Category Archives: N.C. State

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State’s Lutz to speak at Raleigh Sports Club Wednesday

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Bobby Lutz will be the guest speaker at the Raleigh Sports Club this Wednesday, Jan. 25. Lutz is an assistant basketball coach for the men’s basketball team. A former head coach at Charlotte and Pfeiffer, and a native North Carolinian, he has great ties in the state and is a huge help to the Wolfpack in recruiting.

Caroline Margolis, a lacrosse player at Ravenscroft High School, will be honored as the Student Athlete of the Week.

Buffet lines open at 11:30 a.m. The Forks Cafeteria will continue to cater a Southern Buffet. The meeting location will again be at Highland UMC at 1901 Ridge Road at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail, just inside the Beltline. Annual dues for the 2011-12 season will remain $60. Weekly attendance fee will remain $14 and applies whether the member plans to eat lunch or not. All guests fees will be $20 per guest. Pick sheets and door prizes will be held.

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Former ACC receivers making mark in NFL playoffs

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The Atlantic Coast Conference has had a significant impact on this year’s National Football League Playoffs.

Through the NFL’s first eight playoff games, receivers who have played collegiately at current ACC schools have accounted for 51.5% of all of the passing touchdowns thrown, 35% of the passing yardage and 27.6% percent of the pass completions.

In all 15 former ACC players—including 14 who played Atlantic Coast Conference Football—have totaled 93 catches for 1,586 yards and 17 touchdowns in the eight NFL Playoff Games to date. ACC pass receivers have averaged an eye-opening 17.1 yards a catch average. By comparison, the non-ACC receivers in those games averaged just 11.2 yards per catch.

All told, the teams in those eight NFL games have a combined total of 355 pass completions for 4,527 yards (12.8 average) and 33 scores.

Of the top seven pass receivers in terms of yardage in the NFL Playoffs, six are from current ACC schools including the top two. Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech) of Denver leads with 297 yards and a 29.7 per-catch average, followed by Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina) of the New York Giants with 280 yards and a 21.5 per-catch average. Marques Colston, who played collegiately at Hofstra, of New Orleans is 3rd (256), but the next four are ACC products in Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech) of Detroit (211); Andre Johnson (Miami) of Houston (201); Vernon Davis (Maryland) of San Francisco (180) and Jimmy Graham (Miami) of New Orleans (158).

Nicks and Davis are still alive in the playoffs and their teams will collide in this Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

Receivers from ACC schools have topped the 100-yard mark in receiving seven times in this year’s playoffs, twice topping the 200-yard mark for a single game. Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson had 12 catches for 211 yards for Detroit against New Orleans and Georgia Tech’s Demaryius Thomas had 204 yards on only four catches versus Pittsburgh.

Here is a listing of NFL players who played at ACC schools in the playoffs who topped the 100-yard mark for a game:

Name Team School Rcp. Yards TD Opponent

Calvin Johnson Detroit Georgia Tech 12 211 2 New Orleans

Demaryius Thomas Denver Georgia Tech 4 204 1 Pittsburgh

Vernon Davis San Francisco Maryland 7 180 2 New Orleans

Hakeem Nicks New York Giants North Carolina 7 163 2 Green Bay

Hakeem Nicks New York Giants North Carolina 6 115 2 Atlanta

Andre Johnson Houston Miami 8 111 0 Baltimore

Jimmy Graham New Orleans Miami 5 103 2 San Francisco

Other ACC pass receiving performances in the NFL Playoffs:

Name Team School Rcp. Yards TD Opponent

Demaryius Thomas Denver Georgia Tech 6 93 1 New England

Anquan Boldin Baltimore Florida State 4 73 1 Houston

Heath Miller Pittsburgh Virginia 5 60 0 Denver

Jimmy Graham New Orleans Miami 7 55 1 Detroit

Andre Johnson Houston Miami 5 50 1 Cincinnati

Eddie Royal Denver Virginia Tech 3 49 1 Pittsburgh

Frank Gore San Francisco Miami 7 38 0 New Orleans

Jericho Cotchery Pittsburgh NC State 1 31 1 Denver

Eddie Royal Denver Virginia Tech 2 25 0 New England

Will Heller Detroit Georgia Tech 1 10 1 New Orleans

Jason Snelling Atlanta Virginia 2 9 0 NY Giants

Lance Ball Denver Maryland 1 6 0 Pittsburgh

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State’s Brown, Duke’s Cook earn ACC weekly honors

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NC State’s Lorenzo Brown has been named ACC Player of the Week, while Duke’s Quinn Cook was selected ACC Rookie of the Week.

Brown averaged 19.0 points, 8.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds in leading the Wolfpack to 2-0 record last week with victories over Campbell, 87-81, and Western Carolina, 82-55. The Roswell, Ga., sophomore shot 63 percent (12-of-19) from the floor and 88 percent (14-of-16) from the free-throw line. In Thursday’s win over Campbell, Brown had 24 points, eight assists and eight steals. Two nights later, he had 14 points and eight assists in only 28 minutes against Western Carolina.

In earning the rookie award for a second-straight week, Cook averaged 11.0 points, 8.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds as Duke moved to 12-1 on the year with a pair of non-conference wins. The Bowie, Md., freshman had 17 assists with no turnovers in the two games. In Friday’s 110-70 victory over Western Michigan, Cook had a career-high 16 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Two nights later, he finished with six points and a career-high nine assists in a 85-55 victory over Pennsylvania.

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

N.C. State 31, Louisville 24: Big plays, desire, other thoughts

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It wasn’t always pretty, especially on special teams, but a couple of big plays, consistency from a quarterback and desire gave N.C. State a 31-24 victory over Louisville in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.

A 65-yard interception return by all-everything DB David Amerson combined with a 68-yard run after a catch by Wolfpack senior T.J. Graham were the big plays N.C. State needed to defeat Louisville.

But it was consistent quarterback play from Mike Glennon, after an early interception, that steadied the boat after a few bonehead special teams plays rocked it. Glennon threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

Certainly the “home” crowd helped inspire the Wolfpack, who just a couple of games ago were fighting for Tom O’Brien’s head coaching job. The Pack got healthier as the season went on and played their best ball late in the season and would have been fired up regardless, but playing in Charlotte helped.

A lot of people are trying to compare the Tar Heels with the Wolfpack but the situations were and are drastically different. Carolina was playing a long way from home the day after Christmas. Even a really good Tar Heel team would not have drawn many Carolina fans to Shreveport, Louisiana. Plus, the Tar Heels had a late season dive while the Wolfpack came on late. Add to that the coaching situation at Carolina, with a lame duck coach who didn’t want to be there vs. a surging coach who feels more confident and excited about his future at his university.

The excitement that the Wolfpack players showed at the end of the game was as demonstrative as any we’ve seen in the bowl season. They wanted to be playing right where they were and, in the end, everything turned out like they wanted. The Wolfpack ended the season 8-5 while Louisville matched Carolina’s record of 7-6 despite also losing to the Tar Heels earlier in the season.

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Too bad Wolfpack couldn’t keep it close as Waiters dominates

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The N.C. State basketball team had a chance to make a statement against No. 1 Syracuse and, after the first few minutes, appeared to have a chance to beat the Orangemen. Unfortunately, the Wolfpack, which led by eight early, fell by 16, 88-72 at home.

This was the first time a nonconference No. 1 had come to Raleigh since February 1979 and the fans were ready for it. The Vegas odds had Syracuse as 7.5 point favorites and many were expecting the Pack to cover. But after getting out to an emotional eight-point lead, Syracuse’s Dion Waiters scored 10 points during a game-changing 23-0 run.

Syracuse led 47-33 at the half but the Wolfpack, behind C.J. Williams who scored a career-high 25 points, went on a 13-1 run to get the Pack back in it. State even tied it twice in the second half but, despite a wild crowd, Waiters, who scored a career-high 22 points, again hit big shots to keep State at bay. An 11-2 Orangemen run gave them a cushion.

Unfortunately for the Pack, the final score looks much worse than the game. The Wolfpack played well enough to make a bit of a statement but they needed to keep the final score closer.

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Good move for ACC basketball to play more conference games

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Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced Thursday that beginning in the 2012-13 season the league will play an 18-game conference schedule in basketball. Good move. In fact, it’s a shame there can’t be more.

The best days of conference play were when each team played the other twice, once at home and once away. You always knew you had another shot at the team and it built interest among fans. To go a year without playing another conference opponent at all is ridiculous but even this plan might not change that.

With the ACC expanding to 14 teams, in order to play all home and away, you’d have to play 26 conference games and that’s undoable. The days of smaller conference are gone but for those who remember, those were the days.

“Our member institutions have been talking about this increase for awhile and knowing our league will be expanding to 14 in the future, we’ve decided to move to an 18-game conference schedule next year, regardless of our membership number,” Swofford said. “The additional conference games create a more equitable schedule and we’ve received significant feedback from our fans for more conference games.”

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Tar Heels, Wolfpack are underdogs in bowl matchups

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Sporting News is predicting both local teams – UNC and N.C. State – to lose their football bowl games. A seven-person CBS Sports panel picks Missouri over UNC 4-3 while the same panel picks Louisville over State 5-2. The WhatIfSports simulation game predicts Missouri 26, Carolina 22 and Louisville 26, NC State 23. Football USA predicts Missouri 28, Carolina 24 and Louisville 21, NC State 20. Below are previews of the two games.

Monday, December 26, 2011
Advocare V100 Independence Bowl

North Carolina (7-5, 3-5 ACC) vs. Missouri (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) ESPN2; 5p.m.
Independence Stadium (49,147); Shreveport, La.

The Series: Missouri leads 2-0.
First bowl meeting
The Coaches: Everett Withers: 7-5 (1st year) at North Carolina and overall
Gary Pinkel: 85-54 (11th year) at Missouri; 157-91-3 (21st year) overall
Last Meeting: Oct. 2, 1976: Missouri 24, North Carolina 3 at Columbia, Mo.: The 12th-ranked
Tigers racked up 557 yards of total offense in handing the No. 14 Tar Heels their
first loss of the season. UNC earned a Peach Bowl bid that season and finished the season at 9-3.

North Carolina … The Tar Heels are 13-15 in all bowl games and 13-12 as ACC members. The Independence will be their fi rst postseason game in Louisiana and their first contest in the state since a 42-10 win at Tulane on Nov. 13, 1993. … ACC teams are 10-11 all-time against schools representing the Big 8/Big 12 at game time.
UNC has never played a Big 8/Big 12 team in postseason. … UNC is in a bowl for the fourth straight season, its longest streak of postseason participation since 1992-98. … North Carolina is one of five FBS teams with an 1,100-yard rusher (RB Giovani Bernard, 1,222) and an 1,100-yard receiver (WR Dwight Jones, 1,119). Missouri has played two of the other teams in that group of five, losing to Baylor and Oklahoma State. … Bernard is 43 yards from the second-highest freshman rushing total in ACC history. … The Tar Heels have held five of their past six opponents below the national average in total offense. … For theseason, six of 12 opponents failed to rush for 80 yards against North Carolina, which permitted an average of 3.14 yards per rush. … In four non-conference games, QB Bryn Renner has completed 67-of-88 passes (.761) for 958 yards, eight TDs and four INTs.

