-1 in conference.Oregon had won 11 straight prior t

When the Dallas Cowboys began practice preparations Wednesday for their Week 5 home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, multiple offensive linemen and star wide receiver Dez Bryant were in the trainers room and safety Jeff Heath was handling the place-kicking chores.Still, the mood is upbeat in Dallas.Doing great, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said.As in recent years, injuries are hitting the Cowboys (3-1) at key positions early in the season. Already without quarterback Tony Romo (back) and left guard Lael Collins (toe), Dallas is confident left tackle Tyron Smith (back) and top reserve Chaz Green (foot) will be back but there was less certainty for Bryant (knee) and cornerback Orlando Scandrick (hamstrings) playing this week.Hes just a complete receiver, said Bengals cornerback Adam Jones of Bryant, his workout partner in New Orleans in the offseason. Hes physical, he can run, he goes up and gets the ball at the highest point. And he plays with big swag -- thats what makes him so good.Bryant missed Week 4 with a fracture below his right knee but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday not to rule him out this week.Sixth-round pick Anthony Brown has filled in for Scandrick, who missed last season with a knee injury.Scandrick could be invaluable against the Bengals and wide receiver A.J. Green, who has 32 receptions for 468 yards and two touchdowns in 2016. Green caught 10 of quarterback Andy Daltons 22 completions in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins, and had a 12-catch, 180-yard game in the season opener. Hes averaging 14.6 yards per reception.It might not be Green who most concerns Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, given the traditional gaping hole in his cover-2 defense, one proven repeatedly last season against the Cowboys, is down the seam.The Bengals were expecting Tyler Eifert to play for the first time this season on Sunday, but a tweaked back forced the club to rule out the Pro Bowl tight end. Eifert has been inactive for all four games to date recovering from offseason ankle surgery.The 26-year-old Eifert, the Bengals first-round pick in 2013 out of Notre Dame, caught 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, a franchise record for TDs by a tight end.Some guys can go through a bad run of luck, and I think Tyler has had a bad run of luck, coach Marvin Lewis told reporters Friday. Hes conscientious about his body, conscientious about being a pro, and you love that part about him. Thats what Coach (Brian) Kelly told me right away from Notre Dame.People questioned certain things about him coming out (for the NFL draft), and Brian assured me that those were kind of false accusations, or they just werent totally true, and said he would be everything we wanted, and hes been. I think unfortunately he has had some injuries that have kept him out of playing. But hell overcome them.The Bengals will again rely on second-year tight end C.J. Uzomah in Eiferts absence. Uzomah has 11 catches for 144 yards and no touchdowns in four games this season.Cincinnati has come up with only spare change on too many red-zone trips, where offenses make the big money.On 13 possessions inside the opponents 20-yard line, Cincinnati has scored only four touchdowns with eight field goals. The Bengals rank 28th in the league in rushing offense at barely 80 yards per game, leaving Dalton somewhat exposed. Dalton has been sacked 13 times, and has checked away from running plays often.Were going to do whatever it takes to win, Dalton said. Some of these weeks, weve been able to throw a lot. Whatevers the best way for us to score. If (passing yards) are up there, so be it. If its not, its not.For the Cowboys, kicker Dan Bailey (back) could be limited all week. Garrett will only make a move to a replacement if the ailment stretches into the weekend. Garrett will not use double emergency option Heath in a game unless circumstances force it.Longest Ive ever hit was 49 yards, that was in high school. Id be comfortable mid-40s probably, Heath said. Its just kicking.Rumblings of Romos return later this month are far enough in the distance that there should be no distraction for Dallas rookie backfield combination of quarterback Dak Prescott -- interception-free after 131 pass attempts and completing 67.9 percent of his passes -- and running back Ezekiel Elliott.The level-headed Prescott said only good fortune has helped him start the season without a pick.They have a great, great front seven, said Prescott, who led the Cowboys from behind to win at San Francisco last week. We know weve got a pretty good stretch coming up starting this Sunday with the Bengals. Were confident, our team, our offense, in the direction were headed.Elliott, the fourth overall pick in the draft, was targeted by Cowboys coaches over an impactful defensive player because, as Garrett put it, he can really help a defense.That philosophy, copied from a successful 2014 strategy employed with DeMarco Murray as the bell-cow back, is taking hold. Elliott leads the NFL in rushing attempts and rushing yards entering Week 5, and Lewis is taking notice.Hes everything we thought he would be, Lewis said. Fast, strong, great vision, great cutter, the ability to make people miss within the hole, speed to the perimeter, runs behind his pads.The Bengals are talented defensively, with defensive tackle Geno Atkins and left defensive end Carlos Dunlap in front a linebacker corps that once again includes tenacious inside linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Burfict returned to the lineup last week after a three-game suspension for player-safety rules violations.Not having Bryant at 100 percent could work in Cincinnatis favor because it frees Lewis to play all of his cards: mixing coverages, fronts and rotating personnel. The Bengals are active and mix blitzes from every direction, a challenge to a rookie quarterback even with Prescotts poise and calm.Winning the line of scrimmage is a challenge Lewis made to his team Wednesday, with the expectation that Dallas would use Elliott and backup running back Alfred Morris to pound the ball until Cincinnati shows it can stop the run.Both these runners run through a lot of contact, Lewis said. So we really have to have our big boy pads on and tackle. Wholesale Air Max 90 Off White . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Nike Air Max 90 Ultra Se Sale . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. 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NCAA volleyball has a new No. 1 yet again and plenty of story lines to dig into with teams in the thick of conference play.A first for WisconsinThree weeks, three No. 1 teams.Wisconsin takes over the top spot in this weeks American Volleyball Coaches Association poll -- a first in program history.Minnesotas reign at No. 1 lasted just a week; the Golden Gophers were upset by Penn State last Wednesday. Two weeks ago, Ohio State ended Nebraskas run at the top, defeating the Cornhuskers in Lincoln.Behind arguably the best setter in the game, Lauren Carlini, and perhaps the best freshman, Molly Haggerty, the Badgers are 14-1, the best start in program history. Their lone loss is a five-setter at North Carolina when starting outside hitter Lauryn Gillis was sidelined with an ankle injury.Wisconsin, which beat Rutgers and Illinois last week, heads into the most brutal stretch of its schedule, starting with Wednesdays date against No. 3 Minnesota. The Battle of the Border match in Madison is sold out; the Badgers have won 18 straight Big Ten matches, dating back to last years loss on Oct. 17 to Minnesota.The Badgers have also won 14 consecutive at home, and that dates back to, you guessed it, last years Oct. 14 loss to the Golden Gophers.Thats among the reasons why the talk wasnt about the No. 1 ranking in Mondays practice. When youve got Minnesota in front of you, a final four team that returns six of seven, a team that won the Big Ten, you better really be spending very little attention on that, Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. Its a nonfactor because of whats in front of us.A Wisconsin win would give Sheffield his 100th coaching victory at the school.After Minnesota, dates with No. 18 Michigan (Saturday) and No. 2 Nebraska (Oct. 21) are on tap.Nittany Lions back in the huntAlong with Wisconsin, the other undefeated team in the Big Ten is Penn State (14-3, 6-0), which moves up to No. 10 this week.The Nittany Lions dropped out of the top 10 after going 2-3 through their first five games, their worst start to a season in 36 years. Since then, Penn State has won 12 in a row, avenging last seasons loss to Minnesota when the Nittany Lions were the top-ranked team.Wednesdays match was a five-setter; Penn State trailed 11-3 to start but regrouped for a tie at 22-22. Fending off a pair of sets points, the Nittany Lions forced another tie at 24-24. Finally, kills by Simone Lee and Ali Frantti put Penn State on top 29-27.After Minnesota snagged the next two, Penn State dominated the fourth and fifth, 25-14 and 15-10.Lees 30 kills were the most by a Penn State player in the 25-point rally-scoring era.Coach Russ Rose credits part of Penn States improvement with solidifying its lineup, particularly at setter. Abby Detering and Bryanna Weiskircher shared time early; Detering has since earned the starting spot.Penn State pride kicked in along the way, too.We were disappointed in how we lost some of the matches earlier, Rose said. Were competing a little harder, and while that doesnt necessarily make you a better volleyball player, it makes you tougher as a group.Penn State showed off its versatility against Minnesota. Junior middle blocker Haleigh Washington logged a season-best 14 kills without an error to go with three blocks. Frantti had her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs; Detering