episodes in a turbulent last few years.It was close to financial

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Stanfords midseason slump is becoming a distant memory now that Christian McCaffrey is healthy once again and the 24th-ranked Cardinal are finishing the season in typical fashion with another Big Game win.McCaffreys 90-yard touchdown run highlighted a record-setting 284-yard rushing performance that led Stanford to its seventh straight win in the rivalry game, 45-31 over California on Saturday.After struggling to move the ball at all during a stretch of three losses in four games back in October when McCaffrey was slowed by an undisclosed injury, the Cardinal (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12) have hit their stride late in the season.Weve definitely had some ups and downs, McCaffrey said. To see where we are now gives us a lot of hope going into each week knowing that we can play and get into a rhythm and really hurt some people in the run game.McCaffrey broke his own single-game rushing record at Stanford of 243 yards and the Big Game record of 226 yards set by Cals Joe Igber in 2002 to help the Cardinal (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12) keep the coveted Axe with yet another win over their rival.Stanford matched the longest win streak in the rivalry that dates back to 1892. The Cardinal also won seven straight against Cal (4-7, 2-6) from 1995-2001.Any time you win the Big Game, its a fun one, not only for this team but for this school, quarterback Keller Chryst saidDavis Webb threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns and Tre Watson ran for two scores for the Golden Bears, who are assured of a fifth losing season in the past six years and will miss out on a bowl bid unless there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the slots.Our margin of error is very slim, Webb said. The games we win we dont really mess up, and the games we lose we mess up. Its not that hard. We just have to get better.The game started well for Cal, which stopped Stanford on the opening drive and then scored on its first offensive play on a 70-yard pass from Webb to Chad Hansen.Stanford tied the game two plays later on a 16-yard run by Chryst and took control early in the third quarter when McCaffrey burst through the middle for his long touchdown run that was one of his three scoring runs in the game.That was the big momentum thing at that point, Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. Stanford had the momentum and we just never seemed to be able to get it back.THE TAKEAWAYStanford: The biggest reasons for Stanfords turnaround have been a healthy McCaffrey, who has rushed for 787 yards and scored 10 TDs in a four-game winning streak, and Chryst. After struggling early on as Ryan Burns replacement, Chryst has been much improved of late. He threw for 198 yards and two TDs against Cal, giving him 456 yards passing and five touchdowns the past two weeks.California: After a promising start to the season with two wins over ranked teams, the Bears are headed for another losing campaign because of the same problems that have plagued the program ever since Dykes took over as coach in 2013. The defense has struggled to stop anyone, allowing 51.3 points per game while losing five of the past six contests. The run defense, which came into the game ranked second to last in FBS allowing 283.4 yards per game, was even worse against McCaffrey and the Cardinal. Stanford finished with 357 yards.LONG RUNSMcCaffrey has scored on long runs the past two weeks, following up his 61-yarder at Oregon with the 90-yarder this week as Stanford has taken advantage of defenses stacking the box to stop the run.If we can secure those guys and get him through the first level, hes got a clear path to the end zone, Coach David Shaw said. Strike up the band and bring on the PAT.BIG RECEIVERCals 310-pound fullback Malik McMorris got involved in the passing game for the first time. He caught a short pass and rumbled for a 20-yard gain to set up one TD and added a 6-yard catch later in the game.UP NEXTStanford: Host Rice on Saturday to finish the regular season.California: Host UCLA on Saturday to finish the regular season.Russell Martin Blue Jays Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Luke Maile Blue Jays Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/1706h-sam-gaviglio-jersey-blue-jays.html . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Anthony Kay Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Rickey Henderson Blue Jays Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday.The closest Leicester got to a European trip in recent years was crossing the Welsh border to play Swansea in the Premier League.Now, as the unlikely English champions, theyll be visiting Belgium, Portugal and Denmark -- and if all goes well, even more countries -- for matches in their first-ever campaign in the Champions League.Leicester is one of two newcomers in Europes elite club competition this season, along with Rostov following its second-place finish in the Russian league.Both teams were fighting relegation in their respective domestic leagues just two seasons ago, yet now they are mixing it with the cream of the continent.---LEICESTERIn its 132-year history, Leicester has only had four seasons of European competition -- the last coming in 2000 in the now-defunct UEFA Cup after winning the English League Cup. That was Leicesters last piece of major silverware before shocking the sporting world by winning the Premier League last season.The intervening 16-year period was a bumpy ride for the central English club, which bobbed up and down between Englands top two divisions -- and even spent a season in the third tier in 2008-09 -- and also drifted close to financial ruin before being taken over by a Thai consortium in 2010.The team, known as the Foxes, returned to the Premier League in 2014 and two years later they are the champions, completing the ultimate fairytale journey.Theres been something of a championship-winning hangover at Leicester, though, and the Champions League campaign, which starts at Club Brugge on Wednesday, will offer some respite after a sobering start to the Premier League title defense.Having lost just three league games last season, Claudio Ranieris team has lost two of its opening four matches this season and the manner of the defeats will be a concern.An opening-day 2-1 loss at promoted Hull and Saturdays 4-1 loss at Liverpool highlighted how much the team is missing NGolo Kante, the France midfielder sold to Chelsea in the offseason. Often it felt like Kante covered the ground of two players last season, offering excellent protection to a defense containing journeymen and even cast-offs.With Kante gone, Leicesters solidity has disappeared and the side looks open. Liverpool could easily have scored more than four goals at Anfield.We have to clear our minds, Ranieri said, and understand that in football we have to be strong, determined, aggressive and reactive.Its not all doom and gloom for Leicester, however.The club ended up being one of English footballs biggest spenders in the summer transfer window, breakiing its transfer record twice to sign strikers Ahmed Musa, then Islam Slimani.dddddddddddd The squad is now much deeper and stronger, while Ranieri managed to limit the major outgoings to just Kante, meaning key players Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are still on board.In a sense, the pressure is off Leicester this season and it should just enjoy the Champions League campaign, especially considering its benign draw that will see the team also play Copenhagen and Porto. A couple of wins at its King Power stadium fortress and a place in the knockout stage could beckon.Once again, I say we are underdogs, said Ranieri, who is embarking on a sixth Champions League campaign with a sixth different club.And thats just how they like it in Leicester.---ROSTOVRostov almost did a Leicester last season in Russia, falling just short in its title challenge a year after narrowly escaping relegation.Rostov finished second, two points behind CSKA Moscow, to reach the third qualifying round of the Champions League and then beat famous European clubs Anderlecht and Ajax to make the group stage.The unheralded provincial side is breaking new ground, with its only previous experience of European competition being a brief one -- a loss in the Europa League playoffs in 2014. On that occasion, Rostov was excluded, then reinstated, from competition following a legal battle over financial issues, one of many episodes in a turbulent last few years.It was close to financial abyss in 2015 as the countrys recession hit Rostovs owners, the regional government.One coach, Igor Gamula, was suspended after saying the club had enough dark-skinned players and would not sign another. Then his successor, Kurban Berdyev, led Rostov on its unlikely title challenge only to quit for a better-paid job at Spartak Moscow.Spartak promptly changed its mind on hiring Berdyev and he is back at Rostov, listed as a vice-president/coach. One of his former assistants is the head coach, on paper at least, but Berdyev is likely to call the shots when it comes to Champions League tactics. He has experience of upsetting European giants, having beaten Barcelona away while Rubin Kazan coach.Meanwhile, a section of Rostovs Olimp 2 Stadium will be closed for its first home game in the Champions League because of racist behavior by fans during the playoff win over Ajax.The draw hasnt been kind to Rostov, which will face Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven in Group D. ' ' '