January while he interviewed candidates to replace fired defensive coordinator Bob Babich. Kiffin stuck around to he

JOLIET, Ill. -- Erik Jones passed Elliott Sadler with nine laps to go and held off Kyle Larson to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway for his series-high fourth victory of the season.I just had to go chase Elliott down. It was just a matter of time before we got around him, Jones said. What an awesome day.The 20-year-old Jones will be the top seed for the seven-race Chase. He won the Truck Series title a year ago and will move to the Sprint Cup next year.This is great momentum for us, Jones said. Im just really excited.Ryan Sieg and Blake Koch claimed the final two spots in the Xfinity Chase for the Championship.Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch dominated most of the race, leading 154 of the first 181 laps until he cut a tire and spun out. Clint Bowyer had the lead on the re-start with 14 laps left before Sadler passed him.But a charging Jones surged by Sadler and withstood a late challenge before Larson scraped the wall on the 200th and final lap.On the last lap I tried to get to the throttle early and try to get a run on him on exit, Larson said. I knew I would be flirting with the edge there, and I just got over it and got into the wall and ended our shot.Sadler was third, followed by Daniel Suarez and Illinois native Justin Allgaier. Busch finished 13th.Jones has been the only Xfinity driver to have consistent success on the lower-tier circuit. Sadler and Suarez are the only other full-time drivers to win a race this season.Sieg finished 12th and Koch 15th to earn the final spots in the 12-driver Chase field.Theyll be joined by Allgaier, Ty Dillon, Brennan Poole,?Brendan Gaughan, Ryan Reed, Brandon Jones and Darrell Wallace.The Chase begins next week at Kentucky and will have two elimination rounds before a champion is determined Nov. 19 at Homestead.Busch, the top seed in the Sprint Cup Chase this year, won the Truck Series race Friday night before failing a post-race inspection. He beat Jones off pit road during a green-flag stop with just over 40 laps remaining and held the lead after a later restart. He seemed poised for another win until his tire mishap.His pit crew was also penalized for going over the wall too soon on the ensuing stop to end his chances.Bowyer, a former series champion, finished sixth in his first Xfinity race since 2012Alejandro Bedoya Jersey . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Clint Dempsey USA Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. http://www.usasoccerauthority.com/chris-pontius-usa-jersey/ . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Clint Dempsey Jersey . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Jorge Villafana Jersey . LOUIS -- St.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Monte Kiffin didnt handle retirement very well.No golfing. No fishing. Not even some leisurely shuffleboard.You can only go on so many walks with your wife on the beach, Kiffin said.So the 76-year-old Kiffin got back into coaching after a one-year hiatus and is helping Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley revamp one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Kiffin isnt calling plays or working with a specific position group. Hes merely a defensive assistant, but probably the most well-respected one in the league.Hes entering his 29th NFL season, a career that includes stops in Green Bay, Buffalo, Minnesota, New York, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Jacksonville. He has 21 years of coaching at the collegiate level, a resume that began at his alma mater, Nebraska, in 1966.So this is Kiffins golden anniversary.It might also be his most enjoyable season after spending a year somewhat removed from the game.Im really having a lot of fun, Kiffin said. But having fun, youve got to win, you know? You want to win. Like I told Gus, `I didnt come here to be one-and-done now. Lets go.The Jaguars seemingly have all the pieces in place for a quick turnaround, with defensive end Dante Fowler returning from knee injury, defensive tackle Malik Jackson and safety Tashaun Gipson filling huge needs in free agency, and cornerback Prince Amukamara providing veteran leadership. Throw in the teams top three draft picks -- cornerback Jalen Ramsey, linebacker Myles Jack and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue -- and Jacksonville believes it has assembled a formidable unit for years to come.For Kiffin, seeing it come together elicits memories of his early years in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers drafted Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks in 1995, the year before coach Tony Dungy hired Kiffin. The Bucs made the playoffs in four of Dungys six seasons, including advancing to the 1999 NFC championship game.Thats what I see happening here, said Kiffin, who will sort of be reunited with the Bucs this week when his former team travels to Jacksonville for two days of practice. It could be like the Bucs. I dont know that it will be. We have to go out and do it on the field.Kiffins presence should help. Bradley initially brought Kiffin in as a consultant in January while he interviewed candidates to replace fired defensive coordinator Bob Babich. Kiffin stuck around to help during free agency and then got a call from Bradley in March asking him to join Jacksonvilles staff full-time.ddddddddddddiffin didnt hesitate.Although he stayed busy in his year off -- he helped a couple high school coaches in the Tampa Bay area and spent a week visiting the Seattle Seahawks and two weeks helping the Pittsburgh Steelers -- it wasnt the same as being on the field every day. Kiffin longed for football so much that he spent three days a week hunkered down in a back room of Monday Night Football analyst Jon Grudens Tampa office just watching game tape.Basically it was just time for me to study and stay up, Kiffin said. I was hoping I was going to get back in. I was going to get back in somehow. I didnt know what I was going to do.Bradley insists Kiffin isnt on the payroll as a favor even though Kiffin helped Bradley get his first NFL job with Tampa Bay in 2006 and told Pete Carroll to hire Bradley as Seattles defensive coordinator in 2010.Bradley wanted Kiffin around, in part, to be a sounding board for young players and first-time NFL defensive coordinator Todd Wash. So Wash bounces idea off Kiffin, as do Bradley and offensive coordinator Greg Olson.The big thing with him was what was going to be his exact role, Bradley said. Once we came up with an idea of his role, was he going to accept that role? Its gone above and beyond. Its better than I imagined. Hes really doing everything he can to help this defense, this organization, to get better and wants nothing in return. Its really cool for him, and he adds tremendous value.Added veteran linebacker Paul Posluszny: Hes a Hall of Fame guy and his insight is always so specific and so exact.Kiffins retirement plan was much less precise, partly because he doesnt have many hobbies. Football is his life, so much so that his wife is walking the beaches alone near Tampa while he works about 200 miles away in Jacksonville.I just love coaching, Kiffin said. Just to be back coaching. Im not here to run this show or be the coordinator. Really, I came here to help young coaches and young players get better. Ive been there, done it, seen it. Im just here to help everyone else.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '