All posts by Joe Schwartz
Joe Schwartz ·
18 Feb 2010, 1:03 AM ·
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RALEIGH/RBC CENTER - Fifty minutes before the N.C. State-Maryland tipoff at the RBC Center on Wednesday, reporters were trading stories back in the media center, a white-and-red room where stat junkies face the wall and scribe away.
What do you think Tiger Woods will say at his press conference Friday? Did you hear that Bobby Frasor interview we had today? He called in from Bulgaria. How about that UNC game the other day? Was that the worst 10 minutes of basketball you’ve ever seen?
Those are the kinds of things we press types banter about while gulping complimentary Coca-Cola products when the local team in the locker room down the hall is in last place in the ACC and sporting a four-game losing streak.
Make it five.
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ACC, Basketball, N.C. State Bass Pack, David Thompson, Dereck Whittenberg, Gary Williams, Greivis Vasquez, Lee Fowler, Lorenzo Booker, Maryland, N.C. State, Sidney Lowe
Joe Schwartz ·
28 Nov 2009, 5:03 PM ·
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Wolfpack linebacker Audie Cole celebrates with his classmates following N.C. State's victory over Carolina. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
CARTER-FINLEY STADIUM/RALIEGH — “N.C. State here we go,” a man dressed all in red shouted as he exited Carter-Finley Stadium, his team having just defeated its bitter rival for the third straight year. “TOB (Tom O’Brien) 3-0. Here we go. Butch Davis, what do you have?”
“Stop, you’re making a spectacle,” his girlfriend told him sharply.
“But this is all we’ve got,” he sheepishly replied.
He’s right, N.C. State’s season is done, and Davis’ team now moves on to a yet-to-be-determined bowl game, but what they’ve got matters one heck of a lot. Ask O’Brien who said after the game this was his most challenging season in a three decades as a college coach. Or talk to one of the nine seniors on the team who end their careers victorious. Sure, on its face this 28-27 win that closed the books on a 5-7 season might not seem like a big deal, but boy is it.
“We could play this team in the McDonald’s parking lot and it would be a bowl game,” wide receiver Owen Spencer said.
The odds seemed long at halftime. UNC had dominated offensively scoring touchdowns of 35, 40 and 70 yards on the way to a 24-14 lead. The Wolfpack’s much-maligned defense turned things around in the second frame, and quarterback Russell WIlson was able to create big plays of his own, twice finding Spencer deep over the middle for scores. Senior Alan-Michael Cash blocked a Casey Barth 38-yard field goal attempt with 4:45 to play and N.C. State was able to pick up key first downs before giving the ball back to Yates on the 28-yard line with just 23 seconds to play. Yates overthrow Greg Little on a corner route, and Clem Johnson picked the ball to seal the win. Continue reading »
ACC, Football, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill Alan-Michael Cash, Casey Barth, Clem Johnson, Dana Bible, Jordan Monk, Owen Spencer, Russell Wilson, TJ Yates, Tom O'Brien
Joe Schwartz ·
28 Nov 2009, 1:52 PM ·
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CARTER-FINLEY STADIUM/RALEIGH — Someone turned on the offensive switch at Carter-Finely Stadium in the second quarter. After a first stanza that saw N.C. State go three and out on all three possessions and UNC come away with a field goal and a turnover in two red zone trips, the teams combined for five touchdowns to close out the half. UNC leads 24-14 at the half.
Tar Heel quarterback T.J. Yates found freshman wideout Jherani Boyd for a 35-yard strike on the opening play of the second quarter, and the floodgates opened.
Key series of the half With the Wolfpack trailing 17-7, Russell Wilson led his team on an 11-play 77 yard touchdown drive capped off by a 14-yard toss to prolific target Jarvis Williams. He had help dressed in Carolina blue (well, kind of, UNC is wearing white jerseys and navy blue pants that border on Duke colors to some). Two pass interference penalties, one on Charles Brown and one on Kendric Burney and an unnecessary roughness call on defensive end Michael McAdoo gave N.C. State 44 free yards. The toss to Williams, his 11th TD grab on the year, ate up 4:50 on the clock and stymied a UNC offense that’s looked the best it has played in weeks.
Key stats of the half Yates has been an efficient 6 for 8 for 201 yards and two touchdowns, both to Boyd, who has 100 yards receiving on those two catches (insert Cris Carter all he does is catch touchdowns reference here). Most telling though is that UNC has 313 yards of total offense to N.C. State’s dyslexic 113 yards.
What to watch for in the second half N.C. State needs to sure up its secondary, which has been torched for three long scores. Tom O’Brien’s club must feel lucky to only be down a touchdown given the total yards difference. Look for them to try to establish the run (one yard per carry so far) and keep the ball away from Yates.
ACC, Football, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill Charles Brown, Jherani Boyd, Kendric Burney, Michael McAdoo, Russell Wilson, TJ Yates, Tom O'Brien
Joe Schwartz ·
24 Nov 2009, 11:12 AM ·
1 Comment
Pelé, seen in the film Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (Miramax Films)
Carolina RailHawks majority owner Selby Wellman expects at least 10 teams to be in the newly named North American Soccer League, though he declined to name the possible additions to the nine confirmed ownership groups.
Wellman and fellow owners announced Monday that they will bring back the NASL name, conjuring up memories of the first American professional soccer league, which included the likes of Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff before it folded in 1984.
“We talked about it a long time. There’s pros and cons because the league didn’t make it, that would be the con. The pro is it really did launch professional soccer in
America and had a good brand,” he said. “There’s a lot of us around here with some gray hair that’ll say, ‘I remember that brand.’”
The league now has a name, but the owners have a lot of questions to answer before the first ball is kicked in April. Along with the RailHawks, former USL teams Atlanta Silverbacks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are part of NASL. St. Louis Soccer United, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Crystal Palace Baltimore also are slated for inclusion in the breakaway league.
Others have speculated that Rochester Rhinos may be included, but Wellman, also the spokesman for the new league, isn’t saying as of yet.
“I can’t name them,” he said. “We already have plans underway, and we’re getting all kinds of requests coming in from different groups.” Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Don Garber, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, MLS, Montreal Impact, NASL, Pele, Rochester Rhinos, Selby Wellman, St. Louis Soccer United, Tampa Bay Rowdies, TOA, USL, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Joe Schwartz ·
21 Nov 2009, 7:39 PM ·
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TV/ESPNU — Prolific Hokie freshman running back Ryan Williams ran wild Saturday, scoring four touchdowns as No. 15 Virginia Tech defeated N.C. State comfortably, 38-10.
Early turnovers, an inability to run the ball or stop the run plagued the Wolfpack (4-7, 1-6 ACC) all day. N.C. State’s depleted team, now missing 12 players to season-ending injuries, couldn’t hold onto the ball long enough to have a chance at Lane Stadium. Williams churned for 120 yards along with his four scores for Virginia Tech (8-3, 5-2 ACC).
Quarterback Russell Wilson (pictured) was sacked and fumbled on the team’s first offensive play, giving the Hokies the ball on the N.C. State 34-yard-line. Virginia Tech could only muster a field goal, but they soon got a second chance when wide receiver Darrell Davis fumbled along the sideline on the Wolfpack’s next drive. Virginia Tech’s Cody Grimm caused both turnovers, recovering the first one himself. Stephan Virgil fell on Davis’s loose change at the N.C. State 25.
This time Ryan Williams crossed the plane from four yards out, spotting his team a 10-0 lead with 7:55 to go in the 1st quarter that N.C. State never surmounted. They did answer with a 20-yard touchdown strike to Owen Spencer on the next possession on a nice pump and post, bringing the game to 10-7 in the first quarter. That was the closest they came, though.
N.C. State was outgained 200-14 on the ground and couldn’t overcome three lost fumbles and an interception. Tom O’Brien’s club will have to lick its wounds on the trip home, but the Wolfpack won’t have any trouble getting up for next week’s rivalry contest against UNC on Thanksgiving weekend.
Despite today’s result, this is an N.C. State team that’s far more talented than the record shows. Injuries and inexperience have forced a near constant reshuffling of the starting lineup. They are a tough out when able to hold onto the ball and stop the run, as they did early in the year, jumping to a 3-1 start including a win against Pitt, now a top 10 team.
Now they don’t have a bowl or even a winning record to play for, but you can bet that they’ll be fired up at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.
ACC, Football, N.C. State Cody Grimm, Darrell Davis, N.C. State, Russell Wilson, Ryan Williams, Stephan Virgil, Tom O'Brien, Virginia Tech
Joe Schwartz ·
20 Nov 2009, 12:15 PM ·
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N.C. State tries to play spoiler
N.C. State (4-6, 1-5 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (7-3, 4-2 ACC)
3:30 p.m., Saturday, Lane Stadium
ESPNU, WRAL 101.5 FM
N.C. State's dynamic duo of Russell Wilson and Toney Baker will face Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Key stats … There will be no late-season bowl run this year for Tom O’Brien’s club. Clemson’s dynamic C.J. Spiller put an end to those hopes last week. Now the Wolfpack travel north to the always hostile Lane Stadium where Frank Beamer’s 16th ranked Hokies sit waiting. Virginia Tech is out of the ACC Championship picture thanks to loses to Georgia Tech and UNC, but they still have a New Year’s Day bowl to play for. These two teams have squared off only twice since Virginia Tech joined the ACC six years ago, splitting contests in 2004 and 2005.
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ACC, Football, N.C. State Frank Beamer, Jamelle Eugene, N.C. State, Russell Wilson, Ryan Williams, Tom O'Brien, Toney Baker, Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech
Joe Schwartz ·
13 Nov 2009, 3:58 PM ·
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Clemson eyes ACC title berth while Wolfpack bowl hopes hang in balance
Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) vs. N.C. State (4-5, 1-3 ACC)
Noon, Saturday, Carter-Finley Stadium
Raycom (WRAL, CBS), Wolfpack Sports Network (101.5 FM)
N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson faces a tough test Saturday against Clemson.
Key stats … N.C. State finally got its first ACC win of the season last week in a sloppy game against Maryland at home that went down to the final snap. Now things get even tougher, with a Clemson squad headed north in hopes of securing its first ACC Championship game appearance (Divisions and the title game started in 2005.). All they need is a win and a Boston College loss to Virginia to wrap up the Atlantic Division this weekend. N.C. State meanwhile needs to win out to become bowl eligible. The embattled Wolpack defense, that’s struggled in ACC play before showing signs of life last week, when it only gave up 17 points (Maryland posted 31, but one touchdown came on an interception return and another on a kickoff), faces a stiff test from the Clemson ground game, averaging 160.9 yards a contest. Clemson leads the series 49-27-1.
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Joe Schwartz ·
7 Nov 2009, 5:36 PM ·
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CARTER-FINLEY STADIUM/RALIEGH - Everything had been going about as well as you could expect for a team that was winless in ACC play. The struggling defense picked off a pass on its first play to set up a short field and a two-play touchdown strike.
Sure, Maryland answered with a touchdown of its own of the next drive, but Russell Wilson responded with a 35-yard toss to a streaking Donald Bowens. The defense forced a three and out on the Terrapins next possession. The Wolfpack had momentum and a 14-7 lead on their side.
Then came the type of move that fans applaud when its made and second-guess for an entire off season after it fails. The Wolfpack had just executed a textbook pooch punt, pinning Maryland inside the 10 yard line, but a Terrapin bumped into N.C. State punter Jeff Ruiz. Head Coach Tom O’Brien made an aggressive decision to accept the 5-yard penalty and go for it on 4th and 6 from the Maryland 33 yard line. Boy did it backfire. Wilson’s pass was snatched in the flats by Maryland linebacker Alex Wujack, who chugged 70 yards for a score. It was the first interception returned for a touchdown by Ralph Friedgen’s club in more than three years.
Such is life for this Wolfpack team that went winless in October and rode a four-game losing streak into this Homecoming weekend contest. It would have been easy to fold, and a lesser team would’ve. But somehow, someway, N.C. State was able to put one in the win column, a 38-31 victory that went down to the final snap.
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ACC, Football, N.C. State Alex Wujack, Chris Turner, Clem Johnson, Jamarr Robinson, Jeff Ruiz, Michael Lemon, Ralph Friedgen, Russell Wilson, Tom O'Brien
Joe Schwartz ·
6 Nov 2009, 4:05 PM ·
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Running back Toney Baker (22) and quarterback Russell Wilson (16) have turned in solid performances all year. Against Maryland, they'll need a little help from their friends.
Maryland (2-6, 1-3 ACC) vs. N.C. State (3-5, 0-4 ACC)
1 p.m., Saturday, Carter-Finley Stadium
ESPN 360, WRAL 101.5 FM
Key stats … This isn’t the preview story either of these two teams thought would be written when the season started, or just a month ago, really. But two teams that started far more brightly than they find themselves now will square off Saturday with seven conferences losses and a single ACC win (Maryland’s 24-21 victory against Clemson in their conference opener) between them. Now they face off as the last place and second-to-last place teams in the Atlantic Division. UNC is the only other team with one ACC win or less.
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ACC, Football, N.C. State Chris Turner, Maryland, N.C. State, Russell Wilson, Tom O'Brien, Toney Baker
Joe Schwartz ·
31 Oct 2009, 4:16 PM ·
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TV/RAYCOM—Florida State had just scored, the latest team to cross the plane in a game where neither team could stop the other. They’d just recaptured the lead 45-42 with 96 ticks remaining. A faint “d-fense, d-fense” chant began among Seminole fans in Doak Campbell Stadium, sounding more pleading than confident.
It started with the Duke game, shown here, but it's been this kind of an ACC season for N.C. State fans.
For four quarters, this contest looked like your classic “whoever has the ball last will win” script. Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson tossed five TDs. Florida State’s running game accounted for 278 yards and a five scores of its own.
As the Seminoles prepared to kick off, Raycom ACC football analyst Doc Walker summed the game up best. “Highly entertaining. I doubt if either of these teams will be named champion this year, but highly entertaining,” Walker said. “You’re just not going to beat anybody really good if you can’t stop them.”
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ACC, Football, N.C. State Doc Walker, Florida State, Jermaine Thomas, Owen Spencer, Russell Allen, Tom O'Brien
