thing you can do, he said. They either have to call it or not.In the first half, Pittsburgh had 18 first downs to the Browns four. The Steelers outgunned the Brown

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Jamal Mashburn Jersey . -- Lovie Smith is under no illusions about the degree to which his team will rely on senior quarterback Wes Lunt, but the first-year Illinois coach emphasized Sunday how much he wants the Illini to be able to run the ball.Lunt, Smith said Sunday at the teams preseason media day, is a good decision-maker with a strong arm.But like his NFL teams, Smith believes the Illini must run the ball, and more than they did last season. Illinois ran the ball on 43 percent of its snaps in 2015.We have an excellent tailback in KeShawn Vaughn. Kendrick Foster has looked good in our preseason drills. You start with that, Smith said.What lies behind those two, though, is a major question.As a freshman last season, Vaughn averaged 4.6 yards a carry on 157 carries and scored six touchdowns. Foster, a junior and the most experienced backup on the roster, has a career 15 carries for 78 yards. Behind him is a redshirt freshman, Reggie Corbin.Vaughn, at 5-10 and 210 pounds, says hes ready to handle the bulk of the carries and believes the backs behind him can do the rest.Somebody will have to come in and tote the load when I get tired, he said.Smith said the emphasis on the running game does not mean he believes he needs to go out of his way to take pressure off of or protect Lunt, who has a history of injuries that have sidelined him in college.I dont. This is what we feel like we need to do to play winning ball with our offense, Smith said.Other things to know about Illinois football after media day:TIGHT ENDS AND FULLBACKS: Tight ends have long been a source of Illinois fan frustration.Ive been told that, Smith joked Sunday.Over the past decade Illinois has a long list of strong tight ends who have sometimes disappeared in the offense. Some, like the New Orleans Saints Michael Hoomanawanui, were good enough to go on to the NFL.Smith said he wants tight ends to be a big part of Illinois passing game, and fullbacks, too. Illinois hasnt used a true fullback in several seasons, forcing Smith to convert a pair of former linebackers, Nathan Echard and Austin Roberts.HOME MOMENTUM: Starting with the Sept. 3 opener against Murray State, Illinois will play its first three games and four of its five at home.Coming off a 5-7 season and the firings of two football coaches in the past year -- not to mention and facing a Big Ten schedule in which they will usually be underdogs -- the Illini need to use that friendly early schedule, Smith said.If we could get some momentum early on, we want to have a home-field advantage, simple as that, he said. In order to get the rebirth of our football program, we need a home-field advantage. Derek Harper Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Wholesale Mavericks Jerseys . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. https://www.cheapmavericks.com/ . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. CLEVELAND -- The Pittsburgh Steelers scored eight points with no time on the clock at the end of the first half on Sunday.The Cleveland Browns committed two penalties to give the Steelers two untimed downs. Its a rare day when the Browns complete a game without some sort of head-shaking event, and this day has been no different.Steelers coach Mike Tomlin aggressively pushed the envelope late in the half. Pittsburgh led 6-0 and had driven to the Browns 3-yard line with three seconds left. Tomlin went for the touchdown.Roethlisberger threw incomplete to Antonio Brown. But Browns corner Briean Boddy-Calhoun was flagged for holding LeVeon Bell in the end zone.That gave Pittsburgh another play from the 1 with no time on the clock. Roethlisberger took a shotgun snap, faked a handoff to Bell and threw a quick slant to Brown. It fell incomplete, but Joe Haden was flagged for interference.Pittsburgh got another extra play.This time Roethlisberger handed to Bell from the shotgun, and he scored standing up. Roethlisbergers two point conversion went to David Johnson, and the Steelers went to the locker room up 14-0 in a game they dominated.Oh yeah, it was frustrating, said Browns coach Hue Jackson. Those are tough calls and one that wwas made that I thought was kind of . Dirk Nowitzki Jersey. .. it is what it is. We have to find a way to keep them out of there. Thats what it comes down to.Jackson said he thought the Steelers could have been called for delay of game on the play that resulted in holding.There is nothing you can do, he said. They either have to call it or not.In the first half, Pittsburgh had 18 first downs to the Browns four. The Steelers outgunned the Browns 217 to 50, and held the ball for 20:37 of the first 30 minutes. The Browns ran 17 first-half plays, which ties for the fewest plays by a team in the first half this season (Patriots, vs. Bills in week four), according to ESPN Stats & Information.The Steelers wound up winning 24-9, snapping a four-game losing streak, and the Browns remained winless. Cleveland had 33 yards rushing in its 14th straight loss, dating to last season.In the previous game against Baltimore, the Browns called timeout before the first snap. Sunday against Pittsburgh they gave the Steelers two extra plays at the end of the half.Information from The Associated Press is included in this report. ' ' '