One reporter to watch in the Triangle is veteran Steve Wiseman, who helped us get started here at CapitalSportsNC and just joined the Durham Herald-Sun to cover Duke. Wiseman had covered the NFL, including the Panthers and Saints, before a long stint at the Columbia State.
His recent story on Duke football raised an interesting point – the Devils play five teams ranked in the AP Top 25, including No. 1 Alabama, and also Elon, which is ranked No. 7 in the Football Championship Subdivision.
N.C. State hasn’t had a winning season since 2005, and looking over the schedule, it’s hard to see the Wolfpack finishing the regular season with a winning record this time.
A tough non-conference schedule should lead State to a 6-6 record, which should be just enough to squeeze it into a low-level bowl.
Here’s a game-by-game breakdown:
Sept. 4, Western Carolina: An easy win. 1-0.
Sept. 11, at Central Florida: George O’Leary is in his seventh season here and has 15 starters back. The defense allowed just 83 yards rushing per game and there is tons of talent in the secondary. The offense is a physical unit that has a powerful running game. A loss here moves State to 1-1.
Sept. 16, Cincinnati: ESPN is back for a Thursday night game with a Cincinnati team that lacks coach Brian Kelly but returns a superb offense.
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| GT’s Johnson isn’t worrying about Sept. 25 |
The Bearcats were 12-1 last year but their defense was simply horrible as the season progressed, as Florida showed in a 51-24 Super Bowl stomping. State has enough offense to win this one and move to 2-1.
Sept. 25, at Georgia Tech: State’s defense is the team’s biggest question mark and you can just see the Jackets grinding away in this game. State does have linebackers coach Jon Tenuta now, and he’s brilliant at figuring out how to plug gaps and stymie offenses. But even with Tenuta and Nate Irving back, you can’t see the Wolfpack winning here. Put the Pack down for 2-2.
Oct. 2, Virginia Tech: The Pack only rushed for 14 yards in last year’s 38-10 loss in Blacksburg. State puts up a better fight but the Hokies win to make State 2-3.
Oct. 9, Boston College: BC is always better than advertised, but Tom O’Brien finally beats his old team this time to make State 3-3.
Oct. 16, at East Carolina: O’Brien is 2-0 against the Pirates. This ECU team is hard to predict but certainly will play well at home against N.C. State. Still, this looks like a Wolfpack victory for a 4-3 record.
Oct. 28, Florida State: Hey, where’s Amato? He won’t be on either sideline this time. Won’t matter either way – the Seminoles are loaded. Make State 4-4.
Nov. 6, at Clemson: The Tigers won’t be the same offense that rang up 43 points on State last season. Running back C.J. Spiller is off to the NFL, but quarterback Kyle Parker didn’t depart for baseball and the Tigers still will be potent on offense. The Pack falls to 4-5.
Nov. 13, Wake Forest: Can you ever consider Wake Forest an easy win any more? No chance. O’Brien is 1-2 against the Deacons but should get this one to make State 5-5.
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| 0-3 vs NCSU, TBA vs NCAA |
Nov. 20, at UNC: O’Brien’s record against Carolina is a sparkling 3-0, but look for this to be Butch Davis’ turn. Carolina has much more depth than N.C. State on both sides and can better afford to withstand injuries. If State is having a poor season and stumbles into this game, say, 3-7, then the stakes here are enormous. Make State 5-6.
Nov. 27, at Maryland: The Ralph Friedgen years may be at an end by this point. Sometimes teams just come out flat, as the Wolfpack did in the 2007 finale against Maryland in a baffling 37-0 loss. State hasn’t won at Maryland since 2004 but should get this one to finish 6-6.
At the University of Alabama, you get a statue if you coach the Crimson Tide to a national football championship.
But around the Triangle, there’s no statue for Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano or even Everett Case. But there will be a bust, at least, of Kay Yow, the legendary Wolfpack women’s basketball coach, when NCSU unveils its tribute to Yow on Tuesday at 3 p.m., a move that comes with a twinge of irony as new athletics director Debbie Yow will speak at the event.
Yow’s death in January of 2009 ended one of the most remarkable careers in Wolfpack athletics. Yow, especially in the early and middle years of her tenure, established terrific teams that always hovered at the top of the ACC standings. She was a fervent advocate of the women’s game, urging the media to cover events and working tirelessly to build up the sport.
Perhaps the only blemish on her mark was she only made the NCAA Final Four once. But that seems like a footnote in a career that will be remembered by her grace and dignity as she coached on with breast cancer.
The memorial will include a bust of Yow, on a pink stone base, and should be a fitting tribute to a coach who expanded and transcended her sport.
And by the way, if you never saw Yow’s video that she made before she died, you can view it here from WRAL.com. It’s an amazing commentary from her about her faith and it’s impact on her life.
If you’re not watching the Little League World Series on ESPN and ABC, you should check it out. The double-elimination tournament continues through Saturday when a U.S. champion is determined and Sunday when a World champion is determined.
The team from the Southeast appears to be one of three U.S. powerhouses (the others Texas and Ohio). That Georgia team came out of a regional held in Georgia where the team from North Carolina – Winston-Salem Nationals – lost in the semi-finals.
Winston-Salem National, representing the Tar Heel state, fell to the eventual runner-up Melbourne, Fla. team 3-2. The Florida team had outscored opponents 22-1 going into that game so North Carolina got close to some national TV exposure.
Winston-Salem got the tying run to third in the last inning but a Florida relief pitcher came on to strike out two straight batters to end the game.
Unfortunately, it’s been since 2004 that North Carolina won the Southeast regional and went on to play in the Little League World Series tournament. That year a team from Morganton went undefeated and beat a team from Georgia (which wins most of the Southeast regional titles) to advance to the World Series.
That North Carolina team made it all the way to the U.S. semi-finals before losing to Richmond, Texas, which lost in the U.S. championship game to the West team from Thousand Oaks, Ca.
By the way, no team from the Triangle area made it to the North Carolina championships where Greenville, Wilson, Boiling Springs, Charlotte and Morganton teams competed against Winston-Salem.
NFL and former UNC player Kentwan Balmer, who is said to have paid for a trip for UNC players, says he hasn’t spoken to NCAA investigators.
If that’s the case, the investigation is moving too slowly. A lot of players, coaches and fans that had nothing to do with getting perks from sports agents are being held hostage to the investigation.
The much-anticipated season, which starts with a neutral site season kickoff against LSU, has now been dampened with no apparent resolution in sight. Carolina is using second-team players as starters in practice for fear that Marvin Austin and Greg Little won’t be able to play. Whether they are or not, the Heels are at a disadvantage. A victory over LSU would certainly tell a lot about the character of the team.
The NCAA just needs to do whatever it’s going to do and the Tar Heels will move on. Some guidance should be given prior to the start of the season. Unfortunately, because Cam Thomas, who played last year for the Heels, is involved, there has been speculation that wins could be taken away from Carolina from last season as well.
Here are 10 opening football games that are within driving distance in the Triangle area tonight. In bold is the predicted winner. Games are at 7:30 p.m. except Cary at Broughton which is at 7 p.m.
Cary at Broughton
Harnett Central at Apex
Holly Springs at Southeast Raleigh
Northern Durham at Middle Creek
Wake Forest-Rolesville at Durham Riverside
Leesville Road at Panther Creek
Greenville Rose at Southern Durham
Fuquay-Varina at Knightdale
Millbrook at Garner
Sanderson at Athens Drive
Check the scores in our Sports Roundup on the left navigation bar.
North Carolina freshman defensive end Brandon Willis, who enrolled in January and has been practicing with the team, has decided to transfer to UCLA, his father says, in order to be closer to him.
I hope that Willis doesn’t suspect that Carolina will be penalized harshly from the NCAA in regard to the recent investigation. But, regardless, I’m not buying the explanation.
I understand that Willis’ mother died in 2009 and I understand that Willis’ father lost his job and found one in California and I understand that family is important and that they want to be close.
But the fact is Willis decided to go to Carolina after his mother died. The fact is that Willis’ father was working in Brunswick, Ga. when Willis decided to go to Carolina. So, the fact is that his father was a six and a half hour drive away from Chapel Hill when he decided to go to Carolina. Los Angeles is a six and a half hour flight away from RDU Airport.
Furthermore, a flight from Brunswick to RDU necessitates a connection in Atlanta and takes four and a half hours. Plus, it costs only about 100 bucks less than a flight from Los Angeles.
Gary Willis said he couldn’t have accepted the job on the West Coast with his son in Chapel Hill. So what changed from the time he was four and a half hours away by air and six and a half hours away by car?
He says it’s nothing against Carolina and that very well may be true but something doesn’t seem right. Maybe they all decided that Brunswick was too far anyway and they all wanted to be closer. Maybe he wanted to play his high school position of defensive end, where he will play at UCLA, instead of defensive tackle, where he was playing for the Tar Heels.
Whatever the reason, I’m not buying the official explanation.
Earlier today, UNC head coach Butch Davis said, “His father has been looking for employment and was informed yesterday that he was able to find a job. The unfortunate thing is he found a job in Southern California and he is really adamant about trying to keep his family together. He’s asked both of his sons to join him in moving out there. That’s all that we really know at this time. We’re happy that his father was able to find a job in this economy. Brandon is a good kid and we wish him the best.”
