Pirate Galaxy » there was "clearly some improvement."

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- North Texas coach Seth Littrell seemed a little worn out at the end of the game, and it was understandable. The Mean Green had beaten Army for the first time in five tries and he had repeatedly jumped and spun around on the sidelines amidst a flurry of turnovers by the Black Knights.Facing the second-rated defense in the nation, Jeffrey Wilson rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns and North Texas beat Army 35-18 on a wet, raw Saturday at Michie Stadium.We ended up getting seven turnovers, and thats key, Littrell said. Defensive guys did a great job of making those opportunities count. I was a bonehead in the first half, to be honest. We should have run the ball more.Fresh from a bye week, North Texas (4-3) rallied in the second half behind Wilson, who was coming off a career-high 188-yard performance two weeks ago against Marshall. Wilson scored on a 41-yard run and 1-yard plunge in the third quarter as the Mean Green stunned the Black Knights.Without a doubt, theres no other answer, simply our O-line, Wilson said. They came out today with fire in their eyes and I could see if from the jump. We knew we wasnt going to start off fast, but we know that if we keep on picking away and picking away and picking away that well eventually do what we came to do. And thats exactly what happened.Army (4-3) entered the game ranked second against the run, allowing just 99 yards per game.Wilson, held to seven yards rushing on two carries in the first half, staked the Mean Green to a 21-10 lead early in the third when he slithered through the left side of the defensive line and raced untouched for 41 yards and a touchdown. He had 153 yards on 13 carries in the second.The Black Knights seemed ready to counter right back, but quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled a snap on fourth-and-inches at midfield and the Mean Green took possession.Its hard to score when you dont have the ball, Army coach Jeff Monken said. To give the ball back to them is agonizing. Those plays kill drives, kill the momentum.Moments later, Army defensive back Elijah Riley was poised to make an interception but slipped down as he turned to catch the ball. That left Willie Robinson all alone for a 26-yard catch and Wilsons 1-yard run boosted the lead to 28-10 midway through the third.They did a good job defensively against our offense in the first half, Littrell said. What they do against the run game has been impressive, so I probably was trying to get the back end going a little bit. We had some stuff we missed early. The way our offensive line came off the ball and Jeffrey ran the ball, that was the difference.North Texas sealed the victory on a turnover. Army was driving at midfield early in the fourth, but after a long gain on the first reception of his career that had caught the North Texas defense off-guard, tight end Dalton Mendenhall had the ball stripped by Eric Jenkins and the Mean Green recovered at its own 12-yard line.Army finished with 302 yards rushing, 53 yards below its nation-leading average. Bradshaw led with 90 yards on 24 carries.Monken had a simple explanation for the loss.We got whipped in every phase, he said. I dont know if theres much more to say.THE TAKEAWAY:ARMY: If the Black Knights can control the turnovers, they still can contend to play in the postseason. Army cant afford to make those mistakes to have a chance to win, with the likes of Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Air Force and Navy still on the schedule.NORTH TEXAS: With a freshman quarterback at the helm and a solid running game, the Mean Green can be a contender in Conference USA. When Wilson is on, they win. In the teams first three victories, he averaged 142.7 rushing yards, just 44.3 in the losses.UP NEXT:Army: Travels to play Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday.North Texas: Plays at Texas-San Antonio on Saturday.---AP College Football Website: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947Cheapest Kobe Shoes . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Wholesale Lebron James Shoes . 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NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguezs already strained relationship with the New York Yankees hit another low on Thursday when he pushed to be activated from the disabled list, the team refused and he had a lawyer join the discussion of his injury rehabilitation. Already a target of Major League Baseballs drug investigation, the third baseman angered the Yankees when he obtained a second medical opinion on his strained left quadriceps this week without informing the team in writing, a step required by the sports collective bargaining agreement. The Yankees intend to discipline him, most likely with a fine. "Do you trust the Yankees?" Rodriguez was asked during an interview on WFAN radio. He responded: "Id rather not get into that. Im just frustrated that Im not on the field tomorrow." Sidelined since hip surgery in January, Rodriguez issued a statement early Thursday saying he wanted to be activated for Fridays home game against Tampa Bay. "The Yanks and I crossed signals," the three-time AL MVP said in the statement. "I dont want any more mix-ups. Im excited and ready to play and help this team win a championship. I feel great and Im ready and want to be in the lineup Friday night. Enough doctors, lets play." But that wasnt in the Yankees plans. "Hell continue tomorrow with some light conditioning, and then expand to more functional work from the 27th through the 31st," general manager Brian Cashman said. "Our hope, as well as Alexs hope, without any setbacks or new complaints, that would put him in a situation to have either a simulated game or a rehab game on Aug. 1." A-Rod was upset with the delay. "Im very, very disappointed," he said. "I know I can help my team. Im frustrated but I agreed to this five-day plan, and on we go." Whether he gets back on a big league field any time soon or ever plays for the Yankees again remains to be seen. MLB has been investigating Rodriguez as part of its probe of the closed Biogenesis clinic in Florida , accused in media reports of distributing bannned performance-enhancing drugs.ddddddddddddA suspension appears likely, but Rodriguez could ask the players association to contest a drug penalty -- making it possible he might not have to serve any time until next year. He is among the dozen or so players under investigation by MLB; he has said in the past that he used PEDs from 2001-03 while with Texas but maintained he has not used them since. Rodriguez independently sought out a second opinion on his thigh strain, consulting Dr. Michael Gross, the orthopedic director of The Sports Medicine Institute at Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. Gross said on Wednesday that he examined an MRI and could not detect an injury. Gross, who never examined Rodriguez personally, was reprimanded this year by New Jerseys board of medical examiners over steroid prescriptions, fined $30,000 and ordered to pay $10,000 in costs. Rodriguez was re-examined Thursday by Dr. Daniel Murphy, the Yankees orthopedic surgeon, who confirmed the initial diagnosis. Cashman said Murphy determined there was "clearly some improvement." Yankees president Randy Levine and Cashman had a conference call with Tim Lentych, the head athletic trainer at the player development complex in Tampa; Rodriguez; and Jordan Siev, co-head of the U.S. commercial litigation group at Reed Smith. Rodriguez is baseballs highest-paid player with a $28 million salary this year and is owed $86 million more in the next four seasons. He sounded like a man who anticipated having to fight for his money. "Just want to make sure that everything is documented properly," he said. Rodriguez has hit a mediocre .250 (8 for 40) with two homers and eight RBIs in 13 minor league games. About a week before he began the injury rehab assignment on July 2, Rodriguez tweeted that the surgeon who operated on his hip "gave me the best news - the green light to play games again!" Cashman responded: "Alex should just shut the ... up." ------ Associated Press Writer Mark Didtler in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report. ' ' '