Antti Niemi stopped 26 shots for San Jose

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Jordan Sterns interception in the end zone on the final play, clinching Oklahoma States 43-37 victory over Kansas State, marked the second straight contest the Cowboys secondary came up with a crucial turnover with the game on the line, and highlighted the units strong play overall this season.While the passing defense for No. 17 Oklahoma State (7-2, 5-1 Big 12, No. 18 CFP) ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 80th overall in the nation (averaging 241 yards against), the squads ability to bend but not break, particularly late in close games, has been important to its success.Theyve gotten turnovers at key times, and when their backs were against the wall, theyve played pretty well in those possessions, coach Mike Gundy said of his secondary. We need more consistency throughout the middle part of the game, on normal down and distances -- 65 percent of the game is played under normal circumstances, so obviously, thats the majority. We need to play better in those situations. I think weve given up more big plays over the top than I would have wanted this year. If you eliminate some of those and play in the intermediate part of the field, weve been OK.Sterns interception on Saturday was OSUs 11th of the season, leading the Big 12 and tied for 22nd in the nation. Overall, the Cowboys have recorded 20 turnovers, most in the Big 12 and ninth in the country. They have forced at least one turnover in every game and have come up with 10 in the last four outings.A week earlier, in a 37-20 win over then-No. 10 West Virginia, Oklahoma State recorded two second-half interceptions, including a crucial pick by linebacker Kevin Henry with 4:18 remaining that sealed the triumph. Together with a fumble recovery in the second quarter, the Cowboys totaled three turnovers in that game, with long returns giving the offense the ball inside the 10-yard line each time, and Oklahoma State scored 17 points off of them -- the final margin of victory.We practice it, and the more you practice something, the better youre going to be at it, linebacker Chad Whitener said of the emphasis on generating turnovers. We work on it, we harp on it, we have goals for what we want to do turnover-wise.The secondary is led by Sterns, a senior safety who shares the team lead with cornerback Ramon Richards with three interceptions on the year and who has five in his career. Sterns also tops the squad with 60 tackles, and his average of 7.5 per game ranks sixth in the Big 12, while his career total of 284 sits fourth among active defensive backs from Power Five conferences.The unit will have its hands full Saturday, when the Cowboys host the high-powered aerial attack of Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4). Mahomes leads the nation with 3,886 passing yards this season, over 600 more than second-place Luke Falk of Washington State.Theyll be tested this weekend, thats for sure, Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said. Obviously, the amount of times theyre going to throw the ball will be the most of anybody weve seen this year. Between coverage when (Mahomes) scrambles and breaks the pocket, to yards after catch, all those factors, and then, if we have a chance to pick it, weve got to go up and get it. We got to steal a few possessions from these guys, some way, somehow.Gundy also cited pressure from the defensive line as a key to covering Mahomes and Texas Techs explosive offense.In playing these guys, you have to be sound in three-man, four-man and five-man pressure, in my opinion, and you have to be balanced in how you attack their offense, Gundy said. We have to be consistent in our pass rush. And we also have to understand that it may seem like your biological clock is going off as a pass-rusher, but it may not be over, with his ability to move around and extend plays. I think thats as important as any part in defending their offense with him at quarterback.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Lakers Jerseys .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Lakers Jerseys China .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Fake Lakers Jerseys . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Los Angeles Lakers Store . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new.(Sports Network) - The home team has won every game so far in the Western Conference semifinal series between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. The Sharks hope that trend continues Sunday, as they attempt to stave off elimination when they host the defending Stanley Cup champions in Game 6 at HP Pavilion. Watch the game live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV starting at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. You can also chat and get updates from TSNs hockey personalities with TSN.cas Game Night blog on the TSN GameTracker. The fifth-seeded Kings won Games 1, 2 and 5 in Los Angeles and Thursdays 3-0 home victory gave them a 3-2 edge in this best-of-seven series. Los Angeles has won 13 straight at the Staples Center dating back to the regular season, but the club is just 1-4 on the road in the playoffs and that record includes a pair of 2-1 setbacks at San Jose in Games 3 and 4. San Jose, meanwhile, is a perfect 4-0 on home ice in the playoffs after going 17-2-5 at the Shark Tank during the regular season. Of course, the sixth-seeded Sharks will have to find a way to beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick if they want to force a Game 7 at Los Angeles on Tuesday. Quick made 24 saves for his seventh career playoff shutout and second of this series in Thursdays blanking at Staples Center. Quick, who also blanked the Sharks in the series opener, earned his 27th career playoff win, a new Kings record. He had been tied with Kelly Hrudey for the most in club history. "We played well. We playedd hard, came out with a purpose," said Quick, who has a .dddddddddddd954 save percentage and 1.40 goals against average in this series. The Kings got a late second-period goal from Anze Kopitar and third-period tallies from Slava Voynov and Jeff Carter. Antti Niemi stopped 26 shots for San Jose, which is trying to reach the conference final stage for the first time since 2011 when it lost to Vancouver in five games. "(The Kings) came hard right off the bat, but we got through that without getting scored on," said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "The rest of the night, we werent very good and moving forward, maybe thats a good thing because we have a lot to improve on and need a better effort from a lot of people." The Sharks are second in the league with 10 power-play goals this postseason, but the club was 0-for-3 on the man advantage in Thursdays setback. San Jose is 0-for-10 on the power play in its three losses to the Kings in this series and 3-for-9 in the two wins. Sharks head coach Todd McLellan confirmed that Adam Burish will return from an injured right hand in Game 6. The forward sustained the injury in the final game of the Sharks opening-round sweep of Vancouver and originally was expected to miss this entire series. This marks just the second postseason meeting between these two Pacific Division rivals. The Sharks got the best of the Kings in six games during the 2011 conference quarterfinals. ' ' '