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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Derek Anderson is preparing as if he will start Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Cam Newton still in the leagues concussion protocol.The 33-year-old Anderson took reps with Carolinas first-team offense for the second straight day , while Newton did not attend the teams outdoor practice.Panthers coach Ron Rivera offered little in terms of an update on Newtons playing status, saying he wont make a decision on the 2015 MVP until later this week.We are not forcing players to get onto the football field, Rivera said emphatically Thursday. We will do exactly as the protocol tells us and what the doctors and experts tell us.The NFL is still investigating how the Panthers handled a helmet-to-helmet hit Newton took in the fourth quarter of a Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos. Newton stayed in and completed that game despite a ferocious blow to the head. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Associated Press on Thursday the league had no update on that investigation.Newton was one of six starters who didnt practice Thursday.Running back Jonathan Stewart (hamstring), left tackle Michael Oher (concussion), defensive end Charles Johnson (quad), linebacker Thomas Davis (hamstring) and cornerback James Bradberry (foot) also sat out. Six other starters, including wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., were limited in practice as the injuries continue to mount for the struggling Panthers (1-3).The Panthers have absolute confidence in Anderson should he be pressed into a starting role, according to Rivera.Anderson is 20-25 as an NFL starter, but 2-0 since joining the Panthers six years ago. Coincidentally, both of those wins came against the Buccaneers in 2014.Hes done a great job for us, Rivera said. Hes been here the whole time and has been very steady. And guys have confidence in him as well, and thats very important.Rivera said the game plan wouldnt change if Anderson starts, although he joked he probably would elect to hand the ball off more than Newton when it comes to running the read option.Newton has struggled so far this season with only six touchdown passes and five interceptions in four starts. He has been sacked 13 times.Newton left last Sundays game against Atlanta in the fourth quarter when he took a hit from Falcons linebacker Deion Jones on a 2-point conversion run. Anderson relieved Newton and threw two touchdown passes to get Carolina back in the game. However, two costly interceptions of Anderson in the closing minutes, and the defenses inability to get a stop, were costly in the 48-33 loss.The Panthers face the Saints the following Sunday and then have a bye, so its possible the team could err on the side of caution and keep the franchise quarterback out until Oct. 30.If I do end up playing I want to prepare and not let my teammates down, Anderson said. I know the expectations are high and the bar has been set here. ... We still have a lot of good football players in this room and we can turn this thing around.If Anderson starts, look for him to key on tight end Greg Olsen.Olsen caught 18 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown in the two games Anderson started against Tampa Bay in 2014. The duo also hooked up for a touchdown and a 2-point conversion last week against the Falcons.Hes probably better than a lot of starters in this league, Olsen said of Anderson. Were happy to have him and lucky to have him.Game notes If Oher cant play, the Panthers will again move Mike Remmers to left tackle and start Daryl Williams at right tackle against the Bucs (1-3). ... Stewart has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury but is making progress running in the pool, Rivera said. Cameron Artis-Payne will split carries with change-of-pace back Fozzy Whittaker if Stewart remains out of action. ... Rookie Daryl Worley will see increased action if Bradberry isnt able to start.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Stitched Rays Jerseys . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Charlie Morton Rays Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/186i-austin-meadows-jersey-rays.html . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Jalen Beeks Rays Jersey . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Nick Anderson Jersey .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Both No. 10 Texas A&M and Mississippi will start backup quarterbacks on Saturday when they meet after Aggies starter Trevor Knight and Rebels starter Chad Kelly both suffered serious injuries last week.The Aggies will go with Jake Hubenak, who threw for 222 yards with two touchdowns and an interception after taking over after Knight injured his shoulder in a loss to Mississippi State on Saturday that knocked Texas A&M out of the College Football Playoff top four.For the most part Jake was effective in second half, coach Kevin Sumlin said. Eleven for 17 for a guy who had to go find his helmet to get in the game. Go run into a game like that, down two touchdowns on road, to give us an opportunity at the end of the game says a lot about him but also says a lot about communication between him and the offensive staff at that time. That will continue to get better.It will be the second career start for Hubenak , who got his first in A&Ms bowl game last season after both of the teams top quarterbacks transferred in December.The quarterback situation for Mississippi is a lot less clear with coach Hugh Freeze refusing to name a starter this week in the wake of Kellys season-ending knee injury.Freeze did say that freshman Jason Pellerin , who filled in for Kelly after he was injured, would get most of the snaps in practice this week.But he didnt rule out a variety of other options, including pulling the redshirt off highly touted recruit Shea Patterson or moving receiver Markell Pack or tight end Evan Engram to the position. Regardless of who gets the start, Freeze knows they wont be able to run the offense the same way they did with Kelly, who leads the SEC in yards passing a game.It would be crazy for us to expect to carry the whole playbook into this game, Freeze said.Some believe starting Patterson would be the right move, but to Freeze playing him wouldnt be an easy decision so late in the season.You have to look at the whole scenario for whats best for individuals and whats best for the team and how many games are left, and if you want his first start to be in front of 115,000 at A&M or the first game next year, Freeze said. You want to set a kid up for success, we obviously believe he is aa super talent, but those are all the kinds of things going on in your mind.ddddddddddddSome things to know about Mississippis game against Texas A&M:KIRKS WORKTexas A&M WR/PR Christian Kirk has returned three punts for touchdowns in the past two games to give the sophomore five in his career. Kirk returned two against New Mexico State two weeks ago and a third one last week at Mississippi State. If he returns one on Saturday he will become the third player in FBS history and first since 2013 to have a punt return touchdown in three straight games. Hes also one of Texas A&Ms top receivers with 61 receptions for 591 yards and seven touchdowns.BOWL STREAK IN JEOPARDYWith just four wins this season, the Rebels need to win two of their last three games to avoid ending a streak four straight bowl games. The last time they didnt qualify for a bowl game was in 2011, the year before Freeze took over.CHASING 1,000Texas A&Ms Trayveon Williams needs 196 yards rushing to become the first true freshman to rush for 1,000 yards. The mark is within reach with Williams averaging 89.33 yards a game. His best games came in consecutive weeks against Arkansas and Tennessee when he ran for 153 yards and a season-high 217.IN THE BACKFIELDThe Aggies are second in the nation with 83 tackles for losses. The group is led by defensive end Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall who have 9 1/2 tackles for losses each. Claude George has 8 1/2 and three players have six each. Garrett leads the team with four sacks this season and needs two more to become the sixth player in SEC history with 30 career sacks.RUN DEFENSE WOESTexas A&M is focused on improving its run defense after allowing 365 yards rushing last week. It has been a problem all season and the Aggies are tied for 90th in the country, allowing 197.4 yards rushing a game.Doing what youre supposed to do and executing, that was an issue, Sumlin said. Why that is and what happened, we talked about it as a staff and as a team. That has been addressed schematically. Been addressed with our players ... were moving on.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '