Pirate Galaxy » Robles -- a 97 mph fastball -- into left fi

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- No. 4 Michigan was tested for the first time this season, falling behind by two touchdowns twice in the first quarter and by four points in the second half.The Wolverines responded well to the challenge, going ahead on DeVeon Smiths 42-yard run early in the third quarter and pulling away to beat Colorado 45-28 on Saturday.In the first two games, we were never really punched in the face, tight end Jake Butt said after making seven receptions for 87 yards. It wasnt going to be a fairy tale the whole season.Michigan (3-0) had beaten Hawaii and Central Florida by a combined score of 114-17.The Wolverines scored 17 straight points after falling behind 21-7 late in the first quarter. Michigan scored the last 21 points of the game, capped by Jabrill Peppers 54-yard punt return early in the fourth.The best way to deal with adversity is to not have it, said Wilton Speight, who was 16 of 30 for 229 yards and a TD. We were hoping to not have any adversity. Is that realistic? Maybe not. But when you look at yourself as a good team, maybe a great team, you want to avoid it as much as possible.We really couldnt do anything in the beginning, but we saw adversity in the eye and came back at it.The Buffaloes (2-1) got to midfield on the final possession, but they were more than a Hail Mary away by the end of the matchup, which rekindled memories of Kordell Stewarts 64-yard pass to Michael Westbrook in 1994 in the same stadium. Both Stewart and Westbrook attended Saturdays game.It didnt help that Sefo Liufau was hurt after throwing his third TD pass, a 70-yarder to Shay Fields that put Colorado up 28-24 just after halftime.Liufau, who was shaken up in the first half, grabbed his right ankle after Ryan Glasgow hit him on the go-ahead score. He limped through Colorados next series before being replaced by freshman Steven Montez.The senior quarterback said it was devastating, to be relegated to watching the rest of the game.Its a little over-dramatic, I think, but I cant really find another word right now, he said.Punting was also problem for the Buffaloes.Grant Perry returned a blocked punt for a 6-yard score when Michigan was trailing 14-0 late in the first quarter. Colorado punter Alex Kinney booted the ball into a teammates back in the second quarter, setting up the Wolverines for Jehu Chessons 17-yard run that pulled them within a TD.It was a big part of the game of us not coming out on top, Buffaloes coach Mike MacIntyre said.THE TAKEAWAYColorado: The Buffaloes look as if they should have enough talent to win more than four games, the most theyve won in MacIntyres previous three years at the school.We have a good football team, he said. There were a couple of things that happened out there that changed the momentum a little bit, but our guys kept battling hard.Colorado has to hope Liufau is not injured seriously again.I just couldnt plant, and throw with much velocity, Liufau said. It was better for me to come out.Michigan: The Wolverines are giving up big plays, allowing Colorado to go nearly three-fourths of the field on one play a week after letting Central Florida run for 80-plus yards on two runs.We definitely have to get the big plays corrected, Peppers acknowledged.Speight struggled for the first time, barely completing half of his passes and nearly getting picked off several times.It wasnt as clean as a quarterback would have liked it to be, coach Jim Harbaugh said.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Wolverines will likely move up a spot in The Associated Press college football poll because No. 2 Florida State lost 63-20 to Louisville.CATCH WITH THE CAPTAINTom Brady was Michigans honorary captain, accepting the invitation to come back to Michigan while he is suspended for four games from playing for the New England Patriots. Harbaugh, another former Wolverines quarterback, played catch with Brady during pregame warmups.He can whip it, Harbaugh said with a grin. He can throw it well. I wish I wouldnt have given him the wind.UP NEXTColorado: The Buffaloes, who have only one Pac-12 win in two of MacIntyres three years and went 0-9 in 2014, open the conference season with a tough test at Oregon.Michigan: The Wolverines, whose last Big Ten title was in 2004, will play their fourth of five straight games at home against Penn State in their conference opener.---AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org Womens Raiders Jerseys . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Raiders Jerseys From China . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. http://www.cheapraidersjerseyschina.com/ .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Youth Raiders Jerseys . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Brandon Parker Jersey . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. PHILADELPHIA -- New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom established himself as a rising star last season.Philadelphia Phillies rookie righty Zach Eflin is just beginning to establish himself, period.The two pitchers square off Sunday afternoon, when the Mets and Phillies play the rubber game of their three-game series in Citizens Bank Park.DeGrom (5-4, 2.61) has recently begun to show the dominating form he displayed last year, when he went 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA during the regular season and 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four postseason starts for the National League champions.He has gone 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 20 strikeouts (compared to four walks) in 20 innings over his last three starts, and his last time out he worked seven innings in a 4-2 victory over Miami. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking two.He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning unscathed, and thereafter only allowed solo homers to Giancarlo Stanton in the fourth and sixth innings.(I feel) better than where I started, deGrom said afterward, according to Major League Baseballs official web site. Things are starting to come back, and I was pretty happy about today.He is 3-0 with a 3.03 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies, and the Mets have won all six of those outings.Eflin (2-2, 4.08) was hit hard by Toronto in his first major league start, on June 14, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings, but since then he has gone 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA. He earned his first major league victory on July 5, going the distance to beat Atlanta 5-1, then followed that up with a 10-3 victory in Colorado five days later.Over his last two starts, he has gone 15 innings and yielded three runs on 13 hits while striking out nine and walking two.You just cant live in the past, Eflin said of his bouncebaack, according to MLB.ddddddddddddcom. Youve just always got to have your head high. I learn after every outing and I learned a lot after that one (against the Rockies). Ive done a good job of just keeping the ball down and throwing all of the pitches for strikes and keeping the hitters guessing.The Mets won the series opener 5-3, but the Phillies answered with a 4-2 victory Saturday night, as Maikel Franco drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning single.Franco is hitting .370 over his last 18 games, raising his average from .235 to .265, and has 17 RBI in his last 15. His 18 homers and 54 RBI lead the team and are third among major league third basemen, and on Saturday he blooped the first pitch he saw from Mets reliever Hansel Robles -- a 97 mph fastball -- into left field to snap a 2-2 tie.I know it was a good situation for me, Franco said. I just want to put the ball in play. Something good happened, and Im glad something good happened for me, and for my team, too.Franco had shown considerable promise in his first extended big league trial in 2015, hitting .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBI in 80 games, but found himself in the throes of a frustrating slump earlier this season.That is now behind him.He looks like hes staying on the ball better, manager Pete Mackanin said. Hes fouling off some tough pitches to right field. Hes just not flying off the ball like he has been, and hes getting results.Mackanin added that Franco is real close to resembling the player he was a year ago.Hes going to have a good year, Mackanin said. I think hes only going to get better as the season goes along.The Phillies have won 11 of their last 15 games, while the Mets have dropped four of five. ' ' '