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Its true that No. 23 Washington State gets most of its yards via the pass in coach Mike Leachs Air Raid offense. Its also true that Washington State this year has the most productive running backs in the Pac-12.Put those two facts together and you have a pretty good explanation for why the Cougars are having one of their best seasons in recent history. Washington State (8-3, 7-1) remains in the hunt for a league title heading into Fridays Apple Cup against No.6 Washington.Leach said people who think the Air Raid involves only a quarterback and receivers do not understand the offense. It is often running backs who get the most touches, he said. Wed like to have the highest level of production from that position, Leach said.Gerard Wicks, Jamal Morrow and James Williams are the backs carrying the load. Of the three, Wicks is the biggest and strongest, Morrow has more versatility and Williams is the most dynamic runner, Leach said.Opposing coaches have noticed.Not only are they trying to run it (more), theyre really good, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said before the Buffaloes 38-24 victory over Washington State on Saturday.The three have piled up 1,537 yards rushing and 954 yards receiving to lead the league in total yards from scrimmage.The Cougars also lead the Pac-12 with 29 touchdowns scored by running backs.Washington State has scored 50 or more points a record four times this season, and is averaging 42 points per game.A lot of that has to do with our offensive line, Leach said. This is the biggest group weve had.Offensive lineman Eduardo Middleton said its fun to do something besides drop back into pass protection.We get to show people we are not just guys who can pass the ball, Middleton said. Its been nice.Quarterback Luke Falk, who has thrown for 3,935 yards so far this season, said the running game keeps the defense honest.People cant drop eight back on us now, Falk said. They have to respect our run game.Receiver Gabe Marks said the running backs deserve the touches they get.Back in the day, wed just run it and nothing would get done, Marks said after the Cal game, when Washington States backs combined for 254 yards and averaged 8.2 yards per rush. Its hard to deny that type of production.Washington States running game began to improve during last years 9-4 season. Washington State scored just eight rushing touchdowns and averaged 80 yards rushing per game last year but that was a big improvement over the dreadful 2014 average of 39.8 yards per game.This season, the Cougars are averaging 132 yards per game, highest in Leachs head coaching career. The Cougars have topped 200 yards rushing in a game three times.Balance is good, Marks said. Weve got some good balance right now.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Custom Soccer Jerseys . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. UCLA and Portland will both try to remain unbeaten when they meet in the opening round of the Wooden Legacy tournament Thursday at Cal State Fullertons Titan Gym.No. 14 UCLA (4-0) soared past its first four opponents, averaging 105.8 points per contest and winning by 27.8 points per game. The Bruins, who rank second in the nation in scoring, havent averaged that many points per game over a four-game stretch since December 1990.Portland (3-0) is also off to a strong start under first-year coach Terry Porter, who spent 10 of his 17 NBA seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pilots are coming off a 98-52 victory over Lewis & Clark.The tournament will also feature Cal State Northridge, Dayton, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. The winner of Thursdays game between UCLA and Portland will face either Dayton or Nebraska in the semifinals Friday night. The championship and third-place games will be played Sunday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.UCLA has six players with double-figure scoring averages. TJ Leaf leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. Bryce Alford (18.8 points per game), Isaac Hamilton (17.3), Lonzo Ball (16.3), Aaron Holiday (14.5) and Thomas Welsh (10.0) are also scoring in double figures.Ball, a freshman guard, was named to the 50-person watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and the John R. Wooden Award. He is shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from 3-point range. In his college debut, he had 19 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a 119-80 victory over Pacific.He is just a special talent, UCLA coach Steve Alford said. He can beat you. ... He is just a special passer. That just makes everyone else want to equaally share it, and so it has been really good this year in that our guards have very good assist-to-turnover ratios.dddddddddddd They are all sharing it.Steve Alford was asked about adding Ball and Leaf, another freshman, to a rotation that also features seniors such as Bryce Alford and Hamilton.Its a good blend, Steve Alford said. Obviously, with what they are doing, they have a high skill set. They are smart players and they can beat you in a lot of different ways. They can beat you on the backboard, they can beat you handling the ball, passing the ball and scoring the ball. With the guys around them, it kind of goes both ways. The guys they are playing with make everyone look good. When you are sharing the ball and you are working at a common goal on both ends, you can make everybody look good. I think that is happening.UCLA expects prized freshman big man Ike Anigbogu to make his college debut this week, possibly against Portland. Anigbogu has been out with a torn meniscus.Portland is led by Alec Wintering, who is averaging 18 points, eight assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Gabe Taylor averages 17.3 points and eight rebounds, and Jazz Johnson is averaging 14.3 points per game.The Pilots are 7-58 all-time against Top 25 opponents. Their last win over a ranked opponent was an 82-73 victory over then-No. 18 Gonzaga on Jan. 9, 2014.The Pilots seem to enjoy playing for Porter.Hes a players coach, Wintering told the Portland Tribune. He just makes everybody feel so comfortable. He puts us in a position to succeed. He just does a good job of being calm and remaining calm and teaching us. ' ' '