While dazzling quarterback Greg Ward Jr. has gotten the lions share of the attention during Houstons rise to prominence, the sixth-ranked Cougars have dominated this season behind one of the nations top defenses.That unit, led by linebacker Steven Taylor and freshman lineman Ed Oliver, has capitalized on turnovers and kept opponents out of the end zone.Houston (3-0) ranks 11th nationally in total defense (257.7 yards a game), 13th in scoring (13 points a game) and first against the run (38.3 yards). The Cougars returned two interceptions for touchdowns during the fourth quarter of a 40-16 win at Cincinnati last week. Houston limited Oklahoma to 70 rushing yards and Cincinnati to 30.Second-year coach Tom Herman, an offensive wizard who remains on everyones short list for prominent vacancies after the season, credits defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, who left Utah State in 2015 to join the Houston staff.I knew what kinds of defenses kept me up at night as an offensive coordinator, so I knew I wanted to run that kind of defense, said Herman, whose team is heavily favored in a nonconference game at Texas State on Saturday.Taylor, a senior, produced nine tackles, including two sacks, and returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown at Cincinnati. Herman said the three-man defensive line creates situations for Taylor to excel.Steve gets to reap the benefits of the dirty work that those guys do, Herman said.Oliver, a five-star recruit from Houston, already has a reputation for energetic, relentless pursuit of ball carriers.He opens a lot of gaps for me, Taylor said. He is a blessing to the team.First-year Texas State coach Everett Withers noticed something unexpected while watching Houston defeat Oklahoma 33-23.I thought they physically beat Oklahoma, Withers said.Some things to look for when the Cougars and Bobcats kick off Saturday:ROUGH STRETCH: Houston is the highest-ranked Texas State opponent since the Bobcats moved to the Bowl Subdivision in 2012. This game comes a week after Texas State lost 42-3 at No. 17 Arkansas. Texas State received a reported $1 million for the game at Arkansas. Withers has others reasons as well for facing good teams.I think there is a lot of value in playing top-quality opponents, Withers said. You learn more about your team when you play teams that are elite. I dont necessarily like playing them back to back.WARD WATCH: Ward suffered an injury to his right shoulder in the season opener against Oklahoma. He sat out the next game, against Lamar, and then accounted for 399 yards and ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns at Cincinnati. He received treatment on the sideline during the game. Herman said Ward would receive treatment and evaluations during the week.Hes one of the best competitors Ive ever been around, and hes taken a lot of big hits, Herman said.DEPTH CHART: Through three games, Texas State has used more than 30 freshmen and sophomores on offense, defense and special teams. Withers said he encourages his staff to take chances with younger players.Ive challenged every one of our assistants coaches; Ive challenged myself to get them on the field, Withers said. I keep asking, `Who you saving?BIG CROWD: Houston is expected to attract one of the top four crowds at Bobcat Stadium since the facility was expanded to a listed capacity of 30,000 for Texas States arrival in FBS. The top three: Texas Tech in 2012 (33,006), Navy in 2014 (32,007) and Southern Miss in 2015 (27,250).HERMAN, THE EARLY YEARS: Herman was an offensive graduate assistant at Texas in 1999-2000 when Withers was coaching the Longhorns defensive backs. They also worked together at Ohio State.He was one of those guys you knew was going to be a really good coach, Withers said. You could tell when guys are sharp, understand the game, understand how to build relationships with the players. Vente Nike Air Force 1 . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Air Force 1 France Soldes .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. http://www.nikeairforce1france.fr/ . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Nike Air Force 1 Destockage . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Air Force 1 France Pas Cher .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. As the eleventh edition of the mens junior hockey World Cup gets underway in Lucknow on December 8, India begin their campaign against Canada.?This is the second time that India are hosting the mens junior World Cup in hockey, and also the second successive time it is being held in India. New Delhi hosted the previous edition in 2013, where Germany claimed their sixth title, beating France 5-2 in the final.Sixteen teams have been put into four groups of four teams each. India are in Pool D, and should they finish in the top two of the group stages, they will have to face one of the top two teams from Pool C, which comprises Germany, New Zealand, Spain and Japan.Heres everything you want to know about the Indian team, and their opponents in Pool D:INDIA Previous appearances: 8 Best finish: Champions (2001), Runners-up (1997)India bring one of the strongest teams to the junior World Cup, with full internationals like captain Harjeet Singh, forward Mandeep Singh, defender Harmanpreet Singh and goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya in their squad. India come into the World Cup on the back of a strong performance in a four nations invitational event in Valencia in October, where they beat a field comprising Germany, Belgium and hosts Spain to take the first place. Defender and drag-flick specialist Varun Kumar and forward Armaan Qureishi were in good scoring form for India, with both chipping in with goals in the 5-2 win over Germany in the final for the team coached by Harendra Singh.ENGLAND Previous appearances: 8 Best finish: Fourth (1997, 2001)England qualified for the World Cup by virtue of a bronze-medal finish at the European junior champpionship in Belgium in 2014, beating the home side in a shootout.dddddddddddd There are four players who are returning from the 2013 team - Jonty Griffiths, James Albery, Chris Proctor and captain James Gall - and they will be looking to make up for a hugely disappointing performance that saw the team finish 14th in Delhi. Gall will be one of the influential players in this squad, the second in his family to captain the England junior team after his older brother Jonny, who captained the team in Belgium in 2014.CANADA Previous appearances: 4 Best finish: Eighth (1983) Theres a distinct Indian flavour about the Canadian team, coached by Inderpal Sehmbi, with a majority of the players of Punjabi origin. Canada also has the youngest player in the competition, 16-year-old Rowan Childs, in their squad. The captaincy will be split between two players of Indian origin, Balraj Panesar and the experienced Brandon Pereira, who was also part of the team in 2013.SOUTH AFRICA Previous appearances: 4 Best finish: Eleventh (2001) South Africa qualified for their fifth successive World Cup following a runners-up finish to Egypt at the junior African Cup in 2016, where they were beaten 3-2 in a thrilling final played in Windhoek, Namibia. Both of South Africas goals in that final were scored by Nqobile Ntuli, who along with Tevin Kok, Charles Bowren and captain Alex Stewart will bring in the experience of having represented their nation at the senior level for coach Garreth Ewings team.(All stats courtesy BG Joshi) Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '