In today's blog, a couple of items from the "you can't make this up category."
"All the news that's fit to link"
"All the news that's fit to link"
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Courting jesters, football dads, and links
In today's blog, a couple of items from the "you can't make this up category."
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Spurrier's shot
On Nov. 18, 1989, Steve Spurrier's Duke team went to Chapel Hill and trashed North Carolina 41-0.
Then the young, ascending coach took (Blue) devilish delight in trashing the Heels even more by orchestrating a team picture in front of the scoreboard. The grin on Spurrier's face for the photo is not captured in the above picture, but it was pretty darn wide. He loved it.
Spurrier has spent his career taking great satisfaction in gigging his rivals. When Florida made a rare trip to Athens and smashed Ray Goff's hapless Bulldogs, Spurrier tacked on a late touchdown on a trick play and explained afterward that he wanted to score 50 Between the Hedges because someone told him it'd never been done before. There was Free Shoes University, Can't Spell Citrus without UT, and a litany of other stuff.
Most of the stuff has made Spurrier one of the most compelling and interesting figures in college football history. There's always been an element of "Spurrier said what?" And to the detached observer who's not aligned with one of the teams he's gigging, it's been fun to follow.
What happened yesterday in Columbia crossed the line.
On Sunday, Dabo Swinney offered a lengthy, heartfelt show of support for Marcus Lattimore and the devastating injury he suffered a day earlier.
"Just absolutely took my breath away. It just breaks my heart. I just hurt for him and his family and his teammates. He represents all the things college football should be about. I know him personally. He's a class, class young man. Always has been. So is his family. It's devastating because I know how hard he's worked. If there's anybody I'd bet on it's Marcus Lattimore. I know it's going to be a long process, but I'd put my money on Marcus Lattimore in a heartbeat. I know when he can come to terms with this, he'll do everything he can to get himself healthy and well. He's a class individual and a great player. My prayers go out to him and his family. I've had a heavy heart for him ever since that happened. There are a lot of great things for Marcus Lattimore, as coach Spurrier said. We haven't seen the last of him from a football standpoint, hopefully. He's been a great representative of the game and his university. I just lift him up in my prayers."
Now imagine had Swinney said something like this:
"Even though he plays for that school that's not the real Carolina or USC, it just absolutely took my breath away. It just breaks my heart, even though I think his coach is a childish punk. I just hurt for him and his family and his teammates He represents all the things college football should be about, even if I think his coach does not. I know him personally. He's a class, class young man, and his coach could use his class as a lesson. Always has been. So is his familiy. It's devastating because I know how hard he's worked. If there's anybody I'd bet on it's Marcus Lattimore. I know it's going to be a long process, but I'd put my money on Marcus Lattimore in a heartbeat. I know when he can come to terms with this, he'll do everything he can to get himself healthy and well. He's a class individual and a great player. My prayers go out to him and his family. I've had a heavy heart for him ever since that happened. There are a lot of great things for Marcus Lattimore, as coach Spurrier said. We haven't seen the last of him from a football standpoint, hopefully. He's been a great representative of the game and his university even if his coach hasn't been. I just lift him up in my prayers."
The point of this is, there is a time and a place for typical barbs between coaches. Goodness knows we've seen plenty of it between these two over the last year.
Yesterday's ceremony to honor Lattimore was not the time or place.
Swinney offered his support for Lattimore without any snide caveats. It was unequivocal, and the reason for the absence of equivocation or gamesmanship from Swinney was because the tragically impaired health of a fine young man rises above rivalry between two schools and two coaches who don't like each other.
Here's a much more appropriate response:
"You all know that coach up there and I don't really like each other. But on the topic of Marcus Lattimore, we share common ground. We appreciate the support offered by Dabo Swinney and everyone else over the last two days."
Competition at the highest levels is a cut-throat business, and gigging is part of the nature of competition.
But the aftermath of the Lattimore injury presented one of those rare moments when grace and class should've superseded barbs and taunts.
One coach in this rivalry grasped that. The other did not.
LW
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Sleeping on Wake Forest
So the plan for a part of yesterday afternoon was to study up on Wake Forest by checking out the Deacons' win over Virginia on DVR, and here's a pretty good illustration of how that turned out:
Managed to get through the first half and am planning to tackle the second half at some point today. But I'd make a sizable wager that no human, without the aid of controlled substances, can make it through a replay of that entire game without zonking out.
Managed to get through the first half and am planning to tackle the second half at some point today. But I'd make a sizable wager that no human, without the aid of controlled substances, can make it through a replay of that entire game without zonking out.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Brock Huard's lunacy, and links
Sometimes it's amusing when you hear a coach or a player or whoever, in the face of some criticism they don't like, use the "he never played the game" dig.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Catching up on ACC basketball, Blossomgame update, links
Meh.
That was the popular reaction when N.C. State AD Debbie Yow had to go to Plan Z in her search for a men's basketball coach.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bud Foster, boogers, and links
Bud Foster probably never envisioned he'd have it this difficult against Clemson.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Ten thoughts from the weekend
Ten thoughts from the weekend in college football:
1. Clemson fans should be happy Texas Tech is 5-1.
Before the season, one of the popular questions fielded at Clemson-related speaking engagements was: “How long will Chad Morris be at Clemson?”
My standard response: “Pull hard for Texas Tech, Tennessee and whoever else has coaches on the hot seat.”
Morris isn’t going to leave for any old job; he’s the highest-paid coordinator in college football at $1.3 million, and he has an arsenal of playmakers with eligibility remaining beyond this year.
But Morris aspires to be a head coach at a BCS-level school, and Texas Tech would make a lot of sense given his long, strong ties to the state of Texas.
Doesn’t look like there will be an opening there anytime soon, though. The Red Raiders are the biggest surprise of the Big 12 after Saturday’s complete throttling of West Virginia.
Classic Tommy Tuberville. He’s 6-2 all-time against Top 5 teams after the 49-14 bulldozing of the Mountaineers.
2. The SEC is on the verge of major coaching turnover.
Speaking of Tennessee, Derek Dooley has quickly lost the momentum he gained with a supposedly crucial opening victory over N.C. State in Atlanta.
Auburn is a dumpster fire producing hot garbage on a weekly basis.
And Joker Phillips is a punch line at Kentucky.
The SEC’s upper crust is in great shape thanks to some distinguished coaches, but it’s easy to forget the league has suffered some major losses of bright minds in recent years with the departures of Urban Meyer and Bobby Petrino.
It’ll be very interesting to see what direction SEC schools take to fill vacancies. Alabama, LSU, South Carolina and Florida are winning with physical, ball-control offense and stout defense, and that goes strongly against the national trend of hurry-up, spread offenses.
Don’t underestimate the power of seeing your rivals win a certain way. Surely Alabama’s style influenced Auburn in its desire to move away from Gus Malzahn’s philosophy, and that shift is blowing up in Gene Chizik’s face.
The bet here is Tennessee will be influenced mostly by Florida and Alabama if it makes a change.
Dooley’s record in SEC games, by the way: 4-15.
3. Underestimate Les Miles at your own peril.
You can rip the guy for his zany antics and his bizarre game management. But that stuff overshadows some real substance to his coaching style.
It’s hard not to field a great defense with all those freakish athletes LSU has running all over the place every single year.
Yet the Bayou Bengals won Saturday night more because of a persistent, physical, determined effort by their offensive line.
LSU was missing three linemen going in, and that was an ominous development going up against a South Carolina front that completely overwhelmed Georgia a week earlier.
But Miles knows how to develop and coach offensive linemen, and he knew the Gamecocks had some vulnerabilities Georgia did not expose.
LSU was down 7-3 at halftime, and that’s when a lot of coaches lose their patience. But Miles stuck with his power running game, going right at Jadeveon Clowney and then getting to the corners when the Gamecocks packed their linebackers inside to stop the between-the-tackles stuff.
You can’t base an offense on I-formation unless you’re really, really good on the offensive line. LSU certainly fits that criteria, and that’s a credit to Miles.
4. Brent Musberger should consider hanging up his microphone.
It almost hurts to type that, because Musberger is an institution. Think of high-stakes football in the 1980s, and Musberger’s voice is an essential part of that soundtrack.
Musberger knows the intricacies of the game better than, say, Verne Lundquist, but he tends to slip during some rather big moments.
