FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen walked through the locker room after the Bulldogs beat Massachusetts and noticed that his players didnt know whether to celebrate.Guys arent sure, he said after the Bulldogs rebounded from a mediocre first half -- again -- to win 47-35 on Saturday.Thats how young a team we are: `Are we supposed to smile? We won a game but I made a mistake, Mullen said, imitating his players confusion. Yeah, we won a game. Enjoy it.The Bulldogs (2-2) have struggled all season with inconsistency, and it was never more frustrating than when they spotted then-No. 20 LSU a 20-point lead last week, rallying to lose 23-20. Against UMass, Mississippi State trailed 14-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half before finding a rhythm.Nick Fitzgerald led the Bulldogs 65 yards in 80 seconds, hitting Fred Ross for a 9-yard touchdown to make it a one-point game at the half. In the third quarter, the two connected for a 46-yard touchdown before UMass scored to retake the lead.Then the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns just 17 seconds apart, on Aeris Williams 16-yard run and then another on the next play from scrimmage when Jamoral Graham returned an interception 38 yards for a score.Everybody was hyped and they wouldnt even let me sit down, Graham said. And I was tired.Four minutes later, Fitzgerald hit Farrod Green from 13 yards out to make it 41-21 just before the end of the third quarter.Fitzgerald completed 25 of 38 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, and he also ran for 110 yards. Fred Ross caught eight passes for 126 yards and two TDs for Mississippi State, which once again struggled to play well for two halves in a row.Its hard to get a win, Williams said. But we were way superior to them.Andrew Ford, making his second start for the injured Ross Comis, completed 24 of 40 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns for UMass (1-3). But he also overthrew his receiver on the first play after Mississippi States go-ahead touchdown, and Graham was there to make it 34-21.UMass failed to move on its next possession and punted it back to the Bulldogs, who took over on their own 39-yard line. Fitzgerald went 3 for 3 on the drive and also added a 15-yard run as Mississippi State converted its third touchdown in 4 minutes, 11 seconds.I had a good time coaching the game, UMass coach Mark Whipple said. Our guys battled. Im proud of them. There was a lot more good than bad.HALFSIESIn addition to the LSU loss, the Bulldogs also led South Alabama 17-0 at halftime in their opener but lost 21-20. Against South Carolina, Mississippi State led 24-0 at halftime before holding on for a 27-14 win.We play a good half here and a good half there, Fitzgerald said. Weve just got to string two good halves together and get rid of the terrible ones.SCORINGMarquis Young ran for 125 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave UMass a 7-3 lead. Jalen Williams caught two touchdown passes, and Bernard Davis and Sadiq Palmer each had one for the Minutemen.THE TAKEAWAY:MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs needed this game to replace Tulane on the schedule. UMass agreed as long as MSU came to New England first. The Minutemen will visit Starkville next year and again in 2020.UMASS: You cant say UMass, one of just four FBS independents, is afraid to schedule tough opponents. The Minutemen have now played two SEC teams and one from the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with Florida International.UP NEXTMISSISSIPPI STATE: A week off before hosting Auburn.UMASS: Tulane on the UMass campus in Amherst. Drew Kaser Jersey . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Kellen Winslow Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.chargersauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-nick-novak-jersey.html . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Kenny Wiggins Jersey . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Lance Alworth Jersey . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. BALTIMORE -- Growing up, Kentucky Derby winner Orb was just another horse who fit in with the crowd. Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., with his pals, or when he was learning how to be a racehorse at Niall Brennans farm in Ocala, Fla. Did everything asked of him. "A model citizen," says Claiborne Farm manager Bradley Purcell. Brennan remembers the colt did everything right. "His workouts, his focus, he didnt fret about things, he was enjoying it," he says. And wouldnt you know it: In his racing debut, last Aug. 18 at Saratoga, Orb leaped in the air as the gates opened and trailed by 14 lengths early on in the seven-furlong race. He made a remarkable recovery, though, and finished third, just 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner. "He was so far behind," recalled his jockey, Joel Rosario. "He made up a lot of ground, and I was impressed. My agent told me, maybe hes going to be a nice horse." Maybe? A few more growing pains followed, like smacking his head in the starting gate in his second race. But a two-month break allowed trainer Shug McGaughey to work out the colts gate issues, and by his fourth start, Orb had found the winners circle -- a two-length victory at Aqueduct on Nov. 24. He hasnt lost since, winning three times at Gulfstream Park, including the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby, building confidence and gaining experience along the way. And then came the ultimate moment: charging down the stretch over a sloppy track and winning the Derby by 2 1/2 lengths. "I wish I could tell you back then he looked like a horse who could win the Kentucky Derby," Purcell said. "He had good size, and strength. All we do is let them grow and Mother Nature does the rest." So far, so good, and a win over eight rivals in Saturdays $1 million Preakness would send Orb back home to New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 8 with a chance to become racings first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. "I wouldnt be telling the truth if I said I dont think about (the Triple Crown), because I do," McGaughey said. "I try to block it out, but if youre in this position, anybody would think about it. Its a thrilling thought, but weve got to get by Saturday. If we do, the next three weeks will be a lot of fun." Orb seems to be enjoying it, too, appearing cool and calm around the Pimlico stakes barn in the mornings while hundreds of people are milling around, many angling for the best photo op in cramped quarters. He was the same way at Churchill Downs. "Hes pretty laid back," McGaughey said. A bay son of Malibu Moon, out of the mare Lady Liberty, co-owner Stuart Janney III came up with the name. "I like it. Every poet who refers to the moon, uses the word orb," Janney explained. "I try to name the horses to go with the mare and stallion." Orbs bloodlines are filled with champions. Malibu Moon is a son of 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy, and currently is North Americas second-leading sire. Lady Liberty is a daughter of 1990 Derby and Breeders Cup Classic winner Unbridled. Still, there was not much fanfare when Orb was born in February 2010. It was a "textbook" birth, Purcell said, adding Orb was probably 120-130 pounds -- the average weight for a foal. He was among a group of eight colts who spent hours together in the same field. One of them, Departing, is running in the Preakness. When Orb was sent to Ocala in August 2011, Brrennan already had an idea of what he was getting since hed been the Claiborne to chart Orbs development, as well as dozens of other horses.dddddddddddd "He always looked good physically, but there were others that were the same," Brennan said. "At that time, its like kids on a soccer field playing around and as you get into early spring, they start separating themselves. You begin to see their athletic ability and Orb at this time a year ago was doing very well." Orb was among the first group of Brennans 2-year-olds to be sent out to their respective trainers. Also under his care at the time were two other Derby horses -- Revolutionary and Palace Malice -- and Dens Legacy, who was on the Derby trail for a while. Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps, who co-owns Orb with Janney, remembers seeing the horse early on and not being overly impressed. "I think we really thought he was just a horse," Phipps said. "I dont think even Shug thought he was much better than that. But after he came back from the Fountain of Youth he came back looking bigger, better and stronger and then he did the same thing after the Florida Derby. And after the Derby. Lets just hope thats the way hes headed (going into the Preakness)." Despite Orbs troubles at the start of his racing career, McGaughey now marvels at what may be the best horse hes ever trained over a 34-year career that includes 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer and many female champions topped by undefeated Personal Ensign. "He has filled out so much physically," McGaughey said. "I look at him and I cant believe what Im seeing from last November to now. Mentally, everything has come together. He was a bit difficult at the gate all of his 2-year-old year and thats all behind him. I couldnt be more pleased with his development." During his win streak, Orb had a new rider for the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby in John Velazquez because Rosario had a prior racing commitment. Rosario regained the mount for the Derby after Velazquez chose Verrazano as his Derby horse. On the day Orb won the Florida Derby, Rosario was in Dubai winning the $10 million World Cup aboard Animal Kingdom. "This is very good," he said of Orbs win. "Hes really getting much better. He showed it in the Kentucky Derby, and I hope he shows it on Saturday." Orb is considered a closer, but McGaughey says hes versatile. "He comes from back, but they dont have to take him back," McGaughey said. "It depends on the colour of the race. If its a fast pace, hell be off of it, but if its slow, I think hell actually be laying up close like he was in the Florida Derby within four, five, six lengths. And he has got enough of a punch that you dont take him out of the game plan when you do lay up close." McGaughey does not take all the credit for Orbs success. Credit also goes to exercise rider Jenn Patterson, who has spent as much time with Orb as anyone. She was with him in the weeks before the Florida Derby, and would make the weekly three-hour round trip drive from Gulfstream Park to Payson Park for Orbs workouts. "Without her, we wouldnt be here," McGaughey said. "Its not only her riding ability, its her horsemanship and dedication to the whole thing. Nobody will know how much I appreciate her and what I think of her and her abilities. The rapport we have between each other... I think its a pretty remarkable relationship." And because of it, Orb no longer fits in with the crowd. He stands out. Cheap Jerseys ChinaNFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Jerseys WholesaleDiscount Basketball JerseysCheap NHL Jerseys AuthenticCheap Baseball Jerseys Free ShippingCheapest College Jerseys SaleCheap Football Jerseys ChinaNike NFL Jerseys CanadaWholesale NHL Jerseys From ChinaMLB Jerseys Outlet CanadaWholesale NBA Jerseys Canada StoreCheap Soccer Jerseys ChinaCheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '
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