NC-Pembroke Braves are 7-1 and have been ranked among the to

Where has all the hair gone? Its at home! I gave some of it to my mother. I had it for a long time. I thought I needed a change, so…I read a story somewhere that the hair was for a reason. Apparently your coach told you that you can have the long hair after certain things are achieved. Is that correct? It is just a general thing that every coach in India says. If he sees a player who is interested in being stylish, is adventurous and wants to play with his hair, he will always tell you, Play for India and then you do whatever you want. That wasnt why I grew my hair. I just had a lot of time on my hands after the South Africa series last year till the IPL. I had six to eight months at home, so it was easy for me to take care of it. I always wanted to grow long hair, so I grew it for some time. It might grow back again, but I am not sure.The last time I spoke to you, you were just returning from illness. You must be very pleased with how the last few months have gone. Yes, I am really happy with the results I have achieved. Seeing the results of all the hard work Ive put in for the last five-six years is extremely satisfying. The way I have played, the approach and the attitude I have had in the last six-eight months is what pleases me more than anything else. Even if I hadnt gotten the same results, I would have still been happy because Im enjoying myself and [Im] going out into the field with the same amount of commitment and focus. I am enjoying the challenges that are coming my way, the responsibility of batting up the order. In the Test matches when the team is batting with just six batsmen, you know you have to deliver.You havent played a Test or any international at home. Theres a big home season coming. How eagerly are you looking forward to it? I am really excited about coming back to India and playing some international games. I have been part of Test teams that have played in India before but havent got a chance in the XI. I am really hungry to do well in India, I have played here all my life. I feel like I know the conditions well, but you never know. It can be different when you play international cricket, and I understand that. I am really keen to go out there and start well in the first Test in Kanpur.A long season and a lot of Test cricket is part of it. You have done well in long-form cricket. Youve made runs every time you have had an opportunity. I quite enjoy playing the longer format. Im not saying I enjoy T20 or 50-over formats any less, but each format challenges you differently. I have been very consistent in domestic cricket and I hope I can continue with the same form in international cricket as well. I look to keep things simple irrespective of the format. I look to play my shots. I will play proper cricketing shots, but if the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it. That is something that wont change with any format. With competitive and quality sides coming in the next six-eight months, it will be a big challenge, and if I can keep things simple and have the same attitude and approach as the last six months, I think Ill do better. I have learnt a lot from the series in the West Indies and Sri Lanka a year ago. I have learnt a lot sitting outside and watching people play. The likes of [M] Vijay, Virat [Kohli] and Ajinkya [Rahane] - how they have been successful in Test cricket, I have learnt a lot from sitting in the dressing room. I am eager to go out there and perform like they have in the last few years, and the home series should be a big challenge.There is a lot of talk that your generation of players doesnt really appreciate Test cricket as much as the newer, faster forms. Is that just talk on the outside? From your point of view, how important is Test cricket? I cant talk for anybody else, things like this dont really affect me. Like I said, I like playing all three formats - they all challenge you differently and I am someone who enjoys the challenges. Having to play Test matches for a month and then switch to T20s in five days is not easy, but thats the kind of challenge I love to face. I respect Test cricket a lot. I wanted to play Test cricket. My coaches and my dad always thought I should look at playing Test cricket. That was my focus initially. Once I got into the Test team I learnt so much about international cricket and realised its not so different. If you keep it simple and play cricketing shots you can be successful. Luckily for me, the IPL helped this year. I realised I could play all three formats, and I feel a lot more confident now.Since you mention the IPL, one of the big revelations this season was your ability to hit the big shot. Was there a moment when you said, Ive got to get this right? Can you talk us through how you got to this point? There was no one moment. It was hard work for the last four-five years. I always thought of becoming a better short-format player and I thought hitting sixes would also help me in Test cricket. It is important to put the spinners off when they come in to bowl, especially for me as an opening batsman. If I can put them under pressure, it will make life easier for the batsmen coming in. I realised that three-four years ago and started working on my six-hitting and paid a lot of importance to my fitness. I wanted to get a lot stronger, fitter, quicker, because I knew that would help me in all three formats and prolong my career. I started paying more attention to things like fitness and nutrition and it has been helping me a lot.You unveiled this six-hitting in a sense at this IPL. Did you come into the tournament knowing that this part of your game was in better shape than its ever been? Of course. This years IPL was the key moment for me to start believing in myself and my shorter-format abilities. Once people saw it they started believing it too. I think it is very important when your own team-mates start believing that you have the game. I showed them that in the IPL, where you have your own team-mates backing you and you have a leader like Virat Kohli, who is always inspiring you to get better and who believes in you. It was important I got a few good innings under my belt. I always knew I could play the shorter format but it was about putting a few performances there. A couple of good innings and I knew I will start believing a lot more in myself, so yes, it worked out well for me this summer.Is Virat someone you have modelled yourself on, not just from the batting point of view but also from things off the pitch in terms of fitness and preparation? Yes, I think I have. He is such an inspiration. We feel lucky that we dont have to look too far. The guy who inspires you is sitting right next to you in the dressing room. The level of commitment that he has shown, the discipline and work ethic, the way he has been so disciplined with his fitness, nutrition and diet - that is something that has inspired all of us. If you come into the dressing room now you can see how all the boys are so disciplined. Hes helped me in shaping my career. When I came into Test cricket, I was good but not as good as I am now. Virat has helped me with my preparation, mindset, and he has given me a lot of confidence.Anil Kumble was very appreciative of you getting a hundred in a Test match and then playing a very different innings in the T20 in Florida. Can you talk us through the mental process for these adjustments? It is really strange, but there is no mental switch that I make. If you saw the innings in St Lucia, I got a 50 in 56 balls or something opening the innings when the ball was doing a little bit. I try to keep things very simple. I go into the field, try to assess the pitch and the situation, see what are the best shots I can play and what is the best approach to have on that day. In Florida, obviously we had to chase a big target so it was very clear in my head that I need to have a good start from ball one. We knew the wicket was good, I got a few boundaries away and I was feeling good. I wanted to do the same thing, play cricketing shots and not worry too much about the score or the results. I just wanted to see how well I could read the bowlers mind and how well I could hit the ball.So you are saying a lot of this is talk on the outside? A Test match or a one-day game or a T20 situation, from a players point of view is a lot simpler than it is made out to be? It is as simple as you make it out to be. Theres not a lot I change in my game. If the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it. Obviously with Test matches, the ball swings a lot more and it swings for longer, so if you see the ball moving you will obviously be a little more conscious. With the white ball, if youve played a few overs, theres not a lot that happens so you feel more confident, you see bigger gaps, the fielders are on the boundary, so you can push your ones and twos. Once you get 15-20, you feel more confident about going over the top. That is what I have stuck to doing and its worked well for me so far.Your training is that of an opener. What sort of adjustment have you had to make when you are pushed lower down the order? Again, it is how you look at it. I have always been someone who hasnt had big plans walking in. I play a couple of balls, then see what the situation demands of me - the roles and responsibilities I have and what are the shots I can play. Whenever I have walked in, the team needed me to do well and I have kind of enjoyed that pressure. In the modern game, you have to be flexible with whatever the team needs you to do. In Florida, the partnership with MS Dhoni was the high point. There was a serenity in the way you guys approached the target. Can you talk us through that partnership? I felt a lot more comfortable when he walked in knowing he is the greatest finisher in world cricket. I knew he would come up with something special. When he walked in we still had eight-nine overs. He told me we need to run our runs hard and we can go after the bowling when theres five overs left. Luckily we both were in good form. He was striking the ball well from ball one and I already had 50. The boundaries were coming, we were getting 12-13 runs an over without taking risks. We didnt plan too much or let the situation get to us or worry about the score. We were matching up to the required rate every over. We just tried to take it as deep as we could and we did quite well till the final over. All credit to [Dwayne] Bravo as well, he bowled a really good last over. I dont think if it happens again we will do the same mistakes as we did in the Florida game. We will be better the next time.You are now one of only three Indians with an international hundred in all formats. Do you think about milestones? I just go out there and bat, milestones and numbers have never been important to me. I always want to win games for my team wherever I play. So even the hundred in Florida is not as satisfying because we didnt win. For me, it is more important to give my team a good start, provide a cushion to get the opposition out twice, if it is a Test match. If it is a one-dayer, have the luxury of runs so that the bowlers can bowl with a free mind. That is what is more important to me. I never plan or have targets. It only limits you from achieving what you can. I always go there to play the situation, keep things simple. That way you wont put pressure on yourself, you will enjoy cricket more, you will be focused on one ball at a time and that is the best space a batsman can be in.One aspect of your cricket we havent seen much of late is wicketkeeping. Do you still focus on that? I do carry the keeping gloves, because you never know. I had to keep for an innings in Sri Lanka. I try to keep myself ready, try to keep in touch because you never know when the gloves can be thrown at you, and when you are expected to do a job. When I am expected to do something and I dont I feel really bad, I like to be prepared. So I try to work on my wicketkeeping.You may in the future be asked to do the job not just in ODIs and T20s but maybe even Test matches. Are you ready for anything? I know this challenge can be thrown at me, thats why I have started working a lot harder on my fitness because keeping will demand a different sort of fitness. If I have to keep and bat, it will take a lot out of my body. So I have started to train harder and focus on eating right and whatever helps recover my body, I am trying to take care of that. It helps to have great support staff to look after you, they guide as well. I am sure the gloves will come on at some point. I will be ready and I will enjoy that too.NFL Jerseys Outlet . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Cheap Jerseys Fast Shipping . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. http://www.outletjerseyscheap.com/ . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Cheap Jerseys Online . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. Wholesale Jerseys For Sale .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season.Here at Flipping The Field, we love us a great comeback. Every week, we honor the weekends best comeback. Thats why, after eight weeks, were totally loving us some 2016, a season that is shaping up to be defined by those who are coming up big on the rebound.It isnt just programs or players -- its programs and players. These arent just the returns of programs that have dropped from national relevance over long periods of time and are back. These are programs that have vanished and reappeared this very season.That stuff, the stuff that maybe you didnt see coming or that you didnt count on, is the stuff that makes every college football season unique, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said in reference to both the 2016 rise of Louisville and Lamar Jackson?and 2015s FSU upset by Georgia Tech, which happened almost exactly one year ago. Unfortunately, thats also the same stuff that gives coaches ulcers and sleepless nights.And you know what? When you look back on seasons, you might remember the teams who played for the national championship, but its those other unexpected guys who really wrote the story of the year.Rebound programsTheres Washington, a proud program that hasnt had a lot to be proud of the past decade and a half. Now the Huskies are 7-0 and thinking of their first Pac-12 title since 2000 and their first real shot at a national championship since 1991. To accomplish all that, they might have to go through, of all teams, Colorado, a program that just became bowl-eligible for the first time in nearly a decade and hasnt won as much as a conference division title since 2005.Theres Nebraska, sitting 7-0 for the first time since 2001 and ranked seventh in the latest AP Top 25. The Huskers are joined there by West Virginia, which is 6-0 for the first time since 2006 and ranked 10th. What is this -- 1989? Are Trev Alberts and Major Harris playing?Michigan is 7-0 for the first time since 2006 and only the fourth time in the past 40 years. The other three times (1986, 97, 06) ended in trips to the Rose Bowl. And down south, theres Tennessee. The Vols have two losses but are back in the national conversation for the first time since the mid-Phil Fulmer years.What does all this mean? Well, ask Ohio State. The Buckeyes just lost to Penn State in what was the Nittany Lions first victory over a top-two team since 1991. Can Penn State win the national championship? No. Realistically, the Nittany Lions cant even win the Big Ten championship. But they just made life more difficult for a team that thought it could. Yes, the Buckeyes can still win it all, but their margin for error is now gone. Its a margin that will be tested by Nebraska in two weeks, Michigan a month from now and perhaps Nebraska again in the conference title game.Rebound seasonsRemember when Oklahoma was 1-2 and total toast? Remember when Auburn -- alma mater of the Round Mound of Rebound -- was 1-2 and Gus Malzahn was being run off The Plains? When LSU was 2-2 and had just been run off The Plains while their coach was run out of town? Remember when Florida lost to Tennessee for the first time in forever, and the SEC East was lost with it, and the Gators were officially in rebuilding mode? Or when Florida State lost two out of three, and Fisher was bristling at questions about a divided locker room? Remember when Washington State was 0-2, and people were calling for the Pirate to fall on his sword?Well, none of the teams listed above has lost since. All those teams have re-established themselves among the AP Top 25 (Wazzu is 26th), and all have huge games upcoming against teams ranked ahead of them.We wrote about this very issue in this very space just a couple weeks ago. How does a team respond when its list of preseason goals -- division title, conference title, national title -- starts being whittled down? Multiple coaches talked about resetting goals and how the mark of a good locker room is figuring out how to stay motivated, even if that motivation is ruining the same list of goals for a rival.You never want to say a team is playing with nothing to lose, but sometimes, they are playing with house money, while youre playing with a chance to lose all your chips, said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, who will travel to Florida State this weekend. A good team is a good team. I dont care what their record is. If they find a way to be focused, even if things havent gone their way, then youd better look out.Rebound playersTo Swinneys point, talent is still talent, even if that talent fell on some hard times or landed on the training room table. A pair of guys who were on the cover of all those preseason magazines you bought went away for a while. But they rematerialized over the weekend in monstrous ways. Leonard Fournette, who was missing for nearly a month via injury, set LSUs single-game rushing record with 284 yards on just 16 carries versus Ole Miss. He also scored three touchdowns.Speaking of touchdowns, quarterback Baker Mayfield set an Oklahoma record by throwing seven TD passes against his old school, Texas Tech. (More on this insane game coming up). His performance was so sick that other QBs chimed in.Alabama will face Fournette on Nov. 5. Mayfield will see current undefeateds Baylor and West Virginia in back-to-back weekends Nov. 12 and 19. (By the way, Utahs suddenly unretired running back also went off. More on that coming up.)Anyone who is willing to throw a talented team or player out with the trash in September or October is nuts, said TCU head coach Gary Patterson, who faced Mayfields Oklahoma and resurgent West Virginia and lost to both. Those of us who watch film for a living know the truth. Call them comebacks if you want, but their talent never went away.If this season has taught us only one lesson, its that the final invitation list to Tampa in January will at the very least be partially written by those we already tried to erase.Now lets get on with Flipping The Field.From the Ridonculous Stats Department: According to our number-smashing friends at ESPN Stats & Information, Oklahoma and Texas Tech used their 66-59 shootout to break or tie seven FBS records. Tech QB Patrick Mahomes II produced 819 yards of offense, while the two teams combined for 1,708 yards of total offense and 1,279 yards passing. The two QBs, Mahomes and OUs Mayfield, produced 1,383 yards of offense between them. By the way, when these two teams met for a basketball game in Lubbock over the winter, the final score was 65-63. Navy rushed for a season-high 447 yards, and QB Will Worth accounted for a career-best five TDs. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey threw for 434 yards vs. Boston College, the second-best day ever by an Orange QB. Since Week 3, Alabama defensive lineman?Jonathan Allen has scored the same number of TDs as Christian McCaffrey, and thats?two.Speaking of Jonathan Allen:?He had a Jadeveon Clowney moment on defense too.Donnel Pumphrey?watch: My 2016 man crush had the national stage Friday night against San Jose State, and he rushed for 135 yards and a pair of TDs. You know much is expected of you when thats described as a so-so night. That effort brings Pumphrey to 1,246 yards this season and 5,518 in his career. Hes solidly among the NCAAs top 10 rushers all time, and if he manages to hit his season per game average of 177 next week at Utah State, hell jump Cedric Benson, Archie Griffinn and Travis Prentice to arrive on the edge of the top five.ddddddddddddHere comes the Hammer:?The cavalcade of sports royalty at the Big House continues. Before Michigan stomped Illinois 41-8, they brought in No. 44 to flip the coin.Were going streaking! Alabamas current streaks: 20 straight wins, 12 straight wins over ranked teams and 10 straight games with a defensive TD. North Carolina defeated Virginia in the 121st meeting of the Souths Oldest Rivalry for its ninth straight road win and the Heels longest road streak since a 10-gamer in 1947-49. Fresno State kicker?Kody Kroening?owns the nations longest streak of field goals made, at 11 in a row, but he would like us to temper our excitement.Get in the car, Frank: Then-second-ranked Ohio States road win streak was stopped at 20. The last time an unranked Penn State team beat a top-two team was in 1964, when the 3-4 Nittany Lions won 27-0 over ... second-ranked Ohio State. South Carolina defeated UMass 34-28 to get off its lonely perch on the only FBS school yet to score 20 points in a game list. BYUs Friday night loss at Boise was by one point. The Cougars four defeats this season have come via an excruciating average margin of 2.0 points.Tommy West coachs news conference of the week: Mike Leach, Washington State. After Washington States win over Arizona State, Leach was reprimanded by ASU head coach Todd Graham for accusing the Sun Devils of cheating. When asked about those accusations in his postgame presser, the Pirate channeled his inner Marshawn Lynch.Best College GameDay sign not actually at College GameDay:?Spotted on the UNLV campus prior to last weeks presidential debate:Back to the future for Homecoming:?Well done, Liberty University.Bigger than football:?Purdue pulled one of the class act moves of the year when the Boilermaker captains met their Nebraska counterparts at midfield with a tribute to Sam Foltz, the Husker punter who died in a car accident in July.Weston Steelhammer?name of the week: Jack Popp, WR, Wisconsin. The freshman receiver didnt play at Iowa, and he doesnt have a catch this season, but honestly, shouldnt he be a defensive back? Arent jacking and popping the two things you want a defender -- or a break dancer -- to do?Cool threads:?The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were more than a little stoked to receive their BlackJacks uniforms prior to their win over Youngstown State on Hobo Day.Cool lids:?On Nov. 5 against Virginia Tech, Duke will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Rose Bowl win, a game the school actually hosted at Wallace Wade Stadium because of West Coast safety concerns due to World War II. During that war, the U.S. Armys 88th Infantry Division was known as the Blue Devils, and the logo used by those fighting men will be on the players battleship grey helmets for the game.Frank Reich Backup QB of the Week award: Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati. You remember this guy, right? He started the season third on the Bearcats depth chart and made his first start of the season when he took the field against East Carolina. He had a big night: 23-of-40 passing for 348 yards and four TDs. The former Notre Dame transfer was once the starter but lost the job. At a seniors-only meeting last week, those seniors told head coach Tommy Tuberville they wanted Kiel to have another shot. After the 31-19 conference win that brought his team to 4-3, Tubs said, Id like for him to win the next five so everyone can point at me and say, Why didnt we play him the first six games?Comeback of the Week award, also named for Frank Reich: Penn State. Well, duh. Admit it. When it was 21-7 at the end of the third quarter, you changed the channel, didnt you?The guy you should know about but probably dont: Tarvarus McFadden, DB, Florida State. Hes tied for the national lead in interceptions with five, having snatched one in all but two of the Seminoles games this season. Trust me: This will come up as we count down to this weekends visit from Clemson.The guy you used to know about but forgot about but should know about again: Joe Williams, RB, Utah. Williams retired from college football one month ago, citing complications that ranged from needing a mental break to not wanting to let his teammates down. You can read about his decision in this excellent write-up from Ted Miller. On Saturday, he returned to the team in time for the Utes matchup with UCLA, and all he did was rush for school records with four touchdowns and 332 yards, the best single-game FBS performance in nearly two years.The team you should know about, but probably dont: Western Michigan. With a 45-31 win over a surprisingly good Eastern Michigan team, the Broncos are 8-0 for the first time since 1941. With Houston out of the picture and Boise State on a collision course with tough outs Air Force and San Diego State in the Mountain West, Western might have a real shot at the Gang of Fives invite to the big postseason party when it hosts Toledo over Thanksgiving weekend.The game you should be psyched for but probably arent: Connecticut at East Carolina, noon ET, ESPNEWS. No, this game has no real national implications, but it will be the first home game for the Pirates since Hurricane Matthew sacked eastern North Carolina with devastating floods. In a lot of ways, that region has only recently recovered from Hurricane Floyd 17 years ago. Now dozens of towns are back under water after a mess that forced ECU to postpone its Week 7 game with Navy until Nov. 19. The return of the team that means so much to the part of the state they call Down East will certainly be emotional.Extra point: Down I-95 from Greenville and ECU, one of the states eastern teams has already returned home after a brutal, nomadic couple of weeks. The UNC-Pembroke Braves are 7-1 and have been ranked among the top 25 in NCAA Division II for most of the season. Their home, Robeson County, is one of the areas shown extensively during the national news coverage of Hurricane Matthew, with entire city blocks of Lumberton submerged under shoulder-high flood waters after storm surges sent rivers and creeks pouring over their banks. The campus was spared significant damage but was forced to shut down for a week. The Braves sent word that they wanted to keep their season going and were immediately contacted by neighbors offering help. Wingate University, a fellow Division II school halfway between Lumberton and Charlotte, invited UNCP to use its football facilities. At one point, Wingate held practice on its football fields while UNCP practiced across campus on the Bulldogs soccer fields. Last weekend, UNCP held a scheduled home game against Kentucky Wesleyan at the very Friday Night Lights-ish Pate Stadium of Scotland County High School in nearby Laurinburg. The Scots do it right. Their staff and facilities are class, UNCP sports information director Todd Anderson said. On Saturday, the Braves finally returned home to Pembroke and defeated Catawba College 41-31. Coincidentally, it was homecoming, and it became a day truly worthy of the title, especially for the two players on the roster who grew up in Lumberton and several others hailing from small towns scattered throughout eastern North Carolina, communities that might not ever fully bounce back. ' ' '