s good," Seager said. "In that situation I

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Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Familiarity breeds friendship even more than contempt. When the University of Delaware fired highly successful head coach K.C. Keeler after the 2012 season, he says one of the first people to reach out to him and offer assistance was Villanovas Andy Talley, whom for 11 seasons he would go head-to-head against regularly in CAA Football. While Keeler spent last year out of coaching, Talley invited Keeler to visit with Talley and his coaching staff at Villanova, watch film, even attend practice. I unnerved their players a little bit and Andy tried to explain, Hes not the enemy anymore. Keeler looks back on it today. But Andys been a friend for a long time. When I was a Division III coach (at Rowan), I spent a lot of time over there watching what his teams did. Saturday, the two veteran coaches will be friendly rivals again, and this time the stakes are high. Keeler is bringing his Sam Houston State squad east from Texas to take on Villanova in the FCS national quarterfinals. The two programs are meeting for the first time. There is not a lot of familiarity between the competing programs within a quarterfinal round that is quite intersectional this year. Chattanooga and New Hampshire also are squaring off for the first time, while Coastal Carolina and North Dakota State met for the first time in last years playoffs. Illinois State and Eastern Washington fill the role of old rivals, meeting for the third time. Contempt? OK, maybe there will be some of that, too, during the action this weekend. FCS PREDICTIONS Last Weeks Record (Including SWAC): 7-2 (.778) This Seasons Record: 640-191 (.770) X-Predicted Winner FCS Playoff Quarterfinals All Times ET Friday, Dec. 12 No. 8 seed Chattanooga (10-3) at No. 1 seed New Hampshire (11-1) Kickoff: 8 p.m. (ESPN2) What to Know: The Friday night spotlight belongs to two red-hot teams who have never met before. Chattanooga has won seven straight games - its longest streak since 1968 - and New Hampshire has captured a school-record 11 consecutive wins. Between the two, they have only one loss against an FCS opponent (Chattanooga to Jacksonville State). Top-seeded New Hampshire is attempting to reach the national semifinals for the second consecutive year. The Wildcats were the No. 1 seed in 2005 when they lost in the quarterfinals to Northern Iowa. The Wildcats have won 13 straight games at Cowell Stadium, affectionately known as The Dungeon, and this season, they have won in dominant fashion there. The CAA Football champions have kept seven of their last nine opponents to under 20 points. Thats not the traditional method of winning in Durham, but the 4-2-5 defense has been strong against the pass and is balanced overall, with six players above 50 tackles but none higher than linebacker Akil Andersons 70 stops. The Wildcats have terrific size on their defensive line (the four starters average 6-foot-2, 275 pounds) and their defense had six sacks in the first nine minutes and nine overall in their 44-19 second-round victory over high-scoring Fordham. With running back Nico Steriti (four touchdowns against Fordham) healthy again, the UNH spread offense can achieve exceptional balance. Fellow back Jimmy Owens suffered a season-ending knee injury last Saturday, but sophomore Dalton Crossan could see some time and take pressure off quarterback Sean Goldrich, who would get to concentrate on delivering passes to All-American wide receiver R.J. Harris (87 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns) and athletic tight end Harold Spears. Chattanooga, the Southern Conference champion, is coming off a 35-14 second- round win over Indiana State that was their first ever in the playoffs, and, like New Hampshire, they wear down opponents. The Mocs smothered the Sycamores by controlling the clock for nearly 43 minutes. Their average time of possession of 33 minutes, 21 seconds ranks fourth in the FCS. Junior quarterback Jacob Huesman is soaring at a high level of play as he leads a multiple offense. Hes accounted for 3,312 yards and 34 total touchdowns, and is a two-time SoCon offensive player of the year. Thats one fewer time than defensive end Davis Tull has earned SoCon defensive player of the year honors. Indiana State did everything to avoid the senior All-American, who has 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks this season. That meant the Sycamores went the way of freshman cornerback Lucas Webb, who gained his team-high seventh takeway with an interception. The Mocs, who also feature All-SoCon defensive tackle Derrick Lott, rank fifth in the FCS in allowing just 273.8 yards per game. The winner will advance to face either Illinois State or Eastern Washington. Prediction: This is a game between two evenly matched teams. New Hampshire has the better offense; Chattanooga has the stronger defense. New Hampshire, 28-27. Saturday, Dec. 13 No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina (12-1) at No. 2 seed North Dakota State (12-1) Kickoff: Noon (ESPN) What to Know: Many of the visiting Chanticleers have the important experience of playing at the Fargodome in last years national quarterfinals, albeit in a 48-14 defeat. The worst news for them might be the fact North Dakota State is coming off a second-round scare. After needing to rally past South Dakota State, 27-24, with a last-minute touchdown last Saturday, the Bison figure to play with additional focus. The Bison, who are eyeing an unprecedented fourth straight FCS championship, have won 21 straight home games since 2012 - the second year of their title run. The Missouri Valley power piled up 623 yards of offense in last years win over Coastal Carolina, although this years offense isnt nearly as strong. The passing game has been up and down, so opposing defenses key themselves on stopping three-time 1,000-yard running back John Crockett, who has 1,527 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Crocketts backups, King Frazier and Chase Morlock, and quarterback Carson Wentz, who is terrific on running the draw, make it a multi-faceted run game that averages 231 yards an outing. The Bison defense that surrenders only 12.5 points per game remains the strength of the team. When defensive end Kyle Emanuel (28 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks) is blowing past offensive linemen, it makes the Bison better in every way. The unit has now played a playoff game without injured linebacker Travis Beck, so it figures to improve off a performance against South Dakota State that wasnt bad yet was average by Bison standards. Linebacker Carlton Littlejohn, their tackle leader each of the last two seasons, played his best in the postseason a year ago. Behind ball-hawking safeties Colten Heagle and Christian Dudzik (58 career starts), 14 different Bison have combined on 25 takeaways. Coastal has scored at least 30 points in all but one game this season. The Chanticleers ran a school-record 95 plays in their 36-15 second-round win over Richmond last Saturday. Dual-threat quarterback Alex Ross, already the schools all-time passing leader as a junior, is even more effective when running back DeAngelo Henderson (1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns on 6.6 yards per carry) stretches a defense with his speed. They have an offensive line, led by All- American left tackle Chad Hamilton and center Kevin Hart, in which all five starters have made all 13 starts this season. Much of Richmonds offensive production came after Coastal had the game in hand, so the Chants athletic defense is primed for a big effort. Senior linebacker Quinn Backus, who will be all over the field, is a three-time Big South defensive player of the year with 433 career tackles to rank 16th in FCS history. Their defensive line will have to rely on speed to compensate for a lack of size against the Bison offensive linemen. NDSUs special teams are among the nations best, but Coastals are quite strong, too, behind kickoff returner Devin Brown, place-kicker Alex Catron and holder/punter Austin Cain, who is 7-for-7 on two-point tries in his career. The winner will face either Sam Houston State or Villanova in the national semifinals. Prediction: The Chanticleers are an impressive 3-3 all-time against Top 5 opponents, but they are playing NDSU in the wrong week. North Dakota State, 31-17. Sam Houston State (10-4) at No. 6 seed Villanova (11-2) Kickoff: 1:04 p.m. (ESPN3) What to Know: The first meeting between these two programs is also Sam Houstons first game against a CAA team. The national runner-up in 2011 and 12 has rallied from a 1-3 start to the season - including a blowout loss to Colorado State-Pueblo to end a 23-game home winning streak - with wins in 10 of its last 11 games. The Bearkats are the only non-seeded team remaining in the playoffs after they defeated both fellow Southland Conference co-champion Southeastern Louisiana and then Ohio Valley Conference champion Jacksonville State, the No. 3 seed. Villanova has only two losses by one point each, but the Wildcats were stretched far by Liberty, facing their biggest deficit of the season (13 points) and trailing by eight in the fourth quarter before they won, 29-22. Coach Andy Talley is in the minority of coaches who have a winning record against Sam Houstons K.C. Keeler, his old rival from the University of Delaware. Sam Houston has come on to play relatively clean, as Keeler puts it - without mental miscues and penalties. Instead, the Bearkats utilize their team speed to force opponents into mistakes. Although leading rusher Keshawn Hill (1,049 yards, 18 TDs) has been slowed by injury in the postseason, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jared Johnson will spread the ball to key transfers, running backs Jalen Overstreet (Texas) and Donavan Williams (ASA College), and wide receiver LaDarius Brown (TCU). Johnson still needs to be a more accurate passer, but his ability to leave the pocket and get to the open field for large chunks of yards will keep Villanovas defense honest. The Bearkats defense has grown up considerably in the postseason, shutting out Jacksonville State in the second half last Saturday. Senior safety Michael Wade (111 tackles) is the veteran leader and joins tackle Sione Latu as the units only returning starters. Cornerback Trenier Orr, a transfer from Cincinnati with five takeaways, and freshman defensive end P.J. Hall have developed into terrific players. The Bearkats will have their eyes focused on Villanova quarterback John Robertson. The junior has provided terrific balance to the offense. Hes rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons and this year hes combined it with 218.9 passing yards per game and 35 touchdowns versus only three interceptions for 301.8 total yards per outing. The Wildcats will try to deal with Sam Houstons speed by grinding out drives with running back Kevin Monangai (team-high 14 touchdowns) mixed in with Robertsons exploits. Poppy Livers has been the teams leading receiver all season, but the big-play ability of Kevin Gulyas (26 receptions, 664 yards, nine TDs) makes a big difference, as it did against Liberty. By playing a 3-3-5 defense which Keeler describes as chaos, Villanova has a secondary that is fortified by the likes of safety Joe Sarnese (four interceptions) and cornerback Jason Ceneus (seven takeaways). But Sam Houston thinks run first, so linebacker Don Cherry needs to get back to his early season dominance. Opposing teams average only 103.3 rushing yards per game against the Wildcats, and Liberty managed just 64 yards on 37 carries. The advantage in special teams goes to Sam Houston. A deficiency in the kicking game haunted Nova in its two losses. The winner will advance to play either Coastal Carolina or North Dakota State in the national semifinals. Prediction: Asserting control through the offensive line is huge here. Villanova wears Sam Houston down. Villanova, 28-21. No. 5 seed Illinois State (11-1) at No. 4 seed Eastern Washington (11-2) Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. (ESPN3) What to Know: Illinois States last trip to the playoffs in 2012 ended with a 51-35 loss at Eastern Washington. The host Eagles are seeking their fourth trip to the national semifinals in the last five seasons, beginning with their 2010 national championship team. With quarterback Tre Roberson and running back Marshaun Coprich starring together nearly every game, Illinois State is accustomed to starting strong. The Redbirds have scored on their first series seven times and outscored opponents 117-20 in the first quarter. Working behind a physical offensive line pays dividends. Robersons 274.2 total yards per game, 157.0 passing efficiency, 25 touchdown passes and 200 points responsible for all rank No. 1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Coprich, the conferences offensive player of the year, is averaging 152.6 rushing yards per game and has yet to be held under 100 yards through 12 games. He figures to produce first downs against Eastern Washingtons inconsistent defense. The Redbirds allowed only 127 yards in the first three quarters of their 41-21 win over Northern Iowa in the second round. But after starting the season strong, the Redbirds havent been at quite the same level since then (12.9- point average in the first seven games; 27.8-point average in the last five). Thats a big concern against an Eastern Washington offense that scores at will (44 points per game). It was actually Eastern Washington quarterback Kyle Padron (six touchdown passes) and not then-redshirt freshman Vernon Adams Jr. who fueled the playoff win over Illinois State in 2012. But current Eagles standouts Quincy Forte (116 yards on seven carries) and Ronnie Hamlin (10 tackles, one interception) both played big parts in the win. For Illinois State, its all about containing Adams because theres little hope of shutting him down. Hes thrown for 3,058 yards and 32 touchdowns in only nine games this season and leads an offense that is 20 points shy of the school and Big Sky single-season records of 592 points. The Eagles have allowed 41 sacks, so Adams might find it difficult to get out of the pocket with Redbirds pass rushers Teddy Corwin and David Perkins flying at him from the edge of the 4-3 front. But Adams has plenty of passing targets and his comfort zone is sophomore wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who is nearing his second straight 100- catch season. The Eagles defense is coming off a strong performance against Montana in the second round - a 37-20 win when it forced three turnovers. Roberson likes to look deep to his receivers, so safety Tevin McDonald will play a big part in double coverage of the Redbirds various targets. The winner will advance to face either Chattanooga or Villanova in the national semifinals. Prediction: Illinois States MO is playing ahead. The Redbirds need that against Eastern Washington and Adams may not let them do that. Eastern Washington, 38-35. Terry Rozier Jersey . - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. Walter Brown Jersey . LeBron James leads the Miami Heat in a quest for three consecutive championship titles, while Tim Duncan looks to add his fifth ring with the San Antonio Spurs when the series tips off with Game 1: Miami @ San Antonio on Thursday, June 5 at 9 p. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/ ... ge-Jersey/. The Islanders own the fifth pick in the 2014 draft but had until June 1 to decide whether to keep it or defer to 2015. The selection was packaged in the teams deal for Thomas Vanek on October 27, 2013. Gordon Hayward Jersey . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right. Jayson Tatum Jersey . -- Theres nothing like winning to bring hope for a struggling team.SEATTLE -- Learning that former Padres Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn had died completely changed Chris Youngs outlook on pitching against his former team. "I think any fun about pitching against them disappeared this morning with the news of Tony passing," the Mariners right-hander said after Seattles 5-1 win over San Diego on Monday night. "My condolences go out to his family, the Padres organization, the city of San Diego. He meant a lot to everyone there and Im grateful I had the opportunity to work with him and get to know him." The loss capped a sombre day for the Padres organization. Gwynn, 54, died Monday morning of oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. "Even though were away from San Diego I think the Mariners did a good job of putting Tony out there," Padres manager Bud Black said. Kyle Seager hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Brad Miller added a solo shot, and Young threw six shutout innings against his former team. San Diego was on the verge of being shut out by Young (6-4) and a pair of relievers until Carlos Quentin hit a solo homer leading off the ninth. But Gwynn was on everyones mind at Safeco Field. Seattle honoured Gwynn with a video tribute and moment of silence before the game and put a 19 on the dirt in the hole between the shortstop and third baseman. Gwynn called that the "5.5 hole" and many of his 3,141 hits went through it. San Diego added black armbands to its uniform in honour of Gwynn, and his No. 19 jersey hung in the Padres dugout. His jersey also was scattered among fans in attendance. "He is the city of San Diego. You talk Padres baseball, Tony Gwynn is everything there," Young said. Seagers homer came on a 3-0 pitch from San Diego starter Tyson Ross (6-6). Coming off a 4-for-4 performance on Sunday, Seager was given the green light and hit his 10th homer of the season. Miller followed with a ssolo homer an inning later.dddddddddddd. Robinson Cano added an RBI double as Seattle scored all five runs in the first two innings. Seager leads Seattle in home runs and has seven hits in his last 10 at-bats with six RBIs. James Jones also stole three bases and scored twice for Seattle. "Its a good feeling that the skipper has confidence in you, thats always good," Seager said. "In that situation I had seen a couple of pitches ... when you get the opportunity you have to make sure you capitalize and get a ball in the air. Young was once an All-Star for the Padres and has become a valuable acquisition since joining Seattle at the end of spring training. After losing his last two starts, Young gave up two hits in the first inning and then cruised. He retired 16 of the final 19 batters he faced, giving up a pair of singles and issuing one walk. He matched his season high with six strikeouts. Joe Beimel, who gave up the final home run in Gwynns career, pitched one inning of relief for Seattle. Tom Wilhelmsen then got the final six outs, but couldnt complete the shutout giving up Quentins third homer of the season. Ross had allowed only one homer in his previous six starts, but struggled all night. He walked a career-high seven and at least one in every inning. Ross pitched into the sixth inning and helped save the Padres bullpen. "My command wasnt very sharp tonight," Ross said. "I kind of grinded through some innings there and overall just wasnt in the strike zone early and often enough." NOTES: Young has now faced all 30 teams in the majors. ... Seattle hopes to send injured 1B Justin Smoak (quad) out on a rehab assignment Wednesday. Corey Hart (hamstring) and Michael Saunders (shoulder) could join Smoak on rehab assignments by the end of the week. ... In 11 career games against Seattle, Gwynn hit .261 (12 for 46) with three doubles and four RBIs. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '