t a matter of just flipping the seam in the hand and bowling the way Ashwin and Jadeja do. It takes hours of practice and strong wrists. Watch Ashwins instructional video on bcci.tv. His offspinni

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- For Purdue sophomores David Blough and Markell Jones, Saturdays 24-14 come-from-behind victory against Nevada was all about redemption.Blough threw an interception during the games opening series that the Wolf Pack converted into a touchdown and Jones lost two opening-half fumbles, one of which was converted into a touchdown.But Blough threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, and Jones had a go-ahead score in the third quarter as Purdue rallied to win.Purdue, which turned it over four times, pulled within 14-10 late in the second quarter on Bloughs 48-yard touchdown pass to Bilal Marshall. Purdues defense dominated the third, limiting Nevada to 23 yards on 11 plays.We showed a lot of character, said Blough, who was intercepted five times during a loss to Cincinnati on Sept. 10. The TD pass to Marshall at the end of the first half was the play of the game. It was big for us.Jones 5-yard TD run capped a 12-play, 49-yard drive in the third quarter, and the Boilermakers (2-1) added a TD with 1:17 remaining in the fourth on Bloughs 51-yard pass to Brycen Hopkins. Jones finished with 124 yards for his third career 100-yard game.The Boilermakers have turned the ball over 10 times, including seven interceptions for Blough, in their first three games but are 2-1 for the first time in coach Darrell Hazells fourth season at Purdue.To be down at halftime, the guys showed a lot of grit to overcome four turnovers, Hazell said. The defense was phenomenal in the second half, and the score before halftime gave us momentum. It lifted our sideline. At halftime, we had a lot of energy in that locker room.Tyler Stewart threw touchdown passes of 15 yards to Hasaan Henderson and 6 yards to James Butler for Nevada (2-2). The Wolf Pack converted the Blough interception and a Jones fumble into a 14-3 lead.We just couldnt sustain drives today, said Stewart, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 173 yards. We were OK in spurts, but we just couldnt sustain drives. We put up only 14 points, and thats not enough against a team like Purdue. We knew their defensive front was pretty good. I knew there would be pressure.The Wolf Pack had an opportunity to pull even at 17 with 4:16 remaining in the fourth, but Brent Zuzo hooked a 27-yard field-goal attempt wide left, and Blough iced it.They made plays at the end when we should have, Nevada coach Brian Polian said. There were a lot of mistakes made in the game, and things didnt always go well. Still, we had a chance to win the game in the end, and we didnt do it.Purdue outgained Nevada 466-253.TAKEAWAYS:PURDUE: The Boilermakers were sloppy offensively throughout the game, but their defense pressured Stewart throughout the day and did not allow a point during the games final 35:56.NEVADA: The Wolf Pack came in featuring a strong rushing attack, averaging 208.3 yards a game, but had only 90 at halftime and lost 4 yards rushing during the third quarter when all the momentum shifted to Purdue. Including five sacks, Nevada finished with only 68 rushing yards.KEY NUMBERS:PURDUE: The Boilermakers entered Saturdays game ranked last (14th) in Big Ten rushing defense at 219 yards a game, but Nevadas 33 rushing attempts produced only 68 net rushing yards with a long carry of 15 yards.NEVADA: The Wolf Pack was successful on each of their first five third-down conversion attempts but was only 4 of 10 thereafter, finishing 9 of 15 while Purdue was 10 of 14.INJURY UPDATEPURDUE: Starting offensive right tackle Matt McCann sprained an ankle during practice this week and was unable to play.UP NEXT:PURDUE: The Boilermakers begin Big Ten play at Maryland on Oct. 1.NEVADA: The Wolf Pack start Mountain West competition at Hawaii on Oct. 1. Stitched Avalanche Jerseys . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Colorado Avalanche Gear . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Colorado Avalanche Store .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Avalanche Jerseys 2020 . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Before this Test match, one of the last snapshots of Jeetan Patel in international cricket was that of him on the way to square leg when facing Dale Steyn with the score on 62 for 8 in Port Elizabeth in January 2013. With BJ Watling fighting at the other end on 25. Patel was bowled.If you are a New Zealand cricketer, you are known for making the most out of the limited resources available, through acumen, through spirit and through courage. The last thing you want to be known for in New Zealand is a soft dismissal. The tag just sticks. It is no surprise then that when three-and-a-half years later Patel was remembered again, he had almost given up on wearing that black cap again. Even New Zealand hadnt thought of him until Mark Craig got injured.In this second life, which might not extend to any cricket outside India, Patel first showed improvement as a spin bowler. A wiser and fitter man now, leading wicket-taker in this years county championship, he bowled at an optimum pace for a spinner in Indian conditions without overly sacrificing his length. Ajinkya Rahane said he was the toughest bowler to face on the first day of the Test in which fast bowlers