He completely botched a late-game situation Saturday at LSU, failing to recognize that South Carolina picked up a first down on a fourth-down pass that reached the goal line. Kirk Herbstreit had to correct him, and such instances have become more common over the years.
Musberger is far from bad, but he’s losing his fastball.
5. John Swofford was pulling hard for Virginia Tech last week – or at least he should’ve been.
Duke is a nice story and all with its five wins and its approach toward bowl eligibility.
And while the Blue Devils aren’t necessarily vastly inferior to anyone in the mess of a Coastal Division, it’d be really bad for the ACC if that team ended up playing for the ACC championship.
Six years ago, Wake Forest won the conference and the nation snickered. Two years ago, the same Virginia Tech team that lost to James Madison won the ACC.
Florida State and Clemson are regarded as the class of the conference, but imagine the Seminoles or the Tigers squaring off with Duke in Charlotte.
Such an occurrence was looking like a distinct possibility after the Devils went up big early in Blacksburg on Saturday. But the Hokies rebounded to drop Duke to 2-1, and now the Devils’ remaining schedule looks quite foreboding: North Carolina, at Florida State, Clemson, at Georgia Tech, Miami.
Virginia Tech has looked awful at times this year, but the Hokies are 2-1 and still very much in it. Their schedule isn’t exactly easy, though: at Clemson, at Miami, Florida State, at Boston College, Virginia.
Miami really has to be kicking itself for a home loss to North Carolina. Win that game, and the Canes are 4-0 in the ACC with games remaining against Florida State (home), Virginia Tech (home), Virginia (road) and Duke (road).
6. The (Black) Eyes of Texas.
Once upon a time, the Longhorns were considered the model college football program.
From 2004 to 2009, Texas lost a grand total of nine games while claiming a BCS title (2005) and playing for another (2009).
Over their last 31 games, the Longhorns have suffered 14 losses. Eight of those losses have been by double digits, including two absolute beatdowns at the hands of Oklahoma by a combined score of 118-38.
And don’t forget 63-14 against the Sooners in 2000, and 65-13 in 2003. Mack Brown has a statue outside his home stadium, and given the one-sided nature of the Red River Rivalry perhaps it’s time to emblazon “Property of Bob Stoops” on the forehead of Brown’s bust.
When Florida was at its ascent under Meyer, the Gators seemed too big and powerful to fail anytime soon. Same deal with Texas a few years ago. You just assume two national powers will only get stronger as a result of such prominence.
Not necessarily. Elite status can be a lot more fragile than we think, even for the programs with all the resources in the world.
7. If I’m a Georgia fan, I’m not happy with Mark Richt and Mike Bobo.
Did you see how LSU attacked South Carolina’s defense from the beginning? The Bayou Bengals successfully ran running back screens and draws to use the Gamecocks’ over-pursuit against them while testing the linebackers’ ability to get to the corners.
LSU’s brain trust believed Georgia didn’t work hard enough to test South Carolina on the corners. Granted, convention goes out the window when you find yourself in an early 21-0 hole as Georgia did. But the Bulldogs’ offensive game plan becomes more baffling in light of LSU’s success.
8. It’s now permissible to start talking about bowl games.
Seems ESPN starts its weekly bowl projections in, like, March. A comical endeavor but not pointless because, hey, they get a lot of hits.
Mid-October is a good time to start paying some attention, though.
ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach has Florida State playing Rutgers in the Orange Bowl (ugh) and Clemson playing Mississippi State in the Chick-fil-A.
9. Some of these point orgies are becoming boring.
Texas A&M beat Louisiana Tech 59-57 on Saturday. Yawn.
This game lasted four-and-a-half hours and ended at 12:45 a.m. The teams combined for 187 snaps and 1,293 yards. A bunch of Louisiana Tech fans left late in the game.
10. Is Maryland really at the top of the Atlantic Division?
Technically, yes. The Terps are 2-0 in the ACC with wins over Virginia and Wake Forest.
But Terps supporters – both of them – aren’t making reservations for the ACC title game just yet. Remaining schedule: N.C. State, at Boston College, Georgia Tech, at Clemson, Florida State, at North Carolina.
