The common belief is that Houston no longer has anything to shoot for this season.Cougars coach Tom Herman vehemently disagrees with that notion.Houston is no longer a factor in the College Football Playoff chase after suffering its first loss of the season but the No. 13 Cougars look to bounce back when they host Tulsa in an American Athletic Conference game Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).Houstons dream of an undefeated season and crashing the playoff party ended when it dropped a 46-40 decision to Navy last week.The defeat changes the national perception of the Cougars (5-1, 2-1) but Herman said the squads aspirations arent doused by a single loss.Our goals are completely ahead of us, Herman said at a press conference. Our goal was not to go undefeated, it was not to just beat Oklahoma, and our goal wasnt to be ranked in the top 10 or five. Our goal is to win our conference. That goal is still out there.The Cougars need help with their conference quest as they trail Navy in the AACs West division.But Herman isnt the least bit interested in having to apologize for the teams second loss in 20 games on his watch.The state of the program, after a season-and-a-half, in 14 months we are 18-2. Thats a .900 winning percentage, thats pretty damn good, Herman said. We are 5-0 against Top 25 teams, 2-0 against top 10 teams, and we have shattered numerous records on both sides of the ball.Some really cool things too. We have opportunity to have the best back-to-back seasons in the history of the University of Houston football. The win total for that over a two-year span sits at 21 right now. We are 18.Tulsa (4-1, 1-0) could represent another test for the Cougars because of its prolific offense.The Golden Hurricane have averaged 49.7 points during a three-game winning streak and have topped 500 yards in 10 of their 18 games under second-year coach Philip Montgomery.In each of the last two games, Tulsa had two running backs top 100 yards and two receivers go over 100 yards.Junior running back DAngelo Brewer has rushed for 434 yards in the two contests -- including a career-best 252 against Fresno State -- to raise his season total to 716 yards. Brewers average of 143.2 yards per game ranks fourth nationally. Senior sidekick James Flanders had rushed for 390 yards and four touchdowns.Senior receivers Keevan Lucas (36 receptions for 508 yards and five touchdowns) and Josh Atkinson (32-354-2) are having solid seasons. Senior quarterback Dane Evans has passed for 1,135 yards and nine touchdowns but has been intercepted seven times.Senior middle linebacker Trent Martin has a team-best 35 tackles and junior linebacker Petera Wilson Jr. has a team-leading 3 1/2 sacks. But the defense has been shaky by allowing 81 total points over the last two games -- both decided in overtime.I dont think there are ugly wins, Montgomery said. For me, every win is beautiful. Every win that you get in college football is a beautiful, beautiful win.It could be challenging for the Golden Hurricane to slow down Houston junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who has passed for 1,684 yards and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions. Ward also has rushed for 272 yards and six touchdowns -- both team highs.The Heisman Trophy candidate passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns against Navy but his mistakes were also a factor in the defeat. Ward accounted for three turnovers -- he was intercepted twice and lost one of his two fumbles.Junior receivers Linell Bonner and Steven Dunbar are both enjoying fine seasons. Bonner had 42 receptions for 556 yards and two touchdowns while Dunbar has 30 catches for 438 yards and three scores.Defensively, the Cougars allowed 306 rushing yards in the loss to Navy after holding their previous seven opponents to fewer than 100.Senior linebacker Steven Taylor, who has a team-leading 5 1/2 sacks, will return after a one-game absence because of a violation of team policy. Sophomore cornerback Howard Wilson has three interceptions and junior linebacker Matthews Adams has a team-best 36 tackles.Houston won the last two meetings and holds a 22-18 series edge. But perhaps an element in this latest matchup is whether there will be a hangover effect for the no-longer unbeaten Cougars.Bonner promises that what occurred against Navy wont be a factor.We have a 24-hour rule where after 24 hours we cant think about the game anymore, Bonner said. Win or lose the game is behind us, and we cant think about it anymore. Custom Paul Molitor Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Custom Brewers T-shirts . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. http://www.custombrewersjersey.com/ .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Cheap Brewers Jerseys . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Custom Brewers Jerseys . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Once Ubaldo Jimenez got through the fifth without allowing a hit, he began thinking back to his no-hitter at Atlanta in April 2010. He couldnt help it. Jimenez walked six batters that day. He carried a no-hit bid into the sixth Saturday night, backed by home runs from Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn as the Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics 7-1. Jimenez (9-7) didnt allow a hit until Josh Donaldson lined a run-scoring single to shallow centre with two out in the sixth, ending the pitchers night after 105 pitches. He struck out eight and walked five. "Since I got in the fifth inning, it brought a lot of good memories of my no-hitter in Atlanta," Jimenez said. "Especially when I walked six guys in that no-hitter." Asdrubal Cabrera drove in two runs and Michael Brantley hit a pair of doubles for Cleveland. A day after the Indians matched a season high with 13 stranded base runners, they took advantage of timely opportunities. Swisher drove the first pitch from Dan Straily over the right-field fence for his 13th home run, staking Jimenez to an early lead in the first. Cabrera later added a run-scoring single before hitting an RBI double in the sixth. Pitching on six days rest, Jimenez bounced back after taking a 7-2 loss to the Angels on Aug. 10 for his second straight defeat. He hoped he could have talked manager Terry Francona into staying in the game if hed kept the no-hitter going into the seventh. "We established the fastball in the first inning," he said. "Its not like I was wild. I was pretty much close in the strike zone. ... I wanted to get out of the sixth inning without (more) damage." The As drew two walks from the right-hander in each of the third and fourth innings but failed to capitalize. Jimenez plunked Josh Reddick in the right shoulder with one out in the sixth and Rich Hill began warming up in the bullpen. Jimenez walked Yoenis Cespedes on his 101st pitch and received a mound visit from pitching coach Mickey Callaway. Brandon Moss then struck out swinging before Donaldson singled. The As didnt do much more. "Jimenez was at times effectively wild today," As manager Bob Melvin said. "He does have good stuff, he does have a lot of different pitches that you have to worry about. He walked some guys but we couldnt square him up." Coco Crisp flied out as a pinch-hitter with runners on the corners to end the eighth. Bourns seventh-inning drive ended an 0-for-11 stretch for just his second hit in 21 at-bats during the teams rooad trip.dddddddddddd. Swisher added an RBI single and Jason Kipnis a two-run single in the ninth as the Indians won for the fifth time in the first six meetings with the As after sweeping a four-game set at home in May. "To put up seven runs on a team like that, thats doing something," Swisher said. "We got a lot of contributions from a lot of guys ... adding on runs every inning and not just getting up early and coasting." Straily (6-7) extended his losing streak to five games. He is winless in six outings since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on July 20, though he had received no run support in three of those outings since the All-Star break. He allowed three runs and six hits, struck out seven and matched his season high with four walks over 5 2-3 innings. Straily allowed Swishers one-out homer then struck out Kipnis before allowing back-to-back walks to Carlos Santana and Brantley. Pitching coach Curt Young made a mound visit when he went 2-0 to Cabrera, who then hit an RBI single to snap an 0-for-20 streak. After Drew Stubbs doubled to start the Cleveland fifth, Gold Glove right fielder Reddick started a sensational double play when he caught Bourns liner and made the perfect throw to third to get Stubbs. The sold-out Coliseum crowd of 35,067 booed former As fan favourites Swisher and Jason Giambi whenever they came to the plate. "Thats crazy, man," Swisher said. "Me and G. both. I dont get it, it is what it is." Cespedes went 1 for 3 with a walk on a day fans arrived more than four hours early to get his bobblehead. Notes: The Indians scored in the opening inning for the first time since Aug. 3 at Miami and put up multiple runs in the first for the first time since July 24 at Seattle. ... Crisp took batting practice but didnt start for a fourth straight game because of a sore left wrist, yet he stayed in the game at CF for the ninth. Crisp received a cortisone injection Tuesday and isnt expected to start Sunday. ... The Indians are 18-7 against the AL West with eight games to go. ... As RHP Bartolo Colon is headed to the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a strained left groin after he was hurt throwing on flat ground Friday. Oakland will recall lefty Tommy Milone from Triple-A to start the series finale Sunday. ... Indians RHP Josh Tomlin, who hasnt pitched all year as he works back from Tommy John surgery, got through his rehab outing with Double-A Akron with positive results. Francona said he likely wont rejoin Cleveland until rosters expand in September. ' ' '
