Technik » like they had against Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest

Tournament host Rory McIlroy is relishing the prospect of a weekend battle with Danny Willett after moving into contention at the Irish Open. McIlroy sits one stroke off the pace after mixing five birdies with three bogeys on his way to a second-round 70, ending a run of three consecutive missed cuts in the event.The world No 3 picked up a shot from close range at the 13th and bounced back from a duffed chip at the 17th to card back-to-back gains around the turn, although slipped back by posting bogeys either side of a birdie at the fourth. A 20-foot putt at the ninth lifted the Northern Irishman to seven under for the week and keeps him well-placed to challenge for a first win of 2016, although McIlroy admits he had chances to post a lower round. Rory McIlroy has never finished higher than seventh at the Irish Open I just made a few too many mistakes, McIlroy told Sky Sports. I missed a few more greens today, which was because I missed a few more fairways, so I need to tidy that up.I hit a few more positive putts on the front nine, our back nine, but wasnt great with the putter for the first few holes.It was a little bit erratic in places, but by making six birdies I feel like I gave myself plenty of chances out there and took care of most of the par-5s.I knew I was coming in playing pretty well so I never thought the cut was going to be an issue. Im excited to be in there for the weekend with a chance to win. Willett holds a share of the clubhouse lead with Marc Warren Masters champion Danny Willett followed an opening-round 65 with a one-under 71 to stay top of the leaderboard, although saw Marc Warren move alongside him with a round-of-the-day 66.It wasnt bad, a little bit scrappy, Willett said. It was windy at times and there were a couple of sneakier flags out there as well so you cant come off being joint leader and be too unhappy. Masters champion Willett is in a share of the lead after the opening two rounds Watch the Irish Open throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf Also See: McIlroy in the mix at K Club Irish Open leaderboard First round highlights Golf live on Sky Sports George King Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Kelly Oubre Jr. Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. http://www.officialsunsfanstore.com/richaun-holmes-suns-jersey/ . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Kevin Johnson Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Kelly Oubre Jr. Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Hold on a minute.No. 4 Clemson hasnt even won its own division yet. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan still havent played. And No. 22 Washington State might have something to say about the Pac-12 North title.With three weeks remaining, theres still plenty of time for teams to impress the 12 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee -- or to trip up in epic fashion, the way we saw last weekend when three of the top four teams lost.Week 12 is another piece of the puzzle, as there are still bubble teams such as No. 14 West Virginia that need a statement win to move up in the rankings. The good news? The Mountaineers will get that opportunity Saturday.Heres a look at who can still impress down the stretch, starting this week:Dont count them out yetNo. 9 Oklahoma?(8-2): The two-loss Sooners are the Big 12s highest-ranked team and can clinch the title outright this weekend with a win at West Virginia and an Oklahoma State loss. OU is two wins away from finishing undefeated in conference play but has yet to beat an opponent ranked in the top 25. That could change Saturday with a win over 14th-ranked Mountaineers in Morgantown. Committee chair Kirby Hocutt recently referenced the Sooners tremendous offense, so OU is clearly passing the committees unspoken eye test at the moment. Theyve continued to bounce back from two early-season losses, Hocutt said Tuesday. Theyre on a seven-game winning streak. The committee believes that Oklahoma is deserving of that 9 spot, and still looking at West Virginia to get a quality win. OU, meanwhile, has the toughest remaining schedule among top-10 teams, according to FPI.No. 10 Colorado?(8-2): The Buffaloes remain the favorite to win the Pac-12 South, and theyve got plenty left on their schedule to earn them a spot in the final top four, starting Saturday against a Washington State team that has won eight straight games. According to ESPNs FPI, Colorado has the toughest schedule in its division. Not only can the Buffs boost their playoff résumé with a win against the Cougars, they also finish the season against No. 12 Utah, and would then likely have a shot at a top-10 opponent in Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. Colorado might be the most legitimate dark horse remaining.No. 11 Oklahoma State?(8-2): Ah, yes, that pesky L next to the Central Michigan game. The two-loss Cowboys are just that in the eyes of the committee: a two-loss team. We treat it as a loss, Hocutt said of the CMU game, which ended in controversial fashion. The question is whether Oklahoma State can overcome it with a Big 12 title. If the Cowboys finish with back-to-back road wins at TCU and Oklahoma, they could be back in the conversation. The win over a ranked West Virginia team is important, and the nonconference win over Pitt looks even better now.No. 14 West Virginia?(8-1): WVU is the committees lowest-ranked one-loss Power 5 team. Hocutt has said in each of the past two weeks that WVUs schedule is holding it back, but Mountaineers fans have taken exception to that, pointing out that No. 9 Oklahoma doesnt have any wins over any top-25 teams, either. The Mountaineers have played only one team ranked in the top 25 (No. 11 Oklahoma State) and they lost, and as Hocutt remarked, the quality win is not there yet for West Virginia. That could change Saturday with a home win over the two-loss Sooners. This is the only remaining ranked opponent for WVU, so it needs to take advantage of it. Its also the only game left that ESPNs FPI doesnt favor the Mountaineers in, giving them a 45.7 percent chance to win.Group of 5: One of the most surprising storylines of the committees third ranking was that one-loss No. 20 Boise State jumped undefeated No.dddddddddddd 21 Western Michigan, and thats in large part due to the fact that Boise State has a win over a top-25 team in Washington State. Boise still needs Wyoming to lose again, though, to have a chance at winning its division in the Mountain West. ESPNs FPI gives Boise State a 46 percent chance to win the Mountain West, second behind San Diego State, which has clinched the West Division. Western Michigan has a 70 percent chance to win out, according to FPI.Dont lose focusCollege football reminded us ever so bluntly last weekend that no game is a gimme. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice? Youre out of the top four. Heres a look at the rest of the contenders who cant get caught looking ahead to Rivalry Week:No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes travel to Michigan State on Saturday and are clinging to playoff hopes in spite of their high ranking. Not only can they not afford to lose, they need Penn State to lose again to win the East.No. 3 Michigan: The Wolverines host a pesky Indiana team and could be without starting quarterback?Wilton Speight. This will be the committees first chance to see if Michigan still looks like a top-four team without him.No. 4 Clemson:?If Clemson wins at Wake Forest on Saturday, it will clinch the ACCs Atlantic Division. If it loses, Louisville will win the division. The Tigers playoff hopes are on the line in Winston-Salem.No. 6 Washington: The Huskies should be able to rebound from last weeks disappointing loss to USC with a home win against Arizona State. Theres only one game more important than the Apple Cup right now -- this one.No. 7 Wisconsin:?The Badgers travel to Purdue, and they can clinch the West Division with a win and losses by Nebraska and Minnesota. Dont count a two-loss Big Ten champ out.No. 8 Penn State:?The Nittany Lions should have no trouble against a Rutgers team that is winless in the Big Ten, but it needs to win out and hope Michigan stumbles once more to win the East.SuperlativesPlayer in the spotlight: OU WR Dede Westbrook. He leads the nation with 1,100 receiving yards since Oct. 1. During that time he has caught 82 percent of the passes thrown his way and has gained a Power 5-high 515 yards after the catch.Matchup to watch: Washington States offense vs. Colorados defense. The Buffs secondary is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Ohio State at 5.5 yards allowed per attempt, and Wazzu QB Luke Falk leads the country with a 74 percent completion rate. The Cougars have an FBS-high eight players with at least 20 receptions each.Upset watch: Louisville at Houston. The Cardinals cant afford another slow start like they had against Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest. Houston receiver Chance Allen said this is our Super Bowl. QB Greg Ward Jr. is still battling an ankle injury that has hindered him all season, but coach Tom Herman said Ward is going to play and give his brothers everything hes got.Dont forget about: Pitt RB James Conner. As if his miraculous recovery from cancer wasnt enough, Conner stands only two touchdowns shy of breaking the ACCs career record for touchdowns scored that is currently held by Virginias Wali Lundy.Under-the-radar game: Navy at East Carolina. The Midshipmen can clinch the AACs West Division with a win over the Pirates.Dubious distinction: Sorry, Cal. You get the award this week. Stanford has won six straight meetings over the Golden Bears in The Big Game, and another this year would match the longest winning streak by either team in the series (Stanford won seven straight from 1995 to 2001), according to ESPN Stats & Information. ' ' '