Posted by Brandon Rink on November 22, 2011 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article
NC State's all-red look upended a slumping Clemson team in impressive fashion, knocking them from the top spot. (Pic per OrangeandWhite.com)
ACCBlogger.com ranks the ACC after week 12…
Rank..(LW)..Team…………………………………Record 1)..(2)..Virginia Tech Hokies………………10-1 (6-1 ACC)
UNC took them to the wire, but the Hokies are still standing after a 14-10 home Thursday win, racking up another 10-win season. But surprisingly, they’ll take on rival Virginia in Charlottesville for the Coastal crown Saturday.
2)..(1)..Clemson Tigers………………….9-2 (6-2 ACC)
When Clemson falls – they sure do it in style, getting drilled 37-13 at NC State. With a trip to South Carolina, hoping to stave off a third-straight loss in the series, and the ACC Championship Game in two weeks – Swinney and co. have little room for error in their adjustments.
3)..(7)..Virginia Cavaliers…………………..8-3 (5-2 ACC)
I still had to check the box score today to make sure that really happened – Virginia engineering a perfect two-minute drill on the road to capture the 14-13 lead, and surviving a Dustin Hopkins field goal attempt as time-expired. They play for a division on Saturday at home – this Mike London guy can coach.
4)..(4)..Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets…………..8-3 (5-3 ACC)
Duke gave them a few troubles, but Georgia Tech held on to a 38-31 win. The Jackets host Georgia as a home underdog this week.
5)..(3)..Florida State Seminoles………….7-4 (5-3 ACC)
It’s been a strange, disappointing season for the preseason ACC favorites. They wrap it up at Florida this weekend.
6)..(6)..Wake Forest Demon Deacons…6-5 (5-3 ACC)
The Deacs took care of business against Maryland to punch their ticket to the postseason. Tanner Price was 20-of-32 for 320 yards and three touchdowns. They take on Vandy this week to guarantee a winning season.
7)..(8)..North Carolina State Wolfpack ………..6-5 (3-4 ACC)
We used the roller-coaster metaphor last week, and they’re going up and way-up by dominating Clemson and only Maryland in their path to a bowl, but we’ve seen them letdown coming off a big win this season already.
8)..(T-5)..Miami Hurricanes………………………6-5 (3-4 ACC) Miami managed to drop a spot in the poll after a 6-3 win over USF, who after the game, found out they’re not bowling on a self-imposed penalty because of the Nevin Shapiro scandal.
9)..(9)..North Carolina Tar Heels…………6-5 (2-5 ACC) UNC almost came out of Blacksburg with another win, but couldn’t quite pull it off. They host Duke this weekend in a fight to not finish in the Coastal cellar.
10)..(10)..Duke Blue Devils…………………………3-8 (1-6 ACC)
The Blue Devils came close in yet another one, just not having the juice to take down Georgia Tech at home. They can stay out of a last-place finish with a win at UNC Saturday.
11)..(11)..Boston College Eagles………………3-8 (2-5 ACC)
BC hasn’t quit, that’s a credit to Frank Spaziani and the leadership on the team, as fell 16-14 on the road at Notre Dame after coming in as more than three-TD underdogs.
12)..(12).. Maryland Terrapins………..2-9 (1-7 ACC)
Seventh-straight loss – again, the season can’t end any sooner for the Terps.
Ballots
Brandon Rink:1) VT 2) Clemson 3) Virginia 4) GT 5) Wake 6) FSU 7) NC State 8) Miami 9) UNC 10) BC 11) Duke 12) Maryland
Griffin Wong: 1) VT 2) Clemson 3) Virginia 4) GT 5) FSU 6) Wake Forest 7) NC State 8) Miami 9) UNC 10) Duke 11) BC 12) Maryland
J.J. Greenstein: 1) VT 2) Clemson 3) Virginia 4) GT 5) FSU 6) Wake Forest 7) NC State 8) Miami 9) UNC 10) Duke 11) BC 12) Maryland
Posted by J.J. Greenstein on November 21, 2011 under Other ACC Coverage | Comments are off for this article
Only in the ACC does a team crap the bed on the road against arguably the league’s worst team, then come back home a week later and beat the league’s best team by 24 points.
That’s what NC State (6-5, 3-4 ACC) did Saturday against Clemson (9-2, 6-2 ACC) in a 37-13 win at home. Just a few days removed from an embarrassing loss in Chestnut Hill to ACC bottom-dweller Boston College, State came out and dominated every phase of the game against the then seventh ranked Tigers.
“I really have no explanation for what just happened,” said State head coach Tom O’Brien following the win.
And neither do the fans for either side, with the exception being Clemson not having their electric freshman receiver Sammy Watkins, but one player doesn’t make a game- certainly not one with his extreme of an outcome. Though, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had his explanation for the outcome.
“We looked like an immature team out there tonight… That’s really it in a nutshell.”
Immature? I guess. For the first time all season Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd looked like a true sophomore as the Pack defense kept pressure on him throughout, recording five sacks on Boyd and one on Clemson backup Cole Stoudt, forcing two fumbles and picking off two passes.
One of those interceptions fell into the hands of sophomore corner David Amerson, his nation-leading eleventh of the year, tying the ACC single-season record with one game to play. Junior Brandon Bishop got the other pick in his own end-zone, the ninth of his career- both of the Pack’s interceptions were in the red zone.
Boyd finished the day 21-34 for 238 yards before giving way to Stoudt in the second half. Boyd’s counterpart, Mike Glennon managed the game very well for the Wolfpack, keeping them ahead of the chains and making the Tigers pay for their turnovers.
The Pack was able to use the run game effectively to set up the passing game, which saw Glennon finish 19-29 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Running backs James Washington (22 carries, 86 yards) and Tony Creecy (15 carries, 65 yards) paced the Pack on the ground. Creecy’s four yard touchdown run in the second quarter put the Pack up 24-3 and helped the Pack keep their foot on the gas heading into halftime. Curtis Underwood Jr. added nine yards on three carries late in the game.
The receivers were on point for the Pack, as Tobais Palmer, who had 82 yards, and George Bryan each had a touchdown catch, and six others caught a pass from Glennon during the game.
State did not turn the ball over, and was able to cash in when Clemson turnovers gave them good field position. State won the all-important turnover battle four to zero.
Not to be over-shadowed by great efforts from their offensive and defensive units, State’s special teams were solid throughout the game. Freshman place kicker Niklas Sade was three for three on field goals, with a long of 32 yards, and was perfect on his four extra point attempts. Freshman punter Wil Baumann punted eight times for the Wolfpack, averaging 37.5 yards per punt, landing three inside the 20 yard line. Adding to the stellar performance was kick-returner TJ Graham becoming the ACC’s all-time leader in return yards in a career during the game, too.
All in all it was an incredible afternoon for the Pack in front of another sold-out Carter-Finley crowd. Glennon, Bishop, and freshman defensive lineman Art Norman all received ACC honors today; Glennon as the offensive back, Bishop as the defensive back, and Norman as the rookie of the week. The 37 points was the most State has scored in an ACC game this season, and they did it by only scoring in the second and third quarters.
Player of the game: Art Norman. There are quite a few deserving guys here (Glennon, Sade, Darryl Cato-Bishop could all get the nod) but the freshman recorded 2.5 sacks, four total tackles, and forced a fumble on his way to being named the ACC’s rookie of the week.
What went right? Everything, I’m serious. State’s offense scored 37 points without committing a turnover. The defense was dominant and forced four turnovers while only giving up 34 yards rushing, and the special teams were solid when called upon.
What went wrong? If you had to pick something, State’s pass defense. While they made two interceptions, they gave up 303 yards through the air to Boyd and Stoudt. DeAndre Hopkins had 124 yards receiving for the Tigers, too.
What’s next? State has a huge game against Maryland at home this Saturday. State needs to win this game to go to a bowl, and really cannot afford another letdown against the Terps like they had at the end of last year. Maryland has nothing to play for, much like Boston College who beat the Pack last week, so State must take care of business.
Posted by J.J. Greenstein on November 18, 2011 under ACC Basketball | Comments are off for this article
In the end, the Pack (3-0) might have lost more than they won Wednesday night as they defeated Princeton (0-2) 60-58 at the RBC Center.
The win was the good news, but junior forward Scott Wood, one of the NCAA’s best three-point shooters, left the game less than two minutes in with an ankle injury that Gottfried said would keep him out “for a while.” Wood returned to the bench after halftime on crutches with a boot on his right foot.
DeShawn Painter’s 18-foot jumper from straight away with 4.2 seconds to go in regulation proved to be the winner for the Pack. For those who think they may have read that wrong, yes, I said DeShawn Painter. State’s 6’10 center stepped up and knocked down a long shot in the final seconds to give the Pack their toughest win of the Mark Gottfried era.
“Sometimes you are either going to win it, you’re going to be a hero and take it, or if you miss your shot people are going to say you’re a loser or mad at you. But I pride myself on guts and I have to thank God for giving me the opportunity to get that shot,” said Painter after the game. He finished with just 11 points and four rebounds- both season lows.
There are two scenarios that I came up with following the last shot by Painter. One, Painter was supposed to be setting a screen up top for Lorenzo Brown to drive past and take the shot (he did set the screen but it did not lead an opening for Brown). Or two, Coach Gottfried is a genius using the element of surprise to get Painter an open shot up top for the win.
Regardless, Painter hit the shot and the Pack survived a Chandler Parsons flashback, as Ian Hummers near halfcourt shot that was on line to the basket fell short as the clock expired to get their third win of the season. (Note: Pack fans; don’t click that link- it will always hurt.)
The Pack were resilient, trailing most of the game they hung tough down three key players and being led by Lorenzo Brown, who hadn’t practiced all week due to a foot injury and flu-like symptoms. With sophomore game-changer Calvin (C.J.) Leslie serving the third and final game of his suspension for accepting improper benefits and freshman forward Thomas de Thaey from Belgium sidelined indefinitely as the NCAA looks into his eligibility status, Wood’s injury put the Pack in a major hole.
State’s lack of any three-point threat showed throughout the night, shooting just 1-8 from beyond the arc. The only three State got was with 1:55 remaining in the game on a shot from the corner by transfer guard Alex Johnson that put the Pack up 58-55.
Princeton, on the other hand, used the three point shot to stay ahead most of the night. The Tigers finished 9-19 (47.4%) from outside, including a Douglas Davis three with 20 seconds to go to tie the game at 58.
Painter’s game-winning shot followed Davis’ three, and the Pack moved on to 3-0. State’s 40-24 advantage on the boards was fueled by more great teamwork, and the Pack was once again very unselfish, dishing out 15 assists.
Lorenzo Brown took over a ballgame when the Pack badly needed a leader out of their point guard. He finished with 16 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and five steals in 37 minutes. Richard Howell added 10 points and nine rebounds; it was his first game of the year without a double-double. Senior C.J. Williams also scored in double-figures, scoring 10 points in 36 minutes.
State will now travel to New Jersey to play Vanderbilt in the semi-finals of the Legends Classic on Saturday. The Pack will get Leslie back as his suspension is up, but they are unlikely to have Wood healthy so soon. It will be the biggest test so far this season for NC State.
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