y out in the eighth before Rockies right-hander Scott Oberg

FARGO, N.D. -- James Madisons Mike Houston might not be the only Football Championship Subdivision coach to make five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State the focus of the entire season. Hes probably the most blatant about it.When Houston took over an already solid program last spring, he immediately set about to change the culture and emphasize a physical, aggressive style of play he believed would give his team a shot at ending the Bison reign. The Dukes get that chance Friday night in an FCS semifinal at the Fargodome.In essence, weve built this team to try and go in and win this game, Houston said. Our style of play is something that I hope well be able to go in and challenge them. Certainly they are the standard at the FCS level.The Dukes (12-1) are the top scoring team in FCS with an average of just under 50 points per game. They scored 80 or more points twice and 60 or more points twice, including last weeks 65-7 dismantling of previously unbeaten Sam Houston State, the top-ranked team in FCS polling. The Dukes had a 607-270 advantage in total yardage.There is not anything about us that equates to finesse, soft ... you know, anything along those lines, Houston said. Our kids, when they take the field, theyre going to hit you right in the face. Theyre going to come at you as hard as they can.Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler said after last weeks game that the Dukes have the ability to beat any team in the country. Keeler said something similar about Jacksonville State last year after the Gamecocks defeated his team in the semifinals. The Bison then pushed around the Gamecocks -- billed as a physical team -- in last years championship.North Dakota State defensive end Brad Ambrosius called the brute force shown by James Madison special, but said its tough to gauge by looking at video.You wont really know how physical they are until you start playing them, Ambrosius said. They claim to be physical, they look like theyre physical, but we wont know until Friday.North Dakota State (12-1) is 18-0 at home in the FCS playoffs and has won 19 straight home playoff games including a 1992 Division II first round victory against Northeast Missouri State in the final game outdoors at Dacotah Field. The Bison moved into the 18,700-seat Fargodome the next season.The Fargodome every year is all over ESPN, North Dakota State is all over ESPN, so finally being able to line up and look those players in the face and to be able to compete with them ... Im very excited, James Madison cornerback Taylor Reynolds said. This is a dream come true. Were looking to go into North Dakota State and win.Said North Dakota State fullback Chase Morlock, We welcome them into the dome. Come up here and lets tee it off. They are not going to be intimidated. Its going to take a solid effort to go out and get these guys.The Dukes are the only team in the final four the Bison have yet to play this season. They defeated Eastern Washington 50-44 in September and Youngstown State 20-3 in November, both times in the Fargodome. The last two teams standing advance to the national championship Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.It has been one tough game after another. We have been beat up, we have been beat down, we have come back, Ambrosius said. We just have to keep doing what were doing. Were used to his kind of thing.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Genesis Cabrera Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Gussie Busch Cardinals Jersey . PAUL, Minn. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/ . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Dexter Fowler Jersey . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. Cardinals Jerseys 2019 . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. NEW YORK -- The Colorado Rockies are hoping to hit the .500 mark Saturday and then use it as a springboard to more notable accomplishments. The New York Mets will be looking to avoid slipping another game closer to .500 while climbing out of the funk that has imperiled their chances at defending the National League pennant.The Rockies try to reach .500 for the first time in more than two months Saturday night when they visit the Mets in the third contest of a four-game series at Citi Field.Colorado (51-52) won its second straight game over New York (53-49) on Friday, when Carlos Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with four RBI in a 6-1 victory. The win was the 11th in 15 games since the All-Star Break for the Rockies, who are five games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NLs second wild card.The Rockies have not been at .500 since they were 21-21 on May 21. The franchise has not been at .500 after the All-Star Break since 2010, the last time Colorado finished with a winning record.Thats a good benchmark, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. Weve worked hard to get in this position. Weve worked really hard. Thats the first benchmark and there are other ones after that. Obviously we want to be playing after the regular seasons over.The Mets played as long as possible last season, when they won the NL for the first time since 2000 before falling to the Kansas City Royals in five games in the World Series.ddddddddddddBut New York has lost 11 of its last 17 to fall 2 1/2 games behind the Cardinals.The Mets have scored three runs or fewer 13 times in the last 17 games. On Friday, they had runners at first and second with nobody out in the eighth before Rockies right-hander Scott Oberg recorded three outs on three pitches.I think theyre going to bounce back, Mets manager Terry Collins said. We just have to quit worrying about the bad stuff and start thinking about some of the good things ahead.Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon will oppose Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa in a battle of rotation elder statesmen. Colon, who earned the win in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals on Tuesday, will be starting on three days rest for the first time since 2005. The 43-year-old is not only the only pitcher older than 28 in the New York rotation but also the oldest player in baseball.The 35-year-old De La Rosa, the only 30-something in the Rockies rotation, will be looking for his 100th career win. Twenty-six active pitchers have reached the milestone.Prior to Saturdays game, the Mets will retire the number 31 worn by recent Hall of Fame inductee Mike Piazza, who played for the team from 1998-2005. ' ' '