Clanregeln » es. But his inner core, he was over

ATLANTA -- With an ACC showdown looming, Clemson is still lacking the sort of performance that would show its capable of making another run at the national championship.The No. 5 Tigers get a chance to sharpen their credentials when they take on unbeaten Georgia Tech in a prime-time game Thursday.This would be a good time for Clemson (3-0) to step up its game, facing a team it hasnt beaten on the road since 2003 and with an even bigger contest coming up on the first day of October against third-ranked Louisville.All I know is weve been treating every game as if it was the national championship, running back Wayne Gallman said.It sure hasnt looked that way.Clemson went down to the final play at Auburn before holding on for a 19-13 victory, and the Tigers had a surprisingly tough time in a 30-24 win over Troy. Last week, they blew out lower-division and South Carolina State 59-0 in what looked more like a scrimmage.Georgia Tech (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has yet to face a team of Clemsons caliber, but the Yellow Jackets should get a boost of confidence from their success at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Theyve won five straight over the Tigers in Atlanta, including a 28-6 victory two years ago when quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with a knee injury.We havent won down there in a while, Gallman said. Its time to change that.Watson, who grew up in the sprawling suburbs north of Atlanta, bounced back from his injury to become one of college footballs most dynamic players last season, leading Clemson to 14 straight wins before a heartbreaking 45-40 loss to Alabama in the national championship games.Then theres Georgia Tech, which struggled to a 3-9 mark a year ago.The Yellow Jackets are eager to show theyve turned things around. A victory over one of the nations top teams would certainly accomplish that.I look at this as a great opportunity, coach Paul Johnson said. If we play as hard as we can and execute, well be in the game. We can play with them. Weve played with them before.---Some other things to watch for when Clemson takes on Georgia Tech:FAST VS. SLOW: Clemson runs a hurry-up scheme that is designed to keep defenses off balance and get as many plays as possible for an offense with a plethora of dynamic weapons. The Tigers are averaging about 80 plays per game -- nearly 20 more than Georgia Techs run-oriented scheme. The Yellow Jackets will do their best to slow the game to a crawl. The offense needs to be able to run the ball consistently, control the clock and keep them off the field, Johnson said.NEW QUARTERBACK? If Clemson shuts down Georgia Techs triple-option offense, give credit to Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables -- and not just because of what he does on game day. Venables likes running the scout team and acting the part of Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas, no easy task given the uniqueness of the triple-option offense. Linebacker Ben Boulware said seeing Venables on the opposite side of the line usually means a couple of hard shoves. I think he likes when we do that, Boulware said.THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Georgia Tech has struggled to sell out 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium, which often diminishes the teams home-field advantage. But the place comes alive under the lights, creating the sort of atmosphere that has produced some of the Yellow Jackets most memorable performances. None more so than last years stunning 22-16 upset of Florida State, which was Techs lone ACC win.HANDS ON THE BALL: Clemson will be without clutch receiver Hunter Renfrow, who had TD catches in the first two games. He is out for about a month with a broken hand. The receiving corps played well last Saturday, but there were eight drops the previous week against Troy. The Tigers cant afford that sort of sloppy play.BAD MEMORIES: Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has his share of memories, good and bad, at Georgia Tech. He caught a 9-yard TD pass from Charlie Whitehurst in 2003 to put Clemson ahead 10-0 in a game it would go on to win 39-3 -- its last victory against the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Dont mention the 2001 game, though, even though it was also a Clemson win. Elliott went down with a broken wrist covering the opening kickoff.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Yeezy Boost 350 Günstig Kaufen . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. 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The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Gregg Popovich spoke for about 15 minutes, sometimes unable to hide his emotions, all the while wearing a T-shirt that had Tim Duncans face printed on the front. When the last question was answered, the coach turned, put his hands in his pockets and silently walked into a new era for the San Antonio Spurs.Its a day Popovich knew was coming.That clearly didnt make it any easier.Hes irreplaceable, Popovich said.Choking up at times and making wisecracks at others, Popovich bade a public farewell to Duncans playing career on Tuesday. The five-time NBA champion announced his retirement on Monday in a statement released through the team, ending a 19-year career that was spent entirely in San Antonio.I figured I better come out here and do this and somehow say goodbye to him, Popovich said. Which is an impossibility, for a lot of reasons.Popovich spoke in a corner of the Spurs practice facility in San Antonio, the spot where he holds court with reporters after workouts during the season. There was no news conference, no elaborate setup, not even any live coverage permitted. Even for something that will have so much impact on the team, the league and the sport, the Spurs kept things as simple as possible.Duncan is leaving. In some respects, everything is changing. In others, nothing will.I think it will be a seamless transition for the team, former NBA coach and current television analyst Jeff Van Gundy said. I think who its going to be hard on is Gregg Popovich.Popovich gave no indications otherwise Tuesday.All in one answer -- the premise being picking one person in history to have dinner with -- Popovich made mention of Mother Teresa, Jesus, the Dalai Lama, William F. Buckley, Gore Vidal and actor John Cleese. But given the choice between any of those people, or anyone else, Popovich said he would choose to dine with Duncan.I can honestly tell you my dinner would be with Timmy, Popovich said. And it would be because hes the most real, consistent, true person that Ive ever met in my life.I can be on him in a game and ask him why hes not rebounding in a relatively stern way and really get on him in front of everybody, Popovich continued. And on his way back to the court, hell say, `TThanks for the motivation, Pop.dddddddddddd Thanks for the support, Pop. Then hell turn away with his eyes up in the air and well both start laughing. And people dont see those things. But his teammates have and thats why his teammates love him.Duncan will go down as one of the best to ever play the game, and Popovich said he was the best teammate any Spurs player could have had.There were moments of humor, too, like Popovich saying Duncan made him wear the clothes he gave him -- including the shirt he donned Tuesday -- or else he wouldnt play.I remember a pretty neat summer league game when he first came in and (Greg) Ostertag blocked his shot, Popovich said when asked what moment of Duncans career he enjoyed most. That was pretty cool.Mostly, Popovichs words showed sadness and appreciation.He spoke at length about Duncans humility, and how that was instilled in him long ago. Popovich told a story about when Duncans father, who died in 2002, told the Spurs coach he needed to ensure his son would not be changed by fame or fortune.I can still remember before his father passed away, looking me in the eye and saying `Im going to hold you responsible to make sure that when hes done hes the same person he is now. And in that respect, he is, Popovich said. Hes grown as a person, as we all do, through experiences. But his inner core, he was over himself when he came in and after all these accolades and all this success, hes still over himself. Hasnt changed a lick.Duncan and Popovich won more games together than any player-coach combination in NBA history -- and Popovich said he owes his own success to the now-retired star, not the other way around.To think of a season without Duncan, Popovich said, is mindboggling.I would not be standing here if it wasnt for Tim Duncan, Popovich said. Id be in the Budweiser league, someplace in America, fat and still trying to play basketball or coach basketball. Hes why Im standing.---AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis and Associated Press Writer Raul Dominguez in San Antonio contributed to this report. ' ' '