.S. changed to a 4-2-3-1 alignment | Forum
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Mar 6 '18
(STATS) -- The pressure of the last two games cant compare to what Sam Houston State now faces. Adidas Nino Niederreiter Jersey . This is the one where its time to prove the doubters wrong.And for the scoreboard operator to be extremely busy.In a clash of the countrys highest-scoring offenses, the Bearkats are the underdogs despite being atop the STATS Top 25 mainly because they must head into a chilly, unfriendly environment Friday night to face James Madison in the FCS quarterfinals.Itll be cold, itll be dark, itll be perfect, Dukes coach Mike Houston said.Sam Houston State (12-0) has long been No. 1 in the polls, steamrolling every opponent during a regular season it capped with a 59-23 rout of Central Arkansas in a de facto Southland Conference title game. Yet, a mostly unimpressive schedule led to only a No. 5 seed for the playoffs, and maybe the selection committee felt somewhat justified after the Bearkats narrowly escaped with a 41-36 win over Chattanooga to open the playoffs.Unlike those last two wins, the Bearkats now wont have the luxury of playing at home in the warmth of Huntsville, Texas. Besides having to go on the road because James Madison (11-1) is the higher seed at No. 4, temperature at kickoff in Harrisonburg, Virginia, should be in the 20s for a prime-time game being played in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2.Its also a big step up competition-wise. The Dukes went 9-0 in CAA Football -- a tougher conference than the Southland -- and suffered their only loss on the road to FBS foe North Carolina.Plus, the Bearkats havent seen an offense that can be anywhere near as potent as theirs -- until now.This is probably without doubt the most in terms of looking in the mirror, said Sam Houston States K.C. Keeler, the Eddie Robinson Award winner as the STATS FCS Coach of the Year. This is gonna be a team we think were playing our equal.Keelers squad leads all of college football with 53.1 points per game, and the only team within five points of that average is the Dukes at 48.3. The over/under for the game is an eye-opening 84 1/2.Sam Houston State has the bigger name at quarterback in Jeremiah Briscoe, a favorite to win the Walter Payton Award after setting an FCS single-season record with 57 touchdown passes. The junior has thrown for 4,459 yards for a Bearkats offense that leads the nation with 570.4 yards per game.He has a very quick release, he has very good accuracy and he has a very, very strong arm, Houston said. I mean, that ball gets there in a hurry. So you get a guy like that surrounded with the weapons that they have, thats why they put up almost arcade-like numbers.The Dukes have a signal-caller who has become nearly as dangerous in Bryan Schor.In his last four full games -- he missed 1 1/2 games last month with a shoulder injury -- Schor has put up Briscoe-like numbers with 17 touchdown passes and one interception while averaging 307 yards through the air. Plus, Schor is more of a dual threat with 522 yards and nine TDs on the ground this season.He and Briscoe are the two best quarterbacks in the country probably, Keeler said. His accuracy is uncanny. His ability to throw the ball away and get himself out of trouble.... Obviously, I think I have the best quarterback in the country, but (Schor) might be a close No. 2. And Im biased because I live with our kid every day.It was actually Schor who was statistically better last week, going 30 of 37 for 371 yards and five TDs as James Madison totaled 567 yards in a 55-22 win over New Hampshire. Briscoe matched him with five TD passes and threw for 363 yards, but he completed just 20 of 40 passes and the Bearkats were held to a season-low 421 yards.Briscoe was sacked six times, two fewer than the number of times he was dropped during the entire regular season.Its that kind of physicality that Houston feels will be a deciding factor.I firmly believe that you get in these ballgames, middle of December, cold weather, a lot of stakes on the line, if you have a team that has that kind of identity, you got a shot, he said. I expect our guys to go out and play with a lot of heart and intensity Friday night, and I expect it to be a very physical ballgame. Ryan Suter Jersey . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Mikko Koivu Jersey . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. http://www.cheapwildjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-gustav-olofsson-jersey . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.SEATTLE -- Jozy Altidore continued his scoring run. Eddie Johnson earned a moment to remember getting a goal before his raucous home crowd that matched the hype that came with playing a World Cup qualifier in Seattle. It became a perfect night for the United States to collect three points and vault into first place halfway to another World Cup trip. Altidore scored in the first half, his third straight match with a goal, Eddie Johnson thrilled his home club fans with a score in the 53rd minute, and the United States took over first place in its World Cup qualifying group with a 2-0 win over Panama on Tuesday. "Right now were having fun. But most importantly were on the same page and have one common goal which is qualifying for the World Cup," Johnson said. "Weve got one more game to put ourselves in a good position to make that happen." Altidore scored in the 36th minute on a perfect cross from Fabian Johnson, moments after a potential penalty kick for the Americans was denied. Eddie Johnson then gave the U.S. some cushion when he collected Geoff Camerons pass over the top of Panamas defence and slid a left-footed shot past Jaime Penedo less than 10 minutes into the second half. "Obviously very pleased with our performance," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "Throughout the entire game, we were in control of every area on the field. The guys did their job." The U.S. holds a two-point lead over Costa Rica and Mexico in the qualifying group in the 10-game final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region. They will host Honduras next Tuesday night in Sandy, Utah. The U.S. improved to 9-1-2 all-time against Panama and is 22-0-2 in home qualifiers since losing to Honduras in September 2001 at RFK Stadium. They are 36-1-7 since losing to Costa Rica in 1985 at Torrance Calif. The match was played before 40,847, the seventh-largest crowd for a World Cup qualifier in U.S. soccer history, in exactly the atmosphere U.S. Soccer hoped it would get by playing the qualifier in Seattle. Giving Seattle the match came with logistical obstacles -- none bigger than a temporary grass field that was far from ideal -- but a huge pro-American crowd, most of which stood the entire match, made up for the questionable surface. They were rewarded with an impressive performance by the U.S. that built off its late winner in Jamaica last Friday. The Americans (3-1-1) are two points clear of Costa Rica (2-2-1) and Mexico (1-0-5) who played to a 0-0 tie in Mexico City earlier Tuesday. The U.S. also haas a game in hand on Mexico. Wholesale Wild Jerseys. "Best crowd Ive played in in the United States, without a doubt," midfielder Michael Bradley said. "People dont know what a difference it makes when you play in an atmosphere like this." Altidore scored for a third consecutive match after goals in wins over Germany and Jamaica. He appeared to earn a penalty kick in the 34th minute when he was chopped down in the penalty area by Roman Torres after a quick turn. Referee Roberto Garcia quickly decided he wasnt awarding a penalty kick, although replays clearly showed Torres never got the ball. Any uproar over the non-call was replaced moments later by deafening cheers. Bradley ran free through the middle of the field and played a ball into space for Johnson to run on. Johnson didnt take a touch, immediately sending a cross through the box. Penedo was forced to stay in his net with Clint Dempsey making a run to the near post and his dive to deflect the cross was late. Altidore was wide open at the back post for his 16th national team goal. "I know how forwards think. These guys live for goals. They can give the same performance, but if one game they score, in the other game they dont, theyre going to be happy when they score," Bradley said. "Hes such an important guy for our team, even on nights when he doesnt (score)." The cushion the U.S. needed came early in the second half. Cameron played a perfect pass over the top to Johnson, who timed his run to stay onside. He controlled the pass with his right foot, then deftly slid his shot past Penedos charge for his 11th career goal in World Cup qualifying. "I saw Geoff had time with the ball and it was on his strong foot. ... I knew I could make a run in behind and I like my chances running without the ball behind the defence," Johnson said. Panama nearly got an equalizer in first-half stoppage time when Luis Tejada slipped free behind the U.S. defence and scored on Tim Howard, but the offside flag was up before Tejadas shot was in the net. Panama nearly scored in second-half stoppage time, but Howard deflected Rolando Blackburns shot. Cameron and Eddie Johnson were the two changes Klinsmann was forced to make to his lineup. Jermaine Jones (concussion) and Graham Zusi (suspension) were unavailable and the U.S. changed to a 4-2-3-1 alignment to bring on Cameron and Johnson. Panama (1-1-3), which played to a 0-0 draw against Mexico last Friday at home, played without top scorer Blas Perez, who missed the game with gastroenteritis. 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