DS Talk » too aware that they were suddenly in the game.Thats what

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- No. 13 Iowas only game against an FCS opponent just might be its toughest non-conference challenge of the season.North Dakota State, which visits Iowa City on Saturday, has won five straight national championships and five straight games over FBS teams since 2010. It is the top-ranked team in the Championship Subdivision.But a closer look at the two teams suggests that North Dakota States FBS streak is in serious jeopardy. The five top-tier teams the Bison have upended recently finished with a combined record of just 20-41 -- and only Kansas State in 2013 went on to earn a bowl bid.The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, look ready to compete for a Big Ten title. Iowa has yet to be threatened, outscoring its first two opponents 87-24. The Hawkeyes throttled rival Iowa State by 39 points last weekend -- the biggest win over the Cyclones in Kirk Ferentzs 18 seasons as coach.North Dakota State (2-0) needed a home field and overtime to beat Charleston Southern and Eastern Washington in its first two games.Still, Ferentz knows better than to sleep on a program that he and his players compared more to Wisconsin and Michigan State than any of the FCS teams theyve faced recently.Just look at them on film. Theyre a first-class team, Ferentz said.Here are some of the facts to consider as Iowa hosts the Bison ahead of its nine-game Big Ten schedule:SCOUTING THE BISONQuarterback Easton Stick led the Bison to an 8-0 record while former star Carson Wentz was injured last season, throwing 13 touchdown passes with a completion percentage of 61.2. Stick has thrown for 451 yards with four touchdowns and an interception this season. Lance Dunn keys their rushing attack, with 179 yards on nearly seven yards per carry. The Bison defense looked a bit shaky last week, albeit against a very strong Eastern Washington offense. North Dakota State allowed four TDs in five red-zone trips, escaping 50-44 in OT.Make no mistake. I think this is the best ... in my five years here, (and) the most complete team that the Bison will face, coach Chris Klieman said about Iowa.NOT SO LITTLE KITTLEIowa senior George Kittle came to Iowa City as an undersized wide receiver. These days hes among the most underrated tight end in the country. Kittle, now 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, is a devastating blocker for the Hawkeyes backs. And although Kittle has just 31 career catches, eight have been for touchdowns, including the opening score in last weeks win over Iowa State.Hes one of the most athletic guys on the team, quarterback C.J. Beathard said.BETTER DIowas defense looked sloppy at times in a 45-21 win over Miami (Ohio) in its opener. The Hawkeyes played a much cleaner game last week, holding the Cyclones to 291 yards and forcing Iowa State to go to its backup quarterback after starter Joel Lanning completed just 8 of 20 passes for 86 yards.FRESH MEATNorth Dakota State has a pair of new starting cornerbacks in Jalen Allison and Jaylaan Wimbush. Theyll be tested by Beathard and Matt VandeBerg, who have a unique chemistry after playing together for five years. VandeBerg caught seven passes last week against Iowa State.HE SAID ITThey have a lot of good players. They just dont have 85 of them. Their top 40, I would say, probably is as good as anybodys. -- Ferentz on North Dakota State. The Bison have just 63 scholarships, compared to 85 for FBS teams.---Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP---Online: AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Stitched College Jerseys . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Fake College Jerseys From China . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. https://www.fakecollegejerseys.com/ . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Fake College Basketball Jerseys . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Fake College Football Jerseys . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson had the commemorative helmet and a photographer chronicling his every move. He had even planned to run a symbolic seven miles the night before his shot at a seventh championship.Hes adamant he didnt know something special was coming.Johnson was the worst of the championship contenders in a winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He needed only to beat three other drivers to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as drivers with seven titles, but he was clearly not in the same league as the other finalists Sunday night.Johnson didnt panic, keeping the same calmness hes had for 10 weeks of this historic march. So relaxed before this event, he canceled his short run and instead spent the night eating pasta.And as he chased Carl Edwards, reigning champion Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, it sure seemed like there was not shot at No. 7.Im sure the world felt like anybody but Jimmie Johnson was going to win the championship with 20 to go, and then it changed so quick, Johnson said.Johnson was practically gifted his seventh title when Edwards aggressive attempt to win the championship ended in a wreck. Johnson got the restart of his life in overtime, took the lead on the very last lap of the race, won for the first time in his career at Homestead and grabbed the final Sprint Cup trophy.Most of the race was spent talking about backflips, repeats or a Penske sweep because Johnson just wasnt as good as Edwards, Busch or Logano.Then all that conversation took a back seat to a record-setting -- albeit improbable -- championship run. The win was the 15th for Hendrick Motorsports and seventh for crew chief Chad Knaus, who now only trails Dale Inmans record eight.When I was coming to the checkered flag, I had to really look closely at it going by to make sure it was, `Like is this really happening? Johnson said.Johnsons No. 48 Chevrolet was pulled off pit road by NASCAR shortly before the race and forced to make a last-minute pass through inspection, setting Johnson up for a mind-boggling race in which he never seemed to be a legitimate contender. He had to start last because of the inspection issue and seemingly had no shot until Edwards coughed up the title.Petty welcomed Johnson to the VIP section of NASCARs most exclusive club.They set a goal to get where they are and circumstances and fate made it a reality, Petty said. Jimmie is a great champion and this is really good for our sport.He also was feted by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who represented his late father in victory lane.I told Jimmie I wish Dad was here to shake his hand, Earnhardt said. Dad would think hes such a bad-ass. Hes such a great race car driver. How he won this thing tonight, I dont think a lot of people know, he can will himself to get (his all) out of a car when it matters. Theres a lot of circumstance that played into it, but he put himself in that position.Edwards was in position to win until a caution with 10 laps remaining sset up a wild sequence that ruined his title hopes.dddddddddddd Edwards tried to block Logano on the restart, wound up wrecked, and it was Johnson who drove through the carnage to take the championship lead.Johnson withstood two more restarts and dedicated the final two attempts at the win to the late Ricky Hendrick, who was one of 10 friends and family members killed in a 2004 plane crash.My heart was full because I was thinking of some loved ones like Ricky Hendrick and his influence, he said. Something happened from above.Johnson drove the entire 10-race Chase with a tribute helmet to Earnhardt and Petty, the Hall of Fame drivers hes been chasing since he won his sixth title in 2013. Immediately after the race, he gifted the helmet to three-time champion Tony Stewart, who retired at the end of the race.Drivers have been giving Stewart special helmets the last month, but Johnson had earmarked this one for the driver forever known as Smoke.I promised him Id give him a helmet, I wanted to wait and see if I could give him this one, Johnson said. He doesnt really want it. He said if I want it back, I can have it back, but I promised Id give him a helmet.The title was there for the taking for Edwards until the fateful sequence that changed history.I was racing for my life up to that point, Edwards said. I just pushed the issue as hard as I could because I figured that was the race there. I had to push it, I couldnt go to bed tonight and think that I gave him that lane.The benefactor of Edwards error was Johnson, who darted through the wreck ahead of Busch and Logano. Knaus pumped his fists in joy, all too aware that they were suddenly in the game.Thats what makes a seven-time champion -- someone that fights and battles and digs and never gives up, said four-time champion Jeff Gordon, the teammate who discovered Johnson for Hendrick Motorsports. They keep themselves in position and allowed some of those unfortunate instances to work in their favor. You can say luck, whatever you want to say, but those guys battled. They battled hard.Logano wasnt giving up his effort, though, and headed to pit road to take on new tires for a final restart.This guy on a restart with five laps to go, Ill take him every day of the week, crew chief Todd Gordon said.Logano restarted eighth but was a bull as he pushed his way through traffic and into third place, behind Johnson, after a caution forced another restart.This time, Johnson got the start of his life and jumped into the lead. He didnt look back, only forward at his slice of NASCAR history.They were nowhere all day, and just kind of ran around, I dont know, probably, Id guess sixth, Busch said. Never really showed their hand at all and didnt really show any speed, never really led in the laps until the last one, and thats the only one that really matters.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org ' ' '