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AUBURN, Ala. -- Deshaun Watson and Clemson pick up where they left off last season -- sort of.The second-ranked Tigers open against another Southeastern Conference team from the state of Alabama, visiting Auburn Saturday night hoping to resume their pursuit of a national title and, perhaps, a Heisman Trophy for Watson.They finished an otherwise unblemished season with a 45-40 loss to Alabama in the national championship game. Watson was at his playmaking best in racking up nearly 500 total yards against one of the nations top defenses.The task now will be to beat an Auburn team seeking redemption after a disappointing season.Its a big challenge out of the gate for us, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.Not so big as the one Swinneys Tigers faced to finish off last season. Auburn opens picked to finish sixth in the Southeastern Conference Western Division after flopping last season amid much higher expectations.Auburn also lost its top three rushers from last season to a dismissal, a transfer and an early entry into the NFL draft. The receivers are mostly unknown, and Sean White won a renewed quarterback battle after throwing one touchdown pass in five starts last season.It makes for a tough opening challenge for coach Gus Malzahns team. Swinney points out that openers carry a certain amount of mystery for both sides.There are a lot of unknowns, he said. They have players we dont know a lot about, and we have players they dont know a lot about. You dont ever really know until you see a team for two or three games.---Here are some things to watch in the Clemson-Auburn matchup:WATSONS ENCORE? Watson enters the season among the favorites to win the Heisman after a third-place finish. His 478-yard performance passing and rushing in the title game was nearly enough to pull off the win. Their quarterback is one of the best players in college football, if not the best player, Malzahn said.AND AUBURN? White beat out Jeremy Johnson and junior college transfer John Franklin III to emerge as the starter. Of the three, Franklin is the biggest rushing threat and could potentially play in a Wildcat role though Malzahn has been mum on the pecking order behind White. White has impressed Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Hes a quality, quality player, Venables said. He beat out Deshaun at the Elite 11 for top quarterback. Hes got that `it. Hes a very good leader, all the qualities that you love. The intangibles, his toughness, his confidence, he makes everybody around him better.SEEING STEELE: Swinney will face one of his former defensive coordinators in Kevin Steele, now leading Auburns defense. Steele spent three seasons under Swinney and helped the Tigers to the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference title. But soon after Clemson was embarrassed 70-33 by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl, Swinney fired Steele and replaced him with Venables. Steele skipped his normal session with reporters this week.TAILBACK COMPARISONS: Wayne Gallman is coming off a school record-setting season, 1,500-yard season for Clemson. Auburn is high on Kerryon Johnson but he had only 52 carries as a freshman, vaulting to the starting spot when Jovon Robinson was kicked off the team in preseason camp.GETTING DEFENSIVE: Auburn has struggled defensively in recent seasons but Steeles side of the ball might be the teams strength. Veteran defenders Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams and Johnathan Ford are all back and joined by Illinois graduate transfer T.J. Neal at linebacker.---AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli contributed to this report.Minnesota Vikings Jerseys Sale . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Kirk Cousins Vikings Jersey For Sale . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. http://www.fansvikingsteamstore.com/fran-tarkenton-vikings-jersey.html . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Kirk Cousins Jersey Cheap . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Authentic Adrian Peterson Vikings Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The young Seattle Mariners are glad to be going home after a solid road trip. Joe Saunders pitched seven efficient innings and Nick Franklin and Justin Smoak each homered to lift the Mariners to a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Seattle won four of six on its brief road swing, taking two of three against both Texas and Cincinnati. "It was a real good road trip," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "You play Texas team that has 50 wins on the road and here the same thing. Its fun to see the light come on with the younger guys." Franklin hit Arroyos 10th pitch of the game 380 feet into the right field seats for his sixth home run of the season and second in the first inning in three games. He hit a two-run homer on Friday off of Mike Leake, also in the first inning. Smoak extended the lead to 3-0 with a two-run drive into the left field seats on the first pitch he saw from Arroyo with two outs in the third inning. The 378-foot shot, which followed Kyle Seagers one-out walk, was Smoaks seventh. The Mariners got key home runs in the first inning of all three games. Franklin hit a two-run home run off Mike Leake on Friday. Kyle Seager hit a two-run homer off Mat Latos Saturday. Franklins solo home run Sunday got Seattle off to a fast start. "I was down two strikes just trying to make contact the best I can," said Franklin, the Mariners first pick in the 2009. The second basemans contract was selected from Tacoma on May 27. Smoak added to the lead to allow the veteran Saunders room to work. "Smoak is one of those that the light is coming on. To drive the ball the other way, shows he is getting better," Wedge said. Smoak is more concerned with driving in runners in scoring position than home runs. "Its been dreadful getting runners home from scoring position," Smoak said. "Thats number one for me. I feel great at the plate but it I need to get those guys across home plate." The third-year first baseman was hitting .133 with runners in scoring position when the game started. A day after the Reds scored 13 runs, they managed just six hits and a run off Saunders. The left-hander allowed only two base runners to reach third in the first six innings and retired 11 consecutive batters before Chris Heisey doubled into the left field corner with one out in the fifth inning. Saunders (7-8) walked none and struck out two while winning back-to-back starts forr the first time this season.dddddddddddd "I felt good," Saunders said. "They (Reds) have some guys that can hurt you so you have to keep the ball down," Saunders said. Charlie Furbush pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Tom Wilhelmsen was perfect in the ninth for his 18th save, helping the Mariners improve to 10-2 against the Reds since interleague play began in 1997. The Reds went down in order in six of their nine innings. The Reds broke up the shutout bid in the seventh with back-to-back one-out doubles by Todd Frazier and Heisey before Saunders finished his day by getting Ryan Hanigan and pinch-hitter Derrick Robinson to ground out. "Heisey hit a good pitch," Saunders said. "(Pitching coach) Carl (Willis) came out and just said, refocus and keep the ball down. Thats what I did. I used my sinker." Bronson Arroyo (7-7) overcame a 32-pitch first inning to complete six, allowing five hits and three runs with one walk and six strikeouts. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. Neither Arroyo nor his manager Dusty Baker were surprised by the show of power by the youthful Mariners. "It didnt surprise me," Arroyo said. "They had a bunch of unknown guys. We dont see a lot of the American League, especially the West. They came out and hit the ball out of the ballpark." "We knew coming in that that would be a key," Baker said. "Home runs are a big part of their offence. We couldnt get anything going. We hit the ball a lot harder than the scorebook showed. We didnt have a lot to show for it." NOTES: Franklins home run was the club-record 235th allowed by Arroyo in his eight seasons with the Reds. He went into the game tied with former LHP Tom Browning for the record. ... It was the Mariners 22nd first-inning homer this season, most in the majors. ... Raul Ibanez extended his hitting streak to 12 games (18 for 50, .360) with a first-inning single to left. ... The Reds left after their 4-2 homestand on a seven-game road trip, starting with three at Milwaukee. ... RHP Homer Bailey, who threw a no-hitter against the Giants on Tuesday, will try to match Johnny Vander Meers 1938 feat of no-hitters in back-to-back starts. ... After going 4-2 on their road trip, the Mariners are scheduled to open a seven-game homestand with four against Boston. All-Star pitchers Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are the Mariners projected starters on Monday and Tuesday. ' ' '