Smith was sidelined with a concussion, Troy Flutie was yanked after a slow start and soon BC was relying on fourth-string walk-on John Fadule.Towles is a graduate transfer who won the job in training camp. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 144 yards, with one interception. If he can stay healt

Christmas cheer is in short supply at the Stadium of Light.Sunderland (3-2-11) are rooted to the foot of the table and in desperate need of results heading into Saturdays match with Watford.But the festive fixture list hasnt been kind.A 1-0 defeat to table-toppers Chelsea in midweek is soon to be followed by tricky fixtures against Manchester United and Liverpool over the festive period… and that doesnt coexist comfortably with coach David Moyes 2016 target for his team.Ive been saying that its important to win three or four games before Christmas -- that would be a real big thing, Moyes said. If we could be in a position after winning four or five games, then I could say OK, I fancy my chances of getting us out of it in the homeward stretch. But we need to get to that point by January.Were back on the bottom, but weve been there for most of it so its not something new to us. But we arent back at square one, because weve got ourselves back in with a fighting chance. Were going to have to make sure that were stuck together, and thats why Ive been saying that winning a few games now is so important.Hope for the Black Cats comes in both their home form and the managers attacking tactical switch in recent weeks.The introduction of Victor Anichebe alongside Jermain Defoe in attack has added thrust and variety to the Sunderland forward line, helping spark a run of three wins in the last six games that gives them a chance of avoiding relegation.But there is still much work to do.In contrast, Saturdays visitors Watford (6-3-7) can be confident of finishing in mid-table, despite inconsistencies that are limiting the clubs chances of challenging for the European places.The Hornets have a squad of unfulfilled quality -- or overhyped journeymen -- which is perfectly encapsulated in the shape of Troy Deeney.An unfashionable striker who never scores huge numbers of goals but has done enough to hold off bigger named competition for his place, Deeney is a player whose career could disappear without a trace, but could just as easily see him rise into contention for England selection.Deeney is special, ex-Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores said. I know hes special. Hes really lovely. The work of the player at the club is amazing. He knows every one of the players by name -- not just the first team, but the academy too.Hes a good player and the style of this player is very British. I think maybe one day he will be ready for the national team.Unfortunately for Deeney, he will be denied assistance against Sunderland due to injury concerns for a number of his Watford cohorts, including Stefano Okaka, Adrian Mariappa, Brice Dja Djedje, Valon Behrami, Roberto Pereyra and Craig Cathcart.Sunderland have a host of injury problems to contend with themselves. Paddy McNair, Duncan Watmore, Brad Jones, Jack Rodwell and Lee Cattermole are all out. Stephen Pienaar and Victor Anichebe are doubts.Cheap Lions Jerseys . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. 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Authentic Tyrell Crosby JerseyFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Boston College flew all the way to Ireland in its opener only to lose to Georgia Tech thanks in part to a pair of missed field goals.Now the Eagles have their shortest road trip of the season, driving down to the home of the New England Patriots to play Massachusetts. The matchup gives the Eagles a chance to record the FBS victory they have struggled to come by; last years team won only one game against an FBS opponent, beating Northern Illinois, and went winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference.The ACC losing streak was stretched to nine games with the Week 1 loss to Georgia Tech. BC led 14-10 in the fourth quarter -- it could have been more, if not for missed field goals of 43 and 35 yards -- but the Eagles gave up a 22-yard gain on fourth-and-19, and then a 4-yard, go-ahead touchdown run with 35 seconds left.BC has won eight straight vs. UMass, the last meeting coming in 2014.Here are some things to look for in the Battle of the Bay State:THE MORE THINGS CHANGESo far, Boston College has looked a lot like last years team: Good defense, strong running game, bad special teams.The Eagles led the FBS in total defense in 2015, allowing just 254.3 yards per game. They gave up 238 yards to Georgia Tech last week.RUNNING GAMEJon Hilliman, who was injured in Week 4 last year, posted his fifth career 100-yard rushing game against Georgia Tech, collecting 102 yards on 17 carries, including 73-yard touchdown. In all, the Eagles gained 176 yards on the ground from seven different backs, including 27 yards on nine carries from quarterback Patrick Towles.Weve got a lot of confidence in the stable of backs, coach SSteve Addazio said.ddddddddddddWhat makes Jon unique is hes a big back whos got speed. And thats when youre dangerous. Hes talented. We missed him last year. You felt it right away in Game 1.QB NO. 1The one place BC can improve is at quarterback. Last year, Darius Wade was lost in the third game of the season to a broken left ankle, Jeff Smith was sidelined with a concussion, Troy Flutie was yanked after a slow start and soon BC was relying on fourth-string walk-on John Fadule.Towles is a graduate transfer who won the job in training camp. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 144 yards, with one interception. If he can stay healthy, the Eagles might be able to avoid a repeat of last year, when they lost ACC games 14-0, 9-7 and 3-0.KICKING THEMSELVESThe most troubling sight for the Eagles was watching Colton Lichtenberg miss two short field goals: a 43-yarder that was blocked, and a 35-yarder that was shanked. The Eagles had similar trouble last year, when he was 3 of 6 and the team was 6 for 11.If you get in the red zone, youve got to be able to get points, Addazio said. You cant miss two field goals, one from the 18 and one from the 26. Those are six valid points.LOOKING FOR A HOMEUMass went FBS in 2012 and played in the Mid-American Conference for four seasons. But the Minutemen left the league and went independent this year rather than join for all sports, which would have required ending a long affiliation with the Atlantic 10 in basketball.In four-plus seasons as an FBS program, UMass is 8-41. ' ' '