Zealand: Jordan Kahu, David Fusitua, Solomone Kata, Shaun Kenny-

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Buried amid the excitement of competing for a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff last season was the fact that Oklahoma State struggled on defense at times, surrendering 151 points in its final three games -- all of them losses.On top of that, the Cowboys lost their best defensive player to graduation as All-American defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, moved on to the NFL.Coach Mike Gundy and his staff are hoping that increased depth developing at several positions will lead to better play this season.We need to develop another corner to make me feel a little better, but in the front seven, we have guys that by midseason could give us quality playing time in conference play, Gundy said. We have key positions that we need players to stay healthy, like always, but if were fortunate, we could be deeper on defense by mid-season.The Cowboys ended up ranked 96th in the nation (out of 128 Division I schools) in total defense. They allowed 430 yards per game along with 29.0 points, ranking 86th in the country. It was a problem that caught up to Oklahoma State, which was 10-0 and ranked fourth in the nation in mid-November. Two losses to close the season and another loss in the Sugar Bowl left a bad taste.Defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer is hoping that his returning players will benefit from the playing in those high-stakes contests.Weve got a lot of guys that have played, so that experience is hard to coach, Spencer said. So much on our side of the ball is reaction to what youre getting and different looks, when somebody changes something up at the first of the game that youve never seen before. We struggled at times with that last year, and then hopefully this year, with experience and guys that have played the game, they can make quicker adjustments than we had.With Ogbah gone, senior safety Jordan Sterns, who topped the team with 108 tackles last year will be counted upon to provide leadership.Hes always been a physical player, hes been tough, hes been reliable for us, Gundy said of Sterns. The leadership that he can show to the younger players, with him being a veteran player, will be important to our team. He needs to continue with the toughness and the attitude that he brings to the back of our defense.Oklahoma State also feels comfortable with the array of talent on the defensive line, as sophomores Jordan Brailford, Trey Carter and Jarrell Owens step in after the departures of Ogbah and Jimmy Bean.We like Jordan, Jarrell, and the young line that we have, Gundy said of the defensive ends. It may be halfway through the season before we can see those guys show up the way we want them to. Theyre still young, but we like the future.Defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements is looking forward to big things from tackle Vincent Taylor, a junior who compiled five sacks and 48 tackles last season, as well as senior Motekiai Maile and sophomore Darrion Daniels.I think Vincents doing a good job of being a leader for us, Clements said. Leadership is two-fold. Youve got to lead from the front, and youve also got to lead from behind. Weve got to get some young guys to do that also. Wholesale Dolphins Jerseys .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Kalen Ballage Jersey . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.wholesaledolphinsjerseys.com/?tag=youth-aaron-monteiro-jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Mark Duper Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Eric Rowe Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Less than three months after being parachuted into the New Zealand hot-seat, David Kidwell says hes relishing the opportunity to replicate his playing success in the coaching box in Sundays Four Nations final.And if there was ever any evidence needed that Kidwell is enjoying the coaching caper its the way he has kept his cards close to his chest this week in regards to his team for the final.Rather than name his team one through 17, Kidwell named a 19-man squad in alphabetical order, including both Te Maire Martin and Tohu Harris.The duo are battling to fill the five-eighth role for New Zealand and replace Thomas Leuluai, who broke his jaw against Scotland.Kidwell was part of two of the Kiwi teams greatest moments when they stunned Australia in the Four Nations final in Leeds in 2005 then again three years later when they lifted the World Cup against the Kangaroos in Brisbane.During a nomadic playing career that took in spells at Adelaide Rams, Parramatta, Warrington, Sydney Roosters, Melbourne and South Sydney, Kidwell was a powerful second-rower with an aggressive streak.Although hes won just one of this first four matches as coach and was held to a draw by Scotland, Kidwell said hes thriving on the opportunity to coach his country in a final having served as an assistant to Steve Kearney for the last two years.Ive loved every minute of it, Kidwell told AAP.Its a job where weve had games where weve come back from adversity and you learn a lot about yourself.You may be down,, but you cant show that to the players.dddddddddddd You have to pick the team up when they are down and move onto the next challenge.My philosophy is that I am learning every day. I am picking up stuff every day, little things here and there from different kinds of sports and different kind of people.The Kiwis can often mix brilliance with inconsistency two traits exemplified by mercurial halfback Shaun Johnson and Kidwell admitted finding the balance between coaching and man-managing his team is something hes still getting to grips with.I havent found the difference between coaching and playing that great, he said.It sounds obvious, but the only major difference is going out on the field. The emotions I feel are the same, mentally you are looking at whether you are preparing your team right.I get more nervous as a coach than I every did as a player. But the most important thing is to not show that to my players.Those nerves are probably down to passion as well. I want the Kiwis to do so well. I am competitor at heart and I love winning.New Zealand: Jordan Kahu, David Fusitua, Solomone Kata, Shaun Kenny-Dowall