Pirate Galaxy » l good, do good.Which brings us back to the p

Virginia Tech made it through a tough stretch of four road games in its last five outings and it returns home on Saturday with a chance to clinch a berth in the ACC championship game.The No. 18 Hokies (7-2, 5-1) would need No. 15 North Carolina lose at Duke on Thursday night and then beat Georgia Tech (5-4, 2-4), but either way, fullback Sam Rogers and the Hokies know their destiny is in their hands if they simply keep winning.Even if the Tar Heels should lose, the Hokies focus needs to be locked in on the Yellow Jackets.If you look too far ahead, youre going to trip on something right in front of you, and I honestly believe that, Rogers said Monday, so weve just got to worry about Georgia Tech right now and what happens at the end of the season is what happens.Nevertheless, they head into the weekend feeling good about the run they are on, winning four of their last five. Since getting a bit too full of themselves and losing 31-17 at Syracuse a month ago, theyve trounced Miami and won narrowly at Pittsburgh and at Duke.We feel like weve gotten some momentum now, Rogers said. We feel like were doing well game to game, but weve just got to keep preparing the exact same way, taking it one game at a time. Weve seen earlier in the year what its like to get too high on ourselves.The Hokies victory at Duke came despite a lackluster offensive performance, but that also built confidence.I honestly think thats really important, to show that when things are a little bit sloppy, we still just find a way to win because, at the end of the day, it doesnt say that it was a sloppy win or a very good loss, Rogers said. It just says win or loss.While he will be happy to be back in Lane Stadium, first-year coach Justin Fuente said theres no sense of relief that the difficult road stretch is over because the Hokies havent achieved any goals they set just yet.I mean, were happy that we won the game last week, he said. I felt a sense of relief after it was over with. And I feel a strong sense of trying to get ready for Georgia Tech. Im happy that were playing at home, but I know we have a huge challenge. Like Ive talked about many weeks, the previous weeks dont really mean anything in terms of what were trying to accomplish this week.The Yellow Jackets have not had their typical high-powered offense. They rank 72nd nationally, scoring 27.2 points per game, and 70th in total offense, averaging 401 yards, but are still only one victory from a bowl berth.For Virginia Tech seniors like right tackle Jonathan McLaughlin, this time of year has often been one of desperation in recent seasons with the Hokies trying to rally to keep their 24-year bowl streak alive. Now, with the program on pace to get to the ACC championship game for the first time since 2011, theres no time to lose focus on the task at hand, he said.The only thing now is weve got to keep going, he said, take it one week at a time.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr Stitched Jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Authentic Jerseys Cheap . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. http://www.cheapjerseysyouth.com/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. China Jerseys . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Cheap Jerseys . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. RIO DE JANEIRO -- After Michelle Carter made history Friday night, it momentarily appeared as if Carter was crying. Instead, it turned out she was applying her lip gloss.Thats Michelle, her father, Michael, joked. She thinks about her looks first.Earlier, Michelle stepped into the Olympic Stadium shot-put circle wearing red lipstick, blue spandex and her trademark false eyelashes, her hair pulled into a frothy black cloud over her head. She had one throw left to overtake the greatest thrower of the last decade. One chance to seize a moment that might never come again.Carter heaved the 8.8-pound metal sphere farther than she ever had before. It landed 20.63 meters away, 67 feet, 8 1/4 inches, and Carter became the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the event.All I could do is just pray in that moment. You know what Michelle, you have to give it your all. I asked the Lord, Please help me give it my all, she said.With her sixth and final throw, Carter broke her own American record and overtook Valerie Adams of New Zealand, the older sister of NBA center Steven Adams. Adams won the silver with a toss of 20.42 meters. The only other American woman to win an Olympic shot-put medal was Earlene Brown, who took bronze in 1960.I wasnt nervous, Carter said, because at the end of the day I was able to bring all that energy into the middle and do what I needed to do. If I was to get nervous, then Im wasting my energy. Ive been to three Olympics. I hope I learned something. I was ttrying to pull from my experience.ddddddddddddAnd she hopes her experience on and off the track will work even more to instill confidence in women with similar bodies to her 5-foot-9, 210-pound frame.Im in a sport that people dont think, dont look at us like women, Carter said. They dont look at us as being girly or feminine. But Ive been girly all my life. I couldnt separate the two, being a woman and being an athlete. I put the two together and do what I love to do. I love hair, I love makeup, I love fashion and I love throwing the shot put.One of my sayings is, you look good, feel good, do good.Which brings us back to the post-victory lip gloss. Aside from competing on the international track-and-field circuit, the 30-year-old Carter is a professional makeup artist; proprietor of ShotDiva.com, which sells clothes and makeup services; and promoter of the You Throw Girl sports confidence camp. She has also appeared in ESPNs Body Issue and often posts swimsuit photos on Instagram.Carters father is former NFL nose tackle and Olympic silver-medal shot-putter Michael Carter, the only man to win an Olympic medal and Super Bowl in the same year. He won three NFL titles with the 49ers but said what his daughter accomplished is harder. Football you have a chance to win it every year, he said. This only comes around once every four years, or once in a lifetime. ' ' '