Saturday night, I took in the N.C. State 23-10 win over Appalachian State and thought it was a nice, if not unspectacular, win.
Appalachian State is the defending 1AA champs, but the key there is 1AA. And although the Mountaineers have a lot of returning starters and they're a good team, there's no way they should beat State, and they didn't.
The win was very similar to the way the Pack successfully closed out last season: Dominate defensively, let Andre Brown (125 yards) and Tony Baker (43 yards) run the ball and keep Marcus Stone from having to throw the ball.
It worked Saturday night, but will it work when the competition gets better? State has good players and good depth, and I think they'll be a good football team. As the season gets tougher, though, they will need to have Stone do more than just hand off the ball. Defensively, you couldn't ask for more, limiting Appalachian State to just 133 yards in total offense. Mario, Manny, McCargo and the rest of those guys from last year couldn't have done better. I would expect the Pack to make it 2-0 next week hosting Akron.
By the way, the new addition to the north end zone at Carter-Finley Stadium looks terrific. Having seen many a game there, I can't believe it's the same place. It's a first-class stadium and State fans should be very proud. Also, it was the fastest game I've been to in a long while.
Saw some of Carolina's 21-16 loss to Rutgers on television. I thought UNC would win, and they had their chances. But mistakes and a run defense that couldn't have stopped me did them in. Joe Dailey has talent and can make some things happen, but at Nebraska, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and guess what? Saturday, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. This loss puts UNC in an early hole. Sure, Rutgers was a bowl team last year (and yes, it was a tougher opener than State), but Carolina, in John Bunting's sixth season, playing at home should win this game.
Virginia Tech comes to Chapel Hill on Saturday, and Carolina and the past few years has shown they can bounce back when things look bleak. Tech will be favored because they are Virginia Tech, but they lost a lot from last season, and nobody really knows yet how good they are. We do know that in the next week, the Tar Heels better learn how to stop the run or it will be a long season.
Can you believe Richmond blanks Duke? The first time Duke has ever lost to a 1AA team. Some people thought this could happen. I have to admit I wasn't one of them. If Duke can't score against Richmond, who will they score against? Two key running backs, Ronnie Drummer and Justin Boyle, didn't play the second half with injuries, they have inexperienced quarterbacks and a monster schedule. Ted Roof is a good football man, but Vince Lombardi would have trouble turning this program around. Right now, Duke is staring straight ahead at 0-12. Bless their hearts.
I hate it for Wake Forest that quarterback Benjamin Mauk is probably lost for the season with a broken arm. That is tough to swallow. The experienced Deacons did beat Syracuse, but now, red-shirt freshman Riley Skinner has to go at quarterback. At least he gets the chance to feel things out against Duke next week. Wake better say a few prayers that Skinner can play.
Georgia Tech sure did scare the heck out of Notre Dame before losing, while Maryland, Clemson and Virginia Tech beat up on cupcakes. Virginia gets drubbed by Pittsburgh and the Cavaliers may be grateful they're in the same division with Duke.
Finally, East Carolina wasn't expected to beat Navy, but the pirates made it close and could have won. Aaaargh! East Carolina, picked last in Conference USA, is rebuilding, and they have some talent on offense. But when the other team runs for more than 400 yards, you have problems on defense -- no question -- and those problems aren't easy to solve. Still, things seem to be looking up. Give Skip Holtz some time. The Pirates' tough schedule continues Saturday at Alabama-Birmingham, which opened up by losing at Oklahoma by just 24-17.
Looking forward to Florida State and Miami on Monday. I'm picking the 'Noles, but I wouldn't bet on it.
