The Big Ten appears to be returning to its running roots.A year after posting its lowest rushing average in six seasons, the Big Ten is nearing the halfway point of the season as the No. 3 running conference in the Bowl Subdivision.Mike Weber of Ohio State and Justin Jackson of Northwestern are the only Big Ten rushers among the top 25 nationally, yet five teams are running for more than 200 yards a game.The Big Ten average is 192 yards. Last year, the Big Ten was eighth out of 10 FBS conferences at 170 a game, the lowest mark since it averaged 152 in 2009.Leading the way is Ohio State, which is third nationally at 324 yards a game. Other than last weeks win over Indiana , when J.T. Barrett struggled with his passing, the Buckeyes have held big leads in the second halves of games and havent been forced to throw. Theyve run on 65 percent of their plays and have had no fewer than 48 rushing attempts in a game.The multi-faceted attack of Weber, Barrett and H-back Curtis Samuel has combined for a 6.5-yard per-carry average, and theyve done it behind an offensive line that has three new starters. Samuel also is the teams leading receiver.Curtis Samuel, I dont want to say hes a surprise, but hes assumed a critical role in this offense, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. Im pleased with where were at. Im not surprised because I think we have very good players who believe in what were doing.Maryland is running for 274 yards a game to rank ninth, with Lorenzo Harrison III and Ty Johnson combining for 142 yards a game and quarterback Perry Hills picking up 8.8 yards a carry.Michigan has one of the most improved ground games, averaging 255 yards to rank 14th in the nation. Last year the Wolverines were 83rd, at 158 a game.The Wolverines are doing it with a running back committee , with DeVeon Smith the starter and Ty Isaac, Karan Higdon and Chris Evans also getting significant carries.Coach Jim Harbaugh gave much of the credit to Tim Drevno, who doubles as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.The adjustments are made, the scheme is good, the players have been coached, Harbaugh said. Its multiple (defensive) fronts, and multiple adjustments could be made, and our backs make the adjustments. Our wide receivers make the adjustments and get on the people theyre supposed to block. Its really hard to do, and coach Drevno has done a tremendous job.Nebraska is running for 234 yards a game and Minnesota for 203. The Cornhuskers Terrell Newby is having his best season as a senior, and quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. has become more of a factor in coach Mike Rileys second season. Newby, averaging 65 yards a game, has been splitting time with Devine Ozigbo. But with Ozigbo slowed by an ankle injury, Newbys workload has increased. Armstrong is up to 12 carries a game and is averaging 59 yards.We felt like if we were going to be a factor in the league and be relevant that we had to run the ball more consistently and better, Riley said. It was a big emphasis for us. We want to continue that trend. Were just about halfway through the season, and that part of it has improved and we have to keep that as part of who we are.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.orgAir Max 270 Mens Clearance . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Nike Air Max 270 Clearance . 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Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999.WATKINS GLEN, NY -- Everyone danced around the subject Friday when Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his first media appearance since he was sidelined from NASCAR competition four weeks ago by a concussion.What? You didnt say the word! he joked.Of course the word the Sprint Cup Series star was referring to was the R-word -- retirement. And given Earnhardts history of concussions, stepping away from competition is something that may be forced upon him sooner rather than later.Traumatic brain injuries are a hot topic in the sports world, and doctors are taking the issue extremely seriously. As Junior said Friday, The doctors wont let me race. This is not my decision, but its the right decision and I trust what my doctors are telling me.But then again, Earnhardt did make the decision to seek out those doctors when he realized that something wasnt right in his head.Thats a brave move in a sport renowned as a bravery contest, where drivers are expected to demonstrate their toughness on and off the track.Dale Jr. had a hell of a role model in that regard. His father Dale Earnhardt was known as Ironhead as much for his ability to shrug off injuries from wrecking as he was for his aggressive racing.By putting himself in the position to be sat down by doctors, Earnhardt Jr. did something his old man would probably have never done, and thats a measure of how far he has stepped out of that hugely intimidating shadow.Of course, Junior also likely never figured he was going to miss at least five races, and in all likelihood, the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup. While he is in daily conversation with his doctors, his concussion symptoms are only evaluated every two to four weeks. There is still no guarantee that he will be ready to return to the No. 88 Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway in late August, or anytime this season.Or at all, for that matter.But Earnhardt insists that just like reporters didnt bring up the R-word in his Friday news conference at Watkins Glen, neither have his doctors. Their full focus is on his recovery and a return to his normal life.That is not the conversation your doctor is going to have with you when he is trying to get you right, Earnhardt said. You are just worrying about getting normal. You go in there and you see your doctor and all you and him talk about and all he cares about is fixing you.He doesnt care about my racing or whatever I do as a profession. He is just trying to fix what is wrong with me. Thats his job -- hes not a counselor or a psychologist.And that is not the conversation you are going to have in the middle of treatment with someone who is suffering or someone who is going through that process, he added. The conversations I have had with him is that he believes we are going to fix it. He believes that he can make me stronger and that I will be able to pick up where I left off.Earnhardt is a man givenn to curiosity, always learning.dddddddddddd He spent a lot of time over the past few years researching his family history, even traveling to Germany to do it.He has studied the many varieties of concussions, picking the brains of his doctors. Even before his latest injury, he pledged to donate his brain to researchers studying chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.Dale Jr. watched his father die in a racing accident, and he seems to have a realistic grasp of his own mortality. That, along with the memory of what he endured when recovering from a concussion that caused him to miss two races in 2012, adds into why he wasnt afraid to speak up this time when he knew something wasnt right.Having the courage to admit something was wrong may ultimately enhance his own legacy.Its really hard, as a driver, to say that youve got a problem because you basically put yourself out there to be pulled out of the car, he said. But man, your quality of life is so important. Your health beyond your driving career is so important. If you plan on having a family, or have a family already, those things are going to be a priority. There are so many reasons to do the right thing and go ahead and get the help you need and get back in the car when youre healthy.I feel like it would be even harder, the younger you are, when youre trying to get a career going and just trying to make a living driving cars, he added. Being in the situation Im in now, having ran for so long, maybe it wasnt as challenging or as hard a decision to make, to make the right choice. But if I was 21 and just getting started or very young, it would be so hard to make that decision.With 26 career Sprint Cup race wins and a 13-year reign as NASCARs Most Popular Driver, Earnhardt can be proud of what he has achieved, even if he never takes another green flag. JR Motorsports is solidly established as a top Xfinity Series team, so Earnhardt will have plenty to keep him occupied in racing when he stops driving.There is little reason to believe that this concussion will force him into retirement, but a Sprint Cup field without its most popular driver is something that Earnhardt, his fan base and NASCAR are eventually going to have to prepare for.Hes almost 42, and while he and team owner Rick Hendrick have talked about extending their contract beyond 2017, the next contract would likely be Earnhardts last.Everyone would like him to be able to go out with a happy retirement tour like Jeff Gordons, but I suspect most folks would rather have Earnhardt step away from racing on his own terms (for the most part) rather than put himself and his competitors in unnecessary danger.Especially Earnhardt himself -- whether or not he is ultimately the one who makes the decision. ' ' '