Looking at NFL standings – and, singing DEF LEPPARD’S “bringing on the heartbreak” since the season leaders are such a shock…

–  I wonder how can the Colts clinch their division and the Saints still be looking for America’s respect?

Jacksonville has the same 6-5 record as the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South, but Indy’s 11-0 seems better than New Orleans? At this point, could the Falcons beat the Saints to take the division? NO way!!!

So, maybe I am missing a rule on the AFC and its treating the NFC like a red-headed stepchild? Maybe because the AFC is celebrating a milestone anniversary — they said, “you go first old geyser” (the league, that is)

This observation comes after watching the Saints manhandle Tom Brady and his New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Was there a point where I started to believe? You bet, and it was somewhere near the half way point – a Patriot RB tucks the ball, ducks his head and the NO defense literally stood him right up. It was like he ran into a brick wall – and this happened often throughout the game. The Saints brilliantly kept Brady off-balance and it was the weakest I have seen him throughout his entire career.

THE NFC EAST – has been such a disappointment. The Cowboys lead their division with a weak 8-3 record.

That ties other wild card teams like Cincinnati and San Diego.

*** I would rank these QB’s in this order: 1. Carson Palmer 2. Phillip Rivers 3. Tony Romo

The Giants tie the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 6-5 record.

These three teams, Ravens in particular, are a nightmare for any team in the playoffs.

I would rank them in “capable of an upset” like this: 1. Ravens 2. Steelers and 3. Giants.

SIDE NOTE: Carson Palmer has led his team to victories over two of the three teams listed in the AFC North to give his Bengals a divisional lead down the stretch.

THE NFC NORTH is rolling with Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings at 10-1. Most disappointing here would be “Da Bears.”

***** Speaking of Disappointing – Jake Delhomme has thrown more interceptions than team wins this season. With a 4-7 record and 1-4 on the road; this team is worse than the 0-7 team of yester-year. This group of guys need serious attitude and ego adjustments. We need to keep John Fox, but dismantle the entire team. Poof be gone — draft NC STATE’S RUSSELL WILSON, and let’s get this party started.

***** SIDE NOTE — AND THIS IS WHY I AM SO MAD AT THE PANTHERS… They are 3-0 in their weak division; and they Play the Vikings, Giants and then the Saints… I have the brown paper bag ready! Let’s finish the disastrous season strong!!

Russell looks great running it, but I'd prefer to see him throw it. Don't believe me? Just look at the numbers.

Ok. So I looked up some stats last night just to compare the Russell Wilson from 2008 and 2009. All year long the debate about whether the coaching staff was handcuffing Russell dominated a lot of discussion on the message boards. I personally never bought into those sorts of complaints because it was obvious the offense was not the issue with the 2009 Wolfpack.

But for those of you who still believe the Wolfpack would be better off with Russell running around, take a look at some numbers. I am aware Russell missed time due to injury during the 2008 season, but even if you project his numbers for those games based on what he did the rest of the year it doesn’t add up.

Russell’s numbers improved in every category other than interceptions. And to expect the same performance last year regarding interceptions was somewhat absurd. Turnovers happen in football.

And even with the fact that Russell ran less, he still netted 260 yards rushing, gaining an average of 21 yards per contest. In 2008 he only netted 388 (even though it felt like a lot more) yards with a little more than 35 yards per game. So all you people arguing that Russell should have run more this year are making your point based on 14 yards per game. Is that really worth the increased chance of injury?

Another stat that proves the 2009 Russell was more effective is the amount of sacks he took. One would assume that the “pocket” Russell Wilson would have been sacked a whole lot more. Wrong! In more games played in 2009 he took only five more sacks than in 2008.

The offense averaged more yards, points and first downs this season. The offense was more efficient on third downs and and averaged nearly 80 more yards per game. That’s an entire drive more than last season.

If Russell does come back next season I hope this argument about him needing to run more will finally go away. Wilson is a quarterback, and an awful good one.

It’s Tuesday night, a full three days since the Pack’s big win over the Tarheels and it still feels so good.  All last week leading up to the game I had a bad feeling about this one so I was just hoping the Pack wouldn’t get embarrassed at home like against Duke earlier in the season.  The team came out flat and looked very uninspired early on so I started to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable, but the longer that Carolina let us hang around the better we started playing.  It was real nice to see us pick up our intensity and play with passion, both which had been sorely lacking for most of the season, and pull out the win.  Did I mention how good it feels?  Just checking.

Russell Wilson once again showed why he is the best QB in the ACC, even though the media hosed him on what should have been another 1st Team All-ACC selection.  Josh Nesbitt, really?  At RB maybe, but a 1st Team QB with only 1553 yards passing and 9 TDs is an absolute joke.  Anyway, after the terrible QB play that Pack fans have had to endure recently it sure has been fun to watch Russell these past two seasons.  He was good last year, but this year he was even better.  He absolutely carried the offense on his shoulders all season.  All four of his TD passes Saturday were things of beauty, especially the game winner to Owen Spencer.  Everybody in Wolfpack Nation just hopes he returns next year, but even if he doesn’t he has firmly etched his name in NC State football lore.

Saturday was an emotional day all around for me.  In addition to the big upset win over the team I hate most in this world, it was my little brother’s last game as a Senior team manager.  He’s spent four years putting in just as much time, energy, hard work, and passion as any of the players … with very little success as a reward.  At the beginning of the season I believed we would have a special year if for no other reason than I wanted it so badly for him.  Things didn’t quite turn out that way, but going out with three straight wins over Carolina was a nice consolation.  I told him before the game that if they could pull it off they would be the first Senior Class to go out with at least three straight wins over the Tarheels since 1992, so after the game I was honestly happier for him than anything else.  Thanks bro for all you’ve done for the Wolfpack football program!  I’ll miss seeing you on the sidelines next season!

Now that the regular season is in the books, let’s take a look at my own assessment of each team in the ACC’s “black and blue” division.  The results are as varied as the teams themselves.

BOSTON COLLEGE (B+) – The Eagles managed to stay strong in the second half, albeit against weaker competition.  Losses to Notre Dame and North Carolina and close wins against the conference cellar-dwellers have caused their stock to drop off a bit.  Still, BC managed to be bowl-eligible for the 11th year in a row, which matches the total number of bowl trips they’ve been to in the six decades prior to the current streak.

CLEMSON (A) – Coach Dabo Swinney managed to do something that Tommy Bowden couldn’t do.  Despite a rough start with losses against Georgia Tech, TCU, and Maryland (!), the Tigers ran off a six-game winning streak en route to its first ACC Championship game and possibly it’s first conference title since 1991.  Having your best player honored with a full page color ad in USA Today certainly adds to your rep as well.

FLORIDA STATE (C-) – Despite the controversy surrounding their revered head coach all season, the Seminoles managed to pull together some close wins over UNC, NC State, and Maryland to eke in another bowl game.  Even so, it became apparent that whatever bowl they’ll be heading to will be the last for Bobby Bowden as he calls it a career.

MARYLAND (F) – Never did I think doling out this grade would be necessary.  But the Terps earned that distinction by ending the season with a mighty thud, thanks to a seven-game losing streak to end the season.  Ralph Friedgen will remain on board for 2010, despite having to deal with a litany of injuries, inexperience, and just plain bad luck.  Perhaps the only thing keeping him in College Park at this point would be the money, or lack thereof.  For what it’s worth, there needs to be significant improvement next season if Coach Friedgen doesn’t want to end up on the hot seat again.

N.C. STATE (D) – The Pack wasn’t able to put together another impressive late-season run this time around.  Injuries and a weak defense doomed their bowl chances, although a season-ending win over rival UNC did offer a sense of redemption.  Probably the biggest question during the offseason would be whether QB Russell Wilson will stick around for another season or take a crack at professional baseball.

WAKE FOREST (D+) – The Deacs fell apart during the backstretch of the season, only to end a five-game losing streak against Duke to cap the season.  While the season was a letdown for the number of seniors on the squad, including their record-breaking QB Riley Skinner, it was quite a learning experience for the defense who helped keep Wake in a number of close contests.

In conclusion, the Atlantic Division had more drama than Jon & Kate without all the screaming and backbiting.  Even so, there is room for improvement as the offseason progresses and wholesale changes are expected across the board.  It’s just a matter of finding the right balance needed to keep the division more sound and competitive.

What a great way to end an incredibly disappointing season.

Saturday’s victory over the Heels was about as sweet as it gets for me and, I assume, for most N.C. State fans out there. And what made it even better was to see the Wolfpack defense step up and make key plays to seal the victory. If someone had told me State’s defense would allow only 3 points in the second half I’d have laughed right in their face. But that’s how it happened and it was certainly great to watch.

As I was reading some other sites this morning, some stats on Backing the Pack really caught my eye.

A tale of two halves for the N.C. State defense:

UNC Offense, 1st Half: 26 plays, 318 yards (12.2 yds/play)
UNC Offense, 2nd Half: 31 plays, 147 yards (4.7 yds/play)

Add in the blocked kick from Alan-Michael Cash and the game-sealing interception from Clem Johnson and there you have it.

Even a day later I’m still somewhat in shock. Not so much because State won, but because of how the Pack did it.

Well done guys.

Hopefully Mr. Wilson can recreate some of his magic from Kenan Stadium last season.

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing the first game day post of the year about the Wolfpack taking on South Carolina. I must say things haven’t gone like I expected them to. But that, my friends, is why they play the games.

Heading into today’s game, the 4-7 Pack seemingly have little to play for while the 8-3 Tar Holes are in position to potentially make a New Year’s Day bowl if everything falls into place. Again, that’s why they play the games.

I love rivalry games for lots of reasons, but the main one is that more often than not records mean absolutely nothing. It’s a good thing for the Wolfpack too. I have mixed emotions about how I think the game will go. The logical football fan in me says that Carolina should probably win by 10 points or so. Obviously the N.C. State fan believes otherwise and it’s been difficult this week to try and find some sort of middle ground.

The key to the game this week without a doubt is the turnover battle. If N.C. State takes care of the football it will be in the game simply because Carolina’s offense is not built to put up 30+ points a game, even against a defense as porous as State’s. Other than that, it’s the same old stuff. Run the ball, stop the run. Blah, blah, blah. I’m not going over stuff I’ve covered all year. If you’re interested in how I think teams should win football games, read some of the archive posts.

Another factor to tomorrow’s game, which I wish wasn’t even something to consider, is the emotional impact the illness of offensive coordinator Dana Bible could have on the Wolfpack. It could quite possibly be a motivating factor but at the same time I worry about how smoothly the offense will be able to run in his absence. We’ll just have to judge that after the fact.

I feel pretty good going into the game, but I’m not sure why. It’s probably the fan side of my brain, which usually gets bigger and bigger every day as Saturday gets closer.

That being said, I’m going to make a logical prediction. This is going to hurt.

UNC 31
NCSU 27

Check Twitter before, during and right after the game and check back tomorrow evening for a post.

Thanks N.C. State.

Saturday’s loss to Clemson, for me at least, is the worst of the season to this point. Not because of the point total or the fact that I got to watch the CJ Spiller show (which felt kind of inevitable all afternoon), but because it honestly felt like the Wolfpack quit. The players quit, the coaching staff quit. It was the punt midway through the fourth quarter that told me all I needed to know.

I can live with the Wolfpack being bad. That’s something I’m used to — something that I kind of expect at this point. But I don’t want anything to do with a team that doesn’t seem to have the desire to get it done.

This post is probably a little over dramatic and I’m probably missing the bigger picture, but it’s Monday and I don’t much care. I’m sick of watching this crap week in and week out. I talked with a friend late in the fourth quarter and he said he is completely shocked by how bad this team is. The more I’ve thought about that, the more I have to agree with him. I knew going into the season that the defense would be an issue that would probably cost us a couple ball games, but it shouldn’t be like this. The cupboard isn’t that empty. It’s no where near full, but it surely isn’t empty.

If N.C. State ends up losing its last two games, which is fairly likely at this point, I don’t see how TOB isn’t on the hot seat — or at least a warm one — heading into next season. I’m not one to scream for coaches heads and all that, but like TOB says, N.C. State is “a performance-based organization.”

I’ll get up some thoughts following the press conference this afternoon. Hopefully I’ll be less depressed/apathetic by that point in the day.

So first let me start by apologizing for my absence the last few days. I didn’t get to attend the game Saturday and didn’t have any thoughts about the game that I thought were worth writing. I’m glad State won, but other than that I kind of drew a blank Sunday and Monday.

Mix that with a busy weekend and a busy first part of the week and you have a blog that’s a few days behind the news. I do, however, plan on changing that in the next couple of days.

I’ll get some thoughts up on Clemson tomorrow and I’ll talk a little basketball Thursday after the season opener.

The one thing I do want to comment on is the football depth chart. Jarvis Byrd and Sterling Lucas are now starting on the defensive side of the ball. All I can say at this point is wow. Just wow. The amount of changes to the depth chart is almost appalling. How the Wolfpack have gotten 11 guys on the field each and every week is a miracle.

It will definitely be interesting Saturday to say the least.

Keep checking back for more soon.

Women's Basketball Coach Kellie Harper was Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade.

What do “Terminate the Terps”, “Operation T.O.B. (Take Out Boston College)”, “Crush the Cavs”, “Send the Jackets PACKIN”, “Dismiss Southern Miss”, “DevaSTATE Wake”, and “Beat the Buzz” have in common?  If you answered corny NC State Homecoming slogans then you’re our winner.  Come on down and get your prize.  There’s really no prize so just enjoy yesterday’s win.

Maryland is not a very good football team, but we took care of business.  The much-maligned Pack defense played really well holding the Maryland offense to only 270 yards, 14 first downs, and 17 points.  Maybe we can build a little confidence from that and play better these last three games.  The Pack offense continued its hot play piling up 482 yards, 31 first downs, and 38 points.  From these stats you can see how this game should have been a blowout, but it was a nail biter that wasn’t decided until the last play of the game.  No time to be picky for us Pack fans, though.  A win is a win and it feels so good to be back in the W column keeping our slim bowl hopes alive.

It’s going to be tough to become bowl eligible needing to win all our remaining games (Clemson, @Virginia Tech, and North Carolina), but until we are officially eliminated I’m going to hold out hope.  We pulled it off last year so why not do it again.  Stranger things have happened.  Any team can win on any given Saturday.  Oh I’m such a douche for using cliches like that, but I believe.  In order to do it, though, we have to shore up the special teams and Russell has to be smarter with the football.

Our special teams has struggled all year and yesterday was no different.  We did kick a 48 yard field goal and block a Maryland field goal attempt, but those don’t come close to making up for botching a punt and giving up a kickoff return touchdown.  With C.J. Spiller coming to town next week it could get worse too.  Defensive coordinator Mike Archer has been getting a lot of heat for how the defense has played, but what about special teams coach Jerry Petercuskie?  The special teams has been even worse than the defense, believe it or not, so they must get better and fast.

We all knew that Russell Wilson’s record setting interception free streak was going to end sooner or later.  It was an impressive streak that was made possible by a lot of skill, good decisions, and a little luck.  When it finally did come to an end in the Wake Forest game we all expected Russell to start another streak.  Well he has started another streak, but not the kind of streak we had in mind.  He’s now thrown nine interceptions over the last five games with at least one in each game.  Game by game his interceptions have been 2, 1, 1, 2, and 3.  I understand that we are throwing the ball more and interceptions are going to happen, but the majority of Russell’s nine interceptions have been caused by terrible decisions and forced throws.  Going forward he has to be a lot smarter and protect the football better to give us a chance.

And that's another Florida State first down!!!

This is getting old.

Not that I expected to be doing a write-up on a win, but seriously, come on Wolfpack. At this point it’s almost something you just have to kind of chuckle about and move on.

Because of work I didn’t get a chance to watch the second half of the game and since it wasn’t worth DVRing, I won’t get a chance to see it. Frankly I don’t think I could watch it without breaking the TV. But after talking with my roommates, who did suffer through the entire game, and looking a little more closely at the box score and write-ups I’ve seen, I feel like I get the gist of what happened in the second half.

If someone had sent me Christian Ponder’s stat line before the game I would have assumed N.C. State won the game. Based on what he had done to other defenses, especially to Carolina’s last week, holding him to 277 passing yards and forcing a couple interceptions is almost respectable. Almost.

But we are talking about N.C. State here. And once again the Wolfpack found a way to lose. It’s almost like the defense is actively looking for a way to blow the game. And — of course — it did.

When your quarterback throws for more than 300 yards and five touchdowns and you rush for almost 200 yards as a team, you should win the game. There are simply no excuses. I don’t care whether you want to blame players, coaches or the weather, when your offense performs at that level you should win.

On an almost entertaining note, there were two plays from Saturday’s game that define the year N.C. State is having. The first came when FSU running back Jermaine Thomas fumbled in the first half but was able to pick up his own fumble, change directions and run for a 20-yard gain. The second (and more obvious) one came when defensive tackle Natanu Mageo intercepted a pass and FSU got a first down by way of his subsequent fumble. Seriously? This crap can only happen to N.C. State.

I don’t really know what else to say at this point. N.C. State’s defense is bad enough that it may not win another game. And while I don’t really see any of the defenses left on the schedule being able to shut down the Wolfpack offense, it won’t matter. I’m hoping State can squeak out a win next week against the Twerps, but Chris Turner will more than likely have a career day. Other than that, I don’t see another win. At Virginia Tech is out of the question completely. CJ Spiller may make his case for the Heisman (regardless of the fact that he won’t win) in Raleigh and Carolina will run for about 300 to close out the year.

I still think things could change, but that’s just the fan in me. The fan — by the way — that is slowly getting broken down. Thanks Wolfpack.

Well if you like offense today was your kind of game.  Both defenses were terrible and both offenses made big play after big play.  The two teams combined for almost 1100 yards of offense.  For the Pack, Russell Wilson had 5 TD passes (3 to Jarvis Williams), Owen Specer had several long receptions, and Toney Baker ran hard over defenders all day.  If we can play like this on offense for the remaining four games then we’ll have a chance to win them all.

But in order to win any of them the defense is going to have to find a way to make stops and get off the field.  Today was a lot of the same we’ve seen the last few weeks; missed tackles, blown coverages, and no pressure on the QB.  We did create two turnovers, but wasted both opportunities.  I don’t know which made me sicker to my stomach, the poor clock management by Tom O’Brien before the half when we had a chance to take a lead or Natanu Mageo fumbling the ball right back to FSU on his interception return that would have gave us the ball inside the 20 yard line and possibly changed the outcome of the game.

It will be nice to return to Carter-Finley next weekend for Homecoming.  I just hope that Pack fans still show up and support this team.  Today the FSU fans sure didn’t as the attendance was the smallest at Doak Campbell Stadium in 16 years.  They sure didn’t deserve this win.  I guess they were trying to send Bobby Bowden a message.  Well I have a message for them, I’d give both my nuts and maybe even my left arm to have the success you’ve had the last 30+ years.  And you have Bobby to thank for all that.  Show the man some respect.

Just a short post for now, I’ll get up more thoughts tonight or tomorrow after some alcohol consumption. I’m going to need it after that let down.

For N.C. State to lose on a day when the offense puts up numbers like it did today is just unacceptable. Russell Wilson threw for 350 and five touchdowns. Toney Baker had over 100 yards rushing. And the Pack still lose.

Downright pitiful.

This weekend, Russell Wilson and the NC State Wolfpack travel to Tallahassee to take on the very unpredictable and inconsistent Florida State Seminoles.  A lot is at stake in this ACC match up as FSU will look to stay alive in the hunt for the ACC Championship Game, and NC State will look to snap their current three game skid.  As always, College FootBlog will break down each team, analyze the upcoming game and make a score prediction.

Christian Ponder has quietly put together the best passing stats in the ACC (google images)

Florida State

Strengths:  The 2009 season has not been good to the ‘Noles, but the play of quarterback, Christian Ponder, has been the only constant they have had.  Ponder currently leads the ACC in total offense and is fourth nationally.  Ponder’s passing yards per game is tops in the ACC and currently ranks fifth nationally.

In addition to the yardage, Ponder has also managed to throw 12 touchdowns, compared to just one interception.

The only time Ponder has had trouble finding the end zone was against the South Florida Bulls, but even in that match up, he threw for 269 yards and did not throw a pick.

Despite an inconsistent running game and an atrocious Seminole defense, Ponder has kept his team in each game until the final whistle.  He will have to continue his great play if FSU has a shot this Thursday.

Key Concerns:  FSU’s defense has been downright horrible this season.  Whether it has been against the run or the pass, there have been too many holes to count in Mickey Andrews’ defense.

How bad is it?  The ‘Noles’ defense currently ranks 99th in the FBS in total defense, giving up just over 413 yards per game.  That breaks down to 98th in the country in rush defense (182.43 yards/game) and 79th in the nation in pass defense (231.14 yards/game).

Russell Wilson has quietly put up great numbers for the Wolfpack for the second straight season (google images)

NC State

Strengths:  As with FSU, the Wolfpack also has a great quarterback who has been overlooked nationally, due to the team record.  Russell Wilson was the first team All-ACC quarterback last year as a freshman.

This season, Wilson has avoided the sophomore slump.  With very few dynamic players to distribute the ball to this season, he has thrown for 1659 yards, but more importantly, he has thrown for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions.  Wilson has also added 249 yards and another three touchdowns on the ground this season, while averaging over four yards per carry.

Key Concerns:  Although statistically, the NC State defense does not appear that bad, stats can sometimes be deceiving.  The Wolfpack currently rank 59 nationally in passing defense, but they haven’t exactly faced the best passing attacks in the country.

The Wolfpack have gone up against two FCS opponents this season and have yet to face, and they also took on Steve Spurrier’s anti-Fun & Gun offense in South Carolina, which ranks 47th in the FBS.  The ‘Pack will have their hands full this weekend.

NC State Offense vs. Florida State Defense

Unless FSU’s defense pulls a 180, this weekend will be much of the same for the ‘Noles.  As much as the Seminoles have struggled on defense this season, mobility and athleticism at the quarterback position has given them even more fits–see Jacory Harris and Josh Nesbitt, who were both able to rack up huge days against FSU in Doak Campbell Stadium. 

Russell Wilson provides a nice blend of those two athletic QBs.  Wilson may be an even better passer than Harris–he just does not have the stable of WRs that Harris has at his disposal.  And Wilson has the ability to make plays with his feet as well.  Look for him to have a very big day.  EDGE:  NC State

Florida State Offense vs. NC State Defense

As previously mentioned, NC State’s defense, especially against the pass is not as good as the stats may indicate.  Look for Christian Ponder to continue to add to his great season and distribute the ball to all of his weapons on offense.  This Seminole offense will present the biggest challenge the Wolfpack has faced so far this season.  Ponder should also have a very big day.  EDGE:  FSU

Special Teams

NC State’s TJ Graham is a solid returner and has already brought one kickoff back for a touchdown this season, and kicker Josh Czajkowski has converted on 7 of 9 field goal attempts. 

Florida State counters with a couple of solid return men, including freshmen phenom Greg Reid.  Reid has not brought a kick back for a touchdown this season, but many teams have stayed away from him on kick offs.  Freshman kicker Dustin Hopkins has been inconsistent on extra points and field goals, but he rebounded nicely last week against North Carolina.  Hopkins has done a solid job, however, of kicking the ball into the endzone on kickoffs, which has helped with field position.  Slight EDGE:  FSU

Prediction

Predicting games in the ACC this season has been a crap shoot, and the outcome of this game could easily go either way.  Russell Wilson is an outstanding athlete, and he will keep the Wolfpack in the game.  FSU showed last week that they can actually win a game down the stretch, and Christian Ponder has proven that with a little bit of protection, he can keep his team in the ‘Noles in any game.  Look for Ponder to have another solid outing this weekend, and that should prove to be the difference in this one, but it will likely go down to the wire. 

Score Prediction:  FSU wins 34-31

Ponder's passes periodically portend pass interference penalties. (Doug Beng/Getty Images North America)

I’ve been working this week on a lengthy piece about wide receiver effectiveness in the ACC – something similar to what we’ve already done with running backs. That post should go up some time next week (spoiler alert: the best receiver in the ACC is exactly who you think it is).

In the interim, though, I’ve been thinking about pass interference penalties. Noted public speaker Woody Hayes once said three things can happen when you pass the football, and two of them are bad: incompletions, interceptions and completions.

He didn’t mention interference penalties (did they exist when Woody coached?), which can be positive and pivotal. They often come on long passes where offenses get their biggest chunks of yardage, or on long-yardage downs, where they keep defenses from getting off the field.

My original intent was to look at which receivers draw the most interference calls, but play-by-play logs are spotty on listing intended receivers on interference plays. That left the quarterbacks, and there are a couple who’ve shown a knack for drawing 15-yard flags this year.

I don’t know if we actually learn anything valuable from the fact that Ponder has gotten eight pass interference calls, while Yates only has one. If Ponder (or Florida State as a team) had led the conference in interference flags drawn for two or three years running, then we’d have something interesting. Maybe we can study that down the road.

The penalties themselves can be significant. Ponder’s interference flags basically get FSU an extra first down each game. If that first down sustains a late drive in a one-score game, it’s huge. If it delays a punt in the first quarter, not so much.

Still, Ponder’s quietly having a nice season, and I’m happy to put him atop any sort of conference leader board. Florida State’s woe is overshadowing his good play.

Penalty flags can really slow down a game. With all those PI calls, I bet FSU games have been pretty Ponder-ous affairs this year.

I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

Onward:

• When I told Jeremy the subject of this piece, he guessed Miami’s Harris would lead the conference in interference flags drawn. You’d guess that more long passes lead to more interference penalties, and Miami has a decidedly vertical passing game. But Harris has drawn only one interference penalty this year.
• Meanwhile, the Hurricanes lead the conference in defensive pass interference penalties with seven, all of them accepted. None of them have been particularly damaging; the worst probably came on third-and-goal from the 6 early in the Virginia Tech game. On the following play, Ryan Williams scored the Hokies’ first touchdown.
• Most damaging pass interference penalty of the year: In the fourth quarter of its game against Southern Mississippi, Virginia was nursing a 10-point lead. The Cavs had USM in third-and-37 at their own 35-yard line. Safety Corey Mosley interfered with receiver DeAndre Brown, giving the Golden Eagles new life. Southern Miss subsequently scored, cutting the UVa lead to three points en route to a comeback win.
• As noted above, play-by-play logs don’t always tell you who the receiver is on a PI penalty. They don’t necessarily indicate the penalized defender, either. I found the receiver and defender on roughly 80 percent of 56 interference calls in games involving ACC teams this year.With those caveats, only Miami safety Vaughn Telemaque has committed multiple PI penalties. He’s been flagged twice.
• Several receivers have drawn multiple inference flags: Jarmon Fortson (3) and Rod Owens (2) of Florida State, Dyrell Roberts of Virginia Tech (2), the great Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech (2) , Connor Vernon of Duke (2) and Jacoby Ford of Clemson (2).

Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis accounted for six touchdowns in a 49-28 win at N.C. State Saturday. (The Associated Press)

You might look at the weekend’s ACC results and see even more cause for pessimism. Florida State, once a marquee program, fell to 0-3 in the conference. N.C. State, a preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Division, fell to 0-2 in the ACC after a home loss to lowly Duke. Six weeks into the season, ACC schools (Miami and North Carolina) are still playing Football Championship Subdivision patsies (Florida A&M and Georgia Southern).

But we prefer to see the positive. Consider:

Saturday was one of the greatest offensive shows in conference history. Not long ago (before last season, basically), the ACC was seen as a punchless league dominated by defense. Saturday’s games may have killed off that perception. In every game involving ACC teams, the winner scored at least 40 points. Fittingly, the day ended with Georgia Tech outlasting Florida State, 49-44.

Even Virginia broke 40 points. Running back Mikell Simpson’s four touchdowns drove the Cavaliers to a 47-7 win over Indiana.

Three ACC teams are still relevant nationally. Virginia Tech, Miami and Georgia Tech, the ACC’s last one-loss teams, all held serve. Every week these three avoid stumbling against lesser competition moves the conference closer to securing two BCS bids for the first time.

We may be watching one of the finest collections of ACC quarterbacks ever. Four conference passers are among the top 25 nationally in quarterback rating. While Miami’s Jacory Harris has gotten most of the attention, Lewis, Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, Skinner and Wilson have all been outstanding.

Four ACC quarterbacks accounted for at least four touchdowns. Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis and FSU’s Christian Ponder threw five touchdowns apiece (Lewis added a rushing TD). Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner threw four touchdowns. Georgia Tech’s Josh Nesbitt threw for one touchdown and ran for three more.

Game of the Week

Georgia Tech 49, Florida State 44. The Jackets and Seminoles matched scores for most of three quarters. Tech took control midway through the fourth, when a Nesbitt touchdown run made the score 49-38. This one was over when an FSU two-point try failed with 4:14 remaining. The Seminoles didn’t see the ball again.

Player of the Week

Thaddeus Lewis, Duke. Lewis was a revelation this week, completing 80 percent of his 50 attempts for 459 yards and five touchdowns. He added a sixth touchdown on the ground. Lewis, who led Duke to its first conference road win since 2003, is quietly putting together an impressive career record. Lewis is climbing the conference’s all-time leaders list: 12^th in career passing yards, tied for sixth in touchdown passes and 13^th in total offense. At his current pace, Lewis could easily wind up in the top three in each category.

