The sloppy conditions helped the Fighting Irishs oft-criticized defense post its best numbers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sprinter Michael Assefa went from despair to elation in less than 24 hours at the U.S. Paralympic trials, all because of a broken blade.Assefa was in the blocks for the final of the 200 meters Thursday night when the prosthetic he wears in place of his lower left leg snapped.A dejected Assefa, from Frankfort, Ill., was left sitting next to the track as the race went off.I had my accident where I lost my leg four years ago, and I set out a goal to go to the Paralympics ever since, so to have it break right before the race was devastating to me, Assefa said. I thought all my chances were gone.Assefa, who was injured in a train accident, was unsure of what would happen next. But a team of people were standing by ready to help.Theres no real process. Theres no protocol for it, Assefa said. So a bunch of guys here -- we have a great community -- they called the manufacturers, they overnighted a blade for me, and this morning we got it in.His doctors fitted him with the blade just 45 minutes before the start of the 100-meter finals on Friday.Assefa ran the race in 13.3 seconds, crossing the finish line third in the heat. The time doesnt guarantee him a spot on the American team -- under the rules of the Paralympics, national teams are limited in size and U.S. officials have to decide who is in and out -- but it gave Assefas hopes a big boost.He walked off the track with sweat dripping down his face and a big smile. He posed for pictures with family, friends and fans while fighting back tears.Im blessed, Im excited, Im ecstatic, Assefa said. I want to go drink a beer.---Allison Gasparetti is a journalism student at Penn State. Penn State and Georgia are partnering with The Associated Press to supplement coverage of the 2016 Paralympics. Air Max 97 Günstig Kaufen . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Nike Vapormax Flyknit Billig . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/air-max-720-fake-kaufen.html . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Air Max Fake Kaufen .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Nike Air Max 97 Günstig . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. RALEIGH, N.C. -- One by one, the North Carolina State players took off running after the game ended, heading straight for the puddle at the 25-yard line.After a sloppy day of belly-flops and splashdowns, it was time to turn the field at Carter-Finley Stadium into a slip-and-slide.The Wolfpack beat Notre Dame 10-3 on Saturday in a game played in hurricane conditions and after the start of the second half was delayed because of lightning.This is a game to remember, N.C. State tight end Pharoah McKeever said. Ill probably remember it until the day I die. Raining, playing in a hurricane, not knowing if we were going to play or not. Lightning delay, in the locker room for 30 more minutes. ... And then after the game, doing field slides in the mud. This was just something to remember.A waterlogged field saturated by Hurricane Matthews heavy rains and wind-whipped by its gusts rendered both offenses ineffective, so N.C. State (4-1) beat the Fighting Irish (2-4) with special teams and defense -- with Dexter Wright returning a blocked punt for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:43 remaining.That TD came after McKeever fought through a block from Nic Weishar up the middle to deflect Tyler Newsomes punt. All Wright had to do was scoop up the ball -- not an easy task on a day like this -- and head for the end zone.I didnt even have to see the block, Wright said. I heard it.Notre Dame put together a late drive into the N.C. State red zone, but a shotgun snap on fourth-and-8 squibbed past DeShone Kizer with 1:52 left and the Wolfpack ran out the clock.The teams combined for five turnovers, had a total of 10 fumbles and lost four of them. In a sequence that perfectly captured the day, Notre Dame coughed the ball up with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter on a bad snap -- only to get it right back when N.C. State fumbled on its next snap.Both teams turned the ball over in very difficult conditions, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. Both teams had a hard time moving the football. Both field-goal kickers managed to eke one over the uprights in sloppy conditions. We ggive up a flippin blocked punt for a touchdown, and thats the difference in this one.ddddddddddddTHE TAKEAWAYNotre Dame: The sloppy conditions helped the Fighting Irishs oft-criticized defense post its best numbers of the season. After allowing at least 489 total yards to every Power Five opponent theyve faced, they gave up just 198 yards in this one.But that went both ways. The potent Fighting Irish offense managed just 113 total yards on 64 offensive plays, and had just 41 yards through three quarters. Kizer was sacked five times and was just 9 of 26 for 54 yards -- the worst game of his career, aside from a 0-for-1 day against Texas last year.We dont have any excuses, Kelly said. We were atrocious offensively.N.C. State: The weather also shackled the Wolfpacks potent offense, which hung at least 30 points on every other opponent. QB Ryan Finley -- who completed nearly 73 percent of his passes in four games -- was just 5 of 12 for 27 yards with a rating of 60.6. He entered with a passer rating of 171.43 -- good for 11th nationally.But for N.C. State, the bottom line was this: With games against No. 3 Clemson, No. 7 Louisville, No. 23 Florida State, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 10 Miami still ahead on the schedule, this was a game the Wolfpack had to have.STAT LINEN.C. State was 2 of 14 on third downs -- and was still better than the Fighting Irish, who were 1 of 15.HE SAID ITSummer day in Michigan, I guess, -- N.C. State kicker and Wixom, Michigan, native Kyle Bambard on the conditions.UP NEXTNotre Dame: The Fighting Irish return home next week for their annual rivalry game with No. 15 Stanford.N.C. State: The Wolfpack begin a brutal two-game Atlantic Division run on the road with a visit to Clemson next week, followed by a trip to Louisville.---Follow Joedy McCreary at http://twitter.com/joedyap . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joedy-mccreary---AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '