Dein erstes Forum » fourth against the rush (109.8) but face a big chall

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Halfway through the season, it looked as if the Big 12 was set up nicely to have Baylor and West Virginia face off in the regular-season finale for the conference title.That de facto championship game will be played Saturday, all right. Only its 1,100 miles away from Morgantown with No. 7 Oklahoma hosting No. 11 Oklahoma State.No. 14 West Virginia (9-2, 6-2) and Baylor (6-5, 3-5) couldnt maintain their early success, and now their meeting has nowhere near the flair it appeared to have when each team was 6-0 and ranked in the top 10.West Virginia was eliminated from title contention two weeks ago . The Mountaineers still will earn their highest finish since joining the league in 2012.Baylor has a five-game losing streak , its longest since dropping the final eight games of the 2007 season and then the 2008 opener.We have an option. We can fold, or we can come out fighting, Baylor defensive back Patrick Levels said. And right now I feel like were still swinging. Were not done yet.Acting Baylor coach Jim Grobe heads back to his home state for what should be his final regular-season game. The Huntington native took over this season for the fired Art Briles and said hes committed to the program through January but plans to head back into retirement.I just came to help. I didnt come to re-create my career, Grobe said. Its been more challenging than I expected. Weve had some rocky times, but I have no regrets. I came for the kids and I continue to stay focused on them.West Virginias motivation is on the final home game for 21 seniors and getting to 10 wins, which has been done only eight times in school history and would be its best regular season since 2007.This senior group has a chance to do something that will be remembered for a long time, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said.Some other things to know when the Bears and Mountaineers meet on Saturday:FILM CRITICWest Virginia senior center Tyler Orlosky admits he doesnt bother studying opposing defenses. He said he doesnt see the need for watching film. Someone asked me that the other day and I just said, `Once you start 40 games and have played close to 50, if someone throws something at me that I have never seen before, then they have reinvented the game of football or something has to be wrong, Orlosky said.TURNOVER TROUBLESBaylor has committed 14 turnovers and allowed an average of 48 points during its five-game losing streak. Right now we need as many possessions as our offense can get, and we need as many stops on defense as we can get, Levels said. Turnovers will be really big in this game.RB CAROUSELLast week at Iowa State, freshman Martell Pettaway lost his redshirt status and became the fourth West Virginia running back to surpass 100 yards in a game this season. Teammates Rushel Shell, Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy have been injured in recent weeks, and Holgorsen said none have been ruled out for Saturday. Whoever goes in there is going to play good, so why does it really matter? he said.HOWARDS FAREWELLWest Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard is 18-8 as a starter after arriving from junior college for the 2014 season. He threw for five touchdowns in a win at Iowa State a week ago and enters his final home game as West Virginias third all-time leading passer behind Geno Smith and Marc Bulger.HE SAID ITHolgorsen on Baylors offense: Theyre still putting up a bunch of yards. No, its not Xbox-type numbers that its been in the past. But its still pretty dang good.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Chris Bassitt Athletics Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Oakland Athletics Store . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Athletics Jerseys China . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Oakland Athletics Pro Shop .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky looks to reach what has been an elusive plateau when the Wildcats host a Georgia squad desperate to halt a stunning freefall.Those are just some of the stakes in Saturday nights matchup between teams on opposite paths. Georgia (4-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) has lost four of five entering the matchup with the Wildcats (5-3, 4-2 SEC), who have won five of six including three in a row and look to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.The Bulldogs aim to halt Kentuckys quest by ending their own slide that has them on the brink of falling below .500 after being in the Top 25 just over a month ago. Georgia managed just 164 yards of offense in last weeks 24-10 loss to No. 10 Florida in Jacksonville, an effort it cant duplicate against a Kentucky team thats rolling in many areas.Weve got to be able to answer the things they give us, first-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, whether its throwing the ball, whether its running the ball outside or running the ball out of more spread formations. It certainly hasnt been as consistent as wed like it to be.Kentucky has shown a lot of resiliency since starting 0-2. Just two weeks ago the Wildcats postseason hopes seemed destined to take a serious blow before they rallied past Mississippi State 40-38 on a 51-yard field goal as time expired. They beat Missouri 35-21 last week.Whether that gut check was a turning point in Kentuckys season remains to be seen. But it has definitely given the Wildcats confidence they can achieve anything -- including their best SEC mark in recent memory.It says a lot about this teams character, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said of the run. I dont think any one thing has changed over the past five or six weeks, this has been going on for a long time. Coaches have worked hard for many years, doing things to put players in position to do good things.---Some other things to watch as Georgia visits Kentucky:TTRENCH WARRIORS: Kentucky has averaged 299 yards rushing per game during its win streak and 261 per outing over the past six games.dddddddddddd Credit goes to a deep offensive line anchored by senior center Jon Toth that has blended experience and youth after being sometimes criticized at times. It feels good to be appreciated, Toth said, but weve always come out and tried to run the ball and protect the quarterback. Were not doing anything different, just trying to do it as best we can every week.DEFENSIVE `DAWGS: Georgia remains one of the SECs top defensive teams, ranking fourth with an average of 326.1 yards allowed per contest. Theyre also fourth against the rush (109.8) but face a big challenge against Kentuckys ground game thats averaging more than double that amount (219.5) behind the duo of Boom Williams and Benny Snell.BIG-PLAY BADET: Not overshadowed by Boom N Benny is Kentucky wide receiver Jeff Badet, who has 243 yards and three TDs on 10 receptions the past two weeks with the scores covering 40, 44 and 65 yards. Jeff has stepped up big and we needed him to, Stoops said.NO HANGOVER: No matter how Georgia has fared against Florida, a game better known as The Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the following game has recently provided an upside. The Bulldogs have won the past nine games following the Jacksonville showdown, including three wins over Kentucky.NOSE FOR THE BALL: Junior college transfer Naquez Pringle has been a force at nose guard for the Wildcats since debuting at Florida. He ranks 11th on the team with 24 tackles the past seven games and made five tackles each against the Gators and Vanderbilt. A defense that was the SECs worst a few weeks ago has improved to 10th at 421.2 yards allowed per game.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '