Off Tropic » ame. Theres other things that could have prevented it from g

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- DJ Durkin knows exactly what is expected from him in his first season as Marylands head coach.Improving upon last years 3-9 record is a good starting place. Being relevant in the Big Ten is certainly a goal.Mostly, its about providing a measure of hope for a program that never fulfilled expectations under Randy Edsall, who went 22-34 with the Terrapins before being fired six games into the 2015 season.Hired in December, the 37-year-old Durkin is the youngest Maryland head coach since 1954. The former defensive coordinator at Michigan launches a new era on Saturday at home against Howard.I really feel that we have a talented enough team to go play well this year. What equals that, I dont know, Durkin said. I think fans and media equate it to wins and losses. For us, obviously we know the game is about winning.Howard, which went 1-10 last year, probably wont provide the Terps with steep competition. But the game will provide a glimpse of what Durkin accomplished during a tough summer camp.Most of all, Durkin will get a chance to see if the team can play defense the way the Wolverines did under his direction. A year ago, Maryland yielded 413 points.The guys have been filled with a lot of energy, defensive coordinator Andy Buh said, Im really pleased with how their progress has been in the defense.---Some things to know about the Howard-Maryland matchup:PERRYS BACK: New offense, same quarterback. Fifth-year senior Perry Hills returns as a starter, looking to pile up points and cut down on his turnovers. Hills ran for 535 yards and threw eight touchdown passes last year, but he also was intercepted 13 times. He emerged as the winner in a competition during the summer, in part because he proved to the best at being mistake-free. All the things that hes going to have to bring to the table outside of his skills, hes done the best job of taking care of the football, offensive coordinator Walt Bell said. Hes done the best job in terms of mastery of the offensive, operating the line of scrimmage, eliminating a lot of the unforced errors.LIKELY TO SUCCEED: Senior William Likely is widely considered to be the best athlete on the team, and the Terrapins intend to take advantage of that quality. Likely will return kicks, play in the defensive backfield and occasionally line up as a wide receiver. If a guy can play and help us somewhere, were going to use him, Durkin said. Likely started at cornerback last year but also ran the ball 11 times, caught five passes, returned 23 punts and took back 35 kickoffs.EXPERIENCE BEHIND CENTER: Howard quarterback Kalen Johnson threw for 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Hes also capable of tucking the football and running downfield. Hes a dual threat, Durkin said. He can create plays with his feet and throw the ball.BACKFIELD IN MOTION: Senior Ty Johnson stands atop the depth chart at running back, but Durkin intends to shuffle several players at the position on game day. We have three or four guys that you could make a case for to be the starter, Durkin said. Ty worked really hard and earned the opportunity to be our starter. But well have a good rotation going at that position.CLOSE BY, BUT STILL STRANGERS: This will be the first football game between Maryland and Howard, even though the schools are separated by only 7 + miles. Maryland last played a school based in the nations capital in 1955, when it beat George Washington 19-0. Easton Stick Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Keenan Allen Chargers Jersey . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. http://www.chargersauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-jerry-tillery-jersey.html . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Melvin Ingram Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Joey Bosa Youth Jersey . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.TORONTO -- Game 5 has suddenly become Game 7 for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After taking an overtime punch to the gut on Wednesday night, the Leafs headed to Boston on Thursday trailing the Boston Bruins three games to one in their first-round series. Game 5 goes Friday. "This series isnt over, for sure," winger Joffrey Lupul said defiantly after the 4-3 loss at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto will have to mount its comeback without tough defenceman Mark Fraser, who underwent surgery to repair a fracture between the eyes and the cranial area after taking a Milan Lucic shot to the face. Toronto coach Randy Carlyle says the burly blue-liner was resting at home and had been texting and talking to his teammates Thursday morning. "Hes a well-respected guy in our locker-room," said captain Dion Phaneuf. "Hes done a great job all year for us physically, playing big minutes. "Hes just a great teammate. It was a scary situation but were glad hes doing OK." John-Michael Liles, a healthy scratch in recent games, is expected to take Frasers place in the lineup in the do-or-die game at Bostons TD Garden. "Its all about winning that game. Its like a Game 7," said forward Clarke MacArthur. "We win that one, it can turn things around." Its a tough ask. The playoff-savvy Bruins are 15-2 when leading a best-of-seven series 3-1. Toronto is 2-12-1 in its last 15 games in Boston. As is their wont, the Leafs looked for positives in the wake of Wednesdays loss. "Everything becomes more difficult. But its not the end of the world," said Carlyle. "Weve done a lot of good things." "Its a new day," said forward Mikhail Grabovski, who has played well while putting his slight body on the line. They took an early lead against the Bruins, registered an eye-popping 71 hits and bombarded Tuukka Rask with 48 shots. And Matt Frattin hit the goalpost in overtime. "It quite easily could be a 2-2 series right now," said MacArthur. "Its unfortunate that it isnt." "(Wednesday) night we had our chances to win the game," said forward Jay McClement. The coach admitted the loss hurt. "But the bottom line is you cant change what happened last night," Carlyle told reporters at the tteams training facility before flying out to Boston.dddddddddddd "Now its time to regroup and thats what were here to do. Gather this group together -- reset, refocus, re-energize. Do all those things we normally do. "Weve got to go in and win a game in Boston." That involves raising their game, while ignoring the effects of a physical series that has seen Toronto outhit Boston 200 to 165. "Our team has got to find a way to play to a higher level," said Carlyle. "With the level of game that was played (Wednesday) night, both teams are going to be tired. Both teams are going to be bruised up." On the minus side Wednesday, the Leafs gave up a 2-0 lead and Phaneuf was punished in overtime for pinching in and trying to get Nathan Horton and/or the puck. The Bruin, who was flattened on the play, got the puck past the Leaf defenceman and David Krejci went on to beat James Reimer on a two-on-one. MacArthur called it a tough break. "We didnt lose the game on that play," he said, ignoring the fact that they actually did. "We had a 2-0 lead in that game. Theres other things that could have prevented it from getting to that situation." As he did after the game, Phaneuf emerged Thursday to face the music. Once again, he took responsibility for "a split-second decision." "Playoffs are about momentum and obviously that was a momentum swing," he said. "But weve got a big game there on Friday, weve got to move past this and move past (Wednesday) nights loss." "Theres no time to sit here and feel sorry about what happened," he added. "Its done now and weve got to focus on Friday." Carlyle chose not to dwell on the mistake. "In reality, if you look at the way Dions played for our hockey club, hes represented our team as a captain, hes played 30-plus minutes, he leads our team in a lot of different categories -- and emotionally and physically on the ice. "Without him, we wouldnt be here." Only a handful of Leafs hit the ice Thursday at the teams training centre: backup goalie Ben Scrivens and recent scratches Joe Colborne, Frazer McLaren, Ryan Hamilton and defenceman Jesse Blacker, who has been brought up from the AHL Marlies as defensive cover ' ' '