Tips & Tricks » Dame’s quarterback situation and history against the

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Sam Hornish Jr. thinks he has a home-track advantage. "While Mid-Ohio is so close to my home and my heart, at the same time its a place where Ive got almost as many races here as a fan as I do as a driver," the Defiance, Ohio, native said Friday during practice a day before the NASCAR Nationwide series race. Hornish, who has raced several times in competition at the track, believes he has some insider knowledge. "I feel like Ive got a good idea of what the car needs to do and what I need to do as the driver to go out and be successful here," he said. "Yeah, we want to go out and be fast. But the biggest thing about this form of racing -- running on a road course -- is taking care of the equipment." Hornish, one of the series top drivers on tracks that require more than right turns, finished with a rush a year ago at Mid-Ohio. He made a run at the lead on the final lap before ending up behind AJ Allmendinger, winner of the inaugural Nationwide event, and pole-winner Michael McDowell. He could have applied even more pressure, he said, if Allmendinger hadnt been one of his Penske teammates. "I had to play a little bit nicer than I probably would have," he said with a laugh. "All that being said, I feel pretty good about the car that I have." Hornish, with no fulltime sponsor but driving this week for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Monster Energy Toyota, has dreamed of winning at the twisting track located in picturesque farmland midway between Columbus and Cleveland. His odds improved when Allmendinger elected to focus on the Sprint Cup race in Michigan this weekend. Hornish was third during Fridays practice behind Justin Marks and Chris Buescher. Qualifying is Saturday morning, with the race later in the day. One of Hornishs chief adversaries figures to be series points leader Chase Elliott, who has never driven at Mid-Ohio. He watched videos and memorized notes from last years race provided by driver Ron Fellows, with whom he has studied the nuances of road courses. Even though he finished fourth at Road America and sixth last week at Watkins Glen on road courses, Elliott hasnt been pleased with his efforts. But he is hoping that hes getting the hang of the quick braking, rapid acceleration and sharp turns that are required on such a layout. "Im just putting all that stuff together and making sure I do a good job," he said. "Ill get all the practice that is offered. Ill try to learn and hopefully itll be good enough." Elliott, at the wheel of owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.s Chevrolet, was ninth after Fridays practice runs but is looking for improvement. Brendan Gaughan, fifth in practice, won at scenic Road America and has his own theory on what it takes to win on a road course. "If you dont get in rhythm out there, you can really screw yourself up," he said, calling Mid-Ohio an "extremely technical road course." Alex Tagliani, who was second at Road America, had the seventh-best practice time. "Its a track that changes quite a bit from practice to qualifying," he said about Mid-Ohio. "The level of grip is going to go high. And the speed is going to increase tremendously." NMD Cs2 Svart . Following the Ford Womens World Curling Championship gold medal match that attracted record-breaking audiences to TSN, the networks exclusive live coverage of the tournament begins Saturday at 7am et/4am pt with Canadas opening draw against Denmark. NMD Rea . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. http://www.nmdsverige.com/yung-96-adidas-skor.html . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Adidas Superstar Dam Sverige . Berdych and Stepanek played all five matches when the Czechs beat Spain 3-2 in the final last November in Prague to win the countrys first title as an independent nation. Adidas Superstar Rea .J. -- Freshman Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points and hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime as Rutgers rallied to stun No.In mid-October, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were ranked fifth in College Football with a perfect 6-0 record headed to Tallahassee to take on fellow-unbeaten Florida State. Following a narrow 31-27 loss to the Seminoles, in which they had a game-winning touchdown negated by a pass-interference penalty, Notre Dame’s season fell apart. Notre Dame will try to salvage their disappointing season against their first SEC opponent since the 2013 BCS Championship in LSU when the two vie for the Music City Bowl on December 30. Notre Dame rebounded from their Florida State loss with a 49-39 victory over Navy the next week, but then dropped four consecutive games to an end their season at a lackluster 7-5. As Notre Dame’s season fell to pieces, so did the play of starting quarterback Everett Golson. Golson, who started the season with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his first three games, has turned the ball over at least once in every game since – including a four interception day against Arizona State in the first of the team’s four consecutive losses. Searching for answers heading in to the Music City Bowl, head coach Brian Kelly has yet to name his starting quarterback against LSU’s opportunistic defence. Kelly’s other option at quarterback is sophomore Malik Zaire, who took over for Golson in the team’s final game of the season against USC. Zaire led a touchdown drive upon entering the game, putting Notre Dame on the scoreboard but down 35-7 at the half. Zaire finished the game 9-of-20 for 170 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Moving to Zaire could be a look at the future for Notre Dame as Golson is a redshirt junior (and NFL draft eligible), but the sophomore Zaire lacks experience, having never seen truly competitive game action. There’s no quarterback controversy for LSU and Anthony Jennings, but there’s not much expectation either. Jennings topped 200 yards passing just once this season as LSU averaged just 164 passing yards a game – fourth lowest in the FBS. Instead, the Tigers attack this season has been based on running the ball and playing defence. Led by freshman standout Leonard Fournette, LSU averaged 219 yards on the ground per game, 29th in Division 1. Fournette needs 111 yards rushing to break the LSU freshman running record. He will have to chance to reach that record in the Music City Bowl, as Notre Dame allowed at least 170 yards rushing in each of their final four games and an average of 151 yards on the season. The strength of LSU iss in their defence, which only allowed more than 30 points once and allowed no more than 20 points in their final five games.ddddddddddddLSU’s average of 16.4 points against per game ranks third in the FBS, while their average of 162 yards allowed through the air ranks fourth. The Tigers defence also forced 19 turnovers over the course of the season. However, it was not the defence that dropped LSU to an 8-4 record. The Tigers entered the most pivotal part of their season ranked 16th, at 7-2, with SEC games against Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M remaining. Following an overtime 20-13 loss to Alabama, the LSU offence was completely shut down by Arkansas, 17-0. The Tigers then closed their season with a 23-17 over the Aggies to regain a top-25 ranking. Notre Dame will need an improved defensive effort to top the Tigers, though. The Fighting Irish defence averaged 29 points allowed in the regular season, more than LSU averaged scoring (28). For Notre Dame, this game offers coach Brian Kelly and the veterans of his team a small chance for revenge against the SEC. The Fighting Irish haven’t played a team from the conference since the 2013 BCS Championship game, in which their perfect season was derailed by an embarrassing 42-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Not surprisingly, LSU enters this contest as seven-point favourites and, given Notre Dame’s quarterback situation and history against the SEC, should be able claim their second consecutive bowl win. Eye on Sunday LT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame Stanley is widely projected to be a top-10 pick in April’s NFL Draft should the redshirt sophomore declare himself. Having played right tackle in his first season and left tackle this year, Stanley is a versatile pass protector who can shut down opponents. It’s hard to spend a game watching the left tackle, but don’t expect to see a blindside hit on the Notre Dame quarterback, whoever that may be. LT La’el Collins, LSU Collins is also projected to be first-round pick and is often largely involved in LSU’s dominant running attack. If Fournette has a big game and breaks LSU’s freshman record, Collins will likely be a major reason why. DE Danielle Hunter, LSU Hunter is viewed as a fringe first-round pick in many NFL circles, and his value could be put to the test if he lines up against Stanley. At six-foot-six, Hunter hasn’t registered high sack numbers this season, but disrupts the passing game through batted passes and quarterback hurries. ' ' '