KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee and Appalachian State open the season Thursday attempting to build on the momentum each team established late last year.The ninth-ranked Volunteers open the year with their highest Top 25 position since October 2006 after winning its final six games last season. Defending national champion Alabama and San Diego State are the only Football Bowl Subdivision teams with longer active winning streaks.Appalachian State is coming off an 11-2 season in which it won it last four games. Now both teams try to continue those surges even after the natural roster turnover that occurs with each offseason.Id say more than momentum, it builds confidence, Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. Our players expect to win. They understand the investment it takes to win.So do the Mountaineers.Appalachian State has won 17 of its last 19 game and has a veteran offensive backfield featuring quarterback Taylor Lamb and running back Marcus Cox. The Mountaineers are relative FBS newcomers who made their first bowl appearance last season and beat Ohio 31-29 in the Camellia Bowl.But they face a much tougher test Thursday, nine years to the day after they upset Michigan in one of college footballs greatest upsets ever. Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield has compared Tennessee to the Clemson team that beat the Mountaineers 41-10 last season and went on to reach the College Football Playoff championship game.They have everything in place and, in my opinion, starting the season, theyre ahead of where Clemson was last year, Satterfield said.This represents the third straight year in which Tennessee has opened by facing a team from outside the Power Five conferences that had won a bowl game the previous season. Tennessee beat Utah State 38-7 in its 2014 opener and defeated Bowling Green 59-30 to start the 2015 season.Tennessee only led Bowling Green 35-27 early in the third quarter before pulling away down the stretch.I feel like it was a lesson learned, Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. said. This year we want to focus on being the best we can every week. .... Appalachian State was an 11-2 team last year, and we really need to focus on them.---Here are some things to watch when Tennessee hosts Appalachian State.SOLID RUNNING GAMES: Both teams return 1,000-yard rushers from last season. Cox has run for over 1,200 yards each of the last three seasons, including a 1,423-yard performance last season. Cox ran for 103 yards against Clemson a year ago. Tennessees Jalen Hurd rushed for 1,288 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. The Vols have other running threats as well. Alvin Kamara ran for 698 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs ran for 671 yards and 11 touchdowns.MORE HAPPY RETURNS?: Tennessee returns the nations top kickoff returner and punt returner from last season. Evan Berry scored on three of his 21 kickoff returns last season and averaged 38.3 yards per attempt. Cam Sutton scored on two of his 25 punt returns and averaged 18.7 yards per attempt. Kamara also scored on a punt return last season. Tennessees six combined touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns were the most of any FBS team since North Carolina had seven in 2013.RED-ZONE ISSUES: Appalachian State returns eight starters from a defense that was particularly stingy in the red zone last season. Appalachian State allowed opponents to score on just 63.6 percent of their drives inside the Mountaineers 20-yard line last season. Appalachian State gave up touchdowns on only 25 percent of opponents red-zone possessions. No other FBS team gave up such a low percentage of touchdowns on red-zone drives.PROTECTING LAMB: The Mountaineers chances of staying competitive could depend on whether they give Lamb enough time to throw. Appalachian State returns three starters from an offensive line that allowed only 11 sacks last season. Tennessees pass rush features Derek Barnett, who has recorded 10 sacks each of the last two seasons.VOLS NEW DEFENSE: Thursdays game marks the debut performance for new Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who held the same position at Vanderbilt from 2011-13 and at Penn State from 2014-15. Shoop takes over for John Jancek, who is now the South Florida safeties coach.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Gus Mancuso Jersey ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Sal Maglie Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/2096u-orlando-cepeda-jersey-giants.html . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jeffrey Leonard Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Johnnie Lemaster Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers.KAZAN, Russia -- Kimberly Hyacinthe earned Canadas first gold at the 2013 World University Games by winning the womens 200 metres final on Wednesday. The Terrebonne, Que., native finished first with a personal-best time of 22.78 seconds on a four-medal day for Canada. Ellie Black, a 2012 Olympian from Halifax, collected two medals in womens artistic gymnastics with a silver in the floor final and bronze on the beam. Canadas fourth medal on the day came in the pool, with the womens 4x100-metre freestyle relay team of Sandrine Mainville of Boucherville, Que., Caroline Lapierre-Lemire of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., Paige Schultz of Toronto and Brittany MacLean of Etobicoke, Ont., capturing bronze. It was also a strong day for team sports as three Canadian squads booked their ticket for the quarter-finals. Canada advanced out of pool play in mens soccer, womens water polo and womens basketball. Hyacinthe, a University of Quebec at Montreal student, became the first Canadian female to win individual gold in athletics at the FISU Games. "Im happy to have the first gold medal for Canada and I believe theres more to come," said Hyacinthe. "I think I came off the corner second, so I knew I was good to go because the last stretch is my strength. "The track is great, the people are great ... its been more than we could ask for." Hanna-Maari Latvala of Finland (22.98) and Andreea Luiza Ograzeanu of Romania (23.10) claimed silver and bronze, respectively, while Shai-Anne Davis, of Richmond, B.C., finished just outside the podium in 23.12. Before Blacks performance, Canadas only FISU Games medal in womens artistic gymnastics was a third-place finish by Anita Botnen at the beam 30 years ago in Edmonton. Canadian women had not competed in the sport at the Universiade since 1999. "Its incredible and Im so happy," Black. "In my vault final, I didnt medal but that was still the highlight because Ive landed one vault Ive never competed before. This has been amazing to represent Canada so well. I am so proud and to bring home medals is incredible." The bronze medal-winning womens relay touched the wall in 3:40.71. Russian took the gold in a Universiade record time of 3:38.15 with the U.S. just 0.45 behind. "I think the goal of the whole day was to medal," said MacLean, a 2012 Olympian. "Its great to bring home a medal on the first night and get the ball rolling ffor Team Canadas success at this meet.dddddddddddd "Going into the next few days I think people are excited. Were capable of being up there with the rest of the world and we are going to be a force to reckon with the rest of the week." In mens soccer, a penalty goal by captain Robbie Murphy of Ottawa in the 59th minute gave Canada a 1-1 draw with powerhouse Brazil. The Canucks (1-0-2) end pool play in second place in their group and face host Russia Friday in the quarters. Canada had advanced to the playoffs only once in the past in mens soccer at the FISU Games, finishing fourth in 2007 in Bangkok. In womens water polo, the Canadians (2-1) beat Japan 13-7 to end the preliminary round in second place. They face France Friday in the quarter-finals. Shae Fournier of Winnipeg, Kelly McKee of Calgary and Alexa Tielmann of Abbotsford, B.C., all registered hat tricks against the Japanese side. In womens basketball, despite a second loss in three pool matches, this time 72-67 to Taiwan, Canada advanced to the Final Eight thanks to an upset win by Japan over Ukraine. The red and white battles undefeated Australia (3-0) Friday. Rachelle Coward of Dartmouth, N.S., led the way with 13 points for the Canadians, who were down by as much as 28 in the third quarter before mounting a furious comeback. Jay Trianos mens basketball squad was also victorious on Wednesday, moving to 3-0 thanks to a come-from-behind 92-83 victory over Australia. Canada can clinch a spot in the quarter-finals Thursday against the Czech Republic. Brady Heslip of Burlington, Ont., was the top scorer for the third consecutive match with 18 points. Meanwhile, Canada lost in womens volleyball, a straight-setter against Brazil, and in mens water polo, 13-4 to Hungary. The Canadian women had already clinched their spot in the volleyball quarter-finals on Tuesday. They will open the Round of 8 Friday against Thailand. In beach volleyball, Canada continued to impress in both womens and mens. The undefeated duo of Melissa Humana-Paredes of Toronto and Taylor Pischke of Winnipeg beat Germany to advance to the quarters, where they play a team from Poland Thursday. On the mens side, Grant OGorman of Toronto and Samuel Pedlow of Barrie, Ont., dropped their final preliminary match 2-0 to Germany but rebounded with a 2-0 win over France in their first playoff contest. They will resume play in the Round of 16 on Thursday. ' ' '