MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Amid all the very-public speculation about where he will be coaching his next game, Tom Herman still was able to motivate his Cougars.He just didnt get the result he wanted.In what might be the sought-after coachs final game with No. 20 Houston, Riley Ferguson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in a wild fourth quarter Friday to lift Memphis to a 48-44 win over the Cougars.Herman guided the Cougars (9-3, 5-3 American Athletic Conference, No. 18 AP) back from a 17-point halftime deficit.We had a decision to make at halftime on whether we were going to give up and give in or if we were going to come out in the second half and fight. Our guys fought, Herman said. Obviously it wasnt quite enough, but I think our guys have a lot to be proud of in terms of how they fought in the second half.Asked by ESPN before the game to address reports that he might be close to a deal with another school, Herman said, Honestly, dont believe anything that you read.Greg Ward gave Houston a 44-41 lead with 1:29 remaining with his fourth TD toss, a 3-yard pass to Chance Allen.But Memphis (8-4, 5-3) drove 72 yards in five plays and snapped a six-game losing streak against Houston after Ferguson found Anthony Miller for a 10-yard touchdown reception with 19 seconds left. The teams combined to score 31 fourth-quarter points.What a game. Im just so very proud of this football team, this coaching staff and everybody associated with our program, said Mike Norvell, the first Tigers coach to lead Memphis to bowl eligibility in his first season. Im so glad the game went the way it did with the ups and the downs, because that provided us with another opportunity to show the heart and the character and how our guys would respond.Houston has a terrific football team. But today our guys would not be denied, he said.Ward was spectacular, completing 47 of 67 passes for 487 yards. He also rushed for a team-high 65 yards.Memphis struck early against a Houston defense that stifled then No. 3-ranked Louisville and Heisman candidate Lamar Jackson in a 36-10 home win last week.The Tigers scored touchdowns on all three of their first-quarter drives, with Ferguson going 12 of 13 for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the quarter. His 67-yard pass to Phil Mayhue gave Memphis the early lead before Doroland Dorceus made it 14-3 with a 2-yard touchdown run.Houston held Louisville to 312 total yards and 18 first downs in its win over the Cardinals last week. By the end of the first quarter Saturday, Memphis had amassed 222 yards and three touchdowns.THE TAKEAWAYHOUSTON: Perhaps all the rumors about Herman were a distraction, Houston struggled early on defense and allowed 555 total yards.MEMPHIS: Memphis was already bowl eligible for the third straight year, marking just the second time in program history it will play in three consecutive bowl games.POLL IMPLICATIONSHouston lost to a team it was favored against for the third time this year, and it could fall out of the Top 25 a week after its dominant win against Louisville.KEY NUMBERSHOUSTON: Linell Bonner was the main recipient of Wards huge passing game, finishing with 17 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown. Yeah, hes got a knack for getting open in zones and closing catches. He was a huge factor in the game, Herman said of Bonner.MEMPHIS: Miller had 15 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Before catching the winning touchdown, Miller had a 35-yard touchdown reception that put the Tigers ahead 41-37 with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter.UP NEXTHOUSTON: The Cougars will wait to find out what bowl theyre headed to and whether theyre losing theyre losing Herman. The 10-win goal is still there, Herman said. Im not sure the timing of any loss hurts any worse, but these guys have so much to be proud of. Theyve earned 22 victories in the course of two seasons, 3-0 against Top 25 teams, 2-0 against Top 5 teams. So theres a lot to hang our hat on.MEMPHIS: The Tigers were already out of the running to make the AAC title game, and will wait to find out where theyll play in the postseason. Every bowl game is a reward, Norvell said. Wherever we have the opportunity to go, were gonna be extremely grateful and were gonna prepare to go be victorious. Thats eight wins. We didnt sign up for that. We want to maximize every opportunity, so the next step in front of us is to finish as bowl champions.LAST WORDWe had a slant by Anthony Miller, and it was man (defense). I like Anthony Miller on any corner in the nation. Try and guard him. Good luck. Just threw the ball to him and he did the rest, Ferguson said about hooking up with Miller for the winning touchdown. Cheap Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Cheap Indianapolis Colts Jerseys . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. http://www.cheapjerseystb.com/ . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Cheap Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Cheap Authentic Jerseys . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. When Kwynn Perry landed in Los Angeles a decade ago to start a masters program at USCs film school, she was itching for more than just a directors chair. What she was craving more than anything, it turns out, was an extra.As in extracurricular.When I got to grad school I knew I really missed playing, Perry said. I wasnt sure exactly what I wanted, but I looked around L.A. for sports to get back into.Her search started with the sports with which she was familiar. There was soccer, which she enjoyed as a kid playing goalkeeper. And basketball, her familys sport. And volleyball, which she played at the club level at Vanderbilt.But it was a different sport that caught her eye.It wasnt until I started roller derby that I knew what I had been missing, she said. And what it was I needed.One of the things she missed, she said, was the thrill of competition. Roller skating just might have been in her genes, too.My mother always tells stories about skating with me until she was nine months pregnant, Perry said. And of us skating in crowded roller rinks together when I was a toddler.After seeing her first derby game in Ventura, California, Perry joined a local outfit called the L.A. Derby Dolls. Perry said that she was drawn to the speed and danger she perceived in LADDs style, played on a tilted surface called a banked track.Banked-track roller derby called up my inner thrill-seeker, Perry said, adding that roller derby got her reacquainted with the camaraderie of being part of a close-knit team that she cherished in high school.Seven years on, Perry is a 36-year-old Ph.D. candidate and married mother of a kindergartner. She has switched to flat-track derby and plays for the Angel City Derby Girls.She is recognized as one of the best defensive players on one of flat-tracks best teams.This weekend, the skater who plays under the name Hunnie Brasco will try to help Angel City, ranked fifth in the world, advance to the Womens Flat Track Derby Association championship when it plays in the Division 1 playoffs in Vancouver, British Columbia. As the No. 2 seed in the WFTDAs third of four playoff tournaments, Perry and her teammates need to win their first two games to book a ticket to Champs, which takes place in Portland, Oregon, Nov. 4-6.Perrys switch from LADD to Angel City had less to do with playing on a different surface than what she calls her need for more personal athletic challenges.dddddddddddd She also wanted to play a wider variety of teams across the world, something offered by the WFTDAs several hundred leagues, spanning Seattle to Sydney, Australia.The opportunity to travel across the country and really bond and get to know your team intimately was very part and parcel with what I wanted out of a sport, she said.After Perrys switch in 2014, Angel City crept up the rankings. Now Angel City is a formidable rival to other world-class roller derby teams such as reigning world champion Rose City of Portland, five-time world champion Gotham from NYC, and perennial powerhouse Texas based in Austin.Angel City has made a name for itself with its top-notch athleticism.We have athletes from a diverse set of backgrounds -- everything from hockey to gymnastics, CrossFitters too, Perry said. I love [derby] players who have played other sports, and watch other sports, because you can always learn from other disciplines.Known informally as the Sequoias, many of Angel Citys key players, including Tui Lyon and Rachel Johnston, are 5 feet 10 or taller. Perry, known for her hard hits (and sense of humor), is 5-11.Hunnie is cripplingly funny. She brings a kind of levity every team needs, Johnston said. Her mile-long legs carry her at terrifying speeds -- shes a jammers worst nightmare.Lyon, a key acquisition from No. 2-ranked Victoria (Australia), says Perrys athleticism matches her cool head and competitive temperament.She hits walls with such incredible force and tenacity, Lyon said. Shes like a Tasmanian devil.As important as the friendship and the competition, Perry says her league is extremely supportive of her as a mother.I feel very fortunate at ACDG that I have support from my league. For some leagues it might be a contentious point, Perry said, noting the time commitment and fitness level demanded of derby athletes. We have eight mothers on our all-star team alone.My son always wants to go to practice with me, because its just like a big gymnasium for him.But thats not all that is good about Angel City, and the league she lives to compete for.Our team is also very ethnically diverse, and that for me is wonderful, Perry said. 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