(The following entry was originally logged by BJD and then “piggybacked” with more from Jeff.)
* First, I don’t know squat about William & Mary. I assume this is a team that 99% of BCS opponents would beat easily, so we must have at least a 50/50 shot. Know something about the Tribe? Put it in the comments. UPDATE: Section Six has one of their great previews that provides some mathematical insight into the match-up (Thanks, Trip). Pack Pride has the good old SID released generic game notes. CFN seems pretty accurate with their prediction…except for the part about Jamelle Eugene playing as he is questionable and probably won’t be risked in a game with William & Mary.
The Wolfpack defense will build on its effort in Columbia, shutting down an average Tribe offense. Even with all of the returners, the William & Mary defense is sketchy and will be easily solved by backs Andre Brown and Jamelle Eugene, provided he can return from an ankle injury.
* The Hanna-related weather is taking a turn for the worse. Regardless, Sports Illustrated just ran an article saying that the game is not at risk to move (for now). Does bad footing help or hurt the Pack? On the plus side, anything that keeps us from throwing is good. However, that would seem to make it much easier for more injuries to occur. State will already be short-handed – no Jamelle Eugene or Anthony Hill, and maybe no Willie Young either.
* Thinking about staying home instead of braving the bog around C-F? Don’t bother – this might be the worst weekend television slate in college football history. The three national network games are Wake/Ole Miss (ABC national split), Oregon State/Penn State (ditto), and Notre Dame/San Diego State (NBC). Seriously. The “headline” ESPN night game is Miami/Florida (likely blowout), flanked by two complete stinkers on the duece (USF/UCF and Texas/UTEP). The Raycom game is actually the best matchup of the day, and that’s only because GT and BC come into the season as such complete unknows. But as long as the BCS system creates perverse incentives, you will only see more September slates like this in the future.
* Tysiac takes a break from kissing Wolfpack asses to note that…maybe South Carolina isn’t the runaway freight train that the Pack made them look like. Congrats to all the Former Sheridan assistants who led Vandy to its first home win over a ranked for since 1992. Side note – Tysiac might want to think about getting an adult haircut one of these days.
* Despite the outcome of last Thursday’s game, the trip to South Carolina was a blast for most Wolfpackers and re-emphasized that the game between NC State and South Carolina should be played with more regularity. State is currently scheduled to host USC to open next season on Thursday night, September 3rd in Raleigh. A few bullets sent to me by a friend:
* Boy, were you ever right about Evans. Wow….
* Williams-Brice is big…but boy it is a DUMP. The entire stadium is worse than our East side stands in terms of being fan-friendly. The seats are cramped and there is no air flow at all. CF is louder than that place, even with 60k versus 80k.
* I was shocked at how pleasurable and hospitable the fans were with whom I came in contact. It was a major change from their reputation and from our history with them. Maybe it was just that I was tailgating with a group of Gamecocks that insulated me from the rest of them.
* Unfortunately for Gamecock fans…their reputation was not helped by the lovely display of ‘class’ highlighted in this blog post and the links embedded. Similarly, I was surprised and disappointed to experience the classless reaction of a Gamecock fan sitting behind me at the time of Wilson’s injury.
* Surprisingly, I am actually interested in the Georgia Tech – Boston College game this weekend. Maybe I am not as interested in their head to head battle as I am to watch the direction of their programs in the next couple of years.
* Can you believe that Miami vs Florida means almost nothing on the national stage…yet it is still “the game of the week”.
When the teams haven’t met in almost four years and one of the participants is a diminished national power, what’s left? Louis Murphy, and that’s about it. The Florida receiver started flapping his gums last week after the Gators beat Hawaii.
“If I’m right, the ‘U’ stands for the University of Miami,” Murphy told the Palm Beach Post. “Well, we’re the University of Florida. We’re the ‘U.’ I don’t refer to them as the ‘U.’ I refer to them as Miami. If the ‘U’ is for university and winning and championships, we’re the ‘U.’ They are Miami, and that’s what I call them.”
* Sunday looks better, with the Panthers and Chargers as the highlight. It’s always good to have the NFL back.
* What would an NC State football entry be without some discussion of injuries?
