Featured stories, UNC

Six ACC players selected in first round of 2013 NFL Draft

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accfootballThe Atlantic Coast Conference enjoyed a very successful first day of the 2013 National Football League draft Thursday, with no fewer than six ACC players selected among the first 28 overall picks in the first round, the second highest total of any conference nationally.

The six first-round selections is the highest total for the League since the 2008 Draft when seven ACC players were taken in the first round.

The six draftees gives the ACC a total of 51 first-round draft selections since 2005, the second-highest total of any conference nationally.

In all, the SEC led all leagues with 12 players selected on the first round, followed by the ACC with 6, the Pac-12 (5), the Big 12 (3) and the Big Ten, Big East, the Mid-American and Conference USA with one player chosen each. The SEC ties the ACC’s record for first-round selections set in 2005 when the ACC was a 12-team league. The SEC counted 14 teams this year.

North Carolina’s Jonathan Cooper was the first offensive guard chosen and the fourth offensive lineman overall when he was selected 7th overall in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

According to the NFL, Cooper is the first collegiate offensive guard taken in the Top 10 of the NFL Draft since Colorado’s Chris Naeole was selected No. 10 in 1997. Texas’ Leonard Davis (#2 in 2011 by Arizona) and Kyle Turley of San Diego State (7th in 1998) were collegiate tackles that played guard in the NFL. Jonathan Ogden of Utah was the last guard taken earlier than Cooper, tabbed 4tgh overall in 1996 by the Baltimore Ravens.

This year marked the second straight year an ACC player has been chosen in the Top 10. Boston College’s Luke Kuechly was chosen 9th last year on the first round. Florida State’s EJ Manuel was the first quarterback taken in the 2013 NFL Draft when he was tabbed 16th overall by the Buffalo Bills.

With defensive end Bjoern Werner being selected 24th overall by the Indianapolis Colts and cornerback Xavier Rhodes being taken 25th by the Minnesota Vikings, Florida State had multiple first round draft picks in the same year for the first time since 2006 when four Seminoles were tabbed on the first round.

The selection of Werner also gave the ACC a total of 20 defensive ends or outside linebackers selected in the first or second round of the NFL Draft since 2006, the most of any collegiate conference.

The selection of DeAndre Hopkins of Clemson 27th overall by the Dallas Texans continues the ACC’s streak of having a wide receiver taken in either the first or second round of the draft every year since 2006.

The selection of Sylvester Williams of North Carolina as the 28th overall pick by the Denver Broncos gives North Carolina multiple first-round draft selections for the first time since Julius Peppers and Ryan Sims were taken in the first round.

Canes, Featured stories

Hurricanes blow lead late, lose in OT in home finale

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The Carolina Hurricanes rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead early in the third period only to see the New York Rangers score late in regulation and then in overtime to beat the Canes 4-3.

The Hurricanes tied their home finale on a wrist shot by Jiri Tlusty and a snap shot by Tuomo Ruutu in the second period. Things were looking up when Tlusty scored again, this time on an assist from Eric Staal, to start the third period.

But the Rangers’ Brad Richards scored at the 17 minute mark of the third period to tie it and force overtime.

New York’s Ryan Callahan scored three minutes into the overtime period for the win.

Carolina had only two shots on goal in the third period and finished with 21 shots compared to 38 by New York.

Featured stories, Panthers

Panthers select Utah defensive tackle in NFL draft

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Lotulelei
Lotulelei
Star Lotulelei, a first-team All-America defensive tackle from Utah, was chosen by the Carolina Panthers in the first round.

He’s a big-time player but there are questions – mostly about his ability to rush the passer and his struggles with weight. He had 42 tackles last year, five were sacks.

“He’s strong, he’s quick and a tough kid,” draft guru Mel Kiper said. “A very good player but the pass rush wasn’t there.”

Analyst Jon Gruden added that the pass rush is a concern. “If you don’t rush the passe, you don’t play,” Gruden said. “He’ll help them sto the run and get in passing situations but will he close the deal with the pass rush.”

He also had heart issues that physicians believe was related to a virus.

Featured stories

UNC’s Cooper taken by Arizona Cardinals

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Jonathan Cooper
Jonathan Cooper

UNC guard Jonathan Cooper, who can also play center, has been chosen as the seventh pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. It’s the highest that a guard has been drafted since 1997.

Cooper, 6-foot-2, 312 pounds, started an amazing 47 games as a collegiate player. “Effortless movement, great condition,” said former coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden. “What I like most about Cooper is that he’s a finisher. Five years in Chapel Hill, he was a consistent, quality young man. Arizona needed him. I’m sure they are elated. This kid can really play.”

Featured stories, N.C. State, UNC

Huge weekend baseball series with UNC at State

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uncstateNo. 6 NC State puts the nation’s longest winning streak on the line Friday night at 6:30, as No. 1 North Carolina visits Doak Field at Dail Park.

The two clubs were picked by the coaches to finish atop the Coastal and Atlantic divisions entering the season and lived up to the billing as UNC owns an 18-2 conference record, 2.5 games clear of Virginia and 7.5 clear of Georgia Tech in the Coastal. NC State is 14-7 in the ACC and a game ahead of both Florida State and Clemson.

For the first time in 281 meetings, both teams are ranked in the top 10. During the 2012 regular season, the 11th-ranked Pack traveled to Chapel Hill to take on the fourth-ranked Tar Heels.

The last time these two teams met, the scene was the 2012 ACC Tournament in Greensboro, where 10,229 spectators packed the stadium to set a record for the most-attended college baseball game in the history of North Carolina.

Though the venue is smaller this time around, NC State officials are expecting record crowds for all three games this weekend. Tickets sold out for the series on Monday morning. Student tickets are limited to the first 795 through the gates.

The Wolfpack (33-10 overall) carries a 15-game winning streak into the series, its longest since a 16-gamer in 2003. State is going for its fifth-consecutive ACC series win. The last time the Pack won five ACC series in a row was 2008. The Wolfpack’s current streak of 10-straight conference wins is the longest since 13 consecutive in 1997.

North Carolina (40-3, 18-2) had a 14-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night against UNC Wilmington. The Tar Heels are a perfect 6-0 on the road in the ACC this season with road sweeps at Wake Forest and Virginia Tech under their belts.

Games one and two will be streamed live on ESPN3.com, with game three being carried by ESPNU.

Featured stories, UNC

Coming off only their 3rd loss, Tar Heels become first to notch 40 wins

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unchatNo. 1 North Carolina became the first team in the country to reach 40 wins on Wednesday as the Tar Heels claimed a 10-2 win over visiting Charlotte.

Freshman Reilly Hovis earned his first collegiate win as he allowed one run on three hits over five innings of work. Hovis struck out a career-high five batters in the longest outing of his short career.

Carolina saw its second winning streak of 14 or more games come to an end Tuesday night as No. 21 UNC Wilmington knocked off the Tar Heels, 9-8.

Against Charlotte, Colin Moran led a 10-hit attack for the Tar Heels as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, while the senior duo of Chaz Frank and Cody Stubbs each tallied two hits and combined to drive in seven runs.

The Tar Heels (40-3) struck in the first inning for the fifth consecutive game Wednesday night as Chaz Frank opened the contest with a leadoff double down the left field line. A hit by pitch and a walk would push Frank to third before Brian Holberton hit into a double play that scored Frank and put UNC up 1-0.

The 49ers evened the contest right back up at 1-1 thanks to a leadoff single that came around to score after back-to-back ground outs and a single that dropped in shallow center field.

A two-out rally in the second inning pushed two more runs across for the Tar Heels as Frank laced a double inside the bag at first to score Mike Zolk and Korey Dunbar.

Cody Stubbs blew the game open in the fifth inning when he crushed his seventh home run of the year, a three-run blast to rigth field. Colin Moran and Brian Holberton both singled in front of Stubbs with two outs in the inning.

Carolina added three more in the sixth when Frank walked with the bases loaded to score Parks Jordan before Colin Moran hit a single through the right side to score two more and pushed the lead to 10-1.

Hovis retired seven of the last eight batters he faced before departing following the fifth inning when Trevor Kelley came on for the Tar Heels.

Kelley sat down all six batters he faced with back-to-back spotless innings as he struck out three.

The 49ers pulled a run back against Taylore Cherry in the eighth before Mason McCullough threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The Tar Heels become the seventh-fastest team to reach 40 wins in NCAA history with the win Wednesday night. UNC joins the 1981 Miami and 1972 Arizona State teams in accomplishing the feat in 43 games.

Up next for the Tar Heels is a visit to Doak Field in Raleigh for an ACC battle against NC State. Both teams will enter the series as the ACC Coastal and ACC Atlantic division leaders.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Two Tar Heels could go in NFL’s first round tonight

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jonathancooperOffensive guard Jonathan Cooper and defensive tackle Sylvester Williams have both been mentioned as potential first-round draft picks in 2013. The last time two Tar Heels were picked in the first round came in 2002 when DE Julius Peppers was picked No. 2 overall by the Carolina Panthers and DT Ryan Sims went sixth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.

WalterFootball.com has Cooper going No. 10 to the Titans and Williams going to the Vikings at No. 23 while Pat Kirwin of CBS Sports has Cooper going to the Chargers at No. 11 and Williams going to the Panthers at No. 14.

“The Titans almost have to go offense here because the front office and coaching staff will be fired if Jake Locker and Chris Johnson don’t perform well,” WalterFootball.com writes. “General manager Ruston Webster needs to do everything in his power to get the most out of Locker. Webster has stated that he’s not opposed to taking a guard with this selection. Jonathan Cooper can play both guard and center, so his versatility will help him get drafted this early. His athleticism will be key with a speedy back like Chris Johnson.”

Williams is less of a sure thing to go in the first round but some seem confident he will. “The Vikings can address one of their biggest needs with one of the top players available. Defensive tackle is a huge issue right now; Kevin Williams will turn 33 in August, and there’s no one of note playing next to him. Letroy Guion is a decent rotational guy but should not be a starter. Sylvester Williams can play both interior positions and bring back the Williams Wall,” WalterFootball.com writes.

Cooper is bidding to become just the fourth offensive lineman picked in the first round from UNC. The others were Ken Huff in 1975 (No. 3 overall), Brian Blados in 1984 (No. 28) and Harris Barton in 1987 (No. 22). Huff is the only other guard to be picked in the first round from UNC.

Speaking of offensive guards, the last time a guard was selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft was 1997 when Colorado’s Chris Naeole was selected by the New Orleans Saints at No. 10.

The last time a defensive tackle from UNC was selected in the first round was 2008 when Kentwan Balmer was taken at No. 29 by San Francisco.

Carolina has had 20 all-time first-round draft picks, which ranks just outside the top 25 in the country. It is, however, the most of any school in the state, ahead of NC State (15), Duke (5) and Wake Forest (4).

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Duke’s Vernon expected to go in mid-to-late rounds of NFL draft

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connervernonDuke wide receiver Conner Vernon, holder of several ACC records, is expected to go in the mid to late rounds of the NFL draft, which concludes on Saturday.

He says he or his agent has talked with all 32 teams. “A lot of people just want information on you, and they don’t necessarily contact you and instead they go through your agent. I know he’s talked to a lot of guys,” Vernon said. “Right now, there’s not much else I can control. At this point, most of it is out of my hands.”

WalterFootball.com has Vernon going to the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round saying, “Miles Austin-Jones will be back next year, but he may not be around much longer after that. The Cowboys will have to find a long-term solution across from Dez Bryant.”

Vernon arrived at Duke in the summer of 2009 and, after four seasons on the gridiron, departed as the ACC’s most prolific wide receiver.

Since graduating this past December, the Miami, Fla., native has turned his attention to life after Duke – preparation for the National Football League. Vernon is expected to be selected in this weekend’s annual draft.

In 48 career games at Duke, Vernon caught 283 passes for 3,749 yards and 21 touchdowns while compiling 4,357 career all-purpose yards. A three-time all-conference selection, the Miami, Fla., native set ACC records for career pass receptions, career pass receiving yardage, most consecutive games with one or more pass reception (48), most seasons with 50-plus pass receptions (4), most seasons with 60-plus pass receptions (3) and most seasons with 70-plus pass receptions (3). In addition, Vernon finished career ranking among the NCAA’s all-time leaders in both receptions (23rd) and receiving yardage (24th).

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Pack NFL hopefuls anxious for start of tonight’s draft

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statefootballThe futures of a handful of former NC State football players will soon be decided, as the NFL Draft takes place this weekend. Since the Pack’s bowl game in late December, former members of the 2012 team have been working out and preparing for the next step in their lives, hoping to hear their name called during the draft.

GoPack.com spoke with three seniors from last year’s squad that attended the NFL Combine in February, and have been back in Raleigh a majority of the time training.

Question: Where will you be watching the draft?

Zach Allen: I’ll be watching the draft back home (in Georgia), just relaxing with my family and trying to treat the whole process as a normal day.

Mike Glennon: I’ll be at our beach house in Ocean City, Md., with family and my girlfriend. I just want to relax, try to take my mind off of everything.

Earl Wolff: I’ll be in Fayetteville watching with family and friends. I have family coming from as far away as Boston and Philadelphia to be with us.

Question: What kind of contact have you had with NFL teams during this process?

Allen: I’ve talked to about 20-25 teams. Everybody wants to know how my ankle has healed and that I will be ready for training camp. My situation is a bit different, teams are asking more about my ankle then my play on the field at this point.

Glennon: I’ve visited two teams, and have had three other teams come down here to watch me workout.

Wolff: I visited three teams, and had four teams come down here for a workout. I keep hearing I can play both safety positions, because of my range and how hard I play.

Question: An educated guess, where do you think you will be drafted?

Allen: I have no idea when I will get picked, I’m just hoping that some team pulls the trigger and gives me a chance.

Glennon: It’s hard to tell how the draft will go. Everybody is unsure how the QBs will be drafted. Best case scenario for me would be late first round, but you never know.

Wolff: As the weeks have gone on, I get more and more positive feedback about where I will be drafted. I think, right now, I would saying getting picked in the second or third round is my goal.

Question: Not long after the draft, you will go to your new team and take part in a rookie mini-camp. What will it feel like to strap on an NFL helmet?

Allen: Going to that first mini-camp will be a dream come true. Every little kid playing football wants to make it to the NFL. It’s a profession for me now, a dream job.

Glennon: It will be exciting to be in a different situation, it’s what I have been working so hard for.

Wolff: Strapping on a new helmet will be a great feeling, an exciting feeling. I have not always been the biggest or fastest player, but I have worked hard throughout my life and this weekend is the payoff.

Last season, the Pack set a school record with six former NC State players taken in the 2012 NFL Draft. T.J. Graham and Russell Wilson were both taken in the third round, Terrell Manning was a fifth round selection, and Audie Cole, Markus Kuhn and J.R. Sweezy were all picked in the seventh round of the draft.

The 2013 NFL Draft returns to primetime, with the first round taking place Thurs., April 25 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the second and third rounds on Fri., April 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET. Rounds 4-7 will be held Sat., April 27 at 12 p.m. ET. Watch it live on both ESPN and the NFL Network.

Duke, Featured stories, UNC

No. 1 Heels baseball sweeps Duke in front of record crowd

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uncbaseballhatNo. 1 North Carolina pounded out 10 runs on 16 hits and the Tar Heels completed a three-game sweep of Duke with a 10-1 win over the Blue Devils Sunday afternoon in front of a regular season record crowd of 4,255 at Boshamer Stadium. Every UNC starter recorded a hit, and Brian Holberton drove in four runs and thumped his eighth home run of the season. Cody Stubbs and Parks Jordan added three hits as Carolina improved to 39-2 and 18-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference action.

Hobbs Johnson (2-0) scattered six hits and three walks over 7.1 scoreless innings, and Trevor Kelley got the final five outs to give UNC its 14th consecutive victory and its ninth win in a row over the Blue Devils (22-20, 8-13 ACC).

Carolina got to Duke starter Robert Huber early and often, touching him up for seven runs in 4.1 innings. Holberton opened the scoring in the first, blasting a 2-0 pitch out to right to give the Tar Heels a quick 3-0 lead.

UNC added single runs in the third and fourth and two more in the fifth to give Johnson plenty of breathing room. The junior lefty won his second straight start with his longest outing of the season, working into the eighth for just the second time in his career. Duke didn’t get a runner past second until the seventh when Johnson stranded a pair in scoring position by enducing a pop to short and a flyout.

Stubbs ripped his third double of the afternoon in the seventh and came around to score on a two-run single by Parks Jordan to push the lead to 9-0. Brian Holberton doubled in a run in the eighth before Duke pulled a run back in the ninth to provide the final tally of 10-1.

Carolina continues its trip through the Old North State this week as the Tar Heels host UNC Wilmington Tuesday, Charlotte Wednesday and head to NC State Friday.

– News release