rusher in three seasons last week against Purdue, and hes

The Call of Duty World League (CWL) Pro Division Stage 2 playoffs are upon us, with the eight best teams in North America fighting for a piece of the $250,000 prize. Also up for grabs is a handful of the all-important World League Points, which can guarantee a prospective team a spot in the Call of Duty World Championship in September. In the more immediate future, on July 14-17, the careers of some of the greatest Call of Duty players in the world will be on the line at the ESL Studios located in Burbank, California.Lets break down some of the opening matchups:#1 Team EnVyUs vs. #8 H2KTeam EnVyUs record: 15-6 | Maps W/L ratio: 61.9 percentRoster: Bryan Apathy Zhelyazkov, Jordan JKap Kaplan, Johnathan John Perez, Austin SlasheR LiddicoatH2Ks record: 11-11 | Maps W/L ratio: 49.4 percentRoster: Damod FEARS Abney, Andres Lacefield Lacefield, Tyree LegaL Glover, Phillip PHiZZURP KlemenovThanks to a litany of lag-filled games that gave it a cushy record, EnVyUs likely didnt deserve the No. 1 seed and certainly are not the best team in the CWL, but you cant really fault it for following the match schedule. While its roster is littered with seasoned professionals, it was the move to bring in John just before Stage 2 that pushed this team to new levels; the former Luminosity Gaming player has been exceptional, posting a 1.09 KD ratio and a 20.3 kill-per-round (K/R) ratio, both top-ten figures in the CWL.Meanwhile, H2K rallied into the playoffs after a mid-season lull saw it drop six consecutive contests. While EnVyUs should defeat it, John might be the deciding factor for whether the team can advance further. In the best-of-seven format, each team must play three Search and Destroy rounds, which is a game mode that EnVyUs just so happens to struggle with. In order for it to succeed, John must step up his game in the sniper role, providing enough cover for his teammates to work on the objectives.#4 Rise Nation vs. #5 Cloud9Rise Nations record: 13-9 | Maps W/L ratio: 59.8 percentRoster: Nicholas Classic Di Costanzo, Daniel Loony Loza, Samuel Octane Larew, Josiah Slacked BerryCloud9s record: 13-9 | Maps W/L ratio: 54.0 percentRoster: Adam Assault Garcia, Nicholas Happy Suda, Colt Havok McLendon, Devin Llama TranThe darlings from Stage 1, Rise Nation limped through the better part of June, managing just a 4-6 record en route to a disappointing fourth place finish in Stage 2. Itll take on one of the more surprising teams from Stage 2, Cloud9, who blitzed through the final few weeks of competition to vault into fifth place.Of the eight teams to qualify for the playoffs, Cloud9 sports the second-lowest DT/R (distance traveled per round) mark, excelling at close combat fights where it forces its opponents to approach. In particular, Assault and Havok have been masterful in the short-to-intermediate zones, racking up a 1.14 and 1.11 KD respectively, both top-10 figures in the CWL. One problem: Rise Nation likes to play the same way. The Stage 1 runner-ups slot in just behind Cloud9 when it comes to distance traveled per round, and are neck-in-neck when it comes to team KD. The tie generally goes to the team that has supplied a proven track record, but I wouldnt be surprised if Cloud9 pulls off the upset. Either way, I expect the winner of this matchup to knock off the winner of EnVyUs/H2K.#3 FaZe Clan vs. #6 Dream TeamFaZe Clans record: 13-9 | Maps W/L ratio: 62.4 percentRoster: Dillon Attach Price, James Clayster Eubanks, Ian Enable Wyatt, Thomas ZooMaa PaparattoDream Teams record: 11-11 | Maps W/L ratio: 50.6 percentRoster: Martin Chino Chino, Steven Diabolic Rivero, Adam KiLLa Sloss, Troy Sender MichaelsWith the recent announcement that the CWL/ESL will help facilitate a public sale of Dream Teams CWL slot, an opening round upset over FaZe Clan could have huge ramifications, not just for playoff seeding, but the World Championship scene as well. The 40 World League Points earned by qualifying for the Stage 2 playoffs wont be enough to push Dream Team into the top six in overall points, which is the cutoff for invites to the World Championship. In order to reach the top six, it must knock off FaZe Clan, who has looked like one of the best teams in the CWL for the better part of Stage 2.The stats would tell you Dream Team face an uphill battle, as every single member of FaZe ranks in the top 15 in terms of KD; the team as a whole posts a 1.10 KD, easily the best mark in the league. For Dream Team to have any shot, it must take advantage of the Search and Destroy and Capture the Flag rounds, where the collective slaying power of FaZe Clan could be thwarted by smart, objective-based play. Dream Team are not favored to win, but crazier things have happened in Stage 2.#2 OpTic Gaming vs. #7 Luminosity GamingOpTic Gamings record: 16-6 | Maps W/L ratio: 61.2 percentRoster: Ian Crimsix Porter, Matthew FormaL Piper, Damon Karma Barlow, Seth Scump AbnerLuminosity Gamings record: 11-11 | Maps W/L ratio: 49.4 percentRoster: Anthony NAMELESS Wheeler, Renato Saints Forza, Michael SpaceLy Schmale, Jeremy StuDyy AstacioIf Luminosity were playing any other team, I would have easily picked it to advance to the semifinals. The move to bring in NAMELESS near the end of May has been a spark for the team; its gone 9-5 with him to end the season. Much like Cloud9, Luminosity excels at winning engages after letting the fight come to it. Of the eight teams qualified for the playoffs, it owns by far the lowest DT/R, but still posts one of the better team-KD lines, slotting in with a respectable 1.03.That style of play could be a huge factor against teams that are susceptible to tilting into madness, but it wont have an impact against a veteran team like OpTic Gaming. Its not just that OpTic Gaming have been the best team in Stage 2, with over half of its losses attributable to forfeits or extreme bouts of lag. Its that it has been the best team in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, winning every major tournament during 2016 with ease.Scump, the Stage 1 MVP, has held fast to that title in Stage 2, once again securing the highest KD in the CWL while ranking near the top 10 in other major categories: K/R (kills-per-round), D/R (deaths-per-round) and SPM (score-per-minute). Teammate FormaL has developed into one of the most feared snipers in all of Call of Duty while Crimsix and Karma continue to do the dirty work necessary to win. Make no mistake: despite its No. 2 seed, OpTic Gaming are still the favorites to win Stage 2, and it would be a shock to not see it in the finals come Sunday. William Carrier Golden Knights Jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Deryk Engelland Jersey . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-alex-tuch-golden-knights-jersey/ .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Malcolm Subban Golden Knights Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Deryk Engelland Golden Knights Jersey . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesotas seniors have encountered plenty of speed bumps during their careers, from the health trouble of former coach Jerry Kill that forced his retirement last season to several late-game lapses that cost the Gophers victories against ranked opponents.These soon-to-depart players wont leave the program without success, though, with 29 victories over the last four years. Thats the most by a senior class since 2006, a group that finished with 30 wins. The 2005 class left with 32 victories, a total that could still be matched this season.When they got here, everything wasnt all rosy and going in the right direction, and the culture had to change, and they were a big part of that, coach Tracy Claeys said, adding: We need to try to finish out the season and reward them.The Gophers (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) host Northwestern (5-5, 4-3) on Saturday, a year after losing 27-0 on the road to the Wildcats. With one more win, the Gophers will reach eight victories for a third time in four seasons.If I could do it all over again, I would come back to Minnesota, said safety Damarius Travis, one of 13 seniors and 10 players in their fifth year in the program who will take the field at TCF Bank Stadium for the final time.Sometimes you lose sight of it with some of the things that go on and having a tough loss last weekend, quarterback Mitch Leidner said, looking back at the 24-17 defeat at Nebraska, but at the same time when you go back and reflect its pretty remarkable what weve been able to do.The Gophers also lost 29-26 at now-No. 9 Penn State in overtime and 14-7 at home to Iowa.Theyre probably one or two plays away, the games they ended up on the short end, of being undefeated, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.The Wildcats need to win one of their last two games against the Gophers and Illinois to become bowl eligible for a second straight season. Theyve steadied themselves after losing their first two games this year to Western Michigan and Illinois State.Im sure the noise was really negative. The only guys who were going to get it fixed were going to be the guys in the locker room, Fitzgerald said.Here are some key angles to the game:THORSON THRIVINGWildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson is coming off a career-best performance against Purdue last week, when he passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns.ddddddddddddThat was the sophomores second 300-yard game this season and his fifth with three touchdown passes.Thorson ranks third in the conference in yards passing (2,571), yards per game (257.1) and touchdowns (19), the latter of which has him tied for third on Northwesterns single-season list. He needs three more to set a program record.CARR, THE DRIVERThorsons top target has been Austin Carr, who was named this week one of 10 finalists for the Biletnikoff Award given to the nations best wide receiver. Carr has a touchdown catch in eight of 10 games and leads the Big Ten in every major statistical category for receiving.The Gophers are third-to-last in the league with an average of 231 yards passing allowed per game, and theyre tied with Rutgers with a conference-most 20 touchdown passes surrendered.NEARING RECORDSJustin Jackson became Northwesterns first 1,000-yard rusher in three seasons last week against Purdue, and hes on pace to become the schools all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards. The Big Tens active career rushing leader with 3,642 yards, Jackson needs 151 yards to tie Darnell Autry for third on Northwesterns all-time list. With 4,159 all-purpose yards, he is 112 yards shy of Venric Mark for fourth place.Theyve had their years when they really relied on the pass and scrambling around a lot more, and this year, without a doubt, it all starts with the running back, Claeys said. Weve got to take him away.SAFE AT HOMEWith a win, the Gophers would match their best season record at TCF Bank Stadium, where they went 6-1 in 2014. Minnesota is 31-24 at home since the stadium opened on campus in 2009, including 23-11 over the last five years.THIRTY FOR THIRTYLeidner is the only player in Gophers history to reach 30 career touchdowns in both passing and rushing. Hes fifth on the all-time program list with 31 rushing scores and tied for sixth with 33 passing touchdowns.---For more AP college football: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '