Political Correctness Runs Amok In State Championship Football Game

With time running out in the Massachusetts Division 4A championship game, Cathedral High's Matthew Owens ran the QB keeper. Rolling to his right, Owens blew through the defense and sprinted 56 yards for the go-ahead score. He handed the ball to the ref, and that's when he saw the yellow flag.

Owens had raised his left fist a brief moment as he crossed the 20 yard line. In the eyes of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association official working the game, he had celebrated and thus had taunted his opponent.

The play was called back with Cathedral penalized 15 yards. They would not score before time expired, and fell to Blue Hills by a score of 16-14. A senior, Owens's high school football career ended with a loss.

The rule is a new one, implemented just last summer. It's adapted from the NCAA's rulebook and forbids "unsportsmanlike conduct or any act that interferes with orderly game administration."

Now, safe to say, there will be much debate about how this rule should be enforced.

All we have to say, is the officials should have taken a page out of the NFL playbook and huddled together to discuss the play.   Did they really want to decide the championship over a kids hand in the air for one second (maybe less?).  If all the refs huddled together and reached consensus, so be it. But that’s not what they did. One guy made the call and changed the outcome of the game.

And one other thing: The opposing coach should have run onto the field and said “You can’t possible call that a penalty.”  Maybe he did, but, if he didn't, what a crappy way to win a championship game.   

To read more, click here.

T.A.H. Tequila Christmas Cake Recipe

Once again this year, we've had requests for our famous T.A.H. Tequila Christmas Cake recipe so here it is. Seriously, it's not as complicated as it looks. 

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 cup water, 1 tsp. salt, 1 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, 4 large eggs, nuts, 1 bottle tequila and 2 cups dried fruit.

1.) Sample the tequila to check quality.
2.) Take a large bowl out of cabinet then check the tequila again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
3.) Repeat, but without the bowl, it’s already out.
4.)Turn on the electric mixer.

5.)   Beat one cup of butter in a large 'fluffy' bowl.

6.)   Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.

7.)   Beat again.

8.)   Make SURE the tequila is still OK. Test another cup just in case.

9.)   Turn off the mixerer thingy.

10.)      Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck iin the cup of dried fruit.

11.)      Pick the fruit up off the floor.

12.)      Mix on the turner.

13.)      If the fried druit get as stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

14.)      Sample the tequila to test for tonsisticity.

15.)      Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something.

16.)      Check the tequila.

17.)      Now shift the lemon ice strain your nuts.

18.)      Add one table.

19.)      Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

20.)      Greash the oven.

21.)      Turn the cake tin 360s and try not to fall over.

22.)      Don't forget to beat off the turner.

23.)      Throwl the bowl through the window, eny one will do.

24.)      Finish the tequila and wipe the counter with the cat.

  

Cherry Mristmas!

Lik we sed, it’s looks as complecateed as it’s not…

Three More Terps Abandon Edsall’s Ship

WILSON (Photo by marylandfb.blogspot.com)

According to a UM Press release, head coach Randy Edsall announced Tuesday that running backs Rahsaan Moore and Jeremiah Wilson, as well as defensive back Titus Till, will not return to the football team in 2012.

All three redshirt freshmen have been granted releases and indicated they will transfer to another institution at the end of the semester.

Wilson had 12 carries on the year gaining 16 yards. His longest run was 9 yards.  He also had one catch for three yards and a non-descript punt return and five kickoff returns for 122 yards.

Till played in 11 games logging 27 solo tackles and 20 assists.

What Edsall said: “We appreciate the effort of all three of these young men and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”

What he meant: “Screw ‘em, bunch of malcontent quitters.”

Other players who have decided to transfer: RB D.J. Adams, RT R.J. Dill and DL David Mackall.

ACC Tuesday Night Basketball

BULLOCK (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

#4 NORTH CAROLINA 97, Evansville (Purple Aces, 2,900 students, Evansville, IN) 48 -- Timing is everything and the timing of the Purple Aces arrival in Chapel Hill was rather poor.  The Heels had played three tough games against ranked opponents so they were unlikely to be looking past their Missouri Valley foe.

Harrison Barnes scored 17 points to help North Carolina win its first of nine straight home games that will keep the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill until opening ACC play.

Reggie Bullock added 15 points off the bench for the Tar Heels (7-2), who had an easy time bouncing back from their loss at top-ranked Kentucky. North Carolina ran off 12 straight points midway through the first half to blow the game open, then pushed a 30-point halftime lead to as many as 51 points in the second half.

Evansville shot 26 percent for the game, including 6 for 27 from 3-point range.

ZEGLINSKI (Andrew Shurtleff/AP Photo)

VIRGINIA 68, George Mason (Patriots, 32,562 students, Fairfax, VA) 48 -- Sammy Zeglinski scored a season-high 18 points and Virginia won its sixth game in a row Tuesday night.

Mike Scott, Joe Harris and Jontel Evans added 11 points each for Virginia (8-1), which led 33-22 at halftime and opened the second half with a 12-4 burst. The Patriots never again got closer than 10, becoming the ninth consecutive team held under 58 points by Virginia’s defense.

George Mason (6-3) had won four straight under first-year, former-Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, but had two long scoring droughts in the first half leading to double-digit deficits. 

The Cavaliers shot a season-best 60.5 percent (26 of 43) and hit 7 of 14 3-point tries.

#21 Memphis (Tigers, 17,693 students, Memphis, TN) 71, MIAMI 54 -- Will Barton set career highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds as he helped No. 21-ranked Memphis overcome a poor night of outside shooting to beat the Canes.

The Tigers, who sank 15 3-pointers in a rout three nights earlier, went 1 for 12 from beyond the arc. But they repeatedly worked the ball inside in the second half.

Memphis (5-2) fell behind 7-0 but pulled away in the second half to win its third game in a row.

The Hurricanes (5-3) lost in their first game against a ranked team, and the defeat snapped a streak of 27 consecutive non-conference home victories.

ACC Football Links

By Heather Dinich/ESPN 

Jim Young is a funny guy. Here are some of his bowl thoughts.

Will Clemson land one of the nation's top running backs?

It was an entirely different ending in Charlotte than the one Clemson experienced a year ago.

Would a win over Virginia have put Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl? Every game matters.

Randy Edsall's job is safe, but what about his assistants?

When it comes to BC football, it's all about perspective.

UNC thought it was heading to D.C. for its bowl. Everett Withers wasn't the only one.

NC State AD Debbie Yow is hoping the bowl appearance is just the start of good things for the Pack.

Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield's decision to return this year has paid off.

David Teel has shed no tears for K-State's Sugar Bowl snub.

(Photos by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Pictures Of The Day

Who are these guys?  Jackson Simmons (FR, Webster, NC) #21, Patrick Crouch (SR, Asheville, NC) #30 and Desmond Hubert (FR, Cream Ridge, NJ) #14 head down court during the second half of North Carolina’s victory over Evansville last night in the Dean Dome.  (Photo by Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

Goalie Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings watches with teammates from the bench after coming off for an extra skater as the Kings try to tie the score in the final seconds against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on December 6, 2011 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks won 3-2. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Stephon Marbury of Beijing Ducks (by way of Georgia Tech) dribbles during a game against Xijiang of the Chinese Basketball Association in Beijing on December 2, 2011. Marbury was supposed to be washed up after 13 gruelling years in the NBA, but the one-time bad boy point guard has reinvented himself in China as the superstar of the Ducks. (AFP Photo)

Durand Scott of Miami is defended by Tarik Black of Memphis during their game at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, FL. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

This was "this" close to being a "Hmmm" item...Unified Light-Welterweight Champion of the World Amir Khan stands for a photo on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building on December 5, 2011 in Washington, DC. Did he haul his belts around so people would recognize him?  (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America)

Coach K SI Sportsman Of The Year

Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski were selected Monday as Sports Illustrated’s sportswoman and sportsman of the year.

The two Hall of Famers are the winningest coaches in women’s and men’s college basketball.

Tennessee’s Summitt announced in August she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. She pledged to keep coaching and show others they can live their lives with the disease. She earned her 1,075th career victory Sunday.

Duke’s Krzyzewski passed mentor Bob Knight on Nov. 15 when he won his 903rd game.

Time Inc. Sports Group editor Terry McDonell lauded Summitt and Krzyzewski as “transcendent figures.”

“The voices of those who have been inspired by Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski echo from everywhere and will continue for decades,” he said.

The magazine said they joined UCLA’s John Wooden in 1972 and North Carolina’s Dean Smith in 1997 as the only college basketball coaches to receive the honor.

Quote Of The Day

(Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

"Obviously, we set the pace early with my all-time wins record and the never-ending, fawning media hoopla over that, and I think we've been able to stay consistently repellent since then."

 – Duke head coach Mike Krzrxc9ski, who told The Onion that while it is still early in the season, he has not seen a Duke team this unlikable in many years, and he is optimistic about the Blue Devils' chances to grow even more repulsive and annoying with practice...

To read more, click here.

What?

The Onion isn’t real…?

Crap.

*Items in italics may not be true.

Grab Your Shoes And Let’s Go Bowling

Be careful, don’t step in the BCS MESS.

Not only is the Championship game a repeat, but why should LSU have to beat Alabama twice to win the National Championship?  Seems, like there should be a playoff or the only undefeated team of consequence should be declared the champ.  Enuff already.

That said, two ACC teams are headed to BCS bowls.  Dr. Pepper Bowl winner and ACC champ Clemson will head to Miami for the Orange Bowl against eventual Big (L)East champ West Virginia.

The Hokies will head to New Orleans to take on Michigan.  That should be a good football game.

Here’s the ACC holiday lineup.

Dec. 26, 5 p.m.  Advocare V100 Independence Bowl, ESPN2 – NORTH CAROLINA (7-5) vs. Missouri (7-5)

Dec. 27, 8 p.m.  Belk Bowl, ESPN – N.C. STATE (7-5) vs. Louisville (7-5)

Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. Champs Sports Bowl, ESPN – FLORIDA STATE (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)

Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, ESPN – WAKE FOREST (6-6) vs. Mississippi St. (6-6)*

Dec. 31, 2 p.m.  Hyundai Sun Bowl, CBS – GEORGIA TECH (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)

Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. Chick-fil-A Bowl,  ESPN – VIRGINIA (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5)

Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m. Allstate Sugar Bowl, ESPN – VIRGINIA TECH (11-2) vs. Michigan (10-2)

Jan. 4, 8 p.m. Discover Orange Bowl, ESPN – CLEMSON (10-3) vs. West Virginia (9-3)

*Take no offense Demon Deacons but the Franklin American Mortgage Bowl pitting these two 6-6 squads against each other is one more reason for a NCAA playoff.  You could put the top 16 teams in a bracket and still play bowl games like this all over America. 

To read more, and we do mean more, click here.

T.A.H. NCAA Football Playoff Bracket

Using the BCS standings our hypothetical bracket looks like this.

Round 1:

1 LSU (13-0) v.  16 Georgia (10-3) – sorry a repeat game. Blame the BCS.

2 Alabama (11-1) v. 15 CLEMSON (10-3)

3 Oklahoma State (11-1) v. 14 Oklahoma (9-3) – now we think the BCS is doing this on purpose, so when playoff advocates start building brackets, there are repeat games…

4 Sanford (11-1) v. 13 Michigan (10-2)

5 Oregon (11-2) v. 12 Baylor (9-3)

6 Arkansas (10-2) v. 11 VIRGINIA TECH (11-2)

7 Boise State (11-1) v. 10 Wisconsin (11-2)

8 Kansas State (10-2) v. 9 South Carolina (10-2)

You can play these games at bowl cites or at the home stadium of the higher see.

Using the AP rankings, the Hokies get tossed out as the AP voters sent them to #17…

1 LSU (13-0) v. 16 TCU (10-2)

2 Alabama (11-1) v. 15 Baylor (9-3)

3 Oklahoma State v. 14 CLEMSON (10-3)

4 Stanford (11-1) v. 13 Michigan (10-2)

5 USC (10-2) v. 12 Michigan State (10-3)

6 Oregon (11-2) v. 11 Kansas State (10-2)

7 Arkansas (10-2) v. 10 South Carolina (10-2)

8 Boise State (11-1) v. 9 Wisconsin (11-2)

Comparing the two brackets is just another indicator of how messed up the BCS is…

ACC Monday Night Hoops

WHITE (Steve Musco/Seminoles.com)

FLORIDA STATE 76, Charleston Southern (Bucaneers, 3,000 students, North Charleston, SC ) 51 – There’s no place like home…

On the heels of three consecutive losses on the road, Florida State was in need of some home cooking. Perhaps more importantly, FSU needed a renewed sense of intensity and energy. The Seminoles got all three of those things Monday night.

After falling to Harvard (then unranked but now in the top 25 for the first time in program history at No. 24), then-No. 4 UConn and Michigan State in consecutive games in which they averaged just 55 points, the 'Noles nearly hit that total by halftime against the Buccaneers (5-3).

The Seminoles (6-3), who moved to 5-0 at home this season, shot 48.4 percent from the field against CSU compared to the 39-percent shooting average they experienced in the trio of losses.

Okaro White scored a career-high 20 points and added seven rebounds while Michael Snaer scored 13 points, placing him in double figures in scoring for the fifth straight game. Bernard James and Xavier Gibson had 12 points each for the Noles.

 

Amerson Wins Tatum Award

(Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)

N.C. State cornerback David Amerson has been named the recipient of the 2011 Jack Tatum Award, which is given annually to the top defensive back in college football by The Touchdown Club of Columbus.

Amerson, a first-team All-ACC performer who is also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, is the FBS leader in interceptions with 11 this season, setting a new school record and tying the ACC single season mark.

Named for the late Ohio State and NFL legend Jack Tatum, past winners of the Tatum Award include Charles Woodson (Michigan), the late Sean Taylor (Miami), and last year's winner Patrick Peterson (LSU).

Tackling Maching Kuechly Wins Butkus Award

BUTKUS and KUECHLY (John Quackenbos/Boston College)

Boston College junior Luke Kuechly has been named the recipient of the 27th annual Butkus Award honoring the nation's top linebacker.

As it should be, Dick Butkus, a Hall of Famer for the Chicago Bears, was on hand to present the award to Kuechly at the Eagles' team awards banquet on Sunday at the Sharaton Hotel in Needham, Mass. The presentation took Kuechly completely by surprise.

Kuechly was selected by a panel of 51 coaches, recruiters, scouts and journalists coordinated by Pro Football Weekly. Kuechly amassed 191 total tackles, including 102 solo, and three interceptions including one for touchdown. He finished runner-up in the 2010 voting.

Kuechly received 58 points and 18 first-place votes. 

Kuechly has recorded 532 career tackles, including 299 solo tackles, in 37 career games and is averaging 14.0 tackles per game and 7.9 solo tackles per game. All four standards are unmatched among active collegiate football players.

He broke the school's career record of 524 (formerly held by linebacker Stephen Boyd) in his 37th collegiate game registered the top two single-season tackle totals in ACC history (191 in 2011 and 183 in 2010).

ACC Basketball Players Of The Week

STOGLIN (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Maryland’s Terrell Stoglin has been named ACC Player of the Week while Miami’s Shane Larkin earned ACC Rookie honors following their outstanding performances this past week.

Stoglin averaged 28.0 points and 4.0 rebounds as Maryland split a pair of games. The Tucson, Ariz., native opened the week with a 25-point, three-rebound effort in a 71-62 loss to Illinois. In Sunday’s 78-71 win over Notre Dame, Stoglin poured a game-high 31 points, hitting on 11-of-20 from the floor and pulling down five rebounds. The ACC’s leading scorer (22.4) on the year, Stoglin, shot .514 (19-for-37) from the floor in the two games, including 7-for-13 from behind the arc.

In Miami’s two games this past week, Larkin averaged 15.0 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds. The Orlando, Fla., native was 9-of-18 from the floor (.500), including 6-of-7 (.857) from 3-point range and 6-of-6 (1.000) from the free throw line. Larkin had 16 points and two assists in Tuesday’s 76-65 loss at Purdue and 14 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 83-75 win over Massachusetts.

Things That Make You Go…

(Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Hmmm…

Patcharajutar Kongkraphan of Thailand poses for a portrait at LPGA Headquarters on December 5, 2011 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Look, before you get offended, we didn’t take the photo. Nor did we advise the LPGA that they should distribute the photo.

That said, we love this young woman’s name! We hope she qualifies so announcers have to deal with Patch-a-raj-u-tar Kong-cra-fun (our best guess) all season long.

Pictures Of The Day

Running back Andre Ellington #23 of the Clemson Tigers runs down field against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 3, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers is showered with gatorade by Andre Branch #40 during the fourth quarter of the Dr. Pepper Bowl. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney celebrates winning the ACC Championship game against the Virginia Tech Hokies. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Rasam Aldaar (r) ridden by Alex Merriam clears a fence along with Novel Dancer (c) and Mark Bradburne and Target Scope (l) ridden by Colin Bolger in route to winning the 12.50 Toll House Juvenile Hurdle.  (Photo by Julian Herber/Action Images/Zumapress.com)

Darius Miller #1 of the Kentucky Wildcats goes up for a shot past John Henson #31 of the North Carolina Tar Heels at Rupp Arena on December 3, 2011 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 73-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

We aren’t sure what USA’s Laurenne Ross sees, but we don’t think she’s too happy about it!  Here, she maneuvers her way down the course in the Audi FIS World Cup Women ‘s Downhill in Lake Louise, Canada.  (Photo by Alex Boicahard/AZ/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods celebrates his bridie putt on the 18th hole on his way to winning the Chevron World Challenge.  (Photo by Robert Meggers/Getty Images)

Kentucky Wildcats fans cheer during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Rupp Arena on December 3, 2011 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 73-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

If this was Tallahassee and the loot was shoes, we’d be worried about what is happening in this photo.  However, it’s Raleigh and this is Dontae Johnson participating in a Toys For Tots outing with his N.C. State teammates.  No worries.  (Photo by Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)

T.A.H. On Holiday

(Photo by T.A.H. Worldwide Media)

We are on sabbatical, we will be publishing again on Monday or Tuesday.

The Tigers won the Dr. Pepper Bowl, and, quite frankly, we didn't see that coming.

Cavs and Canes won, Heels lost...yada yada yada.

Former Maryland Candidate Lands At Washington State

Mike Leach, the former brilliant and controversial head coach at Texas Tech, who was a prime candidate for the Maryland job when Ralph Friedgen was (accidentally?) fired has been hired by Washington (Damn Near Idaho) State.  Leach was fired from his Red Raiders gig after a controversy which stemmed from his having a recalcitrant player (and son of a former star player at SMU and ESPN analyst whom we won't mention here [Craig James]) locked  in a storage shed adjacent to the Texas Tech practice field.

The crack T.A.H. Research Department with an assist from our off-site Intern With The Dragon Tattoo claims this is Leach's new home page on his lap top...

Non-Conference Rivalries Getting Squeezed Out By Expansion?

(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

By Robbi Pickeral/ESPN

On his website, CoachCal.com, Kentucky’s John Calipari last weekend posed an eye-opening question to the Big Blue Nation: If the Wildcats had no other choice and had to eliminate or postpone one series, which should it be: North Carolina, Indiana or Louisville?

Officials at both UK and UNC this week said they’re hoping to extend the annual series between two of the top three all-time winningest programs, which will face off for the 12th straight season Saturday at Rupp Arena. The contract -- usually re-upped for two-year, home-and-home intervals -- expires this season.

But with SEC and ACC expansion on the way -- meaning amplified league schedules for both teams -- there is a concern over how much longer this kind of nonconference rivalry can last. With conference expansion, nonconference rivalries like North Carolina and Kentucky may be sacrificed.

“These are learning opportunities,” Calipari said Wednesday of his current nonconference slate this week. “And you can’t learn against Popcorn State. … You need these kind of games. You just don’t need 12 of them.”

And therein lies the rub.

Top-ranked Kentucky and No. 5 UNC both currently play 16-game conference schedules. But that’s expected to expand to 18 for the Wildcats next season, when the SEC adds Texas A&M and Missouri; and then to at least 18 for the Tar Heels when Syracuse and Pittsburgh join the ACC, likely in 2013.

Under NCAA rules, teams can only play 27 games, plus a multi-team tournament (such as the Las Vegas Invitational or the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament) during the regular season.

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Do the math: Eighteen-game league schedules mean programs would have only nine games of wiggle-room to schedule nonconference foes.

Subtract another game for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge or the SEC/Big East Challenge. Then take away another slot or two, if you want to take players back near their hometowns to play.

All of a sudden, you’re left with a conundrum: How many difficult nonconference teams do you really want to play, when you know you’re already facing some hefty league foes?

(Editor’s note: Freshman P.J. Hairston, North Carolina's leading 3-point shooter, announced via his Twitter account that he will not play against No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday due to a wrist injury he suffered Wednesday night. UNC confirmed that Hairston suffered a sprained left wrist and bone contusion in the game and declared him questionable for Saturday's game.)

Things That Make You Go…

YATES (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Hmmm…

Raise your hand if you thought former North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates would be starting for an NFL team in playoff contention in Week 13 of his rookie season?

That’s what we thought.  You can put your hand down, Mrs. Yates.

The Houston Texans, who currently have the best record in the AFC, lost starter Matt Schaub and back-up Matt Leinart to injuries and that forced Yates into the line-up during the Texans 20-13 over the Jaguars last weekend.  Yates passed for 70 yards.  The Jags were so put-off with the whole situation that they fired head coach Jack Del Rio the next day.

Barring some major malfunction, Yates will start in Sunday’s game against Atlanta making  him the first North Carolina quarterback to start a game in the NFL.  Ever.  Seriously, EVER.  Yates was chosen 21st in the 5th round of this year's draft. 

Yates set 37 records during his four seasons in Chapel Hill. Last season, when many of his teammates were suspended, he led the Tar Heels to a victory over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. He's working with two proven quarterback coaches in Gary Kubiak and Greg Knapp and has two veterans, Jake Delhomme and Kellen Clemens, playing behind him and supporting him.

More Things That Make You Go...

WALLACE IN RED (Robert Willet/Raleigh News & Observer)

Hmmm...

Was Rasheed Wallace messin' with Ol’ Roy?

When his North Carolina Tar Heels lost to UNLV there were some Runnin’ Rebel fans sitting directly behind the UNC bench meaning some Carolina fans had given or sold their tickets to the enemy in the eyes of head coach Roy Williams.

This didn’t sit well with Ol' Roy, who, as he has on previous occasions, complained bitterly about it earlier this week.  

"I don't like our fans to help the other team by either giving or selling their tickets," he elaborated during his news conference the next day. "That's disappointing. And to do it right beside our families, you know, that's the biggest thing. And then to have somebody that's just negative, negative, negative right in five feet of an assistant coach's wife for two nights."

"You know, you get tired of that. But it's something that's always bothered me. It will always bother me. A hundred years ago I'm watching in Lawrence, Kansas, and North Carolina's playing North Carolina State and there were five million red shirts in the crowd. And if I'd had a BB gun, five million red shirts would have had a burned rear end. Because I just don't like those kinds of things."

So it was curious, to say the least, when a bunch of current and former NBA Tar Heels showed up for the Wisconsin game and there directly behind the bench was Rasheed Wallace wearing a (Wisconsin?) red hoodie.

Wallace played for Dean Smith.

Antawn Jamison, Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough among others were also in Dean's house.

ACC Football Links

ADAMS RUNNING AWAY FROM MARYLAND
(Mitch Stringer-US Presswire)

By Heather Dinich/ESPN

Uncertainty is the only certainty right now for Clemson offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, who is preparing to fill in for injured starter Phillip Price, whose status is still in question.

If Georgia Tech offers a scholarship, this Atlanta-based running back will accept it.

A second player, running back D.J. Adams, has decided to leave Maryland's program

The awards are just beginning for BC linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Can Clemson get back to being a linebacker factory?

Former Miami receiver Aldarius Johnson has hired an agent and is working toward a second chance at playing again.

Florida State kick returner Karlos Williams will probably miss the bowl game with a broken wrist.

Logan Thomas is turning into a heckuva quarterback -- especially for a tight end.

FSU and Miami need to worry -- Urban Meyer is back on the recruiting trail.

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Blake DeChristopher has a lumberjack's beard and a prankster's personality.

Clemson is concerned about the regression of quarterback Tajh Boyd.

All ACC fans should hope that Virginia Tech RB David Wilson doesn't leave early. He's an amazing athlete and quite a character.

FOSTER (Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Hokies' defensive coordinator Bud Foster wasn't happy to learn that none of his players made first-team all-conference.

