hdown, taking a big hit as the ball left his hands.I know how hard Coach Fisher worked and how hard he did to prepare those guys, Winston said. Then Coach Randy Sanders, h

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The energy and passion David Beaty managed to sustain throughout a moribund first season at Kansas was perhaps the most impressive thing to come out of the Jayhawks winless campaign.All that fire could begin paying off in more tangible ways this season.The Jayhawks begin year No. 2 of their coachs vast rebuilding job Saturday night against Rhode Island, a lower-division bottom-dweller. It may be the only game Kansas is favored to win all season, and a crucial early-season barometer for the state of Beatys downtrodden program.You know, winning cures a lot, he said this week. I think getting off to a fast start here would be a big, big deal for us. If I didnt talk about it or say that, then I would be remiss.The Jayhawks started Beatys tenure with a thud, losing to South Dakota State in his first game on the sideline. Things never got a whole lot better in a series of lopsided losses to everyone from Memphis to Oklahoma to down-the-road rival Kansas State.Of course, that wasnt entirely Beatys fault.The revolving door of failed head coaches, from Turner Gill to Charlie Weis, left the locker room bereft of talent. Season-ending injuries to the top three quarterbacks left a freshman taking snaps. And an aging eyesore of a stadium has made the game-day atmosphere in Lawrence a snoozefest.To be sure, Beaty has faced an uphill challenge ever since arriving from Texas A&M.Hey, listen, everybodys working hard. Everybodys doing what were doing, Beaty said. Now its going to be who is the smartest football team, who can execute accurately in all three phases, and for us, were guarding against that. Were guarding against the fact that you think you worked hard, so you just deserve to win. You know, everybodys working hard.That no doubt includes the Rams, who won just once last year.Ive told our defensive coaches and our players that weve got to have a stalwart defense, Rams coach Dave Fleming said. We need to be able to go out, compete and get off the field. We need to create as many opportunities as we can giving our offense a short field.Thats because Rhode Island struggled to move the ball last season, getting shutout by Syracuse in its opener and held to single touchdowns by Albany and Stony Brook.As the Jayhawks and Rams prepare to meet, here are five things to watch:KANSAS QB: Beaty refused to identify a starter ahead of Saturdays game. Montell Cozart, Ryan Willis and Carter Stanley are all in the mix. Ive just got to go into the game with the mindset of when Im in there, controlling what I can, said Cozart, who is returning from a season-ending knee injury.RHODE ISLAND QB: Wesley McKoy beat out senior Paul Mroz and redshirt freshman Jordan Vazzano for the starting job. McKoy completed 56 percent of his passes in limited action as a freshman.PLEASED TO MEET YOU: The Jayhawks and Rams have never met. In fact, Kansas has not played a team from the Colonial Athletic Association since losing 33-7 to Villanova on Nov. 1, 1940.FRESH FACES: Both teams will have newcomers in the mix, but keep an eye on Kansas wide receiver LaQuvionte Gonzalez. The once high-profile recruit transferred from Texas A&M and will be playing for the first time since Dec. 29, 2014, a span of 614 days.AS FOR THE RAMS: Keep an eye on running back Harold Cooper, who has gained at least 100 all-purpose yards in eight straight games last season. Their running back is very talented, Beaty said. Hes also very talented in the return game and he will be a challenge to contain.---Online: AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Henry Thomas . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Mike McCormack . 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. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/scott-evans-jersey-for-sale/ .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Ken Casner . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Mike Stonebreaker .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston may have planned to wear his Florida State flip-flops to One Buc Place Wednesday to celebrate his alma maters 45-34 come-from-behind win against Ole Miss, but his fiery halftime speech that went viral over the internet? That wasnt planned at all.I just didnt want those kids to be looking like that on national TV, said Winston, who traveled 90 minutes from Tampa to Orlando for the game Monday night. [Head] coach [Jimbo] Fisher, hes a great coach and I know they had it in them, just had to light some fire. And Ill tell you about that No. 12 [redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois]. Florida State, baby. Thats all Im gonna say. Hes a baller.Fisher didnt even ask Winston, his former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who led FSU to an undefeated season and a National Title in 2013, to address the team. I tried to be quiet when I first got there but I felt we needed it, said Winston, who had been thrust into the spotlight himself as a redshirt freshman. So he began to speak.They already talking about the SEC. SEC! Winston shouted to the locker room. Florida State! Florida State, your brothers, your team, your heartbeat. We some dogs! We aint no puppies! We some dogs. Wide receivers, you all cannot be stopped the whole game. Weve got the best running back in the whole damn league. And weve got a quarterback thats going to toss that thing. O-line, wake up!The videeo was captured for A Season With Florida State Football, a TV show that premiered Tuesday on Showtime.dddddddddddd I really dont think they needed it, Winston said of the speech. I think Coach Fisher was going to get in their tail -- like he could barely talk -- but he was still getting on them. I just felt like I needed to say that.At the half, the Noles were down 28-13. Francois had led a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive with 0:28 remaining that made the comeback even possible. On the drive, he found Travis Rudolph over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown, taking a big hit as the ball left his hands.I know how hard Coach Fisher worked and how hard he did to prepare those guys, Winston said. Then Coach Randy Sanders, he was [always] on the sideline with me. I knew when he wasnt on the sideline, I knew, Ive gotta get right.The Noles did get right, scoring 33 unanswered points to complete the biggest comeback win in school history. Francois completed 33 of 52 passing attempts for 419 yards and two touchdowns while Dalvin Cook rushed for 91 yards. Marcus Lewis and Tarvarus McFadden each had second-half interceptions, along with Derwin James pick in the first quarter.I cant even give you a summary of what I said, Winston admitted. It [was] truly just from the heart. I really love those guys in there. ' ' '