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BySchuylerDixon The Associated Press ARLINGTON, TEXAS RookiesDak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott keep winning for the Dallas Cowboys, even with Kirk Cousins setting records for the Washington Red- skins. Prescott accounted for two touchdowns , Elliott ran for a pair of scores and the Cowboys extended their franchise regular- season record with a 10th straight victory, beating the Redskins 31- 26 on Thursday. Prescott tied Don Meredith's club quarterback record from 50 years ago with his fifth rushing TD and the NFL-leading Cowboys (10-1) won despite 449 yards pass- ing and three touchdowns from Cousins, the first Redskins quar- terback with two 400-yard games in a season. "You know you're talking to someone who knows how hard this is to win 10 games in a row, and I do," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "I know how we're getting it done, and we're getting done by hard work and Dak's a great example." The Redskins (6-4-1) got swept by their NFC East rival, and the defending division champi- ons fell 3 games behind Dal- las with five games left. It was their seventh loss in eight tries on Thanksgiving against Cow- boys, who had never won more than eight straight in the regu- lar season. "We've been in third place for a while, so we have to under- stand where we are what it's go- ing to take to get an opportunity to come back here in the future," Washington coach Jay Gruden NFL RO OK IE S LE AD D AL LA S TO 1 0T H ST RA IG HT W IN PHOTOSBYRONJENKINS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) breaks a tackle-attempt by Washington Redskins safety Donte Whitner Sr. (39) with help from Cowboys receiver Vince Mayle (16), Thursday in Arlington, Texas. By Larry Lage The Associated Press DETROIT Darius Slay dropped into coverage as if he was go- ing to cover a deep route and pounced on an opportunity to help the Lions come back to win another game. Slay intercepted Sam Brad- ford's pass from the left hash across the field to help send the Lions into sole possession of first place in the NFC North. Slay returned the interception 13 yards with 30 seconds left to set up Matt Prater's 40-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Lionstoa16-13winovertheMin- nesota Vikings on Thursday. Minnesota could have stuck with the conservative approach it took on offense for much of the game and played for over- time on its last drive, but coach Mike Zimmer allowed Bradford to pass and Slay made him re- gret it. "I knew they were going to throw," Slay said. "They didn't want overtime. They know what happened last time." Earlier this month, Prater made a game-tying 58-yard field goal at the end of regulation at Minnesota and the Lions won in overtime. Slay, a standout cornerback, who calls himself "Big Play Slay," fooled Bradford by coming up and stepping in front of Adam Thielen to pick off the pass. "I wish I could have seen him fall off the outside route and come back in," Bradford said. The Lions (7-4) have won six of seven, including two against Minnesota this month and four of the wins have come on Prat- er's field goals, despite trailing in the fourth quarter of every game this season. Slay sealed the first victory during the successful stretch with an interception late in the NFL Lions beat Vikings, have sole possession of 1st place By Mitch Stacy The Associated Press COLUMBUS, OHIO Besides hav- ing national playoff implications, this year's Ohio State vs. Michi- gan game is full of questions, story lines and intriguing matchups. Can Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett solve Michigan's best-in- the-nation defense? Will Michigan superstar Jabrill Peppers be able to shut down Cur- tisSamuel,OhioState'sdo-it-allhy- brid back? Will injured quarterback Wil- ton Speight be healthy enough to play for Michigan? If not, can backupJohnO'Kornreboundfrom alacklusterperformancelastweek to hurt Ohio's State's ball-hawking defense? If Ohio State triumphs, does it belong in the College Football Playoff even without a conference championship on its resume? Most of those answers will be- come clear Saturday afternoon af- ter No. 2 Ohio (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) State and No. 3 Michigan (10-1, 7-1) tangle in Ohio Stadium in the 2016 version of the storied rivalry. "The Game" hardly needs any more hype, but it returns to the national spotlight for the first time in a de- cade because the winner is likely to end up in the playoff, with the loser shut out. "Yeah, we're playing for it all, prettymuch,"OhioStatecenterPat Elfleinsaid."Thestakesarealways pretty high for this game. Every- one knows you can save a season by beating this team, no matter what your record is, but definitely the stakes are higher." Michigan tight end Jake Butt, who graduated from the same suburban Columbus high school as Elflein, said he can't wait to get on the field at Ohio Stadium. "No.2vs.No3,reallyeverything on the line," Butt said. "For both teams it's an absolute must-win game, so it's going to be a great at- mosphere.Everybodyisgoingtobe tuning in to watch this." Some other things to watch as Michigan visits the Horseshoe on Saturday. Let'sgetphysical Peppers said he has watched other teams, including Penn State, Wisconsin and Northwestern, give the Buckeyes problems by getting extra physical. He and the Wolver- ines plan to test their rival in the same way. "We're going to see how they re- spond with physicality," Peppers said. "We come with bad inten- tions. It's never our intention to hurt anyone, but when we hit you, we want you to feel it." Peppers, who plays a position that is a hybrid between line- backer and defensive back, be- lieves Michigan is in a much bet- ter position to win The Game than it was a year ago when Ohio State won in a rout. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Ohio State playing for it all By Janie Mccauley The Associated Press OAKLAND For five months, Dray- mond Green has worked to block out the unrelenting criticism that his Game 5 suspension in the NBA Finals cost Golden State a repeat championship — pun- ishment for a fateful swipe at LeBron James' groin that swung the series for Cleveland. It stings Green to this day that he couldn't play, forced to watch from next door at an Oakland Athletics baseball game while his teammates fought for a title without him. Still, if James ever steps over Green again like he did in a testy Game 4 , Golden State's emotional, uncensored forward knows little will keep him from responding. Perhaps not with another grab for King James' shorts , but certainly some- thing to let the Cavaliers super- star know he will not be disre- spected. "With the LeBron situation in the Finals, no, I didn't grow from that because I'm still never going to let someone just step over me. Now, did I learn about certain situations? Absolutely," Green said during a recent interview with The Associated Press. "But to say somebody's going to step over you and just walk over the top of your shoulder and you're not going to react, I'm not per- fect enough as a person to say I'm not going to react." Green is about as real as they come in big-time sports, and this season, his steady, versatile and unselfish game has allowed the Warriors to blend Kevin Durant right into the mix. While a series of offseason incidents forced Green to take some accountability, the man who made it out of Saginaw, Michigan, will never feel the need to explain his on-court ac- tions. NBA GreenkeepsWarriorsticking RON SCHWANE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) has worked to block out the constant criticism that his Game 5suspension in the NBA Finals cost Golden State a repeat championship. Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) and Damien Wilson (57) stop Washington Redskins running back Rob Kelley (32) a er a short run, Thursday in Arlington, Texas. Cowboys defeat Redskins 31-26 Golden State forward opens up in Associated Press interview Buckeyes face No. 3 Michigan Saturday WARRIORS PAGE 2 COWBOYS PAGE 2 LIONS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, November 25, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1

