Geelongs defence will be tasked with an onerous job on Saturday, shutting down the AFLs most productive forward line.But the challenge of facing in-form Adelaide in a crunch clash at home is being savoured by Tom Ruggles.Ruggles is set to play his 13th game, having been upgraded off the rookie list earlier this year.Few of those starts have been as important as the upcoming round-17 match.Four premiership points and half a percentage point is all that separates seventh-placed Geelong and second-placed Adelaide on the ladder.Their forward line is probably the best forward line in the competition. We know weve got a big challenge, Ruggles told AAP.But in saying that, I feel weve probably got the best defensive group in the comp. Harry Taylor, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright and Andrew Mackie have all played a lot of games and won some flags.Its going to be a great battle and one were definitely looking forward to.Cats coach Chris Scott has been forced to reshuffle his back line following Lachie Hendersons concussion.Andrew Mackie could find himself matching up on Tom Lynch, while small defender Jed Bews has been recalled in the absence of Henderson.Bews has played only three AFL games this year but did a serviceable job on Crows livewire Eddie Betts in round eight, when Geelong recorded a 26-point win at Adelaide Oval.Last time we faced them, Tom Lonergan was knocked out in the first few minutes and we were still able to play how we wanted to play, Ruggles said.Its no different this weekend (having to adapt without Henderson).Obviously our last month has been inconsistent and we havent played that sort of football but were confident we can turn it around pretty quickly.Ruggles, who earned a rookie contract after winning Geelongs VFL best and fairest award in 2015, suggested the calming influence of the clubs defensive generals helped him make the step up to AFL.Its made my life a lot easier, having those guys there with so much experience, the 24-year-old said.Theres been a few times in games when Harry has come up to me and helped me forget about a little mistake, focus on the next contest.Last week I had a good chat with Corey after an intense last quarter.He gave me some great advice about staying composed, not always trying to do the safe thing when the game is on the line. Cheap Football Jerseys China . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Cheap Nike NFL 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. http://www.cheapfootballjerseysoutlet.com/ . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Wholesale Football Jerseys . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Discount Football Jerseys . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. SEATTLE -- Even in an alternate reality, the results Chris Petersen has gotten from his team would likely be the same.Except it might not be Washington that Petersen has ranked No. 4 in the country and positioned for a run at a Pac-12 championship and the College Football Playoff. If the decisions made in late 2013 played out differently, Petersen could just as easily be having this much success at USC.But its the Huskies (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12, No. 4 CFP) that Petersen has on the verge of a special season with Saturdays game against USC as one of the biggest remaining obstacles on Washingtons schedule.You put the tape on and youre like `OK, first of all its USC. Then you put it on and its like, `Oh, OK. I get it. I know why there winning now, Petersen said. Theyre playing really good and they have that talent theyve always had.Petersen is correct that the Trojans are surging. After the shaky beginning to the season and the switch to redshirt freshman Sam Darnold at quarterback, the Trojans have looked the part for more than a month of being arguably the most talented team in the Pac-12. USC (6-3, 5-2) is not ranked in the Top 25 but did find its way into the CFP rankings this week at No. 20. The five-game win streak is the longest of any team in the Pac-12 outside the state of Washington.You earn respect by winning ballgames, thats just a fact, USC coach Clay Helton said. The reason that we are where we are is we have had a good run, and now weve got to keep that run going if we want to climb further.While Oregon and Washington State are the true rivals for the Huskies, there is a lengthy history of important benchmark wins against USC. One of those came last year . Even in a season where Washington finished with just seven wins, a 17-12 victory over the Trojans in Los Angeles was important in helping validate what Petersen was trying to build.Saturday could be another one of those moments, even though Washington is the favorite. No team in the Pac-12 South is hotter than the Trojans and a win would certainly boost Washingtons resume in the opinion of the College Football Playoff committee.I think our guys know. You know how big a game this is; its USC, all those type of things, Petersen said. Everybody. I certainly wouldnt do it thinking I need to get these guys more motivated and fired up.dddddddddddderes what else to watch as Washington goes for two straight over the Trojans:YOUNG GUNS: Washington QB Jake Browning continues to put up record-setting numbers that have put him into the Heisman Trophy discussion. Browning has already set a single-season school record with 34 touchdown passes after throwing for six TDs last week against California.Not to be outdone is how well Darnold has played during USCs streak. In six games as the starter, Darnold has thrown 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His pass efficiency rating of 168.1 ranks seventh nationally -- but still lags far behind Browning and his national-leading mark of 202.8.TAILBACK U: Over the past three games, Ronald Jones II has been responsible for the rediscovery of the Trojans run game. Jones rushed for 223 yards two weeks ago against California and followed up with 171 yards and four touchdowns last week against Oregon. The growth of the run game is part of the reason USC has scored 40 or more points in four of the past five games.SPEED VS. SPEED: There might not be a more entertaining individual matchup than Washington wide receiver John Ross against USC cornerback Adoree Jackson. The duo is among the two fastest players in the Pac-12 and each among the elite at their positions. Jackson will be trying to slow down Ross march toward at school record in touchdown receptions. After a career-high 208 yards receiving and three touchdowns last week against California, Ross is just four TD receptions shy of the single-season school mark of 18 held by Mario Bailey.MAKING STOPS: USCs defense held Oregon to 288 total yards last week, the fewest yards by the Ducks since 2009. The task against Washington will be more difficult. The Huskies have the No. 2 scoring offense in the country averaging 48.3 points per game and last week against California had 31 first downs, rolled up 704 total yards and scored on 10 drives.---More AP college football at http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '