CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Elijah Hood ran the ball with a tackler-punishing ferocity to put together one of the best statistical seasons in North Carolina history and make him one of the Atlantic Coast Conferences elite runners.Yet Hood is thinking as much about all the little mistakes he saw on his game film, the ones hes determined to correct this fall to have an even bigger season.I know for a fact I couldve done more, Hood said in an interview with The Associated Press. Ive looked at it on film. There were runs I left out there. Particularly, I counted like six touchdowns that I left on my own where I should have just stuck my foot in the ground . instead of getting tackled sideways and getting stopped at the 3 or something.The 6-foot, 220-pound tailback from Charlotte ranked third in the ACC with 1,463 yards rushing and second with 17 rushing touchdowns as a sophomore, and he averaged 6.7 yards on his roughly 16 carries per game. Those season totals ranked in the top three of UNCs single-season history, too.Yet Hood has spent the offseason preparing to fix mistakes that include misreading a running lane, missing a block or being a bit too impatient to let the play develop more fully. The first chance comes Sept. 3 against Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.Its kind of like, `All right, that was good, but you still can do more, Hood said. Never cut yourself short. Live to the fullest ability that you possibly can. And if you dont, youre not putting your best foot forward, youre not truly showing what kind of football player you can be.If you rush for 150 yards but you shouldve had 250 yards, thats an OK day for you, but you shouldve had a great day.Hoods mother, Melica, said its an approach her son takes throughout his life, whether on the field or in the classroom as a two-time all-ACC academic pick and Eagle Scout. UNC running backs coach Larry Porter sees it, too, describing Hood as a very cerebral, very detail-oriented guy.Elijahs always the type of person who will go back over everything he does, Melica Hood said. Hes hard on himself. He will pick apart everything and is always striving to do better. Hes probably going to be that way pretty much about everything no matter what he does. Hes meticulous.Hood had eight 100-yard games that included a career-high 220 yards and two touchdowns against rival North Carolina State. That helped the Tar Heels match a program record with 11 wins while winning the leagues Coastal Division title to reach the ACC championship game, losing to then-No. 1 and eventual College Football Playoff runner-up Clemson.Just as importantly, he provided an edge to a high-scoring offense with a physical style rooted in his early years in football. Nicknamed Big Hot as a baby because of his size -- and the fact his parents carried a fan with them nearly everywhere to keep him from crying -- Hood played first on the defensive line and then at linebacker while sometimes matching up against older kids before moving to running back by high school.Years later, Hood still loves delivering hits.He can wear down guys because he really doesnt like to get tackled, head coach Larry Fedora said. He runs violently -- its the best term Ive come up with -- so when he is being tackled, hes trying to punish the tackler. Thats something he is very aware of: Hes going to make sure that guy knows that he tackled Elijah Hood.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college football site at http://collegefootball.ap.orgSwell Marble Water Bottle . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Swell Canada Sale . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. http://www.swellbottlesaleclearance.com/ . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Swell Bottle Black . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Swell Canada . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery.NEW YORK -- The Colorado Rockies are beginning to believe they are moving toward the cusp of playoff contention. The New York Mets are starting to run out of time to prove they are a legitimate threat to defend their National League pennant.Two teams at the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum will meet Thursday afternoon when the Mets host the Rockies in the opener of a four-game series at Citi Field.The Rockies posted their sixth win in seven games on Wednesday, when Nick Hundley and David Dahl hit a two-run homer and a solo shot, respectively, in the sixth inning of a 3-1 victory over the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles.The Rockies outscored the Orioles 11-6 during the three-game series. Colorados starting pitchers recorded a 1.86 ERA against Baltimore, which ranks fifth in the American League with 478 runs scored.You look at the series overall, its one of our best series of the year, Rockies manager Walt Weiss aid. Its got to be up there. We got real good starting pitching this series and we had some really clutch hits. Thats what it takes.With nine wins in 13 games since the All-Star break, the Rockies have improved to 49-52 and moved within six games of the Miami Marlins for the second wild card spot in the National League.Thats the type of winning consistency the Mets would like to establish. But theyve been unable to establish any sort of consistency: New York has alternated wins with losses in each of its 12 games after the All-Star break.The Mets appeared ready to finally win a second straight game Wednesday, but closer Jeurys Familia bblew a regular-season save opportunity for the first time in almost a year by allowing two runs in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss to the St.dddddddddddd Louis Cardinals at Citi Field.Familia had converted 52 straight saves dating to Aug. 1, 2015, though he did blow three saves in the World Series.Its baseball and until the 27th out, you dont know any results, said Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who gave New York a 4-3 lead with a long two-run homer in the seventh inning. We have a lot of faith in Familia. But things unfortunately didnt work out.The loss dropped the Mets (53-47) 1 1/2 games behind the Marlins and 5 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.This is something we havent had happen in quite some time, Jeurys Familia not saving the game, Mets manager Terry Collins said. But youve got to come back early. Youve got an early day (Thursday) and weve got to get ready to play.The Rockies will also be working on short rest after traveling overnight from Baltimore.Its basically like we have a split doubleheader, Weiss said. Thats how Im looking at it.Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom is scheduled to oppose Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson. DeGrom took the loss in his most recent start last Saturday when he gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings as the Mets fell to the Marlins 7-2. Anderson posted his third straight win on Saturday when he gave up three runs in six innings as the Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves 8-4. ' ' '