The skinny, UNC

Game storylines all revolve around UNC scandals – who’s motivated more?

Leave a comment

Marvin Austin has been suspended indefinitely and now AP reports that leading receiver Greg Little will be left in Chapel Hill when North Carolina travels to Atlanta to take on LSU Saturday – this as a result of an NCAA investigation into inappropriate perks from sports agents.

With all the talk about that investigation and a UNC internal investigation into players turning in papers written for them by a tutor, a lot has flown under the radar. For instance, all the talk may actually benefit UNC quarterback T.J. Yates who would have been the biggest story heading into the season. Sure there will be pressure for him to answer critics, many of which booed him at a Carolina basketball game earlier this year, but imagine the spotlight that would have shined on him without the scandal.

Also, LSU must be feeling overlooked with most of the national attention on the Carolina troubles. This could motivate them to show that there should have been more talk about them.

Many are saying that Carolina doesn’t have a chance if seven defensive starters believed to be involved in the academic scandal don’t play. That has to irritate the backup players who probably believe they are ready to start and play well. As Yates said, no one comes to play backup at Carolina – everyone wants to start.

This is probably the most intriguing game of the opening week. Who will play for Carolina? How good are those substituting for the projected starters? Do the intangibles go to LSU, which feels overlooked, or Carolina, which is tired of hearing about the scandals and wants to prove that they can beat LSU regardless of who’s on the field.

Like Las Vegas, I haven’t a clue as to how this game is going to go and how Carolina will react to the adversity. If the Heels overcome it all and manage to win, this could still be a special season. If they lose, especially if they lose badly, it could be a long season.

The skinny

ACC releases men’s basketball schedules

Leave a comment

ACC football hasn’t started, but it’s already time to start talking basketball now that the ACC schedules are out. The league just posted the schedules. Here’s the link at theacc.com.

But if you want to mark your calendar, North Carolina opens at home Nov. 12 against Lipscomb and N.C. State opens the same day at home against Tennessee Tech. Duke, the 2010 national champions, opens at home Nov. 14 against Princeton.

Carolina has two fascinating non-conference games. Kentucky is at UNC Dec. 4 and the Heels play Texas in Greensboro Dec. 18. You can see Carolina’s entire schedule on tarheelblue.com

Uncategorized

Strong crop of freshmen encourages O’Brien

Leave a comment

N.C. State lists 18 signees in its media guide, which is not a big recruiting class. But already, Tom O’Brien is predicting a major impact from his fourth group of recruits.

The impact was evident on the depth chart released this week. Five true freshmen are listed as second-teamers, a high number for a college football program. What has impressed O’Brien is the overall quality of the class.

“If you hit 50 percent you are doing pretty good,” he said on his radio show Monday. “We may have hit 100 percent in this class.”

That’s an important development for O’Brien, whose Wolfpack clubs have lacked great depth and thus haven’t overcome a series of injuries. Also, if O’Brien has a poor year, he needs solid evidence that better days are ahead, and a strong recruiting class honed within his system gives him an argument that he and his staff can turn the Pack around.

Mustafa Greene of Irmo, S.C., is listed as the No. 2 tailback, and O’Brien said Greene has showed as much breakaway potential as any back in camp. Robert Crisp, who played his senior year at Athens Drive, is the No. 2 left tackle. Crisp, 6 feet 7 and 312 pounds, is the one about whom O’Brien said,” We think he’s got a chance to be an All-Pro left tackle some day and he looks like he has those skills.”

The secondary includes three true freshmen as backups – corner David Amerson of Greensboro Dudley,  safety D.J. Green of Macon, Ga., and safety Dontae Johnson of Pennington, N.J. O’Brien’s confidence in his secondary was a key reason he moved Dean Haynes from defensive back to tailback, since camp showed him he had starters – and backups – who could do the job.

By comparison, State signed five players in 2009 who are now on the two-deep. Of the 2008 recruits, 10 are on the two-deep, eight of whom were signed and two who walked on. But you’d expect those numbers to be high, since 2008 recruits are now redshirt sophomores or true juniors, and players tend to begin to contribute by their third season.

The skinny

Ten high school football games to consider attending Thursday or Friday, with predictions

Leave a comment

Here are 10 football games that are within driving distance in the Triangle area Thursday and Friday nights. In bold is the predicted winner. Most games are at 7:30 p.m. Check with local officials as some games start at 7.
My record last week was 7-3 for a season total of 14-6.

Apex at Leesville Road (Thursday)

Athens Drive at Broughton (Thursday)

Wilson Hunt at Holly Springs (Thursday)

Cary at Sanderson

Cedar Ridge at East Chapel Hill

Louisburg at Cardinal Gibbons

Riverside at Chapel Hill

Wake Forest-Rolesville at Southern Durham

Garner at Middle Creek

Jordan at Green Hope

Check the scores in our Sports Roundup on the left navigation bar.

Uncategorized

UNC suspends Marvin Austin; he won’t play vs. LSU

Leave a comment

North Carolina announced yet another thunderbolt Wednesday afternoon as coach Butch Davis suspended senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin indefinitely.

“This decision is not a result of the ongoing NCAA review,” Davis said in a statement.  “Marvin has violated team rules and has neglected his responsibilities to the team.”

Austin will not play Saturday when the Heels play LSU in Atlanta.

Carolina has been preparing with Austin on the second team anyway. Quinton Coples had shifted from left defensive end to left tackle, Austin’s position, and Michael McAdoo had moved to right end.

But Carolina’s defense is in a flux with NCAA and academic probes continuing. Multiple starters could miss Saturday’s game – Davis has refused to say how many are uncertain – and the defense remains unproven behind the experienced starters.


The skinny

O’Brien describes starting RB Haynes as ‘a slasher’

Leave a comment

N.C. State’s stunning decision to move redshirt freshman Dean Haynes from the secondary to tailback was a big topic as Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien addressed the media Wednesday. O’Brien again said the staff wasn’t happy with its running game as camp progressed, which is why they looked back to how well Haynes had done on the scout team last fall.

Asked to describe Haynes’ running style, O’Brien said,“He’s a slasher. It’s pretty decisive when he makes his cut. He puts his foot in the ground and he heads toward the goal line.

“That’s what we like. He’s been very good holding onto the football. he’s a tough individual. He can bounce off tackles and break tackles. And if he gets a chance we’re going to find out if he can run away from anybody.”

O’Brien said true freshman Mustafa Greene, a top recruit from Irmo, S.C., will also play Saturday against Western Carolina. He said Curtis Underwood was the No. 3 back.

The skinny

Duke hopes depth will aid 0-for-November drought

Leave a comment

Duke is 0-13 in the month of November in David Cutcliffe’s three seasons, which gives you a good indication of the lack of depth in the Blue Devils’ program. Duke has some talent on its front line but lacks the back-ups that strong programs have, which is why the Devils get worn down as the season progresses.

This year, Cutcliffe believes Duke is better equipped for the rigors of the year.

“We’re much better,” Cutcliffe said Wednesday. “There’s no question, the last two Novembers we’ve come a part a little bit at the seams. There were a lot of reasons. Our people performed at a high level but there was a lot of pressure on a few players. It takes its toll. It’s like a baseball pitcher who throws a lot of pitches.”

Duke returns nine starters on offense, six on defense, and 40 lettermen overall. The Blue Devils aren’t saying they are Alabama or anything, but Cutcliffe did say he plans to play a total of about 40 players on offense and defense in Saturday’s home opener against Elon.

Last year, he said, Duke played only 14 on offense and 16 or 17 on defense in the opener against Richmond. Last year’s preseason was a bizarre one, with the team struggling with swine flu, but still, he said Duke would have played only around 30 or so players in the opener even if fully healthy.

“We’re getting competition at certain positions and we haven’t had that,” Cutcliffe said. “And that’s going to do nothing but continue to improve.”

The skinny, UNC

Davis still plays it close to the vest during weekly teleconference

Leave a comment

UNC Coach Butch Davis made it clear before answering questions that he wasn’t going to answer questions – at least unless it related directly to the LSU game itself.

“I just don’t have the ability to be able to answer questions other than things that directly relate to the LSU game,” he said.

A couple of journalists attempted to get some answers about player availability for the LSU games in light of the NCAA and school investigations. But precious little was revealed and no specific names were mentioned.

“We’re in a holding mode,” Davis said. “Right now we’re just preparing for the game… We’re trying to prepare for all scenarios.”

Davis did mention individual LSU players including second-team All-America cornerback Patrick Peterson and new starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

He said he can tell from the practices this week that it’s game week. “Guys are tired of practicing against themselves,” Davis said. “It’s time to go and play and be able to put some of these distractions behind us and focus legitimately on an opponent.”

Davis said that the game plan against LSU will be the same regardless of which UNC players are on the field.

I’m not sure what else Coach Davis can do but you’d think that some 72 hours before the first game, he could throw some crumb regarding who definitely will be available to play.

The skinny

Quinn, Burney give some limited answers in Herald-Sun report

Leave a comment

Defensive end Robert Quinn worked with the tutor at the heart of the UNC probe but denied she wrote a paper for him, according to a report in the Durham Herald-Sun.

The Herald-Sun also reported Wednesday that cornerback Kendrick Burney said any questions about whether he is involved in the academic probe would have to be answered by Coach Butch Davis or athletics director Dick Baddour.

Both confirmed to the paper that they had been working some with the scout team but said Davis has been rotating players around to get ready for the LSU game on Saturday.

Neither said definitively if they would or would not play.

The skinny

No UNC players talking to the media until after LSU

Leave a comment

UNC continued to trim access to its football team on Wednesday, announcing in the morning that no players would talk to the media the rest of the week until Saturday’s game in Atlanta against LSU.

Carolina players are generally available on Wednesdays, by request. Coach Butch Davis is scheduled to be on the ACC coaches teleconference Wednesday and is scheduled to meet with the media on Thursday afternoon in Chapel Hill.