#3 Boise State Slips Past #10 Hokies

“Death by a thousand cuts” might be the best way to explain last night's last-minute loss for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Tyrod Taylor rallied his squad from a 17 point deficit and took the lead in the fourth quarter, but a series of game-long mistakes, especially noticeable in Virginia Tech’s last offensive clock- killing series and during the Bronco’s game-winning final drive, were too much to overcome.

Kellen Moore hit Austin Pettis with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 left and No. 3 Boise State passed what might be its toughest test of the season, beating No. 10 Virginia Tech 33-30 on Monday night.

The Broncos (1-0) came to FedEx Field with their best preseason ranking ever and ran out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, then had to rally themselves to extend their winning streak to 15 games.

Taylor passed for 186 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 73 yards for the Hokies (0-1), who for the fourth straight season took a deflating early season loss.

The normally disciplined Hokies were plagued by mistakes – a fumbled exchange, a blocked punt, a few dumb penalties, stepping out of bounds while trying to kill the clock, etc.

Surely, Beamer will be reminding his squad that you can beat lower tier teams with that effort, but beating highly ranked opponents leaves no margin for such errors.

On the plus side, Taylor continues to develop into a big-time weapon, while the Hokies offense was more productive than many have anticipated.  Virginia Tech wracked up 314 yards to 383 for Boise, and just a few more yards on their final offensive drive would have sealed the win.  The only big issue looks to be that Taylor was responsible for 259 of the Hokies' 314 yards.

To read more, click here.

Out-gained Terps Tip, But Don't Capsize

Maryland’s Kenny Tate stopped Ricky Dobbs at the goal line with 34 seconds left, and Maryland stunned in-state rival Navy 17-14 on Monday to break a seven-game losing streak that began last October.

The Midshipmen (0-1) held the ball for nearly 19 minutes longer than Maryland (1-0) and outgained the Terrapins by more than 200 yards. But in a game influenced by untimely turnovers and huge penalties, the outcome was decided on a gritty goal-line stand.

Trailing 17-14 with a fourth down at the 1, Navy decided to go for the win. Dobbs took the snap, went to his left and was met by Tate, who would not relent to the momentum Dobbs brought to the line.

Earlier in the drive, Dobbs was stopped on a third-and-8. But Maryland's Adrian Moten was flagged for grabbing the facemask on the play, and the Midshipmen advanced until Tate's big play.

Coming off a 2-10 season, the Terrapins came in as underdogs against a Navy team that went 10-4 and beat Missouri in the Texas Bowl.

But Maryland jumped to 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed despite allowing the Midshipmen to amass 485 yards in offense.

Dobbs ran for 63 yards and a touchdown, but the senior quarterback fumbled three times - losing two of them at the Maryland 1.

The game might have been a rout had Navy not failed to score on four different forays inside the Maryland 20. The Mids didn't punt until early in the fourth quarter.

To read more, click here.

Pictures of the Day

LAST FANS STANDING. Boise State Broncos fans celebrate after defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies 33-30 at FedExField on September 6, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

IT WAS GOING SO WELL, AND THEN IT WASN’T. Virginia Tech Hokies fans tailgate prior to the Hokies game against the Boise State Broncos at FedExField on September 6, 2010 in Landover, Maryland.

TRUE COLORS. Florida State fans Brandon Kron, right and Joshua Diaz painted themselves garnet and gold in preparation for the NCAA college football season opener against Samford on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

GOLDEN EAGLES. Boston College Eagles fans cheer on their team against the Weber State Wildcats on September 4, 2010 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Boston College defeated Weber State 38-20.

Short-Handed Heels Can’t Catch Tigers, Everybody Else Wins

#21 LSU 30, NORTH CAROLINA 24 – Against all odds, undermanned North Carolina nearly rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit before losing 30-24 to LSU on Saturday night.

Patrick Peterson had 257 yards - including an 87-yard touchdown - on kickoff and punt returns, leading No. 21 LSU (1-0) to a 30-10 halftime lead. Not surprising, given the Tar Heels were missing 13 key players because of an NCAA investigation over relationships with agents and possible academic violations.

But No. 18 North Carolina (0-1) made a game of it, scoring two second-half touchdowns, then getting two shots at the win after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. T.J. Yates drove the Heels to the LSU 2-yard line and got off a pair of passes into the end zone after throwing for a career-high 412 yards.

Both slipped through the hands of Zack Pianalto.

Hey, give the Tar Heels credit - it looked as though they were headed for a blowout.

DUKE 41, Elon 27 – Sean Renfree threw for 350 yards and two touchdowns in his first college start, and Duke opened its season by beating Elon 41-27 on Saturday night. He finished 31 of 39 while his favorite target, Conner Vernon, caught 10 passes for a career-high 129 yards.

Ramseur, NC’s favorite son and T.A.H. stalwart Scott Riddle was 22 of 42 for 281 yards and a touchdown and an 11-yard TD run for Elon.

VIRGINIA 34, Richmond 13 – Keith Payne ran for four touchdowns and Virginia ended a four-year losing streak in season openers with a 34-13 victory against Richmond on Saturday night.

Payne carried 16 times for 114 yards. He had consecutive carries of 15, 13 and 15 yards on the third scoring drive, each time carrying several defenders along.

N.C. STATE 48, Western Carolina 7 – T Russell Wilson passed for 306 yards and four touchdowns to help North Carolina State defeat Western Carolina 48-7 on Saturday night.

Wilson completed 21 of 31 passes, engineering seven consecutive scoring drives as the Wolfpack won their season opener for the first time in four tries under coach Tom O'Brien.

CLEMSON 35, North Texas 10 – Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper each scored twice for Clemson in a 35-10 victory over North Texas on Saturday that showed there's life for the Tigers without ACC player of the year C.J. Spiller.

BOSTON COLLEGE 38, Weber State 20 – Dave Shinskie rebounded from an interception on the first play of the season by throwing touchdowns on consecutive first-quarter drives and Boston College--bolstered by the return of cancer-survivor Mark Herzlich-- rolled past Weber State 38-20 on Saturday in the schools' season opener. 

#20 FLORIDA STATE 59, Samford 6 – Florida State slams Samford, 59-6, in Jimbo Fisher's first game as head football coach at Florida State University.

GEORGIA TECH 41, South Carolina State 10 – Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, Roddy Jones added two scoring runs and No. 16 Georgia Tech beat South Carolina State 41-10 on Saturday.

To read more, click here.

Pictures of the Day

HE’S BACK. Mark Herzlich #94 of the Boston College Eagles blocks Erik Walker #83 of the Weber State Wildcats on September 4, 2010 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Boston College defeated Weber State 38-20.

HAIL MARY WINNER. ECU's Justin Jones (84) gets up above teammate Lance Lewis (88) and Tulsa defenders Trae Johnson (top 1), Trent Wilkins (bottom 1) and Jameel Owens (6) to haul in the game-winning Hail Mary touchdown pass. (Photo by Chris Seward, Raleigh News & Observer)

SO CLOSE. Patrick Peterson #7 of the LSU Tigers breaks up a touchdown reception to Joshua Adams #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels in the final seconds of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Georgia Dome on September 4, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Thirteen Tar Heels Stuck In North Carolina

Thirteen UNC players won’t play in the 18th-ranked Tar Heels’ opener against No. 21 LSU in Atlanta on Saturday amid an ongoing NCAA investigation.

The school said Friday that six players—defensive ends Robert Quinn and Michael McAdoo, cornerbacks Kendric Burney and Charles Brown, receiver Greg Little and suspended defensive tackle Marvin Austin—were declared ineligible for the opener for “violating school and/or NCAA rules.”

Another six players—top tailbacks Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston; safeties Brian Gupton, Da’Norris Searcy and Jonathan Smith; and defensive end Linwan Euwell—are being held out of the game during the ongoing investigation.

In addition, North Carolina said three unnamed players are still in jeopardy of missing the game and didn’t travel with the team when it left Chapel Hill on Friday morning. The school is working with the NCAA to determine their status for the game.

What he said: “We are disappointed the players’ choices have denied them the opportunity to compete alongside their teammates and represent the University of North Carolina,” coach Butch Davis said in a statement. “Our coaches and players have a tremendous challenge this weekend, and despite these circumstances, our team will be excited to face LSU.”

What he meant: #&$%#%@#% Marvin!!! #&$%#%@#% Greg!!! (repeat with different player's name)

Deacons And Canes Win Openers Easily

Not that anyone wagers on college football, but if you happen to live in New Jersey or Las Vegas where you could legally wager on the outcome of a sporting endeavor, would you bet a 40+ point spread?

Well…no.

If you did last night, you broke even at best. Wake Forest was favored by 44.5 points and they failed to cover knocking over Presbyterian 53-13. Miami, a 40 point favorite, got it done with a 45-0 victory over Florida A&M. 

Jacory Harris completed 12 of 15 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns before sitting out the second half, and the 13th-ranked Hurricanes got their first shutout since 2006 by beating overmatched Florida A&M to open the season Thursday night.

Leonard Hankerson caught the first two of Harris' TD passes and finished with 115 receiving yards, as the Canes (1-0) ran out to a 35-0 lead in the first 25 minutes and wound up outgaining Florida A&M 405-110.

To read more, click here.

Meanwhile, down in Winston-Salem, Ted Stachitas had 160 total yards in his first college start and the Deacons had six rushing touchdowns in a 53-13 rout of Presbyterian.

Stachitas was 7 of 13 for 84 yards passing in two quarters of work and rushed for 76 more, including a 34-yard touchdown run that started Wake’s highest-scoring opener since 1941.

Backup tailback Josh Harris scored twice, Alex Frye returned an interception 44 yards for an early score and receiver Devon Brown took an end-around 85 yards for a fourth-quarter TD - the fourth-longest rush in school history.

Wake Forest gained 509 total yards, rushed for 415 and led 21-0 before allowing the outmanned Blue Hose a first down.

To read more, click here.

Picture of the Day

WINNER,WINNER, KICKER DINNER. Utah kicker Joe Phillips (39) kicks the winning field goal during overtime of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010 in Salt Lake City. Utah upset No. 15 Pittsburgh 27-24. (AP Photo)

ACC Football Gets Underway Tonight

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Presbyterian (Blue Hose, 1,300 students, Clinton, SC) @ WAKE FOREST (-44.5), Winston-Salem, N.C., 6:30 PM, TV: ESPN3.com

Florida A&M (Rattlers, 13,089, Tallahassee, FL) @ MIAMI (-40), Miami Gardens, Fla., 7:30 PM, TV: ESPN3.com

(Editor's Note: As always, the betting line is for recreational purposes only. Any resemblence to a real point spread set by an actual bookmaker we won't mention here (Americasline.com) is purely coincidental.)

Crazy Hair And Ill-Fitting Jersey Get Austin Suspended?

Butch Davis isn’t saying exactly why Marvin Austin (#9) is indefinitely suspended, but he did say it has nothing to do with the ongoing NCAA investigation. Now is that like when a coach says he’s absolutely not leaving Fill-In-The-Blank University and then says two days later he’s the new coach at Fill-In-The-Blank State…?

So…Is it the hair, the tight jersey, the loud music, the improperly tined windows? What, what, what?

According to ACC Now, the Tar Heel tackle, who has been interviewed as part of the NCAA's investigation into possible improper benefits provided to players by sports agents, was suspended indefinitely Wednesday for violating team rules and neglecting his responsibilities to the team.

That means the flamboyant star senior who hasn’t cut his hair in four years will not travel to Atlanta for UNC's season opener against No. 21 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff on Saturday. And sometime before the 18th-ranked Tar Heels board the team the bus at 9:30 a.m. Friday, the school plans to announce who else won't be making the trip, athletic director Dick Baddour said.

The Tar Heels are mired in two investigations: the one by the NCAA, which began in early July, and the school's own probe, announced last Thursday, into whether a former tutor who was employed by both the school and Tar Heels football coach Butch Davis committed academic misconduct while working with football players.

Davis said in a prepared statement Wednesday that "this decision is not a result of the ongoing NCAA review." Baddour reiterated that sentiment, saying that no one should assume the suspension had anything to do with breaking NCAA or academic rules.

Basketball coach Roy Williams has since announced that none of this players are involved in any way with the tutor or tutoring in question.

To read more, click here.

XTC: We're Only Making Plans For "Nyger"*

You know how when you were a kid how you would throw your baseball glove at the ball that was hit over your head. Well, the Nationals Nyger Morgan still does that and he’s thirty-years-old and a major leaguer. For now.

This week, Nyger has been busy blowing a close game by bowling over the catcher when sliding would have scored the winning run. Last night he found himself in the middle of a huge donnybrook and ultimately a brawl during the sixth inning of a game against the Marlins.

Morgan, whose behavior this week will get him into baseball’s Goof Ball Hall of Fame, charged the mound after a pitch from Florida's Chris Volstad sailed behind him.

Morgan and two other Nationals got tossed while losing by something like 1,452 to 10.

Were only making plans for “Nyger”

We only want what’s best for him

We’re only making plans for “Nyger”

"Nyger" just needs that helping hand

Yeah and if young “Nyger” says he’s happy

He must be happy, happy in his work...

So happy, he’s imitating former Nat Elija Dukes, hardly the picture of stability. If Morgan keeps it up, he could end up just like Dukes – out of MLB.

To hear XTC's Making Plans For Nigel, click here.

*It’s one of those jokes that you will either get or you won’t depending on what you know about XTC, seventies music from the UK, stage fright and Valium.
 
(Photo by Canadian Press and Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images North America)

Pictures Of The Day

BIG BALLS IN SID TOWN. Tourism New Zealand's Giant Rugby Ball is seen in it's new location at Circular Quay to promote the Rugby World Cup 2011 and New Zealand as a tourism destination, at the Overseas Passenger Terminal on September 1, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The Ball, which is held up by air and down by water and can fit 200 people inside. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images AsiaPac)

MORE BAD UNIS. Croatian team prepares to play against Italy in the Mladost venue swimming pool of Zagreb on September 2, 2010 during their group match of the water polo European championships. (Photo by AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Seventh seed Vera Zvonareva from Russia practices singing XTC's obscure hit song Making Plans For Nigel using the traditional “air microphone” prior to her match against Sabine Lisicki from Germany during the US Open. (Photo by AFP/Timothy A. Clary)

 

NOT TO BE OUTDONE. Yanina Wickmayer of Belguim also practices singing XTC's obscure hit song Making Plans For Nigel using the traditional “air microphone” prior to her match against Julia Goerges of Germany during 2010 U.S. Open. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE DAY. International basketball is different. Very different. Here, a Lithuanian cheerleader dances with a basketball during the preliminary round match between Argentina and Serbia at the FIBA World Basketball Championships in Kayseri, Turkey on September 2, 2010. (Photo by Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images)

Will London's Old Spiders Bite London's New Wahoos?

Last year a tough Virginia season started off badly with a loss to DIAA William & Mary. A brainiac school for the most part…

This year, the Cavs have as tough a subdivision local foe in Richmond. To liven up the party, er..uh…we mean game, Virginia’s new coach Mike London came to Charlottesville from Richmond where he led the Spiders deep into the playoffs (Playoffs? What are those?) for the two years he was at the helm. In 2008, Londons’ team overcame a 4-3 start to win the Football Subdivision National Championship. Last year, London’s Spiders knocked off Duke and lost in the quarterfinals of the DIAA playoffs.

(Playoff? What are PLAYOFFS?)

The last time the two teams met in 2008, the Wahoos won in C’ville 16-0.

According to at least one writer at Bleacher Report, the two times match up closely on paper. Makes sense as the two teams were organized by the same guy…

To read more, click here.

UNC Star Stops Tweeting, Internet Temporarily Collapses

A day after UNC revealed revised policies for social networking in its Student Athlete Handbook, it appears as if one of its most prolific tweeters might be leaving Twitter and his 7,100 followers.

Sophomore hoopster John Henson wrote on his account at about 5 p.m. Tuesday: “bye bye twitter. im off this after pickup today. At least until I leave unc. love yall.”

Henson, a projected starter last season, has had trouble editing himself on the social network before. After UNC was upset by College of Charleston last season, Henson tweeted that the Tar Heels had just made a guy's college career; the post was later erased.

Earlier this summer, he, as well as teammates Dexter Strickland and Larry Drew II, posted variations of the same message on their individual Twitter accounts: "well coach just talked to us about twitter and told us we offend some people n what not so this is a farewell to bein' myself..lata tweeps."

UNC has updated its 2010-11 Student Athlete Handbook to stipulate that “each team must identify at least one coach or administrator who is responsible for having access to and regularly monitor the content of team members’ social networking sites and postings.”

To read more, click here.

Hokies: Once You Go Black (Again), You Never…?

For the first time in more than 100 years, the Virginia Tech Hokies will wear black when they suit up in the Nike Pro Combat System of Dress for Monday night’s game against Boise State at FedExField.

The uniform colors mark a departure from the school’s distinctive maroon and orange combination, but it is not without precedent. The black uniforms reference the cadet gray-and-black colors worn by Virginia Tech’s original football team. The uniform color scheme draws inspiration from the school’s large Corps of Cadets – integral to Virginia Tech’s unique football culture – and is being worn in their honor.

In creating the Virginia Tech Nike Pro Combat System of Dress, Nike designers focused on the cadets and also another point of pride for students: the school’s commitment to scientific inquiry. These influences are evident throughout the uniform.

“Ut Prosim” (That I May Serve), the motto of the school and of the cadets, appears inside the back yoke of the jersey, on the back of the helmet and on the inside cuff of the gloves. The school’s trademark VT logo forms when the palms of the gloves face outward.

Jersey numbering, outlined in gray, is rendered in burnt orange with a Chicago maroon fade-in to form an all-over technology-inspired pattern – a nod to Virginia Tech’s engineering identity. The circuit-board pattern is reprised in a shoulder graphic and in bands running down the sides of the pants. The wide stripe also bisects the matte black helmet. Corresponding footwear in orange and black carries the same print to complete the uniform.

To see more photos including these INCREDIBLY UGLY orange shoes, click here.

Hokie Hot Dog

Evidently, former Virginia Tech Hokie Deangelo Hall really wanted a hot dog after he hung up his shoulder pads the other night during a preseason game v. the New York Jets.

Rumor has it, he asked a fan to fetch him a dog…

Supposedly, it went like this:

Hall: "Yo get me a hot dog"

Fan: "What do I get for a hot dog"
Hall: "Whatchu want?"
Fan: "A helmet"
Hall: "A hat"
Fan: "Deal"

He supposedly sweetened the pot by autographing it and having Clinton Portis sign it too.

Ugly Uni Alert

These red and white gems are being worn by the Russian National team in the FIBA World Basketball Championships.

Pictures Of The Day

SPEAKING OF UGLY. Marc Gicquel of France returns a shot against Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands during the Men's Singles first round match on day one of the 2010 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 30, 2010 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. De Bakker defeated Gicquel 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

NEW RECRUITS? Facing NCAA sanctions which may deplete his defensive roster for the Tar Heels’ opener against LSU, head coach Butch Davis looks to be recruiting some new young talent. (Photo by Robert Willet/Raleigh News & Observer)
HIP HOP JOCKS. Jockeys compete in the Jockey's Space hopper race on the Derby Course on August 30, 2010 in Epsom, England. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images Europe)