Team on the Rise

Wake Forest. The Deacons drilled Maryland, 42-32. The win gives Wake the tiebreaker over the only other one-loss team in the Atlantic Division. Going forward, Maryland has the better schedule of the two; of the ACC’s power trio (VT, GT, Miami), the Terps play only Virginia Tech. Wake still has to host Miami and play at Georgia Tech.

Team on the Decline

N.C. State. After opening the season as a potential conference title contender, the Wolfpack has dropped consecutive conference games. State went limp after halftime against Duke, failing to score an offensive touchdown and turning the ball over four times in the fourth quarter.

I wanted to put together some more videos from last week’s game, but I just haven’t had the time.  You know, that whole job thing.  It’s probably a good thing I have a job that keeps me busy, because if it wasn’t for that I’d spend way too much time writing entries for this blog.  Some people might say I have a problem.  Maybe I do, but that’s not the point.  The other thing I wanted to look at was Russell’s throwaways.

Seems like it happened 10 times last week (probably not quite that many).  I don’t mind him throwing the ball away, but on several of these he scrambled around for 5 seconds or more before throwing it away.  He could have tucked the ball and got 3-4 yards easy, if not a lot more.  Wake was spying him a lot with the LBs, but chunking it in the first row of the stands does nothing but give us 2nd or 3rd and longs.  TOB in his weekly press conference is still harping on Russell staying in the pocket and not running as much.  I flat out don’t like this.

The thing that makes him so tough to defend is his scrambling.  Yeah, we don’t want him getting injured, but he has gotten a lot better this year at running out of bounds and sliding to avoid taking nasty hits.  We really need his dynamic playmaking ability.  I say … Run Russell! Run!

Maryland celebrated a 24-21 win over Clemson on a weekend that knocked down a few assumptions about the ACC. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

After a month of watching ACC football, a few logical conclusions could have been drawn about the conference. Saturday blew up most of them.

Here are a few reasonable assumptions about the ACC that could have been made before this weekend — and how Saturday changed them:

Virginia Tech is the team to beat. This one still holds after the Hokies 34-26 win over Duke, although a wider margin of victory would have been more comforting to see.

Miami isn’t ready for the national spotlight. It sure looked that way after the Hurricanes got blown out by Virginia Tech last weekend. Instead, Miami scored the biggest win of the season for an ACC team, beating Oklahoma 21-20 and improving to 3-1 — all against ranked teams. I’m still not ready to declare “The U” is back, but the ‘Canes should be a factor nationally deep into the season.

(Insert team here) is the favorite in the Atlantic Division. N.C. State was just the latest team to claim the mantle of being the favorite in the Atlantic only to suffer a loss. Each week, the division looks more and more like the collection of 5-3 and 4-4 teams it was last season. All you really need to know at this point is Maryland, which was fortunate to open the season 1-3, is the division leader.

Boston College has no shot at winning a third straight Atlantic title. The media picked the Eagles to finish dead last in the Atlantic after an offseason no program should be forced to endure. BC improved to 4-1 Saturday with a win over Florida State. Given all the chaos in the Atlantic, another trip to the ACC championship game isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

North Carolina is a contender in the Coastal Division. Losing to Georgia Tech last week didn’t help the Tar Heels. Losing at home to winless Virginia — with the Yellow Jackets, Hokies and Hurricanes in front of them — means they’ll have to wait until next year.

Maryland and Virginia are the dregs of the conference. The Terrapins and Cavaliers couldn’t have looked much worse in nonconference play, and yet here the two of them are at 1-0 in the ACC. That raises this question: Are the Terps and Cavs better than everyone thought, or is the rest of the conference really that mediocre?

Game of the Week

Miami 21, Oklahoma 20. The Hurricanes looked destined for a rerun of last week’s 31-7 loss to Virginia Tech after QB Jacory Harris threw two early interceptions. But Harris eventually settled down, completing 19 of 28 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns and leading a clock-killing drive in the final 4:18 to preserve the huge win. RB Javarris James added a career-high 150 yards against the nation’s top rushing defense.

Player of the Week

Montel Harris, Boston College. Talk about useful yardage. Harris rushed for 99 yards in the final seven minutes, including a 42-yard touchdown run with 4:07 left that proved to be the difference. He finished with a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns.

Team on the Rise

Boston College. The Eagles seem to be feeding off the emotion of Mark Herzlich and his fight against cancer. If BC wins another division title this year, Frank Spaziani should be Coach of the Year.

Team on the Decline

North Carolina. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the
Tar Heels lost in Chapel Hill to a team that opened the season with a 26-14 loss to William & Mary. Carolina managed just 174 yards of total offense against Virginia’s defense, which hadn’t given up fewer than 300 in each of its first three games.

Extra Points

• Congratulations to Clemson’s C.J. Spiller for setting the ACC record for career all-purpose yardage. Too bad he couldn’t celebrate with a win.
• Maybe a bit overlooked after the Oklahoma-Miami game, Georgia Tech got a nice nonconference win over Mississippi State. These Bulldogs won’t be confused with Tech’s rivals from Georgia, but a road win over an SEC team is nothing to take lightly.
• ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit made the point on College Football GameDay that Bobby Bowden has been talking about his team’s youth ever since Florida State lost to Oklahoma in the 2001 Orange Bowl. The Seminoles need to grow up fast because people in Tallahassee have lost patience.
• Russell Wilson’s interception-free streak was bound to end some time, but that second pick with the Wolfpack driving to take the lead late in the fourth quarter couldn’t have been more costly.
• If Tyrod Taylor keeps throwing like he did against Duke (17 for 22, 327 yards, 2 TDs), Virginia Tech’s offense is going to be hard to stop for anyone left on its schedule.

For those of you who were worried I might drive my car into oncoming traffic after the game, you can sleep easy tonight.  I’m writing this entry safe and fully intact from my recliner with my cat Ashes at my feet.

