2009-11-07T08:25:59Z urn:uuid:60a76c80-d399-11d9-b93C-0003939e0af6 CoalEngine CoalSpeak urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-07T08:25:59Z

Media Watch: TV Listings, Week 10 Brett Friedlander | Mailbag November 7, 2009 Despite two entertaining, down-to-the-wire games, the ACC came up on the short end of the ratings stick this week – although it wasn’t entirely the league’s fault. North Carolna’s upset of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last Thursday night had the misfortune of going head-to-head against Game 2 of the World Series … and a World Series involving the New York Yankees, no less. As a result, the game drew just a 1.5 rating, drawing 2.3 million viewers. That’s down six percent from last year’s game during the same week. It’s also ESPN’s lowest-rated, least-viewed Thursday night game of the season. At least the Tar Heels and Hokies had an excuse. Saturday’s Miami-Wake Forest game wasn’t as fortunate in drawing a 3.5 rating, down a whopping 33 percent from the same week last year. As for the rest of the schedule, here’s the rundown of where and when you can find your favorite ACC teams on the airwaves: Noon Virginia at Miami, Raycom, XM 190, Sirius 215 (Steve Martin, play-by-play, Rick “Doc” Walker, analyst, Mike Hogewood, sideline). 1 p.m. Maryland at N.C.State, ESPN 360, XM 191, Sirius 218 (Ryan Rose, play-by-play, Danny Kanell, analyst). 3:30 p.m. Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, ABC, XM 192, Sirius 211 (Pam Ward, play-by-play, Ray Bentley analyst). 3:30 p.m. North Carolina at Duke, ESPNU, XM 190, Sirius 215 (Todd Harris, play-by-play, Charles Arbuckle, analyst). 7:45 p.m. Florida State at Clemson, ESPN, XM 190-91, Sirius 215 (Brad Nessler, play-by-play, Todd Blackledge, analyst, Erin Andrews, sideline)

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Disappointing Terps, N.C. State Meet Associated Press November 7, 2009 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The way injuries have plagued North Carolina State this season, coach Tom O’Brien wishes he could take one for his team. “I hope I’m the next one hurt, the way we’re going,” O’Brien said. “I’ll take a hit for the team if it keeps somebody else healthy.” The disappointing Wolfpack look to avoid their fifth straight loss Saturday when they play host to a Maryland team that has dropped four in a row and six of seven in a matchup of the two worst teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division. Four games remain, and already 12 injured N.C. State players are done for the season - a list that starts with linebacker Nate Irving (auto accident during the summer) and ends with key offensive lineman R.J. Mattes (knee), who was hurt during last week’s loss at Florida State. The expanded disabled list has derailed a season in which the Wolfpack (3-5, 0-4) have dropped from darkhorse contenders for the division titl e to the only team winless in ACC play. “They’ve kind of accepted the fact that they’ve been dealt a bad hand,” O’Brien said. “There’s nothing they can do but fight their way out of it. So we’re going to continue to fight and play the best we can.” If nothing else, one team will walk out of Carter-Finley Stadium feeling at least marginally better about itself. The other formally will be eliminated from bowl consideration. Maryland (2-6, 1-3) has won only once since Week 2 - a 24-21 shocker against Atlantic leader Clemson - and has no victories away from College Park, Md. The Terrapins have been off since their 17-13 loss to Duke two weeks ago, one of four performances in which they failed to score more than 13 points. They’ve struggled without Da’Rel Scott, who broke his wrist in the Clemson game, and are one of three ACC teams averaging fewer than 100 yards rushing per game. To have any hope of their fourth straight bowl appearance, the Terps m ust turn things around in a hurry and win their final four games against N.C. State, No. 22 Virginia Tech, Florida State and Boston College. “We are trying to get our running game going again,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “Our off-week, we did more stuff from a coaching aspect of what are we doing well, what we are not doing well and why are we not doing it well. We looked at explosive runs, the red zone and passing. Who’s making plays and who isn’t, why we aren’t making sacks and the whole gamut. “When you have so many guys that are nicked up, it’s tough to get anything really done on the field because most of the guys you need to get it done with aren’t practicing.” That could be the balm for an N.C. State defense that has allowed three straight teams to gain at least 480 total yards and roll up at least 45 points, and hasn’t held a Bowl Subdivision team to fewer than 256. The continuity-starved Wolfpack have used seven different lineups in the se condary in eight games. “We’re not executing our assignments,” safety Clem Johnson said. “The film, it shows it. … We’re not doing our part. If one guy messes up, it messes up the whole defense.” The Wolfpack, who played two Championship Subdivision teams, need seven wins - and, of course, a drastic turnaround - to qualify for a second straight bowl. After Maryland, they play Clemson, the Hokies and North Carolina.

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-06T12:28:07Z

Weekend Preview (Part 2) Nov. 6 Rob Daniels November 6, 2009 Rob Daniels is back to preview Week 10 in the ACC. Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) at Miami (6-2, 3-2 ACC) Time: Noon. TV: Raycom. Key for the Cavaliers: They’ll need a lot of defensive backs in the early afternoon South Florida heat to stay with the ‘Canes, nine of whom caught passes in last week’s win at Wake Forest. UVa’s pass rush is solid, but it’s not enough on its own. Key for the Hurricanes: Avoid special-teams errors and turnovers. Only that sort of thing can derail Miami in this one. Numbers Game: Jacory Harris has thrown game-winning TD passes in the last two minutes three times in the past year. … Virginia is 100th or worse nationally in all four major offensive statistical categories. Prediction: Hurricanes 31, Cavaliers 7. Maryland (2-6, 1-3 ACC) at N.C. State (3-5, 0-4 ACC) Time: 1 p.m. TV: ESPN360 Key for the Terrapins: Establish a running game without fumbling. Yeah, this is an old line, but it’s true. The Terps have averaged fewer than three yards per rush after the first quarter of games. Key for the Wolfpack: Take some chances defensively. State isn’t stopping anybody by conventional means. Numbers Game: The loser will be ineligible for a bowl game. …. N.C. State, 20th nationally in scoring offense (33 ppg) is the only team in the Top 30 of that department with a losing record. … The Wolfpack’s Owen Spencer is leading the FBS in yards per reception (26.59). … Maryland has had a negative turnover margin in six of its eight games. … Maryland is 1-4 when Torrey Smith gains 229 or more all-purpose yards in a game. Prediction: Wolfpack 37, Terps 30. Wake Forest (4-5, 2-3 ACC) at Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC) Time: 3:30 p.m. TV: ABC in the ACC region; ESPN2 elsewhere. Key for the Demon Deacons: Don’t forget to stop the fullback. Navy has beaten Wake in each of the past two seasons by running the ball right up the middle, and Georgia Tech runs the same offense as the Midshipmen - only much, much better. Key for the Yellow Jackets: Keep playing keep-away. Over the past three games, the Jackets have run 231 plays and defended only 142. Numbers Game: Jonathan Dwyer (904) has already amassed the 15th-highest single-season rushing total in Yellow Jackets history. … Georgia Tech is 116th nationally in passing yardage per game but third in passing efficiency. … Riley Skinner, who has started Wake’s past 32 games at QB, will make it 33 despite suffering a concussion last week. Prediction: Yellow Jackets 34, Deacs 10. Duke (5-3, 3-1 ACC) at North Carolina (5-3, 1-3 ACC) Time: 3:30 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Key for the Blue Devils: Get over the mental hurdle of facing the Heels, who have won 18 of the past 19 meetings in the series. Key for the Tar Heels: Defend the short passing game. Specifically, UNC needs to be prepared for the middle screen and to make the initial tackle on such plays. Numbers Game: This is the teams’ earliest meeting on the calendar in the ACC era. They will play for the 88th straight season. … Duke WRs Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon both have 100 or more receiving yards in two straight games. … T.J. Yates needs 18 yards to become the second UNC QB with 5,000 or more in a career. Prediction: Tar Heels 20, Blue Devils 17. Florida State (4-4, 2-3 ACC) at Clemson (5-3, 3-2 ACC) Time: 7:45 p.m. TV: ESPN. Key for the Seminoles: Convert third-and-short situations. You really don’t want to punt to C.J. Spiller, do you? Key for the Tigers: Don’t get beat on the long ball. The Tigers are good enough in the secondary to make FSU work 10 or more plays for long scoring drives. Numbers Game: The Noles have lost while scoring 44 points (against Georgia Tech) and won while allowing 42 (N.C. State). … The game will be Bobby Bowden’s 223rd at an ACC institution. That will tie him with former Virginia boss George Welsh for the league record. … Clemson’s DeAndre McDaniel has intercepted six passes against the ACC in 2009. Prediction: Tigers 24, Seminoles 21.

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Brick: Class of 2011 Update (Part 2) Nov. 5 Brick Oettinger | Mailbag November 5, 2009 Check out part two of Brick Oettinger’s latest update on top Class of 2011 hoops recruits.

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-04T02:10:32Z

Q&A With N.C. State Coach Sidney Lowe Beth Mechum November 4, 2009 As the beginning of the basketball season approaches, we’re continuing to publish Q&As from interviews gathered at the ACC’s Operation Basketball media day. Today we have N.C. State’s Sidney Lowe, who spent most of his time talking about his new vision for an up-tempo style for the Wolfpack. Scroll down to the bottom of the article for previous Q&As from Operation Basketball. There’s been a lot of talk about the identity of the team becoming more up-tempo. Is that officially what you want your identity to be? “You know, someone asked me that the other day about the identity of the team, and it’s just hard to say. My answer, was we play hard, play extremely hard, and play smart. But as far as offensively, we want to be that team. We want to be that team that, they’re a running team, that’s what they do. They run, they get up and down the floor. That’s what we want to be, and we’re taking that first step this year. “I don’t know what the identity is going to be yet, I would love for part of that identity to be defensively - ‘Man, they get after you, they dive for loose balls.’ Just some teams that play defense so hard, that you just don’t like going up against them. So, I don’t know which one of those are going to take over but hopefully one of them will. But wee have definitely changed our style.” How are the players adjusting to the newfound dedication to be a running team? “I think the thing that they’re understanding is that if you don’t run, and I made it real clear, you don’t run, then you’re going to come out of the game because I’m going to assume you’re tired. And also, I’ve told them ‘If you play six minutes, and you’re not tired, then you’re not playing hard enough. If you’re playing six minutes, and you’re running the way we want to run, then you’re probably going to get tired, you’re going to get a little winded.’ “So you have to be committed to it. You have to be committed to running, and it’s not running just for you to get a shot. It’s running to get the ball down the floor, to make the defense get back. You might get a shot for somebody else, so it’s an unselfish thing as well to run the floor. You run or you sit. “If we’re going to be committed to running, then that’s you’re going to have to do, and if you don’t, then the next guy will. Now, does that mean early in the season, somebody might come out early and people might say ‘Why’d he come out?’ Well, he’s not doing what he’s supposed to do. Because if this is what we’ve been working on all, what I call camp, training camp, and now we’re going to get in a game and now you’re not going to do it, we just wasted time. “I want to see some guys tired and say ‘Coach, I need one.’ That means you’re working hard.” But what about times when you don’t want to run. Do you think the players will know when to slow it down? “I think early some of that is going to happen, but what we’re trying to teach them is that we’re not running just to jack up a shot. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re running to try to get a layup. We’re running to try to get an easy shot, or an easy post-up for our big that’s running the floor. If it’s not there, then it’s got to come back out, and now we have to run a set. “So, we’re going to run, but we’re not just running then playing, playing, playing. We’re going to try to get something easy, and if not then you get it back out, and you play. Or you could always run plays right through the post, and just play basketball.” Are you changing your defense at all to speed up the game? And is that part of your evolution as a coach? “We’re going to do some different things defensively, which I think we can this year with some of our personnel, I think we can. We’re not just going to be an all man-to-man team. We’re going to throw some zones and some traps and things of that nature.” “It’s part of what I’ve always wanted to do. If you allow certain teams to just come down and play against you, they’re going to score. I think the element of surprise at times, I think change in defense, forcing teams to do something else, you can change the momentum of the game. Sometimes you can go into that defense just to get your own team going, get that energy going. We can use our defense at times to get our offense going. I think now we’re starting to again, have enough guys, and number two have the personnel to be able to do some of those things.” A more up-tempo style will need good play from your point guard. How have they responded to the challenge? “They all three have played well. They’ve done a very nice job and we’re going to need that, there’s no question about it. We need our point guards to be solid and, for me, the first thing is to take care of the ball, not turn it over. That’s the first thing. Give us an opportunity to get a shot at the basket, so when we’re pushing the ball down the floor, don’t turn it over. “If you see a guy that’s dribbling around and going nowhere, go get the ball. The one area that we need to improve on as a point guard is taking more control, knowing when to go and get the ball, as opposed to me having to whistle and say bring it out. It’s a fine line. You have to have a feel for the game as a point guard and understand when ‘Okay, that’s enough of that, let me get it back now.’ I think that’s a scenario where both of our guys are still learning.They’re not there yet.” A lot of the preseason polls have you finishing low in the ACC. Do you use that as motivation in the locker room? “You know, there is so much media coverage now, my guys know things before I do. So I’m sure I don’t have to tell them. I actually heard a couple of guys talk about it. That’s more important. To me, it’s more important for them to talk about rather than me have to say something to them and remind them. “Will it be a motivating factor? I’m sure, I’m sure they will use that. But as I told them before, ‘You need to get to a point where you don’t need something from the outside to motivate you. You need the basketball game to motivate you, the competition, the winning.’ I told them several times about the fear of losing. I think sometimes that’s taken out of context, but I think sometimes you have to have a fear of losing. Not that you have a fear so you’ll play timid, but you have to be so afraid of losing that you just play your heart out when you’re out there on the floor. So if you have that fear of losing at the beginning of the game, that means you’re going to go out there and focus on doing everything you can to win. ’ “After that, if you lose a game, you have to remember how bad you hurt. If you don’t hurt when you lose a game, then you’re not in it for the right reason. You have to hurt and then never want to have that feeling again. That’s what the great players do, that’s what the great teams do. When you see teams that are down and they just find some way to come back, it’s because they just have a fear of losing. They don’t want to lose because they know the outcome of that feeling afterward. That’s what I’m trying to instill in my guys, that you have to have some type of fear of losing, Not fear that somebody is going to talk about you, but the fear of how you’re going to feel afterwards.” Previous Operation Basketball Q&As Wake point guard Ish Smith. Duke guard Jon Scheyer. Virginia coach Tony Bennett. Boston College forward Joe Trapani. Miami point guard Malcolm Grant.

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-03T13:02:10Z

Brick: Class of 2011 Update (Part 1) Nov. 3 Brick Oettinger | Mailbag November 3, 2009 Check out part one of Brick Oettinger’s latest update on top Class of 2011 hoops recruits.

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-03T11:44:24Z

ACC Football Commitment Lists: Atlantic Division, Nov. 3 Chris Hempson | Mailbag November 3, 2009 How is no one committing to any of the ACC’s Atlantic Division schools? For the third week in a row, I’m left speechless and without anything to update you folks on. There were no commits this week. No star updates. No nothing. So in case you’ve missed anything from the past few weeks, on to the lists we go… Key: # Indicates that the player originally signed with school in 2008, but did not qualify at the time. % Indicates that the player originally signed with school in 2009, but did not qualify at the time. ^ The first star number is from Rivals.com. The second one is from Scout.com.

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-03T00:04:14Z

NC State Still Looks For Answers Associated Press November 3, 2009 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina State hasn’t had much to be encouraged about lately, but at least the Wolfpack has been in this spot before. That’s one positive coach Tom O’Brien is hanging his hopes on. “We’ve got four games left, and we have been pretty good in November,” he said. “So let’s go out and see what we can get done.” N.C. State (3-5, 0-4) is 6-2 in November in two seasons under O’Brien, but this year is the only winless team in Atlantic Coast Conference play. One reason has been a leaky defense that has allowed 146 points in its last three games, losses to Duke, Boston College and Florida State. Last week in Tallahassee, Fla., N.C. State allowed 7.6 yards per play and fell 45-42. A week earlier, Boston College gained 7.1 yards a snap in a 52-20 victory. “It’s embarrassing, because we’re better than that,” senior safety Clem Johnson said. “It’s just kind of tough, because personally I feel that we’ve been pr acticing pretty well and not transferring it to the game field.” Johnson expressed confidence that the Wolfpack can get back to being the defense they were earlier in the season, when they held South Carolina to 256 yards and then dominated Football Championship Subdivision teams Murray State and Gardner-Webb. “We just haven’t been able to get it together,” he said. “We just have to find that solution and get it rolling again.” Johnson said the Wolfpack figured to extend the momentum from last season, when they finished with four straight wins and claimed their first bowl berth since 2005. “We kind of wanted to start where we left off, and it didn’t happen,” he said. Instead, the Pack is back where it was last November, facing a stretch of must-win games to be bowl-eligible. Last year, the Wolfpack was 2-6 before claiming a Papajohns.com Bowl berth. This season, two of the Wolfpack’s three wins have come against lower-division teams, meani ng the Wolfpack must finish with seven wins to play in the postseason. Injuries are one reason for the Wolfpack’s struggles: 11 players are out for the season. The latest is offensive tackle R.J. Mattes, who tore ligaments early in the FSU game. Also, N.C. State took on the Seminoles without Ray Michel, who had started 21 games in a row at middle linebacker before being sidelined with an ankle injury. “We all keep waiting for a break,” O’Brien said. “Something good’s got to happen sometime. We can’t keep going south forever. No sense feeling sorry for ourselves.”

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-11-02T03:46:34Z

ACC Football Power Rankings, Nov. 2 Rob Daniels November 2, 2009 The AP story from Nashville the other night said Georgia Tech retained sole possession of the ACC’s Coastal Division lead. We’ll forgive the scribe, who is not alone in failing to recognize the sudden beast that is Duke football. • The Blue Devils have won three straight ACC games, a fact that doesn’t sound all that keen until you consider this one: Before Oct. 10, 2009, they had won four league contests this decade. • They’ve got two victories on the ACC road. They haven’t had more than that in a season since the Ol’ Ball Coach roamed the sidelines 20 years ago. • They’re 13-for-14 in field goals. From 2005-07, they were 14-for-32. • Thaddeus Lewis during the streak: 94-for-134 (70 percent) for 1,173 yards (391 a game), 8 TDs and 1 INT. Their three ACC victims are 8-16 overall, but do you really think the Devils care? We’re in November and they’ve got a chance for a bowl game. Heck, let’s repeat ourselves: They’re tied for the division lead. Other oddities: • Wake Forest and N.C. State combined for 1,093 yards of total offense and zero victories. • Wake and Florida State both amassed 555 yards. • Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer and Florida State’s Jermaine Thomas both rushed for 186 yards. • Clemson got receptions from a Clear (Brandon) and a Dye (Xavier.) And just think: There’s another month to go. Of the regular season.

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2009-10-31T09:05:20Z

Media Watch: TV Listings, Week 9 Brett Friedlander | Mailbag October 31, 2009 Last week’s ACC television ratings were a mixed bag, with regional coverage of Clemson’s overtime victory at Miami helping ABC generate a strong 4.4 overnight number, according to Nielsen Media Research. Not only was that higher than the rating posted by ABC’s featured prime time matchups between Texas and Missouri, and USC against Oregon State (3.6), but it also outdistanced the 3.7 drawn the SEC clash between Alabama and Tennessee aired at the same time. On the down side, Boston College’s annual rivalry game with Notre Dame managed only a 2.5 overnight rating, the second-lowest this season for a Fighting Irish telecast on NBC. As for the rest of the schedule, here’s the rundown of where and when you can find your favorite ACC teams on the airwaves: Noon N.C.State at Florida State, Raycom, XM 190, Sirius 211 (Steve Martin, play-by-play, Rick “Doc” Walker, analyst, Mike Hogewood, sideline). 1:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina at Clemson, ESPN 360, XM 192, Sirius 213 (Ryan Rose, play-by-play, Jeremy Bloom, analyst). 3:30 p.m. Miami at Wake Forest, ABC, XM 190-91, Sirius 211-12 (Bob Wicshusen, play-by-play, Brian Griese analyst). Duke at Virginia, XM 193, Sirius 214 (Frank Giardina, play-by-play, Danny Kanell, analyst). Central Mich. at Boston College, ESPNU, XM 244, Sirius 216 (Todd Harris, play-by-play, Charles Arbuckle, analyst) 7:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt, CBS College Sports, XM 190 (Doug Bell, play-by-play, Chris Doering, analyst)