Wir suchen Dich! » hold Ajayi to 45 yards, one of the pr

EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in history.The Ducks are No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 as they prepare to open the season Friday night at home against Army. That is the same spot Oregon held ended last season before losing to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight.The Ducks return four starters but first-team, all-conference forward Dillon Brooks will miss the start of the season after having foot surgery in September. The 6-foot-7 junior led Oregon with 16.7 points and 3.1 assists per game last season.Until Brooks returns, sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey is Oregons top returning scorer after averaging 13.4 points per game last season.We have been preparing for this moment and the hype is coming in with preseason top-five rankings, Dorsey said. We have to focus on the season coming around and take this last week seriously. We have to get ready because the hype means nothing. Teams will come at us like Oklahoma did in the scrimmage. They were the underdog, so we need to get ready for teams like that.Six-foot-10 center Chris Boucher set the Oregon school record with 110 blocked shots last season while averaging 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Point guard Casey Benson averaged 6.0 points and 3.1 assists per game.The Ducks add senior guard Dylan Ennis, a graduate transfer from Villanova who successfully appealed for a sixth year of eligibility after missing all but two games last year due to injury.The Ducks were picked as an overwhelming favorite to repeat as Pac-12 Conference champions, but coach Dana Altman said the team still has to live up to the hype.I know a lot of nice things are being said about us, we arent anywhere near that team right now, Altman said.Dorsey said the Ducks need to take the same attitude as last year when they were not ranked in the preseason polls, but captured their first conference crown since 2002.We have to look at it like we are the underdogs like last season and take the same mentality, he said. There is going to be pressure. Being in the top-five in the country there will be a target on our back, but we have to thrive under pressure.Oregon has a trio of shot-blockers led by Boucher and 6-9 junior Jordan Bell, who holds the school record with 147 blocks in two seasons. Kavell Bigby-Williams joined the team after averaging 5.6 blocks per game last year in junior college.We have great shot-blockers in the back so we know if we get blown by then there is help, Dorsey said. It is definitely hard to score against us in the paint. If you get in there, you have to float it up high or it will get swatted. It definitely changes your shot.The Ducks expect to start three guards with Dorsey, Benson and Ennis at least until Brooks returns, likely in late November. Bell and Boucher will round out the starting line-up with Bigby-Williams coming off the bench.Oregon added three freshmen -- guard Payton Pritchard and forwards M.J. Cage and Keith Smith -- who will also be counted on to contribute this season.The Ducks will be tested early with four of their first six games on the road, including a trip to Baylor on Nov. 15. Oregon is at the Maui Invitational from Nov. 21-23.My expectations are always high for our team, Altman said. I want them to play our best and we are not playing anywhere near our best. They are not wanting to take care of the details of the game and fundamentals. It is a simple game, the game doesnt change, and right now we are not taking care of the things we need to take care of.Justin Upton Angels Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Cam Bedrosian Angels Jersey . 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The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Ever since the season opener, the results for the San Francisco 49ers havent changed each week: 10 straight losses for the worst skid in franchise history.With the playoffs, a winning record and just about any positive now officially out of reach this season, the 49ers (1-10) are left searching for any signs of progress that could provide optimism for the struggling franchise.Colin Kaepernick provided just that in Sundays 31-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Kaepernick threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 113 yards more and nearly led a late game-tying drive before being tackled at the 2 on the final play in a performance that looked like a flashback at times to when he emerged as one of the NFLs top young quarterbacks in 2012 and `13.Hes made a progression from game to game where you see improvement from him, which is what youre looking for, coach Chip Kelly said on a conference call Monday. I think that part of it is positive. I think in all facets, its not just one facet where its just this and this is all hes done. Its in everything; his pocket presence, his accuracy, understanding and knowledge of protections.Kaepernicks struggles last season led to his benching midway through the year and then he struggled with injuries all offseason. With his practice time limited, Kaepernick was beaten out for the starting job by Blaine Gabbert before regaining it last month against Buffalo.After struggling his first two starts when he completed just 46 percent of his passes and had a 66.2 rating, Kaepernick has stepped it up since the bye week. He has completed 59.3 percent of his passes the past four games for 1,110 yards, eight TDs, two interceptions and a 96 rating. He has also rushed for 223 yards in that span, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.Despite gaining at least 475 yards for the second time in four games, the Niners were unable to translate that into a big scoring output. Garrett Celek lost a fumble in the red zone, San Francisco settled for a field goal on another drive inside the Miami 20 and then the final drive was stopped 2 yards short of a tying touchdown.ddddddddddddIm just disappointed in how we really hurt ourselves in that game, Kelly said. On the drives that we were stopped, all but one of them I think were our fault. We had the fumble in the red zone and then a couple times the penalties put us back, put us in long yardage situations, so it was tough to get out of those. But, I thought the offense did a nice job. You just wish with 475 yards of offense youd have more than 24 points.The other good sign for San Francisco has been an improving run defense. After allowing a 100-yard rusher in an NFL-record seven straight games, the Niners have been stouter on defense in recent weeks.They held David Johnson and Arizona to 80 yards rushing on Nov. 13 and then bottled up Jay Ajayi on Sunday. Ajayi had just 45 yards on 18 carries, far below the 137 yards rushing he had averaged over the previous five games.But it wasnt enough as Ryan Tannehill threw for 285 yards and three scores, including a 43-yarder to Kenny Stills.I thought our run defense played well yesterday, Kelly said. When you hold Ajayi to 45 yards, one of the premier backs coming in, I think our guys did a good job. I thought they tackled well by and large, but there were some, I think on the negative side, some of the pass-coverage stuff. Weve got to do a better job just contesting balls. There were guys there, but we need to make a play on the ball when its in the air.Game notesThe 49ers arrived in Orlando on Sunday night and will stay there before traveling to Chicago before Sundays game against the Bears. ... LB Shayne Skov had an MRI on his injured knee but Kelly did not have the results. ... The 49ers signed RB Raheem Mostert to the practice squad and released RB Kelvin Taylor from the practice squad.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '