ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Sixteen starts into his first season with the Boston Red Sox, David Price isnt under any illusions about the quality of his performance.Its not acceptable, he said.Not by Prices standards, at least, and certainly not for his price tag. Along with his seven-year contract worth $217 million, the richest ever for a pitcher, comes an expectation of consistent excellence. Instead, Price has delivered a 4.68 ERA that ranks 33rd among 40 pitchers who qualify for the American League ERA title, and he has allowed at least six earned runs in four starts, more stinkers than in any of his seven full big league seasons.But Price is nothing if not self-aware, a quality he learned during his formative years with the Tampa Bay Rays. While his natural ability made him one of the leagues best pitchers, it was his desire to continually evolve that enabled him to maintain that status.In 2012, when Price went 20-5 with a 2.56 ERA and won the Cy Young Award, his fastball averaged 95.5 mph, making him the hardest-throwing pitcher in the majors that year. Yet he insisted on working with Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey to refine his changeup, so much so that he felt comfortable increasing its usage from 12.3 percent in 2012 to 16.8 percent in 2013 at the expense of that blazing heater.Hickey always had confidence in me to be able to make adjustments throughout the season to go out there and try new pitches, Price said the other day at Tropicana Field as his former team took batting practice. He always had my back in that sense. He never said, Hey, what youre doing is working. Lets just stay the course. He understood that I want to evolve, always. And it wasnt even to the point where I thought velocity was going to leave. It was me wanting to be a complete pitcher, being able to locate my fastball on both sides of the plate with velocity and then be able to throw the other pitches for strikes as well. That was something I wanted for myself and something I worked really hard at.It also made Price slightly less of a risky proposition to some teams that considered signing him as a free agent last winter.Price turned 30 last August, an age at which many power pitchers must begin thinking about changing their style. Mid-90s velocity doesnt last forever, after all, and because Price was seeking a contract that would take him into his late-30s, scouts were looking to see that he understood how to get hitters out without merely overpowering them.Sure enough, Price threw his changeup a career-high 22.7 percent of the time last season, according to FanGraphs. And although his fastball still averaged 94.2 mph, seventh-best among AL pitchers, he used it less frequently than ever, 53.4 percent of the time.Prices evolution, or at least his recognition of the need to evolve, helped sway Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who witnessed it up close. Dombrowski acquired Price with the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline in 2014, and although he dealt Price to the Toronto Blue Jays last July 31, he pushed hard to talk risk-averse Red Sox principal owner John Henry into shelling out big bucks to sign him last winter.David had the intelligence and the instincts to [evolve] before he had to, Dombrowski said in spring training. Nothing is for certain, but you look at him now and see a pitcher who can be successful over years to come.Said one National League talent evaluator: Ill give Price credit. He started to show his changeup, with a purpose at times for the right reasons. The fundamental thing for me with guys like him that are power guys is what kind of pitcher are they going to be without their fastball. Do they have a definite feel for what theyre trying to do with the baseball, and do they have enough imagination to get to that second career? Because all the great ones, all those Hall of Famers or close-to-Hall-of-Fame types, they go into their second career and become better pitchers.None of that is any consolation, of course, to Red Sox fans who care only that Price pitches better for the remainder of the season, beginning with Wednesday nights series finale against the Rays.Price insists hes healthy, even though his average fastball velocity is down to 92.4 mph, according to Fangraphs. Although he recently put together an eight-start stretch in which he posted a 2.47 ERA, he has not yet had a scoreless outing. Based on game score, his best performance of the season -- a 14-strikeout, eight-inning start April 26 in Atlanta --was tied for the 153rd-best start by any pitcher this season and the fourth-best by a Red Sox starter.And last Friday night in Texas, Price got rocked for six runs on 12 hits in only 2? innings, which statistically is the third-worst start of his career.The Red Sox signed Price to be the ace they havent had since Jon Lester was traded midway through the 2014 season. If anything, though, he has fallen in line with a rotation that isnt nearly good enough for a franchise that has designs on returning to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2013.In early May, with help from second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Price identified a flaw in his mechanics that was causing his legs to not be in sync with his arm. The problem now, Price says, has been finishing off hitters. He has allowed 51 batters to reach a full count, and of those, 25 have reached base (10 hits, 15 walks). But the best strategy against Price has been jumping on first pitches. Hitters who have put the first pitch in play against him are 24-for-48 (.500) with six homers.And while Price has projected a sense of calm, even after his roughest outings, he wants you to know he hasnt been satisfied with the way his season has gone. If his years in Tampa Bay are any indication, he will continue to evolve to stay ahead of hitters.Just because I dont display my frustration in front of everybody, it doesnt mean that I dont care, by any means, Price said. Its not that youre OK with it or you accept it. Its just you learn how to move forward. Thats what Ive done. Ive had some tough games, absolutely. Ive definitely had more tough games this year than I have in any other year, and thats tough, for sure. Ive had too many of those bad games, and its not acceptable.[Boston] is definitely a tough place to play, and I knew that coming in. They have high expectations, and I definitely have high expectations for myself. I want to go out there and throw the baseball the way that I know I can and the way that I have in my career. I know I will do that. Im healthy. I know Im going to throw big games for us this year and the rest of my career. I know good things are going to happen for me.The sooner the better for a Red Sox team that needs Price as much as ever. Clearance Nike Zoom Shoes . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Wholesale Real Nike Zoom . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. http://www.nikezoomcheap.com/ . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. 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Three of them were Top 10 squads from the Missouri Valley Football Conference -- No. 5 Illinois State, No. 9 South Dakota State and No. 10 Northern Iowa -- and the list also included No. 11 James Madison, No. 14 McNeese, No. 17 Coastal Carolina, No. 18 North Carolina A&T, No. 19 Portland State and No. 22 New Hampshire.North Dakota States juggernaut kept the bar high by beating FBS No. 13 Iowa 23-21 in Iowa City on Cam Pedersens game-ending 37-yard field goal. It was the Bisons sixth straight win over a bowl subdivision opponent since 2010.You cant tell anybody in our locker room were not good enough to beat anybody. Thats the heart of a champion, said NDSU coach Chris Klieman, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, and a graduate of Northern Iowa.Richmond was no match on the road at Stony Brook, falling 42-14 as Stacey Bedell rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns. The Seawolves helped overcome Spiders quarterback Kyle Laulettas 411 passing yards with three interceptions.Our coaches stressed all week that this was going to a boxing match, Stony Brook defensive back Tyrice Beverette said. They were going to throw punches and we needed to throw punches back. Thats what we did. We showed them (Richmond) that we can respond to adversity. We came together as a team and capitalized on their mistakes to come away with a victory.---=STATS FCS TOP 25=No. 1 North Dakota State (3-0) 23, Iowa (2-1) 21NDSU matched James Madisons 21-16 win over No. 13 Virginia Tech in 2010 to mark the second-highest FBS team to lose to an FCS team. Appalachian State stunned No. 5 Michigan 34-32 to open the 2007 season.The Missouri Valley power imposed its will by possessing the ball for 36 minutes, 40 seconds and outgaining the Hawkeyes 363-231. Running back King Frazier carried the ball 16 times for 99 yards and a touchdown.---=Stony Brook (2-1, 1-0 CAA) 42, No. 2 Richmond (2-1, 0-1) 14Stony Brook beat a ranked team for the second time this season. Sherman Alston Jr. went 96 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the second half to increase the Seawolves lead to 28-14.Bedell scored on runs of 2, 49, 1 and 8.---=No. 3 Sam Houston State (2-0, 1-0 Southland) 44, Lamar (0-3, 0-1) 31Jeremiah Briscoe threw three touchdowns in the first half as Sam Houston built a 30-3 lead. He finished 24 of 35 for 328 yards with two interceptions.Corey Avery had 136 yards and a touchdown on the ground with a scoring reception as well.Lamar All-American Kade Harrington needed 25 carries to gain 76 yards.---=No. 4 Jacksonville State (2-1) 27, No. 17 Coastal Carolina (2-1) 26A crowd of 18,892 at Burgess-Snow Field saw five lead changes, with Jacksonville State overcoming a 26-20 deficit after quarterback Eli Jenkins capped an 87-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run and Cade Stinnett added the extra point with 6:44 left. Jenkins finished with 359 total yards (248 passing, 111 rushing) and also passed for two touchdowns.JSU outrushed Coastal 286-42, led by Roc Thomas 144 yards on 25 carries. Chanticleers All-American DeAngelo Henderson was held to 48 yards on 20 carries, although he scored a touchdown for his Division I-record 29th straight game. They used four quarterbacks following a second-quarter injury to starter Josh Stilley.---=Eastern Illinois (2-1) 24, No. 5 Illinois State (2-1) 21In the 105th meeting between intrastate rivals, Eastern Illinois forced three turnovers while upsetting a top-five opponent for the first time since beating Nov. 1 Northern Iowa on Nov. 7, 1992. .Mitch Kimble threw for two touchdowns and Devin Church rushed for a 30-yard score. Illinois State quarterback Jake Kolbe accounted for 332 total yards and three touchdowns, but committed two turnovers.---=No. 6 Chattanooga (3-0, 1-0 Southern) 21, Furman (0-3, 0-2) 14The visiting Mocs began pursuit of a fourth straight Southern Conference title by building a 21-0 lead and holding on in the fourth quarter. Coming off two shutouts, they went the first 171 minutes, 51 seconds of the season without allowing a point.Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield had a touchdown run and pass and linebacker Nakevion Leslie had 15 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, with three pass breakups.---=No. 8 Eastern Washingtoon (2-1) 34, No.dddddddddddd 10 Northern Iowa (1-2) 30Eastern Washington overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit behind quarterback Reilly Hennesseys three touchdown passes after he entered the game in the third quarter. His 23-yarder to Beau Byus on a fake field goal with 43 seconds left lifted the Eagles from a 30-28 deficit.Antione Custer Jr.s 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the third quarter sparked EWUs rally.UNI quarterback Aaron Bailey had 275 total yards, rushing for two touchdowns.---=Cal Poly (2-1) 38, No. 9 South Dakota State (1-2) 31Joe Protheroes 13-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left capped a 12-play, 84-yard drive by Cal Poly and snapped a 31-31 tie. The junior fullback finished with 217 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, sparking a Mustangs rushing attack that had 440 yards on 7.5 yards per carry.SDSUs Jake Wieneke caught nine passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns. He has eight scoring catches through three games.---=North Carolina (2-1) 56, No. 11 James Madison (2-1) 28The visiting Dukes took a 21-14 lead after one quarter, but managed only seven more points. Khalid Abdullah had 18 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns.---=Stephen F. Austin (2-1, 1-0 Southland) 31, No. 14 McNeese (1-2, 0-1) 28McNeese didnt fall in the regular season last year, but the Cowboys have two losses already following their Southland Conference opener. Lumberjacks quarterback Zach Conque had three total touchdowns in the upset, although the game-winner was scored on backup Hunter Taylors 4-yard pass to Tamrick Pace early in the fourth quarter.James Tabary threw for four touchdowns in defeat, two each to Darious Crawley and Kent Shelby.---=No. 13 William & Mary (2-1) 35, Norfolk State (1-2) 10Albert Funderburke (13 carries, 137 yards, three touchdowns) and Jonathan Dunn (18-89-2) led the way in William & Marys home opener.---=No. 15 The Citadel (3-0) 31, Gardner-Webb (1-2) 24Reggie Williams (112) and quarterback Dominique Allen (108) surpassed 100 rushing yards each in The Citadels 419-yard ground assault. Allens 1-yard run with 2:51 to play erased Gardner-Webbs 24-21 lead.---=Tulsa (2-1) 58, No. 18 North Carolina A&T (2-1) 21The visiting Aggies didnt threaten to make it two straight wins over the FBS as they fell behind 48-0 by halftime. Quarterback Lamar Raynard passed for a touchdown and rushed for another in the loss.---=Washington (3-0) 41, No. 19 Portland State (1-2) 3The Vikings gained only 182 yards and committed four turnovers in the loss -- giving them 11 through three games.Jonathan Gonzales 26-yard field goal in the third quarter accounted for their only points.---=No. 20 Youngstown State (2-1) 38, Robert Morris (0-3) 6Martin Ruiz carried the ball 16 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a 21-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Trent Hosick. Seven different Penguins had one sack each, which dropped Robert Morris net rushing yards to minus-13.---=No. 21 Villanova (2-1, 1-0 CAA) 40, Towson (1-2, 0-1) 21Villanova sophomore Zack Bednarczyk was 20 of 26 for 230 yards and three touchdowns, while Javon White rushed for two scores and Taurus Phillips caught a pair. The win was coach Andy Talleys conference-record 137th in CAA games.---=Dartmouth (1-0) 22, No. 22 New Hampshire (1-2) 21Dartmouth ended a 13-game losing streak to rival UNH with 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jack Heneghan threw a 1-yard TD pass to wide receiver Charles Mack with 1:40 remaining to erase a 21-16 deficit.UNH linebacker Jared Kuehl had a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown---=No. 23 Colgate (1-1) 55, Yale (0-1) 13Jake Melville passed for 315 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, including two to sophomore tight end Nick Martinsen. The Raiders outgained Ivy League-opening Yale 558-188 and had four interceptions.---=No. 24 Northern Arizona (1-2) 73, New Mexico Highlands (0-3) 3Sophomore Case Cookus threw for seven touchdowns and junior Emmanuel Butler caught five of them. Cookus finished 14 of 25 for 296 yards. Butler had six receptions for 99 yards.---=No. 25 Albany (2-1) 45, Holy Cross (1-2) 28Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns and quarterback Neven Sussman and wide receiver Zee Roberson connected on two touchdown passes.---=IDLE=No. 7 Montana (2-0)No. 12 Charleston Southern (1-2)No. 16 Western Illinois (2-0) ' ' '