had 61 assists and 10 digs. Junior middle blocker Heidi Thelen also had 14 kills, a career high, with five blocks.Freshman Kendall Whites 21 digs were a match high.The season is young, Rose reminded, and the Nittany Lions still have nine opponents in the Top 25 left on the slate. First up: No. 22 Purdue on the road on Friday.Not the usual suspects leading Pac-12 raceThe regulars are still in the mix in the Pac-12, but the top two spots belong to No. 13 Washington State (15-3) and No. 16 Oregon (12-3). Both teams are 5-1 in conference.Oregon had won 11 straight prior to losing on Friday to Washington. But the Ducks sit atop an unpredictable Pac-12 after sweeping a streaking Washington State team on Sunday.The Cougars have been the surprise team in the nation thus far, with wins over No. 7 Washington, No. 20 UCLA and No. 12 Stanford. They had won five straight and 14 of 15 pprior to falling to Oregon.ddddddddddddDropping the first set 25-21, Washington State managed just 10 and 14 points in the next two, hitting a mere .056 for the match.We arent sneaking up on anybody, Cougars coach Jen Greeny said.Oregon coach Jim Moore was happy to see his team rebound so well after being swept by the Huskies.There was a different feeling before this game. We felt like we were protecting something, he said. We have to learn to be the top team. We have to stop wanting to be the underdog. We have to start accepting the fact that were good and people expect you to win.Four teams are tied for second place at 4-2 in the Pac-12, and one of them is Utah (13-4), which moves into the poll at No. 21. The Utes four-set victory over Stanford was their second in program history and first since 2000. The Utes have three wins over top-25 opponents. In addition to Stanford, Utah topped Colorado and Brigham Young in September.None of this is according to plan in the Pac-12. Washington State was picked ninth in the conferences preseason poll, Utah was eighth and Oregon was fourth.Stanford (10-4, 4-2) was picked to win the league and UCLA (12-4, 3-3) was second.Also in the Pac-12 last week, USC won its 1,000th program match with Fridays defeat of Arizona State. The Trojans are the 17th Division I program to achieve that feat.Gritty Baylor making a roar in Big 12Two seasons in, and coach Ryan McGuyre is making a splash with a Baylor program that continues to overachieve despite a plethora of injuries.After a 3-2 loss at Florida State a month ago, the Bears were 4-4. Since then theyve gone 11-1, a stretch that includes three wins over ranked opponents (Kansas State, Washington State and TCU). Prior to this season, Baylor had not upset a ranked team since 2012.The Bears are 15-5 behind a group that expected to be sitting more than playing, a plan that changed starting in preseason.A phone call from the Baylor trainer delivered disappointing news to McGuyre. Senior middle Tola Itiola would be out due to a knee injury. She was a big part of the plan, McGuyre said.So was 2015 kills leader Shelly Fanning, who is nursing a stress fracture in her foot.In the absence of Itiola, redshirt freshman Jaelyn Jackson anchored the middle and led the Bears in blocking, but then she was lost to an ACL tear sustained at Kansas State.That leaves Baylor with a reshuffled lineup that relies heavily on senior setter Morgan Reed and redshirt junior Katie Staiger, averaging a team-best 5.54 kills per set.Shes having an All-American season, McGuyre said of Staiger.No. 4 Texas awaits on Wednesday; the unranked Bears are 2-77 against the Longhorns. Texas has won 28 straight with Baylors last win coming in a five-setter on Oct. 27, 2001.On paper were the underdogs, McGuyre said. Were trying to play fast, trying to play aggressive. You have so many girls playing that were backups, and theyre cherishing the opportunity to play.Theyre surprising me. Theyre keeping the standards high. Theres no guarantee we win a match the rest of the year. The Big 12s tough, but we fight hard and things have been working out for us.Long Beach State unbeaten in the Big WestLong Beach State (12-7, 6-0) sits alone atop the Big West after Saturday nights defeat of then-No. 12 Hawaii in five. After trailing the entire final set, the 49ers tied it at 11-11 and pulled ahead behind a Hawaii hitting error and kills from Ashley Murray and Nele Barber.The 49ers won their sixth match in a row in front of 3,212 at the Pyramid, the largest home crowd in 15 years. It was teams first win over a top-15 opponent since 2010.The victory snapped seven straight by the Rainbow Wahine (12-5, 5-1) and was Hawaiis first loss in the Big West in 27 matches. The last conference opponent to beat Hawaii prior to Saturday? Long Beach State on Nov. 7, 2014.Tonight was what Long Beach State and Hawaii have been doing forever, 49ers coach Brian Gimmillaro said. It was great volleyball. What you saw is what volleyball is supposed to look like.Hawaii dropped from No. 12 to No. 17 in the poll; Long Beach State remains unranked. ' ' '