pot. Illya Kvasha of Ukraine was third in qualifying, fo

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State has been one of the most stable programs in the Southeastern Conference over the last several years, making a school-record six straight bowl games.If the Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1 SEC) want to make it seven in a row, the next four weeks could be crucial. The stretch of winnable games -- which includes Auburn, BYU, Kentucky and Samford -- starts with a home matchup against the Tigers (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday.Even with the friendly schedule, the Bulldogs probably will have to play much better in October than they did in September.Coach Dan Mullen used part of the teams bye week to try to find places where the Bulldogs can improve.His takeaway: Most of the work needs to be done between his players ears.Its execution and playing with confidence, Mullen said. There are a lot more plays out there to be made than were making. But I think a lot of that comes with confidence and experience and being out there. Games always happen a little faster for young guys.If Mississippi State cant win at least three of its four October games, its hard to imagine the program making a run at the postseason because of an extremely difficult November that includes games against Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Mississippi. All four teams are currently in the national rankings.The Bulldogs have shown reasons for both optimism and concern so far this season.Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has had two impressive games in Mississippi States wins, including 305 yards passing and 110 yards rushing in the 47-35 victory over UMass on Sept. 24.The problem is, if Fitzgerald doesnt put up huge numbers, the Bulldogs dont win. He struggled in losses to South Alabama and LSU, getting replaced by backup Damian Williams by the end of the game.Theres no obvious answer for who can step up and help carry the offensive load -- especially when it comes to the running game.Fitzgerald leads the team with 329 yards rushing. The teams three main running backs -- Brandon Holloway, Ashton Shumpert and Aeris Williams -- have combined for 391 yards on the ground.The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Holloway is the teams speedy back while Williams and Shumpert are the power options. All of them have had good moments, but none seems capable of being a full-time option.Mullen doesnt see that as a problem.All of the backs run with a little different style, Mullen said. So even when youre running the same play, they hit it a little differently. So it does give you some different options.Then theres the defense, which looked a little shaky in giving up four passing touchdowns and 35 points to UMass.Mississippi States pass defense ranks just 11th out of 14 league teams, giving up 245.5 yards per game. Thats despite games against LSU and South Carolina, which rely heavily on the running game.Mullen hopes that the imminent return of senior cornerback Cedric Jiles (broken arm) and senior defensive lineman Will Coleman (back surgery) can help stabilize things and provide depth. Both have been out all year with injuries.Itll be good to see some veteran bodies out there, Mullen said.---Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP . AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org . Elgton Jenkins Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Clay Matthews Packers Jersey . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/Elite-Ray-Nitschke-Packers-Jersey/ .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Darnell Savage Jr. Packers Jersey . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Aaron Rodgers Jersey . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies.BARCELONA, Spain -- Canadian divers Jennifer Abel and Pamela Ware earned bronze in the womens three-metre synchronized springboard at the world championships on Saturday. Abel, from Laval, Que., and Ware, a Beloeil, Que., native, scored 292.08 for Canadas second medal at the event. Eric Hedlin of Victoria won Canadas first with a silver in the mens five-kilometre open water competition. Chinas Wu Minxia and Shi Tingmao took the three-metre gold, earning Wu a record sixth world title, while Italys Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape claimed silver with 307.80. Abel is a two-time Olympian who teamed with Emilie Heymans the last two seasons earning bronze at the 2012 Olympics and silver at the last worlds in 2011 in Shanghai. This year, Abel and Ware have enjoyed success together winning three international medals and two Canadian titles. "I dont think we have come close yet to reaching our full potential," said Abel. "I think we showed today how strong we are mentally by never giving up. We have a similar style and show a lot of height and power on our dives. Im excited about the future." The Canadian pair had a rough start and were in 10th place with two dives remaining. However they climbed to sixth in the fourth round and third after their fifth and final twisting dive earned them a string of 7.5s and 8.0s. Ware said the early rounds just fired her up. "I was pretty angry going into that fourth dive," said the 20-year-old. "I was so pleased we got it in and then we sealed it with a great last dive." The Chinese pairs almost flawless execution of all five dives framed by the dramatic backdrop of Barcelonas skyline gave them the top total score of 338.40 points. Wu has won nine world or Olympic gold medals in the three-metre synchronized springboard. The only major title to escape her was the 2005 world championship when she didnt compete in the event. This was Wus first major competition with Shi, who won gold in the one-metre springboard at the 2011 worlds. Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia clocked 53 minutes 30.4 secconds to win the mens open water.dddddddddddd Hedlin was 1.2 seconds behind, and five-time world champion Thomas Lurz of Germany finished third, 1.8 back. "I am really happy because I didnt expect (to beat Lurz)," Hedlin said. "It felt pretty good. I was trying to hold a top position and stay in everyones draft. In the final sprint Oussama was so much quicker than me and I couldnt do anything to beat him." Earlier, Chinas Li Shixin topped the preliminaries in the mens one-metre springboard. Li, the defending one-metre springboard champion, led the mens qualification for Mondays final with 405 points, but a poor last dive let Frances Matthieu Rosset finish only 0.5 points behind. Li looked ready to end the preliminaries with a commanding points difference until he missed with a three-and-a-half somersault pike on the sixth and final dive and barely edged Rosset for the top spot. Illya Kvasha of Ukraine was third in qualifying, followed by Alejandro Chavez of Mexico in fourth and Sebastian Morales of Colombia in fifth. Francois Imbeau-Dulac of St-Lazare, Que., placed 27th. In synchronized swimming action, Chloe Isaac of Brossard, Que., took sixth in the solo technical final. Svetlana Romashina of Russia won the gold medal with 96.800 points, Xuechen Huang of China was second at 95.500 and Ballastero Carbonell of Spain third at 94.400. In the team technical preliminaries, Russia stands first with 96.500 points, Spain is second at 94.700 and Ukraine third at 93.200. Japan follows in fourth at 92.200 and Canada performing a new routine called Army is fifth at 90.100. In the routine, the Canadians were a female army and the theme allowed the swimmers to display the precise technical requirements for the event. "This was the first time we performed this routine and we were really excited about showing it to the public after working on it for six months," said Thomas, the team technical captain. "The result wasnt something we were going to be concerned about. We just wanted to deliver a solid performance." ' ' '