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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Lovie Smith is under no illusions about the degree to which his team will rely on senior quarterback Wes Lunt, but the first-year Illinois coach emphasized Sunday how much he wants the Illini to be able to run the ball.Lunt, Smith said Sunday at the teams preseason media day, is a good decision-maker with a strong arm.But like his NFL teams, Smith believes the Illini must run the ball, and more than they did last season. Illinois ran the ball on 43 percent of its snaps in 2015.We have an excellent tailback in KeShawn Vaughn. Kendrick Foster has looked good in our preseason drills. You start with that, Smith said.What lies behind those two, though, is a major question.As a freshman last season, Vaughn averaged 4.6 yards a carry on 157 carries and scored six touchdowns. Foster, a junior and the most experienced backup on the roster, has a career 15 carries for 78 yards. Behind him is a redshirt freshman, Reggie Corbin.Vaughn, at 5-10 and 210 pounds, says hes ready to handle the bulk of the carries and believes the backs behind him can do the rest.Somebody will have to come in and tote the load when I get tired, he said.Smith said the emphasis on the running game does not mean he believes he needs to go out of his way to take pressure off of or protect Lunt, who has a history of injuries that have sidelined him in college.I dont. This is what we feel like we need to do to play winning ball with our offense, Smith said.Other things to know about Illinois football after media day:TIGHT ENDS AND FULLBACKS: Tight ends have long been a source of Illinois fan frustration.Ive been told that, Smith joked Sunday.Over the past decade Illinois has a long list of strong tight ends who have sometimes disappeared in the offense. Some, like the New Orleans Saints Michael Hoomanawanui, were good enough to go on to the NFL.Smith said he wants tight ends to be a big part of Illinois passing game, and fullbacks, too. Illinois hasnt used a true fullback in several seasons, forcing Smith to convert a pair of former linebackers, Nathan Echard and Austin Roberts.HOME MOMENTUM: Starting with the Sept. 3 opener against Murray State, Illinois will play its first three games and four of its five at home.Coming off a 5-7 season and the firings of two football coaches in the past year -- not to mention and facing a Big Ten schedule in which they will usually be underdogs -- the Illini need to use that friendly early schedule, Smith said.If we could get some momentum early on, we want to have a home-field advantage, simple as that, he said. In order to get the rebirth of our football program, we need a home-field advantage. Wholesale Custom Basketball Jerseys Store . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. http://www.basketballcustomjerseys.com/ . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. Custom Basketball Jerseys Online . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Custom Basketball Jerseys Outlet . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. TAMPA, Fla. -- Normally, failing to convert on three consecutive power plays in the third period would spell trouble. The Tampa Bay Lightning turned it into a comeback victory.Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan scored 12 seconds apart in the final period, and the Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Wednesday night.Tampa Bay also got goals from Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Andrei Vasilevskiy, coming off consecutive shutouts, stopped 29 shots.Steve Mason made several quality stops when the Flyers were short-handed three times in the first 12 minutes of the third before Killorn (13:28) and Callahan (13:40) scored even-strength goals to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.The power play gave us momentum, and I thought rolled into 5-on-5, Callahan said.In a matchup of the NHLs second- and third-best power plays, the Flyers went 0 for 4 while the Lightning scored on one of seven chances.Too many penalties, said Mason, who made 25 saves. We made some mistakes and it cost us.Dale Weise and Ivan Provorov scored for the Flyers, who were coming off a 3-1 win Tuesday night at Florida. Philadelphia is 4-1-1 in the second of back-to-back games.We took advantage that they played last night, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. We were pushing hard. Ultimately, theyre killing (penalties) so long youve got to think that helped out. Its hard to get the engine going again, and we took advantage of that.Kucherov made it 4-2 late in the third. It was his first goal in 11 games against the Flyers, leaving Columbus as the only NHL opponent he has not scored against.Prrovorov put the Flyers up 2-1 with 54.dddddddddddd7 seconds to go in the second on his first NHL goal. He got his eighth assist on Weises goal.A long time coming, Provorov said after his 21st NHL game.Provorov was shaken up after taking a shot off his leg midway through the third but returned a few minutes later.Weise tied it 6:06 into the second, stopping Vasilevskiys shutout streak at 178:02. Weise has goals in consecutive games after not getting one in his first 15 this season.Hedman opened the scoring on a power-play goal with 3 seconds left in the first.Tampa Bay outshot the Flyers 12-2 during the first. One of Philadelphias shots came on Weises breakaway that Vasilevskiy denied with a nice save.The Flyers responded by outshooting Tampa Bay 22-9 in the second.Game notes Flyers C Sean Couturier, hurt in Tuesdays game, was placed on injured reserve and will miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. ... Philadelphia recalled F Scott Laughton from Lehigh Valley of the AHL. ... Tampa Bay forwards Brian Boyle and J.T. Brown sat out with upper-body injuries. ... The Lightning recalled forward Erik Condra from Syracuse of the AHL. ... Tampa Bay D Anton Stralman missed his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury but is practicing in a no-contact jersey.UP NEXTFlyers: Play the first of three at home Friday night against the New York Rangers.Lightning: Complete a two-game homestand Friday night vs. Columbus. ' ' '