ack Jackson.SYRACUSE: The defense wasnt tested in the opener against FCS Colgate. It was by the Cardinals, early and often. The Orange

MONTREAL -- Trying to change the "Alouette way" was what got Dan Hawkins fired only five games into his first job as a head coach in the Canadian Football League. With the Montreal Alouettes once-powerful offence sputtering, general manager Jim Popp announced Thursday that Hawkins was gone and that offensive co-ordinator Mike Miller would have a reduced role on the coaching staff. Popp will step in as head coach for the third time in his 18 years with the club, while Hawkins adviser Doug Berry will run the offence. "I wont get into specifics, but there are some issues that we felt should be moving along quicker than they are," said Popp, who made the decision along with owner Bob Wetenhall. "We feel its going very slow. "Were a veteran team. Were looking for results now. Hopefully we can get ourselves back to the Alouette way." Hawkins was hired Feb. 19 to replace the popular Marc Trestman, who left to become head coach of the NFLs Chicago Bears. In five seasons, Trestman took the Alouettes to three Grey Cup games, winning twice. The chatty, gung-ho Hawkins had been working as a broadcaster after a career of coaching U.S. college teams. He was told of the decision by phone on Wednesday night and was to meet with Popp on Thursday. Popp said Hawkins lack of experience coaching pro players was his undoing. He called Hawkins a good coach, but said "the transition hasnt been real smooth." The Alouettes, whose only losing season since returning to Montreal after a 10-year hiatus in 1996 was the last time Popp took over as coach in 2007, has struggled to a 2-3 start. The attack led by all-time CFL passing leader Anthony Calvillo, with 11-of-12 starters back from last season, looked disjointed and tentative as it adjusted to a new approach brought in by Hawkins and Miller against the advice of Popp and Calvillo. "We wanted the coaches to learn the language, instead of 12 people having to learn something new," said Popp. "That didnt take place." He didnt go into much detail on what constitutes the Alouette way, but said there were ways of doing things the team had developed that made it a consistent winner. "Its a philosophy that works," he said. "When you start swaying away too much from that, if people say, I dont care how it was done, I want to do it this way, you want to give the guy some freedom to do things. "But if it starts rubbing too many people the wrong way, and youre not getting results, it starts creating negativity, and then you worry if theyre going to lose the locker-room. "I dont think Dan lost the locker-room, but I think it was teetering. Were trying to get things back on the path of how we practice, how we do things in our locker-room." He gave one example. The Alouettes had always spent 10 minutes before practice stretching, but that was cut to seven minutes, which upset some players. "These things fester," said Popp. "And if things arent going as well as youd like, then they become a much bigger problem than they really are." Always the good soldier, Calvillo avoided any criticism of the coaching staff. He said that in his first three meetings with Miller before training camp, he was instructing the new OC on how the offence worked, but after that Miller began to make changes. Calvillo said he went along with it because of Millers credentials as former offensive co-ordinator of the NFLs Arizona Cardinals. And he said the offence had shown signs of coming around in recent games. But he also didnt question the decision to make a change. "Theres been some frustration across the board," he said. "Weve had a certain standard here for a number of years and its been very tough to swallow the direction our team was going in. "But Ill continue to trust our owner (Bob Wetenhall) and Jim Popp. Theyve decided to make a change. Ill trust in that and move forward." It was the second time in a row Montreal hired a coach with no CFL experience. But while it worked with Trestman, Hawkins did not appear comfortable with the 12-man game. "You can definitely look back and call it a mistake," Popp admitted. Hawkins bowed out a winner, however. Despite the teams spotty play, the Alouettes are in second place in the weak East Division and are coming off a nervy 32-27 win over 1-4 Edmonton. Popp said he hopes Miller will stay with the team and learn the Canadian game. Berry will become the de facto OC without getting the title for now. Berry worked for the Alouettes as offensive line coach and later as OC from 1996 to 2005, before leaving to become head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He spent two seasons as OC in Saskatchewan before returning to Montreal to help Hawkins adjustment to the CFL. Hawkins had previously coached mainly U.S. college teams, taking Boise State to four Western Athletic Conference titles from 2002 to 2005 before compiling a disappointing 19-39 record at Colorado from 2006 to 2010. Popp, whose father was an NFL coach, first stepped in as coach to finish off a disastrous 2001 campaign under Rod Rust, but Don Matthews took over the following season. He became coach again when Matthews fell ill during the 2006 season and brought the Alouettes to the Grey Cup game. He stayed on for 2007, in which the rookie-laden club that was missing Calvillo for much of the season went 8-10 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Winnipeg. Popps CFL regular-season coaching record is 10-13, with a 1-3 mark in playoff games. He will be on the field for his first informal practice with the team on Friday. He said coaching will help him as a general manager because he will get to know the players better and help his assessment of the coaching staff as the search begins for a new head coach, likely to take over next season. He would not confirm that he will coach for the rest of this season, saying only that "ultimately there will be a new head coach."Lance McCullers Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Michael Brantley Astros Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/ .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Jose Altuve Astros Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Alex Bregman Astros Jersey . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- After falling behind early, Syracuse was trying to rally in the third quarter against No. 13 Louisville and the Carrier Dome crowd was alive as the Cardinals faced a third-and-18.Lamar Jackson then did what he does best.The Cardinals elusive sophomore quarterback ripped off a 33-yard run to again stun the Orange on a night of big plays. Louisville didnt extend its lead, but in the end it didnt matter.Jackson ran for four touchdowns and threw for another, and the Cardinals routed Syracuse 62-28 on Friday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.He had a great game, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. What I was most pleased with was how well he prepared for the game. He worked extremely hard all week. He did a great job executing. He threw the ball around and ran real well. He did a great job of everything we asked him to do.Jackson, the national offensive player of the week for his performance in the opener against Charlotte, a 70-14 victory, picked up right where he left off. He hit a wide-open James Quick for a 72-yard score on the games first play from scrimmage to put the Orange defense on its heels, and it stayed there during a first-quarter blitz by Jackson and company.The elusive Jackson followed with a dazzling 72-yard touchdown run and also hit Jaylen Smith for 61 yards and Jamari Staples for 55 in the opening spree.Im not sure anybody could catch him, Syracuse coach Dino Babers said. You get mad because they couldnt catch the guy. Hes the fastest guy on the football field. He got into space. I saw him outrun contain with three guys who were exactly where they were supposed to be. He should have got tackled for a 2-yard loss and he runs all the way to the other sideline and steps out of bounds.Jackson, who was rarely pressured by a Syracuse defense that was content to lay back, also scored on runs of seven, 72 and 13 yards to give Louisville a 28-7 lead after one quarter. He had 108 yards rushing and 207 yards passing as the Cardinals (2-0) outgained the Orange 352-98 in the period, then tacked on a 9-yard scoring run in the second for a 35-7 lead. That was one for the highlight reels, with Jackson displaying hurdler-like ability with a leap over a Syracuse defender at the goal line.I had to take flight, score and get into the end zone, Jackson said. I think I did something like that in high school. I feel like I can score (on any play). I feel I can get my team in the end zone on any play.Jackson finished with 199 yards ruushing on 21 carries and was 20 for 39 for 411 yards with one interception as the Cardinals set a school record and came within 13 yards of the ACC record with 845 yards offensively.dddddddddddd It was the most ever allowed by Syracuse, eclipsing the mark of 654 by West Virginia in 1993.Eric Dungey was 25 for 51 yards for 255 yards passing and scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter for the Orange.Syracuse (1-1) tried to claw its way back into it with a pair of scores late in the second, both by wideout Amba Etta-Tawo in the final three minutes of the period.In the opener against Charlotte, Jackson accounted for eight touchdowns and 405 yards in the first half, then sat the second. No breather on this hot night inside the Carrier Dome.The Cardinals moved up six spots in the AP poll after their lopsided victory over Charlotte. Jackson accounted for a stunning 405 yards and eight touchdowns, six passing in the first half of that game. Another jump is on the way next week.THE TAKEAWAYLOUISVILLE: The Cardinals proved the opening week was no fluke. Theyre for real, and as long as Jackson stays healthy the Atlantic Division of the ACC promises to be more interesting. Jacksons only concern on offense might be his receivers, who had six drops in the first half and more in the second.STAT LINE: Louisville averaged 10.4 yards per play.HE SAID IT: I did good, I guess, but I still have some improvement. I threw a lot of bad balls. Lot of bad reads, but I think I did all right. -- Louisville quarterback Jackson.SYRACUSE: The defense wasnt tested in the opener against FCS Colgate. It was by the Cardinals, early and often. The Orange has a lot of work ahead on both sides of the ball, but showed some grit by not caving under the early barrage. The up-tempo offense of Babers gained 426 yards and ran 93 plays and the Orange have found a go-to guy in Etta-Tawo, who has 19 catches for 314 yards in two games. The Orange also could use some semblance of a run game after gaining just 104 yards on 39 carries, it second straight subpar performance.UP NEXTLOUISVILLE: The Cardinals get their first true test of the young season when they host No. 3 Florida State on Sept. 17.SYRACUSE: The Orange host South Florida on Sept. 17, their third straight home game.---AP College Football Website: www.collegefootball.org---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 ' ' '