tackle Caleb Brantley said.DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTVanderbilt had forced only two three-and-outs in each of the Commodores past three games. The Commodores opened this game forcing

West Coast coach Adam Simpson reckons his team are yet to hit top gear despite watching his players get a monkey off their back in Sundays 32-point win over North Melbourne at Domain Stadium.The Eagles entered the match having lost all five of their previous encounters against top-eight opponents this season, leading some pundits to reprise the tag flat track bullies.But West Coast showed they will be far from mugs at the pointy end of the season with a powerful display against the Kangaroos.Forward Josh Kennedy booted four goals in the 16.8 (104) to 11.6 (72) win, with the result lifting West Coast up to fifth spot.More importantly, they are only one win adrift of second spot with winnable fixtures looming.Simpson was quick to praise his teams four-quarter effort against North, and he was equally pleased with their tough brand of football.But I think weve still got another gear to go to, Simpson added.Theres points in the game where we let it slip. Even halfway through the last quarter it just felt uncomfortable. We need to work on some things.Were not getting carried away. It was a good win. It reminded us of a good, solid brand of football we can play, and we move on to the next week.The next conversation will be about interstate (form) Im sure. Well cop that, and move on.The Kangaroos (10-5) were on top of the ladder after starting their season with nine straight wins.But five losses from their past six games have seen them plummet to eighth.Kangaroos coach Brad Scott is optimistic his team will turn their form around, especially once the likes of Daniel Wells, Jarrad Waite, and Shaun Higgins return to action.But he was critical of his teams discipline after watching them give away four goals to 50m penalties against the Eagles.We play an aggressive combative sport and there is a fine line you walk, Scott said.The difference between hard and combative versus undisciplined is quite thin at times, and we were on the wrong side today.The Eagles will start favourites in upcoming games against Carlton (MCG), Melbourne, Collingwood (MCG) and Fremantle, giving them an excellent chance to move to 14-5.But the last three rounds will determine their top-four hopes when they confront GWS (Spotless Stadium), Hawthorn, and the Crows (Adelaide Oval).North Melbournes All-Australian star Todd Goldstein dominated the ruck battle, winning 65 taps to Scott Lycetts 28.But Goldsteins tap feast didnt convert into a dominant clearance win, with North Melbourne only winning the area by a small margin (46-41).Lycett could come under fire for his head-high bump on Jack Ziebell in a match that featured several spiteful contests.North Melbourne veteran Nick Dal Santo (illness) was a late withdrawal, and the Roos were dealt further blows when Farren Ray (hamstring) and Mason Wood (knee) succumbed to injury.Cheap Authentic Jerseys . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Adidas Jerseys . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. MLB Jerseys . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Soccer Jerseys . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach.NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Florida Gators arent in the mood to pick apart a road win in the Southeastern Conference, especially after last weeks ugly loss.No matter what they might need to fix.Jordan Scarlett ran for a 4-yard touchdown with Eddy Pineiro adding a pair of field goals as No. 23 Florida held off Vanderbilt 13-6 Saturday.A wise man once said, `you even have to bring your ugly babies home from the hospital, and that was ugly, Florida coach Jim McElwain said. In fact that might have been what someone told my dad when I was born. But I feel really good that our guys found a way to win.Florida (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) came up with two interceptions and two sacks on a day where the Gators defense otherwise struggled against one of the nations worst offenses with three starting linemen missing most of the game.Ralph Webb ran for 110 yards as Vanderbilt outgained Florida 265-236 in total offense. The Commodores (2-3, 0-2) had a final chance to force overtime until Nick Washington intercepted a Wade Freebeck pass with 54 seconds left sealing the Gators win.The Gators never trailed and led 10-3 after Scarlett scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, and Pineiro kicked a 42-yard field goal as the half expired. Pinero added a 26-yarder with 8:17 left.Florida had a chance to pad its lead after Vanderbilt punter Sam Loy fumbled the snap and lost the ball with 5:07 left with the Commodores trailing 13-6. But Austin Appleby fumbled the snap on second-and-goal at the Vanderbilt 1 with 2:56 left giving the Commodores one last chance.Its beyond me how you fumble the ball on a quarterback sneak at the end of the game, McElwain said. It happened, and yet our defense stepped up. They had to step up twice.THE TAKEAWAYFlorida: This set up as the perfect trap game for the Gators between Tennessee and LSU against an opponent theyve dominated over the years. The Gators had the majority of the 30,565 fans in Florida colors and still came out sluggish. Still, the Gators take home their third straight win and 25th in the last 26 games in this series. McElwain complimented the turnout by the Gators fans.I really think it had an eeffect on one of those third downs when they were coming out of their end zone, McElwain said.ddddddddddddVanderbilt: The Commodores finally showed signs of the stingy defense that ranked in the top 30 nationally in a lot of categories last season. Better yet, Webb gashed a defense that had been giving up only 76.5 yards rushing.This group is playing to win, Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. Were not satisfied with moral victories. There are no moral victories in football. This team is growing up and playing extremely hard.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Gators barely stayed inside the Top 25 after being routed by Tennessee . Voters will have to decide how impressive Florida was against Vanderbilt.THE REPLACEMENTSThe Gators played most of the game without three starting defensive lineman. Senior defensive tackle Joey Ivie missed the game with a thumb injury that will sideline him at least a month. Defensive ends Bryan Cox Jr. and Jordan Sherit played sparingly with injuries. Without them, sophomore defensive tackle Khairi Clark made his second career start, and defensive ends CeCe Jefferson (sophomore) and Jabari Zuniga (freshman) saw extensive time.Obviously, we were missing some guys, but I feel like we played well, Gators defensive tackle Caleb Brantley said.DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTVanderbilt had forced only two three-and-outs in each of the Commodores past three games. The Commodores opened this game forcing the Gators three-and-out on their first two drives. Adam Butler also had two sacks on one drive for a defense that hadnt managed more than one sack in each of the past three games.UP NEXTFlorida: The Gators return home to host LSU, the only SEC team to beat the Gators during the regular season last year in winning the Eastern Division.Vanderbilt: The Commodores visit Kentucky still looking for their first SEC win.---Online:AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org and AP-Top 25 Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker ' ' '