MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Iowa State and Tulsa don't necessarily think of the Liberty Bowl as a rematch, even though they faced each other Sept. 1 in the season opener for both teams.

So much has changed since Iowa State's 38-23 victory over Tulsa that both teams feel as though they'll be facing an entirely new opponent Monday in a game sponsored by AutoZone.

''Obviously they look like a completely different team, as do we,'' Tulsa defensive end Cory Dorris said.

Tulsa (10-3) seeks its second 11-win season in school history. Iowa State (6-6) is aiming for its second winning season in the last seven years.

Iowa State's depth chart reveals how much has changed since these teams last met.

Steele Jantz threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score in the regular-season victory over Tulsa. He has since been replaced by Sam Richardson.

Shontrelle Johnson, who rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown against Tulsa in September, will sit out the Liberty Bowl with a knee injury. Iowa State linebacker Jake Knott, who had 11 tackles in the Sept. 1 matchup, missed the Cyclones' last four regular-season games with a shoulder injury and also won't play Monday.

''It isn't the same team we had in Week One,'' Iowa State running back James White said.

White, who has rushed for 469 yards on 89 carries this season, replaces Johnson as the Cyclones' main running back. He will be joined in the backfield by Richardson, who threw seven touchdown passes without an interception and rushed for 162 yards in Iowa State's final two regular-season games.

Richardson faces a Tulsa defense that has recorded 48 sacks and 104 tackles for loss to set school records in each category. Tulsa ranks third in the nation in sacks per game and fourth in tackles for loss per game.

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Liberty Bowl offers different kind of rematch

Azoff

LOS ANGELES Irving Azoff, the longtime manager of the Eagles band, is resigning as chairman of concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and selling off 1.7 million shares to Liberty Media Corp.

Azoff, 65, will continue to manage the acts that he brought to the company, including the Eagles and Christina Aguilera, but he will no longer be the CEO of Front Line, the artist management company he sold to Ticketmaster in 2008.

Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in January 2010 after intense government scrutiny, said in a statement it did not expect Azoff's departure or the restructuring to have a material impact on its operating results.

The announcement followed word from Live Nation on Friday that it had extended the term of CEO Michael Rapino for another three years, through December 2017.

Liberty Media's stake in Live Nation will increase to 26.4 percent from about 25.5 percent previously. It was not clear if Liberty intends to boost its stake further or seek majority control. A Liberty spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Live Nation is now well positioned and we have tremendous confidence in Michael Rapino and his leadership team," said Liberty CEO Greg Maffei. Liberty Media is controlled by billionaire John Malone.

Live Nation's merger with Ticketmaster sparked industry concern because of the grip the concert promoter and venue owner would have on the live music industry. Ticketmaster remains by far the largest seller of tickets to concerts and sporting events in the country.

Liberty, meanwhile, has taken greater interest in the company, regularly calling on Rapino to address investors at its conferences. In September 2010, media mogul Barry Diller resigned as Live Nation's chairman in what was described as a boardroom struggle with Malone.

Read more here:

Liberty Media buys 1.7 million shares of Live Nation stock

From Liberty athletics:

CULLOWHEE, N.C. The Liberty men's basketball closed 2012 with its third straight win, defeating Western Carolina, 63-62.

With the Flames trailing by one with five seconds on the clock, the Catamounts called a timeout with none left, leading to a technical foul on the home team. The infraction sent Tavares Speaks to the foul line, where he connected on both free throws. Liberty stopped Western Carolina on the next possession to earn their first victory over a Division I opponent, this season.

Liberty moves to 4-10 on the year despite committing a season-high 24 turnovers. The Flames' miscues are the most in exactly two years. Liberty committed 25 turnovers in a 64-62 overtime win at Gardner-Webb, on Dec. 31, 2010.

The Catamounts fall to 4-9 overall. The Flames now lead the all-time series between the two squads, 2-1.

Speaks led Liberty with 13 points. Tomasz Gielo and Flames' leading scorer Davon Marshall chipped in 10 tallies. Gielo also garnered Liberty's fourth double-double of the season, grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds.

John Caleb Sanders and Joel Vander Pol each recorded nine points. Vander Pol also swatted a career-high four blocks, the most by a Flame, this season.

Entering the contest averaging over 16 points, Trey Sumler lived up to the billing, pacing the Catamounts with 23 points.

In the early going, Speaks found Marshall open on a 2-on-1 fast break layup to put the Flames up by three. The Catamounts countered with four answered points to take the lead. Joel Vander Pol then put Liberty back on top with a traditional three-point play. Once again, Western Carolina responded, this time connecting on a pair free throws and a Sumler three-pointer. The trey put the Catamounts ahead, 15-12, at 9:03.

With Western Carolina still holding a three-point lead at the 3:24 mark, the Flames closed out the period with a 10-0 run to carry a seven-point lead into the locker room. Speaks highlighted the surge with four points, including a thunderous fast break jam, ultimately putting Liberty up, 29-22, at halftime.

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Liberty Catches a Break

(USA Today Sports Images)

Liberty Bowl Iowa State (6-6) vs. Tulsa (10-3) Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

About the Cyclones: Iowa State started the season 4-1, but lost five of its final seven to stumble into bowl eligibility. The Cyclones are led by freshman quarterback Sam Richardson, who became the starter after leading Iowa State to a 53-21 victory against Kansas. That win got the Cyclones bowl eligible, but then they lost their season finale to West Virginia. Iowa State doesnt really do anything exceptionally well on offense and it will probably struggle on defense without All-Big 12 linebacker Jake Knott, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.

About the Golden Hurricane: Tulsa has come a long way since these teams met in the season opener and have been especially good down the stretch. The Golden Hurricane are coming off a Conference USA title game win over Central Florida and have to be looking for revenge after blowing a lead the first time these two teams met. Quarterback Cody Green has thrown nine touchdowns in his last four games, but the workhorses for the Golden Hurricane have been the running backs. Alex Singleton, who has a school-record 41 career touchdowns, Trey Watts and Ja'Terian Douglas each have at least 700 yards this season, which makes them one of the most versatile running games in the country.

(USA Today Sports Images)Key number: 240.2 The Golden Hurricane has the 11th-best rushing game in the country averaging 240.2 yards per game.

The breakdown: This game is a rematch of both teams season opener. In that game, Iowa State handled Tulsa 38-23, but the two teams have gone in very different directions since. Tulsa has thrived while Iowa State has stumbled and the Golden Hurricane will be out to exact what ended up being the worst loss of the season. This game will be all about Tulsas running game, which hasnt been stopped by many teams so far this season. In the first meeting, Green had 49 attempts, just 198 yards and two interceptions, so look for them to emphasize the ground game Monday.

Predictions Frank Schwab: Tulsa 28, Iowa State 24 Iowa State beat Tulsa on Sept. 1, but Tulsa is a better team now. Meanwhile, Iowa State is 6-6 and its only win since October came against Kansas. Tulsa will pull out a late win.

Graham Watson: Tulsa 35, Iowa State 21 Tulsas offense is a lot better since the first time these two teams met and it will be eager to show it. The running game should find a lot of success against a beat up defense and this game will probably get out of hand early.

- - - Got a tip for Dr. Saturday? Email us at dr.saturday@ymail.com . You can also connect with us via Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.

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Liberty Bowl preview: Iowa State vs. Tulsa

What could be more patriotic than an upended bronze bell filled with reasonably-priced auto parts?

The 2012 Liberty Bowl is just hours away. Were sure you have so many questions. Were here to help. (For an Xs and Os breakdown, click through to Zac Ellis game preview.)

Whats all this, then?This heres the Liberty Bowl. Its logo is the Liberty Bell. The game is played in Memphis. Why is the logo not a pyramid? The Liberty Bowl originated in Philadelphia, and continues to honor its roots with a bell-shaped trophy and the Spirit of 1776 Award.

Where will this game be played? Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, also home to the Memphis Tigers and, for one glorious season, the XFLs Memphis Maniax. And some other teams. None with a name like Maniax.

When is it on television? Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, with Mark Jones and Brock Huard in the booth and Jessica Mendoza on the sidelines.

Whom does it feature? Current tie-ins are Conference USA and SEC.

What about this year?In the interest of cozying up to the Big 12, bowl organizers selected 6-6 Iowa State to face 10-3 Tulsa. THAT IS A PRETTY DIFFERENT RECORD THIS IS GONNA BE A BLOWOUT. Check the regular-season schedule, dear reader: The Cyclones and Golden Hurricane met in Ames in Week 1, and Tulsa pulled the upset. ALL WEATHER MASCOTS BOWL WOOOOOOO. Thats probably a better sentiment.

Does the bowl have a social media presence? There is a Twitter account that seems to prefer Facebook:

What wacky activities will be on offer during bowl week? This being Memphis, there is naturally a rib-eating contest to be endured.

Whats the pick? Stewart Mandel: Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Richardson took over the Cyclones job in their 11th game, and he has been impressive to date (187 rushing yards, 62.1 completion percentage, seven touchdowns, no interceptions). Iowa State will need him to be sharp to make up for an injury-depleted defense that is unlikely to hold Tulsas attack (35 points per game) to the 23 points it did in their Sept. 1 clash.

Read more here:

Liberty Bowl preview

TSX:LBE

TORONTO , Dec. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Liberty Mines Inc. (LBE:TSX) ("Liberty" or the "Company") today announced that it has reached an agreement to extend the maturity date to March 14, 2014 for two separate loan and restructuring agreements previously signed with Jien International Investment Ltd.

"We are very pleased with Jien's continued support and commitment to Liberty," said Chris Stewart , President and CEO of Liberty Mines. "Extending the terms of our financing agreements is an important step towards ensuring our long-term viability, particularly with the recovery of nickel prices expected in the near term."

The loan agreement was originally signed on June 30, 2011 , and provided Liberty a fully-drawn term loan of C$28,914,849.06 and a fully-drawn revolving loan in the principal amount of C$20,000,000. Its original maturity date was December 31, 2012 .

The restructuring agreement, which was dated September 7, 2012 , included provisions for restructuring of further advances to the Company from Jien International Investment Ltd. during 2012. The restructuring agreement also included a C$5,000,000 credit facility, of which C$1,000,000 has been extended to Liberty to date and which expires on December 31, 2012 .

The above transactions are subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approvals.

For additional information on the Company's outstanding debt obligations, please see its Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 which are available at http://www.sedar.com.

Jien International Investment Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jilin Jien Nickel Industry Co., an integrated nonferrous metals enterprise principally involved in the production and sale of nickel sulfate, nickel matte, electrolytic nickel, nickel hydroxide, nickel chloride, copper sulfate, copper concentrate and sulfuric acid. Combined, Jien International Investment and Jilin Jien Nickel Industry Co. own approximately 60 percent of Liberty's total number of outstanding shares.

About Liberty Mines Inc. Liberty Mines Inc. is a mid-tier producer of nickel and is focused on the exploration, development and production of nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals from its properties in Ontario, Canada . It owns and operates the only nickel concentrator in the Shaw Dome, a prospective nickel belt region near Timmins, Ontario. With a new management team in place, Liberty is focused on growth initiatives not only through a more aggressive exploration program on its current properties but also through potential acquisition or partnership opportunities beyond its core Timmins area projects.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This News Release includes certain "forward looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of Liberty, are forward looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Liberty's expectations are: exploration risks; commodity prices; regulatory approvals; receipt of mining permits and leases; and assumed startup and operating costs detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Liberty with securities regulators. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement or reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, except where required by securities regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The rest is here:

Liberty Mines Amends Financing Agreements

What could be more patriotic than an upended bronze bell filled with reasonably-priced auto parts?

The 2012 Liberty Bowl is just hours away. Were sure you have so many questions. Were here to help. (For an Xs and Os breakdown, click through to Zac Ellis game preview.)

Whats all this, then?This heres the Liberty Bowl. Its logo is the Liberty Bell. The game is played in Memphis. Why is the logo not a pyramid? The Liberty Bowl originated in Philadelphia, and continues to honor its roots with a bell-shaped trophy and the Spirit of 1776 Award.

Where will this game be played? Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, also home to the Memphis Tigers and, for one glorious season, the XFLs Memphis Maniax. And some other teams. None with a name like Maniax.

When is it on television? Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, with Mark Jones and Brock Huard in the booth and Jessica Mendoza on the sidelines.

Whom does it feature? Current tie-ins are Conference USA and SEC.

What about this year?In the interest of cozying up to the Big 12, bowl organizers selected 6-6 Iowa State to face 10-3 Tulsa. THAT IS A PRETTY DIFFERENT RECORD THIS IS GONNA BE A BLOWOUT. Check the regular-season schedule, dear reader: The Cyclones and Golden Hurricane met in Ames in Week 1, and Tulsa pulled the upset. ALL WEATHER MASCOTS BOWL WOOOOOOO. Thats probably a better sentiment.

Does the bowl have a social media presence? There is a Twitter account that seems to prefer Facebook:

What wacky activities will be on offer during bowl week? This being Memphis, there is naturally a rib-eating contest to be endured.

Whats the pick? Stewart Mandel: Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Richardson took over the Cyclones job in their 11th game, and he has been impressive to date (187 rushing yards, 62.1 completion percentage, seven touchdowns, no interceptions). Iowa State will need him to be sharp to make up for an injury-depleted defense that is unlikely to hold Tulsas attack (35 points per game) to the 23 points it did in their Sept. 1 clash.

More here:

Tulsa vs. Iowa State: 2012 Liberty Bowl facts

CULLOWHEE, N.C. (AP) -- Liberty's Tavares Speaks hit two free throws with 5 seconds left after Western Carolina called a timeout it didn't have and was assessed a technical foul, giving the Flames a 63-62 win Monday.

Trey Sumler, who led the Catamounts (4-9) with 23 points, missed a jumper with 3 seconds left and the Flames (4-10) rebounded to win their third straight game and first of the season against a Division I opponent.

Speaks scored 13 points while Tomasz Gielo had 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for Liberty, which committed a season-high 24 turnovers.

The Flames closed out the first half on a 10-0 run to lead 29-22. Liberty maintained the advantage until Sumler's two free throws with 58 seconds left made it 59-58.

After Sumler's three-point play with 10 seconds left, John Caleb Sanders answered with a three-point play for Liberty, and the Western Carolina bench called time out.

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Liberty edges W. Carolina 63-62 on timeout flub