MONTREAL -- Troy Smith is ready to hear Anthony Calvillos name mentioned every time he lines up at quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes. Lionel Messi Jersey . The Heisman Trophy-winning pivot, who joined the Alouettes midway through last season, will be the clubs first opening-game starter other than Calvillo in 15 years when Montreal plays its first game of the 2014 CFL regular season at Calgary on Saturday. They are massive shoes to fill, with Calvillo having retired in the off-season as the leagues all-time passing leader. "Ill never stop hearing those references," Smith said this week. "I think its great to be mentioned with a great name like that. "I havent done nearly the things he has, and just holding onto his coattails a bit has been fun so far. But as a man, I definitely want to make my own path. Thats why Im here." Smith takes over the key position on a team that was a powerhouse for most of Calvillos time behind centre, but which has been sliding in recent seasons. And even though they remain well-stocked with top talent at many positions, the Alouettes are perceived as a team in decline. Last season was a disaster, with the inexperienced Dan Hawkins fired as head coach only five games into the season, followed shortly by a season-ending, and career-ending, injury to Calvillo. They finished 8-10, tying their worst record since they returned to Montreal after a 10-year gap in 1996, and lost to Hamilton in the East Division semifinal. This season hasnt started well either, with team architect Jim Popps bid to keep the head coaching as well as general managing job turned down. Tom Higgins, who was out of coaching since 2007, was named the new head coach, but the offensive co-ordinator he hired, Rick Worman, was fired midway through training camp. Then the club lost both its pre-season games, including a 26-10 setback at home against expansion Ottawa in which they failed to score a touchdown with new OC Ryan Dinwiddie calling the plays. Smith was not sharp while playing just over half of that game, but neither were backups Tanner Marsh and Alex Brink. All three got starts last season, with Smith emerging as the most promising to take over the top job. Now he has to play well enough to keep it. "I dont look at it as a transition year," said Popp. "That was last year. "Theres going to be a transition, but we were faced with this starting in Game 6, and we played two thirds of the year without Anthony Calvillo, knowing he probably wasnt coming back. "We had four different quarterbacks that won games and the team realized they could win without Anthony. That was a big hurdle. Its a little nerve-wracking, but like with all great players you lose, you just have to march on. Its not so much to replace that guy, but to find someone you can win with. How great theyll be, well find out." There were two main positives to come out of the off-season. One was the return of Larry Taylor, who gives them a kick return threat they havent had in recent seasons. Another was the signing of former NFL star receiver Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson, who so far looks to have a positive influence on and off the field. The 36-year-old Johnson has been out of football for two years, but Popp said he showed up in shape and has been a "great fit." "I think he can do great things for us," Popp said. "Every time we play somebody, their attention is on him, and not on S.J. Green and Duran Carter. So if hes an attention grabber and everyones talking about him, great. Chads used to that. And Chad, with each game and experience he has in this league, is only going to get better as the season goes along." Smith will have an impressive set of receivers with Green, Carter, Johnson, Taylor, Brandon London, Eric Deslauriers and the repatriated Dave Stala. Gone are Jamel Richardson, who had a knee injury and was cut, and veteran Arland Bruce. "Weve got the best receiving corps in the league," said Popp, who is particularly high on Carter, the son of former NFL great Cris Carter, who gained 909 yards in only 12 games after making his CFL debut in August. "All I say is CFL, enjoy what youre watching because youll be watching him in the NFL next season, Hell have the majority of NFL teams after him, and were not talking about as a third or fourth receiver. He can go in and have an impact like Cam Wake. Hes at that level." There is a first-rate running back in Brandon Whitaker and a solid offensive line anchored by left tackle Josh Bourke, despite the retirements of Scott Flory and Andrew Woodruff and the departure of Michael Ola to the NFL. The defence lost starting middle linebacker Shea Emry to Toronto, but should remain among the leagues best under defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe with veterans like rush end John Bowman and linebacker Chip Cox leading the unit. The Alouettes kick teams have been weak for the last three seasons, including when Marc Trestman was head coach and didnt name a full-time special teams co-ordinator. But they looked good both on returns and kick coverage in the pre-season and they may be a key area of improvement. Taylors ability to avoid the first wave to pick up extra yardage should be a bonus. It will likely take some time for the offence to jell. And if it turns out that Smith doesnt have what it takes to be a regular CFL starter, it could be a long season indeed. Starting the campaign against Calgary, followed by a home game against B.C., should give Higgins and idea of what it will take to re-establish Montreals reputation as a Grey Cup contender. "Every indication is that Troy Smiths going to be our guy, but sometimes there are growing pains," said Higgins. "If you look at Anthonys career, at the start it wasnt as stellar as it was at the end. "All that being said, (Smith) comes with good intangibles. Hes from a good program. Hes got the system down. Practices are going good. So lets see him get measured up against the best." Nahuel Guzman Jersey .Do you have to be that close? Federer snapped at a TV cameraman hovering nearby as he received medical advice after losing a set on Wednesday.For Nadal and Sharapova, the nuisance was coming from the lowly-ranked qualifiers across the net. Manuel Lanzini Argentina Jersey .com)LeBron clearly likes his Italian sports cars, and thats ok with me, so up next up is the 458 Spider. http://www.argentinasoccerauthentic.com/Giovani-Lo-Celso-Copa-America-Jersey/ .C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday.Las Vegas, NV (SportsNetwork.com) - No. 3 Arizona had won 39 consecutive non- conference games in the regular season, the longest active streak in Division I mens basketball. That run is now over thanks to a 71-67 loss to UNLV on Tuesday. Christian Wood scored a career-high 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Runnin Rebels (8-3). Final Score: (4) Louisville 80, CS-Northridge 55 Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Wayne Blackshear stepped up in Montrezl Harrells absence and scored a career-high 31 points to help No. 4 Louisville take down Cal State-Northridge, 80-55, in its final tune-up before Saturdays showdown with Kentucky. Blackshear was given a larger role on Tuesday with Harrell, a preseason All- American, serving a one-game suspension and the senior delivered in a big way. Blackshear shot 11-for-17 from the floor, made six 3-pointers and pulled down six rebounds. Terry Rozier added 16 points for the Cardinals (11-0), who will look to stay unbeaten when they host No. 1 Kentucky at the KFC Yum! Center this weekend. Stephen Maxwell and Stephan Hicks posted 20 and 19 points, respectively, for Northridge (3-10). Final Score: (7) Villanova 92, NJIT 67 Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Dylan Ennis led six players in double figures with 17 points, as No. 7 Villanova subdued NJIT by a 92-67 count at the Pavilion in a game which was much closer than the score indicated -- or the matchup might suggest -- for quite some time. Ryan Arcidiacono added 16 for the Wildcats (12-0), who trailed by as many as seven early in the second half but who used a surge shortly thereafter which ultimately led them to victory. Phil Booth contributed 14 points and Daniel Ochefu picked up 13 points with 10 rebounds for Villanova, which hadnt won 12 games to begin a season since 1961-62. Damon Lynn provided 13 points for the Highlanders (5-8), who fell short in their bid for a second shocking road victory against a ranked opponent this year. Tim Coleman poured in 12 and Winfield Willis had 10 before fouling out. Final Score: Stanford 74, (9) Texas 71 (OT) Austin, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Anthony Brown scored a season-high 25 points, including the go-ahead layup with 1:08 remaining in overtime,, as Stanford upset No. Maximiliano Meza Argentina Jersey. 9 Texas 74-71 at the Erwin Center. Chasson Randle added 22 points and combined with Brown to go 7-of-12 from 3- point range to help the Cardinal snap a 15-game win streak for the Longhorns on their home court. Stanford (7-3) shot 43.3 percent from the field, the highest percentage by any Texas opponent this season, and received a career-best 14 rebounds from freshman Reid Travis to earn their first true road win in 2013-14. Javan Felix finished with 19 points for Texas (10-2), but missed a contested 3-point try with time winding down in overtime that sealed the outcome. Jonathan Holmes and Kendal Yancy each had 14 points in the loss. Final Score: (11) Wichita State 80, Hawaii 79 (OT) Honolulu, HI (SportsNetwork.com) - Rashard Kelly scored a career-high 12 points and sent Wichita State into the finals of the Diamond Head Classic with a tip-in late in overtime. Ron Baker scored 17 points, Fred VanVleet had 13 and the 11th-ranked Shockers survived a scare from Hawaii in Tuesdays semifinals, edging the host Rainbow Warriors 80-79. Wichita State trailed by three with a minute remaining in the extra session. Darius Carter made 1-of-2 from the foul line and VanVleet hit from deep, giving the Shockers a one-point lead. Roderick Bobbitt then slashed to the rim and dropped off to Michael Thomas, who restored Hawaiis lead with a layup. But out of a timeout, Kelly played the role of hero for the Shockers. VanVleet put up a triple from the right wing, and Kelly timed his offensive rebound perfectly and got his tip to fall with 3.8 seconds showing. Out of timeouts, Bobbitt pushed the ball and found Thomas, whose off-balanced jumper missed as time expired. Wichita State (10-1) will meet George Washington in the finals. Final Score: (14) Utah 80, South Dakota State 66 Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Brekkott Chapman had 22 points, Delon Wright scored 17 and No. 14 Utah beat South Dakota State 80-66 on Tuesday. Dakarai Tucker added 11 points for the Utes (9-2), who have won two in a row since falling to No. 10 Kansas two Saturdays ago. Cody Larson scored 13 points and Reed Tellinghuisen chipped in 12 to lead the Jackrabbits (9-4), who had a seven-game winning streak snapped. ' ' '