Missouri … The Tigers are 12-16 in all bowl games and are playing their fi rst postseason contest against an ACC member. … Missouri is in a bowl for the seventh
consecutive season and for the eighth time in nine years. … The Tigers are making their third Independence Bowl appearance, having defeated South Carolina in 2005 and lost to Arkansas in 2003. … In all action, the Tigers are 4-4 against the ACC. … The Tigers enter on a three-game winning streak that concluded the 2011 regular season. … Four of their five losses have been by 10 or fewer points. For the season, they have gained 2,835 yards rushing and 2,834 by passing. … RB Henry Josey amassed 263 rushing yards on only 14 carries in a win over Western Illinois on Sept. 17; the yardage total is the fifth-highest by an FBS player this season. Josey is 12th nationally with 116.8 rushing yards per game. … QB James Franklin is one of only three FBS players with 800 or more rushing yards and 2,000 or more passing yards in 2011; the others are Chandler Harnisch of Northern Illinois and Denard Robinson of Michigan. … The Independence is one of three bowls in which both teams have one of the nation’s 25 leading rushers; the others are the Rose (Oregon-Wisconsin) and the Alamo (Baylor-Washington).

Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Belk Bowl

NC State (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Louisville (7-5, 5-2 Big East) ESPN; 8 p.m.
Bank of America Stadium (73,667); Charlotte, N.C.

The Series: Louisville leads, 3-0
First bowl meeting.
The Coaches: Tom O’Brien: 32-30 (5th year) at NC State; 107-75 (15th year) overall
Charlie Strong: 14-11 (2nd year) at Louisville and overall
Last Meeting: Sept. 29, 2007: Louisville 29, NC State 10 at Raleigh, N.C.: After allowing eight
touchdown passes and 925 yards of total offense in the previous two games, the
Cardinals forced five turnovers and pulled away for a victory over the Wolfpack. Coach Tom O’Brien’s first team, struggling
to find an offensive flow because of injuries to quarterbacks, was still a couple
of weeks away from hitting its stride. A four-game late-season winning streak
helped the club finish at 5-7.

NC State … The Wolfpack is making a bowl trip in consecutive seasons for the fi rst time since 2000-03. … State is 13-11-1 in all bowl games and 13-10-1 while in
the ACC. … NC State is 2-2 against the Big East in bowl games. … This is the program’s second appearance in the Bowl game in Charlotte; the Pack defeated South Florida 14-0 in the 2005 Meineke car Care Bowl … To qualify for postseason, the Pack won its final two regular-season games, defeating No. 8 Clemson 37-13 and Maryland 56-41. The triumph over the Tigers was the program’s first against a Top-8 opponent since the 24-7 result over No. 2 Florida State on Sept. 12, 1998, and in overcoming a 27-point
defi cit against the Terrapins, they delivered the largest numerical comeback in the program’s history. … QB Mike Glennon threw eight TD passes and one interception in
those contests. … The Pack is one of 10 FBS teams with multiple INT and fumble returns for scores this season. … CB David Amerson has tied the ACC’s single-season
record and is the nation’s leader in interceptions with 11. That’s four more than any other player in 2011 and the most by any individual since Wisconsin’s Jim Leonhard
had 11 in 14 games in 2002. Even if Amerson does not pick off a pass against Louisville, his average of 0.846 interceptions per game will be the highest since 2000.

Louisville … The Cardinals are 7-7-1 in all bowl games, including a 1-1 mark against the ACC; they lost to Virginia Tech 35-24 in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, 2007 and
defeated Wake Forest 24-13 in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2,2007. … The Cardinals are 11-10 against ACC teams in all contests. … Louisville earned a share of the Big East title with a 5-2 record in 2011 and won five of its fi nal six regular-season outings. … The Cardindals are 10th nationally against the run, having allowed 103 yards a game,
and 14th in scoring defense (19.17 points per game). Louisville has held six of its opponents to 17 or fewer points. … LB Dexter Heyman has three interceptions
and four sacks on the year. … Louisville’s opponents have returned 12 punts for a total of fi ve net yards in 12 games. … Special teams were key to two Big East victories
for Louisville: an 82-yard TD return of a blocked field goal produced a 10-point swing in an eventual 38-35 win at West Virginia and an 100-yard kickoff return highlighted
a 14-point triumph over Connecticut. … In third-and-1 and third-and-2 situations, the Cards’ opponents have converted only 55.6 percent of the time. … PK Chris
Philpott is one of two FBS kickers with field goals of 50 or more yards in consecutive games; he made a 51-yarder against Cincinnati and a 52-yarder vs. Rutgers.

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Wolfpack has a chance to make a statement Saturday against No. 1 Syracuse

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The last time, NC State (6-3) hosted a top-ranked non-conference opponent, none of its current squad members were even born yet.

When the Wolfpack hosts top-ranked Syracuse (10-0) on Saturday at a sold-out RBC Center at 6:30 p.m., it will be the first time since 1979 that NC State has entertained a non-conference foe holding the top spot in the national polls.

Notre Dame was the last non-conference opponent to venture into Raleigh holding the No. 1 ranking. The Irish were coached by Digger Phelps and headlined by Kelly Tripucka, Orlando Woolridge and Bill Lambier. The unranked Pack, coach by Norm Sloan, was led by Hawkeye Whitney, Clyde Austin, Tony Warren and Tiny Pinder.

The Wolfpack had reached as high as No. 4 in the Associated Press poll earlier that season after capturing the Great Alaska Shootout title. State would fall from the rankings with four consecutive ACC losses, including a one-point loss to North Carolina on a Dudley Bradley’s steal and layup at the buzzer.

Against the Irish, the Pack fought back from a 46-37 deficit midway through the second half and held a brief lead in the final minute. But a pair of Tripucka free throws with six seconds remaining sealed a 53-52 Irish win.

NC State owns a 5-25 mark all time in against teams ranked No. 1.

Saturday’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi handling the play-by-play duties and Hubert Davis providing the color commentary.

– News Release

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Three Heels, two Wolfpackers make All-ACC first team

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The Atlantic Coast Conference released its All-ACC Football teams Monday, and nine Tigers and eight Hokies made either the first or second teams. Division champions Virginia Tech and Clemson meet Saturday in the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship game in Charlotte.

Hokies running back David Wilson and Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly were unanimous first-team selections by 45 voting members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Wilson led the league with an average of nearly 133 yards per game and with 1,595 yards rushing is 203 shy of the ACC single-season record set by Virginia’s Thomas Jones in 1999.

Kuechly led the nation with 191 total tackles for the Eagles and is the leading tackler in ACC history.

Every school placed at least one player on the first team. Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia had three apiece, while Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and NC State had two each. The Wolfpack was led by cornerback David Amerson, who set an ACC record with 11 interceptions – the most by any Bowl Subdivision player in nine years. The other Wolfpack player on the first team was specialist T.J. Graham.

Carolina’s Gio Bernard, the school’s first thousand-yard rusher since the 1990s, was the only Tar Heel on the first team All-ACC. Wake’s Chris Gevin’s beat out UNC’s Dwight Jones as first-team wide receiver. Jones made the second team. UNC’s defensive end Quinton Coples made the first team as did teammate Zach Brown at linebacker.

Duke safety Matt Daniels also made the first team.

Quarterback Tajh Boyd and star receiver Sammy Watkins were among the five Clemson players who made the first team. Watkins set ACC records for freshmen with 72 receptions, 1,073 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns, while Boyd leads the league with an average of 278 yards passing.

The 2011 All-ACC Football team as voted on by 45 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. NOTE: A first-team vote was worth two points and second team vote one. Unanimous selections marked with an asterisk.

FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB-Tajh Boyd, Clemson (71)
RB-David Wilson, Virginia Tech (90)*
RB-Giovani Bernard, North Carolina (66)
WR-Sammy Watkins, Clemson (86)
WR-Chris Givens, Wake Forest (69)
OT-Blake DeChristopher, Virginia Tech (86)
OT-Zebrie Sanders, Florida State (46)
OG-Austin Pasztor, Virginia (49)
OG-Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech (45)
C-Dalton Freeman, Clemson (44)
TE-Dwayne Allen, Clemson (78)
K-Dustin Hopkins, Florida State (75)
Spec.- T.J. Graham, NC State (45)
Defense
DE-Andre Branch, Clemson (79)
DE-Quinton Coples, North Carolina (64)
DT-Joe Vellano, Maryland (68)
DT-Matt Conrath, Virginia (55)
LB-Luke Kuechly, Boston College (90)*
LB-Sean Spence, Miami (82)
LB-Zach Brown, North Carolina (48)
CB-David Amerson, NC State (86)
CB-Chase Minnifield, Virginia (47)
S-Matt Daniels, Duke (80)
S-Josh Bush, Wake Forest (41)
P-Shawn Powell, Florida State (85)

SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB-Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (49)
WR-Dwight Jones, North Carolina (58)
WR-Conner Vernon, Duke (34)
RB-Lamar Miller, Miami (62)
RB-Andre Ellington, Clemson (26)
OT-Oday Aboushi, Virginia (43)
OT-James Hurst, North Carolina (30)
OG-Jaymes Brooks, Virginia Tech (35)
OG-Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina (31)
OG-Joe Looney, Wake Forest (31)
C-Tyler Horn, Miami (32)
TE-George Bryan, NC State (29)
K-Chandler Catanzaro, Clemson (37)
Spec.-Sammy Watkins, Clemson (33)
Defense
DE-Brandon Jenkins, Florida State (51)
DE-James Gayle, Virginia Tech (25)
DT-Brandon Thompson, Clemson (43)
DT-Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest (30)
LB-Terrell Manning, NC State (44)
LB-Julian Burnett, Georgia Tech (34)
LB-Steve Greer, Virginia (23)
CB-Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech (36)
CB-Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech (34)
S-Eddie Whitley, Virginia Tech (33)
S-Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State (23)
P-Alex King, Duke (22)

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O’Brien says Maryland is dangerous as State tries to become bowl eligible

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N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien says Maryland is a dangerous team that the Wolfpack has to play at home in order to become bowl eligible. But he says it’s more about his team.

“Our focus is on ourselves and certainly we understand how important this game is to this football team and our program,” he said. “Certainly being Senior Day, it adds more to the game on Saturday.”

QUESTION: What are the things that make Maryland a dangerous team?

COACH O’BRIEN: They’re in a situation that they have nothing to lose. They can play this game anyway they want. It’s the last game of the year. This is their bowl game. This is their last chance to go out on a winning note. Certainly I would guess it’s been a frustrating season for them, so it’s their chance to go out on a high note.

Q. Looking at it from your standpoint needing that win to become bowl eligible, certainly winning last week’s game with a
back-against-the-wall-type situation, you responded terrifically. Do you expect the same kind of response this week?

COACH O’BRIEN: Well, we’re going to have to have the same kind of response. Anything less will not give us an opportunity to win. You look at the last two games, victory over North Carolina and Clemson. We need the same electric atmosphere in the stadium. It will be a special day for this group of seniors and this football team. Our back’s against the wall. We’re in the playoffs. Winning, you play again. Losing, you go home.

Q. What have you told your players in terms of how you’ve been playing the last two weeks? Just keep it up? What’s been
the key there of late?

COACH O’BRIEN: The key was as soon as the game was over Saturday we talked about we can’t fall into the trap that we did two weeks ago. Two weeks ago we’re in the locker room, we’re all excited, played great against North Carolina, then went to Boston College and didn’t play so great.
We played a great game again last Saturday, so what are we going to do? We have to grow up. We have to mature. We have to understand the task that’s ahead of us. We have to put this one behind us like we have when we’ve lost, to go in, and focus on Maryland and get ready to play a great football game.