Dein erstes Forum » a commanding lead in the rankings during the summer

FARGO, N.D. -- The only thing thats been worse than playing Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse North Dakota State in the last five years is playing the Bison more than once.Thanks in part to a playoff system that once grouped teams from the same region, the Bison have faced four teams in the postseason after seeing them a few weeks earlier. They have won all four times (South Dakota State in 2012 and 2014, Montana and Northern Iowa in 2015).The five-time defending FCS champion (11-1) can up its record in FCS rematches to 5-0 when it hosts a quarterfinal game Saturday against South Dakota State (9-3), which happens to be the only team to beat the Bison this season.Neither Bison coach Chris Klieman nor his players are interested in publicly playing up the revenge factor.Just stay out of it, is how Klieman put it. Its a new game. Its a new week. We cant worry about all that stuff.Even Bison running back and kickoff return standout Bruce Anderson, who was injured against the Jackrabbits after his ankle was twisted during a tackle, said hes more interested in performance than payback. Anderson sat out six weeks before returning for the playoffs.I dont really think about it. Its in the past, Anderson said. It was frustrating to be out and not playing, but I would say that it would be frustrating for anybody. I am just looking at this game as another opportunity to play football.South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeier said his team was happy to win the game in October, but theres no discussion about it this week.We dont talk hardly ever about the past, he said.The Jacks defeated the Bison 19-17 at the Fargodome, but piled up some impressive statistics. Quarterback Taryn Christion had 444 yards of total offense, including 303 yards passing and 141 yards rushing. He caught the Bison off guard with his running game, after coming into the contest with just 29 yards rushing in five games.Less surprising were the numbers of Christions two large targets, 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end Dallas Goedert and 6-4, 215-pound wide receiver Jake Weineke. Goedert caught 11 passes for 150 yards and Weineke had six catches for 108 yards, including the winning 2-yard touchdown reception on the final play from scrimmage.They are just really exceptional. If theres anything in the ZIP code, theyre catching it, Bison defensive end Greg Menard said of the South Dakota State receivers. We have to make sure we get more pressure on the quarterback this time around.After scoring a season-low 17 points against the Jacks, the Bison offense turned its focus toward the running game and has rushed for 1,368 yards in the past five games. That has loosened up defenses for big plays, including four of the 10 longest of the year against San Diego last weekend. There was a 61-yard touchdown run by Anderson, a 56-yard touchdown run by Lance Dunn, a 52-yard run by quarterback Easton Stick, and a 49-yard touchdown pass from Stick to Chase Morlock.Weve just got to finish better, Bison receiver RJ Urzendowski said of the rematch. We moved the ball pretty well for third quarters the first time. Were going to have to be consistent throughout the game.This is the 106th meeting between the two schools that have become rivals since moving up to Division I ahead of their in-state counterparts, the University of North Dakota and University of South Dakota. The Bison have a 35-15-3 advantage over the Jacks at home and have won 27 of the last 29 in Fargo, including a 13-2 mark in the Fargodome.Theres no love in this game, North Dakota State defensive end Brad Ambrosius said. Were ready to go. China NFL Jerseys . 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Incredibly enough, with two days left in the mens tennis season, we still dont know who will wind up with the No. 1 ranking.No. 1 Andy Murray and No. 2 Novak Djokovic could meet in Sundays championship for Barclays ATP World Tour Finals -- marking the first time in tournament history that two finalists would determine the No. 1 ranking.In Saturdays semifinals at Londons O2 Arena, Murray faces No. 4 Milos Raonic, and later Djokovic meets No. 5 Kei Nishikori.After beating Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2 Friday, Murray was asked if it mattered whether the pivotal match with Djokovic came sooner or later.I mean, theres a good chance that if I want to win the tournament, I would have to win against him, he told the media. That would either be in the semis or the final. I dont think that makes a whole lot of difference.Im certainly not taking anything for granted. I know it will be hard. But, yeah, I feel like my games in a good place.Heres a breakdown of the two semifinal matches:Andy Murray versus Milos Raonic, 9 a.m. ET on ESPN3Round-robin records: Murray 3-0; Raonic 2-1Career head-to-head: Murray leads 8-3 (with three walkovers)W2W4: Turns out, life atop the tennis universe hasnt been a burden after all. Murray won all three of his round-robin matches this week and five of six sets. And while he still seemed frazzled and frustrated at times (notably against Nishikori in his second match), he has largely contained his outbursts. Its that kind of cerebral composure that has historically been his biggest enemy. And when you factor in all that is on the line in London -- winning a first ATP Finals title, securing it in front of his home fans and holding on to the top ranking -- Murray deserves credit for the manner in which he swept his way to the final four -- the first time since 2008 hes reached the semifinals unbeaten.Truth be told, its never been better. Murray has won 22 consecutive matches, equaling his career best -- which came earlier this year. He was masterful against Wawrinka, but his opponent Saturday is also playing some of the finest tennis of his career. Raonic has crafted a stellar 52-15 record, and the faster courts and indoor conditions of the O2 Arena make his serve more lethal than it already is. Hes slugged a tournament high 40 aces through three matches.But more telling beyond this tangible stuff is the manner in which Raonic, who could end the season ranked a career-high No. 3, talks about playing big in the seminal moments, as he did in a must-win match against Dominic Thiem on Thursday: Theres a lot definitely to be proud of, playing under that kind of pressure, cause I really wanted to get out of the group stages and I wanted to give myself a chance in the semifinals, he said to the media after a straight-sets win that propelled him into the semifinals.Murray is keenly aware Raonic took Djokovic to a pair of tiebreakkers and is comfortable in this venue.dddddddddddd Yeah, you dont normally get loads of opportunities against the big servers, Murray said. Then it comes down to when you do get those chances, whether you take them or not. And this year when Ive played him, Ive created a few opportunities in the matches. When theyve come, Ive been pretty clinical.Ill need to be the same tomorrow if I want to win.Prediction: Murray in two.Novak Djokovic versus Kei Nishikori, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN3Round-robin records: Djokovic 3-0; Nishikori 1-2Career head-to-head: Djokovic leads 10-2W2W4: Finally, Djokovic will play someone who has a career win against him. He was 23-0 versus his round-robin group heading into the ATP World Tour Finals and swept his three matches this week. Nishikori has beaten Djokovic twice, most notably in the 2014 US Open semifinals. Nishikori has played strong tennis since the summer hard-court season began. In August, he took down Rafael Nadal to win bronze at the Rio Olympics, and then a few weeks later made the US Open semifinals. Nishikori came into the year-end championships just a couple of weeks removed from a finals appearance at the Swiss Indoors. In his opener this week, he manhandled Wawrinka and narrowly lost to Murray in a three-setter Wednesday.But this matchup will likely be determined by Djokovics state of mind. For a player who preaches harmony and relaxation, he has been on edge all week, snapping at chair umpires and smashing rackets. Nearly unbeatable through the French Open, Djokovic, who had a commanding lead in the rankings during the summer, has battled himself as much as his opponents in recent months. He squirrely existence has raised questions as to what (and why) his game has fallen. Nonetheless, after dropping the opening set to Thiem last Sunday, Djokovic sailed the rest of the way in London, including a one-hour shellacking of alternate David Goffin, who filled in for injured Gael Monfils on Thursday.Remember, not only is the championship on the line, but so is the No. 1 ranking, an honor -- even if he has not admitted it -- Djokovic believes he deserves. For the first time since his tenure atop tennis began 223 weeks ago, few have questioned whether he is the best player in the game. But the feeling now is that as he closes in on 30 years old, his game has dropped, while the landscape is slowly shifting. Still, with two full days left in the regular season, Djokovic has corralled a final boost of intensity. I can say from my perspective that I always try to really take the last drop of energy, whatever is left in my body, to perform as well as I can and finish off the season in the best possible way, he told the media after beating Goffin.Prediction: Djokovic in three ' ' '