Love. Stanford has 1,377 rushing yards over th

Tony Johnson spent Labor Day weekend burying his younger brother, who killed himself a week ago.The heavyweight mixed martial artist will spend next weekend fighting in the main event of Bellator 161, believing William Johnson wouldnt want him to miss an opportunity that both fighting brothers craved.I had to go through my grieving really fast, Tony Johnson said in a phone interview from Cincinnati, his parents home. I have beautiful daughters Ive got to take care of. I cant just sit there and wallow in my sorrow. I have to get over it. Theres no other way. Ive always been the backbone of my family. Im very strong. My family leans on me a lot for support. Ive always grieved in private to be strong in public for my family.Johnson takes on French MMA veteran Cheick Kongo on Sept. 16 just outside Austin, Texas. A victory would change Johnsons career, which has been following a winding path from college football to big-money fights.The winner seems almost certain to get a shot at Bellators heavyweight title, which Johnson has been seeking for two years. At 30 years old, he is still relatively young by the wizened standards of MMA heavyweights, but this is his first headlining bout for the promotion.Just days after his father phoned him to inform him of Williams death, Tony immediately told Bellator he would fight anyway.Bellator said, We understand if you dont want to take this fight, Tony Johnson said. There will be no repercussions. Were going to back you 100 percent. Thats all I wanted. Ive got their support, but I told these guys Im going to be there. I dont know if Im going to have another opportunity to fight Cheick Kongo. Im ready now. Im ready to go.Tony Johnson said William Johnson, who lived in Cleveland, was a 27-year-old aspiring fighter with two young children. Although he knew William had a tumultuous relationship with his fiancee, he didnt realize the depth of his younger brothers depression.Every time we would talk, everything was fine, Tony Johnson said. I was trying to give him direction. I was trying to be a big brother to him, trying to lead him toward the right path. Hed listen, but of course hes young. He would fall off course, and I would have to put him back on course, but that was our relationship.Johnson attended last weekends viewing for his brother, but he will skip a memorial service at their high school this weekend.My parents want me to stay focused on the fight and winning the fight for my brother, he said.Johnson acknowledges his pain and confusion are still fresh and raw, but he is focusing on family and fighting.I guess he had been going through a lot, Johnson said. I never thought there was an issue. I never saw it. We still dont know. Theres still no closure to figure everything out.Although they lived hundreds of miles apart, the brothers spoke regularly by phone and occasionally trained together. They even fought on the same card in November 2014, both earning victories in a regional Tennessee promotion before Tony returned to Bellator.But William was still an MMA prospect, while Tony has long been considered a rising heavyweight with world title potential. He scored a touchdown for Iowa State in 2004 as a 300-pound freshman fullback before moving from wrestling into MMA.After three years in smaller promotions, he made his Bellator debut in June 2011 with a decision over Derrick Lewis, now a serious contender for the UFC heavyweight title. Problems with his contract led him to take a two-year break from the cage before competing in Asias ONE Fighting Championship and in Nashville, his adopted hometown.Johnson returned to Bellator last year, and he has beaten Alexander Volkov and Raphael Butler to earn a shot at the 41-year-old Kongo, the longtime UFC veteran who moved to Bellator three years ago.Ive gone through adversity before, Johnson said. Ive lost in MMA, and that helps you be strong in life. Things dont go your way, and it hits you. I believe that Rocky Balboa quote: `Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. Mens Air Max 2018 Grey . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Black Air Max 2018 Outlet . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. http://www.wholesaleairmaxsale.com/ . 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Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. STANFORD, Calif. -- Coach David Shaw understands that Stanford junior running back Christian McCaffrey may have played his final home game in Saturdays 41-17 nonconference win over Rice.But while fielding a question about how sophomore backup Bryce Love might fare as the starter in 2017, Shaw interrupted and said, If he wants to leave, thats fine. But lets not push (McCaffrey) out the door.McCaffrey rushed for 204 yards and scored two touchdowns as the No. 24 Cardinal (9-3) won their fifth straight game in front of a sparse crowd that braved drizzly weather at Stanford Stadium.The 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up wound up with 271 all-purpose yards, including a 23-yard touchdown reception and a 19-yard TD run. After his 19th career 100-yard rushing game and fifth 200-yard effort, McCaffrey eluded the big question about his future.I havent made a decision. I have people in my life I trust, but its my decision, he said. As of now, Im going to get back to practice Monday and get back to working on my craft.Everyone who watched McCaffrey on Saturday night was impressed.Ive done this for 33 years and I have not seen a young man who is capable of doing what he can do with a football in hand, said Rice coach David Bailiff, whose team finished the season 3-9. We knew coming in here, you had to tackle Christian and not let him have a big game. We didnt do that. Not a lot of people have done that.Shaw called McCaffrey a special, special football player.Every time he touched the ball there was a collective gasp to see what hes going to do next, Shaw said.It hasnt been an easy season for McCaffrey or the Cardinal. He missed portions of two games with an unspecified lower-body injury and operated in an offense struggled at times behind a rebuilt line, then made a mid-season quarterback change, going to Kelly Chryst.By the time the Cardinal were 4-3 after a loss to Colorado, McCaffrey was realistically out of the Heisman race. But he has 991 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs the past five games, pushing his season total to 1,603 yarrds.ddddddddddddAsked if hed cast a Heisman vote for McCaffrey, Shaw said, The short answer is absolutely. But I would have voted for him last year, too.THE TAKEAWAYRice: The Owls two-game win streak died without a whimper. No match for Stanford, Rice totaled 14 yards and no first downs in the first quarter and trailed 20-3 by halftime. Stanfords 41 points represented the seventh time this season the Owls allowed at least 40 points.Stanford: The Cardinal continue to hum along after their fifth straight victory. Their season once considered a major disappointment after a 4-3 start, has recovered nicely and Stanford is now positioned, with a potential bowl victory, to claim a fifth 10-win season in Shaws six years.ON THE RUNThe Cardinal finished with 373 rushing yards, including a 62-yard TD dash by Chryst and a 50-yard scoring run by Bryce Love. Stanford has 1,377 rushing yards over the past four games. Chrysts first-quarter TD run was the longest by a Stanford quarterback in at least 20 years. Love finished with 111 rushing yards.SCHEDULING SWAPStanford won for the 16th straight time at home against a nonconference foe in a game that originally was scheduled for September 10. The contest was moved so the Cardinal wouldnt play 12 straight weeks without a bye and end the regular season with an open date.UP NEXTRice: Believe it or not, the Owls next game is against ... Stanford. Rice is done this season, but is scheduled to open its 2017 campaign at home against the Cardinal on Sept. 2. The Owls can only hope that Christian McCaffrey is playing in the NFL by then.Stanford: Its regular season complete, Stanford awaits its bowl assignment, to be announced on Dec. 4. Nothing is certain, but the best bets are the Dec. 17 Las Vegas Bowl, the Dec. 28 Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California, or the Dec. 30 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, depending on the final College Football Playoff standings. ' ' '