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AUSTIN, Texas -- A season opener between college football heavyweights Texas and No. 10 Notre Dame should be a preview for the national title chase.Instead, its a referendum on Longhorns coach Charlie Strong.Hes coming off two losing seasons at a program that likely wont tolerate a third. Strong is still searching for a dependable quarterback and has put his future in the hands of hotshot offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, who wouldnt leave Tulsa until he was pried away with a personal visit from the Texas president and athletic director and a three-year guaranteed contract worth $850,000 annually.And now here come the Irish, who expect to be in the College Football Playoff hunt in December. Beat Notre Dame and the pressure -- for now -- eases off Strong. Lose again and it only gets worse . No Texas coach has had three consecutive losing seasons since the 1930s.Its big, said Strong, whose 11-14 record includes a 38-3 loss to the Irish last season. Were at home ... We need it within our program to play well. I expect us to go play well.Win or lose, all praise or blame will fall on Strong, who charged Gilbert with lighting up defenses like everyone else in the Big 12 does. Gilberts biggest challenge has been finding a starting quarterback in either senior Tyrone Swoopes or freshman Shane Buechele, who had a tantalizing spring.Strong wont reveal his starter until the game. Gilbert seems confident in whoever it will be.Well just call it and theyll ball it, Gilbert said.A few things to watch when Notre Dame and Texas play Sunday night:IRISH QUARTERBACKS: Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has been just as coy about his quarterbacks , refusing to say if hell start Malik Zaire or DeShone Kizer. Unlike Strong, Kellys dilemma is choosing between two proven playmakers. His bigger problem is the potential for hurt feelings and disrupted team chemistry whichever way he goes.Wed both rather ourselves be the only guy playing. But this is how it is, Kizer said. We want to win games. Thats one thing we can agree on.18-WHEELER: Even if he doesnt start, look for Swoopes to get on the field. At 6-foot-4, 250-pounds, he was effectively brutish runner in the 18-Wheeler package in upset wins over Oklahoma and Baylor. The set calls for Swoopes to take the snap, dive off tackle and drag defenders with him.THIRD DOWN: The Texas defense was notoriously bad on third down last season, ranking among the worst in the country. If Notre Dame can keep moving the chains, Gilberts offense may never get a chance to get on the field. As for Notre Dame, expect a steady rush of blitzes to disrupt Swoopes or Buechele in passing situations. Swoopes has shown he can be rattled and no one knows yet how Buechele will handle pressure.DEFENDING THE DEEP BALL: Texas will throw deep. The offense typically accounts for a deep target, and with speedy receivers John Burt, Devin Duvernay and converted quarterback Jerrod Heard, the pressures on the Notre Dame secondary -- notably freshman Devin Studstill -- to prevent the long touchdown.NOTRE DAME DISCIPLINE: Kelly has said he intends to make four of the five players arrested by state police on marijuana possession during training camp available to play. Wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and linebacker Tevon Coney were listed on the depth chart this week. Kelly has said he expects running back Dexter Williams and cornerback Ashton White to contribute this season. Kelly dismissed safety Max Redfield, who also was charged in the same Aug. 19 incident with a misdemeanor charge of carrying a handgun without a license.Randy White Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Jay Novacek Womens Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Roger-Staubach-Jersey/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Michael Irvin Cowboys Jersey . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Emmitt Smith Womens Jersey . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead.When watching sports -- and covering them -- it is far too easy to get caught up in the details -- to miss the forest for the trees, as they say. We focus on what didnt happen instead of what did. We run toward disappointment and loss because failure, were told, is the better teacher; losers are the more profound storytellers. But sometimes, a good old-fashioned, happy ending should be enough.That is the takeaway from Sunday nights womens gymnastics qualification, in which, despite a fairytale U.S. finish nearly 10 points ahead of China, an incomprehensible margin in a sport traditionally decided by tenths of a point, the post-meet conversation centered largely on what defending Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas didnt do: make good on her promise to defend her all-around title.The two-per-country rule is heartbreaking, said U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman, referring to the rule that will keep Douglas out of the all-around even though she finished third in the standings. Ive been on both sides of it. But I hope she is proud of herself. She did a great job today, and shes making bar finals, which is awesome. The whole team looked amazing today.From the first floor routine by Douglas, who opened the meet, to the final beam routine by three-time world champion Simone Biles, the U.S. women were all but flawless. Their slight form breaks here and there were less gasp-inducing and more welcome reminders that these five women are, in fact, human. The atmosphere in the arena felt more like a show choreographed with the sole purpose of highlighting the famous U.S. team, which drew the watchful eyes of competitors at each rotation and chants of USA! just for walking onto the floor, than an Olympic gymnastics competition.This is what it must have been like to watch the Dream Team compete in 1992.The girls were so prepared, and not just physically, but mentally, U.S. team coach Aimee Boorman said. They should be proud of their performance tonight.By the end of the night, not only had the U.S. qualified first into the team final but also three-time world champion Biles and two-time Olympian Raisman hhad qualified for the all-around, and all five women had qualified for an individual apparatus final.ddddddddddddA U.S. woman had the highest score on every apparatus, and the top three all-around finishers were American.Yet the focus in the arena was on Douglas disappointment (a tree) instead of on Raisman, who was even better than she was four years ago, or on Biles and her incredibly dominant performance or on Madison Kocians qualifying first on bars. It was easy to get caught up lamenting the two-per-country rule (a tree) or feeling sorry for Laurie Hernandez, who looked every part the veteran despite competing in her first world meet, because she didnt have the chance to compete for an all-around spot at all (a tree). Now, as the U.S. women prepare to compete in the team final on Tuesday, its important to shift focus to the overall goal of collecting a team gold medal (the forest).Gabby was excellent, her coach, Christian Gallardo, said. Shes third in the world today, and the team is up by almost 10 points. We are here to win a team medal, and the rest is extra.The two-per-country rule was out of Douglas control. So, too, were the scores awarded by the judges. All Douglas or any gymnast could control Sunday was how well she performed her routines and contributed to the teams overall score and how satisfied she was with herself when the competition ended.I just wanted to go out and do what I was capable of doing and enjoy this moment, Douglas said. I was looking at the scores, and then I wasnt. I was like, It doesnt matter. Youve done an awesome job. You did a great beam routine, and at the end of the day, you finished strong.I would have loved to go back and defend my title. But this has been an amazing experience, and the support around me has been amazing. After beam, I was thinking, Wow, what an amazing run. Im happy for Aly. She worked so hard. We have a bond, and no matter who falls or who makes it, were still one team. Now lets win team gold. ' ' '