Randle El

Jean Cajou and Will Holland each scored 14 points and host Mount St. Mary's cruised to a 65-50 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) (11-19) in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference tournament Thursday night. It was the 11th straight win for the third-seeded Mountaineers (16-14), who will play No. 2 seed Robert Morris in the semifinals on Sunday. Kelly Beidler added 13 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and four steals for the Mountaineers. Shawn Atupem , the Northeast Conference Player of the Week, was held to eight points.

LANDOVER // The Washington Redskins were the teamtrying to salvage one last morsel of satisfaction out of their long lost season, and the New York Giants were the team trying to hang on to their quickly unraveling playoff hopes. Playing for the postseason still trumps playing for pride, even to a team in the midst of a tumultuous second-half collapse. Tiki Barber, who has announced that he will likely retire after the season, did his best to extend what could be a Hall of Fame career for at least another game, possibly saved coach Tom Coughlin?

Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have "one for the thumb," they could be a handful for years to come. The Steelers have 18 of 22 starters under contract for next season, including their best rusher, leading receiver, entire offensive line and all but one of their top seven tacklers. They have ever-improving Ben Roethlisberger, who has a 27-4 record in two years as a starting quarterback (including 5-1 in postseason). And they have removed a long-standing, emotional roadblock with a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Ravens run offense vs. Steelers run defense The only time Jamal Lewis ran hard this season was three weeks ago in Pittsburgh, where he was still held to 61 yards (which is about his career average against the Steelers). Other than that game, it has been a weekly repeat: Lewis heading into the line for little to no gain. The offensive line will undergo its first change this season, with right guard Brian Rimpf and right tackle Tony Pashos expected to make their first career starts because of injuries.

PITTSBURGH -- The Washington Redskins have heard this story before -- except for one minor twist. The offense struggled, running back Clinton Portis was practically invisible, and the defense's work against one of the NFL's most overpowering offenses went unrewarded as Washington dropped a 16-7 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers before 63,707 at Heinz Field yesterday. To add to the misery of a 3-8 record and the team's third straight loss and fourth in five games, ESPN reported yesterday that Joe Gibbs might not return as coach next season because of diabetes, but would become the franchise's general manager.

DEFENSE RULES Massachusetts held Northeastern to 72 total yards in a 27-0 victory. ... Texas Christian forced seven Wyoming turnovers - all by Corey Bramlet, who threw four interceptions and fumbled three times. STREAKS Nebraska lost a homecoming game for the first time since 1968. ... Baylor won a conference game on the road for the first time in 10 years. The Bears had been 0-37 on the road in the Big 12 and had lost 38 straight conference games overall away from home before beating Iowa State, 23-13.

George Kokinis, the Ravens' pro personnel director, sizes up the top matchup against the Bears : The players An undrafted free agent in 2004, Sams set a franchise record last season with 1,826 combined return yards. He scored two touchdowns on punt returns as a rookie. Sams broke a season-long 51-yard return last Sunday and now leads the AFC with a 13.1-yard average. Wade, a fifth-round pick in the 2003 draft, is in his first year as the Bears' primary punt returner. He returned just two punts in his rookie season before breaking out this year.

Steelers (13-5) @Broncos (14-3) Time, TV -- 3 p.m., chs. 13, 9 Line -- Broncos by 3 Steelers offense vs. Broncos defense -- Unlike last Sunday, the Steelers likely will try to pound the ball against a Denver defense that allowed three 100-yard rushers all season. The reason is Pittsburgh's familiarity with the Broncos' front four, which was transplanted from the Cleveland Browns. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has to be careful against a Denver secondary that had 20 interceptions in the regular season.

A summary of the Washington Redskins' 36-22 loss to the Indianapolis Colts: What went right -- The Redskins played well in the first half, putting some pressure on Peyton Manning after he drove the Colts 92 yards on their opening possession. They also took a 14-10 lead with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Chris Cooley, and an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown by Antwaan Randle El. What went wrong -- The third quarter. The Redskins were outscored 20-0, outgained 202-63, - actually, Colts running back Joseph Addai outgained them by 1 - and outcoached.

ASHBURN, Va. -- At practice here last week, the Washington Redskins simulated what it would be like to play against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick by using wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, who played the position in college at Indiana. The Redskins also had some other make-believe: fantasizing that today's game against the Falcons at FedEx Field is a playoff game in January instead of one between two teams barely hanging on to their postseason dreams in early December. Falcons @Redskins Today, 1 p.m., Ch. 5, 1430 AM Line: Redskins by 1 1/2 Today's TV games Vikings (5-6)