freshman. Penn State transfer Geno Lewis steps int

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State would seemingly have the perfect opponent to open a season full of questions.Northern Arizona plays in the lower-tier FCS, hasnt beaten Arizona State since 1938 and doesnt have the size or depth to match the Sun Devils.Yet as he leads his team into Saturdays game at Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State coach Todd Graham is not taking anything for granted. The Lumberjacks can play and he knows it.We have studied them well and we know their coaching staff. They are well-coached and they have talent, Graham said. We have a lot of respect for their team and their level of play, and we know they are going to be highly motivated and confident come Saturday.Arizona State had a disappointing 2015 season, finishing 6-7 after being picked as a dark horse College Football Playoff team early in the season.The Sun Devils return this season with a quarterback battle between players who have never thrown a pass in college, along with questions on the offensive line and defensive secondary.Northern Arizona could present a difficult challenge despite playing the little brother to the two FBS programs in Arizona.The Lumberjacks opened the season ranked 18th in the two major FCS preseason polls and were picked to win the Big Sky Conference. They have an explosive offense that includes a quarterback and a receiver who received All-American recognition last season, which could cause some problems for an Arizona State defense that ranked last nationally in pass defense a year ago.They are going to catch some passes and theyre going to have some plays because they are very talented, Graham said.A few things to look for when Arizona State and Northern Arizona open the season Saturday night:WHOS THE QB?: Between Taylor Kelly and Mike Bercovici last season, Graham has known who his starting quarterback would be in every season except his first (2012) in the desert. This season, Arizona State joins Tulane as the only FBS programs to not have a quarterback on its roster who has thrown a collegiate pass. Sophomore Manny Wilkins and redshirt freshman Brady White had battled for the spot since spring before Graham told a local radio station on Friday that Wilkins will start against the Lumberjacks. Graham added that the QB competition is not over, so White could see some playing time Saturday and beyond.COOKUS RETURNS: While Arizona State has questions at quarterback, NAU certainly does not. Case Cookus had a stellar freshman season, throwing for 3,117 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 69 percent of his passes. He was named the FCS national freshman of the year last season, a third-team All-American and has one of the nations best receivers to throw to, FCS All-American Emmanuel Butler. Against a revamped ASU secondary, there could be a few big plays Saturday night.POWER AND SPEED: Arizona States inexperience at quarterback will be offset by one of the best and most experienced backfields in the Pac-12. Juniors Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage give the Sun Devils a mix of power and speed that will make it difficult for the Lumberjacks -- or anyone else -- to stop. At 5-foot-10, 219 pounds, Richard goes through would-be tacklers like a bowling ball. The 6-2, 227-pound Ballage has the power to run opponents over, but also is one of the fastest players on the team.NUMBERS: Arizona State leads the all-time series 21-14-4 and has won the last nine meetings since a 13-13 tie in 1946. ... Northern Arizona coach Jerome Souers is entering his 19th season with the Lumberjacks. ... Arizona State K Zane Gonzalez enters the season needing 16 field goals to break the FBS record of 88 set by Florida States Dustin Hopkins. Nike Air Max 270 Wholesale . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Wholesale Air Max 270 Ireland . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. http://www.cheapairmax270ireland.com/ . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Air Max 270 Clearance . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Air Max 270 Ireland . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. HOUSTON -- Coach Tom Herman has spent all offseason downplaying the importance of Houstons opener against No. 3 Oklahoma.The high-profile matchup at NRG Stadium, the home of the NFLs Texans, on Saturday wont decide a conference championship nor will it pave the way to a spot in the College Football Playoff for the winner.Just going in with the mindset that its just another game that we will be prepared for, said Cougars cornerback Brandon Wilson, toeing the company line.So, yes, there is still almost a whole season to play and the opener only counts for one. All the cliches apply. But a victory by 15th-ranked Houston unquestionably opens up a world of playoff possibilities for the much-hyped Cougars, the American Athletic Conference and maybe the Group of Five conferences in general. A loss by the Cougars and they can focus on defending that league title.The Cougars capped a 13-1 season with a 38-24 victory against Florida State in the Peach Bowl in January. The buzz in Houston for the Coogs hasnt been this high since the late 1980s and early `90s. Back then it was star quarterbacks Andre Ware and David Klingler run-and-shooting their way into the record books.That era ended abruptly. Houston started the 1991 season ranked No. 12, and went into its second game of the season against No. 2 Miami ranked 10th. Instead of a breakthrough, Klingler and the Cougars got buried 40-10 by the Hurricanes.Houstons preseason ranking this year is its best since `91, but the Cougars are trying to hold on to the underdog intensity they had last year when they werent even favored to win their division.Weve tried to keep that chip on our shoulder. That kind of made us who we are, tight end Tyler McCloskey said.What will it take for Houston or any Group of Five team to reach the playoff? The playoff has only been around for two years and there hasnt been a test case yet for the selection committee. An undefeated record is probably a good start. At least one big nonconference win will be important because the quality wins the committee looks for are tough to accumulate outside Power Five leagues.A big season by the Cougars has the potential to be the story of the playoff race when the rankings start coming out in early November. Thats why of all the compelling matchups in a great first weekend of the season, the stakes are hhighest in Houston.ddddddddddddThings to know about the third meeting between Oklahoma and Houston:HEISMAN WATCHTrying to follow in the footsteps of Ware, Houstons only Heisman Trophy winner, is Greg Ward Jr. He was one of two FBS quarterbacks to pass for more than 2,000 yards and run for more than 1,000 last season. He accounted for 38 touchdowns.The biggest thing he does is take advantage of blitzing teams or D-ends running up field. Hes just going to step up and try to get down field or get a scramble drill going, Oklahoma cornerback Dakota Austin said.Defending Big 12 champion and playoff semifinalist Oklahoma has its own Heisman contender quarterback in Baker Mayfield, who passed for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns last year and finished fourth in the Heisman voting.Both give you trouble scrambling around with their legs, Sooner coach Bob Stoops said of Mayfield and Ward. Just talented players, I think, is the number one thing you can say about them both.GO-TO RECEIVERSBoth teams enter the season looking for new No. 1 receivers to emerge after the departures of Sterling Shepard from Oklahoma and Demarcus Ayers at Houston. Expect the Sooners to get tight end Mark Andrews more involved after he caught seven touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. Penn State transfer Geno Lewis steps into a starting role at wide receiver. The Cougars will be looking for some inexperienced players to emerge and Chance Allen, who had 56 catches and 752 yards last season, to take a bigger role.FRESHMENHouston landed one of the best defensive line recruits in the country this year in Ed Oliver. The freshman is expected to make an immediate impact. With Oklahoma retooling at linebacker, freshman Caleb Kelly will likely see some time and Stoops said Mykel Jones will be part of the receiver rotation.EXPANSIONHouston is in the process of trying to gain an invitation to the Big 12. The conference has narrowed down the field of expansion candidates to 11, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. One game wont be a deciding factor, but Houston fans would certainly like to see their team prove it belongs in the Power Five conference.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '