which is bringing a less experienced group of players to Israel.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Richmond coach Danny Rocco spent five years as an assistant coach at Virginia and probably knows Scott Stadium better than new Cavaliers coach Bronco Mendenhall.When Rocco takes his Spiders to Charlottesville on Saturday to be the first opponent of the Mendenhall era at Virginia, he believes his team will be ready for the moment. Richmond is coming off a season in which it reached the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals. It also returns 16 of 22 starters this year.I feel this game is not too big for our team, Rocco said as he prepares to start his fifth season with Richmond. I feel that a lot of times in these FCS-BCS games, there is a mentality that the game is too big. Our kids have been in some big games.The atmosphere figures to be highly charged with Virginia fans excited about the new regime. Mendenhall won 99 games in 11 years at BYU, and took the Cougars to a bowl games after each season. The Cavaliers havent been to a bowl game since 2011, and while Mendenhall doesnt even entertain the idea that his program wont succeed at Virginia, hes as anxious as anyone to see how they perform in a real game.Really the best stance is to under-promise and over-deliver, he said this week. I think the promise comes from people just seeing and believing this will work by past history. I dont think anyone wonders if well win or not.The biggest question is when and with whom and where are we starting from.The Spiders have won three of eight meetings against BCS teams in the past 10 years, and have the Colonial Athletic Associations preseason offensive player of the year in quarterback Kyle Lauletta and its preseason defensive player of the year in defensive back David Jones. They also have a whole roster of players who look forward to stepping up in class to show that they can play at the higher level.You want to make it just another game, but you cant, linebacker Omar Howard said. Its a FBS game. Its a big venue. Its the start of your season. Its exciting and I think you have to embrace that excitement and you have all the emotions that go into that and let it fuel you.---Here are some things to watch when Richmond visits Virginia:PASSING BATTLE: Virginia has a new quarterback in strong-armed Kurt Benkert, a transfer from East Carolina, and Richmonds Jones came from nowhere last season and had nine of the Spiders 22 interceptions. The Cavaliers have some speedy receivers, and Jones ability to defend downfield could prove vital to Richmonds chances. Richmonds Lauletta ranked second nationally last season, his first as the starter, with 3,598 passing yards.GRIND IT OUT: The Cavaliers running backs won high praise from Mendenhall for being the most outstanding unit through spring camp and the preseason. They are led by Taquan Mizzell, who ran for nearly 700 yards last season and set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for receptions by a running back with 75 for another 721 yards.DEPTH: Mendenhall has been pleased with his teams effort in getting up to speed with the meticulous way he likes to do things, but the Cavaliers are short on depth on the offensive line and in the secondary. Key injuries at either spot could make things a lot more difficult for Virginia to live up to Mendenhalls expectations.HISTORY: Richmond has lost 10 straight in the series and the Cavaliers lead the all-time series 28-2-2. In those games, the Cavaliers have outscored Richmond 984-132.FAMILIAR FACES: Rocco this year was elected to the American Football Coaches Association board of trustees, of which Mendenhall is also a member. The Spiders also have five coaches who have previously coached at Virginia, as well as former Cavaliers wide receiver Fontel Mines and linebacker Clint Sintim on staff.Wholesale Balenciaga . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Fake Balenciaga . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. https://www.fakebalenciaga.com/ . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Fake Balenciaga Shoes .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. Cheap Balenciaga .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday.TEL AVIV, Israel -- Spain, England and Germany will be among the favourites when the Under 21 European Championship kicks off Wednesday against the backdrop of a campaign to protest Israels selection as host. On Wednesday, watch host Israel take on Norway on TSN2 at 11:45am et/8:45am pt, followed by England facing Italy on TSN at 2:15pm et/11:15am pt. The biannual tournament is among the major football tournaments of the summer -- and one of the most significant sporting events Israel has staged in its 65-year history. The choice of host, however, did not come without controversy. Pro-Palestinian activists waged a campaign against Israels selection that failed to sway UEFA president Michel Platini. "UEFA is an apolitical organization and your association earned the right to host this competition through a fair, democratic vote," Platini wrote to Israel Football Association Chairman Avi Luzon. "I am sure that it will be a beautiful celebration of football that, once again, will bring people together." Palestinian Football Association chairman Jibril Rajoub condemned the decision, saying Israel should not be allowed to host such a tournament while it hinders the free movement of Palestinian footballers between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas militants. The Palestinian team is split between the two territories, which are on different sides of Israel. Israel cited security concerns for hindering travel between the two entities. "We hope that the participants understand that there is an occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and we hope they will refrain from participating in any activity in these territories whether sport, social or tourism," Rajoub said. Luzon said he would try to help resolve the issue of the movement of the Palestinian athletes, but added that he hopes football and politics could stay separate. "We will continue to guard Israeli football and football in general from all political influence," he said. "I am pleased that this problem is behind us and we will continue to strive for the advancement of football." The English, who were beaten by Germany in the final when the tournament was held in Sweden four years ago, start their Group A campaign on Wednesday with a tough match against Italy in Tel Aviv. Isrrael, also in Group A, will kick off the eight-team tournament against Norway earlier in the day in front of an expected capacity crowd of13,800 in the newly built Netanya Stadium.dddddddddddd The Israelis will be hoping to improve on their only other showing in the tournament six years ago when they lost all three group games. Group B features defending champion Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Russia. Considering the recent dominance by the Spanish of the European Championship and World Cup at senior level, its no surprise that their junior players are odds on to repeat their success from two years ago in Denmark. Coach Julen Lopetegui has selected an experienced squad led by Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea. Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara and Malaga playmaker Isco are the outfield stars and will be hoping to shine, starting with their first game against Russia in Jerusalem on Thursday. All three were selected instead of travelling to Brazil for the Confederations Cup despite having already played for the senior national team, indicating how seriously Spain is taking the tournament "We are going into the tournament looking to be as much of a team as we possibly can be," Lopetegui said. "We have full confidence in this group of players, they fill us with hope. Having said that, we know that we will have to do our talking on the pitch." Spain will be vying for supremacy in Group B with Germany, which is bringing a less experienced group of players to Israel. Only two members of the 23-man squad play outside of Germany, with Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby one of the more prominent names. The England squad, which is again coached by former England hard man Stuart Pearce, includes new United striker Wilfred Zaha after his starring role for Crystal Palace in its Championship playoff success last week. Zaha injured an ankle during the playoff final against Watford at Wembley Stadium but is still expected to play. A strong England group also features Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson and Blackpool winger Tom Ince. "I think weve played good football, scored good goals and defended really well at the same time," said Henderson, Englands captain. "If we can take that into the summer then weve got a really good chance." ' ' '