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Sports 1B Weekend Oct. 26-27, 2013 Jags look to home comforts of London against 49ers LONDON (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to shake their winless start with the first of many trips to London. The San Francisco 49ers are trying to maintain current momentum. They meet Sunday in the second of two NFL International Series games this season. Jacksonville (0-7) is giving up one of its home games at Everbank Field to play at Wembley Stadium, where it will return in each of the next three years as host team. A "home" game on foreign soil could be the ticket to beating the 49ers (5-2) and ending a terrible first half of the season on an encouraging note. "I think it should help us out a lot ... in coming together as a team," said Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne, who will start for the third straight game. "Especially in this circumstance where we're 0-7, it definitely could be beneficial for us." There is an extra emotional tint to Jacksonville's trip after coach Gus Bradley joined the team late due to the death of his father. The 49ers, who beat Denver at Wembley three years ago, have won four straight games and cannot afford a slip-up in the NFC West with Seattle atop of the division by one game. "Every game is important with Seattle in our division. So as long as they are winning games, we have to win games," 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis said. Here are five things to look for as the NFL closes out its annual trip to the United Kingdom: HEALTHY JAGS: The Jaguars are healthier with wide receivers Ace Sanders and Stephen Burton cleared to play, along with defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey. Bradley held defensive tackle Roy Miller out of practice on Thursday to be smart. "It was the first time that we had all the receivers in one of our practices, so another good thing," said Bradley, who quickly made Henne the starter over Blaine Gabbert following back-to-back 300-yard plus passing games. The Jaguars will need all offensive weapons in working order: San Francisco is the league's eighthbest defense, with nine interceptions. WEMBLEY TURF: London has been mild and sunny all week, but that still hasn't kept players Tehama Tracker Saturday's schedule 8-MAN FOOTBALL Herlong at Mercy, 1 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Corning at Postseason Tournament at Davis WORLD SERIES Boston at St. Louis, 4:30 p.m. NHL San Jose at Montreal, 4 p.m. Sunday's schedule FIELD HOCKEY Corning at Postseason Tournament at Davis WORLD SERIES Boston at St. Louis, 5 p.m. NFL San Francisco at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. at London, England Pittsburgh at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. NHL San Jose at Ottawa, 2 p.m. Monday's schedule GOLF NSCIF Championships at Butte Creek WORLD SERIES Boston at St. Louis, 4:30 p.m. Sports on TV Saturday's schedule AUTO RACING • 9 a.m., FS1 — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, ''Happy Hour Series,'' final practice for Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, at Martinsville, Va. • 10:30 a.m., FS1 — NASCAR, Truck Series, Kroger 200, at Martinsville, Va. • 11:30 p.m., ESPN2 — NHRA, qualifying for Toyota Nationals, at Las Vegas (delayed tape) BOXING • 6 p.m., SHO — Champion Deontay Wilder (29-0-0) vs. Nicolai Firtha (21-101), for WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title; champion Peter Quillin (29-00) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-6-0), for WBO middleweight title; champion Bernard Hopkins(53-6-2) vs. Karo Murat (25-1-1), for IBF light heavyweight title, at Atlantic City, N.J. COLLEGE FOOTBALL • 9 a.m., BIG TEN NETWORK — Northwestern at Iowa • 9 a.m., CSNC — Towson at Richmond • 9 a.m., ESPN — Nebraska at Minnesota • 9 a.m., ESPN2 — Louisville at South Florida • 9 a.m., ESPNEWS — Houston at Rutgers • 9 a.m., ESPNU — Wake Forest at Miami • 9 a.m., FSN — Oklahoma St. at Iowa St. • 10 a.m., CBSSN — Pittsburgh at Navy • 12:30 p.m., ABC — N.C. State at Florida St. • 12:30 p.m., CBS — Tennessee at Alabama • 12:30 p.m., CSNB — UTEP at Rice • 12:30 p.m., ESPN — Clemson at Maryland • 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 — Michigan St. at Illinios • 12:30 p.m., ESPNU — Duke at Virginia Tech • 12:30 p.m., FOX — Texas Tech at Oklahoma • 12:45 p.m., FS1 — West Virginia at Kansas St. • 1 p.m., PAC-12 NETWORK — Utah at USC • 2 p.m., CBSSN — Notre Dame at Air Force • 4 p.m., ESPN — UCLA at Oregon • 4 p.m., ESPN2 — South Carolina at Missouri • 4 p.m., ESPNU — Baylor at Kansas • 4:30 p.m., CSNB — Idaho at Mississippi • 4:30 p.m., FS1 — Texas at TCU • 5 p.m., PAC-12 NETWORK — Arizona at Colorado • 5:07 p.m., ABC — Penn St. at Ohio St. • 7:30 p.m., ESPN — Stanford at Oregon St. • 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 — Fresno St. at San Diego St. • 8 p.m., FS1 — California at Washington GOLF • 3 a.m., TGC — European PGA Tour, BMW Masters, third round, at Shanghai (same-day tape) • 9 a.m., TGC — LPGA, Taiwan Championship, third round, at Yang Mei, Taiwan (same-day tape) • 12:30 p.m., TGC — Champions Tour, AT&T Championship, second round, at San Antonio • 8 p.m., TGC — PGA Tour, CIMB Classic, final round, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia MLB • 4:30 p.m., FOX — World Series, game 3, Boston at St. Louis NHL • 4 p.m., CSNC — San Jose at Montreal • 4 p.m., NHL NETWORK — N.Y. Rangers at Detroit SOCCER • 4:40 a.m., NBCSN — Premier League, Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal, at London • 6:55 a.m., NBCSN — Premier League, Stoke City at Manchester United • 9:25 a.m., NBCSN — Premier League, Fulham at Southampton • Noon, NBCSN — MLS, Kansas City at Philadelphia • 2:30 p.m., NBCSN — MLS, Dallas at San Jose Sunday's schedule AUTO RACING • 2 a.m., NBCSN — Formula One, Indian Grand Prix, at Greater Noida, India • 10:30 a.m., ESPN — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, at Martinsville, Va. • 5 p.m., ESPN2 — NHRA, Toyota Nationals, at Las Vegas (same-day tape) FIGURE SKATING • 1 p.m., NBC — ISU, Grand Prix: Skate Canada, at Saint John, New Brunswick (same-day tape) GOLF • 1 a.m., ESPN2 — Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, final round, at Longkou, China (delayed tape) • 3 a.m., TGC — European PGA Tour, BMW Masters, final round, at Shanghai (same-day tape) • 9 a.m., TGC — LPGA, Taiwan Championship, final round, at Yang Mei, Taiwan (same-day tape) • 12:30 p.m., TGC — Champions Tour, AT&T Championship, final round, at San Antonio MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL • 5 p.m., FOX — World Series, game 4, Boston at St. Louis MOTORSPORTS • Noon, FS1 — MotoGP Moto2, Grand Prix of Japan, at Motegi, Japan (sameday tape) NFL • 10 a.m., FOX — San Francisco at Jacksonville, at London, England • 1 p.m., CBS — Pittsburgh at Oakland • 1:25 p.m., FOX — Washington at Denver • 5 p.m., NBC — Green Bay at Minnesota NHL • 2 p.m., CSNC — San Jose at Ottawa SOCCER • 6:25 a.m., NBCSN — Premier League, Manchester City at Chelsea • 8:55 a.m., NBCSN — Premier League, Newcastle at Sunderland • 10:30 a.m., NBC — MLS, Houston at DC United • 6 p.m., ESPN — MLS, Los Angeles at Seattle TENNIS • 2 p.m., ESPN2 — WTA Championships, championship match, at Istanbul (sameday tape) Monday's schedule BOXING • 7 p.m., FS1 — Middleweights, Paul Mendez (14-2-1) vs. Louis Rose (8-1-0); featherweights, Manuel Avila (12-0-0) vs. Jose Angel Cota (15-9-1), at Redwood City MLB • 4:30 p.m., FOX — World Series, game 5, Boston at St. Louis NFL • 5:25 p.m., ESPN — Seattle at St. Louis NHL • 4:30 p.m., NBCSN — Montreal at N.Y. AP photo San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, centre, answers questions from the media after his team's practice at the Allianz Park Stadium, London on Friday. from worrying about the condition of the Wembley Stadium field. The pitch has been oft-criticized, especially during the 2007 matchup between the Giants and Dolphins when rain soaked the field in mud. "Everything is a lot better than last time. I'm not saying that it was horrible last time, but it shows how the NFL is taking care of things over here," said Willis, referring to the 49ers' victory over the Broncos in 2010. "I wouldn't say I was fond of that field, I'd be lying if I said I was a big fan." HOMETOWN KNOWLEDGE: While the Jaguars are the designated home team, the 49ers have the most credibility when it comes to being a London club. That comes thanks to London native Lawrence Okoye. The rookie defensive lineman is a British Olympian who signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. The whole idea of playing American football was suggested by his agent at a track meet in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2011. Okoye is Britain's record discus thrower, but being on injured reserve because of a preseason knee injury means he will have to watch. "It's going to be bittersweet for me to be there at Wembley. Not being able to play gives me another motivation to really buckle down," Okoye said. Coach Jim Harbaugh said the club was experimenting by signing Okoye. "You wanted to see what it would be like if he switched to football and how quickly he could grasp that," Harbaugh said. "I can't say that I can tell you if it's going to eventually work. But, he's on the right track and it's got possibilities still." LONDON CALLING: Adjusting to the time difference, shaking off fatigue, and staying outside of London have kept players from both teams away from the city's distractions. While some spoke of visiting Big Ben and the houses of Parliament, others were more interested in shopping and sleep. "We've been staying down here and enjoying the spa with massages and hot and cold tubs," Jaguars receiver Cecil Shorts III said. "It's been making us closer, just hanging out with each other and enjoying each other." Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin had to visit Stonehenge alone. "It was pretty amazing, giant rocks, field. I was glad I got to go see it. I went with myself. No one was interested in a little culture." ON THE TELLY: The 49ers coaching staff has come to the right country for watching some of their favorite TV shows. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman is a fan of "Fawlty Towers," the 1970s sitcom starring Monty Python's John Cleese. Harbaugh, meanwhile, admitted to being a big fan of "Foyle's War," a series taking place in Britain in the post-World War II years. "Is that coming back? Does anybody know anything about that? I just love that show. I've seen them all. Was kind of hoping there was going to be a return of the show. Anybody know?" Harbaugh asked British journalists. Harbaugh was informed the show is canceled. "No, it's not coming back? It's done, done? That's too bad. What a shame." Raiders look for rare post-bye win vs. Steelers OAKLAND (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers returned home from London three weeks ago with no wins, an offense that couldn't run the ball or hold onto it, and a defense that couldn't take the ball away. That all added up to the worst start for the franchise in more than four decades. But it was nothing a week off couldn't cure. The Steelers (2-4) have been a different team since getting a bye the week after their loss in London to Minnesota, beating the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in consecutive weeks to get closer to the playoff hunt in the AFC. The biggest difference has been cutting down on turnovers. After giving it away 11 times and failing to take it back once in the four losses, Pittsburgh has just one turnover and two takeaways the past two weeks. "We're not shooting ourselves in the foot," coach Mike Tomlin said. "We're not turning the ball over as much and we're getting some. I think it's as simple as that." The Raiders (2-4) are hoping they can respond from a bye week as well as the Steelers did. They went into the week off with a 24-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when they allowed nine sacks and threw three interceptions in a sloppy offensive performance. But the week off hasn't been kind to the Raiders in recent years. They have lost the last 10 games coming out of the bye, getting outscored 271-139 in the process. "I think we're all aware of that, but like I told the players, the past has no relevance to the future," coach Dennis Allen said. "Any of the outcomes that have happened after a bye in the past won't dictate how we go out and play against Pittsburgh." Here are five things to watch for when the Steelers visit the Raiders: PITTSBURGH PRODUCT: Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor grew up watching the Steelers in nearby Jeannette, admiring Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. Pryor sat on the bench when the Raiders hosted Pittsburgh a year ago, but now gets a chance to go against his boyhood team. "I'll probably play against guys I looked up to, guys that were role models to me," Pryor said. "At the end of the day that's the past and I was younger. Now it's time to go out and play against them." CONTAINING PRYOR: The Steelers haven't had to contend much with running quarterbacks like Pryor this season. Opposing QBs had just 13 non-kneeldown runs in six games against Pittsburgh. Pryor leads Oakland with 285 yards rushing and is tops in the NFL at 6.5 yards per carry as he has excelled in both the readoption game and with scrambles on broken plays. "The key is that we remain aggressive, yet smart," Tomlin said. "Obviously, you're concerned about constricting and containing a guy that is capable of providing explosion plays, but you can't allow that to take your edge in terms of how you play." CENTER OF ATTENTION: The Raiders' offense stalled in their loss to the Chiefs in part because of injuries on the line. The most significant were at cen- ter, where starter Stefen Wisniewski missed his second straight game with a knee injury and backup Andre Gurode left in the first half with a quadriceps injury. That forced guard Mike Brisiel to move to center for the first time ever in the NFL. Wisniewski is expected back Sunday and will once again make the line and protection calls. "I know if it's just in the box, Wiz is going to handle it," Pryor said. "I know I can go back to focusing on the play and the coverage. It's going to be a lot easier." RUNNING GAME: The Steelers finally got their running game on track last week after averaging just 3.1 yards per carry the first five games. With rookie Le'Veon Bell gaining 93 yards on 19 carries, the Steelers gained 141 yards on the ground in last week's win over the Ravens. That gives needed balance to the offense that had relied too heavily on Roethlisberger. MARCEL MARCEAU: Raiders fullback Marcel Reece has been mostly silent this season, with just nine carries and 10 catches through six games. Those lack of touches come despite calls from general manager Reggie McKenzie, Allen, offensive coordinator Greg Olson and the quarterback to get the versatile Reece the ball more often. "Every game or every week when we finish a game, we go back through a stat sheet and look at how many times the guys were targeted and how many times they actually touched the ball," Olson said. "We're aware of that with Marcel."