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ST. LOUIS - Zac Stacy made his mark as a fifth-round pick last year, falling just shy of 1,000 yards. Now, the running back must prove his worth all over again. The St. Louis Rams sent a message in this years draft, taking Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason in the third round. And though theyve released Daryl Richardson, undrafted rookie Benny Cunningham was impressive last season and former second-rounder Isaiah Pead remains in the mix. Theres always going to be someone gunning for the job. "Oh absolutely, theres going to be competition," Stacy said. "Theres no doubt about that." Stacy has the advantage heading into training camp because he knows the routine, has a better grasp of the playbook and knows firsthand about the pounding that must be absorbed. "You know what to expect, you know whats going on," Stacy said. "Last year, as rookies we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Its been great so far." Mason was the SEC offensive player of the year and the first non-quarterback to lead Auburn in total offence since Bo Jackson in 1985, running for 1,816 yards with 23 touchdowns and setting school single-season records for all-purpose yards and rushing TDs. Given Mason shredded Missouri for 304 yards and four TDs in the SEC championship game, he arrived at Rams Park a well-known commodity. He wont be satisfied as a change-of-pace option, coach Jeff Fishers initial assessment. "Not sure how it starts out, and you never know what can happen in the future," Mason said. "Im here to do what they ask of me." Stacys rookie season is a good example. The first four games, he was inactive twice and totalled 4 yards on a single carry. Stacy is Vanderbilts career leading rusher. Mason was a much bigger star in the SEC for Auburns national championship runners-up and deemed a premium pick. "Im happy for Tre or whatnot," Stacy said. "Obviously, with him being one of the top college running backs last year, we know the things he can do, and its all about the adjustment to the playbook." Stacy aims to make everything come naturally on the field, so hes not taking the teams OTA sessions lightly "Very important, very important," Stacy said. "Treating every rep like its a game rep." Richardson was the starter entering training camp last summer, coming off an effective rookie season as the Steven Jacksons understudy, but was dogged by foot injuries. Stacy got the starting job in Week 5 and didnt let go. Hes not wasting time fretting about settling for 973 yards when the 49ers held him to 15 yards on 15 carries in the finale. "My mentality is to go out and be productive," he said. "Being consistent with my play, I think the yards and stats and accolades will come." Stacy is a compact 5-foot-9 and 224 pounds, runs low to the ground, hits the hole quickly and can bounce off tacklers. The Rams rested him most or all of practice weeks, allowing him to recover from the punishment and stay fresh for game days. Mason is an inch shorter and 20 pounds lighter but was extremely durable at Auburn, and big in the big games. He followed up his signature game against Missouri with 195 yards rushing in the national championship game against Florida State. Hes still running behind college teammate and close friend Greg Robinson, the second overall pick of the draft, wholl begin his career at left guard. "Ive got to do it to learn it," Mason said. "Im the type of guy whos hands-on." Cunningham, 5-foot-10 and 217 pounds, was undrafted out of Middle Tennessee. Both he and Stacy had 100-yard games against the Bears in Week 12, and he totalled 261 yards in limited duty with a 5.6-yard average. Pead had 21 yards on seven carries, all in the first two games of the season, plus 11 receptions with a 7.1-yard average. He reportedly was shopped during the draft. ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Custom Baltimore Orioles Jerseys . The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Cheap Orioles Jerseys . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Orioles Jerseys 2019 . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Baltimore Orioles Gear .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience.PARIS -- Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved five points clear of Monaco at the top of the French league after coming from behind for a hard-fought 2-1 win at last-place Ajaccio on Saturday. Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. "We were playing against a team fighting for survival. They created chances but so did we, so I think its a fair result," Matuidi said. "The pitch wasnt easy to play on either, it was very dry. It did bother us a bit. But lets not look for excuses -- the main thing is that we won and that we keep moving forward. "Its good to win and keep that gap. Weve shown that well be there (at the end) and we wont give up." Lille can overtake Monaco and move into second place if it beats Reims at home on Sunday. After striker Edinson Cavani missed two chances, PSG cut through Ajaccios defence easily for the equalizing goal in the 41st. Cavani collected the ball in midfield from Ibrahimovic, turned and passed to Matuidi, whose pass released Ibrahimovic behind the defence and his cross from the right gave Lavezzi a comfortable finish from close range. Ibrahimovic made a sloppy start to the second half, and it was a rare sight to see him casually giving possession away several times, evven failing with one easy cross from the left as he let the ball slip away from him.dddddddddddd Ajaccio almost regained the lead in the 68th when Cavallis fine pass released Eduardo, and his shot from the right side of the penalty area forced goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu into a low save. Shortly after, coach Laurent Blanc made two changes as he tried to spark some life into his listless team -- taking off centre half Alex and bringing on playmaker Javier Pastore, and replacing Lavezzi with winger Lucas Moura. Blanc switched to a 4-4-2 formation and Cavani moved in from the right to join Ibrahimovic in attack. Moments later, PSG scored after a brilliant piece of skill from Pastore. The Argentine dragged the ball back and turned to hit a swerving pass over the Bastia defence. Ibrahimovic rose at the back post to head the ball down and Matuidi sprinted in to turn the ball past goalie Guillermo Ochoa. "Even though they had a lot of possession, I think we were hanging in there and looked solid, but that goal hurt us," centre half Ricardo Faty said. Eduardo went close in the 83rd when he slid in at the back post, but his shot hit the side-netting, and midfielder Paul Lasne headed wide when well placed after running onto Eduardos cross from the left. Ochoa made a great reflex save with his left foot to deny Cavani in the last minute. Later Saturday, it was: Bordeaux vs. Toulouse; Guingamp vs. Saint-Etienne; Lyon vs. Sochaux; Rennes vs. Nice, and Valenciennes vs. Bastia. In Sundays other games, Marseille goes to Evian and Nantes faces Lorient. Monaco was held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday. ' ' '