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TAMPA, Fla. -- It may have been just a rubber ring, but to Tampa Bay Buccaneers?receiver Cecil Shorts III, it was so much more than that.It was his wedding ring, the one he wears in place of his actual wedding band, and it got lost last week when he handed his gloves to a fan in the stands, 27-year-old Air Force staff sergeant Josh Ortega.After the Bucs 36-10 win over the Chicago Bears?on Sunday, Ortega gave Shorts his ring back, and Shorts had a special surprise for the lifelong Bucs fan, who is stationed at Tampas MacDill Air Force Base -- an autographed jersey. Coincidentally, it was the Bucs annual Salute to Service game, where the team honors members of the armed forces.He deserves it. ... [The ring] means a lot. I thought Id never see it again, Shorts said. I just thanked him for being so kind.The moment was captured by a local reporter.?After the Bucs Thursday Night Football game on Nov. 3, a 43-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Shorts gave his gloves away but didnt realize he was missing his ring until he got to the locker room. I thought it was gone. I was like, Its over with, Shorts said. He just happened to be checking his Twitter account Tuesday night, the players day off, when he saw a message from Ortega.I was like, Oh wow. Thank you! Shorts said. That was kind of him. I thought that was pretty cool. ... He told me, I know what it means. I dont want [anything] from you, just so I can give you the ring back.All Ortega wanted to do was the right thing. He ended up making a special friend out of it.I knew what the sentimental value behind it meant, and thats what motivated me the most to give it back to him, Ortega said. I was just surprised that he did that. I then introduced him to my dad and he told me how thankful he was. He said I saved him from his wife!It meant so much to me, especially of how big of a fan I am of the team and entire organization, said Ortega, who coaches high school and youth football and has traveled to countless Bucs?home and away games, no matter where his service has taken him. Hes currently part of the 927th Air Refueling Wing and has been deployed to the Middle East three times.He even flew an American flag in honor of two longtime Buccaneers players -- Gerald McCoy and Vincent Jackson?-- during a mission last year.Those flags flew over Afghanistan and Iraq 37 times together, Ortega said. Every single combat flight during my deployment.Shorts said he wants to come visit Ortegas teams. Ortega thinks Shorts could really impact Ortegas high school players.It speaks volumes to what type of person he is, Ortega said. He is a professional athlete whos always busy, especially during the season, and hes willing to spend some of his free time to talk to the kids who look up to people like him, who want to be like him. Toronto Blue Jays Store . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Blue Jays Jerseys 2019 . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Blue Jays Jerseys China . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Although its been a terribly difficult week for North Dakota State, the top-ranked Bison are doing their best to try and stay focused heading into a tough rivalry matchup.Its uncertain whether backup running back and special teamer Chase Morlock will play against South Dakota State after his father passed away last weekend following a battle with cancer. Its a loss that has hit the entire NDSU family, according to coach Chris Klieman.Theres no coaching 101 manual. Well do everything we can (to prepare), Klieman confessed. We have a tremendous administration, a great bunch of assistant coaches and resilient players with everything theyve been through. Well take it day-by-day.The heavy-hearted Bison are hoping to retain the trophy in the 13th annual Dakota Marker game on Saturday. Theyre going after their ninth consecutive victory over the 11th-ranked Jackrabbits and 15th straight win overall, which would be the second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history behind its own 33-game run from 2012-14.The Bison (5-0, 2-0), however, are facing a difficult challenge against Taryn Christion and a visiting South Dakota State team that ranks fourth in the nation at 45 points per game and 15th with 461.4 total yards. Christion ranks fourth nationally with 327.4 passing yards per game after he threw for a school-record 466 and five touchdowns in a 51-32 win at Southern Illinois.The sophomore quarterback has thrown for 20 TDs with one interception in 173 attempts this season. Christion has benefited from an outstanding receiver tandem in Jake Wieneke, who has 33 receptions for 595 yards with 10 touchdowns, and Dallas Goedert, who has 34 catches for 561 yards and eight scores.(Christion) does it all and hes playing with a lot of confidence, Klieman said. Theyre putting a lot of points on the board and even in their losses, hes played extremely well. What Im so impressed with is how well he throws the deep ball. He has tremendous accuracy, tremendous loft on the ball and puts it in position for their playmakers.Kliemans squad ranks second in the conference with 313.2 yards allowed per game, but is only sixth against the pass. The Bison are coming off perhaps their best defensive effort last weekend when they limited Missouri State to 176 total yards and just 30 on the ground in a 27-3 road victory.Offensively, NDSU will likely lean on King Frazier after the senior running back finished with a season-high 126 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against the Bears. Frazier, who had 44 yards and a score on 14 attempts in last seasons 28-7 win over SDSU, is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has a touchdown in four of the teams five games.ddddddddddddThat certainly doesnt bode well for the Jackrabbits (3-2, 2-0), who rank second to last in the MVFC with 206 rushing yards allowed per game.Theyre what everyone wants to be when you try to run the football, SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. They just dominate you in time of possession, wear you down and get points when they need them.The Bison held the Jackrabbits to minus-4 yards rushing in last years conference opener to grab a 59-40-5 advantage in the all-time series. SDSUs 25-24 win in 2008 marked its first in Fargo since 1962 and represents its only victory over the past 28 road meetings.The North Dakota State game has become a tremendous rivalry, Stiegelmeier added. The Border Marker trophy, the intensity, the playoffs, the conference championship -- all those things come together. I know its early in the season, but its going to be a fun game.---RANKED SHOWDOWN IN YOUNGSTOWN=Sack-crazy Youngstown State (4-1, 2-0) goes after its fourth straight win and first 3-0 start in league play since 2013 on Saturday night when it hosts No. 21 Northern Iowa (2-3, 1-1).The 14th-ranked Penguins are getting it done with the MVFCs top defense (290.8 yards allowed per game). They held Illinois State to just 250 total yards and its lowest point total since Oct. 6, 2012 in Saturdays 20-6 road win.YSU had six more sacks against the Redbirds, increasing their season total to 19. The Penguins are now tied for third in the FCS with 3.8 per game. Derek Rivers ranks second in the conference with seven sacks, while Avery Moss has five.Theyll try to corral Northern Iowa quarterback Aaron Bailey, who has thrown for 838 yards and six touchdowns against only one interception. The senior also has rushed for 416 yards and six scores.They have a dual-threat quarterback in Bailey. Hes a good player. They have some skill and theyll give you a couple different looks, said YSU coach Bo Pelini, whose squad is the only FCS program that hasnt allowed a rushing touchdown this season. Its going to be important that were all on the same page and guys are able to adjust to formations.The Panthers have won 12 of the past 13 meetings, though this is the first since a 22-20 home victory on a last-second field goal in 2013. They enter this one having dropped three of four since a season-opening 25-20 win at Iowa State on Sept. 3.This is a heck of a test for us at a critical time, coach Mark Farley said. This is one of the best football teams in the (FCS) -- I promise you that. ' ' '