PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Ivory Bryant wears a big campaign-style button with a picture of her son on it and the words Mr. Everything.Jabrill Peppers is most certainly that to Michigan, where hes a three-way player and Heisman Trophy contender. To Bryant, though, touchdowns and tackles arent what makes Peppers her Mr. Everything. For her, Peppers is all a mother could hope for a son to be.We have a strong bond, Bryant said after Peppers led the fourth-ranked Wolverines to a 78-0 victory Saturday night against Rutgers in his home state. So when I think about all that hes gone through and how hes persevered through it all, its just amazing. It makes a mom proud to see your son go through such hardships, trials and tribulations and yet they stay focused on their dreams. So it makes me feel good. He is very blessed and we just thank God for that.Peppers, who is from East Orange and won four state titles in high school, put on a show for dozens of friends and family members who were getting to see him play a college game in person for the first time.Against Rutgers, he was part of a defense that did not allow a first down until the fourth quarter, and he ran for two touchdowns. Peppers would have had three TDs if his 44-yard punt return in the first quarter didnt get called back because of a penalty.Bryant had a great view of Peppers spinning and ducking return, sitting with the rest of Team Jabrill -- as the T-shirts read -- in the stands behind the corner of the end zone into which he raced.It counts to my mama so thats alright with me, Peppers tweeted after the game.Peppers turned 21 just a few days ago, but his mother said enduring tough times hastened his maturity. When Peppers was 7, his father, Terry Peppers, was sent to prison. Seven years later, his big brother, Don Curtis, was shot and killed.I was just 14 years old, and for the second time in my life, the most dominant male figure in my life was gone, Peppers wrote for the Players Tribune before last years Ohio State game.Football helped Peppers stay on the right path, Bryant said.It was definitely a structured activity. So when youre living in an urban community theres a lot of distractions, some positive, some negative, Bryant said. You always pray that your child would gravitate toward the positive and he did just that.Bryant stressed education. If Peppers didnt make the grades mama wanted, he was not allowed to play. She said she held him out of a game during his sophomore season in high school. He was mad, but it never happened again.He is very intelligent, Bryant said. But certainly the experiences he had, he had to grow up faster. His brother died. You ask yourself, `Am I going to stay on the path or am I going to allow this to distract me? And he used it to propel him forward, even higher.Peppers plays offense, defense and special teams and has numerous roles within those phases. The bio page on Michigans website lists Peppers as linebacker/defensive back. Really, though, he is a position-less player, which allows defensive coordinator Don Brown to change formations without changing personnel.On offense, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said the staff has been installing more plays with Peppers at quarterback. Peppers scored twice on direct snaps against Rutgers and hes not just a runner. Peppers had an option to pass on one of those plays, Harbaugh said.Harbaugh turned his postgame news conference Saturday night into a Heisman infomercial for Peppers, calling him the best player in the country and comparing him to the legendary Jim Thorpe.To be able to coach a guy like Jabrill Peppers is a real joy, Harbaugh said.As the clock wound down at High Point Solutions Stadium, Peppers was behind the Michigan bench, slapping hands with Wolverines fans in the stands and giving away gloves and other small pieces of equipment.Before he headed for the tunnel, he ran over to where his mom was sitting. The seats are a good 10 or 12 feet up from field level so he couldnt do much more than call up a Love you, before bounding away.I didnt cry, but my heart was definitely warm, Bryant said. Just to see him come home, to do very well as he always does, but to see him do well in front of his home state was rewarding.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and the APs college football website at www.collegefootball.ap.org NMD Online Australia . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Adidas Superstar Black Australia . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/superstar-shoes-australia.html . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. NMD R1 Womens Sale . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. NMD Shoes Wholesale . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. The UFC can hang an under new management sign on the octagon.The new era under the Hollywood entertainment conglomerate WME-IMG banner kicks off Saturday with UFC 201 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. UFC President Dana White and the new owners have suggested little will change immediately for the promotion.Robbie Lawler can only hope that also means the staus quo remains at the top of the welterweight division.The UFC still has plenty of buzz coming off the landmark 200 pay-per-view, though the aftermath has been sullied in recent weeks by former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnars failed drug tests, as well as Jon Jones earlier test failure.Holy Holm has been exposed as the next Buster Douglas one-hit wonder more than a true rival for Ronda Rousey. And UFC 201 almost seems like a speed bump as the promotion gears up for UFC 202 and the anticipated rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.But looking to steal the spotlight is Lawler, making his third title defense in a remarkable career resurgence, this time against Tyron Woodley. Lawler not only defeated Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit in his first two defenses, he earned fight of the night honors on both cards.Lawler (26-10) is looking for more than earning that title for a third straight card.No one ever wants fight of the night, he said. Every fight, Ive gone in I want knockout of the night. I want to be in and out quick. Sometimes these guys just have a lot of grit, theyre highly trained and I just cant get them out of there so I get fight of the night. So its not necessarily Im changing anything. Its like, Im just sick of fight of the night. I want to knock people out.Lawler and Condit established a lofty benchmark for the best fight of 2016 with their thrilling slugfest at UFC 195 in Las Vegas. Lawler was awarded a narrow decision and both fighters kept going into a brutal fifth round in which theey struggled to lift their arms for punches or defense.ddddddddddddA rematch might have been the most intriguing option for both fighters. Lawler, who has finished 20 of 26 fighters by knockout, instead matched up against Woodley.This is who Im fighting. My coaches and guys decided who they wanted me to fight next, he said.The former all-state wrestler from Iowa had his first UFC fight in May 2002, but was out of the promotion by 2005. Back for a second shot, Lawler now stands behind only flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson as the longest-reigning champion in the UFC.Im not excited, he said. Im just a mean fighter whos looking to go out there and finish people and do what I do.Woodley (15-3) wrestled at Missouri and will try to use that as a counter to Lawlers superior standup skills. Woodley is fighting for his first championship over seven fights in his UFC career and lost his only other pro title fight in 2012 when he competed in Strikeforce.The difference between me then and me now is that Im putting everything together, Woodley said. You guys have seen the submission games, youve seen the wrestling games, youve seen the striking game. Over time, I just matured as a fighter and its my time to seize it. Im putting everything together and Im ready to take off.The UFC is ready to take off as well, with WME-IMG set to try and take the dominant mixed martial arts promotion in the world into yet another level. The UFC was sold for approximately $4 billion, with Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta out and White still the boss and public face of the company.Other fights of note on the main card are Rose Namajunas vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz; Matt Brown fights Jake Ellenberger in a welterweight bout; and Francisco Rivera fights Erik Perez. ' ' '