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Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Auburn was set to play in the BCS National Championship Game and Paul Chryst was finishing up his second season at Pittsburgh this time last year. The landscape at the start of 2015 is decidedly different for both parties, as the 19th-ranked Tigers settled for playing in the Outback bowl against Chrysts new team, the 17th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Jan. 1. The Tigers were once again in the title picture this season before a late- season collapse. While its offense put up big numbers on a weekly basis, Auburns defense was not up to par, which cost coordinator Ellis Johnson his job just hours after the Tigers surrendered 55 points to rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl. That loss dropped the Tigers to 8-4 overall and was their third straight conference setback. They wound up allowing 32.8 ppg against conference opponents and finished 4-4 against them. Charlie Harbison will serve as the defensive coordinator on New Years Day, but newly hired Will Muschamp was with the team during practice this month and will certainly be tuned in for the finale. Head coach Gus Malzahn knows his defensive players are under the microscope. Theyre trying to impress him, trying to show what they can do, Malzahn said of the recently-fired Florida head coach. Theyre in evaluation mode and hes trying to evaluate what we have and thinking about next year and putting his pieces of the puzzle. Linebacker Cassanova McKinzy finished second of the team in total tackles (82) and first in tackles for loss (10). Defensive back Jonathan Jones recorded three of the teams SEC-best 19 interceptions and was named to the All-SEC First Team. While the defense will undoubtedly be in good hands under Muschamp in the near future, theres not much Auburns offense can improve upon after putting up 35.8 points and 489.2 yards per game. Nine more points would give Auburn 439 on the season, which would rank third in school history behind the 2010 and 2013 squads. The offense is anchored by First-Team SEC center Reese Dismukes and boasts a talented backfield in Nick Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne. After guiding the Tigers to within one late Florida State drive of a national title his first year under center, Marshall again showed his dual-threat ability by throwing for 2,315 yards and adding 780 more on the ground. He accounted for 29 total touchdowns, 18 through the air, and needs just 37 rushing yards to pass Phil Gargis for the most by an Auburn QB. Artis-Payne led the SEC at 127.7 rushing ypg and scored 11 touchdowns, while leading receiver Duke Williams, a junior college transfer, leads the Tigers with 45 receptions for 730 yards (16.2 yds/catch) and five TDs. Williams has been struck with an illness over the break and has not practiced. His status for the game is unknown. As far as special teams go, Auburn finished third nationally at 17.8 yards per punt return thanks to Quan Bray, who took two back for touchdowns. The Tigers are 22-14-2 all-time in bowl games, while Wisconsin is 11-14 in the postseason. Twelve of those bowl appearances came with Barry Alvarez as the Badgers head coach. Alvarez, the schools athletic director, is serving as interim head coach for this game as Chryst gets acclimated with the program after being hired on Dec. 17. A number of the seniors met with me...and asked if I would consider coaching the team, Alvarez said. I feel this gives our assistants an opportunity to concentrate on getting the team ready for a very good opponent in Auburn. My goal is to make sure our players, especially the seniors playing their last game, have a memorable experience and we do everything we can to prepare to win the game. Chryst is taking over for Gary Andersen, who decided to leave for Oregon State following the Badgers embarrassing 59-0 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. Melvin Gordon was held to 76 yards in that forgettable contest, soiling what was otherwise one of the most prolific seasons by a running back in FBS history. Gordon, who has a year left of eligibility, rushed for a then-FBS record 408 yards against Nebraska in November and ended the season with an FBS-leading 2,336 yards rushing, the fourth-best total all-time. He finished as a runner-up to Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota, and one touchdown in the Outback Bowl will give Gordon 30 on the season. Only Oklahoma States Barry Sanders (1988) and UCFs Kevin Smith (2007) finished with at least 2,000 rushing yards and 30 TDs in an FBS season. Corey Clement has served as an adequate backup to Gordon, totaling 830 yards and eight TDs, while Tanner McEvoy, the teams second-string QB, has added 572 yards and six TDs on the ground. Joel Stave (79-of-136, 1,042 yards, eight TDs, four INTs) is not asked to do a lot through the air, but when he does, he often looks for wide receiver Alex Ericson, who has 44 receptions for 651 yards and three TDs, or tight end Sam Arneson, who brought in 25 passes for 331 yards and four TDs. The blowout to Ohio State was an outlier for Wisconsin, which ranked fourth in FBS in total defense by allowing just 283.2 ypg. The Badgers also ranked No. 13 in scoring defense (20.0 ppg), No. 17 in rushing defense (118.9 ypg) and No. 5 in passing defense (164.3 ypg). This bowl has pitted programs from the SEC and Big Ten against each other since 1995, and the former has won four of the last five years. Auburn and Wisconsin met in the Capital One Bowl nine years ago, and the Badgers earned a 24-10 victory in what, incidentally, was Alvarezs final game in his 16-year tenure as head coach. Adrian Beltre Jersey . Onyshko, from Minnedosa, Man., will compete in artistic gymnastics while Hanet, from Kelowna, B.C., will compete in lawn bowling as a para-athlete. "It is exciting that our Canadian athletes are starting to arrive at the Games Village," said Chantal Petitclerc, Canadas Chef de Mission. Ivan Rodriguez Jersey . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. http://www.texasrangersshop.com/. - The Detroit Lions have 13 takeaways this season — three less than all of last season — and the defence isnt the only unit pleased with the performance. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys .C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. Rougned Odor Jersey . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury.HOUSTON - Their hopes of playoff contention a distant memory, the Blue Jays show up to the park each day with a game to play – and to win – knowing the result is irrelevant to the standings. "Its awful, its no fun, its frustrating, I mean I could probably keep going," closer Casey Janssen told TSN.ca prior to Saturdays game. Janssen kept going. "I never would have thought we would be in this situation," he said. "Were not playing good baseball." Following Saturdays second straight embarrassing loss to the pathetic Astros, the Blue Jays are mired in a seven-game losing skid. The latest calamity, by an 8-5 score, was a clumsy effort which saw the Jays down 7-0 by the fourth inning thanks to lousy starting pitching and shoddy defence. In other words, a familiar script. Still, guys have to find a reason, or reasons, to continue to grind to the end of a lost season. "Springboard for next season," veteran Mark DeRosa told TSN.ca in a conversation in New York last week. "A chance for guys to finish strong. A chance for young guys to earn some playing time and see if they can maybe make the 2014 roster or maybe open up some eyes to the point where theyre given serious consideration. A guy like Rajai Davis getting a chance to play every day. Hes going to be a free agent at the end of the year, those at bats matter to him." "Pride, you know youre getting paid to play and do a job," said Janssen. "There are always people watching you. If its the fans, your family, theres still a lot to play for as far as that and to finish with as good a year as you can have. Maybe more from a mental standpoint of keeping mentally strong about not giving in." Sounds like the right approach. Does Janssen believe everyones buying in? "I dont know," said Janssen. "That would have to be a question for each individual person if they were to look in the mirror and say, hey, I did everything I possibly could this season and it worked out or it didnt work out. Then they would have to maybe evaluate either their preparation in their in-season or off-season program to make it better." "You can never take anything for granted at this level," said manager John Gibbons. "You can have a great career in this business and youre a young man when youre finished anyway. One thing about the great players, I mean day in, day out, it doesnt matter the circumstances, how the teams doing or how theyre doing at the time; they compete. You know they dont give any at bats away if youre a hitter. Pitchers, regardless of how the game is going, you know they dont give in to it." Recent call-ups Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar, Ryan Goins and Moises Sierra are dotting the field and with more to come when rosters expand on September 1, the Blue Jays front office is getting a glimpse of the future. Perform well and there could be a 2014 roster spot available. Opinions are varied, somewhat, about whether the 2013 Blue Jays, given the benefit of a new start, could perrform better.dddddddddddd "I would think that there would need to be some changes," said Janssen. "I would also say that the snowball is so big that right now its tough to say because a fresh start would do a little bit of good. There are definitely some holes that got exposed. I would say, just from my evaluation, if we came back with the same team, although I think it would be different, it might not be a championship team." "I do but certainly some things have to be addressed," said DeRosa. "I come from an old school way of baseball where things were done a little bit differently. Its become a super young mans game. When I broke in 30 was considered youre in your prime. Thirty-two, 34, these guys were playing and I know people are going to say a lot had to do with what guys were doing off the field and I understand that but there are so many young guys in the game now and productive young guys that you either adapt or die and go home. I would like to see a little bit more reversal back to an old school mentality. How you do that I dont know but I think if Im back next year, if Im fortunate enough to be back in this uniform next year, Id definitely feel with a year under my belt, Ive never lacked for speaking my mind but I definitely think Id speak it a little bit more." The record is awful at 57-73 and it appears there will be more losses than wins the rest of the way, making for a long final five weeks. "Weve had our team meetings," said Janssen. "Weve been loose, weve been tight, weve been anywhere in between from there and for the most part it seems to still come out with the same type of outcome." JANSSEN DISCUSSES HIS HEALTH Casey Janssen hasnt had a save opportunity since August 15 when he converted his 22nd of the season (in 24 chances) against the Red Sox. In fact his mop up appearance on Friday, the eighth inning of a 12-4 loss to the Astros, was his first game action since. As well as Janssens pitched all season, its been a battle through near-constant shoulder pain following a surgery last offseason. "Cant wait for the offseason to really heal this thing and get it right," said Janssen. "Not that Im looking ahead but Im excited for next year and hopefully the little everyday aches and pains subside completely and I can just go about my whole program the way that I would normally do it 100-percent healthy." Is Janssen a better pitcher today because of the injury? "I feel like Ive learned a lot from not necessarily going out there with my best stuff every night and how important it is to pitch, changing speeds and hitting spots, and still being able to accomplish my task pretty much." IZTURIS SEASON OVER To accommodate Chien-Ming Wangs addition to the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays transferred Maicer Izturis to the 60-day disabled list, ending his season. Izturis sprained his left ankle in the fifth inning of Tuesday nights game against the Yankees. He remains with the ballclub and is wearing a walking boot on his left foot. 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