Für unsere Gäste » I believe if he continues the wa

MINNEAPOLIS -- After an 0-2 start in the Big Ten, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have fought their way back into the race for the West Division title. Heres where it starts to get interesting.Rodney Smith ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Mitch Leidner ran for 74 yards and two more scores Saturday as Minnesota defeated Purdue 44-31.The Gophers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) opened conference play with an overtime loss at Penn State and a home loss to Iowa. But theyve rattled off four straight wins over admittedly lesser foes -- Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue, who have combined for five conference victories this season.Now the schedule gets tougher, with road games at Nebraska and Wisconsin sandwiched around a visit from Northwestern. Minnesota can win the Big Ten West if it wins out, which seemed and unlikely position for them to be in four weeks ago.After our first two conference games nobody gave us a chance ... to be in here, Gophers coach Tracy Claeys said. They kind of said the season was over. We just kept battling one game at a time and we fought our way back into this thing.Smith and Leidner put the points on the board on Saturday, but the Gophers resurgence in the past month and against Purdue was due in large part to its defensive effort. Trailing 28-23 at halftime, Minnesota forced three second-half turnovers, and the offense turned each of them into touchdowns as the Gophers outscored the Boilermakers 21-3 in the second half.We cant keep beating ourselves like that. Its frustrating, said Purdue quarterback David Blough, who threw four touchdown passes in the first half but was held in check after the break. They gave us every single coverage in America in the second half, they kept throwing wrenches in (our offense).Purdue (3-6, 1-5) again was competitive but continued to be plagued by second-half woes in its third game since head coach Darrell Hazell was fired. The Boilermakers have been outscored 83-10 in the second half in their last three games.It puts tears in my eyes not to be able to get them to a point they can finish, Purdue interim coach Gerad Parker said. Thought it was a chance for us, got into the third quarter and had a chance to win the game. We got to do that and relay to them its not okay to finish short and just be close.As Purdue tries to regroup, Minnesota gets ready for the most important stretch of its season, beginning with a game Saturday night at Nebraska. That leaves little time to celebrate its recent success.It feels good, but we have bigger goals, Smith said. This week is a big week coming up for us and we know that.STREAKINGPurdue receivers racked up more than 100 yards after the catch in the first half thanks to two long touchdowns off short passes. In the first quarter, Cameron Posey caught a ball one step ahead of Minnesota safety Damarius Travis and ran the last 60 yards untouched for an 89-yard touchdown. De Yancey later shook off a tackle and ran the last 45 yards of a 60-yard touchdown playYou never know until you get into the games how youre going to match up, Claeys said. Speeds hard to tell on video -- it really is. So after those two big plays we went to more safety help on them.OFF TARGETMinnesota linebacker Nick Rallis was ejected after being called for targeting in the fourth quarter. Hell miss the first half of the Nebraska game as a result. Replays appeared to show that Rallis made a clean hit with his shoulder but the replay official confirmed the ejection.That was the sixth targeting call against the Gophers, and though Claeys admitted to frustration over the inconsistent way the rule has been interpreted and implemented, he knew better than to say anything about it after the game.I would add more but Christmas is coming up and I would much rather use my money on Christmas presents than send it to the Big Ten, he said.THE TAKEAWAYPurdue: Blough ended the day with 391 passing yards, the fifth time hes passed for 300 yards this year. . Yancey and Posey each topped 100 receiving yards with a touchdown for PurdueMinnesota: Smith topped the 100-yard mark for the fourth straight game and sixth time this season. . Gophers running back Shannon Brooks missed the game due to an unspecified injury. . Minnesota rushed for five touchdowns for the second straight game. . Sophomore Emmit Carpenter became the first Gopher in 19 years to kick two 50-yard field goals in a game. Carpenter converted from 52 and 53 yards in the first half. . Sophomore linebacker Blake Cashman, a walk-on filling in for two injured teammates, finished the game with two sacks.LAST WORDI know to you guys it seems like a theme: Purdue cant finish in the second half. But we were just as ready in the second half as we were in the first half. It was not anything about lack of effort. They just made more plays in the second half. -- Boilermakers linebacker Markus BaileyUP NEXTPurdue hosts Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.Minnesota travels to Nebraska for a Saturday night clash with the Cornhuskers. Curtis Samuel Youth Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Brian Burns Womens Jersey . 