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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina keeps coming up with big wins on the road -- and that has the No. 22 Tar Heels in strong position to win their Atlantic Coast Conference division again.Entering Saturdays trip to Virginia, the Tar Heels have won three road games this season -- two against ranked Florida State and Miami teams -- and havent lost a game on an opponents home field since 2014. That eight-game run in true road games is tied for fourth-longest in the country.Even quarterback Mitch Trubisky doesnt have a clear way to explain it.I think its really more of an in-the-moment thing, because you cant prepare for the environment down at Miami or at Florida State or at Virginia until youre actually there in the week, he said Monday. And I think when youre in that moment, either you respond to it and you rise to the occasion or you dont.The Tar Heels (5-2, 3-1 ACC) have done that so far. They won big at Illinois in Week 2, edged then-No. 12 Florida State in Tallahassee on a last-play 54-yard field goal on Oct. 1 and then won at then-No. 16 Miami 20-13 over the weekend.UNC hasnt lost on an opponents home field since falling at Miami in November 2014, though the Tar Heels lost to Georgia in Atlanta to open this season in front of a largely pro-Bulldogs crowd.Still, the eight-game streak in true road games is tied for fourth in the country with No. 4 Clemson and No. 16 Oklahoma, trailing No. 2 Ohio State (20), top-ranked Alabama (10) and Iowa (nine).Its also UNCs longest as a member of the ACC, founded in 1953.Coach Larry Fedora, who repeatedly talks about the importance of treating every game the same, pointed to the way his team has handled practices leading up to road trips.The preparations been very consistent, Fedora said. They understand what it takes to be successful. ... We knew we were going to have to be good on the road, if we were going to accomplish the goals that we wanted to. It was something that we talked about in the very first team meeting. And so I think theyre doing that to this point.The Tar Heels are now sitting atop a crowded and messy-once-again Coastal Division race with head-to-head tiebreakers against contenders Pittsburgh and Miami. Their Oct. 8 home loss to Virginia Tech (4-2, 2-1) played in a heavy downpour from Hurricane Matthew means the Tar Heels will need the Hokies to lose again to put them back in control of their own destiny in the division.UNC is trying to become the Coastals first repeat winner since the Hokies did it in 2010 and 2011.The challenge did get tougher in the Miami win. The team said Monday that top deep threat Mack Hollins is lost for the season to a broken right collarbone, which required surgery Sunday. Hollins led the country last year by averaging 24.8 yards per catch, and his 20 career TD catches rank third in school history.Perhaps more importantly, he was a three-time special teams captain playing on punt and kickoff returns.Well miss what he brings to us on offense, Fedora said. But probably more than anything, his leadership. And hopefully well be able to keep him still involved and help him continue to lead this football team.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college football site at http://collegefootball.ap.orgCheap Air Max 90 Black China .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Cheap Air Max 90 Ultra China . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outlet-air-max-90-off-white-cheap.html . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Air Max 90 Leather Iron Bronze . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Discount Air Max 90 Mens . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.AUSTIN, Texas -- ?As Charlie Strong gets off an elevator near his office, a student recognizes him and wants to show the Texas coach a video. Its footage of the cannon shooting off from the 45-40 loss to Oklahoma last Saturday. Strong enthusiastically obliges and later runs into one of his walk-on players majoring in engineering and jokes, I sure didnt major in engineering.For a guy whos reportedly in serious trouble, Strong doesnt show it. He knows the stakes and knows that he probably will be in trouble if the Longhorns dont turn it around and suffer through a third straight losing season. But he also knows that spending any time wondering or fretting about whom may or may not be against him among Texas power brokers is useless.I said to somebody the other day that what we have going here is that the players are still with us, Strong told ESPN.com in a wide-ranging interview on Monday. Now, if we had the players complaining, wed be in trouble. And the parents, too. I get text upon text upon text from parents telling me to hang in there and that theyre praying for me and that their son came here to play for me.Its a lot more unified here than maybe some people have made it out to be. Were talented and were young, and weve got guys who can play. We just have to find a way to be more consistent, and were going to do that.In the face of three straight losses and swirling speculation that his third season at Texas could be his last, Strong doesnt flinch.Its not his style, never has been.He didnt flinch as a kid growing up in Batesville, Arkansas, when on some nights he would share a house with as many as 15 people. He didnt flinch during his defensive coordinator days at Florida when he kept getting passed over for head coaching jobs by less qualified candidates.And hes certainly not going to flinch now, even with a 13-17 record as Texas head coach and the restlessness and grumbling at one of college footballs biggest fish bowls growing louder by the day ... and the loss.For the 56-year-old Strong, its business as usual. His blueprint and his vision havent wavered. Neither has his resolve.You stick to it, especially here, because if you dont, it will wear you down, he says.Unfortunately for him, his Monday each of the past three weeks has been the same, trying to explain a Texas loss and, more specifically, how the Longhorns suddenly cant stop anybody. Theyve given up at least 45 points in all three losses and a total of 1,734 yards.Its no secret that the specter of Houstons Tom Herman looms large in these parts. The fear among some Texas supporters is that Herman may be scooped up by another school if Texas doesnt act this year by cutting ties with Strong.Confronted with that scenario, Strong flashes his easy smile and shrugs. Sure, hes heard it -- more than once.At the same time, he also has been in touch with key boosters, as he has since he took the job. More importantly, he knows which ones to call. Of course, at a place like Texas, one of the inherent problems is that everybody thinks hes a key booster, creating a very vocal and loud minority.Theres also a misnomer out there that Strong isnt engaged with some of the big-money Texas boosters. Just this summer, he attended a function at Roger Staubachs house in Horseshoe Bay with several prominent Texas donors.I know the guys to keep in touch with, and I do, Strong said. Theyve been great and always want to know if theres anything they can do to help. Now, I dont go to dinner with those guys, so Im not going to be seen in public with them. Im not a member of their country club and I dont play golf, so I dont go play golf with them. But I pick up the phone and call them, keep in touch.They want the same thing II do, to see this program continue to make strides.ddddddddddddStrong said the notion that he has tucked away in his own football cocoon and disengaged with everybody simply isnt true and a narrative that has been falsely planted.They also said we had no relationship with high school coaches, and look at the recruits weve been able to get in this state, Strong said. Its almost like everything they said we dont do, we do. Thats why you dont spend time fighting that stuff. We have enough to keep us busy.Like winning games, which ultimately will decide Strongs fate. Hes not na?ve. Even with the recruiting gains made on his watch, it would be difficult for him to survive if this season completely unravels. The Longhorns close out October with Iowa State at home this Saturday, then Kansas State on the road and Baylor back home.We need to finish strong, where were on an upswing, Strong said. We dont want to be going backward, and were not.Texas president Greg Fenves and athletic director Mike Perrin both came publicly last week in support of Strong. Dreaded votes of confidence or not, one of the things Strong has going for him is that Perrin is from the Darrell Royal tree, and many of Royals former players are influential and have expressed their support for Strong.But most important, at least with regard to turning this season around, is that the Texas players have remained staunchly behind Strong.What I look at is we have a team thats making strides and not going backward, Strong said. Now, we havent won like we want to, but I look at where were heading and know well get there because I believe in the kids so much that I know its going to happen.Strong was criticized for Texas lack of offense his first two seasons, and one of his mandates from fans was to bring in a quarterback for the future. Well, he has done that with freshman sensation Shane Buechele, who has thrown for 1,204 yards and 11 touchdowns.The problem now is on defense. The Longhorns have been scorched by the deep ball, and even with Strong taking over the defensive play-calling last week, the results were the same. Its true that you have to be equipped to win shootouts every week to contend in the Big 12, but Strong said the plan was never to sacrifice on defense to get there.I dont think we sacrificed anything, he said. What we have lost is giving up the big play. I dont think weve lost anything in terms of toughness or competing on defense. Its just giving up the big plays. Thats what is killing us right now, and thats what we have to get fixed.Strong has never been one to think too much about the what ifs in coaching.Its part of the business. People lose their jobs, he said.But in terms of the bigger picture, he admits theres a different sort of pressure to succeed at Texas that he holds near and dear to his heart. Its why he says softly, but with conviction, that he has to make it.I look at it like this: A lot of African-Americans didnt get this opportunity, and now that I did get it, there are so many people counting on me to be successful, and not just African-Americans, but people who just never got a chance, Strong said. Sometimes, I think its bigger than me. I dont know why I think like this, but Ill be lying in bed at night thinking, Theres another minority out there who wants to be the CEO of IBM, and if Im successful here, will that success help that guy go be the CEO of IBM or go run a hospital?You look at Texas and look at how big the Texas job is, and nobody wants to win more than I do. But if that opens up doors for others, thats a win for a lot of people. ' ' '