NEWS » ens had of ending the leagues longest win streak.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginias players are coming off a last-second loss that stretched their road losing streak to 17, but the Cavaliers feel they are on the cusp of ending the skid.Their next chance comes Saturday when they host Central Michigan (3-0).We get more hungry each game because we know were almost there, defensive end Andrew Brown, coming off his best college game with 3 1/2 tackles for loss and a sack, said this week. Weve just got to make it happen.Virginia lost 13-10 at Connecticut last Saturday when backup placekicker Alex Furbank, playing in the first football game of his career, missed a 20-yard field goal that would have forced overtime as time expired.New Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall isnt letting players hang their heads. Brown said he does things at team meetings to keep the attitude upbeat, like showing video of funny plays that happened.But center and co-captain Jackson Matteo said the coach is not all happy talk.Coach Mendenhall always says its up to us, he said. When everyone chooses to collectively put everything towards every single practice, deliberate practice, those practices will lead to the game and when we get to the game it will be second nature to us. Well just go out there. Well just play. Its going to be so special.The Chippewas, of the Mid-American Conference, impressed their coach John Bonamego last week by following up their last-second victory at Oklahoma State with another focused effort in a 44-21 win against UNLV.Its very important to be able to handle success, especially as you start to string these together, Bonamego said. It becomes very easy to maybe kind of be intoxicated you success or maybe let up a little bit.Quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 352 yards and six touchdowns on just 20 completions in the rout.Bonamego, though, has also been impressed by what hes seen from Virginia.A wounded animal is always the most dangerous, the coach, in his second season at his alma mater, said. Im sure theyll pull out all stops and well be prepared for anything and everything.---Some other things to watch when Central Michigan visits Virginia:OPPOSITES ATTRACT: The Chippewas will arrive averaging 41 points and allowing just 17 per game, both in the top 30 nationally. Virginia allows 31.3 points and scores 18.7 per game.DEFENSIVE TEST: Virginia struggled in its first two games adapting to Mendenhalls 3-4 defensive alignment before rallying against the Huskies. A high-powered offense with a veteran quarterback in Rush will provide a test, but Mendenhall said after scouting the Chippewas, the focus went completely back, and its on us. Rush has 78 career touchdown passes and 12 300-plus yard passing games in his career.KICKING: Furbank, a former soccer player at Division III Randolph-Macon, was forced into duty with regular kicker Dylan Sims nursing a groin injury. Sims still handled kickoffs, and Furbank made a 23-yard field goal and an extra point, but missed the crucial kick at the end when Virginia had to rush to even get the kick off. Mendenhall said when Sims is healthy again, the two will continue competing against each other on a weekly basis.PENALTIES: Mendenhall wasnt exactly thrilled when his team was not called for a single penalty it its opener, viewing the number as representing and absence of aggression. He hasnt been exactly happy in the two games since, either: The Cavaliers have been called for 10 penalties in each for a total of 193 yards.THIRTY-ONE YEARS: Central Michigan, 0-13 against ACC programs, is seekings its first 4-0 start since the 1985 season when Bonamego was a walk-on wide receiver and backup quarterback. That team went on to finish 7-3.---Online: The APs college football page: http://collegefootbal.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjrJawaan Taylor Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Telvin Smith Jaguars Jersey . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/Youth-Taven-Bryan-Elite-Jersey/ . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Nick Foles Jaguars Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Gardner Minshew II Youth Jersey . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Midway through the second quarter Sunday, down 7-0 following two straight penalties by his talk-of-the-NFL offensive line, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott faced a first-and-30 at his own 28 and thought he was in pretty good shape.It might actually be easier at that point, the unflappable rookie said a couple hours later. You know, your mentality is just to get a little bit at a time, check it down and let your guys do what they do. When you can just focus on the next play, the next throw, trust the guys around you to make the blocks ... thats when it gets fun.A 12-yard Prescott scramble, a 12-yarder to Dez Bryant on the skinny post, a 41-yard bomb to Brice Butler on the sideline, and the first-and-30 was a memory. The Cowboys first touchdown of the game was moments away. Their ninth straight win was in motion. No ones having more fun right now than Prescott & Co.The game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and their top-ranked defense was a potential pothole on the Cowboys improbable road to the postseason. Baltimore had a plan for the Cowboys dazzling rookies. They were going to plug up the middle with Brandon Williams and the big guys on their defensive line, cutting things off for Ezekiel Elliott. They were going to blitz off the edges and rattle Prescott. The Cowboys knew it was coming, and they knew it was going to be rough.I wouldnt say we were specifically looking forward to it, Elliott said.Whats amazing about Sunday, as the latest chapter in a season not even the most starry-eyed Cowboys fan saw coming, is that Baltimore did what it set out to do. It?limited Elliott to 26 yards on six carries in the first half. It rattled Prescott, who was admittedly off with several throws early in the game. The Ravens wanted to be tough and physical and mean with the Cowboys, and they did just that. They had the Cowboys kryptonite, and they were using it effectively.The Cowboys beat them anyway.I knew we were going to wear them down because we have a physical team too, and we believe in our physicality, Prescott said. Theyre physical. I give them credit for that. They came out and shut our run game down early on. But we believe in our physicality.The Cowboys self-belief is something to behold. They didnt care that the Ravens were smothering them early. They didnt care that Elliott couldnt get it going. They absolutely knew they were going to dominate the second half, and dominate it they did, possessing the ball for a ludicrous 20:09 of 30 second-half minutes and choking off any hope the Ravens had of ending the leagues longest win streak.Baltimore is the kind of team that should give the Cowboys trouble. The Cowboys took their best shot and shrugged it off.They definitely didnt become unstoppable, Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley said. We played top--down defense in the passing game.dddddddddddd And they do checkdowns, like 10 yards per pop. Its kind of hard. You dont want to give up the big play, and they check it down.Relentlessly. Over and over again. As if they dont care what kind of kryptonite you brought.The most incredible thing about what Dallas is doing is that its leaning so hard on the rookies. Defenses are supposed to be able to rattle rookies and get them off their game. But Elliott and Prescott dont rattle. They believe.I never get antsy, said Elliott, who rushed 25 times for 97 yards and was held under 4.0 yards per carry for the first time since his Week 1 NFL debut. Because I know were going to get into the fourth quarter and run the ball, no matter what. They were keying on the run early on, and you saw we were struggling a little bit, but its a four-quarter game.Perspective from rookies. Confidence from rookies. Total faith from rookies -- in their linemen, their coaches and the entire group around them. Thats the way you win when you build around rookies. You convince them theyre in control. You make it clear to the rookie quarterback that its his team, even now that Tony Romo is in uniform on the sideline for the first time all season. You get the rookies to buy into the idea that sticking to the plan will work, no matter how it feels throughout the first quarter and deep into the second. Then you pile up wins as proof, and theres basically no stopping you.Logic says someone will beat these Cowboys again. The Dallas defense doesnt scare anyone, which is why keeping it off the field for two-thirds of the second half is such a brilliant plan. The offense doesnt generate a lot of big plays (perhaps simply because it doesnt need to). Rookies always get tired as the season goes along, and there are six games left in this Cowboys season, the first of which is four days away. Logic says theres a hiccup looming somewhere.But logic said the Cowboys would have a hard time with the Ravens on Sunday. And they kind of did. And they won?kind of?easily anyway.The Ravens wanted to beat this team, giddy owner Jerry Jones said. We hadnt beaten them since theyve been the Ravens. It was all there for them to come here and set us back. That makes it all the more impressive to get the win. Thats a top NFL franchise that we beat today. Im impressed.Watching the Cowboys every week, its hard to not be. Since the Giants won by a point in Week 1, no team has shown that the Cowboys can be beaten. Baltimore had a plan and executed it and lost anyway.If theres any kryptonite out there for these Cowboys, its going to have to be different stuff than what the Ravens brought Sunday. That didnt work. ' ' '