SOhio StatSOhio Stat | Forum

CHICAGO -- Rookie running back Jordan Howard knew he would get an opportunity to carry the ball for the Chicago Bears if he stayed patient and worked hard. Cheapest Air Max 97 .However, Howard never imagined that his moment would arrive so soon. The Bears fifth-round draft pick out of Indiana is expected to make his first start Sunday against the Detroit Lions because of injuries to teammates Jeremy Langford and KaDeem Carey.It definitely is kind of weird, Howard told the Chicago Sun-Times. I wasnt expecting injuries like this. Ive just got to take it in stride and lead the way Jeremy and KaDeem would.The Bears (0-3) could use a burst of energy from their rookie running back -- or anyone, for that matter. Chicago is one of only four teams without a victory, joining Cleveland, Jacksonville and New Orleans.Then again, the Lions (1-2) have not fared much better. But whereas all three of Detroits games have been decided by seven points or fewer, the Bears have been outscored by a whopping margin of 83-45.Throw in Detroits recent dominance against division rival Chicago, and its easy to see why Jim Caldwells club is favored by about a field goal on the road. The Lions have won six consecutive games against the Bears and have not lost at Soldier Field since Oct. 22, 2012.Meanwhile, the Bears have lost 11 of their past 12 home games dating to the end of the 2014 season.A sprained thumb could force Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler to miss his second consecutive game Sunday. If Cutler is sidelined, as expected, veteran Brian Hoyer will try once again to breathe life into a quiet offense. The Bears rank third-to-last in the league with an average of 15 points per game.Howard hopes to help as the primary option in the backfield. He has averaged 5.6 yards per carry in limited action (12 carries for 67 yards). He also has caught six passes for 56 yards.In the Bears passing game, Alshon Jeffery has averaged 19.4 yards per reception but still is searching for his first touchdown. Kevin White, Eddie Royal and Zach Miller also have notched double-digit receptions.As the Bears offense has struggled, so has the Lions defense. Detroit has allowed 28.3 points per game, which is 27th in the league.Lions safety Glover Quin said he and his teammates needed to play faster and stop thinking so much.Weve got to come out and just play, Quin told the Detroit Free Press. Weve got to fly around, attack and just play. And when you play fast, a lot of times, playing fast with great effort can cover up some mistakes. Sometimes guys may have mistakes, but if youre playing fast, sometimes you can cover it up.So thats what weve got to do. Play fast, stop second-guessing ourselves or trying to play perfect or whatever it may be and just fly around and be aggressive and let the chips fall where they may.The Lions offense has encountered no such difficulties in finding its rhythm. Thanks largely to the efficiency of quarterback Matthew Stafford, Detroit is fifth in the league in scoring with 27.0 points per game.Lions running back Theo Riddick has emerged as a dual-purpose threat. He is tied for second among running backs with 16 receptions, and his 130 receiving yards rank seventh among players at the position.Some predicted the abrupt retirement of Calvin Johnson to derail the Lions passing game. Yet Marvin Jones has filled in perfectly in his first three games with Detroit. The former Cincinnati Bengal has caught 18 passes for 408 yards, which leads the league.Chicagos defense could be in trouble if Stafford has time to feel comfortable in the pocket. The Bears have managed only four sacks in their first three games, and they expect to be without nose tackle Eddie Goldman for a second straight game because of an ankle injury. The Bears are No. 10 in passing defense but No. 30 in rushing defense, allowing an average of 142.7 yards per game on the ground.Perhaps a former Lions player can help the Bears snap the six-game skid against their NFC North rivals. Earlier this week, Chicago signed running back Joique Bell to add depth behind Howard.Bell played for the Lions from 2012 to 2015. He said his first week in Chicago was a whirlwind.Right now, I think theyre trying to feed my brain, Bell told the Sun-Times.How quickly could he become comfortable in a new offense?Were about to find out, he said. Cheapest Nike Basketball Shoes . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Fake Air Max 270 . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.cheapestairmaxstore.com/fake-nike-cortez-cheap.html .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said his team accomplished what it set out to do Saturday in a blowout win over less-talented NIU Brooklyn: The Buckeyes improved.Sierra Calhoun scored 22 points and Kelsey Mitchell added 21 as No. 7 Ohio State routed the Northeast Conference team 113-54.Obviously, today was going to be more about us, and how we handled this game and this situation, McGuff said. Because were really trying to focus on ourselves and getting better, and we did that. If we were going make it about the score or something like that, then we were going to get distracted and caught up in some things that we shouldnt be doing.The more aggressive Buckeyes had 18 steals and with a size advantage inside, outrebounded the Blackbirds 56 to 30.Makayla Waterman added 15 points and nine rebounds for Ohio State, and Kiara Lewis had 12 points. Tori McCoy had nine points and 12 rebounds.I think we played good as a team, Calhoun said. I felt like the ball was moving a lot more than it normally does. I feel like were getting better as a team gradually as the games go on.Drew Winter led LIU Brooklyn with 12 points, and Brianna Farris Drew had 10. The Blackbirds are winless in their first three starts.Mitchell, an All-American and arguably the Big Tens best player, was her usual hot-shooting self, going 8 for 11 from the floor, hitting four 3-pointers and dishing five assists.With a front-court size advantage of a couple inches, Ohio State (3-1) dominated under the basket, logging 62 points in the paint compared with zero by the Blackbirds. Ohio State shot 50.4 percent from the floor, while LIU Brooklyn made just 31.5 percent of its shots.Ohio States 11-0 run to begin the game set the tone. The Buckeyes led 32-8 after the first period on the strengthh of Duke transfer Calhouns 5 for 5 shooting from beyond the arc. Fake Stan Smith. . The Blackbirds played better in the second period but still trailed 59-20 at the half. Ohio State led by 53 after three quarters.My team did a great job of finding me after they saw I was hitting all those 3s, Calhoun said. Once that first shot goes in your confidence goes up, and I just kept shooting.LIU Brooklyn coach Stephanie Oliver said there were bright spots for her team.It prepared us for our conference, she said. Look, we can score 54 points on a good basketball team. Our out-of-bounds plays work, our offense works. If we can execute against them and get better against them, its really going to help us down the line.BIG PICTURELIU Brooklyn: After their third straight loss by double-digits to open the season, the Blackbirds have much room for improvement.Ohio State: The Buckeyes lighter preconference schedule continues, giving them a chance to work out the bugs before the tougher games begin. They did what they were supposed to do against a less-talented team.Playing teams like this helps us out executing plays, doing the little things, making nice passes, posting up well, McCoy said. It was a learning experience for all of us.INJURY REPORTOhio State forward Stephanie Mavunga got the day off because of what McGuff described as general soreness.POLL IMPLICATIONSOhio State likely will stay put at or around No. 7.UP NEXTLIU Brooklyn: Plays University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Friday night at the TD Bank Classic in Burlington, Vermont.Ohio State: Travels to Fort Myers to play Florida Gulf Coast.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy ' ' '