NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota is showing he can take good care of the football after the Tennessee quarterback took some well-deserved criticism for too many turnovers in his young career.Mariota and his Titans teammates have not turned the ball over in back-to-back games and in three of the last four overall; they are 2-2 in those contests.The second-year signal caller shared the credit with all of the Tennessee offense Wednesday when asked about the improved ball security. Wide receiver Rishard Matthews pointed the finger back at the quarterback.Hes doing a good job making the calls, making the adjustments and getting the ball out when he needs to or taking off if he needs to, Matthews said. So its all on him controlling the ball and everything.That has allowed the Titans (5-6) to improve their turnover ratio to minus-2 in a season where theyve had eight interceptions and lost five fumbles. Mariota was intercepted five times through the Titans 1/3 start, and now he has been picked off just three times over the past seven games.Coach Mike Mularkey said ball security has been a top priority and that the Titans cant talk about it anymore than they do or practice it anymore. The coach believes experience is helping Mariota learn and improve with now 23 career starts.Its some of the bad experiences of what has happened because of those turnovers and the results of some of the turnovers, Mularkey said. Thats a tough lesson to learn for a player. I promise you thats part of the process of him learning how to take care of the football.Mariota also is benefiting from better protection. Hes only been sacked 18 times this season, and thats allowing him to throw the ball down the field more. He currently is tied with Andrew Luck for third in the NFL for the most completions of 20 yards or longer. Mariota has 41 such completions, seven of those for touchdowns, putting behind only Atlantas Matt Ryan (46) and Drew Brees (42).Chicago coach John Fox, who will look to force Mariota into a couple of turnovers when the Titans visit his Bears (2-8) on Sunday, has been impressed.I think Marcus is doing an outstanding job delivering the ball with still keeping emphasis in the run game, Fox said in a conference call.The second-year quarterback also has thrown two or more TDs while posting a passer rating of at least 100 in nine of his 23 games. If he does it again Sunday, Mariota would be just the fourth player in NFL history to do that 10 times in his first two seasons behind Dan Marino (14), Russell Wilson of Seattle (12) and Kurt Warner with St. Louis (11).In franchise history, only four quarterbacks have done that at least 10 times in their entire career led by Steve McNair (29), Warren Moon (26), George Blanda (17) and Dan Pastorini (10).Tennessee is trying to stay in the playoff chase with five games left, and Matthews said having Mariota helps.Weve been fortunate to have Marcus healthy, knock on wood, and hopefully he can continue to make plays for us, Matthews said.Game notes The Titans gave RB DeMarco Murray (toe) the day off Wednesday. LT Taylor Lewan (left knee), CB Brice McCain (knee) and TE Phillip Supernaw (concussion) also did not practice. Mularkey said Lewan is being evaluated daily and hope he can play Sunday. ... The Titans announced a $25,000 donation to The Woodmore Fund for the families of the victims in the Chattanooga bus crash that killed five children Monday. They also will wear a helmet sticker W.E.S. for Woodmore Elementary against the Bears.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL.---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalkerCheap Nike Running Shoes Online . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. Nike Running Shoes Clearance Sale . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheapnikerunningshoes.com/ . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Nike Running Shoes Clearance . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Wholesale Nike Running Shoes .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- After opening the season with a pair of tight victories, Maryland really needed a stress-free matchup against an inferior opponent.That is precisely what the Terrapins got.Damonte Dodd had 13 points and 10 rebounds, L.G. Gill scored 15 and Maryland cruised past St. Marys 93-45 on Thursday night.Its nice to have something like this, coach Mark Turgeon said after the Terps (3-0) overwhelmed their in-state Division III opponent.The blowout came after the Terrapins squeezed past American and won an emotional thriller on Tuesday at Georgetown.We didnt put any prep into it. Thats really the grind of the season, Turgeon said. We put so much into American and Georgetown, it was nice just to show up and play a game.Turgeon started three freshmen, along with Dodd and junior guard Melo Trimble. Two of those first-year players, Anthony Cowan and Justin Jackson, combined for 10 of Marylands first 11 points.Ten different players scored in the first half for the Terrapins, who led 13-2, 21-3 and 26-6 before an 18-4 run made it 44-10.The 6-foot-11 Dodd is three inches taller than anyone on the St. Marys roster. He dominated the lane on both ends and had three blocked shots.It feels good, Dodd said. It was fun to be out there. They tried their hardest. They had some really good players. But it was nice to have a blowout and get our rhythm on defense and offense. This really helps us a lot going into the next game.Trimble, the star of the team, contributed seven points in 15 minutes. Freshman Kevin Huerter and Jaylen Brantley each scored 11.Tre Mouton scored 16 for the Seahawks (1-1), a member of the Capital Athletic Conference. St. Marys was coming off a 95-66 win over Penn State Altoona, but this obviously represented a huge leap in the level of competition.I told the guys to be proud of the effort you put out there, coach Chris Harney said.dddddddddddd You never know how bad it could have been. We could have been walking out of here (having lost) 150-10. Clearly, it was two different teams as far as size and skill.The Seahawks opened by going 1 for 7 from the floor with seven turnovers and did not make successive baskets until midway through the second half.This marked the fourth time in 12 years under Harney that the Seahawks faced a team higher than Division III. Theyre 0-4 in those games.YOUTH IS SERVEDSt. Marys: Because the Seahawks are in rebuilding mode, Harney was particularly pleased with his teams performance. We dont have any seniors, we have a pretty young team. This for us was really preparation for our season in Division III.Maryland: The freshmen shined -- Jackson had 10 rebounds, Cowan finished with eight points and seven assists, and Huerter led the team with five field goals. But Turgeon was most impressed with sophomore center Ivan Bender, who had seven rebounds and six points in 18 minutes. Hes the most improved player on our roster, the coach said.THE TAKEAWAYSt. Marys: The Seahawks took a beating, but at least they got to play in a major college arena before resuming a schedule that includes road games against Wesley and Christopher Newport.Maryland: The Terrapins received a modest workout in a game situation. The low-pressure scenario enabled Turgeon to shuffle his freshmen and work on plays that will be useful in the future.UP NEXTSt. Marys faces Baldwin Wallace on Saturday in the Dan Greene Memorial Invitational.Maryland hosts another in-state foe, Towson, on Sunday afternoon. ' ' '