Buzz kill
posted by LW, Friday, September 04, 2009
You flip on the TV, and USC-N.C. State happens.
Seriously, C-SPAN brings more excitement than ESPN offered for most of three hours last night.
Our man Bart Wright, the recruiting guru, stated it best in the opening line of his column from Raleigh:
It was an opener that felt like it never completely opened. It was college football fireworks without the flash and bang, a nine-month anticipation that left you wondering if that’s all there was to get excited about.
I guess you're feeling pretty good if you're a Clemson fan.
Because:
-- N.C. State, for all the hype spouted during the offseason (including a dose courtesy of yours truly), looked awful.
-- The Gamecocks, other than some better-than-expected speed an athleticism on defense, don't look much like a juggernaut.
I'm thinking the Wolfies end up getting it figured out, because Russell Wilson is still an excellent player. But that bunch gagged under the spotlight's glare last night.
Then again, maybe Clemson fans should be a little worried themselves. What's to say they can't have their own gaggle of hiccups in the first game ... or even the second game?
Speaking of hiccups, this guy went to the game and couldn't even get the score right.
Full disclosure: I've botched the final score once, in a Clemson basketball loss at Duke a few years ago. Not a good feeling.
Ron Morris of The State seems shocked at the development that USC's defense might have to carry the offense.
I'm struggling to grasp how last night was much different than the previous four years. The persistent offensive struggles -- and the inability to develop a QB -- have been the most surprising (and defining) characteristic of Visor Boy's tenure in Columbia.
On the N.C. State side, Ken Tysiac notes that a healthy Russell Wilson didn't matter much.
Not an encouraging night for the ACC. One of their (supposed) upper-echelon teams was shut down by a (supposed) middle-of-the-road SEC team. Better hope Virginia Tech comes to play Saturday in Atlanta.
Speaking of the Hokies, here's an outstanding profile of Bud Foster and his lunch pail legacy.
Ton of great details in this piece. Including:
Two years ago, Foster made a keen observation in a game. He noticed that whenever one opposing offensive tackle dug all his fingers into the turf during his stance, the team ran the ball. But when he just put some fingers down, the play was a pass. Foster ordered his linemen to watch for this. Alert the secondary of a pass play by raising your hand, he told them. "How did he even see that?" rover Dorian Porch, then a backup, wondered as he watched Foster relay the information to his starters.
Including:
In 2006, he won the Broyles Award, given to college football's top assistant. He was a three-time finalist before that. Murray State has offered him its head-coaching job "several times," he said. He turned down two defensive-coordinator offers from Steve Spurrier -- at Florida in 1998 and South Carolina in 2007. The second time, Spurrier told Foster he'd be the country's highest-paid assistant, an offer Foster said he strongly considered. "Have we accomplished everything we can accomplish here?" he asked himself.
And finally:
He came close to his dream last season, when he interviewed for Clemson's job, which eventually went to interim coach Dabo Swinney. Foster told his friend Scott Pasley that he ended the interview by saying, "I think I'm your man. But if you don't choose me for the job, the next time we play, we're gonna whoop your [butt] up and down the field."
Wow. Just ... wow.
It was hard not to like Foster before reading this story. It's impossible not to like him after reading it.
Moving up I-26, Travis Sawchik has a look at the chances of an upset occurring Saturday in Death Valley.
If that happens, Clemson fans will be All-Out.
Building upon an ESPN study from last season, non-BCS Football Bowl Subdivision teams are 217-973 against teams from the six power conferences since the BCS was created in 1998.
That's a winning percentage of 18.2, similar to the rate at which No. 14 seeds have defeated No. 3 seeds (16.6 percent) since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985
Paul Strelow of The State looks back at the visit Swinney and Clemson's staff paid to their counterparts in Austin, Texas, and the notable comparisons between Swinney and Mack Brown.
Rob Daniels of The ACC Sports Journal presents a preview of this weekend's ACC games.
LW
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You're a college football fan. You're jacked up for the start of the season.
You flip on the TV, and USC-N.C. State happens.
Seriously, C-SPAN brings more excitement than ESPN offered for most of three hours last night.
Our man Bart Wright, the recruiting guru, stated it best in the opening line of his column from Raleigh:
It was an opener that felt like it never completely opened. It was college football fireworks without the flash and bang, a nine-month anticipation that left you wondering if that’s all there was to get excited about.
I guess you're feeling pretty good if you're a Clemson fan.
Because:
-- N.C. State, for all the hype spouted during the offseason (including a dose courtesy of yours truly), looked awful.
-- The Gamecocks, other than some better-than-expected speed an athleticism on defense, don't look much like a juggernaut.
I'm thinking the Wolfies end up getting it figured out, because Russell Wilson is still an excellent player. But that bunch gagged under the spotlight's glare last night.
Then again, maybe Clemson fans should be a little worried themselves. What's to say they can't have their own gaggle of hiccups in the first game ... or even the second game?
Speaking of hiccups, this guy went to the game and couldn't even get the score right.
Full disclosure: I've botched the final score once, in a Clemson basketball loss at Duke a few years ago. Not a good feeling.
Ron Morris of The State seems shocked at the development that USC's defense might have to carry the offense.
I'm struggling to grasp how last night was much different than the previous four years. The persistent offensive struggles -- and the inability to develop a QB -- have been the most surprising (and defining) characteristic of Visor Boy's tenure in Columbia.
On the N.C. State side, Ken Tysiac notes that a healthy Russell Wilson didn't matter much.
Not an encouraging night for the ACC. One of their (supposed) upper-echelon teams was shut down by a (supposed) middle-of-the-road SEC team. Better hope Virginia Tech comes to play Saturday in Atlanta.
Speaking of the Hokies, here's an outstanding profile of Bud Foster and his lunch pail legacy.
Ton of great details in this piece. Including:
Two years ago, Foster made a keen observation in a game. He noticed that whenever one opposing offensive tackle dug all his fingers into the turf during his stance, the team ran the ball. But when he just put some fingers down, the play was a pass. Foster ordered his linemen to watch for this. Alert the secondary of a pass play by raising your hand, he told them. "How did he even see that?" rover Dorian Porch, then a backup, wondered as he watched Foster relay the information to his starters.
Including:
In 2006, he won the Broyles Award, given to college football's top assistant. He was a three-time finalist before that. Murray State has offered him its head-coaching job "several times," he said. He turned down two defensive-coordinator offers from Steve Spurrier -- at Florida in 1998 and South Carolina in 2007. The second time, Spurrier told Foster he'd be the country's highest-paid assistant, an offer Foster said he strongly considered. "Have we accomplished everything we can accomplish here?" he asked himself.
And finally:
He came close to his dream last season, when he interviewed for Clemson's job, which eventually went to interim coach Dabo Swinney. Foster told his friend Scott Pasley that he ended the interview by saying, "I think I'm your man. But if you don't choose me for the job, the next time we play, we're gonna whoop your [butt] up and down the field."
Wow. Just ... wow.
It was hard not to like Foster before reading this story. It's impossible not to like him after reading it.
Moving up I-26, Travis Sawchik has a look at the chances of an upset occurring Saturday in Death Valley.
If that happens, Clemson fans will be All-Out.
Building upon an ESPN study from last season, non-BCS Football Bowl Subdivision teams are 217-973 against teams from the six power conferences since the BCS was created in 1998.
That's a winning percentage of 18.2, similar to the rate at which No. 14 seeds have defeated No. 3 seeds (16.6 percent) since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985
Paul Strelow of The State looks back at the visit Swinney and Clemson's staff paid to their counterparts in Austin, Texas, and the notable comparisons between Swinney and Mack Brown.
Rob Daniels of The ACC Sports Journal presents a preview of this weekend's ACC games.
LW
For questions or comments on this blog entry, please visit The West Zone message board.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Donnie Patterson. Donnie Patterson is the founder of Patterson Tax Service, located in Easley, S.C. He has been active in tax preparation since 1970, and offers a full range of tax and bookkeeping services.
Larry Williams. Larry has covered the daily beat at Clemson since 2004. Williams, who worked for the Charleston Post & Courier from 2004-08, joined Tigerillustrated.com in November of 2008. He may be reached by email at ldubya08(at)gmail.com. Replace (at) with @.