Veterans angle for overdue shout out during debate

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

A leading veterans group, seeking to muscle any mention of military issues into the first presidential debate, published an online voter guide Tuesday listing five criteria on which service members past and present can judge the two candidates and ultimately cast their votes.?

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonpartisan and nonprofit group with more than 200,000 members, released "Vote Smart For Vets" on its website?with hopes that its five stated benchmarks ? along with some mathematical prodding???will prompt Republican candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama to tangle on topics that include the military suicide epidemic or the high veteran unemployment rate.?

"Our goal is to obviously make progress on these issues but also just to get the candidates talking about them," said?Paul Rieckhoff, chief executive officer and founder of IAVA. "We get a lot of pandering. We get a lot of pleasantries. We get a lot of ceremony. But let?s get down to specifics.

---

"We?re trying to force just a conversation of any kind (about veterans) when economic issues are front and center," added?Rieckhoff, who served as a first lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq during 2003 and 2004.?

The five-point checklist drafted by the IAVA for veterans and vet-friendly voters "to evaluate your candidates' platforms" is placed in this order: ?

• Ensuring Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have the tools they need to succeed in the civilian work force;
• Ensuring every veteran has the right to the education benefits they have?earned;
• Improving mental health programs in the military and VA to prevent further suicides among troops and veterans;
• Modernizing the claims process at the VA so that veterans have access to the benefits and resources they have earned;
• Improving VA healthcare facilities and claims processes for female veterans.?

How have Romney and Obama fared ? in the eyes of veterans???in their attention to or work on those five points??

"The reality is that neither one has been judged on them yet because these issues really haven?t been a focal point in the campaign," Rieckhoff said. "You?re not hearing about plans to lower veteran unemployment."

Related:?NBC/WSJ poll: Obama holds lead over Romney in key battleground Ohio

Partly due to the lagging U.S. economy, joblessness has dogged thousands of men and women who have returned after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. During 2011, the veteran unemployment rate was more than 12 percent???far above the national median. In August of this year, that number was 10.9 percent???still higher than the rest of the American work force.?

"We view this as not just a social issue but an opportunity for investment. If you invest in these men and women coming home it?s going to produce a tremendous return,"?Rieckhoff said. "This is might be the one thing? Romney and Obama could agree about on the stage. But we?ve got to force the questions.

"Just one question about veterans during the debate makes everybody remember that we?re out there," he added.?

If either campaign needs more convincing that winning the military and veterans vote could tip the election, IAVA is armed with the sorts of stats that make pollsters drool.?

More than 2.4 million veterans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Three battleground states are packed with veterans: 60,000-plus in Ohio, and more than 150,000 in both Virginia and Florida. The organization also reports that 90 percent of new veterans are registered to vote, and many remain undecided.

In fact, according to a membership survey IAVA conducted last year, more than 40 the group's participants don't identify themselves as Republicans or Democrats.

"If you look at the broader military and veterans population, that?s an incredibly influential voting bloc. And not only are they strong in numbers and not only are they registered to vote in a high percentage, they?re also very influential,"?Rieckhoff said. "They have an opportunity to be force multipliers ? not only influencing their families but influencing their communities.

"They're also incredibly nonpartisan," he added. "They?re patriotic and pragmatic and they just want to see people who can get things done. They are much more dedicated to their country than they are their party. They are a political jump ball."

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US, Lockheed talks for more F-35s move to senior level: sources

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Air Canada Announces Plan For International Growth ? Civil ...

http://aircanada.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=583 Basic highlights of their plan for international growth include: -Adding 2 more B77W's to their mainline fleet with new international routes to be announced at a later date -Hire 900 more employees as part of their plans to start its new low cost leisure airline (announced on Sept 20, 2012) -Transferring 15 of their E175's to Sky Regional, which will operate them under the AC Express name starting in February 2013 Quite some interesting times going on at Air Canada, quite curious to see how this new low cost airline of theirs will do.

47 replies: All unread, showing first 25:

Sounds pretty interesting. Where are the 777s coming from?

Will be interesting to see what happens when the E75s leave the fleet. Under the government imposed contract there was a ratio of 29:100 ASMs from any regional carrier to mainline in the North American market. I was always under the impression that they were really close to that already so it would have been hard to get ride of the airplanes too quickly. I guess that's assuming AC plans to follow through and follow the contract that was put into place at the end of July.

Boeing. AC has some on order.

Any best guesses of where AC will begin services? In South America, I'd say that GIG would be the favourite contender given that GRU, EZE and SCL already see AC service. No need to mention Rio's strong economic ties with Canada. There are based in the city companies like Vale (Inco), Bank of Montreal, Brookfield, Gran Tierra Energy and the National Bank of Canada. Also the strong economical situation of the city also makes it more attractive. Perhaps 3/4x weekly services with the 763. But for that I guess that AC would need to deploy the 777 elsewhere to release a 767 to fly the route. [Edited 2012-10-01 06:48:58]

It would be more of a 787 route but I could see AC start CAN 3-4 days a week fall of 2013. They are expecting 787s Q1 2014 so after an initial go it could transfer to a 7 day a week 787 flight a few months after AC takes on the 787s. In Europe FRA would be the obvious destination for 77Ws with cargo. It seems there is 1 77Ws out of YUL and 2 77Ws YYZ per day in October. Last time I flew this route it was on a 767 so perhaps make this year round. I am not sure if it could make it with a good load of freight but YYZ-PVG is a 77L right now, perhaps upgrade that and you have a 77L you could use on an extra flight down to SYD or you could also look at opening up GIG with the 77L (freight could make it worth while in a 77L vs 767.

Any chance with this announcement that YYC could keep the 77W on LHR year round (summer upguage only currently)?

Quoting C172Akula (Reply 6): Any chance with this announcement that YYC could keep the 77W on LHR year round (summer upguage only currently)? Doubt that....They are running 767 this winter!

Quoting zbbylw (Reply 3): Quoting yegbey01 (Reply 1): Boeing. AC has some on order. I had thought there were 3 77Ws currently on firm order.... Quoting AF086 (Reply 4): Any best guesses of where AC will begin services? In South America, I'd say that GIG would be the favourite contender given that GRU, EZE and SCL already see AC service. Quoting AF086 (Reply 4): Perhaps 3/4x weekly services with the 763. But for that I guess that AC would need to deploy the 777 elsewhere to release a 767 to fly the route. ?? I'd agree GIG would likely start as a 763 service and would likely transition to 788 when they start coming. During the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Olys in 2016, 77W upgauge seems likely. If there is to be additional 77W service to either FRA or LHR, releasing a 763, might this get redeployed to open up MEL ? Would have to be via HNL I suppose. Or maybe CAN, although CZ are already doing CAN - YVR 5x weekly. Or maybe the 763 goes back to lessor.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 8): If there is to be additional 77W service to either FRA or LHR, releasing a 763, might this get redeployed to open up MEL ? Would have to be via HNL I suppose. Wouldn't it be more favorable for AC to use a 77L on this routing? I'd much rather have non-stop flight to MEL than have to make a stopover in HNL

Quoting Hawaiian763 (Reply 9): Wouldn't it be more favorable for AC to use a 77L on this routing? I'd much rather have non-stop flight to MEL than have to make a stopover in HNL I think it would depend if the traffic were there. With a stop in HNL, does AC still not have Fifth Freedom rights between HNL and Australia?

The order was expanded - there are a total of 5 on order.

Quoting longhauler (Reply 10): Quoting Hawaiian763 (Reply 9): Wouldn't it be more favorable for AC to use a 77L on this routing? I'd much rather have non-stop flight to MEL than have to make a stopover in HNL I think it would depend if the traffic were there. With a stop in HNL, does AC still not have Fifth Freedom rights between HNL and Australia? I don't think the traffic is there for MEL unfortunately ?. Perhaps they could do a tag-on to MEL like UA does but that tag on covers both flights to LAX and SFO. If AC wants to add in another route in Oceania I would say AKL is the one to do because it opens up NZ and can add frequency to New Zealand. Also with NZ being in *A they can access more Australian cities with a very easy transfer process in AKL. Run a 3x weekly service to AKL on the days NZ doesn't.

Quoting chrisa330 (Reply 11): Quoting connies4ever (Reply 8): I had thought there were 3 77Ws currently on firm order.... The order was expanded - there are a total of 5 on order. Hmmm....I'd then make a guess that the "extra" 77Ws will replace 763s in the fleet. There can't be that many more destinations where AC would be using 77Ws. I think most new int'l destinations are more likely to be 788 routes: BEY, IST, GIG (ultimately), MEL, KIX (again), maybe MNL. Also maybe something direct ex-YUL. SIN occurs to me but there still isn't, I think, a strong natural market. Also, it's far enough that I'm not sure it can be reached n/s from YVR, needs a stop at INC which would require even more negotiation. As for the 763 I previously referred to as being released, maybe YYZ-SVO ??

Quoting yegbey01 (Reply 7): Quoting C172Akula (Reply 6): Any chance with this announcement that YYC could keep the 77W on LHR year round (summer upguage only currently)? Doubt that....They are running 767 this winter! I don't see why they wouldn't. If AC is trying to grow internationally they are going to try to grow traffic through their hubs. With YYC being an official hub I could see AC 77W year round, and moving the 767 to the discount carrier

Quoting flyb (Reply 14): I don't see why they wouldn't. If AC is trying to grow internationally they are going to try to grow traffic through their hubs. With YYC being an official hub I could see AC 77W year round, and moving the 767 to the discount carrier I see them running the 777 to FRA rather than LHR from YYC and switching the LHR run to the 333

Quoting chrisa330 (Reply 11): The order was expanded - there are a total of 5 on order. According to aerotransport.org, 2 for delivery in 2013 (as mentioned in the AC PR) and the other 3 in 2014. Quoting Hawaiian763 (Thread starter): Transferring 15 of their E175's to Sky Regional, which will operate them under the AC Express name starting in February 2013 Presumably there was a bidding process betw Sky Regional & Jazz and perhaps other interested carriers?

Quoting longhauler (Reply 10): With a stop in HNL, does AC still not have Fifth Freedom rights between HNL and Australia? Yes, along with SFO, NAN and PPT. Given that QF has left SFO, YYZ-SFO-SYD would make more sense than HNL, which didn't work for CP or AC. The competition on SFO-SYD is UA's clapped out 744s, or NZ via AKL. Under the bilateral, Australian government permission would be required. If permission were granted and SFO-SYD started, a tag to MEL would feed both the YVR and SFO flights.

Quoting yyz717 (Reply 16): Presumably there was a bidding process betw Sky Regional & Jazz and perhaps other interested carriers? Rumour is not.

Quoting yegbey01 (Reply 15): I see them running the 777 to FRA rather than LHR from YYC and switching the LHR run to the 333 I'm quite surprised the 333 isn't on the LHR route, last year it was the reverse with the 763 operating FRA and the 333 on LHR. If the 763's are being freed up for the low cost division could we see YYC-NRT upgraded to a 77W?

That was before LH pulled out of the YYC market.

Quoting yyz717 (Reply 16): Presumably there was a bidding process betw Sky Regional & Jazz and perhaps other interested carriers? As much as Jazz would liked to have had the additional flying,operating a small sub-fleet would have been challenging. I'm not at all surprised to hear Sky Regional was awarded the flying as they would have likely flown the E75 for considerably less compared to Jazz's mature costs. AC agreement with it's pilots allowed for up to 60 regional jets seating 76 or less to be operated by CPA carriers. By my count it's now half way to that mark;Jazz 16 x 705 + Sky Regional 15 x E75 = 31. What remains to be seen is if Jazz is able to increase it's 705 fleet going forward at the expense of the CRJ 200 and DH1,considering the ASM limitations of the AC pilot contract. For Jazz,it's future hinges greatly on being able to also increase it's DH4 fleet, The challenge is that AC also has Sky Regional now in the mix operating the DH4 with a route expansion occuring later this month,and they too would certainly would like to increase their flying. Jazz has a CPA agreement that expires in 2020;interesting time ahead. [Edited 2012-10-01 10:43:45]

As per AM 680 news: MONTREAL - Air Canada said Monday it will expand its relationship with non-unionized Sky Regional Airlines to include routes to the United States. I'm thinking the key here is "non-unionized".

Quoting yyz717 (Reply 16): Presumably there was a bidding process betw Sky Regional & Jazz and perhaps other interested carriers? Could there be? AC has a CPA agreement with Jazz/Chorus on a set seat/mile charge. SkyRegional, like everyone else with a computer knows what that seat/mile charge is. SkyRegional then would have offered to fly the E175 for less. I am curious if Jazz/Chorus could even have countered under the CPA. Namely, while it protects Jazz/Chorus in a lot of ways, does it also restrict it? Quoting m1m2 (Reply 22): I'm thinking the key here is "non-unionized". I am thinking seat/mile cost is the key, union or not. Talk internally is that SkyRegional will be unionized before too long. Quoting 9252fly (Reply 21): AC agreement with it's pilots allowed for up to 60 regional jets seating 76 or less to be operated by CPA carriers. By my count it's now half way to that mark;Jazz 16 x 705 + Sky Regional 15 x E75 = 31. What about the CL65s? Are they not included in the number? Last time I checked, Jazz/Chorus had 35. (9 -100s, 25 -200s operated for AC, and one charter -200)

I do not see the 777's used to Europe except for perhaps subbing in for flights. The Euro market is still somewhat soft except for the key routes. With LH Cargo and Air Cargo Germany, plus the belly cargo of LH and AC's 77W there is quite a lot of volume there already for the cargo side. If AC needs more themself watch for a sharing agreement with LH similar to that with passengers. I see one 777 going to South America at least seasonally to open another direct route or replace a 767. I see another Chinese city opening up as well for the second.

25 amritpal: I really hope AC would start YVR-DEL. YYZ at least has direct to India using AI or Jet Airways using one stop. I would never fly AI. There service was

26 JAGflyer: I wonder why AC has not capitalized on the Indian market. Granted, AI and 9W both fly to DEL from YYZ I still see potential for connecting people out

27 superjeff: CP flew YVR-HNL-SYD for years, and there's an Open Skies treaty between the U.S. and Canada, as well as between the U.S. and Australia. I think that

28 IrishAyes: Potentially, yes, although I have zero clue about where things stand with regards to the air transport agreements between Brasil and Canada. I know t

29 behramjee: AC does not operate its own flights from YVR nor YYZ to India because quite frankly it is not a profitable venture. Neither 9W nor AI make a profit fl

30 AF086: The Brazil-Canada bilateral was ammended in February 2011. It now allows unlimited frequencies between the two countries. So the doors are open for A

31 krisyyz: I'm sure the 77W or the 77L has the range, AC flew YYZ-DEL with their A345/A343, I think the -300 had to make a fuelling stop somewhere in Norway or

32 JAGflyer: The -300 used to operate via ZRH if I remember correctly. My post was not recommending a YVR-India flight but rather YYZ-DEL or YYZ-BOM. I cannot see

33 krisyyz: I think that flight went to a 763 later on, I heard from an AC FA that a lot of the ZRH premium pax were complaining about the India bound passengers

34 yegbey01: To be exact, the YYZ-DEL flight used to do a technical in ARN and when the Russians started playing politics and they denied AC airspace, they ended u

35 chrisa330: They have 5, but haven't confirmed what will happen with the extra 3. Those 3 are being delivered in 2014, so still some time to refine the plan

36 9252fly: That route would be worse than YYZ - DEL from a profitability perspective. Thought I read that AI route DEL - YYZ is suspended due to severe losses w

37 Kaiarahi: That's not how bilaterals work. Canada is not a party to the U.S.-Australia bilateral. The intermediate points need to be set out in the agreement be

38 juanchito: Any plans for growth in Latin America? Juanchito

39 9252fly: Good catch! You're right,the key being " 60 jets up to 65 seats". The last of the CRJ -100s will exit the fleet in May,leaving 25 CRJ -200s. No point

40 YYCspotter: Possibly, but its unlikely... if anything, YYC-NRT will be on 767 until they are replaced by 787s, sooner or later. correct me if i'm wrong, but ther

41 connies4ever: The press release link provided by the OP states that more -700 & -900 flying will be coming. India from Canada is a very seasonal market and as

42 chrisa330: Where in the AC press release does it state that?

43 connies4ever: You're right, my bad. Reference to more -700/900s comes from thread Air Canada Narrowbody Fleet: Embraers, LargerCRJs. My mind has turned to mush, and

46 Viscount724: As far as I know, no foreign carriers have ever had cabotage rights on domestic sectors in Brazil. That's very unusual anywhere (one of the rare exce

47 brilondon: What is your source or reasoning for this statement?

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Source: http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/5576575/

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DUO Gamer is an Apple Approved iPhone & iPad Game Controller

There?s no shortage of great games on the iPad, but the on-screen controls found in most games leave gamers wishing for more.

This fall the DUO Gamer will deliver a wireless iPad controller with joysticks, a D-pad and?physical?buttons to up the fun of playing games on the iPad.

Discover Bay Games markets the DUO Gamer for the?iPad, but it works on any iOS device including the iPhone and iPod Touch. The gamepad and a HDMI cable turns the iPad into a semi portable gaming console.

The first Apple approved iPad game controller.

The catch is that the DUO Gamer only works with select Gameloft games. This includes N.O.V.A. 3, Asphalt 7: Heat and Order & Chaos Online to start, with support coming to Modern Combat 3 and Brothers in Arms 2 soon. These are all exciting games, but users can?t play just any game. The DUO Gamer should work with more games in the future, but at the start this is it.

The DUO Gamer is a wireless controller with dual analog sticks, D-Pad with separate buttons and four main buttons on the right that mirror the layout found on Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers. There are two buttons ont he front edge, similar tot he shoulder buttons on most controllers.?The controller pairs wirelessly with an iPhone or iPad with Bluetooth and it runs on AA batteries.

For the stand and the wireless controller, gamers must pay $80, and that might be the biggest hitch in this plan. With limited game support, and a $80 price, this is far from an impulse buy.

IGN provides an early hands on with the DUO Gamer, showing off a look at the design and some gameplay, saying that the gameplay is, ?great?, comparing the control over gameplay to the Xbox 360.

This is the first iPad, or iOS controller even, that earns Apple?s seal of approval. Apple Stores will sell the controller starting October 5th. Best Buy, Amazon and Target will also sell the DUO Gamer in the near future.

Cloud gaming company online?created?a gaming controller for the iPad and other tablets last year, but Apple refuses to allow the Onlive gaming app into the App Store, rendering the controller useless with the iPad. It?s possible Onlive wouldn?t be in the middle of financial ruin if Apple allowed the Onlive app into the App Store.

Source: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/10/01/duo-gamer-iphone-ipad-game-controller/

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Bacon shortage 'baloney,' but prices to rise - KWQC-TV6 News and ...

By JIM SUHR
AP Business Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Bacon lovers can relax. They'll find all they want on supermarket shelves in the coming months, though their pocketbooks may take a hit.

The economics of the current drought are likely to nose up prices for bacon and other pork products next year, by as much as 10 percent. But U.S. agricultural economists are dismissing reports of a global bacon shortage that lent sizzle to headlines and Twitter feeds last week. Simply put, the talk of scarcity is hogwash.

"Use of the word 'shortage' caused visions of (1970s-style) gasoline lines in a lot of people's heads, and that's not the case," said Steve Meyer, president of Iowa-based Paragon Economics and a consultant to the National Pork Producers Council and National Pork Board.

"If the definition of shortage is that you can't find it on the shelves, then no, the concern is not valid. If the concern is higher cost for it, then yes."

Fears about a scarcity of bacon swept across social and mainstream media in recent weeks after Britain's National Pig Association said a bacon shortage was "unavoidable," citing a sharp decline in the continent's pig herd and drought-inflated feed costs. The report caused much consternation over a product that used to be merely a breakfast staple, but nowadays flavors everything from brownies to vodka.

The alarm was quickly dismissed by the American Farm Bureau Federation as "baloney."

"Pork supplies will decrease slightly as we go into 2013," Farm Bureau economist John Anderson said. "But the idea that there'll be widespread shortages, that we'll run out of pork, that's really overblown."

On Monday, a spokesman for the British pork trade group maintained its position that "there will be a significant tightening in the global pigmeat supply" in the second half of next year, because "the vast majority of pig producers around the world are losing money on every pig they sell."

"Given the huge amount of interest in the United States created by our earlier press release maybe more producers will now hang on in production, in the hope of recovering their losses next year and in 2014," Digby Scott told The Associated Press in an email. "We agree with the view of some economists in the (United) States that supplies will tighten and prices will rise BUT maybe you won't see 'standing-in-line' shortages in supermarkets. Time will tell."

The stubborn drought in the U.S., the world's biggest supplier of feed grains, undeniably will affect pig production. The Corn Belt's lack of moisture twice has prompted the U.S. Agriculture Department to slash its forecast for this year's corn output. The government now expects U.S. production of the grain to amount to 10.8 billion bushels, the least since 2006.

Those lowered expectations sent prices of corn - also used in ethanol, further squeezing supply - to record highs through much of the summer. Feed generally makes up about 60 percent of the expense of raising a pig. Rather than absorb the higher costs, swine and beef producers often have culled their animals by sending them to slaughter.

As of Sept. 1, the nation's inventory of hogs numbered 67.5 million head, up slightly from a year earlier, the USDA reported Friday. But the USDA suggested that pork supplies will tighten next year as the nation's breeding stock and intended farrowings - birthings of litters of pigs - likely will drop due to high feed costs.

"I think we're going to (still) see pretty substantial liquidations" of livestock, Meyer said, guessing that 3 percent of the nation's breeding pigs could be sent to slaughter by next March. "And by my estimation, that's a big move."

The USDA said the breeding inventory of sows and boars stands at 5.79 million head, down slightly from last year and off 1 percent from the previous quarter.

Such liquidations could mean a temporary glut of pork on the U.S. market, depressing pork prices before the oversupply eases and the volume of pork drops again next year, causing hog prices to rebound, said Ron Plain, an agricultural economics professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Consequently, he estimates, the higher costs will be passed along to consumers, who could end up paying 10 percent more for their bacon.

As of Friday, the USDA said, a pound of sliced bacon cost an average of $4.05 at the nation's supermarkets, down 22 cents from a week earlier.

Pig producer Phil Borgic is banking on high prices. With 3,400 sows near Nokomis in central Illinois, Borgic figures he's had to spend $2 million more this year for the 600,000 bushels of corn he feeds his pigs.

Rather than sell off animals on the spot market, the 56-year-old farmer is hedging his bets by contracting them out for slaughter over a staggered period - what he sees only as a break-even proposition.

"The previous couple of years have been good to us," he said. "Then the drought changed the ballgame on a worldwide level."

He waves off the concerns about consumers facing shortages.

"The U.S. has plenty of pork, and we won't run out here," he said. "We'll have some price inflation, but we have plenty of supply."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.kwqc.com/story/19680437/bacon-shortage-baloney-but-prices-to-rise

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California lawmaker offers to revise "anti-Arizona" immigration bill (reuters)

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No. 3 LSU overcomes sloppiness, beats Towson 38-22

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) ? Zach Mettenberger's perfectly placed 53-yard scoring strike to Odell Beckham Jr. exemplified the type of play Les Miles wanted to see from LSU's offense before the Tigers hit one of the toughest stretches on their schedule.

If only that play had been the norm instead of the exception in a mistake-filled outing, Miles might not have been describing a "somber locker room" following No. 3 LSU's 38-22 victory over Towson on Saturday night.

"It was just sloppy play," Mettenberger said. "We have been sloppy week in and week out. We have to clean it up. Right now we are not playing LSU football. I'm very disappointed in myself and the team right now."

Mettenberger hit Beckham five times for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and the quarterback finished 15 of 26 for 238 yards passing and no interceptions. Still, Mettenberger was sacked four times, missed some open receivers and a fumble he gave up ? one of three LSU turnovers ? led to the first of two touchdown runs by Towson's Terrance West.

West's first TD run gave Towson (2-2), an FCS team, a stunning 9-7 lead in the second quarter before LSU (5-0) responded with 24 straight points.

J.C. Copeland, LSU's powerful 272-pound fullback, scored his third touchdown of the season on a 1-yard plunge after LSU's Jarvis Landry recovered Jordan Love's muffed punt on the Towson 8 in the third quarter.

However, Copeland was hurt in the fourth quarter and did not put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the field. Miles did not have an update on Copeland's condition after the game, but insinuated he could be sidelined a while when he added, "We still have a couple of fullbacks that we can line up and play with."

In all, LSU fell short of the confidence-building performance it wanted before a trip to No. 11 Florida next weekend, followed by a visit from No. 6 South Carolina.

"If we don't turn the ball over or throw the ball on the ground and we protect our quarterback ... this thing looks like it's supposed to," Miles said. "I must not well have prepared them."

LSU had portrayed its 12-10 victory at Auburn a week earlier as a wakeup call, but it continued to stumble intermittently against its first FCS opponent of the season ? enough so that frustrated fans routinely groaned and even booed.

"To say that we made improvement, I can't say that," Miles said. "I'd have to say it was the same style of football that we played last week."

LSU fumbled five times in all but recovered the ball twice. Mettenberger's fumble was his third in two games. Michael Ford's fumble in the third quarter stalled a likely scoring drive on the Towson 13. Kenny Hilliard's fumble set up Towson's opening points on a field goal.

Ford still had a solid game overall, rushing 11 times for 76 yards, including a 4-yard TD. Receiver Russell Shepard had his best play on a designed run in the first quarter, when he burst through the line and sped down the sideline for a career-long 78-yard scoring run that he finished by diving to the pylon.

Towson's Grant Enders was 13 of 33 for 103 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to Gerrard Shepard. He also rushed for 86 yards. West finished with 79 yards on 22 carries.

"I'm extremely conflicted," said Towson coach Rob Ambrose, whose program earned more than $500,000 and invaluable exposure for its nationally televised visit to Death Valley. "You don't line up to lose. With that being said, as a head coach, as an alum, as a father, I don't think it's humanly possible for me to be more proud of these players."

Towson did not drive past its own 30 on its first three possessions, but Hilliard's fumble on the LSU 38 late in the first quarter gave Towson its first break, and it capitalized with D.J. Soven's field goal.

Five of LSU's first six drives ended with three punts, a fumble and a missed 51-yard field goal attempt, keeping Towson in the game. Beckham later said he sensed a lack of intensity among his teammates.

"You could just see it on the sidelines," he said. "Everybody was really just not into the game. As soon as everybody started to get into the game things started to pick up. We just have to continue to do that."

The animated Ambrose appeared to be thoroughly enjoying his Death Valley experience on the visitor's sideline, and it only got better for him when Mettenberger fumbled on a sack while scrambling left and Towson recovered on LSU's 45. Soon after, Enders scrambled 43 yards to the LSU 1, and West dove over the pile to give Towson the lead. The point-after kick missed, however, leaving it 9-7.

"It boosted our confidence," Enders said. "With the opportunity to be on this stage and scoring the first touchdown, we realized we could play with them."

Mettenberger responded as LSU hoped on his next drive, hitting tight end Chase Clement over the middle for 27 yards, then finding Beckham for a 27-yard score to make it 14-9.

LSU had another scoring chance before halftime after Towson's R.J. Peppers shanked a punt only 6 yards to his own 22, but the drive stalled at the 5, setting up Drew Alleman's field goal to make it 17-9.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-3-lsu-overcomes-sloppiness-beats-towson-38-042011413--spt.html

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