Funkerstation » l be healthy enough to play before the Outback Bowl.- Mc

Its the surprises -- the upsets, the unexpected conference champions, the dark horse Heisman Trophy contenders -- that enliven each college football season.Each week, this column will attempt to identify those surprising results before they happen. For Kickoff Week, were highlighting two games that promise plenty of points. In one game, its?how those points will come that might surprise you. In the other game, its how many points will be scored.?(Note: Unless otherwise specified, the stats listed below are from games against Power 5 opponents.) Joakim Nordstrom Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Tuukka Rask Bruins Jersey . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/brad-marchand-hockey-jersey/ . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Boston Bruins Jerseys . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Adam Oates Bruins Jersey . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Jim McElwain has a defensive makeover on his hands.The 20th-ranked Gators (8-4) lost defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, who on Tuesday finalized a deal to become Temples new head coach , and could lose as many as eight defensive starters to the NFL.The departures mean a significant rebuild on that side of the ball for McElwain. Under Collins, Florida put together a top-10 defense in each of the last two years.Hes a guy thats meant a lot to us, as you guys know, McElwain said. One of the first guys that I hired and yet hes not the only one on our staff thats been contacted. Yet, thats kind of cool. People taking note as far as what were doing and how were going about it. Im really excited for him moving forward.McElwain said weve got some things already in the works regarding filling Collins position. He said co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Randy Shannon will be in the mix.Absolutely, McElwain said. Weve got a lot of options, and weve already discussed them here.The Gators, who play No. 21 Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, might not be prepared for all the defensive departures that could follow Collins out the door. Linebacker Jarrad Davis, safety Marcus Maye, defensive end Bryan Cox and defensive tackle Joey Ivie are seniors and definitely gone. Cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson and defensive tackle Caleb Brantley are expected to leave school early and enter the draft.Linebacker Alex Anzalone and defensive back Duke Dawson, both juniors, also are considering turning pro.McElwain said no one has definitely declared for the NFL, but a handful of guys have submitted paperwork to the NFL Draft Advisory Board.We sent out all the things that we could to the NFL for those guys, McElwain said. We put those booklets together. Well sit down and meet with some of them after the bowl game as far as a direction and what they want to do. Just getting the information, not talk them in, talk them out -- thats not it. Just make sure theyll well informed so their handlers and their families kind of know what at least is outt there, and yet its not its not written in stone, either, once you get those reports.ddddddddddddUnderclassmen have until Jan. 18 to declare for the NFL draft.McElwain recently invited a NFL general manager to speak to his players, so they would have a better understanding of how the draft process works.The No. 1 thing that the league looks at is what you put on film, McElwain said. Thats the No. 1 evaluator, and in his case, over 75 percent of what they did with their draft is all based on how a guy played on film. So this is another opportunity for those guys to play well against a really good football team, a physical football team, another opportunity to be proud of what you put on film.Other items of note:- Davis (ankle), Cox (ankle), Dawson (ankle), safety Nick Washington (ankle), guard Martez Ivey (ankle), linebacker David Reese (wrist) and defensive end Antonneous Clayton (elbow) wont be on the field when bowl practices begin Thursday. Its unclear whether any of those guys will be healthy enough to play before the Outback Bowl.- McElwain said hes aware that running back Mark Thompson has been charged with misdemeanor trespassing for sneaking into a towing company lot.Yeah, were made aware of that, McElwain said. Ive got to kind of find out where exactly that sits moving forward. But obviously were aware there was an incident here last week.- McElwain also explained his decision to name quarterback Austin Appleby the starter over Luke Del Rio for the bowl game.Well, No. 1, Luke isnt all the way back (healthy), McElwain said, referring to Del Rios sprained throwing shoulder. Austins done a good job since hes started playing. Obviously there are some throws that hed like back, but at the same time, this late in the year, he deserves it. You know what? Im excited for him to go play in this game, another opportunity for him to go help this team win.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '