only game between ranked teams and many of the teams

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes put Vikings starter Christian Ponder on his back on the very first play from scrimmage. Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel then provided the knockout punch to start the second half in leading Buffalo to a 20-16 preseason victory over Minnesota on Friday night. And just like that, the new-look Bills -- coming off a near top-to-bottom off-season transformation -- continue to show signs of shedding their long-losing past by improving to 2-0. "Were breeding an attitude around here," centre Eric Wood said. "And were trying to be the toughest team out there each week. And you dont do that by going out and laying an egg in the preseason." So far so good for a team that has gone 13 seasons without making the playoffs and not enjoyed a winning finish since 2004, when Buffalo went 9-7. Hughes keyed a sturdy defensive effort with two sacks and a forced fumble, and backup linebacker Jamie Blatnick recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Hughes was starting in place of defensive end Mario Williams, who was held out after complaining of soreness following practice Wednesday. "Thats what weve been practicing for the first few months, since minicamp, weve been practicing being stingy," said Hughes, who was acquired in a trade with Indianapolis in May. "Everybodys flying around to the ball, just creating havoc. So us practicing like that, its great to see it put on game film." And Buffalo finally found its groove on offence when Manuel took over in the second half. Greeted by cheers as he took the field, Manuel hit all six attempts, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brad Smith, to cap a 14-play, 80-yard second-half opening drive in putting Buffalo ahead 20-3. Manuel, a first-round draft pick out of Florida State, finished 10 of 12 for 92 yards passing in continuing to inch his way toward securing the starting job after veteran Kevin Kolb struggled in the first half. The Vikings (0-2) again sputtered on offence without their top threat, running back Adrian Peterson, who continues to be rested through the preseason. Starter Christian Ponder went 5 of 12 for 53 yards passing through five series. Backup Matt Cassel wasnt much better in a first half in which the Vikings combined for 74 yards of offence and four first downs. "The only thing I could say to myself while that was happening was, Im glad its the preseason," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. "Lets get this out of the way now. We definitely dont want to be doing this in September." And yet Frazier had to acknowledge having some concerns, even though he wasnt anticipating the Bills to come at them with an exotic blitzing attack. "We couldve done some things better, no matter what they did," he said. "We didnt execute as well as we could have." Ponder certainly didnt see Hughes coming, when he was sacked for a 7-yard loss on the first play. "If this was a game that counted, itd be tough," Ponder said. "But its more practice for us." The Vikings could start by practicing snapping the ball. Backup centre Joe Berger snap the ball over Cassels head and into the end zone, which led to Blatnicks go-ahead touchdown with 8:45 left in the second quarter. The Vikings made the score respectable with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter behind third-string quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Running back Joe Banyard scored on a 1-yard plunge, and Bethel-Thompson hit Rodney Smith with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 4:36 left. The Bills have won two preseason games for the first time since finishing 2-2 in 2010. And coming off a 44-20 win at Indianapolis on Sunday, theyve now combined to score 64 points under new coach Doug Marrone. Thats five more than they managed in four preseason games last year under Chan Gailey. Not all they news was positive after Kolb struggled in making his preseason debut. The seventh-year player returned to practice this week after missing eight days because of a death in his family and after twisting his left knee while slipping on a wet rubber mat in practice Aug. 3. Though Kolbs knee looked fine, his accuracy was off. He went 10 of 17 for 66 yards and an interception on his first six possessions. He then hit three of four passes for 45 yards in the final 38 seconds of the first half on a drive that ended with Dustin Hopkins 35-yard field goal that put Buffalo ahead 13-3. NOTES: Bills backup receiver Kevin Elliott was carted off the field during the first half after it appeared he hurt his left leg. ... Vikings WR Jarius Wright sustained an upper body injury and is still being evaluated. ... Hopkins also hit a 35-yard field goal. ... Vikings kicker Blair Walsh hit a 36-yarder, and also missed wide right from 49 yards in the first quarter. Fake Cubs Jerseys . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. Chicago Cubs Store .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. https://www.cheapcubs.com/ . 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. Cheap Cubs Jerseys . 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. Wholesale Cubs Jerseys . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. LAS VEGAS -- Kentucky played North Carolina in arguably the best college basketball game of the season, a thriller that may not be topped again until March Madness hits.The sixth-ranked Wildcats dont get much time to enjoy it.Next up is No. 10 Louisville on Wednesday, a rivalry game that had their attention right after the buzzer sounded in Las Vegas on Saturday.Now weve got another war in three or four days after we traveled half a country away to go back home and play Louisville on the road, Kentucky coach John Calipari said.Kentucky (10-1) has one loss, to No. 2 UCLA, and blew out everyone else it played, so Calipari wanted a close game for his young team.It certainly got it against North Carolina .The Tar Heels have the length and athleticism to match the Wildcats, and the teams put on quite a show along The Strip, trading highlight-reel plays.Kentuckys Malik Monk scored a Kentucky freshman-record 47 points and hit a late 3-pointer to propel the Wildcats to the 103-100 victory. The win moved Kentucky up a spot to No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 .Now the Wildcats get the 50th meeting with their biggest rival.Louisville (10-1) had a hard time shaking Grand Canyon on Dec. 3 but has won its past three games in blowouts and has one of the nations best defenses.The Cardinals lead the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 87.8 points per 100 possessions, and held Wichita State to 17 points in the first half earlier this season.Louisville-Kentucky games are always intense, and last years game was won by the Wildcats 75-73 to give Coach Cal his 200th career victory.Were going to run with them, but we have to take good shots, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. Hopefully its good enough to beat them. They are a great transition team.Louisvilles schedule doesnt get much easier after Wednesday. The Cardinals play No. 12 Virginia on Dec. 28, No. 16 Indiana three days later, then at No. 25 Notre Dame on Jan. 4.---CAROLINA RIVALSThatt Bluegrass battle isnt the only rivalry game this week.ddddddddddddAlso on Wednesday, No. 22 South Carolina hosts Clemson in a 9 p.m. EST game.The Gamecocks (9-1) dropped six spots in the poll after losing to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden but bounced back with an 11-point win over South Florida .Clemson (8-2) has rallied from losing two of its first four games -- to Xavier and Oklahoma -- with six straight wins, including 67-54 over Alabama on Sunday.South Carolina leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell has been suspended indefinitely for violating athletic department policy, so the Tigers could have a shot on the road.---LIGHT SLATEThe holiday week is light on big-time matchups and front-loaded with games, with no Top-25 teams playing on the weekend.Kentucky-Louisville is the only game between ranked teams and many of the teams in the Top 25 are expected to have blowouts against smaller schools.A handful of games could be close, at least for a little while. Those include No. 18 Arizona, which is short-handed, against New Mexico on Tuesday and No. 8 North Carolina against Northern Iowa on Wednesday.---WATCH LISTA few teams that could make a move into the poll with wins this week:Florida. The Gators (8-3) had a rough week two weeks ago, losing to Duke and Florida State, but again received votes this week after blowing out Charlotte . They play Little Rock on Wednesday.Virginia Tech. The Hokies (9-1) have three wins over Power-5 teams and their only loss was close to Texas A&M. They received more votes last week and could find themselves ranked with a win over Charleston Southern on Tuesday.Maryland. The Terps (11-1) have wins over Georgetown, Richmond and Oklahoma State and may be back in the rankings with a win over Charlotte on Tuesday.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '