ith 98 wins in 2012. But Atlantas 12 1/2-game cushion en

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburns defensive line is one of the best in the Southeastern Conference, judging it solely on recruiting rankings.Opposing quarterbacks sometimes pristine jerseys the past two seasons tell a different story.The Tigers open Saturday night with the formidable challenge of chasing after No. 2 Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and tailback Wayne Gallman. Auburns line also is hoping to live up to some of the preseason praise its received, though it has been based more on promise than performance.Defensive tackle Montravius Adams, defensive end Carl Lawson and a pair of backups on the line are all former five-star recruits. Freshman Marlon Davidson, who won the starting job opposite Lawson, leads a group of four-star prospects.It certainly appears to be the strength of the defense.We really want to live up to it a lot, Adams said. We havent really had that good defensive line like everybody wanted. We havent been too good on third down and getting off the field. We just want to live up to the hype like we know we can.Clemsons defensive front has something to prove also: That the group can replace NFL first-round pick Shaq Lawson and his pass rushing partner Kevin Dodd, an early second-rounder after a strong performance in the national championship game against Alabama.Christian Wilkins turned in a big freshman season and can play both end and tackle. Fellow sophomore Richard Yeargin or Wilkins will start at one of the end spots, along with redshirt freshman Clelin Ferrell. Defensive end Austin Bryant is expected to be out for three games with a foot injury.We got a few more guys, (but) defensive end we lost two first-round type of guys, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. That is what it is. Really like the players that we have there. Think they really have a bright future. Just got to grow them up there. Just watching tape in fall camp of different teams and we can hold our own there.Clemsons defensive front will be going against the only part of Auburns offense with mostly proven players, the offensive line.Auburn defenses have struggled to mount a consistent pass rush since first-round pick Dee Ford left for the NFL after the 2013 national runner-up season. Auburn ranked 95th nationally in sacks per game in 2014 and 104th last season. It hasnt helped that Lawson missed all of 2014 and half of last season with injuries. But the decision of Adams and Lawson not to enter the NFL draft after last season was a major boost.Auburn has stockpiled talent on the line, though last years No. 1 overall prospect according to two national recruiting services saw little action. Byron Cowart is backing up Davidson, who enrolled in January and went through spring practice.Tackle Derrick Brown was Auburns top signee in February and is backing up Adams. He had 81 tackles for loss and 33.5 career sacks at Lanier High School in Georgia. Dontavius Russell is back starting next to Adams.Auburns defensive linemen must try to bring down or contain Watson, the first FBS quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season.Its the first game and just coming off where we were last year so were just trying to earn back everybodys respect, Adams said. Everybody knows Deshaun Watson is a Heisman candidate but if we can get to him, we can get to a lot of quarterbacks in the league.----AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli contributed to this report. Nike Air Max Plus Schuhe .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Nike Air Max Plus Schweiz . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. http://www.schweizairmaxplus.ch/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Nike Air Max Plus Schweiz Sale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Nike Air Max Plus Günstig . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game.WASHINGTON -- The calendar says its August and, thanks to Justin Uptons tiebreaking homer Monday night, the Atlanta Braves are 13 1/2 games ahead of the Washington Nationals in the NL East. "I thought," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, "that the division was going to be a lot closer." Upton led off the eighth inning with his 20th homer, and Atlanta extended its winning streak to a season-high 11 games by beating fading Washington 3-2. "You want to step on their necks, especially when weve got this big of a lead," said Freddie Freeman, who drove in Atlantas first two runs with a pair of singles off Stephen Strasburg in the third and fifth. "We can expand it a little bit more against them. I think we set the tone tonight." Reliever David Carpenter (3-0) earned the win by retiring all five batters he faced after Mike Minor went six-plus innings, giving up eight hits and three walks, yet allowing only two runs. With Braves closer Craig Kimbrel getting a night off after pitching in the previous three games, Jordan Walden earned his first save of the season, but not without some difficulty. Walden gave up a leadoff single to Anthony Rendon, who went to second on Denard Spans sacrifice bunt -- although Nationals manager Davey Johnson wanted Span to try to bunt for a hit there. Rendon took third with one out on Waldens wild pitch, giving Washington a terrific opportunity to tie the score. But clutch hitting was the Nationals biggest problem on this night -- and all season, really -- and Scott Hairston popped out to the catcher in foul territory, before pinch-hitter Chad Tracy flied out to left. All part of Washingtons 1-for-10 performance with runners in scoring position. "Came up with nada," Johnson said. The Nationals again failed to provide much run support for Strasburg, who struck out nine in seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits. The last five times hes allowed two earned runs or fewer, Washington lost. In every inning from the second through seventh, the Nationals put the leadoff batter on base, but had little to show for it. The Braves, meanwhile, did aa lot with a little.dddddddddddd In the third, they followed two infield hits with Freemans blooper on a 3-0 pitch. "Lucky golf swing," Freeman called it. In the fifth, Upton got a two-out single and came home on Freemans single after stealing second, a recurring issue for Strasburg. "He has the same pattern every time," Johnson lamented. "Hes very quick to the plate, but he is locked in his ways." Upton, who went 3 for 4, delivered his 20th homer on a 3-2 changeup from Tyler Clippard (6-2), who replaced Strasburg to begin the eighth. "Not a good pitch," Clippard said. Shaking his head, along with a plastic water bottle in his right hand, Clippard summed up where things stand for the Nationals at the moment, saying: "Weve got to turn this thing around. If its going to happen, its got to happen soon. ... Two months left, and were 13 games back. So weve got to get moving." Washington led the majors with 98 wins in 2012. But Atlantas 12 1/2-game cushion entering Monday was the largest margin through Aug. 4 in any division since 2005, when the Chicago White Sox led the AL Central by 14 games, according to STATS. NOTES: Nationals RF Jayson Werth originally was listed as hitting cleanup but was scratched from the starting lineup during batting practice because of a lingering groin injury. He pinch hit for Strasburg with a man on second in the seventh and struck out. ... Werth was selected as NL Player of the Month for July, after hitting .367 with seven homers and 22 RBIs. He led the league in RBIs and on-base percentage (.450). ... In Game 2 of the series Tuesday, LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-4, 3.57) pitches for Washington, while RHP Julio Teheran (8-5, 3.02) starts for Atlanta. ... Gonzalez was cleared Monday by Major League Baseball after its investigation of players linked in media reports to a clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Gonzalez, third in NL Cy Young Award voting last year, said Monday he has "no lingering sense of animosity" over being connected to the case. ... Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla made a nice diving grab of Ian Desmonds liner in the third. ' ' '