North Carolina freshman defensive end Brandon Willis, who enrolled in January and has been practicing with the Heels, is transferring to UCLA, his father says, in order to be closer to him. Right.
I hope this doesn’t mean that Willis suspects the investigation going on at UNC might end up in some serious sanctions. But regardless, I’m not buying that as the reason.
I understand that Willis’ mother died in 2009 and I understand that his father lost his job and found one in California and I understand family is important and they want to be together.
But the fact is that Willis’ mother had died long before he decided to change his mind about attending Tennessee and come to Carolina. The fact is that Willis’ father was working in Brunswick, Ga. when Brandon Willis decided to come to Carolina. So, the fact is they wouldn’t have been together anyway.
Gary Willis said he wasn’t going to take the job on the West Coast if it meant leaving his son. However, it takes six and a half hours to drive from Brunswick, Ga. to Chapel Hill which is the same amount of time it takes to fly from Los Angeles to RDU Airport. Further, flying from Brunswick, Ga. to RDU necessitates a connection in Atlanta and the flight takes four and a half hours.
So, why was it previously ok for the father to be in Brunswick and the son in Chapel Hill but
Bobby Thomson, the man whose shot was heard ‘round the world in 1951, died Monday at the age of 86. But few know, or remember, that Thomson played minor league baseball in North Carolina.
Thomson, a Staten Island, NY native, played 29 games at third base for the Rocky Mount Rocks in 1942 at the age of 18. He batted just .241 but he had three key homers and 18 RBI.
When he was signed by the Rocks, the Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper, where I was sports editor years later, ran a story titled “This Bat Is Rocks’ Insurance.” Thomson’s first professional home run came in his first at bat at Rocky Mount’s Municipal Stadium. Not only was it his first home at bat, but it was the first pitch thrown to him.
Plus, he had his first big-time home run in Rocky Mount. Playing the rival Wilson Tobs in a seven-game playoff, the Rocks were down three games to none but managed to pull even at three games a piece. With the deciding seventh game in Rocky Mount, Thomson blasted a six-inning home run over the left field wall to open up a close game and give the Rocks the victory.
It was believed to be only the second time in pro baseball history that a team came from three games down to win a series. After the game, appreciative and ecstatic fans passed a hat and gave Thomson 11 bucks, which he probably needed at the time.
At the end of the season, he enlisted at the height of World War II. He served in the Air Corps from 1943 through 1945.
After the war, he continued his career and became a regular for the New York Giants in 1947. He was a star for years but he’s most remembered for the Oct. 3, 1951 home run in game three of a three-game playoff against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Thomson came to bat in the ninth inning with one out, two on and his Giants down 4-2. On an 0-1 count, Thompson banged “the shot heard ‘round the world” as he homered off Ralph Branca for a three-run, game-and-series winner.
The Giants’ announcer Russ Hodges shouted the famous call, “The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant.” It was perhaps the biggest home run in major league history… but his first home run came in North Carolina.
ACC NEWS RELEASE – Defending National Champion North Carolina received four first place votes and was selected by the league’s head coaches to win the 2010 ACC Field Hockey Championship, as announced today by Commissioner John Swofford.
The Tar Heels collected 24 of the possible 25 points. First place votes were awarded five points, second place received four, etc., and coaches were not allowed to include their own teams in their predicted order of finish.
Maryland, the 2009 ACC Champion and national runner-up, came in second, picking up 21 points and one first place vote. Virginia took third place with 18 points, followed by Wake Forest (12) in fourth, Boston College (9) in fifth and Duke (6) in sixth. The Cavaliers received the final first place vote.
All six teams were represented on the preseason All-ACC squad, with North Carolina tallying a league-leading three honorees. Duke, Maryland and Virginia each had two representatives, while Boston College and Wake Forest each had one.
Eight of the 11 preseason All-ACC selections earned All-America honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association in 2009, including: Emily Kozniuk of Boston College; Rhian Jones of Duke; Katie O’Donnell of Maryland; Katelyn Falgowski, Jackie Kintzer and Kelsey Kolojejchick of North Carolina; and Paige Selenski and Michelle Vittese of Virginia.
O’Donnell, Falgowski, Kintzer, Kolojejchick, Selenski and Vittese were also named to the All-ACC team in 2009.
North Carolina comes off a 2009 campaign in which it went 20-2 overall and 4-1 in league play. The Tar Heels defeated Maryland 3-2 in the NCAA Championship game, earning the program’s sixth national title.
UNC’s Karen Shelton, the reigning NFHCA Coach of the Year, returns seven starters and 15 letterwinners, including Kolojejchick, who was named National Rookie of the Year by womensfieldhockey.com. UNC seeks its 17th conference championship and its first since 2007.