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Halfway through their first seasons at their schools, coaches Justin Fuente of Virginia Tech and Dino Babers of Syracuse are headed in different directions.Fuente seems to have picked up where Frank Beamer left off: the Hokies (4-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) are ranked 17th and lead the Coastal Division going into Saturdays game against the Orange in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse (2-4, 0-2 ACC) has lost four of five and faces three ranked teams in the second half of the season, its chance at the postseason seemingly out of reach already.Theres a long season ahead of us, Fuente said. We can take pride in winning a couple games. Theres nothing wrong with that. But youve got to move past those things.Moving past the Orange once was a struggle when both teams were in the Big East -- they split their 12 meetings before Virginia Tech left for the ACC in 2004. The Orange bolted for the ACC three years ago and this will be the teams first meeting as conference members.The Orange strives to thrive on offense. The Hokies have been dominating opponents with a stifling defense thats become the perfect complement to an efficient offense.Youre talking about a defense thats ranked in the top five, Babers said. And then when you watch the D-linemen redirect and get after the football, these guys are running down screens, wide receiver screens, running back screens from behind, pressuring quarterbacks. Its fun to watch them play, but its not fun to know that youve got to play them.The last time Virginia Tech won in the Carrier Dome was 2000, when quarterback Michael Vick overcame eight sacks by an Orange defense led by Dwight Freeney in a 22-14 victory.Other things to know for Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech:ROLL TECH: The Hokies have had three straight dominant defensive performances -- against East Carolina, Boston College and former No. 17 North Carolina -- outscoring those three foes 137-20. The lone loss under Fuente came against then-No. 17 Tennessee -- a 45-24 setback in the second game of the season, played at Bristol Motor Speedway before college footballs largest crowd (156,990). Five Tech turnovers, all fumbles, spelled doom as Tennessee scored 31 straight points to overcome a 14-0 deficit.I think the Tennessee game was a fairly good wake-up call for us, Fuente said. You dont give yourself a chance to win when you do those types of things. I think that helped us in terms of maybe getting our kids attention a little bit. Now, weve just got to keep it.WIDEOUT WONDER: Syracuses Amba Etta-Tawo is fifth (8.5) in the nation in receptions per game and still leads everybody in receiving yards per game (146) despite coming off his worst showing of a breakout season -- four catches for 34 yards last week in a 28-9 loss at Wake Forest. The Orange failed to score in the second half of that game, which was buffeted by Hurricane Matthew.EVANS EFFICIENCY: Hokies quarterback Jerod Evans leads the ACC in passing efficiency, having thrown 15 touchdown passes with one interception. That one pick came on a pass that hit top receiver Isaiah Ford in the hands, and he juggled it right into the hands of a defender. If the Hokies passing game remains essentially mistake-free, they will be hard to beat.SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE: The Hokies rank second in the FBS in pass defense (132.2 yards per game) and third in total defense (237.6 ypg). Syracuse ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally in passing offense, averaging 336.3 ypg.THROW IT: Syracuse QB Eric Dungey is second in the league with an average of 314 passing yards per game. He might be third had the Hokies not held No. 3 Mitch Trubisly at UNC to 58 passing yards last week in a 34-3 victory played in a driving rain.---AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz in Virginia contributed.---AP College Football Website: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 Custom Chiefs T-shirts . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Custom Chiefs Jersey China . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/ . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Mecole Hardman Jersey Large . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Custom Chiefs Jersey China . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. On Sunday, November 24, 2013, the 101st Grey Cup will be contested in Regina, marking the first time in a decade that Saskatchewan has played host to the CFLs marquee event. And the Saskatchewan Roughriders plan on being the headliners for the big game, not just the hosts. If they want to do so, theyll have to find some of that old magic from a few seasons ago. Just a few short years ago, the Roughriders playing for the Grey Cup was a common occurrence. From 2007 to 2010 the Roughriders appeared in 3-of-4 Grey Cups, winning it all in 2007. The team bottomed out in 2011 though, finishing dead last in the CFL. The Green Riders had a better year in 2012, finishing the season at 8-10 and making it back into the playoffs. Their season would come to an end in the Western Semifinal though, as they dropped a 36-30 decision to the Calgary Stampeders. This yeaar, with the Grey Cup being played on their home turf, just making the playoffs simply wont be enough.dddddddddddd The team has loaded up on talent during the off-season adding players like Geroy Simon, Ricky Foley, John Chick and Dwight Anderson with an eye on playing for Canadian Footballs biggest prize in front of their hometown fans. Its Grey Cup or bust in Riderville but the team thinks they can live up to the challenge. "This is the best roster Ive ever had and weve got a chance to do some great things. There is a real buzz in Regina and Saskatchewan as to what is happening. Im still bothered by 2009 and the way the Grey Cup ended, but I really think we can live up to the expectations that people are putting on us," quarterback Darian Durant told reporters during training camp. Visit TSN.ca/CFL for the full team preview. ' ' '