Foto-Album » create some of the plays we were looking for, Mauri

This story appears in ESPN The Magazines November 28 Tall Ball Issue. Subscribe today!We know... the only record that counts is the one in the win-loss column. But that doesnt mean we should pass on these other runs at history.Score, Tide, scoreTHE FEAT Through the first 12 Saturdays, Alabama had nine defensive touchdowns, the most in FBS play since 2004 and tied for the season record held by Southern Miss (2011) and SMU (2012). Those nine TDs are three more than any other defense has managed this year -- Ohio State has six -- and have come courtesy of seven players.THE FUNDAMENTALS Jonathan Allen, Alabamas two-time All-SEC defensive lineman who has scored on two fumble recoveries this season, says the Tide are opportunistic because they literally practice what they preach. In practice, even if its an incomplete pass, we want to try to pick it up and return it for a score, he says. In that way, they learn how to be offensive players too. Scoop and score. Thats something we live by.THE FUTURE The Tigers loom. Auburns offense, No. 25 in efficiency, is back to looking like a Gus Malzahn-helmed attack (most of the time; see: Georgia). The Tigers have only 11 turnovers all year, which is good for a top-20 FBS ranking. Still, the Bama D makes its living harassing opposing quarterbacks, and Auburn has already allowed 18 sacks. They dont have to blitz, says Eddie Gran, Kentuckys offensive coordinator. They can send four and get to the quarterback. And that leads to hurried throws, which leads to errant throws, which leads to intercepted throws, which leads to ... well, you get it.The first 6,000-yard man?THE FEAT Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes could accomplish what no player at any level of college football has ever done: gain 6,000 yards in a single season. Former Red Raiders quarterback B.J. Symons came closest in 2003, with 5,976 total yards. Averaging 454 total yards of offense per game, Mahomes is on pace for a season-long total of 5,902 yards -- if Tech (4-6 with two games to go) plays in a bowl game.THE FUNDAMENTALS On average, Mahomes is passing for 67 more yards per game than last year, a jump in production that Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury says is helped by his ... incompletions. The number of throwaways Ive seen? I love it, he says. We always dance that fine line of When is the party over, and when do you make that exceptional play? This year hes surrendered a bunch on second down and got us a third down instead of turning the ball over.THE FUTURE If Tech doesnt make a bowl, Mahomes will need to average 730 yards of offense in his final three games. The good news: He surpassed the 500-yard mark five times in his first 10 outings. The bad news: In the season finale in Arlington, Tech faces Baylor and its Big 12-best pass defense (201.4 yards per game allowed, No. 32 in the FBS).This Cardinal rulesTHE FEAT Louisville QB Lamar Jackson cant not score. He was responsible for 46 touchdowns (27 passing, 19 rushing) through 10 games. If he keeps that pace, hell threaten Colt Brennans record of 63 TDs in 2006 in the postseason. Jackson, the Heisman favorite, has outscored 57 FBS offenses this year.THE FUNDAMENTALS Jackson rushed for 11 TDs last year, but his growing understanding of how to use his arm has opened up his game. Hes getting comfortable with reading defenses, says Louisville co-offensive coordinator Lonnie Galloway, who points to Jacksons third-down slant to James Quick in the second quarter in Louisvilles 63-20 rout of Florida State. The Cards were ahead just 14-10, and a defensive back in tight coverage was in the passing lane. Instead of forcing a dart in to Quick, Jackson lofted the ball just over the defenders reach. I dont think he makes that throw last year, Galloway says.THE FUTURE Houston, Louisvilles penultimate opponent, might prove a stout test; the Cougars rank No. 23 in defensive efficiency and have held QBs to a 37.8 QBR (No. 23 in the FBS). Then comes in-state rival Kentucky, which looks riper for Jacksons picking: UKs defense has surrendered 40 touchdowns this year, tied for 84th in the FBS.The rest of the bestDONNEL PUMPHREY The running back has quietly hoarded 6,051 career rushing yards at San Diego State, putting him 346 shy of Ron Daynes career mark (6,397 from 1996 to 99), and hell have room to run: The Aztecs are bowl-eligible, and their final two regular-season opponents allow 4-plus ypc.COREY DAVIS With 4,814 career receiving yards, Western Michigans stud receiver needs 191 yards in his next three games to pass Trevor Insleys record of 5,005 yards (Nevada, 1996-99). Other than his last game against Kent State where he had just 18 yards, Davis has gained at least 63 yards in every game this year.JAKE BROWNING Russell Wilson holds the highest passer efficiency rating in a season (191.78 at Wisconsin in 2011), but Washingtons Browning is closing in on the record this year at 189.1. And his odds look good: he faces Arizona State (No. 124) and Washington State (No. 74) to close the regular season.RYAN SWITZER As a North Carolina freshman in 2013, Switzer ran back five punts for TDs, wizardry that approached the all-time career mark (Wes Welker and Antonio Perkins both collected eight) in just one year. He had none in 2014 but two last year, followed by zero this year. If he can recapture the magic just once, hell crack the record books.NAVY The Middies are once again the nations least penalized team; with just 2.4 flags per game, theyre on pace for 29 hankies. Since the record was first charted in 2004, Navy has accrued the fewest penalties in the country four times (including the record low of 28 in 2011) and has never ranked below No. 5. Curry 2 Shoes Cheap . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Curry 6 Shoes For Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.curryshoesclearance.com/ua-curry-6-shoes.html . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. Curry 1 Shoes For Sale .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Curry 5 Shoes For Sale . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Boston Bruins have had enough of rookie sensations, so Patrik Laine had best be on his toes.Boston fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 Saturday night, when Mitch Marner, last years Canadian junior player of the year, scored the winner. Now the veteran-laded Bruins want to remind the Winnipeg Jets on Monday that there is a reason why the most common adjectives used to describe them are big and bad.The only saving grace for the Bruins from the road loss was they kept Torontos Auston Matthews, who scored a record four goals in his first NHL game, off the score sheet. But when there is more than one roadrunner on a team, shutting down the fastest one doesnt guarantee victory.We told our guys they would be fast, Bruins coach Claude Julien told the Boston Globe, and that they would have to fight to get to those positions. Thats where our team didnt do a good enough job. A few times we had opportunities we didnt stop in front of the net. We skated by. (Brad) Marchand at the end, if he puts on the brakes, he gets a goal there on a (David) Pastrnak pass. But he did a fly-by there.The Jets, like the Bruins, come into their third game of the season with a record of 1-1-0.Winnipeg is grasping for answers to what went wrong Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn., when the Jets jumped out to a 2-0, first-period lead only to give up the next four goals en route to a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Perhaps the most frustrating part for Jets coach Paul Mauurice was the fact his troops mustered a whopping eight shots on net during the last two periods, and one of those came from center ice.ddddddddddddAll things open up after chaos gets created, and we didnt create enough chaos in the offensive zone to create some of the plays we were looking for, Maurice said.Laine, the Jets rookie sensation who was selected No. 2 in last springs draft behind Matthews, had a goal and an assist in Winnipegs 5-4 opening-night victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. However, he was held pointless against the Wild, despite spending most of the night on the top line with winger Blake Wheeler and center Mark Scheifele.The ever-impatient Jets fans, who have used Ondrej Pavelec as their punching bag for the past four years, are calling for the recall of the recently demoted goalie after Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson each gave up four goals in his first starts of the season.They also were crying foul after Maurice banished winger Joel Armia and defenseman Ben Chiarot to the press box against the Wild and inserted and right winger Chris Thorburn and rearguard Mark Stuart in their place. Center Alex Burmistrov also dressed for his first game of the year against the Wild, filling in for Bryan Little, who is out indefinitely after sustaining a lower-body injury against Carolina on Thursday. ' ' '