Medien Diskussion » s well, but its important to pick up things

Contrary to poet T.S. Eliots contention that April is the cruelest month, Texas A&M has a somewhat different opinion.The Aggies will argue very strongly that based on recent history, it is October that has that dubious distinction.Consider for the last two seasons that the Aggies have gotten off to great starts -- 5-0 in 2014 and 4-0 in September last year, seemingly putting themselves in position to make runs at favored Alabama and others in the SECs West Division.But then came October, and the Aggies were shown not to be contenders but mere pretenders. They were 0-3 in October two years ago and 2-2 in the month in 2015.But coach Kevin Sumlin is hoping that the changes to his staff, which included Noel Mazzone replacing Jake Spavital as offensive coordinator, and the offseason program and approach by his players will make a difference this time around. The Aggies are once again 4-0 -- including two SEC wins -- as they kick off October on Saturday with a date against South Carolina at 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network) in Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.We made some drastic changes throughout the program, Sumlin said. We made some subtle changes throughout the program. Does that guarantee that things are going to change? No. Because performance guarantees change.Well, so far, performances have been pretty good. The Aggies have thrived with Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight at quarterback and freshman running back Trayveon Williams emerging as the teams leading rusher.Williams has rushed for 389 yards, 84 more than Knight, and has gone for 280 yards in the last two outings against Auburn and Arkansas. He had 153 yards in the 45-24 win over Arkansas as the Aggies broke the game open in the second half.Explosive is the word Sumlin uses to describe the running back who came out of Houstons C.E. King High and enrolled at Texas A&M in January after originally committing to TCU.He did a lot for C.E. King, Sumlin said. They had him all over the place. Hes a guy that was always explosive. He was a little bit thinner, really a different build -- kind of high-split, long-legged guy, but had great hands. A guy we fortunately got flipped.Though the status of defensive end Myles Garrett and receiver Ricky Seals-Jones remains somewhat in doubt because of injuries that Sumlin refuses to discuss, the Aggies figure to have their way against a South Carolina team that is struggling offensively. The Gamecocks will put one of the nations lowest scoring offenses up against what is statistically a Top 20 defense for the Aggies.Coach Will Muschamps Gamecocks (2-2, 1-1) saw their scoring output drop to an average of 14.3 points per game with their 17-10 loss to Kentucky last week. Only Florida International scores less with its 13.5 average.The Aggies, meanwhile, are holding their opponents to 16.0 points a game, good for a tie for 18th with Army among FBS teams.With freshman Brandon McIlwain starting at quarterback, no ground game to speak of, and their most experienced receiver, sophomore Deebo Samuel, sidelined by a hamstring problem, its easy to see why the Gamecocks are struggling getting points.They were shut out in the first half before rallying to beat Vanderbilt 13-10 in their opener, got two touchdowns in the second half of a 27-14 loss at Mississippi State, and scored a season-high in a 20-15 win over East Carolina before their loss at Kentucky.Just disappointed with the lack of execution offensively and defensively just not playing blocks, Muschamp said after the loss to the Wildcats. Well continue to work and continue to improve. Weve got a young group.Its frustrating in the passing game because of the lack of continuity.But Sumlin has respect for the Gamecocks defense, which ranks fifth in the SEC behind Florida, Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU in scoring defense in allowing just 17.3 points a gameDefensively theyre always going to be good, he said. Theyre still trying to get an identity offensively, but defensively, theres never been a Will Muschamp team that hasnt been salty. Custom 76ers Jersey China . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Authentic Custom 76ers Jersey . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. http://www.custom76ersjersey.com/ .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Custom 76ers T-shirts . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. 76ers Jerseys China . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Maybe, as Haseeb Hameed suggests, there really is an element of fate in his selection for his Test debut?In an ideal world, he may have gained some experience at this level in Bangladesh. And, in an ideal world, he might have graduated through a Lions tour and another season of county cricket before facing the No.1-ranked Test side and the No.1-ranked Test bowler in conditions in which he has limited experience. A year ago, after all, he had never made a first-class century. Gareth Batty, his England team-mate, made his first-class debut in 1997, the year Hameed was born.But, as he looks forward to make his Test debut in Gujarat, the state in which his family have their roots and where, last weekend, his brother, Numan, was married, it is hard to avoid the conclusion he would have it no other way. He will have family here to support him - he had family in Bangladesh to support him when all he was doing was running drinks on to the field - and he will be playing both with and against his heroes. He gleams with joy at the thought.Hameed will become Alastair Cooks tenth opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss at the end of the 2012 English season when he walks out to bat in the first Test of the series against India this week in Rajkot. It is a statistic that reflects, by and large, a catalogue of failure. In the end, the England management have decided they should not reward success in county cricket so much as pick a talent out of it and mould them in the manner they require.We need not look far for examples of such selections bearing fruit. Cook was only 21 when he made his Test debut. Joe Root, too. James Anderson and Steven Finn were both 20. The idea that England are more reluctant than other sides to blood young players is based partially in myth and partially in some suspect birth certificates.Hameed has, therefore, been picked with a long-term view. If all goes well, England hope his career will follow a similar pattern to Cooks. It would be unreasonable to expect so much of him at this stage, but the fact that he will be the youngest man to debut for England as an opening batsman and the fifth-youngest of all time does underline the belief held in him. He hasnt been picked just on potential; he has been picked because they believe he is the best man for the job right now.Perhaps it underlines Englands desperation, too? Its not as if they havent tried almost everyone else. Hameeds county coach, Ashley Giles, had suggested that, in an ideal world, a Lions tour might come before a Test debut. But these are not ideal times. And so taken was Andy Flower - not officially a selector, but a hugely influential figure in English cricket - with Hameed that he has been fast-tracked.How much Trevor Bayliss had seen of him before the tour remains unclear. He had been sent footage during the season, but it is quite possible that the Rajkot Test will represent the first time he has seen him bat in a first-class match.At first glance, it may seem a slightly contradictory selection. Bayliss, has previously spoken of his desire for dynamic players at the top of the order and Hameed is a player in a more old-fashioned mould. It is not accurate to refer to him as a blocker, though. While he is most unlikely to demonstrate the reverse-sweeps we saw from Ben Duckett in Dhaka, Hameed is an unusually elegant player with a wide range of strokes..dddddddddddd He will build his innings, certainly, but he will put away the loose ball too.He has two other key assets. A temperament described as unflappable by Cook and some experience of these conditions gained when his father, Ismail - a huge cricket lover who has clearly played a huge part in his sons development - arranged for him to spend time playing in Mumbai as a 13-year old. There he worked with the coach, Vidya Paradkar, and spent a couple of months playing on the citys maidans and learning to combat spin.He returned ahead of the England Under-19 visit to Sri Lanka, spending a month developing his game, learning to use the crease and adding options to his game to ensure he wouldnt be tied down by spin bowling. It may take him a while to adjust - this is a huge jump in quality - but he should be able to rotate the strike better than many.One of the qualities you can say has been instilled in me is to not get too high or too low, Hameed says now. Cricket is a very up-and-down game. You can be on top of the world one minute and come down quite quickly, so its important to stay level-headed and take things in the short term, day by day, ball by ball, as it comes.I have been to India a couple of times on my own. I have trained a bit in Mumbai, where I was fortunate that a coach, Vidya Paradkar, helped me get used to conditions.Spin plays a massive role here, but its not just spin, there is more reverse swing than back home in England, I guess the more time you spend out here playing and batting and get used to it, you learn things about yourself and what the ball will do. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to come out here before and its helped me get used to it.He recalls watching the 2012 series on TV and marvelling at Cooks prolific form - he recorded centuries in the first three Tests of the series - and Kevin Pietersens remarkable innings in Mumbai. But Sachin Tendulkar, who posed for a photo with a seven-year-old Hameed in Mumbai, and Virat Kohli, whom he has never met, were every bit as much his heroes.That is one of the amazing things, he says, but I try not to think about it too much and take it in my stride. There are guys on both sides I can watch and learn from. I have to do a job as well, but its important to pick up things as Im young and starting my Test career. It would be amazing to speak to a guy like Virat.I guess a lot of things are meant to be. The fact that it is against India in the home state of my parents - they are from a small village near Bharuch and my dads village is called Umraj - the way it has fallen in to place is amazing. My brother has just had his wedding in Gujarat. I see it as fate.There is another lesson from that 2012 series that may be relevant.I remember England were underdogs and India were favourites, but England pulled off a remarkable victory, Hameed says. We can take confidence: likewise, we are underdogs here and coming to India is the biggest challenge in cricket.But weve prepared well and its time to crack on now. I see it as an exciting challenge. Its nothing to be afraid of. Im 19, coming up against the best bowler in the world and the best team in the world. It will be a great experience and Im sure at the end of the tour Ill be a better player. ' ' '