I’m a guy that usually blares music and really gets into my singing when I’m driving alone.  That definitely wasn’t the case on my ride home from Winston-Salem tonight.  I rode the whole way in dead silence and replayed the game over and over in my head.  I’ve gotten a lot better over the years, but I still take loses very hard.  I just hope the players take them as hard as I do.

I’m glad I had fun at Oktoberfest last night, because watching that game today was anything but.  More penalties, sloppy execution, and just overall bad football.  The special teams still have a long way to go and the defensive secondary was absolutely shredded.

I was way off on my preview earlier in the week.  Wake didn’t even try to establish a running game.  They saw a super soft secondary on film and just exploited it all day.  Riley Skinner did a good job of scrambling to keep plays alive and finding wide open recievers.  Great gameplan by the Wake coaches with all the quick crossing routes and bubble screens.  If we continue to play 10 yards off the receivers and don’t get better at tackling this is the gameplan that we will see for the rest of the season.

With as bad as we played I still thought we were going to win the game after we held Wake to a field goal with just under 5 minutes left.  Every Pack fan in the stadium just knew that Russell Wilson was going to work his magic and drive us down the field to pull out a 31-30 victory.  It wasn’t meant to be today.  Russell’s streak without an interception also came to an end on a throw that was absolutely gift wrapped for the defensive back.

I still can’t figure out what it is about BB&T Field, but the Deacs have just owned us there over the last decade plus.  With this loss, TOB is now winless in both season openers and ACC openers in his 3 year tenure at State.  That trend is very troubling.  Let’s all hope the trend of getting better as the season goes along and playing our best football down the streatch also continues because we are going to need it.

Now time for me to pull out the hard liquor and stay up all night watching the tape of this game so I can get it out of my system.  The quicker I can forget about this one, the better.  I need a hug.  Anybody?

Tough one to swallow for the Pack, especially since it had an opportunity late to take the lead.

I’ll post a more thorough breakdown later tonight or tomorrow, but here’s some thoughts for now.

-Riley Skinner played out of his mind

The fifth year senior was on top of his game today, finishing 31 of 45 for 361 yards and two touchdowns. His last two touchdown throws were both threaded into extremely tight spots against the Wolfpack. From time to time he did have receivers running wide open in the secondary, but make no mistake, he played very well.

-Russell Wilson is human

It’s almost a shame Russell didn’t throw an interception at some point during the last year, because N.C. State fans got spoiled. Every now and then players have below average games and Russell had one. Despite that, he still threw for 275 yards and two scores.

-The Wolfpack defense has to tackle better

Broken record comment of the year, but it’s true. The tackling throughout the year and today has been absolutely terrible. I don’t really know what can be done at this point to fix it because I know it’s been worked on. Maybe I’ll just close my eyes and hope.

I’ll post a more thorough breakdown tomorrow after watching the game again. Keep checking back for more…

Like the ACC in out-of-conference play, last week got ugly in the Instead of Texting picks race, at least for one of us anyway.

On the strength of a 6-2 record, Jimmy surged to a four-game lead in the standings. Meanwhile, I went a mediocre 4-4, whiffing on the two games where we differed (TCU at Clemson and Wake Forest at Boston College).

The ACC moves deeper into conference play this week, but the premier game is the Oklahoma-Miami matchup in primetime. Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford won’t start for the Sooners, giving the world another chance to admire Landry Jones’ porn-star mustache. We both like the ’stache, but we also both like Miami to pull the upset at home and bring some semblance of respectability back to the ACC.

The rest of the schedule is a bit of snoozer, especially the noon games. We’ve both got N.C. State ending its recent hex in Winston-Salem, although Jimmy is guaranteeing Russell Wilson’s interception-free streak ends Saturday. The only other thing we’re split on is Florida State at Boston College. The consistently inconsistent Seminoles lost to South Florida last weekend, which means they’re due for a win this week. I’m betting the up-and-down trend stops against the Eagles, who will be playing in front of the home fans and the ESPN Gameday crew.

A couple days ago, College FootBlog provided a breakdown of the ACC Coastal Division as part one of two brekdowns of the ACC’s college football season.  In part two of College FootBlog’s breakdown of the ACC in the early stages of this season, we will provide power rankings for the Atlantic Division and cover some of the key strenths and concerns for each team.  Here is our list from what we feel are the teams in this division from top to bottom.

1.  Clemson

Senior DE Ricky Sapp will be playing on Sundays next year (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

Srengths:  The Tigers have a great defense, particularly their front four led by senior DE Ricky Sapp.  The Clemson defense had issues with Georgia Tech, but who hasn’t?  If you take out that game, the Tigers have given up an average of 247 yards per game, with their most dominant outing coming against Boston College when they held the Eagles to 54 total yards.

Key Concerns:  After what was a very promising start to the season, freshman quarterback Kyle Parker has struggled as of late. 

In Parker’s last two games, he has completed less than 47% of his passes (30/64) and is averaging less than 150 yards passing per game.  Possibly the more telling stat in those two games is the zero touchdowns and two interceptions.  If he does not turn it around quickly, head coach Dabo Swinney will have to make a change.

 

3.  NC State

Quarterback Russell Wilson has 12 TD's and no picks in 2009

 4.  Boston College 

Virginia Tech DB Dorian Porch sacked Jacory Harris and forced him to fumble early in the first quarter, marking the start of a long day for the Miami quarterback. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

One of the great philosophers of our time is fond of saying, “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man!” After thoroughly dismantling upstart Miami 31-7, Virginia Tech has proven it’s still the man … er, team to beat … in the ACC.

The Hurricanes were the team everyone, including this guy, was talking about in the run up to Saturday’s showdown. A win over VT would have given the ‘Canes victories over the three best teams on their conference schedule and put them into position to run away with the Coastal Division. Instead, the Hokies reminded everyone why they’ve been kings of the ACC ever since they joined the conference.

The game was vintage Beamerball. DB Dorian Porch sacked Miami QB Jacory Harris on the ‘Canes first possession and forced him to fumble at his own 11, setting up the Hokies’ first touchdown. With the score 14-0 in the second quarter, Jacob Sykes blocked a punt that Matt Reidy recovered and walked into the end zone. The offense rushed for 272 yards, and the defense harassed Harris all day, something Florida State and Georgia Tech couldn’t do.