1. Clemson fans should be happy Texas Tech is 5-1.
Before the season, one of the popular questions fielded at Clemson-related speaking engagements was: “How long will Chad Morris be at Clemson?”
My standard response: “Pull hard for Texas Tech, Tennessee and whoever else has coaches on the hot seat.”
Morris isn’t going to leave for any old job; he’s the highest-paid coordinator in college football at $1.3 million, and he has an arsenal of playmakers with eligibility remaining beyond this year.
But Morris aspires to be a head coach at a BCS-level school, and Texas Tech would make a lot of sense given his long, strong ties to the state of Texas.
Doesn’t look like there will be an opening there anytime soon, though. The Red Raiders are the biggest surprise of the Big 12 after Saturday’s complete throttling of West Virginia.
Classic Tommy Tuberville. He’s 6-2 all-time against Top 5 teams after the 49-14 bulldozing of the Mountaineers.
2. The SEC is on the verge of major coaching turnover.
Speaking of Tennessee, Derek Dooley has quickly lost the momentum he gained with a supposedly crucial opening victory over N.C. State in Atlanta.
Auburn is a dumpster fire producing hot garbage on a weekly basis.
And Joker Phillips is a punch line at Kentucky.
The SEC’s upper crust is in great shape thanks to some distinguished coaches, but it’s easy to forget the league has suffered some major losses of bright minds in recent years with the departures of Urban Meyer and Bobby Petrino.
It’ll be very interesting to see what direction SEC schools take to fill vacancies. Alabama, LSU, South Carolina and Florida are winning with physical, ball-control offense and stout defense, and that goes strongly against the national trend of hurry-up, spread offenses.
Don’t underestimate the power of seeing your rivals win a certain way. Surely Alabama’s style influenced Auburn in its desire to move away from Gus Malzahn’s philosophy, and that shift is blowing up in Gene Chizik’s face.
The bet here is Tennessee will be influenced mostly by Florida and Alabama if it makes a change.
Dooley’s record in SEC games, by the way: 4-15.
3. Underestimate Les Miles at your own peril.
You can rip the guy for his zany antics and his bizarre game management. But that stuff overshadows some real substance to his coaching style.
It’s hard not to field a great defense with all those freakish athletes LSU has running all over the place every single year.
Yet the Bayou Bengals won Saturday night more because of a persistent, physical, determined effort by their offensive line.
LSU was missing three linemen going in, and that was an ominous development going up against a South Carolina front that completely overwhelmed Georgia a week earlier.
But Miles knows how to develop and coach offensive linemen, and he knew the Gamecocks had some vulnerabilities Georgia did not expose.
LSU was down 7-3 at halftime, and that’s when a lot of coaches lose their patience. But Miles stuck with his power running game, going right at Jadeveon Clowney and then getting to the corners when the Gamecocks packed their linebackers inside to stop the between-the-tackles stuff.
You can’t base an offense on I-formation unless you’re really, really good on the offensive line. LSU certainly fits that criteria, and that’s a credit to Miles.
4. Brent Musberger should consider hanging up his microphone.
It almost hurts to type that, because Musberger is an institution. Think of high-stakes football in the 1980s, and Musberger’s voice is an essential part of that soundtrack.
Musberger knows the intricacies of the game better than, say, Verne Lundquist, but he tends to slip during some rather big moments.
He completely botched a late-game situation Saturday at LSU, failing to recognize that South Carolina picked up a first down on a fourth-down pass that reached the goal line. Kirk Herbstreit had to correct him, and such instances have become more common over the years.
Musberger is far from bad, but he’s losing his fastball.
5. John Swofford was pulling hard for Virginia Tech last week – or at least he should’ve been.
Duke is a nice story and all with its five wins and its approach toward bowl eligibility.
And while the Blue Devils aren’t necessarily vastly inferior to anyone in the mess of a Coastal Division, it’d be really bad for the ACC if that team ended up playing for the ACC championship.
Six years ago, Wake Forest won the conference and the nation snickered. Two years ago, the same Virginia Tech team that lost to James Madison won the ACC.
Florida State and Clemson are regarded as the class of the conference, but imagine the Seminoles or the Tigers squaring off with Duke in Charlotte.
Such an occurrence was looking like a distinct possibility after the Devils went up big early in Blacksburg on Saturday. But the Hokies rebounded to drop Duke to 2-1, and now the Devils’ remaining schedule looks quite foreboding: North Carolina, at Florida State, Clemson, at Georgia Tech, Miami.
Virginia Tech has looked awful at times this year, but the Hokies are 2-1 and still very much in it. Their schedule isn’t exactly easy, though: at Clemson, at Miami, Florida State, at Boston College, Virginia.
Miami really has to be kicking itself for a home loss to North Carolina. Win that game, and the Canes are 4-0 in the ACC with games remaining against Florida State (home), Virginia Tech (home), Virginia (road) and Duke (road).
6. The (Black) Eyes of Texas.
Once upon a time, the Longhorns were considered the model college football program.
From 2004 to 2009, Texas lost a grand total of nine games while claiming a BCS title (2005) and playing for another (2009).
Over their last 31 games, the Longhorns have suffered 14 losses. Eight of those losses have been by double digits, including two absolute beatdowns at the hands of Oklahoma by a combined score of 118-38.
And don’t forget 63-14 against the Sooners in 2000, and 65-13 in 2003. Mack Brown has a statue outside his home stadium, and given the one-sided nature of the Red River Rivalry perhaps it’s time to emblazon “Property of Bob Stoops” on the forehead of Brown’s bust.
When Florida was at its ascent under Meyer, the Gators seemed too big and powerful to fail anytime soon. Same deal with Texas a few years ago. You just assume two national powers will only get stronger as a result of such prominence.
Not necessarily. Elite status can be a lot more fragile than we think, even for the programs with all the resources in the world.
7. If I’m a Georgia fan, I’m not happy with Mark Richt and Mike Bobo.
Did you see how LSU attacked South Carolina’s defense from the beginning? The Bayou Bengals successfully ran running back screens and draws to use the Gamecocks’ over-pursuit against them while testing the linebackers’ ability to get to the corners.
LSU’s brain trust believed Georgia didn’t work hard enough to test South Carolina on the corners. Granted, convention goes out the window when you find yourself in an early 21-0 hole as Georgia did. But the Bulldogs’ offensive game plan becomes more baffling in light of LSU’s success.
8. It’s now permissible to start talking about bowl games.
Seems ESPN starts its weekly bowl projections in, like, March. A comical endeavor but not pointless because, hey, they get a lot of hits.
Mid-October is a good time to start paying some attention, though.
ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach has Florida State playing Rutgers in the Orange Bowl (ugh) and Clemson playing Mississippi State in the Chick-fil-A.
9. Some of these point orgies are becoming boring.
Texas A&M beat Louisiana Tech 59-57 on Saturday. Yawn.
This game lasted four-and-a-half hours and ended at 12:45 a.m. The teams combined for 187 snaps and 1,293 yards. A bunch of Louisiana Tech fans left late in the game.
10. Is Maryland really at the top of the Atlantic Division?
Technically, yes. The Terps are 2-0 in the ACC with wins over Virginia and Wake Forest.
But Terps supporters – both of them – aren’t making reservations for the ACC title game just yet. Remaining schedule: N.C. State, at Boston College, Georgia Tech, at Clemson, Florida State, at North Carolina.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The Valley Dispute
With all the cynicism about our political process, the state of the economy and other stuff going wrong with this country, sometimes it's not easy to recognize how good we have it.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Larry Fedora and the HUNH
Not much reason for Clemson fans to pay a whole lot of attention to North Carolina this season. The Heels aren't on the schedule, and thanks to sanctions there's no chance of facing them in Charlotte with a conference title at stake.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Uh-oh Jimbo
It's really surprising that we continue to exaggerate accomplishments after so many instances of those exaggerations falling flat on their faces.
Friday, October 5, 2012
The Chessmaster speaks
When Al Groh arrived at Georgia Tech a couple years ago, we heard rumblings that it didn't exactly help team chemistry.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Big trouble in little Chapel Hill
The revelations are coming out of Chapel Hill at such a rapid-fire pace that you tend to lose track of them.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The up-in-arms race
Maybe it's because they have to deal with more stupid questions now than before.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Swofford's story
A friend recently called my attention to a lengthy article on John Swofford in a magazine called Business North Carolina.
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