ATLANTA -- Justin Thomas is still a bit miffed about last season.He doesnt want to go through it again, thats for sure.Its no fun, said Georgia Techs senior quarterback. Im pretty sure a lot of us never experienced anything like that before. It was a learning experience. You cant take winning for granted.A year ago, Thomas was still riding high after leading the Yellow Jackets to a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and an Orange Bowl victory over Mississippi State. He was being touted as one of the most dynamic players in the country, an undersized but unique talent in coach Paul Johnsons option offense.Some pundits were even throwing around the idea of Thomas contending for the Heisman Trophy.That all fell apart when Georgia Tech collapsed to a 3-9 record, its worst mark in more than two decades. The Yellow Jackets managed only one win in the ACC, a stunning upset of Florida State that showed the teams tantalizing potential but did little to ease the sting of such a disappointing year.Now, heading into his final season, Thomas is determined to go out with a more worthy showing. The Yellow Jackets open the season Saturday against ACC rival Boston College in Dublin, Ireland, which marks the first trip out of the country for the quarterback and many of his teammates.This isnt a sightseeing trip, however.Im ready to go. Im ready to play, Thomas said, his voice rising. That wasnt no fluke (in 2014). What you saw two years ago is who I am. I plan on showing that again.His teammates have sure noticed a difference in the signal-caller, who had always been a bit soft-spoken, preferring to let his performance on the field do his talking.Not any longer.Its almost shocking, receiver Ricky Jeune said. Hes such a mellow dude. But its nice seeing JT step up, and really speak up and getting the team together. Hes always been pushing me, but now Im like, `All right, Ive definitely got to do this because Justins going to be on my case.Surrounded last season by inexperienced players at running back and receiver, and plagued by a leaky offensive line that didnt provide much protection, Thomas looked like a one-man show at times. He took the weight of the team on his shoulders, his bravery and toughness never in question but the results a far cry from the previous year.We had a lot of new faces on the team, he said. At the same time, they didnt know what to expect. They were coming to this big, hyped team. They thought it came easy. Now we know we have to go back to the lab.Thomas rushing yards plunged from 1,086 to 488, while his average per carry dipped from 5.7 to 3.4. While passing was never his forte in the run-oriented offense, there was a dramatic drop-off as his completion percentage went from 51.3 to 41.7. His yards and touchdowns through the air also took a downward turn. His interceptions went up.When things in front of him broke down, which happened often, he often resorted to hurried, desperation throws that had little chance of being caught, at least by the Yellow Jackets.Thats been a focus during the offseason.Just trying to stay calm in the pocket, Thomas said. Not be so antsy.Of course, the Yellow Jackets are known for their running game.Thomas expects the triple-option to return to its devastating form, now that he can rely on myriad players with a year under their belts. Plus, the Yellow Jackets have added some new weapons on offense. B-back Dedrick Mills will be the first true freshman to start his first game at Georgia Tech since 2008, Johnsons debut season as coach. Former Georgia running back J.J. Green, who sat out last season after transferring to the Yellow Jackets, figures to get plenty of playing time at A-back.Everybodys locked in, Thomas said. Theres no questions or hesitation. Everybody is playing fast. At this point last year, we were still learning. Now were not. Were just going out there and playing and having fun.---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 Nike Air Max 720 Rabatt . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Air Max 200 Herr . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/air-max-97-rabatt.html . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Nike Air Max Plus Sverige .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Nike Air Max 270 Rabatt . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. PHOENIX -- Coming off a long road trip backloaded with long games, the Arizona Diamondbacks needed a few quality starts from their pitchers to give the bullpen a break. Tyler Skaggs got the Diamondbacks off to a good start in the series opener against Colorado and Wade Miley followed it up with another strong performance -- with his arm and his bat. Miley pitched eight effective innings and had a three-run double in the second inning, helping Arizona jump on Colorado early in an 11-1 rout of the Rockies on Saturday night. "He was really efficient with his pitches, his pitch count," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "It was just what we needed to give the bullpen a rest." The Diamondbacks returned to the desert on Friday after a 10-game road trip that ended with a long series against the Mets that included rain delays and two games that each lasted at least 15 innings. Arizona beat Colorado 5-0 in the opener behind Skaggs eight innings and jumped on Drew Pomeranz (0-2) for five runs in the first three innings in the second game. Miley got it started with his third career double in the second inning and Paul Goldschmidt, named to the NL All-Star team earlier in the day, hit his 21st homer in the third. The Diamondbacks poured it on after that, adding a three-run homer by Miguel Montero and a two-run shot by Martin Prado. Cody Ross tied a team record and set a career high with five of Arizonas 12 hits and scored three runs. That gave Miley (5-7) the leeway to work around the edges of the plate, giving the Rockies few good pitches while sending the NL West-leading Diamondbacks to their fourth straight win. "The bullpen got used a lot in New York with all those (extra-inning) games and I was just trying to extend it, just go as long as you can to give them a break," Miley said. "It was good." The Rockies had four baserunners in the series opener and were only marginally better against Miley. All-Star Carlos Gonzalez hit his NL-leading 24th homer and had four hits after missing Fridays game with a sore back, but the rest of the Rockies went 2 for 26, including 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. "I dont know what the numbers are but it seemed like he went strike one with just about every batter," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "It is a lot easier to pitch that way. When you are 0-1 there are a lot more options that way and that is what he did." Miley pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings his last outing, but didnt get the decision in a game that went 13 innings. Staked with a big early lead against the Rockies, the left-hander was effective with runners on, helped by a pair of double plays in the first four innings. Miley stretched his scoreless sttreak to a career-high 13 2-3 innings -- 16 overall by Arizona pitchers -- before Gonzalez led off the seventh with a long homer to centre.dddddddddddd The left-hander pleaded with Gibson to stay in for a chance at his first career complete game, but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. Miley allowed a run on five hits and struck out five to win for the first time in five starts. "It was going good," Miley said. "I was locating the fastball early to get ahead and kind of expand the plate a little bit. I was able to get some guys to make some awkward swings and put in play, and we made plays." Pomeranz, who made 22 starts for Colorado last season, spent most of this year at Triple-A Colorado Springs before being called up to pitch against San Francisco on Sunday. He allowed four runs on seven hits -- two of those homers -- in 4 1-3 innings of a 5-2 loss. The left-hander laboured from the start, needing 10 pitches to get leadoff hitter A.J. Pollock and going over 40 the first two innings. He walked two to load the bases in the second inning and Miley followed with his fourth hit of the season, a three-run double slapped into the corner in left. Pomeranz opened the third inning with a walk, then left a letter-high fastball up to Goldschmidt, who hit it into the second deck in left for a two-run homer that put Arizona up 5-0 and increased his NL-leading RBI total to 73. Pomeranz worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning after walking Goldschmidt, but was lifted after that. He allowed five runs on five hits and walked five. "It is frustrating, but I have to put my team in a better spot to win the game," said Pomeranz, who has lost seven of his past eight decisions, dating to last season. "You cant do that being down 5-0 after three innings." Arizona didnt let up after that, either. Prado hit his eighth homer in the seventh inning and Montero sneaked his sixth just over the wall in right in the eighth to make it 11-1. Notes: Ross became the 16th player in Arizona history with five hits, the first since Aaron Hill on Sept. 4, 2012, against San Francisco. ... The Diamondbacks had an extra-base hit in their 71st straight game, matching the sixth-longest streak in team history (2006). ... Colorados Michael Cuddyer had a double in the seventh inning to extend his road hitting streak to 15 games. ... Arizona LHP Patrick Corbin will make his seventh attempt at reaching 10 wins against the Rockies on Sunday. The All-Star is 0-1 over his last six starts. ... RHP Roy Oswalt will try for his first win since signing with the Rockies in May in the series finale against Arizona. Hes made three starts since being called up, going 0-3 with a 7.88 ERA. ' ' '