have done most of the wicket-taking. It was with the bat, though, that he had come a full circle. Once again walking out to join that fighter Watling, once again during a collapse, out to face a hat-trick ball in fading light.How was Patel going to react to this déjà vu cricket had given him? He went after the hat-trick ball, but didnt move away from the stumps. Still he came pretty close playing what could be seen as a soft shot in a time of strife. When he drove at the next ball - this one was slightly fuller and hence he connected properly - it seemed like there might have been a plan to look for runs because the pitch was doing too much and might have undone the defence of a No. 9 anyway.Patel had to survive only one more over before the light faded enough for the umpires to take players off the field. This morning, the same intent was clear as he punched the first ball down the ground, between bowler and mid-off for four. Watling kept his vigil going at the other end, and Patel looked to keep scoring. If a drive went gracefully through cover, an edge would fly wide of slips. Once in his 20s, Patel began to rely less on luck and more on finesse.Ravindra Jadejas first ball of the day was driven through cover for four. A sweep for four soon followed. Then came three boundaries in the same Jadeja over. A short ball cut away, two full ones flicked wide of mid-on. He was going with the spin, against the spin, and everything was connecting. With Watling solid at the other end, with runs flowing from Patels end, with Virat Kohli getting increasingly impatient, New Zealand fans would have just started wondering if this side was going to pull off another scarcely believable escape.Cricket was about to play a cruel joke now. Playing back to a ball from Jadeja with flatter trajectory but still on a full length, Patel was caught so plumb he almost started to walk. It turned out Jadejas front foot had failed to stay behind the line, though. This was a man who had bowled three no-balls in 4446 deliveries in Test cricket before this series. It just so happened that Patel caught Jadeja on a streak during which he had just bowled a fourth no-ball in 480 deliveries this series. Cricket was smiling.dddddddddddd. It was giving Patel yet another chance. Cricket was obviously only going to snatch it away again.R Ashwin was Kohlis fourth choice on the day. Perhaps, while others were doing the damage, Kohli wanted to rest the finger of his main weapon; Ashwin has been bowling with some discomfort thanks to a corn on the middle finger of his right hand. Thirteen overs into the days play, Kohli finally went to Ashwin. Jadeja had already bowled four overs for 25 runs. He had been attacked right away. There was no reason to not look to attack Ashwin if Patel got one in his zone. This is how he had got so far, and he now had his eye in.The first ball was full enough, outside off, the seam rotating towards fine leg, an offbreak. Patel looked to play it with the turn, but the ball pitched and almost changed direction. The ball straightening is enough to defeat you once you have committed to a shot, but this one did more than that and lobbed up for an easy catch. A commentator on air wondered if Patel had played a bad shot in his anxiety to get to his fifty - he was three short. It might have looked like that on first viewing, but Patel had been unlucky here. He was playing the way he had played until then, but Ashwins natural variation did him in.****It is quite possible Ashwin didnt know this ball was not going to turn, but he had given it the best opportunity to not turn. Therein lies the skill of Ashwin and Jadeja. Natural variation is a part of the game. You are bowling on soil, over five days, with a leather ball stitched with a hard seam. It wont always behave as expected. India have derived more natural variation simply because they have put themselves in a position to do so. And that has not just come through accuracy. If you look at visiting spinners, the seam position on their offbreaks is at 45 degrees, or one to seven on a clock. Asian finger spinners have the skill to bowl an offbreak with the seam parallel to the ground, or three to nine on the clock. This gives them the possibility of landing the ball on the leather and bringing in the possibility of that variation. If it lands on the seam it turns.It is not a matter of just flipping the seam in the hand and bowling the way Ashwin and Jadeja do. It takes hours of practice and strong wrists. Watch Ashwins instructional video on bcci.tv. His offspinning action is like turning a doorknob. Try sending a leather ball across 22 yards with that action. It is bloody difficult. Both Ashwin and Jadeja can keep doing this seemingly tirelessly. With Ashwin it becomes even more difficult because he doesnt bowl all his balls this way. Sometimes the seam comes out at 45 degrees, sometimes parallel. He bowls the seam-up arm ball. He bowls carrom balls. He bowls them all accurately. Dont undermine the role of drift in Patels dismissal either. Ever since he has sorted his action out, Ashwin gets beautiful drift and dip on his offbreaks.Cricket is a game of luck where you cant leave things to luck. All you do is try your best to eliminate it as a batsman, and try to put yourself in the best position to catch some luck. The more you try to understand it, the more it can drive you to insanity. Sometimes you just sit back and watch the drama. ' ' '