Between VT’s win and Georgia Tech’s 24-7 victory over North Carolina, the Coastal Division looks like it’s going to stay a four-team race for a while. But until someone knocks them off, the Hokies are still “the man.”

Game of the Week

Boston College 27, Wake Forest 24 (OT). N.C. State’s 38-31 win over Pittsburgh was a good one, too, but this game gets the edge because it had an impact on the ACC standings. Wake QB Riley Skinner threw two touchdown passes in the final 3:44 of regulation to tie the game at 24. But after Steve Aponavicius kicked a 23-yard field goal to put the Eagles ahead, Isaac Johnson forced Skinner to fumble on first and goal from the 3, and Wes Davis recovered to end the game.

Player of the Week

Russell Wilson, N.C. State. Yes, we’re homers, but who in the ACC had a better game this weekend? Wilson threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns, rushed for another 91 yards on 10 carries and led the Wolfpack to 21 unanswered points for the comeback win. Oh, by the way, the interception-free streak is at 364 attempts and counting.

Team(s) on the Rise

The Techs. See above for Virginia Tech. Maybe all Georgia Tech needed to get back on track was a couple of extra days off. The Jackets basically toyed with UNC, rushing for 317 yards and holding the ball for more than 42 minutes.

Team on the Decline

Miami. The ‘Canes, who have topped our Power Rankings for three straight weeks, have nowhere to go but down after the loss in Blacksburg. Unlike some other teams that could have gone in this spot — I’m looking at you, Florida State — Miami will undoubtedly be a mainstay near the top of the conference for the rest of the season.

Extra Points

• Outside of the two big Coastal Division matchups, it was another rough week for the ACC. Maryland got embarrassed again, this time 34-13 by Rutgers. Clemson couldn’t quite pull off an upset against No. 15 TCU. And then there was Florida State. Playing in front of the 1999 national championship team, the Seminoles lost 17-7 to South Florida, which just last week lost its four-year starting quarterback for the season with a knee injury. Did I mention all three were playing at home?
• The rumors of FSU’s return to relevance appear to have been greatly exaggerated. I’ve given up trying to figure out the Seminoles until they break out of this alternating good game-bad game pattern.
• Virginia Tech has some frightening depth at running back. Before the season started, everyone wondered how the Hokies would replace Darren Evans, a 1,000-yard rusher last season. All freshman Ryan Williams has done is run for 100 yards in three straight games, including 150 on 34 carries Saturday. Sophomore Josh Oglesby had a couple of impressive runs on Saturday, too, and freshman David Wilson has been described as a cross between Reggie Bush, Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow.
• After missing most of the Miami game with a shoulder injury, GT’s Jonathan Dwyer needed only 19 carries to get 158 yards. That’s what the reigning ACC Player of the Year is supposed to look like.
• Boston College may have finally found its quarterback in Dave Shinskie, who threw for three touchdowns and took nearly all the snaps Saturday.
• Toward the end of the Chuck Amato era, N.C. State seemed a little too satisfied sometimes after a big win. Tom O’Brien is intent on making sure that doesn’t happen.

What a football game.

Even the next day all I can really say is wow.

Obviously N.C. State didn’t win it quite how you would prefer, but winning that game was huge for the potential of this season.

The box score should be renamed the Russell Wilson report. 21 for 35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns and 91 rushing yards on 10 carries. Are you kidding me? Russell looked great last night, maybe as good as I’ve seen him (except for the UNC and Miami games last season).

Being the pessimist that I am, I do have to point out some things the team has got to improve. The number one thing that has me worried is special teams. The kickoff and kickoff return teams are struggling to say the least, and Josh Czajkowski has looked shaky. I know the weather wasn’t ideal, but that part of the game has to get better. The other symptom of the poor special teams play is that the Wolfpack is also getting killed in the field position battle. The second thing I noticed last night, again, was tackling. It was great late in the game when it really counted, but early on it was just bad. I know Dion Lewis is a shifty back who is tough to tackle, but our guys have to make those plays.

Another thing, which TOB brought up immediately after the game, is the penalties. Most of them were procedural things that just shouldn’t happen. I’m sure that can get fixed easily, guys just have to be sure and stay disciplined throughout the entire game.

I’m not going to get too high after this win, mainly because I feel like the Wolfpack was fortunate to even be in the game in the fourth quarter. But a win is a win. State is 3-1 heading into ACC play. That’s about what I figured to start the year. But it is exciting to see a comeback win like that.

Keep checking back, more to come later.

Wow! That was an awesome game. Absolutely HUGE win for the Pack. Probably one of the top 5 games I’ve ever seen at Carter-Finley. This is one of those games that we will look back at later and say it was a season changer.

Russell Wilson was incredible. Man I hope he forgets about the MLB draft and sticks around for 2 more years. He is so much fun to watch. Tonight he throws for over 300 yards passing and almost had 100 yards rushing. Sick stats.

Toney Baker looked great too. He’s starting to look like the dynamite running back that was recruited by every major college program in the country. Great game for him tonight.

Big props have to go out to the O-line (well except Teddy Larsen and his atempt to give away the game there at the end). They opened running lanes most of the night and they gave Russell a lot of time in the pocket. The offense is definitely clicking on all cylinders right now.

I was worried about the defense tonight and they struggled a lot early. We were getting shredded by the run and when they did pass we were blowing coverages and leaving receivers wide open. Late in the game, with the outcome on the line, the defense stepped up big and absolutely shut down Pitt. The biggest stop being after the bad snap that gave Pitt the ball inside the 10. Freshmen Terrell Manning and Brandan Bishop both made big plays on that final stop.

Wolpack Nation was pumped and ready for this one and kept Carter-Finley loud and rocking all night even with the steady mist/drizzle that would not go away. Great crowd. Suck on that Paul Zeise.

The big test for our team now will be dealing with success. It’s great being 3-1, but the ACC schedule starts next week at Wake and we need to go over there and take care of business.