recognize the anniversary.The statue of Paterno was removed from outside Beaver Stadium on July 22, 2012 and highly visible, university sponsored signs of him are mostly hard to find

CHICAGO -- Rookie running back Jordan Howard knew he would get an opportunity to carry the ball for the Chicago Bears if he stayed patient and worked hard.However, Howard never imagined that his moment would arrive so soon. The Bears fifth-round draft pick out of Indiana is expected to make his first start Sunday against the Detroit Lions because of injuries to teammates Jeremy Langford and KaDeem Carey.It definitely is kind of weird, Howard told the Chicago Sun-Times. I wasnt expecting injuries like this. Ive just got to take it in stride and lead the way Jeremy and KaDeem would.The Bears (0-3) could use a burst of energy from their rookie running back -- or anyone, for that matter. Chicago is one of only four teams without a victory, joining Cleveland, Jacksonville and New Orleans.Then again, the Lions (1-2) have not fared much better. But whereas all three of Detroits games have been decided by seven points or fewer, the Bears have been outscored by a whopping margin of 83-45.Throw in Detroits recent dominance against division rival Chicago, and its easy to see why Jim Caldwells club is favored by about a field goal on the road. The Lions have won six consecutive games against the Bears and have not lost at Soldier Field since Oct. 22, 2012.Meanwhile, the Bears have lost 11 of their past 12 home games dating to the end of the 2014 season.A sprained thumb could force Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler to miss his second consecutive game Sunday. If Cutler is sidelined, as expected, veteran Brian Hoyer will try once again to breathe life into a quiet offense. The Bears rank third-to-last in the league with an average of 15 points per game.Howard hopes to help as the primary option in the backfield. He has averaged 5.6 yards per carry in limited action (12 carries for 67 yards). He also has caught six passes for 56 yards.In the Bears passing game, Alshon Jeffery has averaged 19.4 yards per reception but still is searching for his first touchdown. Kevin White, Eddie Royal and Zach Miller also have notched double-digit receptions.As the Bears offense has struggled, so has the Lions defense. Detroit has allowed 28.3 points per game, which is 27th in the league.Lions safety Glover Quin said he and his teammates needed to play faster and stop thinking so much.Weve got to come out and just play, Quin told the Detroit Free Press. Weve got to fly around, attack and just play. And when you play fast, a lot of times, playing fast with great effort can cover up some mistakes. Sometimes guys may have mistakes, but if youre playing fast, sometimes you can cover it up.So thats what weve got to do. Play fast, stop second-guessing ourselves or trying to play perfect or whatever it may be and just fly around and be aggressive and let the chips fall where they may.The Lions offense has encountered no such difficulties in finding its rhythm. Thanks largely to the efficiency of quarterback Matthew Stafford, Detroit is fifth in the league in scoring with 27.0 points per game.Lions running back Theo Riddick has emerged as a dual-purpose threat. He is tied for second among running backs with 16 receptions, and his 130 receiving yards rank seventh among players at the position.Some predicted the abrupt retirement of Calvin Johnson to derail the Lions passing game. Yet Marvin Jones has filled in perfectly in his first three games with Detroit. The former Cincinnati Bengal has caught 18 passes for 408 yards, which leads the league.Chicagos defense could be in trouble if Stafford has time to feel comfortable in the pocket. The Bears have managed only four sacks in their first three games, and they expect to be without nose tackle Eddie Goldman for a second straight game because of an ankle injury. The Bears are No. 10 in passing defense but No. 30 in rushing defense, allowing an average of 142.7 yards per game on the ground.Perhaps a former Lions player can help the Bears snap the six-game skid against their NFC North rivals. Earlier this week, Chicago signed running back Joique Bell to add depth behind Howard.Bell played for the Lions from 2012 to 2015. He said his first week in Chicago was a whirlwind.Right now, I think theyre trying to feed my brain, Bell told the Sun-Times.How quickly could he become comfortable in a new offense?Were about to find out, he said.Michael Strahan Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Phil McConkey Jersey . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Saquon-barkley-giants-jersey/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Doug Kotar Womens Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. Mark Bavaro Youth Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay.STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn States athletic department on Thursday announced plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paternos first game as coach, a move that sparked backlash on social networks by people critical of Paternos role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.The university announced plans Thursday to mark the anniversary when the Nittany Lions football team hosts Temple on Sept. 17.Athletic department spokesman Jeff Nelson told The Associated Press that Penn State plans to announce specifics of the commemoration to ticket holders during the week of the game. He declined further comment on the plans.Paterno coached at Penn State for 46 seasons, becoming college footballs winningest coach. But the coach was fired by the schools board of trustees shortly after Sandusky, who was his defensive coordinator, was arrested in November 2011 for child sexual abuse. Paterno died in January 2012 of lung cancer.The announcement to honor Paternos first game was met with disdain on social media sites from those who partially blame Paterno for the scandal.In May, unsealed court documents said an alleged Sandusky victim said he complained to Paterno about Sandusky in 1976 and was rebuffed. The universitys president, Eric Barron, has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process. Paterno was never charged with a crime related to the scandal.Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 charges in June 2012 and is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence.Moving forward from the scandal has proven a difficult challenge for Penn State, reequiring leaders to balance distancing the university from the scandal while juggling the wishes of ardent Penn State supporters who credit Paterno for giving the university an identity to be proud of.ddddddddddddDepending on their position people may look at him differently, but it doesnt change that he created that here. Or helped to create that here, Athletic Director Sandy Barbour told the AP in August.The Paterno Foundation had already scheduled a private celebration of the 50th anniversary of Paternos first game as head coach with a Football Lettermens reunion on Sept. 16 at Lubrano Park in State College. Penn State alum and university trustee Anthony Lubrano has been part of a group of Paterno supporters that have been pushing for the school to officially recognize the anniversary.The statue of Paterno was removed from outside Beaver Stadium on July 22, 2012 and highly visible, university sponsored signs of him are mostly hard to find. Paternos name is still on the campus library, which was built in part by his donations.In May, the Penn State Alumni Association sent a letter to Barron, the Paterno family and the board of trustees encouraging all sides to reconcile before the 50th anniversary of Paternos debut.It noted that 91 percent of respondents to an alumni survey felt the university should publicly honor Paterno for his contributions to Penn State.The alumni association did not immediately respond to a call from the AP. ' ' '