Clan-Members » patience as Tannehill learns a new offense -- his thir

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Appalachian St. (9-3, Sun Belt) vs. Toledo (9-3, Mid-American Conference), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)Line: Toledo by 1.Series Record: First meeting.WHATS AT STAKEBoth teams are trying to reach 10 wins and extend bowl success. Appalachian State won this game last year in its first bowl game, while the Rockets are 11-4 in bowl games.KEY MATCHUPAppalachian States defense versus Toledos offense. The Mountaineers rank seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing 17 points per game. The Rockets are averaging 529.8 yards -- which would be a school season mark -- and 38.8 points.PLAYERS TO WATCHAppalachian St.: RB Jalin Moore has run for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns. Backfield mate Marcus Cox has 872 rushing yards and eight TDs.Toledo: QB Logan Woodside leads the nation with 43 touchdown passes. He has thrown for 3,882 yards with only nine interceptions, while completing 69.1 percent of his passes.FACTS & FIGURESAppalachian State won last years Camellia Bowl on Zach Matics field goal as time expired. It was the former FCS powers first bowl game. ... Woodside has thrown for at least three touchdowns in every game this season. ... Both teams have running backs pushing 5,000 career yards. Toledos Kareem Hunt has gained 4,825 yards while Appalachian States Cox needs 40 to reach that milestone. ... Toledos Cody Thompson has 1,170 receiving yards, 24 shy of the schools single-season record held by Lance Moore (1,194 in 2003). ... Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield was Toledos quarterback coach and passing game coordinator in 2009, when Rockets coach Jason Candle was working with the slot receivers and tight ends.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Baltimore Orioles Pro Shop . 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Wholesale Orioles Jerseys . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise.DAVIE, Fla. -- Several days after the Miami Dolphins second exhibition game, coach Adam Gase was still talking about a hit by a pass rusher that flattened Ryan Tannehill as he released a throw.The play made an impression, and not just on Tannehills chest.Ryan stood in there and threw that thing, Gase said. It was a pretty vicious hit, and he popped right back up. I think I learned something there about that guy.Gase and Tannehill have spent the past eight months getting to know each other, and the relationship begins a new phase Sunday when Miami opens the season at Seattle. The Dolphins are counting on the new coach to help their holdover quarterback break through to the elite level and lead them to the playoffs, something Tannehill failed to do in his first four NFL seasons.Gase was hired because of his reputation as a quarterback guru after winning raves for his work with Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning and even Tim Tebow, who led the Denver Broncos to an improbable playoff victory in 2011 when Gase was their quarterbacks coach.At 38, Gase is young enough to be Tannehills backup, or his older brother, and so far the pair has clicked.Weve grown together over the course of the last few months, Tannehill said. Hes a fun coach to be around. Hes fun in the meetings, fun on the field.The Dolphins and Tannehill havent had much fun since they took him in the first round of the 2012 draft. He has 87 touchdown passes but only 29 victories and 35 losses, and his passer rating and completion percentage regressed last year.Everybody feels very confident and very good about Ryan, team owner Stephen Ross said at the start of training camp. He has a lot of capabilities. And you are going to have Adam, who will bring out the best in those capabilities.The toughness that impressed Gase in that exhibition game has never been questioned. Tannehill will start his 65th game in a row Sunday despite being sacked an NFL-high 184 times in the past four years.Another plus is Tannehills work ethic. He immersed himself in Gases offense, doing countless hours of homework away from the team complex and texting the coach with questions and ideas.He makes suggestions, Gase said, and when he doesnt like something, he tells me. That kind of communication is critical, because the last tthing I want to do is put him in a position where he doesnt like what Im calling but doesnt say anything.dddddddddddd. I havent seen that.Tannehills athleticism, arm strength and intelligence also receive high grades, but not his accuracy or leadership.Gase said accuracy hasnt been a problem since he took over. As for leadership, teammates this week voted Tannehill to be one of their two offensive captains, perhaps a sign of the new coachs influence on his quarterback.Gase likes to talk trash, does so with Tannehill and urged the affable Texan to be more assertive in the huddle and in the locker room. Tannehill agreed its time to take charge -- and to take the next step as a quarterback.Coach is constantly pushing me and trying to push my buttons a little bit, Tannehill said. Hes an expert in pushing guys to reach their potential.To help send the signal that its Tannehills offense, Gase has given him more flexibility to change plays, a la Manning. The recently retired quarterback paid a visit to Miamis training camp, not that Gase expects Tannehill to become another Manning at the line of scrimmage.Its not as easy as the guy that I had before made it look, Gase said. You start getting into that chess game, and its mentally draining. Its a lot of work, it takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of experience. Were going to have growing pains.New offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen, who worked with Manning in Indianapolis, also pleads for patience as Tannehill learns a new offense -- his third in five NFL seasons.I always explain to Ryan, `You visit with Peyton, thats 17 years in the same offense, Christensen said. He ended up with a doctorate, but there were a lot of years of elementary school.Now Tannehills teacher is a first-year head coach. Theyll learn together, and succeed or fail together. The Dolphins biggest question is where the relationship is headed, and Gase and Tannehill believe they know the answer: to the playoffs.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wine ' ' '