Die Allianz T-D-P » right man to take over from compatriot

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Regardless of how much hobbled LSU star running back Leonard Fournette plays, the No. 20 Tigers remain optimistic about their prospects for gaining yards on the ground against Mississippi State.LSU sophomore Derrius Guice rushed for 155 yards in his first career start last weekend, when Fournette sat out to rest his bruised left ankle.My whole mindset when I found out (Fournette) was not playing was to fill in, get first downs, stay focused and dont miss blocks, Guice recalled.He did better than that. But then, Jacksonville State is a team in the NCAAs second-tier Football Championship Subdivision, meaning fewer scholarships and fewer big-time recruits. This Saturday night in Death Valley, there could be far more resistance from the Bulldogs, who enter Death Valley giving up only 60 yards rushing per game.LSU has labored through quarterback play so spotty that coach Les Miles replaced starter Brandon Harris with Danny Etling in the Tigers second game of the season last Saturday. Etling flourished early on, leading touchdown drives on his first few series, but his passing production was non-existent in the second half, when the Tigers needed their running game to pad their lead.Mississippi State defensive players expect to see plenty more of LSUs running game this weekend.They didnt have Leonard Fournette last week and they still had a couple guys who still tote the ball pretty good and had a bunch of big runs, Bulldogs defensive end A.J. Jefferson said. So they want to run the football. Until we stop them from running the football, thats what theyre going to do.Miles, who is often purposely vague when a players status is in doubt, has been so in regard to Fournette this week.We really want to wait until hes 100 percent and hes really closing in on that right now, so we would expect that we may have him for Saturday, Miles said.Fournette, who rushed for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, gained 138 yards in LSUs season-opening, 16-14 loss to Wisconsin. On his last carry, he took a hard hit to his ankle, hobbled to the sidelined and hasnt played since.Mississippi State is preparing to defend him regardless.Really, its the physical challenge of when you make contact, is the play over? MSU defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said of Fournette. He has the ability to bounce things and create -- not just first downs -- but hit home runs where you dont think home runs will be available. For us, its limiting yards after contact and how many hats we can get to the ball. Its 11 on one. Theres one ball and 11 of us.Even if Fournette plays, MSU can still expect to contend with the emerging Guice, who at 5-foot-11, 212-pounds, is smaller and somewhat less powerful than the 6-1, 235-pound Fournette. But Guice is explosive and shifty, and said he has become a much more refined and cerebral running back in his second season with the Tigers.I learned from last year that I have to be more patient with my runs, Guice said. I study the game more now. I have to know where every lineman is going on every play. I am more a student of the game. Thats what you do in the NFL. You practice 10 percent of the time. Then, you study and watch film.LSU has yet another change-of-pace running back in the 6-1, 233-pound Darrell Williams, who is more of a straight-ahead power runner.Were going to be very cognizant of how Leonard feels, Miles said. But were fortunate to have -- we used a kind of running back by committee with Leonard missing -- and I think it kept Derrius fresh and Darrel fresh and got some other guys in. ... Were fortunate to have real quality backs to turn to when you have a guy like Leonard Fournette out of the lineup.As long as LSUs offensive line performs well, it might not matter who carries the ball. Miles sees evidence of improvement there, and said guard Josh Boutte, who was suspended one game for a flagrant foul at the end of the season opener, will be back in the lineup.They will play better again; whether its a rotation or a spot for Josh Boutte, I think the five-some will play well, Miles said of his linemen. Theres six or seven guys here that can really play, and we look forward to them mixing and matching.---AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Starkville, Mississippi, contributed to this report---AP College Football: collegefootball.ap.orgDiscount Nike Shoes . 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"This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said.Since making his Formula One debut for HRT at Silverstone in 2011, Daniel Ricciardo has become one of the sports most recognisable and likeable faces. His infectious smile has been ever-present through the highs and lows, and many experts believe hes a potential future world champion.As Ricciardo gears up for his 100th Formula One start this weekend at the German Grand Prix, ESPN looks back at the Australians top five races from his career so far.5 - 2015 Singapore Grand PrixAwesome weekend! Started off strong and finished stronger. Seb was quick and I think we both had fun exchanging fastest laps. - Daniel Ricciardo.Only twice has Ricciardo finished a race in second place and no doubt his runner-up trophy was much more welcomed in Singapore last year than earlier this season in Monaco.It was a dominant display by Ricciardo all weekend, who finished every practice session in the top four before qualifying a surprise second on the grid alongside Sebastian Vettel.With the Mercedes pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg struggling for pace and ultimately settling for fifth and sixth respectively, both Ricciardo and Vettel could sniff a win and treated fans to a great scrap throughout.Track position proved vital and in the end Vettels Ferrari managed to hold off Ricciardo, but what was most pleasing for the Australian was his gap to the field. Third placed Kimi Raikkonen trailed by 16 seconds, while teammate Daniil Kvyat finished over half a minute behind.Throw in the fastest lap of the grand prix and youve got all the makings of a memorable weekend.4 - 2014 Australian Grand PrixI really feel for Daniel, who drove a great race in his first race for his new team, in front of his home crowd. - Jenson Button.It may have ultimately ended in disaster, but Ricciardos performance at his home race -- in his first outing with senior team Red Bull -- was one to be savoured.Ricciardo thrived in the rain-soaked qualifying session to snatch second on the grid, some 10 places higher than four-time world champion and new teammate Vettel.When Sunday rolled around there was a real sense that he could become the first Australian to ever stand on the podium at Albert Park and he duly delivered.His barnstorming drive to hold onto second place despite the pursuit of the McLarens delighted the home fans, before sensationally being disqualified and stripped of his points and podium for a fuel flow breach.While the 18 points have long been removed from his name, the jubilant podium celebrations that followed his stunning drive will live with him forever.3 -2014 Abu Dhabi Grand PrixIt was an unbelievable drive from Daniel. He was quick throughout with some great overtaking moves. It was a drive that epitomised his season. - Christian Horner.After Red Bull was excluded from qualifying for failing to comply with front wing regulations, both Ricciardo and Vettel were forced to start the 2014 season finale from the pitlane. Adding to Ricciardos woes was the fact the German started ahead of him due to a superior practice time.As the grid formed and race start neared, it seemed his stellar 2014 was set to conclude in disappointment as even a points finish from the back of the grid would be a challenge.ddddddddddddhat followed wasnt part of the script.Ricciardo drove a faultless race -- nailing the fastest lap in the process -- which saw him climb 16 places to finish fourth and only eight seconds off what would have been one of the most remarkable podiums in Formula One history.So impressed was Red Bull team principal Christian Horner after the race that he joked about starting in the pits every race.2 - 2016 Chinese Grand PrixI could feel the car start to wobble and I looked in the rear and could see the tyre was gone. But, the second part of the race was one of the best races of my life. - Daniel Ricciardo.Immediately after stepping out of the cockpit of the RB12, Ricciardo hailed his gritty Shanghai drive -- despite not finishing on the podium -- as one of his finest.A lightning start from second on the grid saw him snatch the lead of the race from polesitter Nico Rosberg. He was then able to hold the Mercedes at bay in the opening laps despite a clear pace differential that favoured the German.But luck abandoned him on lap three when his rear tyre exploded on the back straight, sending rubber confetti into the sky and Ricciardo plummeting from the lead to 17th in the blink of an eye.The next 53 laps was a driving masterclass as he fought his way back through the field, pulling off more overtakes than any other driver in the process. His sensational pass on Hamilton and Massa in the dying stages earned a hard-fought fourth place finish and even more recognition that he had arrived as a world class driver.1 - 2014 Canadian Grand PrixIm still in shock. This is ridiculous. The race really came to life the last 15, 20 laps. We saw Hamilton had a problem and then Rosberg was slow on the straights. - Daniel Ricciardo.Ricciardos maiden win in Formula One was as unexpected as it was memorable.The first six races of 2014 had proved to the world that Ricciardo was the right man to take over from compatriot Mark Webber at Red Bull -- the only thing missing had been a race win.Ricciardo would line up sixth in Montreal but a win seemed almost out of the question with Mercedes locking out the front row.By the mid-point of the race the silver arrows had built up a lead of 20 seconds over the chasing field, before an MGU-K failure struck which resulted in compromised speed. While the issue forced Hamilton to retire, Rosberg managed to nurse his car home.Having passed both Williams, Ricciardo -- as he so often did in 2014 -- sensed a win was on the cards and pulled off a stunning move into turn one on Sergio Perez five laps from home to take second place.He then set out on hunting down the race leader and on the penultimate lap swept by Rosberg and into the lead on the back straight to join Jack Brabham, Alan Jones and Mark Webber as an Australian Formula One race winner. ' ' '