It was a sweltering Saturday afternoon/night at Carter Finley stadium, and not a very interesting one. For the first 15:07, NC State scored at will, playing all 5 of its tailbacks, each of which looked like Jim Brown against the EKU defense. That may not mean very much, but it was fun to watch. Multiple scoring drives of less than 2 minutes propelled NC State to a 31-0 lead, and it looked like the Pack could score 100 if it wanted to.
Then came the excruciating “Phase 2” of the game, where both teams pretty much did nothing. When Amato wisely put the 2nd string OL into the game (avoiding injury was priority #1), it was readily apparent that the dropoff from the starters is staggering. We need to pray for a healthy OL this year, or there will be big trouble. Not only was NC State no longer pushing around the hapless Colonel defense, but EKU also returned a Marcus Stone fumble (after a blindside hit from an unblocked blitzer) for a TD. Not a good sign, folks.
Jay Davis looked good again, althogh he once again proved his inability to throw across the field across his body, floating an interception that very easily could have been 6 points the other way (the defender stepped out of bounds around midfield, and Darrell Blackman ultimately ran him down inside the 10). Watch that Mazzone film, Mr. Trestman, and please don’t call that play again.
Ultimately, the Pack gets a 54-10 win, and the fans all rush home to watch Tennessee/Florida and Florida State/Boston College. After an opener against Virginia Tech, it was very hard to get excited about pounding Eastern Kentucky, wasn’t it?
Speaking of Florida, Urban Meyer’s defense dominated UT for 3 quarters in a solid 16-7 win. Multiple pre-snap penalties demonstrate how far the Gators have to go to implement Meyer’s offense, but the Gator D may very well carry them to the SEC title game. And if the offense does get untracked, the Trojans might have a fight on their hands come January.
Boston College dominated Florida State on the stat sheet, at one point outgaining the Seminoles something like 350-60. However, the Eagles only converted that dominance into a flimsy 17-14 lead, flaming out repeatedly on the Noles’ side of the 50. Florida State fiunally had one good drive for a TD, and a blocked punt set up the nail in the coffin. BC had the same kind of chance that NC State had on Labor Day weekend, and similarly blew it. Up next comes an elimination game in Death Valley.
Talk about your instant classics – Charlie Whitehurst plays the goat again, overthrowing a sure TD pass in the last 20 seconds. Clemson settles for a FG and overtime, ultimately falling 36-30 in extra period #3, with the game ending on…a Whitehurst interception. Once contaminated by Mike O’Cain, does anyone ever recover? Still, a game for the ages (can you imagine the poor souls who were stuck watching Nebraska’s “thrilling” 7-6 win over Pitt instead?), and Clemson hosts similarly emotionally shattered Boston College next week.
One might think that a home loss to unranked Michigan State would end the “fluffing of the Irish,” but apparently not. All the ESPN guys could do was talk about the “heart” that Notre Dame showed coming back against a non-existent Spartan defense that went into prevent mode WAY too early. Someone needs to get Lou Holtz a valium.
Talk about your embarrassing losses – Stanford lost at home to UC-Davis, an 0-2 team (losses to Portland State and New Hampshire) making the leap from Division II to 1-AA. Walt Harris may have made it out of Pittsburgh one step ahead of the posse, but this is not a good way to start.
