News » Team Vitality simply did not jell togethe

(STATS) -- For the first time in its 11-year history as a member of the Big Sky, Northern Colorado won it conference opener. It beat the team pegged by both the media and the coaches to win the conference crown despite again struggling mightily to defend the pass.Its not going to get any easier for the Bears on Saturday, as they now visit fourth-ranked Eastern Washington, the FCS top passing team.Northern Colorado (3-1, 1-0) opened this season with a feeling of optimism after returning 17 starters from last years six-win team -- the programs most since it was Division I-AA school in 2003. It set a program FCS-record 687 yards in a 55-52 win at Abilene Christian on Sept. 10 before falling 47-21 to Colorado State of the FBS in its final nonconference tuneup.The Bears caught a bit of a break in last weekends Big Sky opener with Case Cookus, the 2015 STATS FCS Freshman of the Year, out with a shoulder injury for Northern Arizona. They pulled out a 21-18 victory, but it was hardly a thing of beauty.Northern Colorado was outgained 493-263 in total yards while picking up just 40 after halftime. The defense was on its heels most of the second half before coming up with a pair of huge takeaways, recovering two NAU inside its own 5-yard-line in the fourth quarter to escape.Theyre just playing together, Bears coach Earnest Collins said. Its leadership. We got some young leaders and some old leaders. Its the continuity and togetherness and the camaraderie of our team is a lot better than its been in the past.Collins likes the direction his team is heading but realizes it has plenty to clean up, especially on defense.Northern Colorado is 12th in the 13-team Big Sky in total defense, allowing 507.8 yards per game, and has routinely been shredded through the air. It ranks 119th out of 125 FCS schools in pass defense at 324.5 yards per game and is one of only seven teams without an interception.None of that bodes well for trying to contain Gage Gubrud, Cooper Kupp and the high-flying Eagles (4-1, 2-0).Gubrud joined Kupp on the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List on Tuesday after passing for a career-high 486 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions in last Saturdays 63-30 win over UC Davis -- Eastern Washingtons highest-scoring game since 2001. The sophomore quarterback leads the FCS with 1,916 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 2,191 total yards -- 673 more than the next-closest individual.With a nine-yard pass to Kupp in the second quarter, Kupp set the Division I record for career receiving yards. The senior, who wound up catching 12 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns, enters with 5,417 receiving yards. The 2015 STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year also has a Division I-record 63 touchdown catches and his 352 career receptions are second all-time in the FCS to Elons Terrell Hudgins 395.The Bears are no stranger to Kupps exploits.Kupp set a school record with 20 receptions for a career-best 275 yards and three TDs in last Octobers 43-41 victory as EWU improved to 8-0 in the series since the Bears joined the Big Sky.The Eagles Jordan Dascalo hit a 44-yard field goal as time expired after Northern Colorados Michael McCauley had a pair of touchdown catches in a 49-second span to put the Bears ahead with 1:23 to play.It was a battle last year, it was a grinding tough battle here in 2014 and it was a battle down there in our national title year in 2010. It seems like we play competitive battles with them every time, EWU coach Beau Baldwin said. I think coach Collins has a spirit, attitude and a real toughness about him in a great way. I really respect him, and his team emulates him -- there is a toughness, a grit and no fear. Hes done a great job with that program.The ground game has been a big part of the Bears early success, averaging 192 yards to rank third in the Big Sky.Sophomore Trae Riek has amassed 350 yards in the last three games while averaging 5.1 per attempt. He carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards in last seasons matchup and could be primed for a fourth straight 100-yard game going up against an EWU defense that is allowing an average of 218.8 run yards in its last four contests.The thing that we learned from last year is that our kids are starting to believe and understand that we can play with people in this conference, Collins said. We just have to do what were supposed to do and do our job. Cheap NFL Jerseys . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Cheap Football Jerseys . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. https://www.nflcheapjerseysfreeshipping.com/ . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. After an exciting season, the European League Championship Series (LCS) playoff teams are all set. The last week of the summer split determined which teams were headed to the playoffs to fight for the European crown and which would be relegated to the promotional tournament to fight for a berth in next years spring split.After the first day, the placements were guaranteed. Unicorns of Love (UoL) claimed the sixth spot with its five wins, seven ties, five losses and 20 points overall to finish the playoff picture. Schalke 04, Team Vitality, Origen, and Team ROCCAT ended as the bottom four teams for the summer split.Origen and Team Vitality, in particular, were disappointments in the European LCS. Both teams came into the split with plenty of expectations and positive past results. Origen went through a split of turmoil with position changes, player swaps, and the return of Enrique xPeke Cede?o Martinez. Team Vitality simply did not jell together. All four teams stand a strong chance to retain their spots in the next split, but nothing is guaranteed..ddddddddddddighlight match: H2k-Gaming against UoLThis best-of-two was a preview of how playoff games may turn out. Both teams needed either a victory in this match or a loss from the lower teams to further establish its positioning for the playoffs. H2k-Gamings play against UoL seemed relatively straightforward; UoL needed a snipe-out or a big mistake from H2k-Gaming in both games to survive. In the process, UoL showcased their ability to slow the pace of the game and play impressive defense.However, H2k-Gamings performance was an illustration of the average playoff team: solid execution in team fights; pervasive map control and vision; and unrelenting pressure. At the same time, H2k-Gamings occasional overaggression and miscommunication provided a perfect example of what teams should avoid. That said, UoLs resilience in both of its games demonstrated how hotly contested any playoff game will be, regardless of record. ' ' '