Pirate Galaxy » Orlando, Florida Dec. 31, 11 a.m. (ABC)

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri quarterback Drew Lock is a different player than he was a year ago, and hes eager for the opportunity to prove it.The season opener at West Virginia on Saturday will be his first chance to show his improvement.Following Maty Mauks indefinite suspension in 2015, Lock became the first freshman quarterback to start for Missouri in two decades. He was 2-6 in eight starts, completing 49 percent of his passes while amassing 1,332 yards, four touchdowns and eight interceptions. In a year marked by turmoil, including the threat of player boycotts and coach Gary Pinkels retirement, Missouri finished a dismal 127th out of 128 FBS teams in scoring at 13.6 points per game, the worst in school history.Lock said the Tigers 28-3 loss at Arkansas-Pinkels last game-was the low point of his season.I guess that made me a better, tougher person mentally, Lock said. Im thankful for that now and Im through it and its behind me.Though it may not have been an enjoyable experience, Lock said the experience did help acclimate him to the level of competition.You hear that practice makes perfect all the time, and I truly believe that I can look back at last year, I can think of it as just a huge practice year, in the sense of getting reps, seeing what the league is like, seeing what Division-I college football is like, he said.Lock knows he has to improve his numbers from a year ago, and gave specific reasons why he feels confident heading into his sophomore campaign.I think were just more sound as an offense as far as what our jobs are and what the little things are we have to do to make our jobs easy, Lock said. Really, just pitching and catching the ball. Just being in the right place at the right time when youre supposed to be.In addition to improving mechanics or stats, Lock is also focused on honing his leadership role.I feel like last year, I didnt communicate very much, Lock said. I was kind of a guy that kind of stayed to myself. Ran the play, watched it after practice and kind of talked about it with coach. But instead, Im actually going out there, I know what Im doing, I know what theyre supposed to be doing, and Im correcting it on the field with them.Though only a sophomore, Lock has more experience than the majority of the quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference. Only four quarterbacks in the conference have made more starts than Lock, all of whom are older.You have to have experience to become a leader, Lock said. I feel like I had a pretty rough experience last year to where people know that Ive been through it.Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel has seen improvement in Lock since arriving during spring camp.I think hes got a much better understanding of defense, said Heupel, who coached current NFL quarterbacks Landry Jones and Sam Bradford at Oklahoma. I think hes got a much better understanding of fundamentals and things that he needs to do to be successful on a consistent basis.Lock said the offense has several goals this season, but is focused primarily on making smart plays.Making the right plays when we need to, he said. Just not playing scared. Just attacking the defense. Instead of more so being on our toes reacting off them, were going to hopefully come out and play super hard and make defenses react to us. A.J. Greer Jersey . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. 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Nikita Zadorov Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. (Note: All times Eastern)College Football Playoff semifinalsCollege Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach BowlGeorgia Dome, Atlanta Saturday, Dec. 31, TBD (ESPN)Schlabach: Alabama vs. Michigan McMurphy: Louisville vs. StanfordCollege Football Playoff at the Fiesta BowlUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona Saturday, Dec. 31, TBD (ESPN)Schlabach: Louisville vs. Ohio State McMurphy: Alabama vs. Ohio StateCollege Football Playoff National ChampionshipRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, TBD (ESPN)Schlabach: Alabama vs. Ohio State McMurphy: Louisville vs. Ohio StateBowl scheduleGildan New Mexico BowlUniversity Stadium, Albuquerque Dec. 17, 2 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Nevada vs. UTSA McMurphy:? Utah State vs. UTSALas Vegas BowlSam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas Dec. 17, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)Schlabach:?Boise State vs. USC McMurphy: Boise State vs. USCRaycom Media Camellia BowlCramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Troy vs. Central Michigan McMurphy: South Alabama vs. ToledoAutoNation Cure BowlCitrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando Dec. 17, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)Schlabach: Army vs. Louisiana-Lafayette? McMurphy: Army vs. TroyR+L Carriers New Orleans BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans Dec. 17, 9 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Georgia Southern vs. Southern Miss McMurphy: Georgia Southern vs. Southern MissMiami Beach BowlMarlins Park, Miami Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: East Carolina vs. Toledo McMurphy: Cincinnati vs. AkronBoca Raton BowlFAU Football Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida Dec. 20, 7 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Western Kentucky vs. South Florida McMurphy: Marshall vs. MemphisSan Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia BowlQualcomm Stadium, San Diego Dec. 21, 9 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: BYU vs. San Diego State McMurphy: BYU vs. San Diego StateFamous Idaho Potato BowlAlbertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho Dec. 22, 7 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Colorado State vs. Akron McMurphy: Nevada vs. Central MichiganPopeyes Bahamas BowlThomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas Dec. 23, 1 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Marshall vs. Tulsa McMurphy: Louisiana Tech vs. TulsaLockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlAmon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: West Virginia vs. Navy McMurphy: West Virginia vs. NavyDollar General BowlLadd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama Dec. 23, 8 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. Western Michigan McMurphy: Appalachian State vs. Western MichiganHawaii BowlAloha Stadium, Honolulu Dec. 24, 8 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Middle Tennessee vs. Air Force McMurphy: Middle Tennessee vs. Air ForceSt. Petersburg BowlTropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida Dec. 26, 11 a.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Wake Forest vs. Memphis McMurphy: NC State vs. USFQuick Lane BowlFord Field, Detroit Dec. 26, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?NC State vs. Maryland McMurphy: Wake Forest vs. Kansas StateCamping World Independence BowlIndependence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana Dec. 26, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)Schlabach:?Georgia Tech vs. Kansas State McMurphy: Georgia Tech vs. AuburnZaxbys Heart of Dallas BowlCotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas Dec. 27, noon (ESPN)Schlabach: California vs. Louisiana Tech McMurphy: Colorado vs. Western KentuckyMilitary Bowl preseented by Northrop GrummanNavy-Marine Corps.dddddddddddd. Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. SMU McMurphy: Virginia Tech vs. East CarolinaHoliday BowlQualcomm Stadium, San Diego Dec. 27, 7 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Penn State vs. Utah McMurphy: Penn State vs. UtahMotel 6 Cactus BowlChase Field, Phoenix Dec. 27, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Texas Tech vs. Colorado McMurphy: Arizona vs. Texas TechNew Era Pinstripe BowlYankee Stadium, New York Dec. 28, 2 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota McMurphy: Pittsburgh vs. MinnesotaRussell Athletic BowlOrlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Florida State vs. Oklahoma McMurphy: Florida State vs. OklahomaFoster Farms BowlLevis Stadium, Santa Clara, California Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m. (FOX)Schlabach: Indiana vs. Oregon McMurphy: Indiana vs. OregonAdvoCare V100 Texas BowlNRG Stadium, Houston Dec. 28, 9 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Baylor vs. Arkansas McMurphy: TCU vs. Ole MissBirmingham BowlLegion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Dec. 29, 2 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Cincinnati vs. Mississippi State McMurphy: SMU vs. Mississippi StateBelk BowlBank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Missouri vs. North Carolina McMurphy: Tennessee vs. MiamiValero Alamo BowlAlamodome, San Antonio Dec. 29, 9 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Texas vs. UCLA McMurphy: Texas vs. UCLAAutoZone Liberty BowlLiberty Bowl, Memphis, Tennessee Dec. 30, noon (ESPN)Schlabach: TCU vs. Auburn McMurphy: Oklahoma State vs. South CarolinaHyundai Sun BowlSun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas Dec. 30, 2 p.m. (CBS)Schlabach: Notre Dame vs. Arizona State McMurphy: North Carolina vs. Arizona StateFranklin American Mortgage Music City BowlNissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee Dec. 30, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Ole Miss vs. Miami McMurphy: Georgia vs. MarylandCapital One Orange Bowl?Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Dec. 30, 8 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Clemson vs. Georgia McMurphy: Clemson vs. MichiganNOVA Home Loans Arizona BowlArizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona Dec. 30, TBD?Schlabach: Old Dominion vs. Utah State McMurphy: Colorado State vs. CaliforniaBuffalo Wild Wings Citrus BowlCamping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida Dec. 31, 11 a.m. (ABC)Schlabach: Michigan State vs. Tennessee McMurphy: Iowa vs. ArkansasTaxSlayer Bowl?EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida Dec. 31, 11 a.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Iowa vs. LSU McMurphy:?Notre Dame vs. LSUOutback BowlRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida Jan. 2, 1 p.m. (ABC)Schlabach: Wisconsin vs. Florida? McMurphy: Nebraska vs. FloridaGoodyear Cotton Bowl Classic?AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas Jan. 2, 1 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Washington vs. Houston McMurphy: Wisconsin vs. HoustonRose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern MutualRose Bowl, Pasadena, California Jan. 2, 5 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Stanford McMurphy: Michigan State vs. WashingtonAllstate Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)Schlabach:?Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State McMurphy: Texas A&M vs. Baylor ' ' '