aylor, who has two Olympic silver medals and, at 35, will be t

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson couldnt sleep while the Red Wolves were in the middle of a four consecutive losses to start to this season.It wasnt so much the lack of wins that kept the third-year coach awake at night as much as it was his self-criticism and thoughts about defending his assistant coaches to the outside world.Most frustrating was that Anderson knew Arkansas State was better than it had shown. This was, after all, the school that had overcome a run of five head coaches in five years at one point to win at least a share of four of the last five Sun Belt Conference championships entering this season.It was just exhausting, Anderson said. You dont sleep, because you know youve got the ability to be better than we are ... I just didnt want it to be my fault that we fell apart. Nobody wants to be a part of that.Thanks to a remarkable turnaround from that winless September, the Red Wolves (7-5) were able to help Anderson sleep better -- winning seven of their last eight games to secure a share of the Sun Belt for a fifth time in six seasons. They will cap their season with the schools sixth straight bowl appearance when they face Central Florida (6-6) in the Cure Bowl on Saturday.Despite the good feelings in Jonesboro these days about how the season turned around, the frustration of the early season struggles remains.Anderson blames himself for protecting the Red Wolves during a less-physical set of preseason practices, while players said chemistry was an issue early as a quarterback and several other new starters were settling in.The lowest point came at home on Sept. 24 when the school lost 28-23 to FCS member Central Arkansas, a game in which Arkansas State fumbled five times and committed four turnovers against their in-state foe. That followed three turnovers in a loss to Utah State a week earlier, and it signaled there were more problems than initially thought after early losses to Toledo and Auburn.It was so quiet, you could feel the frustration, Red Wolves senior defensive end Chris Odom said of the locker room after the UCA loss. It was like, `We really just lost to an (FCS) school, and were known for winning championship in our conference. That was kind of a reality check for all of us.Arkansas State turned its season around with a 27-26 win over Georgia Southern in its next game, a victory that led to a six-game winning streak and a Sun Belt-clinching win over Texas State to end the regular season.The Red Wolves were fueled by Odom and fellow defensive end JaVon Rolland-Jones, who combined for 24 sacks and 36 tackles for losses on the season. They led a defense that totaled 37 sacks on the season, tied for 12th nationally.More important, Arkansas State relied on the stability of having Anderson for a third straight season to help it overcome its early losses. The former North Carolina offensive coordinator sent a video to the Red Wolves after the UCA loss, a video that featured ESPN analyst and former NFL coach Herm Edwards.Andersons message to the Red Wolves was, Weve got to decide, are we committed or interested?They were committed, he found out, sparking a turnaround Anderson isnt sure could have happened in his first season in 2014.It would have been hard, because there was a lot of trust still being earned, Anderson said. I think weve gotten to a point this year where they know we truly care about them, not just football-wise ... You dont get that without time spent together.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.Kyrie 2 Shoes Cheap . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Kyrie 3 Shoes Cheap . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. http://www.kyrieirvingshoescheap.com/cheap-kyrie-4-shoes-a.html . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Kyrie 4 Confetti For Sale Cheap . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Authentic Kyrie Irving Shoes .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable.GOLD COAST, Australia -- Former WNBA center Liz Cambage has been included in a 12-strong Australian squad that is aiming to win a medal at a sixth consecutive Olympic womens basketball tournament.This time, the so-called Opals want gold in Rio de Janeiro.Cambage, Laura Hodges and Rachel Jarry return from the squad that lost in the semifinals to the United States at the 2012 London Olympics and finished with the bronze. Penny Taylor and Erin Phillips return after missing the London Games.Gold is always the goal -- but we know there is a long way to getting the chance, said Taylor, who has two Olympic silver medals and, at 35, will be the oldest member of the squad.Another 35-year-old, three-time Olympic medalist Suzy Batkovic, was not named to the teaam.ddddddddddddatkovic, a four-time MVP of Australias WNBL, joined Tess Madgen and Rebecca Allen in being left off coach Brendan Joyces final squad.It breaks our hearts to have to tell them, but we can only take 12 players, Joyce said. As a coaching staff, weve got to pick a balanced team with team chemistry and also talent in order to achieve what we aim to achieve.The complete roster: Liz Cambage, Marianna Tolo, Cayla George, Stephanie Talbot, Rachel Jarry, Nat Burton, Katie-Rae Ebzery, Tessa Lavey, Leilani Mitchell, Laura Hodges, Erin Phillips, Penny Taylor.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '