Talk » Lets just keep moving forward.

Some things to watch in the Big Ten as the season opens with two games Thursday, one Friday and 11 on Saturday.GAME OF THE WEEKWisconsin vs. No. 5 LSU in the Lambeau Field College Classic in Green Bay on Saturday is chock-full of story lines. Dave Aranda, the architect of Wisconsins top-shelf defense the last three years, is going against his former team as the Tigers defensive coordinator. His replacement at Wisconsin, Justin Wilcox, must devise a plan to keep Leonard Fournette under control as the junior running back begins his Heisman Trophy campaign. The game also marks the first career start for Wisconsin quarterback Bart Houston.BEST MATCHUPNorthwestern could have its hands full with Mid-American Conference favorite Western Michigan. P.J. Flecks Broncos are known for prolific offense. Northwestern has posted back-to-back 10-win seasons, won 21 of its last 23 September games and return the top returning Big Ten rusher in Justin Jackson. The Anthony Walker-led defense was stellar most of last season, but it ended with an embarrassing 45-6 bowl loss to Tennessee. The Wildcats new starting cornerback, Montre Hartage, will be kept busy with WMUs Corey Davis, the active leading receiver in the Bowl Subdivision.INSIDE THE NUMBERSDefending Big Ten champion Michigan State (vs. Furman on Friday) is 36-5 since 2013. ... Ohio State (vs. Bowling Green) is 32-1 against current MAC members. ... Maryland plays Howard for the first time, even though only 7.5 miles separate the schools. ... QB Wes Lunt has thrown 28 TDs against nine interceptions in two years at Illinois (vs. Murray State). ... Michigan (vs. Hawaii) plays its first five at home for the first time since 2011. ... Purdue (vs. Eastern Kentucky) has played an FCS opponent every year since 2010 and is 6-0 in those games. ... Rutgers (at No. 14 Washington) last played a ranked opponent to start the season in 1985. ... Nebraska (vs. Fresno State) will sell out its 348th consecutive home game since 1962.LONG SHOTIndiana has some mojo after going to a bowl but cant afford to take FIU lightly on the road Thursday night. The Hoosiers defense is yet to prove it can stop anybody, and the Panthers bring back starters at QB, RB and WR. The Panthers, picked fifth in the East Division of Conference USA, led into the fourth quarter of their 36-22 loss in Bloomington last year.PLAYER TO WATCHQB Mitch Leidner can set the tone for Minnesota with a strong outing at home Thursday against an Oregon State team replacing seven defensive starters. Leidner, wholl be making his 30th start, passed for at least 250 yards in four straight games last season and was MVP of the Quick Lane Bowl. He missed spring practice after having offseason foot surgery. The Gophers have only 13 seniors, with Leidner among an FBS-low three on offense, so they need him to be really good if they hope to get back over .500 after going 6-7 in 2015. Enoli Paredes Jersey . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Custom Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. http://www.customastrosjersey.com/custom-nolan-ryan-jersey-large-266y.html . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Wholesale Custom Astros Shirts . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Rusty Staub Jersey . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. SAN DIEGO -- While a naval officer sang the first notes of The Star-Spangled Banner and dozens of military members unfurled an oversized flag on the football field, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid dropped to one knee on the San Francisco 49ers sideline.With his silent gestures of protest, Kaepernick intends to keep drawing attention to a litany of American problems -- and hes no longer alone.Kaepernick and Reid kneeled during the national anthem Thursday before the 49ers 31-21 preseason victory over San Diego, ignoring scattered boos and angry shouts in Qualcomm Stadium at the Chargers Salute to the Military preseason game.Up north in Oakland, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane showed his support for Kaepernick by sitting on the bench during the anthem.Im not anti-American. I love America, said Kaepernick, who stayed on the field long after the game to sign autographs for enthusiastic fans. I love people. Thats why Im doing this. I want to help make America better, and I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from.Kaepernicks protest has dominated the public discussion of the nations most popular sport this week, and his stance has been met with passionate condemnation and support. His refusal to stand for the anthem first came to public notice last week when he remained seated on the 49ers bench before a preseason game against Green Bay.The quarterback cited numerous reasons for his actions, ranging from racial injustice and minority oppression to police brutality and the treatment of military veterans.Kaepernick said he plans to continue his protests during the regular season. He also intends to donate $1 million to different organizations to help these communities and help these people, declining to provide specifics.The message is that we have a lot of issues in this country that we need to deal with, Kaepernick said. We have a lot of people that are oppressed. We have a lot of people that arent treated equally, that arent given equal opportunities. Police brutality is a huge thing that needs to be addressed. There are a lot of issues that need to be talked about.Kaepernick wasnt earnestly booed in San Diego until he took the field to start the game for the 49ers, immediately leading them on a 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive against the hometown team. Amid his burgeoning social activism, he is also fighting for a roster spot and attempting to regain the starting job that he lost last season.When Kaepernick left the field following pregame warmups, he was greeted with profanity and obscene gestures from Leo Uzcategui, a 20-year Navy veteran in a military-green Chargers jersey with quarterback Philip Rivers No. 17 in camouflage numbering.I was in the Navy and I saw men and women bleed and die for this flag, Uzcategui said. If he wants to do something, go to some outreach program where he can do some good. And I get it, his First Amendment right. But you dont sit during the presenting of the colors, and you dont sit during the national anthem. That is not the way to do it.A sign in the crowd read: Youre an American. Act like one.But Domenique Banks, a 23-year-old fan from nearby Oceanside, California, got the quarterback to sign his Kaepernick jersey before the game.I told him I appreciate what he is standing up for, Banks said..ddddddddddddHe said he appreciated it. Most of the people I talk to say the same thing. I dont like that he is sitting during the national anthem, but I appreciate what he is standing for.Kaepernick was thrilled to be joined by Reid, the 49ers starting safety and a fourth-year veteran from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Reid and Kaepernick decided together on kneeling rather than sitting during the anthem.I just wanted to show my support for him, Reid said. He wanted to make it clear that he wasnt trying to be disrespectful to the military or the national anthem, so he decided to change his position to be more respectful, but still bring awareness to the issues that he believes are going on in this country, and that I wholeheartedly believe exist in this country.In Oakland, Lane sat on the bench behind his standing teammates before Seattles game against the Raiders. Lane said he doesnt know Kaepernick, but was standing behind him.Its something I plan to keep on doing until I feel like justice has been served, Lane said. No, I didnt tell anyone I was going to do it. I just did it. ... I dont mean no disrespect toward anybody, but Im just standing behind what I believe.Kaepernick kneeled next to Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who went to training camp with the Seahawks last year as a long snapper. Boyer, who wrote a conciliatory open letter to Kaepernick earlier this week, spoke with the quarterback about his stance this week. He posted a photo of the two on Twitter with a caption reading, Lets just keep moving forward. This is what America should be all about.When the same naval officer performed God Bless America before the fourth quarter, Kaepernick remained standing and then applauded along with his teammates.Kaepernick doesnt intend his stance to be a criticism of the military. When the Chargers public-address announcer asked fans to recognize active military personnel during a timeout, the quarterback stood and enthusiastically applauded along with his teammates and the entire stadium.I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harms way for my freedom of speech, and my freedoms in this country, and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee, Kaepernick said. So I have the utmost respect for them, and I think what I did was taken out of context and spun a different way.Kaepernicks social activism, which only emerged publicly in recent weeks, also included support for the Black Lives Matter movement through social media.While negative reaction to the quarterback has been strong, Kaepernick also has been widely praised for his commitment to his stance. Veterans and military members tweeted their support for Kaepernick in recent days under the hashtag VeteransForKaepernick.It was something I was thinking about to make sure that Im not just talking about something, but Im actively being involved and actively trying to make a change in these communities, Kaepernick said. Ive been very blessed to be in this position and be able to make the kind of money I do, and I have to help these people.---AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Oakland contributed to this story.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '