Clan-Members » unit of Krejci, Lucic and Nathan Horton

DETROIT -- With a conference championship finally in tow and his teams unbeaten record still intact, P.J. Fleck stopped holding back.Before he was even asked about it, the Western Michigan coach made it clear where he thought his team should be headed next.We deserve to be in the gosh darn Cotton Bowl, he said. Period. Write it down.The 13th-ranked Broncos might indeed end up there, but only after holding on for a dramatic 29-23 victory over Ohio on Friday night in the Mid-American Conference title game. WMU wrapped up its first MAC championship since 1988 when Robert Spillane intercepted a pass with 51 seconds remaining.The Broncos (13-0, No. 17 CFP) led 23-7 at halftime, but Ohio rallied and had the ball in WMU territory in the final minute when Spillane intercepted Greg Windhams pass over the middle. Spillane immediately took a knee at his own 30, then was mobbed by teammates as a Ford Field crowd full of Broncos fans roared.Ohio (8-5) never led and didnt do much on offense until the final quarter, but the Bobcats still came achingly close to their first MAC championship since 1968.Instead, WMU became the first undefeated team to win the MAC title game since Marshall in 1999. The question is whether the Broncos have done enough to make it to the Cotton Bowl. WMU is trying to earn the Group of Five bid to a New Years Six bowl.When asked previously about the playoff committee and its perception of his team, Fleck had been diplomatic, refusing to do too much lobbying. That changed after Fridays win, especially when he was asked about whether hed be paying attention to Navy this weekend.The Midshipmen, two spots behind WMU in the most recent playoff rankings, are another contender for the Cotton Bowl, and they play Temple for the American Athletic Conference title Saturday.I dont think theres anybody to pay attention to, Fleck said, becoming animated. Who are we paying attention to? Why are we paying attention to anyone? We are 13-0. Were the best Group of Five team in the country. We didnt lose a game. Whoever they put on our schedule, we beat. Theres two undefeated teams in the country -- us and Alabama. There is no argument. My TV will be off. We will be recruiting (Saturday). Im not going to watch anybody, period.Im going to wear cotton shirts, Im going to have cotton slippers, Im going to have cotton earmuffs, Im going to have a cotton jacket. Im going to wear everything cotton, from here on out.THE TAKEAWAYOhio: The Bobcats can hold their heads high after giving WMU by far its toughest game against a MAC opponent all season. Ohios defense held firm early, when a couple of fumbles by the Bobcats gave WMU a chance to break it open.They felt they had the talent to be in this game, and so did I, Ohio coach Frank Solich said. They were pretty driven to get some things done.WMU: The Broncos may end up sweating out the bowl announcements Sunday, but WMU can celebrate a truly special season no matter what happens. The Broncos nearly let it slip away in the second half, but their first conference title in nearly three decades was an accomplishment to savor.The crowd of 45,615 -- easily a record for a MAC title game -- was full of WMU fans chanting the teams row the boat mantra .We just kept our oars in the water, quarterback Zach Terrell said. Thats what this teams all about, and people might think its a cliche and that its not real, but thats just how we operate.HIGHLIGHTWestern Michigans Corey Davis, the career FBS leader in yards receiving, had eight catches for 144 yards. That included a 70-yard touchdown in the second quarter in which he caught the ball near midfield with safety Javon Hagan right behind him, opened up some distance between himself and Hagan and then outran a couple more defenders down the sideline.RARE MISTAKESTerrell, who had thrown one interception all season, was picked off twice in the second half, and Ohio held WMU without a touchdown after halftime.Obviously, our defense has been very strong throughout the course of basically the season and so they have that potential and they knew they had to step up, get that done, Solich said. I was a little worried because Western Michigan in the second half just seems to wear people down and then the score just gets away from a team thats playing them.That didnt happen Friday. Ohio repeatedly forced the Broncos to settle for field goals, but Butch Hampton made five of them for WMU. The last one was a 34-yarder that gave the Broncos a 29-23 lead with 1:24 remaining.POLL IMPLICATIONSWMU: The Broncos moved up one spot in the AP poll after last weeks win over Toledo, and they might have a chance to inch up further after winning the MAC. No. 9 Colorado lost Friday night, and No. 11 Oklahoma State plays Saturday.UP NEXTOhio: The Bobcats MAC title drought continues, but Ohio is bowl eligible for the eighth straight season.WMU: If Navy (9-2) loses Saturday, the Broncos figure to be a cinch for the Cotton Bowl. If Navy wins, it could end up being a close call between the Midshipmen and WMU.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtristerNike Air Max Pas Cher Chine . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Chaussures Pas Cher Femme . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. https://www.grossistechaussurepascher.fr/grossiste-chinois-chaussures-pas-cher-soldes-en-ligne-142a.html . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Air Max 720 France . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Air Max 95 Pas Cher Homme . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club.BOSTON - While the pain and residue of a stinging overtime defeat still lingered, the Leafs pledged to look ahead with their season momentarily on the line. "…on the highs were not going to be jumping off the CN Tower and on the lows were not going to be in the bowels of the construction underneath it," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle theorized shortly before his team departed for Boston, facing elimination in game 5. "We want to remain on a constant level as much as possible." A trio of David Krejci goals, including the dramatic overtime winner, stemming from an error in judgment by Dion Phaneuf, drove the Leafs into the ditch of a 3-1 hole with the series shifting to the TD Garden in Boston on Friday evening. "It hurts," Carlyle continued of the 4-3 defeat, which saw the Leafs muster 48 shots at Tuukka Rask, who owns a .932 save percentage this series, "but the bottom line is you cant change what happened [Wednesday] night. Now its time to regroup and thats what were here to do. "As a team if you can capture the energy and execution level and stay with the program there will be some benefit for us in this next game." The level of energy and engagement was high from his team in the loss, the speed and swagger of a rambunctious group testing the know-how of a veteran Bruins squad, one that has exuded a certain steadiness all series long. The Leafs raced out to a two-goal lead in the opening frame of a Game 4, Boston sniping three straight before Clarke MacArthur tied the score, preceding an overtime that was bursting with pace and opportunity for both sides. "You can play as well as weve played and not have success," Carlyle opined of his teams inspired performance. "Is it going to be discouraging? I cant tell you that its going to be discouraging [Friday] night because I dont focus on that. I focus on getting our group to do it again and do it to a higher level and find a way." His team will have to do so with additional pressure on an already over-worn defence. Already down Michael Kostka to a broken right index finger, the Leafs will be forceed to contend defensively without Mark Fraser, who required surgery for a fracture on his forehead, an incident that stemmed from the blast of Milan Lucic in the third period of Wednesdays loss.dddddddddddd Accumulating nearly 28 minutes in his third playoff game, Jake Gardiner is likely to assume increased responsibility in Frasers place, likely alongside Cody Franson on the second pair. John-Michael Liles projects to enter the lineup alongside Ryan OByrne after sitting the past three games as a healthy scratch. Even before the rash of injuries, the Toronto defence had been under sizeable duress at the hands of a Bruins forward complement blessed with speed, size and power. "Theyre big players that move well and skate well so its not always easy," said Liles, who logged 16 minutes in the series opener, but hasnt played since. The Leafs have had, in particular, no answer for the blistering Boston unit of Krejci, Lucic and Nathan Horton, the trio combining for 22 points in four games, including 10 from the 27-year-old Krejci. "Against every top line thats buzzing youve just got to play more physical, be tight on them, dont give them any time and just try to be a mean bastard down there," Carl Gunnarsson grinned, he and Phaneuf assigned to the line in game 4 with little success, replacing Fraser and Franson, who had struggled at points prior to that. Dulling some of the pressure on James Reimer would be desirable. Now engaged in his first postseason, the Leafs netminder has faced 163 shots (nearly 41 on average) in the series, bested thus far by Rask, who sizzled with 45 saves in game 4. Of additional concern is the Toronto power-play, which despite scoring four goals early in the series, has struggled to coordinate, not to mention the penalty kill, which allowed two power-play goals on Wednesday. "Weve done a lot of good things," Carlyle concluded. "Weve created a lot more than people wouldve thought we wouldve been able to do. We need more traffic to the net. We need a dirty goal. We need more. Thats the bottom line." ' ' '