face the 49ers in as many games.Raiders for realIm go

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After an excruciating, exhilarating overtime win at Wisconsin, Ohio State began preparing on Monday to play in another loud, hostile environment.Penn States Beaver Stadium, with a capacity of more than 106,000, is known as one of the toughest places to play in the country. Add that its a Saturday night and the annual white-out game -- when fans dress in all white -- and it will be all the more raucous.With about 20,000 more people there, the decibel level may exceed that of Camp Randall Stadium, where the Buckeyes defense silenced the crowd with a game-ending sack of Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook in overtime Saturday night to win 30-23.The last time Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) played at Beaver Stadium was another nail-biter. Quarterback J.T. Barrett scored two touchdowns in overtime, and the Buckeyes escaped with a 31-24 double-overtime win in 2014. They went on to win the national championship.Penn State (4-2, 2-1) is off to a 4-0 start at home and has won 10 of its last 11 there dating back to last season.(I) wish they saved the white-outs for other games, but I guess they used it for our game, coach Urban Meyer said Monday. Its one of the top five atmospheres, again, in college football.Linebacker Chris Worley, who experienced the atmosphere at Penn State two years ago, is trying to help prepare the younger players for the hostile stadiums.Camp Randall was a crazy place, and Penn State is a crazy place as well, Worley said. For me, Im pretty prepared and I know what to expect. Theres some guys who think they know what to expect, and its not going to be what they think.Barrett carried the load again against Wisconsin, his demeanor so steady at all times that one couldnt tell by looking at him whether his team was winning or losing. He put the Buckeyes ahead in OT with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Noah Brown. He ran for two more, becoming Ohio States all-time leader in touchdowns (rushing and passing). He rushed for 92 yards in the 30-23 win and was named Big Ten co-offensive player of the week.Im just trying to win games around here, honestly, he said. Records are good and all, and maybe Ill appreciate them more when Im 40 or 50, but right now I dont think records really matter if we dont win.For the second time in a row, Ohio States passing game was slightly off-kilter, with Barrett hitting his biggest passes on improvised plays after he was chased out of the pocket and scrambling. But nobody seems to be panicking.Were OK, Meyer said. Were going to get keep getting better at it. Hes a very good passer. When youre the No. 1 quarterback in the history of Ohio State University, youre doing OK.Barrett said its just a matter of working more on timing with receivers.WHAT PENALTY?: Meyer griped about the penalty called on him for sideline interference in the second quarter against Wisconsin. A referee struck him in the head while wind-milling to keep the clock running. Meyer said the ref barely grazed his headset and that it shouldnt have been an infraction.That broke my heart, Meyer said. To put your players in a 15-yard penalty for that in a big game. Some will say, `Well, thats just the rule. Get rid of the (darn) rule. Thats not a good rule.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy Nike Zoom Clearance . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Nike Air Zoom Cheap . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. http://www.nikezoomclearance.com/ . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Nike Air Zoom Outlet . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Nike Zoom Wholesale . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013.As the leaves continue to fall and the weather turns distinctly colder, our attention starts to drift towards the NFL play-offs run as we dream of our team making it to the post-season dance. If your team is in the middle of the pack at the moment, fear not - they could make a run at the right time of the year and reach the play-offs. This time last year, Washington, Kansas City, Houston, Pittsburgh and Seattle did not have winning records yet all of them made the play-offs.Which leads me to the first of the six headlines that caught my eye in NFL Week 9. Expect the unexpectedIf the 2016 NFL season has taught us anything through its first nine weeks, it would be to expect the unexpected. Just look at how the fortunes of several teams have fluctuated over the first half of this season. A collection of fails, funnies and odd moments from Week Nine Minnesota were the darlings of the league at 5-0 but have since lost three in a row, New Orleans started 0-3 but have evened up their record at 4-4, the New York Giants have won three in a row, Miami have fought back from 1-4 to 4-4 with three consecutive victories and Pittsburgh, who were once in control of the AFC North at 4-1, are now tied at the top with Baltimore at 4-4 after dropping their last three.There are plenty of other examples of teams either turning things around or hitting the skids. Philadelphia have lost four of their last five, Detroit are back in the division race in the NFC North with a 5-4 mark - and can we rule Carolina out after they improved to 3-5 with a win in Los Angeles on Sunday night?Super Stafford does the businessThe