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Walking
the Plank So much for busting the BCS bash. For the second consecutive season, Tom O'Brien's N.C. State Wolfpack has enjoyed breaking up the Pirate party. Last year, the Pack smacked ECU in Greenville and this past weekend they upset their 15th-ranked in-state rivals in dramatic fashion. It took the state legislatures to get the ACC powers on Tobacco Road to play East Carolina.....if I were the Pack, I'd look into some new legislation to see if it's possible to play them a couple of times each season. Skip Holtz is doing great things at East Carolina, but beating Tom O'Brien and the Pack is not one of them. After watching both State and ECU play in person this year, it appeared to me that this game shouldn't have been close, but that's the beauty of college football. Any given week, anything can and probably will happen. The win by the Pack last year was a catalyst for O'Brien's 2007 team. We'll see if the big win jump starts State for the rest of their 2008 season. In the meantime, East Carolina's passionate following and football team have to wonder what could have been. The loss eliminates any chance of a BCS bid, but it doesn't hurt their position and desire to be the champions of the CUSA. What is guaranteed is that Wolfpack fans have bragging rights over their Eastern neighbors for another season. Tobacco Road also produced another thriller, when Butch Davis' upstart Tar Heels were looking for the biggest win in recent memory. The Tar Heels entered their showdown against the ACC's defending champion as a slight favorite. The Virginia Tech Hokies' rally from a 17-3 deficit dashed the thoughts that UNC was ready to take control of the Coastal Division. Before the Heels talk about winning their first ACC title since 1980, they better ask for permission from Virginia Tech...the Hokies are perfect against UNC since joining the ACC. Frank Beamer's team is a notch below their typical standard, but they do know how to close the deal and win close games. It has been a hallmark of his teams for a long time. It might not look pretty, but it's a win...and that's all that counts. Despite the loss, Butch Davis' squad is making progress...they just haven't arrived as "the team to beat" in the ACC's Coastal. In fact, looking at the landscape, I'm not sure who has the best team in the Coastal division....the Hokies are champs until proven otherwise, but UNC, Miami and Georgia Tech have improved drastically. I would include Duke in the conversation, too...it is wide-open. All of last week, there was a lot of chirping coming from Tallahassee. The Florida State Seminoles were back based on their blowout wins against terrible Football Championship Subdivision opponents....just ask any of their players or their fans. There used to be a time when FSU beat real teams by 50 points, now they can only do it against the Middle Arkansas State Techs of the world. Well, the boys from Switzerland made another visit and almost laid another shutout on dear old Bobby Bowden. Florida State quarterback, Christian Ponder, declared that there was no way his guys would lose to Wake Forest. The 12-3 final put the finishing touches on the Noles' return to glory and in the process put the elder Bowden one behind Joe Paterno in the all-time win column. I truly love Bobby Bowden, but it's time for the Jimbo Fisher era in Tally. Don't tell me that Appalachian State lost to James Madison? Is Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald on suicide alert? Some whacked-out App State fans are still trying to convince themselves that they played LSU to a standstill in the second half of their blowout loss in Baton Rouge, and now this? I could have sworn that James Madison is the same team that was destroyed by the mighty Duke Blue Devils to kick-off the 2008 season...surely a team that can't stay within four touchdowns of Coach Cut is no match to the three-time defending FCS champs. After spotting the Mountaineers a 21 point cushion, JMU rallied for a dramatic and satisfying win. I can only imagine some of the emails and phone calls I'll get this week on the show? How uninspiring was the Panthers' effort in Minnesota? Maybe they were reading their press clippings when outstanding columnist Tom Sorensen of the local paper declared Carolina his "lock of the week". A 2-0 start, coupled with the return of Steve Smith; there's no way Carolina loses to Gus Frerotte and his putrid Vikings, right? The Panthers were inept for the final 30 minutes of play as they suffered their first loss of the season. It just doesn't seem to make sense that Carolina could beat San Diego and Chicago without Smith, but with him in the line-up they produce practically zilch. I actually witnessed Julius Peppers recording a sack. Of course, I wasn't sure....the FOX broadcast team was almost as bad as the Panthers' second half effort. When big #90 recorded the sack, he was referred to as "Julius Peters". That's what happens when you disappear from the game for a year or so. So the Panthers are 2-1, and with a pair of winnable home games against Atlanta and Kansas City on the immediate horizon, it is very likely they can be sporting a sharp 4-1 record heading into the rest of October. I loved watching Boo Weekley in the Ryder Cup. He is a breath of fresh air in this day and age of the PGA Tour. After being dominated for years, the Americans finally made some putts and a ton of birdies in defeating the Europeans and in the process delivered the Cup back to the States. Paul Azinger deserves a lot of credit for his role as captain, and his strategy and fresh approach obviously paid huge dividends. I'm looking forward to talking with Boo on the show. He's always candid, funny and knows how to have a good time. It's also apparent he's a pretty damn good player, too. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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