bulk of the snaps and occasionally sent in backup quarte

Vanderbilt womens basketball recruit Autumn Newby is a tower of strength and skill at 6 feet, 2 inches. But there was a time when being small saved her life.Autumn, the youngest of three siblings, was just 6 years old when she, her sister, Madison, her brother, Jaylen, and some other kids were playing in the Newby familys backyard in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Autumn was sitting in a tire swing that hung from a large oak tree while other kids climbed the branches.Suddenly, there was a sickening thud ... and screams.The tree had broken apart, and a large chunk of it came hurtling toward little Autumn.This was not a small tree, and it was decaying, said her mother, Peaches. Fortunately, Autumn was inside the tire. The tree fell on the tire and not on her.It took three men -- Autumns father and uncles -- to free Autumn, who was rushed to a hospital and was fine other than a scratch on her face.It was like a miracle, Autumn said. When the tree snapped, all the kids jumped off. But I couldnt move because I was inside the tire. That tree could have crushed my entire body.Peaches said her daughter was blessed that day ... and every day since.Things could have gone a different way, Peaches said. But Im a person of faith, and I believe there is a special plan for Autumn. I believe she will be a special person, and she will be able to tell her kids that story one day.Autumn is turning her mother into a prophet.She has earned straight As throughout high school and plans on becoming a pediatrician. On the court, Newby is one of the stars for Archer High (Lawrenceville, Georgia), and she is the No. 28 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 for the 2017 class.Newby, who averaged 13.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals last season as a junior, burst onto the Georgia high school basketball scene as a freshman, helping Archer reach the Class 6A state final.But despite her excellent play, Archer has gone backward the past two seasons in terms of playoff runs, losing in the state semifinals her sophomore year and in the round of 16 last season. All three years, Archer was eliminated by eventual state champion McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia).This season, Archer has a new coach, Bob Westbrook, who led Etowah (Woodstock, Georgia) to the Class 4A state title in 2005.Westbrook said the presence of Newby played into the equation when he decided to go for the opening at Archer. But it was more than that, Westbrook said.They only lost one player from a team that won 25 games last season, Westbrook said.As for Newby, Westbrook said it hasnt taken long for her to live up to the hype. And, keep in mind, practice just started on Monday.Autumn is just so fluid, Westbrook said. She does things effortlessly that usually require a great deal of effort. She still needs work on her mid-range jumper, although she has made tremendous strides there, and her ballhandling.Amy Krach, a fourth-year assistant coach at Archer and a former college assistant at Georgia Southern, said she is not surprised by what Newby has accomplished.She had good footwork, a good motor and good floor sense, Krach said when asked about her first impression of Newby as a freshman. I knew right away she was going to be a big-time player.Its interesting to note that Newby got a rather late start in organized basketball. She didnt play in her first league until she was 9, and she didnt join an AAU team until seventh grade. But theres no denying there is athleticism in the family. Former NFL safety Ryan Clark, who won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is Autumns cousin on her mothers side.Newbys sister, Madison, is a 5-8 sophomore guard at Georgia State. She was the Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year in 2015-16, averaging 8.6 points and leading the league in assists (5.0).Autumn, though, is taller than anyone in her family -- her dad is 5-11 and her mom is 5-7 -- and shes probably more talented, too, although she and Madison made a great team. Madison and Autumn combined on those two Archer runs to the Georgia final four in 2014 and 2015.But with Madison off to Georgia State, it was Autumns turn to look for her future school. Early on, she had been visited by coaches from Georgia, LSU, Penn State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Florida State, Duke and Stanford.But then things changed. Stephanie White, who took the Indiana Fever to the WNBA Finals in 2015, was hired as Vanderbilts coach on May 24. By early June, Newby had been contacted by Vanderbilt, which had not previously recruited her. And by August, Newby had committed to Vanderbilt.[White] wants athletic players who can get up and down the court, Newby said. Thats why she recruited me, and it was a great fit for me.Vanderbilt combines great basketball with great academics. With [White] being a [former] WNBA coach, she and her amazing coaching staff are going to push me on the court. And with Vanderbilt being a great school, thats going to push me on the academic side, too. Aaron Donald Womens Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Torry Holt Rams Jersey . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Eric-Dickerson-Jersey/ . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Jared Goff Rams Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Nolan Cromwell Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Tyler Natee doesnt look like a running back. He just plays like one.At 270 pounds, hes strong enough to run over opponents and nimble enough to bounce off of them. With his pedigree as a high school quarterback, the lefty is capable of throwing the ball. And perhaps the worst part for other Big Ten teams is this: The Indiana Hoosiers can feature the biggest back in their heavy package for another 3+ seasons.I think sometimes the uniqueness of what he does makes it cooler than it really is, coach Kevin Wilson said. Hes a freshman, hes a young kid. Hes got a chance to be a good player if he keeps working hard.At the moment it appears, Natee could be the next big thing -- literally -- in a program that already has churned out three NFL running backs in three years.To Wilson, the only surprise is that nobody else locked up this hidden gem first.Wilson said he found out about Natee during a recruiting trip to Texas last year after asking high school coaches about anyone they thought had been overlooked in the recruiting process. When Natees name came up more than once, Wilson took a peek.It was then Wilson decided he could use the wildcat quarterback in short-yardage and goal-line situations. But when Natee arrived on campus, the Hoosiers quickly discovered he could do other things, too.At practice, you cant go low on him. Hes a load, linebacker Marcus Oliver said. If you go up top with him, you arent taking him down.Still, it seemed the guy nicknamed Big Bacon by his college teammates would find himself buried on the depth chart behind 1,000-yard runner Devine Redding and a host of others. Early injuries didnt help Natee, who compiled 23 carries and 64 yards in Indianas first seven games.ddddddddddddBut with the ground game bogging down during a brutal opening conference stretch that featured three ranked teams -- Michigan State, Ohio State and Nebraska -- and a trip to Northwestern, Wilson tried something different last weekend against Maryland.He still had quarterback Richard Lagow take the bulk of the snaps and occasionally sent in backup quarterback Zander Diamont to give the Hoosiers (4-4, 2/3 Big Ten) another dynamic runner, just like they did against the Cornhuskers. Only this time, Wilson added a new wrinkle -- letting Natee take direct snaps and employ the zone read.It worked perfectly against Maryland .Indiana ran for 414 yards and, for the first time in almost three years, the Hoosiers had three 100-yard rushers in the same game -- Redding with 130 yards, Natee with 118 and Diamont with 111. Five different players, including Natee, scored on TD runs, believed to be a first in school history.Naturally, the fresh face became the postgame star and this weeks Big Ten freshman of the week as the Hoosiers prepare for a trip to Rutgers (2-6, 0-5).Thats the goal, running as hard as I can taking as many people with me as I can, he said, laughing. I enjoy the ride.And if all goes well, Natee hopes to be a prominent piece in the Hoosiers postseason ride.Game notes Wilson said offensive lineman Brandon Knight is expected to be out a while after injuring his lower leg Saturday.---For more college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org/ ' ' '