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. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-greg-olsen-panthers-jersey/ . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Christian Miller Womens Jersey . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Will Grier Womens Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. MEGèVE, France -- Chris Froome is closing in on his third Tour de France title but legendary rider Eddy Merckx believes the Briton already looks good for a fourth next year.The 103rd Tour is still three days from finishing in Paris, with Froome winning Thursdays stage 18 time trial to extend his overall lead to 3 minutes, 52 seconds.Chris Froome is a very great champion, said five-time Tour winner Merckx. I think he can win more [Tours]. If you look at the guys who are behind him, I dont know who can beat him in the next years.Hes complete, hes a good time trialist, hes good at ascents, hes overall. Hes the best of the moment. [Even] his teammates are as strong as his rivals.The Belgian added: He [Froome] deserves his win. Hes the strongest. I cant see what could prevent him from keeping this yellow jersey until Paris. His opponents just stay on his teammates wheels. Barring an incident, nobody can beat him in this Tour.If you win the time trial with the yellow jersey its great, its better than another stage. Froome is a great champion. He is complete. When you are the best you have to win.Froome took the yellow leaders jersey by winning Stage 8 with his lightening descent of the Col de Peyresourde near the finish.Its a huge compliment coming from Eddy, said Froome. We feel we are in a bit of a bubble at the race but to have someone like that give a compliment in that way is a huge honour.The Team Sky rider completed the 17km mountain route from Sallanches to Megeve in 30 minutes, 43.23 seconds at an average speed of 33.297kmh.In second place Thursday was Dutch time trial champion Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), 21 seconds back from Froome, followed by Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) and Australian Richie Porte (BMC), both 33 seconds back.Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r-LA Mondiale) finished fifth, 42 seconds after Froome; Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar), who was 10th, was 70 seconds back; Britons Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) was 1 minute, 23 seconds off the pace in 16th; Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), was in 17th a further two seconds back; and Irishman Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) one second after in 18th.I have a great advantage right now with two days [in the Alps] left, added 2013 and 2015 champion Froome. The next two days will be really tough. Main thing for me now is to stay safe and stay out off trouble.ddddddddddddSundays 21st and final stage from Chantilly to the Champs élysées in Paris is suited for the sprinters and should have no bearing on the overall classification -- barring any disaster.But a tight battle is set to unravel for second and third places during the next two stages, with the Alps offering opportunities for riders to attack.Heading into Fridays 19th stage, 146km from Albertville to Saint Gervais Mont Blanc, 68 seconds separates second-placed Mollema to sixth, with Yates 4 minutes, 16 seconds off Froome. Quintana is 4 minutes, 37 seconds off the lead and Bardet 4 minutes, 57 seconds behind, while Porte trails by five minutes.Froome tipped his former Sky teammate and close friend Porte -- who lost 1 minute, 45 seconds on stage two due a flat tyre in the last five kilometres -- to finish best of the rest.I have to go off what I know and what I have seen, Froome said. Richie Porte did a very strong time trial today and yesterday [on stage 17] he was the only one to really take the race on and make a really strong race on the front.Richie looks the one with the most to gain these next couple of stages. Obviously, he had some bad luck early in the race. Its a shame he lost that time earlier, but I believe if he continues the way he is he will see himself on the podium in Paris.Porte was awarded the Prix de Bernard Hinault for the fastest time up the 6.5km C?te Domancy to the 10.5km mark, reaching it nine seconds faster than Dumoulin, but then lost time before the finish.It was such a hard time trial, said the Australian. I dont think I got everything I had out. I am a little disappointed. [But] I really want that podium. I am prepared to fight.Yates, who stills wears the white jersey as best young rider, also feels Porte is the rider to watch. He said: [Porte is] the main guy because every day he is looking stronger. If he didnt have the problems at the beginning of the race he would already be on the podium.Like Porte, Yates dropped off the pace in the second half of Thursdays time trial. He explained: I felt pretty good first checkpoint [at 10.5km] then faded towards the end. It is expected in the third week of the Tour de France and only my second attempt. ' ' '