Open final, where he will meet another Frenchman on Sunday.Lu

Nobody knows quite what to expect when an anticipated record crowd settles in Saturday for No. 17 Tennessees showdown against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway, which has been temporarily converted into a football stadium.Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. acknowledges that its going to be different playing in this setting.In my head, its kind of hard to envision, Kirkland said. Im definitely excited for the experience. Its kind of once in a lifetime.The uncertainty extends to the game itself.Tennessee is an 11 +-point favorite but had to erase a 10-point halftime deficit to edge Appalachian State 20-13 in overtime last week. Virginia Tech won its opener 36-13 over Liberty to usher in Justin Fuentes coaching tenure while unveiling an up-tempo offense that bore little resemblance to predecessor Frank Beamers run-oriented attacks.Appalachian States near-upset of Tennessee has created doubt about whether the Volunteers are as good as their preseason top-10 ranking. Virginia Tech still must show that its offense can have similar success against tougher competition than Liberty.The only thing the players are sure of is that the unusual environment should create a memorable moment.More than 150,000 fans are expected to pack the speedway for a matchup billed as the Battle at Bristol. That would shatter the NCAA single-game record of 115,109 set in 2013 at Michigan Stadium for a Michigan victory over Notre Dame.Both teams have emphasized the importance of maintaining focused and not getting distracted by the atmosphere at Bristol, Tennessee, located roughly halfway between the two schools.Its going to be an awesome experience, Virginia Tech running back Sam Rogers said. I cant wait to get out there. Obviously its being hyped up as the biggest college football game in history, but ... weve just got to take it just like any other game. I feel like we wouldnt be a good team if we prepared differently for different games.---Here are some things to watch when Tennessee faces Virginia Tech at the Bristol Motor Speedway.UNUSUAL ENVIRONMENT: The sheer size of Bristol Motor Speedway means that assistant coaches working from the box will be much farther away from the field than usual. Both of Tennessees coordinators and Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen typically work from the box, while Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster roams the sidelines. I dont think (working) from the press box is going to be a problem, Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. Its not necessarily the width from the field, its the length in the end-zone seats, I think thats going to be the major issue. If I were calling a game from the end zone and the ball were on the other side of the field, that would be a disaster, but where were going to be sitting, I think its not going to be any problem at all. With most of the fans also farther away from the field than they normally would be Kirkland wonders if that could lead to less crowd noise than usual.EVANS ENCORE: Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College transfer Jerod Evans threw four touchdown passes without an interception in his Virginia Tech debut. Evans faces a much tougher test Saturday in his first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.WILL DOBBS BOUNCE BACK?: Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs was held to negative rushing yards last week took a punishing shot to the chest in overtime while reaching for the goal line, a play that led to teammate Jalen Hurds fumble recovery in the end zone. Dobbs says hes feeling fine and will be ready to go Saturday, and Tennessee coach Butch Jones says the senior quarterback is 100 percent healthy.REEVES-MAYBINS RETURN: Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is back to lead the Vols defense Saturday after getting ejected from the Appalachian State game in the first quarter due to a targeting penalty. Reeves-Maybin topped Tennessee in tackles last season and tied for the team lead in 2014.FUMBLING CONCERNS: Both teams must take better care of the ball. Virginia Tech had five fumbles against Liberty and lost four of them. Tennessee fumbled four times against Appalachian State, though the Vols only lost one.---AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr. in Blacksburg, Virginia, contributed to this report.---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Andre Dawson Jersey . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Wholesale Cubs Jerseys . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. http://www.cheapcubsjerseysshop.com/ . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Cheap Cubs Jerseys China . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Cheap Cubs Jerseys Authentic . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. METZ, France -- Top-seeded Dominic Thiem rallied past local favorite Gilles Simon 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Moselle Open final, where he will meet another Frenchman on Sunday.Lucas Pouille defeated 2014 champion David Goffin 7-6 (6), 6-1 in the other semifinal on Saturday. Runner-up in Bucharest this year, Pouille seeks his first ATP title at the indoor tournament in Metz.Thiem, the world No. 10 from Austria, remains on course to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time. He hit 10 aces, 38 winners, and won 76 percent of his first-serve points to prevail against Simon.The fourth-seeded Simon was up a break at 5-4 in the second set but could not seize his chance to serve out the match. Thiem broke back with a forehand down the line, and earned another break at 6-5 with a backhand winner.ddddddddddddAfter a tense opening set in which he saved a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreak, Pouille was in complete control and converted all of his three break points in the second set. Pouille, who made it to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, finished off Goffin on his first chance with a forehand winner at the net.Thiem sits in seventh position in the race for the ATP Finals, which will be in London in November, with five of the eight slots for the year-end tournament still up for grabs. ' ' '