to those players about competing and the importance of communicati

TEMPE, Ariz. --?Arizona State?running back Kalen Ballage tied the 26-year-old NCAA record for touchdowns in a game in the Sun Devils 68-55?win over Texas Tech on Saturday.Ballage equaled the mark of Howard Griffith, who scored eight times for Illinois in a 1990 win over Southern Illinois.Ballage, a junior from Peyton, Colorado,?rushed for seven touchdowns on 13 attempts, gaining 137 yards. His 75-yard run (a career long) with 9:11 to play in the fourth quarter allowed him to match the record.He also caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Manny Wilkins in the second quarter and finished with 185 all-purpose yards.?It wasnt me -- it was God and my offensive linemen, Ballage said in an on-field interview after the game.He later brought?his entire offensive line with him to the postgame news conference.These guys right here, every single one of them, they go to work, Ballage said.Ballage had scored nine touchdowns in his career before Saturday, including one on the ground in the Sun Devils season-opening win over?Northern Arizona. What was that middle school volleyball coach in Indianapolis thinking? You know, the one who cut Purdues Danielle Cuttino, back in eighth grade.The junior outside hitter, the espnW player of the week, posted a .333 hitting percentage in the Boilermakers victories at Stanford and against Cal Poly last weekend in the Stanford Invitational. That includes 18 kills and four blocks in the upset against then-No. 9 Stanford.Cuttino followed that up with a career-best 21 kills and four blocks against Cal Poly. Purdue (7-1) left the West Coast with a pair of wins good enough to move up six spots in this weeks American Volleyball Coaches Association poll to No. 14.There just cant be many people in the country who are playing at the level shes playing right now, Purdue coach Dave Shondell said.Cuttino holds no grudges about those early days when she was all about playing center for the basketball team.I was totally out of my comfort zone trying out for volleyball, said Cuttino, whose older sister, India, played volleyball for Vincennes University and younger sister, Shavona, is a redshirt freshman for the Boilermakers. I didnt even know the rules.But the following year, she wasnt terribly motivated about the work needed to get in top shape for basketball at Ben Davis High School.The reason I actually tried out again is because I wanted to get out of the conditioning for basketball season, she said.It didnt take so long before her new sport came naturally, and by sophomore year, Cuttino was MVP and joined a club team. By her senior season, Cuttino was a member of the U.S. junior national volleyball team and courted by many of the top college programs in the nation.Shondell considered the 6-foot-4 Cuttino a game-changer when she signed, and this year, thanks to a position change, thats proven to be the case.Shondell has only lost four players to transfer in his 14 years in West Lafayette, Indiana, two after the 2015 season when Lydia Dimke switched to Creighton and Alexa Smith to Colorado. Needing to boost Purdues outside hitting, he thought Cuttino, a middle blocker since high school, could make the transition best.Cuttino struggled against Kentucky on opening weekend, hitting .027 with 10 attack errors contributing to a 3-2 loss.After that Kentucky game, it made me sick, she said. I watched the film over and over again. I dont know why I was torturing myself, but I was, just to see how I could improve as aa player.dddddddddddd Once I watched the film, I saw so many things I was doing.Cuttino recognized her tendency to be overeager caused her to go for the ball too early instead of waiting for the set. A series of practices corrected her form.Shes been splendid since, hitting .354 during the past five matches and averaging 4.58 kills per set.Stay aggressive, Shondell often reminds. No one can stop you.Certainly the Cardinal couldnt, even after pulling out that first set 33-31 and coasting in the second, 25-12.When we went into the locker room, it was like we hadnt even played yet, Cuttino said. Once we started the third set, no one was tired. We took it one ball at a time. We knew it was doable to come away with the win.Purdue overcame a Stanford match point in the fourth set before surviving 28-26. Six kills from Cuttino in the fifth propelled the Boilermakers to a 15-11 victory.The following night against Cal Poly, Cuttino hit a team-best .447; her 21 kills put her over 500 for her career. More than the numbers, Shondell appreciated the leadership Cuttino showed on the bench.Purdue dropped the third game of the set against the Mustangs and a sluggish start in the fourth caused him to call a timeout. Danielle was out of the game at that time, but she delivered a lip sandwich to our team, Shondell said. She got into those players about competing and the importance of communicating. A year ago she wouldnt have done that.The maturity shes shown in the last six months is unlike anything Ive seen.A year ago, Cuttino, also this weeks Big Ten player of the week, said she would have deferred to Purdues six upperclassmen. The mass communications major has grown increasingly comfortable being outspoken with help from Purdues John Wooden Leadership Institute, which utilizes the legendary coachs Pyramid of Success to foster the personal growth of its student-athletes.Ive learned when its appropriate to say certain things and when its not, she said.Now Cuttino is hyped about how high the Boilermakers, picked ninth in the Big Ten, can climb in the sports toughest conference. Seven Big Ten teams are represented in the top 25 and three are in the top 10.She likes their chances, noting, I try not to get in my own head too much, but Coach has told me, Be fearless. No one can stop you. ' ' '