the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an

BOSTON -- Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly left Boston College as the schools most decorated player. But it wasnt until he came back to campus after his rookie pro season that he picked up the honor his parents wanted most.Kuechly spent his first semester after winning the NFLs defensive rookie of the year award back in school, living in a dorm with his friends, taking five classes toward his degree. He finished his academic requirements online over the next two offseasons and graduated in 2015.Asked on Friday what motivated him to get the degree, he said with a smile, Because my mom told me to do it.Thats all youve got to say, Kuechly said at a news conference in Chestnut Hill on Friday, a day before BC will retire his number during its game against Syracuse. As long as shes happy, youre good. Once shes mad, its trouble.Kuechly led the nation in tackles for two consecutive seasons in college and won the Butkus, Nagurski and Lombardi awards before going pro. He was picked by Carolina as the No. 9 overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft. He was the APs defensive rookie of the year and Defensive Player of the Year the next year.Last year, he helped the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a spot in the Super Bowl.But Eileen Kuechly held him to the promise he made when he left school after his junior season.We shook on it, that he was going to get his degree, she said.It wasnt hard to persuade him to come back to campus while his friends were still there, but finishing the final classes was more of a slog.That was the best. Back with all the guys again, Kuechly said. I missed that part of being at school, just going back to the dorms, being with all your friends. That was cool. That was probably my favorite part about being back, was being around all the guys.Although he had spent time on campus, Kuechly hadnt been back for a game because of the difficulty of matching up his NFL off weeks with the BC schedule.You walk back on campus, its very nostalgic, he said, listing some of the places he had missed -- a dorm thats been demolished, a dining hall, a classroom building. It was a special place. Im glad I had the opportunity to come here.Having his number retired, Kuechly said, was something he thought about as a player while working out in the stadium under banners for players like Doug Flutie and Mike Ruth.You thought always one day maybe you could be up there on the wall with those guys, he said.Flutie lives in the area and comes back often; his nephew, Billy, was a teammate of Kuechlys.I think the No. 1 thing that makes me proud to be a BC alum, when guys like Luke come through. What they did at school, what they do off the field, and now continuing in his NFL career, its been amazing, Doug Flutie said. What he stands for and what this school stands for, he exemplifies. Nike Huarache Donna . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Nike Air More Uptempo Nere . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. http://www.scarpenikescontate.it/nike-blazer-scontate-online.html . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Nike Tanjun Nere . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Nike Air Force 1 Alte Bianche . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. ATLANTA -- The team from right down Interstate 75 is eager to take on the big boys.In some ways, this will feel almost like a home game for Mercer.The Bears are making the 87-mile trip from Macon to Atlanta on Saturday to take on Georgia Tech, their first game against a top-level school since bringing back the private universitys long-dormant football program three years ago as part of the Football Championship Subdivision.Mercer has some 40 players from Atlantas sprawling suburbs.Its very exciting, said offensive lineman Bret Niederreither, a Pennsylvania native and one of the few Mercer players from outside the state. A lot of guys on our team are from Georgia and the Atlanta area, so theyre ready to go.While the schools are less than a two-hour drive apart, this will be their first meeting since 1938.Mercer dropped its program during World War II and didnt return to the gridiron until 2013, eventually joining the Southern Conference.Now, the Bears (0-1) are taking a big step up in competition.Coach Bobby Lamb is hoping for plenty of support at 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium, the largest venue his fledgling program has played in.Obviously weve had a lot of firsts here at Mercer, Lamb said. This will be our first FBS game, and what better way to start that then in our home state and in Atlanta, where we have over 30,000 alumni.Georgia Tech (1-0) opened its season with a game much farther from home, traveling to Dublin, Ireland to take on Atlantic Coast Conference foe Boston College.The Yellow Jackets rallied for a lackluster 17-14 victory , scoring the winning touchdown in the final minute but doing little to impress coach Paul Johnson. He promised plenty of lineup changes if his team, coming off a dismal 3-9 showing a year ago, doesnt show signs of improvement.Johnson is also urging his team not to take Mercer lightly, even though the Yellow Jackets have a clear edge is speed, size and talent.Two year ago, Georgia Tech barely escaped with a 42-38 victory over Georgia Southern, which was in its transition stage moving up to FBS from the Southern Conference.Mercer, Johnson fretted, could pose a similar challenge if the Yellow Jackets are caught looking ahead.IIm sure theyre fired up and excited to play, he said.dddddddddddd We need to be, too.---Some things to watch for in Saturdays game:LINEUP CHANGES: Johnson mentioned punter, A-back and the offensive line as positions that could have new starters this week. He was especially disenchanted with fifth-year senior Ryan Rodwell, virtually guaranteeing that someone else will be handling the punting duties against Mercer. Also, freshman B-back Dedrick Mills, who scored the winning touchdown against Boston College, was suspended for the game for violating team rules. Marcus Marshall will likely get the start.GOTTA GET RUNNING: Georgia Techs triple-option offense bogged down in Week 1, managing only 119 yards rushing and an average of 2.7 yards per carry, one of the worst showings in Johnsons nine seasons at the helm. The coach will be looking to get more production out of the A-backs, who combined for only 3 yards on the ground.JUST FOR KICKS: Both teams have reliable kickers. Georgia Techs Harrison Butker booted a clutch 40-yarder against Boston College that began the fourth-quarter comeback, and all four of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. Mercers Cole Fisher went 3-for-3 last week in a 24-23 loss to Citadel, including a career-best 47-yarder.CLUTCH THOMAS: Mercer will have its hands full trying to defend Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas , who came through with a stirring performance in the closing minutes against Boston College. On the winning drive, he escaped a sure sack on one play, completed a 22-yard pass on fourth-and-19, and then connected on a 26-yarder when facing third-and-10.FLAG ON THE BEARS: Mercer was flagged for 10 penalties totaling 103 yards in its opener, a far cry from the team that was one of the least penalized in the nation a year ago. The Bears wont be able to afford that sort of sloppiness against Georgia Tech.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '