are the only FBS team to be 6-0/a for the fourth consecutive s

Geoffrey Boycott, 1979 In the 1970s English cricket was bemusedly looking down upon its own creation, this new knockabout stuff, treating it rather like an exotic pet.The national selectors assumed their best Test XI must also be their best knockabout XI, and so Boycott played 36 one-day internationals for England. He, of course, made sure of a healthy average (36.06), but his one-day legacy was sealed in that staggering stand with Mike Brearley in the 1979 World Cup final at Lords.They produced 253 runs in 103 overs in that tournament, saving their best for last, a stand of 129 that sucked up 38 of the 60 overs England had in which to chase 287 against West Indies. Some even say Clive Lloyd deliberately spilled a simple catch off Boycott; which makes you realise that when Boycott went berserk in the 1965 Gillette Cup final, with a boundary-rich 146, it really was one of the great wonders of our time.Ian Botham, 1992 When I was a boy and the world of cricket was opening up, there was a fat man with a moustache and a great big mullet playing for England. Theres nothing wrong with being a fat man with a moustache and a great big mullet who plays for England - unless you are playing hopelessly. He lumbered in off a short run and let go some wobblers, although wobble was far more conspicuous during the run-up. His batting was groggy. Yet time and again the selectors kept coming back to this Beefy.The pinch-hitter was born in the 1992 World Cup, and Botham was chosen to give it a thrash at the top. At the SCG he destroyed the Australians but overall averaged 21.33 from ten innings. The nadir was at the MCG against South Africa. Brian McMillans ball was straight, Bothams shot was a hopeless heave, and middle stump was violently splintered. I felt embarrassed. Then granny dusted down a video of the 1981 Ashes. Apparently, he could play a bit.Neil Smith, 1996 Lets be honest, there is only one true English pinch-hitter. Smith played seven one-day internationals, and only three as an opener, but it was enough to acquire a legendary reputation.Smith was, in fact, a fine all-round cricketer, part of the great Warwickshire side of the mid-90s. Yet he shall forever be the misfiring pinch-hitter whose most memorable contribution to the 1996 World Cup was the previous nights pizza reassembled on an outfield in Peshawar.One-day cricket was evolving rapidly, and the England selectors, way ahead of the game, shoved some No. 8s to the top of the order: Chris Lewis, Phil DeFreitas, Craig White and, at the World Cup, NMK. Other countries had noticed you were better off opening with your established strokemaker, not a tailender. Thus India opened with Sachin Tendulkar, Sri Lanka with Sanath Jayasuriya, New Zealand with Nathan Astle, Australia with Mark Waugh. England rolled out NMK.He didnt do so badly: 27 retired ill against the UAE, 31 against Netherlands and 11 against South Africa. But so feeble were England that poor, vomiting Smith was held up as a symbol of failure.Mal Loye, 2007 Loye should have been Englands dynamic opener for a new multi-dimensional era. The pinch-hitter was passé. A genuine opening batsman was wanted, but he had to be unorthodox.England summoned 34-year-old Malachy Loye from Northampton. For one thing, he had an unorthodox name. And he also had a shot, a slog-sweep all his own that he used exclusively against fast bowlers. Loye was tossed a debut at the Gabbattoir against the Australians, rampant after what was, until recently, the worst of all Ashes drubbings. Fifth over of the innings, Lee to Loye, down that right knee plonks outside off stump and swish... six! Ninth over of the innings, McGrath to Loye, whoosh, there it goes again. These shots, against these bowlers, rescued me from the inferno. The Test team, and 2005, had been vaporised. Now I could feel the blood surging back through my veins. Take that, Pidge! And that! God, what release. Loye never reached 50 that series but there were two more delightful cameos at the SCG. I was still basking in the glory of it all when the selectors, damn them, dropped him for the 2007 World Cup. Phil Mustard, 2008 Between times the England think tank made an executive decision, that your wicketkeeper must open the batting. This was not whimsy. The selectors had hard evidence to call upon: Adam Gilchrist. If he could do it, why the bloody hell couldnt anyone else?Between 2004 and 2011, England, on the front foot as ever, tried a string of Gilchrists: Matt Prior, Geraint Jones, Mustard, Craig Kieswetter, Simon Davies. There was only one hitch: none of them were Adam Gilchrist. Mustard didnt help himself by telling one journalist: I could be the new Gilchrist.Here was an earnest man of the shires, a Durham lad with round, rosy cheeks and a mischievous unfettered character. I interviewed him once, in the back of a press hut in Dubai, but so happy-go-lucky was Mustard that it felt more like a chat round the fireside while clutching hot mugs.Yes, we could have had a lot of fun with the Colonel, a nimble, grinning wicketkeeper and bold left-hand bat who would hammer it square. But in ten attempts he played only one innings of true note and, well, thats hardly Gilchristian, is it? Back to the shires he went T. J. Watt Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Jack Butler Womens Jersey . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-John-Stallworth-Jersey/ . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Devin Bush Youth Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Greg Lloyd Jersey . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Here are some things to watch in the Big 12 Conference in Week 8:GAME OF THE WEEKTCU (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) at No. 12 West Virginia (5-0, 2-0). This will be the third meeting in Morgantown for the teams that came into the Big 12 together in 2012. TCU won each of the previous two games there by one point -- in overtime four years ago and on a game-ending field goal in 2014, while WVU won in overtime in Fort Worth between those games. The Mountaineers have won 10 of their last 11 games since a 30-point loss at TCU last October. West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard (eighth nationally with 357 total yards per game) is a Fort Worth native.BEST MATCHUPOklahoma QB Baker Mayfield vs. Texas Tech. Mayfield plays in Lubbock for the first time since he was a Red Raider in 2013, the season he became the first true freshman walk-on quarterback to start a season opener for an FBS team. Mayfield transferred to Oklahoma after that season, and was redshirting when the No. 16 Sooners last played in Lubbock in 2014. In last years 63-27 win in Norman, Mayfield threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Texas Tech junior QB Patrick Mahomes is the national leader with 2,579 yards passing, and is fifth with 21 TDs.INSIDE THE NUMBERSKansas State is 8-4 against Texas since the inception of the Big 12, including wins the last four meetings in Manhattan, where the teams play Saturday. ... Texas had a season-high eight sacks and didnt allow a touchdown in last weeks 27-6 win over Iowa State.dddddddddddd. The six points were the fewest scored by a Big 12 team in conference play this season. ... No. 9 Baylor has its second open date in three weeks. The a href(equals)https://apnews.com/c9ec1dcd860c41d4b37be...t-VirginiaBears are the only FBS team to be 6-0/a for the fourth consecutive season. ... Iowa State WR Allen Lazard has a reception in 30 consecutive games, a school record. ... K-State has scored on its last 53 trips into the red zone, the longest active FBS streak.LONG SHOTKansas is a nearly four-touchdown underdog at home against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have won six straight in the series, winning those games by an average margin of 29 points -- even though their last two trips to Lawrence were wins of 27-20 and 20-14. The Jayhawks are coming off a 49-7 loss at Baylor, which came a week after Kansas missed three field goals in the fourth quarter of a 24-23 home loss to TCU.IMPACT PERFORMEROklahoma senior Dede Westbrook has eight touchdown catches in the last three games, a stretch when he has 26 catches for 574 yards. Six of those touchdowns are 40 yards or longer, including an 88-yarder last week against Kansas State.---Compiled by AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Fort Worth, Texas.---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '