theres anybody to pay attention to, Fleck said, becoming animated. Who are we paying attention to? Why are we paying attention to anyone? We are 13-0. Were the best Group of Five team in the country. We didnt lose a game. Whoever they put on our schedule, we beat. Theres two undefeated teams in the country -- us and Alabama. There is no argument. My TV will be off. We will be recruiting (Saturday). Im not going to watch anybody, period.Im going to wear cotton shirts, Im going to have cotton slippers, Im going to have cotton earmuffs, Im going to have a cotton jacket. Im going to wear everything cotton, from here on out.THE TAKEAWAYOhio: The Bobcats can hold their heads high after giving WMU by far its toughest game against a MAC opponent all season. Ohios defense held firm early, when a couple of fumbles by the Bobcats gave WMU a chance to break it open.They felt they had the talent to be in this game, and so did I, Ohio coach Frank Solich said. They were pretty driven to get some things done.WMU: The Broncos may end up sweating out the bowl announcements Sunday, but WMU can celebrate a truly special season no matter what happens. The Broncos nearly let it slip away in the second half, but their first conference title in nearly three decades was an accomplishment to savor.The crowd of 45,615 -- easily a record for a MAC title game -- was full of WMU fans chanting the teams row the boat mantra .We just kept our oars in the water, quarterback Zach Terrell said. Thats what this teams all about, and people might think its a cliche and that its not real, but thats just how we operate.HIGHLIGHTWestern Michigans Corey Davis, the career FBS leader in yards receiving, had eight catches for 144 yards. That included a 70-yard touchdown in the second quarter in which he caught the ball near midfield with safety Javon Hagan right behind him, opened up some distance between himself and Hagan and then outran a couple more defenders down the sideline.RARE MISTAKESTerrell, who had thrown one interception all season, was picked off twice in the second half, and Ohio held WMU without a touchdown after halftime.Obviously, our defense has been very strong throughout the course of basically the season and so they have that potential and they knew they had to step up, get that done, Solich said. I was a little worried because Western Michigan in the second half just seems to wear people down and then the score just gets away from a team thats playing them.That didnt happen Friday. Ohio repeatedly forced the Broncos to settle for field goals, but Butch Hampton made five of them for WMU. The last one was a 34-yarder that gave the Broncos a 29-23 lead with 1:24 remaining.POLL IMPLICATIONSWMU: The Broncos moved up one spot in the AP poll after last weeks win over Toledo, and they might have a chance to inch up further after winning the MAC. No. 9 Colorado lost Friday night, and No. 11 Oklahoma State plays Saturday.UP NEXTOhio: The Bobcats MAC title drought continues, but Ohio is bowl eligible for the eighth straight season.WMU: If Navy (9-2) loses Saturday, the Broncos figure to be a cinch for the Cotton Bowl. If Navy wins, it could end up being a close call between the Midshipmen and WMU.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtristerAdidas Superstar Australia Sale . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Adidas Superstar Online Australia .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. http://www.superstaraustraliacheap.com/ . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. Adidas Superstar Australia Cheap . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Adidas Superstar Clearance Sale . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments.Just for little while, it seemed the almost impossible was becoming the merely unlikely.As Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed resisted for 50 overs, it seemed England really might be able to defy India in the sort of conditions English players grow up to fear. The last 10 overs - and most of all, that last ball - were a harsh way to wake from the dream.This has been an odd game. Whatever happens on the final day - and victory for India remains highly likely - England will leave Visakhapatnam encouraged by their performance. There seems every chance that this will turn out to be that most British of things: a heartening defeat. Really, it might be the most heartening defeat for years.Why? Because theyve proved (to themselves as much as any of us watching) that they can compete in such conditions. Theyve shown that they have the character and skill to cope with losing the toss and playing against good bowlers in turning conditions. And, just as importantly, theyve shown they can claw their way back into games from unpromising situations. You could make a strong argument that they have had the best of days three and four. Its just the damage inflicted on days one and two was too deep.They have learned several useful lessons, too. They have learned, or been reminded, they cannot afford even half a bad session in such circumstances. So the loss of their first five first-innings wicket before the end of the second evening - a couple of them to somewhat soft strokes - was a setback from which they have never been allowed to recover. The footwork has to be more certain; the techniques more solid. They cannot afford a bad hour here.And, while there are no easy answers to dealing with Virat Kohli - he has looked magnificent in this series - England will reflect on the chance he offered when on 56 in the first innings and know that, had they been better organised and had a better fielder than Adil Rashid in position for the hook trap, the whole complexion of this game might have been different. It was a fleeing moment, certainly, but that may well prove to be as good an opportunity as England find in this series. If they are going to win, they have to seize such moments.They may rue the tenth-wicket stand of 42 they conceded on Sunday, too. A target of 363 in 160 overs would, perhaps, have been scarcely less daunting in practical terms. But in terms of morale? Final-wicket stands drain and dispirit like little else. While England hardly bowled a poor delivery in the first 100 minutes or so of the day, when they took six for 64, they may reflect that, just for a few minutes, they then allowed their concentration to drift and were punished for it.Generally, though, since Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes resumed on the third morning, there has been much to admire about this England performance. Stuart Broad has never bowled better in India, Rashid has never bowled better in Test cricket and, for all the praise lavished upon Indias spinners, Rashid and Moeen Ali have better bowling averages and strike rates than R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at this stage in the series.But perhaps it was the performance of Hameed that provided most cause for encouragement. For the second Test in succession, Hameed demonstrated a calm temperament in an unhurried display that belied his 19-years. It took an almost impossible ball, one that kept horribly low, to dismiss him.These were desperately tough circummstances for Hameed.dddddddddddd On a pitch offering turn and, most pertinently, variable bounce, he was tested in just about every way a batsman can be tested. Indias seamers examined his discomfort against the short ball and Indias spinners examined his ability to play the turning ball.His struggles against short-pitched bowlingt will have had fast bowlers around the world taking note. Whatever he achieves in the next few weeks, it is inevitable now that Hameed will be on the receiving end of many bouncers when he comes up against West Indies, South Africa and Australia. And they will almost always be directed at him on quicker, livelier tracks than this.There was talk of this potential weakness before he arrived in India. He was troubled by Surreys fast bowlers (Stuart Meaker and Mark Footitt) in the English summer and by Taskin Ahmed in Bangladesh.Here he was struck on the hand by the first delivery he faced - he later received treatment on his little finger, but the England camp played down any serious damage - after taking his eye off a fine, head-high bouncer from Mohammed Shami and took two more deliveries in the rib area. He wore a chest guard in this innings, but he may have a bruise or two for the rest of this week.But, whether he had been hit or not, he was right back in line for the next delivery. And whether hit or not, he was right forward to the next delivery as required. Theres no question of courage with Hameed, he is just learning to deal with that line of attack. The challenge confronting him might be compared to that confronting Ben Stokes and spin. Stokes overcame that challenge; how Hameed manages may well define how far he progresses in international cricket.There were, in all, nine deliveries that might reasonably be described as bouncers directed at Hameed. While his inclination seems to be to sway out of the way, he also ducked once and played the ball from in front of his face straight into the ground on other occasions. Short-leg was never in business and the two men out for the hook seemed utterly redundant. It was painful, but he survived.The manner in which he dealt with spin was even more impressive. Having been dismissed in Rajkot by Ashwin bowling around the wicket, he has resolved to watch the ball harder and be even more precise in his foot movement. He leaves the ball well outside off stump and gets further forward than most to smother the spin.While other batsmen - and not just young batsmen - might have become uncomfortable with the slow rate of scoring, Hameed looked supremely unworried. And while other batsmen might have allowed the match situation to play on their mind, Hameed seemed to enjoy the prospect of five sessions of crease occupation. Where else would he rather be?Every day, in every way (it was Hameed who was most insistent that England should utilise their review which resulted in KL Rahul being given out) he seems to be growing more comfortable with this level and the environment of the England team. This was a terrifically tough day and he came through it bruised but unbowed. It was another step forward in his development.It is for such reasons that, whatever happens on Monday, England will leave Visakhapatnam with spirits and heads high. They are learning and improving all the time. ' ' '

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