BOULDER, Colo. -- His nickname: Tasmanian Devil. His hair: Untamed. His running style: A combination of the two.The Colorado Buffaloes are pretty much molded in the image of junior tailback Phillip Lindsay -- a gritty, no-nonsense player with a cool nickname (given to him by head coach Mike MacIntyre) and springy hair to symbolize his wild side.Lindsays never-shy-away-from-contact running approach and passionate leadership has the Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) in contention for a Pac-12 South title as they host Arizona State (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday night.Hes just a hard-nosed kid who earns everything. A local kid making good, running backs coach Darian Hagan said of Lindsay, whos from Denver. You think about all recruits all over the country, and youre trying to find players who can do special things -- and you have one right down the street.Colorado is finding more and more creative ways to get the ball in Lindsays hands. In a loss at Southern California last weekend, Lindsay had six catches for 105 yards -- the most yards receiving for a Colorado tailback in nearly 15 years. Lindsays not always flashy out of the backfield -- his longest career run is 37 yards -- but always tough to bring down. Hes averaging 4.9 yards per carry this season and has scored six times.One of his most memorable moments so far this season wasnt so much on the field, but on the bench at Michigan . When Wolverines returner Jabrill Peppers crashed into the area where injured quarterback Sefo Liufau was being examined, Lindsay quickly jumped up and screamed at the Heisman Trophy candidate.Thats him. Hes protective of everything, said Hagan, who helped the Buffaloes capture a national title in 1990. Hes the middle brother but acts like the big brother and the father.Lindsay certainly has an athletic family. His father was a fullback at Colorado State. His younger brother plays at Northern Colorado and his little brother at Denver South High, where Phillip Lindsay rose to prominence and was a hot recruit even after tearing his ACL during his senior year. In addition, he had a sister play volleyball at Prairie View A&M and another basketball at Mesa State in Colorado.His biggest supporter remains his mom. He said shes suffering from a muscle disease and cant always make it to games. Still, he calls her before every contest.Shes the rock in our family and theres nothing that she hasnt done for her kids, Lindsay said. So every time I score a touchdown, its for her.Lindsay was convinced early on that Colorado was the right fit for him. He committed on March 22, 2012 -- a date he will never forget, because his familys house was robbed later that night. The thieves took his moms jewelry and hurt his dog, Rambo, whos made a complete recovery.For the next several months, Lindsay scoured thrift stores and pawn shops looking for his moms rings, but to no avail.Hes just that devoted -- to his family and his teammates.When he arrived at Colorado, MacIntyre dubbed him the Tasmanian Devil -- an ode to the whirling Looney Tunes character whos always going 1,000 mph. He likes the nickname.It defines me. Im fiery. I have a motor on me. Im nonstop. Thats who I am, said Lindsay, whos trying to help the Buffaloes earn their first bowl appearance since 2007. Im going to go at you 24/7, until the games done. I want to protect my brothers, protect my family.His work ethic sets the tone.Hagan showed up at the office recently at what he thought was the early hour of 6 a.m. But there was Lindsay, starting his workout before a team meeting still hours away. Thats nothing new, either.His teammates see how he works and prepares and they want to do the same thing, Hagan said. Hes just one of those guys -- the type of guy you want on your team.---Online: The APs college football page: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Pat Graham on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pgraham34 Custom Mets T-shirts . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Wholesale Custom Mets Shirts . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. http://www.custommetsjersey.com/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Custom Mets Jerseys . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Custom Mets Jersey China . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. In her final exclusive column for ESPN, Australian Olympian Emily Seebohm opens up about her experiences at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.Its now more than a month after the finish of the Rio Olympics and Ive had time to reflect on my efforts in what was a bitter-sweet experience. I was obviously upset about how I performed; I definitely trained and competed a lot better before the Games. I gave it my all and I guess I cant be too disappointed with myself, but it was tough not achieving my goals.If Im being honest, I think the pressure did get to me.In the 100m backstroke final, I wanted it so badly and I put so much pressure on myself to take home gold. I just tried too hard. I overdid the race, whereas when I swim at my best, Im confident and in control.Tactically, I put in too much effort too soon. When I race at my best, I go out easier and come home stronger so tactically, it wasnt what I would have liked. I thought I had to do more than what I probably needed to do at the time. In lane 1, I didnt know where the pack was. It was so hard and I wanted it so badly, and I sacrificed not sticking to my race plan because I wanted it so much.Pressure is a funny thing. Being my third Olympics, I thought the pressure wouldnt be so bad this time around. But it just goes to show that it doesnt matter how much experience you have; once you get there, its almost an even playing field, everyone can win.Thinking about my Olympics experience, its made me realise that athletes, myself included, probably dont train their mental skills hard enough compared to physical training.When I was younger, it was all about just training hard -- thats all you needed to worry about -- but now that Im older, its not just that. I think its where I can improve the most. Every time I swim, I wonder about what I can improve on and Im at the point where I dont know what else I can do, because I train so hard and always give 100 percent.So where do I go to now? I think its reasonable to suggest that its nnot always about who trains the hardest physically; its more about whos got the mental strength to do it.ddddddddddddI know there was a lot of talking about the Australian team under-performing, but I think thats unfair. Our main goal was to improve from London and the whole Australian team was super proud of what we achieved, because we beat what we did in London. I was so proud to be on the team; a few didnt quiet achieve the results they were after but we all put in our best and I know I was able to enjoy the moment over there.I definitely felt like I had a bad meet, but I still got hugs from everyone and it was really special, and I thoroughly enjoyed the team, probably more than I have for the past few years. Our team spirit was great; wed worked hard on bonding together since London. Were all so competitive that its hard to be too friendly with everyone but it was fantastic to get away together and cheer each other on.So where to now?Ive got plenty on to keep me busy and focused in the short-term, but Im not 100 percent sure that Ill get to the Tokyo Games in 2020. Im committed for the next two years but from there Ill see how I feel and how my body is feeling.If I swam at Tokyo, thatd be 12 years in the sport; Im not sure Id be able to commit for another four just yet.Rio was an amazing place, but as an athlete, I didnt get to enjoy the city and its attractions as much as a tourist is able to. But, I watched a lot of sports when I got some spare time: equestrian, basketball, athletics; it was fantastic to watch those sports, but the village was so far away that some places were really difficult to get to. But I did tick off a few bucket list items such as Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, which were amazing. Ill have to get back to Rio one day without the pressure of competing and experience the rest of what the city has to offer! ' ' '