Stars und Sternchen! » Santos, and the three

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Florida State might want to send the Cardinal a thank you card. Tyler Gaffney ran for 157 yards and No. 6 Stanford hammered No. 2 Oregon for three quarters before holding off a furious rally by the fast-paced Ducks for a 26-20 victory Thursday night. The Cardinal made it two in a row against the Ducks, who havent lost to any other team in the last two seasons. "If you control the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball you can beat these guys," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "Were a big, physical football team that plays well together." Kevin Hogan ran for a touchdown and played a mistake-free game at quarterback for Stanford (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) as the Cardinal put on a clinic in how to play keep away from a team that was averaging 55.6 points. Stanford ran 66 times for 274 yards -- sometimes behind as many as nine offensive linemen -- and held the ball for 42 1/2 minutes. Heisman Trophy contender Marcus Mariota, who said he was playing on a left knee that was a "little banged up," was inaccurate and under pressure much of the night. He finished 20 of 34 for 250 yards with a fumble, but threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, sandwiched around a blocked field goal return for a score by Rodney Hardrick, to pull the Ducks (8-1, 5-1) to 26-20 with 2:12 left. Oregon recovered one onside kick, but couldnt do it twice, and Stanford ran out the clock. "We dont hold the cards anymore," first-year Ducks coach Mark Helfrich said. Those belong to No. 3 Florida State now. The Seminoles dont have to worry about the Ducks nudging them out of second place in the BCS standings behind Alabama. FSU was in danger of slipping to third in the BCS if Oregon could have registered a big road victory against a quality opponent. Now, the Seminoles face a manageable remaining schedule with a good chance to win their way to the BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl in January. Unbeaten Baylor and Ohio State have to be happy, too, with one less hurdle to clear. As for Stanford, it gets first place in the Pac-12 North and the inside track to another league title game and Rose Bowl. And maybe if things get really weird, the Cardinal can get back in the national title hunt. Stanford won a three-point game in overtime at Oregon last year to deny the Ducks a chance to play for the national championship, but it didnt look as if there would be much drama in the return bout on the Farm. Stanford led 17-0 at halftime and added three more field goals by Jordan Williamson in the second half. Oregon looked like dead Ducks, down 26-0 early in the fourth with Stanford hammering away behind Gaffney, who set a school record with 45 carries. "I feel like I just played a football game," Gaffney said with a smile. Even after Oregon finally broke the seal with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to Daryle Hawkins, the Cardinal went on another time consuming drive and attempted a long field goal that would have sealed it. Instead, the Ducks blocked it, Hardrick scooped and scored from 65 yards out with 5:08 left and suddenly it was interesting. Only 5 seconds later it got even more interesting when the Ducks recovered an onside kick. They quickly moved inside the Stanford 5, but got pushed back to a fourth-and-goal from the 12. Mariota threw a touchdown pass to Pharaoh Brown with 2:12 remaining, but the time it took the Ducks to get in while burning a timeout was key. Stanford grabbed the next onside kick and Oregon was powerless to stop the clock. Stanford put Oregon in a 14-0 hole, the Ducks largest deficit of the season, with a power football clinic that started when the Cardinal came up with a fourth-and-goal stop from the 4 in the first quarter. Stanford followed with a punishing 96-yard drive that included one long strike from Hogan to Michael Rector. Gaffneys 2-yard plunge made it 7-0. With a little help from a pass interference call that wiped out an Oregon interception, Stanford made it 14-0 on Hogans option keeper from 11 yards out with 11:26 left in the second quarter. And just when it looked as though Oregon was about to get back in it, Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov ripped the ball away from DeAnthony Thomas at the Stanford 2. Stanford followed that with another 96-yard drive, this one on 20 plays that ended with Williamson kicking a 19-yard field goal to end the half 17-0. It was the first time Oregon had been shut out in the first half since Oct. 10, 2009, against UCLA, and a lot of people had to be left wondering how Stanford lost to Utah last month. At halftime, Stanford retired John Elways No. 7 jersey and the Hall of Fame quarterback concluded the ceremony by imploring the fans to stay into the game and the Cardinal to keep kicking Duck ... tail. They obliged, and Oregon is again on the outside looking in at the national title race. "It is tough and it is hard because a lot of these guys have really worked hard," Mariota said. "It aint over. It happens. Were going to come back stronger than ever and were just going to take it in stride." Air Max 720 Sale .ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen, NFL Editor Ben Fisher, and Isaac Owusu discuss three hot fantasy football topics. Air Max 720 Cheap Wholesale . You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal or on TSN.ca/Montreal. Also, TSN.ca features live streaming of the post-game news conferences from the Bell Centre. The Rangers grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final after Sundays 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Habs. http://www.airmax720cheap.com/ . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Wholesale Air Max 720 . General Manager Sam Presti said the three-time All-Star had knee swelling that would not subside, and the procedure was intended to solve the problem. He said doctors determined that a loose stitch was to blame for the swelling, that Westbrooks lateral meniscus has healed properly and the procedure was successful. Air Max 720 Cheap Online . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City.BARCELONA, Spain -- The president of Spanish champion Barcelona resigned on Thursday to fight criminal accusations he misappropriated funds from the signing of Brazil forward Neymar. Sandro Rosell is facing a lengthy legal battle after a judge in Madrid ruled on Wednesday he will hear a lawsuit that alleges the real cost of Neymars transfer from Santos last year was hidden. "I dont want unfair attacks to negatively affect (the) management or the image of the club. This is why I think my time here has come to an end," Rosell said, while insisting for a second time this week that the deal to bring Neymar to Barcelona was legal. Neymar, who is the poster boy of Brazils team going into the World Cup on home soil in June, joined for 57 million euros (then $74 million) in June, according to Rosell. The legal action, which was brought by club member Jordi Cases, alleges the real cost of Neymars transfer was closer to 95 million euros ($129 million) and that false contracts hid the real value of the move. The criminal offence of misappropriation of funds is punishable by up to six years in prison. The 49-year-old Rosell, a former Nike executive, said confidentiality agreements prevented Barcelona from revealing the exact amount received by Santos, and the three companies -- DIS, TEISA and N&N -- who owned shares of his rights. The lawsuit does not accuse Rosell of taking money from the deal. The case prompted Barcelonas board to call an emergency meeting, and Rosell announced he was quitting after more than two hours of deliberations. The transfer controversy is a blot on the reputation of a Catalan football institution that has long prided itself on being "more than a club" and is owned by its more than 160,000 members, who elect a president and executive board. And Barcelona, while top of the Spanish league, enters a period of uncertainty as it seeks to retain its domestic title and win the Champions League for the first time since 2011. Rosell, who was elected in 2010, said vice-president Josep Bartomeu will take his place and complete the pressidential term that expires in 2016.dddddddddddd Under three full seasons of Rosells presidency, Barcelona maintained its winning run started under Joan Laporta with another two Spanish league trophies to go with the Champions League title in 2011 and the Copa del Rey in 2012. Rosell said he was leaving to reduce the stress on him and his family and lamented what he described as attacks from both outside and within the club, despite its continued success on the pitch. "Through this period of success, my family and I have suffered attacks that have made me wonder if being president means putting my family at risk and in anguish," Rosell said. As he resigned, Rosell trumpeted his role in ensuring "the best players in the world wear the Barcelona jersey." Rosell oversaw the signing of Neymar, Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, and Alex Song to further strengthen a team built around star forward Lionel Messi. Messi himself is going through his own legal difficulties. The Argentina forward and his father, Jorge, are waiting to hear if they will face charges in a tax fraud case after answering a judges questions last year about allegations they avoided 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in back taxes. Rosell steered Barcelona through uncertainty last season when treatment for throat cancer kept coach Tito Vilanova away for several months. Vilanova had to step down at the end of last season through ill health and Gerardo Martino was brought in to take charge. But while helping to establish Barcelona as Europes most successful team, Rosell also upset some members by putting paying sponsors on the front of Barcas shirts for the first time by striking deals with Qatar Foundation and Qatar Airways. Rosell has faced accusations about his business dealings away from the Camp Nou, with accusations in Brazil he illegally benefited from a friendly organized by his marketing company in 2008. By leaving his powerful job at Barcelona, Rosell also loses seats on influential committees within world football on FIFA and UEFA. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '