t monumental enough. Thats OK. For us, we saw how we let some games slide. We missed some opportunities, OK, and that has not gone unnoticed by this football t

HOOVER, Ala. -- The Vanderbilt Commodores took a small step forward overall last season and a bigger one defensively.Sure, they lost four games by single-digit margins and improved on defense with coach Derek Mason pulling double duty as coordinator. But they still went 4-8, just one win better than in Masons debut season.This football team knows how to compete. Okay? Mason said Monday at Southeastern Conference media days. Its not about competing anymore, its about winning. We had the great fortune to win one more game. For some in here, thats not monumental enough. Thats OK. For us, we saw how we let some games slide. We missed some opportunities, OK, and that has not gone unnoticed by this football team.The Commodores dont want that to be considered normal for a program that had back-to-back 9-4 seasons before coach James Franklin left for Penn State.Theyve got some talent, like All-SEC linebacker Zach Cunningham and workhorse running back Ralph Webb. And Kyle Shurmur has already been anointed the starting quarterback going into his sophomore season.Vandy finished in the top half of the league in the four major defensive categories after ranking last in points allowed per game.Mason has gone 7-17 in his first two seasons but has 16 returning starters and more than 40 upperclassmen coming back. He also has six new assistants in a second straight year of high staff turnover.Cunningham said the team has a more together mind-set than we had last season.Mason likes the Commodores attitude as well.This teams got a team-first mentality, has established a team-first mantra, he said. We dont care about who is standing on the hill. We dont care about who takes the accolades. Its about this team collectively and what we need to do in order to move the needle and get up the hill.Vanderbilt gets a chance before most teams even take the field to give some evidence if theyve made real strides. They open Sept. 1 with a Thursday night game against South Carolina.I dont think its a measuring stick game but its definitely a game thats going to prove not only to the fans but to everyone else what we can do, Cunningham said. Jordan 13 Retro Altitude . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Cheap Air Jordan 13 Retro All White . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. http://www.cheapretrojordan13.com/cheap-air-jordan-13-retro-brown/ .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Cheap Air Jordan 13 Retro Black . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Cheap Air Jordan 13 Retro Green . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. IOWA CITY, Iowa -- A lot of programs refer to creating a culture that can lead teams through times of crisis.Iowas stunning 14-13 win over Michigan last week was proof that what the Hawkeyes have built in nearly two decades under coach Kirk Ferentz still works.Just one week after one of the more crushing defeats in Ferentzs 18 seasons, a 41-14 blowout at Penn State, the Hawkeyes rallied to topple the unbeaten Wolverines as a 24-point underdog.The remarkable response to the Penn State loss, guided by a veteran staff and players who have bought into what coaches were telling them even when the results werent coming, has put Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) in position to finish a disappointing season on a high note. The Hawkeyes visit Illinois (3-7, 2-5) on Saturday.One of the points we made last week was that we probably werent going to be Big Ten champions this year. But youre either building toward it or youre taking away from it, and theres responsibility with that, Ferentz said. Its got to be a 12 month a year thing, and youre either on board or youre not.If any team appeared set for a late-season collapse, it was Iowa. Unable to stop the run and unable to catch the ball, Iowa had dropped two straight and three of its last five games. Just last week, Iowas players had talked about the need to trust their teammates and get back to the fundamentals.Most teams that say such things in November end up staying home in December.As it turned out, the Hawkeyes were right.Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker, who has been an assistant under Ferentz for nearly two decades, took a unit that had put together one of its worst performances in a long time and shut down the Wolverines..dddddddddddd Iowa held Michigan to just 201 yards despite losing starting cornerback Greg Mabin to an injury. Freshman Manny Rugamba stepped in and grabbed a crucial fourth-quarter interception that helped set up the game-winning drive.The big thing that coach (Ferentz) pushes is to stay focused, determined, linebacker Josey Jewell said. If you put your full effort out there and do your job, anything can happen.Offensive coordinator Greg Davis, now in his fifth season despite inconsistent results, recognized the need for Iowa to get the ball in the hands of running back Akrum Wadley as much as possible. Wadley, the only true open-field threat the Hawkeyes have left after injuries to receiver Matt VandeBerg and tight end George Kittle, had 167 combined yards and a touchdown reception to help Iowa escape from a 10-0 hole.We have a great culture here within this program. It goes into the entire offseason. Guys who work their tails off all year long, said quarterback and team captain C.J. Beathard.Beating Michigan wont erase the fact that Iowa, once the favorite to win the Big Ten West, will fall short of its expectations. All the Hawkeyes can do is hope that what clicked over the past week leads to success in the weeks ahead.Ferentz has given us certain examples in the past of Iowa history, certain things that he believes show the resilience, the determination of other teams and how that worked out for them, Jewell said. He really forces it into your head. But its a good kind of forcing.---More college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org 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 ' ' '