Detroit Lions have trailed in the fourth quarter of every game this season yet they have a winning record of 5-4 and quarterback Matthew Stafford is a big reason for their dramatic successes this term. Highlights of the Detroit Lions win over the Minnesota Vikings And they dont come much more dramatic than Sundays 22-16 overtime win over Minnesota. Stafford just never knows when he is beaten and was undaunted when the Vikings took a 16-13 lead with 23 seconds left, even though the Lions were without a time-out.Stafford hit Andre Roberts on a 27-yard connection and raced to the line to spike the ball and stop the clock with two seconds remaining. Matt Prater kicked a monster 58-yard field goal that would have been good from 68 and Stafford fired the overtime winner 28 yards to Golden Tate to secure an improbable victory.But improbable victories are nothing new for Stafford and when a quarterback performs like that, the belief is infectious. You can see how the Lions, like their offensive leader, never quite know when they are done and certainly dont have any quit in them.Jay rumbles onA third straight 200-yard rushing day at the office was unlikely for British-born running back Jay Ajayi given that the Miami Dolphins were facing the leagues top-ranked run defence in the New York Jets. Highlights of the Miami Dolphins win over the New York Jets But Jay - who was born in London and also lived in Essex before moving to the United States - more than played his part once again as Miami recorded a 27-23 win. Ajayi rushed for 111 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries and the Dolphins seem intent on building their attack around him.The powerhouse rusher gives his team an emotional and energetic jolt every time he touches the football and his late first down runs allowed Miami to ice a hard-fought contest and escape with the win.Eagles miss their chanceThere is a fine line between winning and losing in thee NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles discovered that in painful fashion on Sunday as they fell to a 28-23 defeat against the New York Giants.ddddddddddddEagles head coach Doug Pederson twice rolled the dice and went for it on fourth-and-short when field goals were available. The issue I have is not with going for it as Pederson did, but in the plays he called in those crucial moments. Highlights of the New York Giants win over the Philadelphia Eagles The first failure saw quarterback Carson Wentz trapped in the backfield on a read-option run and the second saw a run into the line on fourth-and-one from arguably the smallest player on the field in Darren Sproles.That failure was especially painful for the Eagles as it came just moments after Sproles was inches away from a huge punt return touchdown. He was pushed out of bounds in desperate fashion by the diving Keenan Robinson, saving seven points for the Giants.The Eagles also had a field goal blocked and still almost won the game late on, which was remarkable when you consider how many points they left on the field in a close contest.Niners embarrass themselvesThe San Francisco 49ers squad continues to tarnish the good name of one of the most successful franchises in NFL history.Colin Kaepernick threw for close to 400 yards but dont be fooled into thinking he is the heir apparent to Joe Montana and Steve Young - he still threw some terrible passes, including an ill-advised interception that set up one of several touchdowns in a 41-23 victory for New Orleans. Highlights of the New Orleans Saints win over the San Francisco 49ers But dont be fooled into thinking Kaepernick is the main problem in San Francisco. He is not, and although he is inconsistent and frustrating at times, it looks like he can do enough to get this team competitive, providing he has help from the defence.Unfortunately, this 49ers defence couldnt tackle a crossword and is truly terrible. The Niners came into this game allowing an NFL-worst 185 rushing yards per game and the Saints rumbled all over them to the tune of 248 yards on the ground. Mark Ingram rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown, becoming the seventh 100-yard rusher to face the 49ers in as many games.Raiders for realIm going to ignore my own warning at the top of this column about how quickly things can change in the NFL by telling you that I think the Oakland Raiders are for real and ready to last the course of the season in the AFC.That was a statement win on Sunday Night Football as the silver and black recorded a 30-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in a fight for top spot in the AFC West. What I liked most about the win was that the previously pass-happy Raiders got physical with the best defence in the game. Highlights of the Oakland Raiders win over the Denver Broncos Latavius Murray ran hard and effectively behind one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, which featured another Brit in right tackle Menelik Watson. Murrays 114-yard, three-touchdown display showed there is more to this team than an MVP candidate at quarterback in Derek Carr.With that kind of performance available on the ground, an outstanding quarterback at the helm and a 5-0 record on the road thus far, the Raiders could travel anywhere in the play-offs and be considered genuine contenders. For now! Also See: NFL week nine highlights RESULT: Week 10 game choice WATCH: Sunday Blitz Latest standings ' ' '