Despite Foster's impressive coaching job this season, he hasn't been contacted yet about any openings.

The entire team struggled to handle the success of its 8-0 start.

Virginia Tech wanted a rematch against Clemson, and the Hokies got it.

Much has changed since Clemson embarrassed Virginia Tech on its home field.

Miami recruiting is making headlines again.

Wake Forest will enter its bowl game on a sour note.

Virginia coach Mike London is working out a contract extension to keep him around, and it's where he wants to be.

You think the Hokies are a lock for their fifth ACC title? Think again.

Unbelievable, Shocking, Amazing PSU News Flash: Officials Not Forthcoming With Information Related To Sandusky Incident(s)

Penn State apparently has a history of guarding its secrets closely and now that a highly paid stable of attorneys is bracing for an onslaught of civil suits, security is probably even tighter than usual...

Perhaps, not for much longer though.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are now questioning the the school’s special legal status under the state’s “open records” law.

Those laws have so far hampered the Sandusky investigation and members of the Keystone state’s General Assembly may be about to make a change. 

Penn State has cited its exemption from the law in the past month in denying requests by The Associated Press for documents related to a 1998 investigation into Sandusky that began when a woman complained he had showered with her son; a copy of his severance agreement; and emails among top administrators about Sandusky.

Penn State and the other three "state-related universities" -- Pitt, Lincoln and Temple -- together are collecting $560 million in state government subsidies this year. Unlike similar institutions in most other states, they function independently and do not have to produce the records required of state government agencies.

"You would think at least now they should understand why they should be bending over backwards in being more forthcoming in releasing information," said state Rep. Eugene DePasquale. The York County Democrat has signed up 31 co-sponsors for a bill he will introduce Monday to put the four schools completely under the Right-to-Know Law.

Other lawmakers "think this is a no-brainer," DePasquale said. "It should have been done years ago."

Pictures Of The Day

Richard Johnson riding Duke Of Lucca clears the last to win The Weatherbys Talking Horse Beginners' Steeple Chase at Wincanton racecourse on December 01, 2011 in Wincanton, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Goran Ivanisevic of Crotia serves to Thomas Enqvist of Sweden during day one of teh AEGON Masters Tennis Tournament at Royal Albert Hall in London. (Photo by Scott Heavey, Getty Images)

Are those rocks?  Well...yes.  Freeride skiers carve their way down a slope of crushed rocks in the western Austrian village of Haiming west of Innsbruck.  (Photo by Donimic Ebenbichler/Reuters)

Elephant polo players from Tiger Tops Tigresses and EFG Switzerland have a go for the ball during the 30th International Elephant Polo Competition in Chitwan, Nepal.  (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images)

Hokies’ Wilson ACC Player of the Year

WILSON (Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Virginia Tech running back David  Wilson is the conference’s Offensive and Overall Player of the Year for 2011. Wilson, who is pursuing the ACC’s single-season rushing yardage record and is fifth nationally in yards per game, was named on 18 of 45 ballots cast by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly was second with nine votes.

Wilson immediately follows a former teammate, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, in winning the award. Virginia Tech is the first program to produce consecutive Players of the Year since Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward was honored in 1992 and 1993. It’s the fifth time that different players from the same school have won in consecutive years; that happened most recently with the selections of Virginia QBs Shawn Moore (1990) and Matt Blundin (1991).

Wilson, a junior from Danville, Va., ran for 100 or more yards in all but two of the Hokies’ 12 regular-season games. His total of 10 games at 100 or more ties an ACC record last established by Williams, then a freshman, in 2009. In one stretch of especially consistent play, he rushed for 132, 123, 128, 136 and 134 yards in consecutive starts.

With Wilson doing the bulk of the running, Virginia Tech stands fourth nationally in time of possession at more than 34 minutes a game.

Wilson has netted 1,595 yards and a per-game average of 132.9. That puts him well within reach of the ACC’s single-season record for total yards on the ground, which Virginia’s Thomas Jones set with 1,798 in 1999.

Former Clemson Star McGlockton Dies At 42

(NFL Photo)

(Edited from Clemson release) Former Clemson All-ACC defensive tackle and NFL Pro Bowl player Chester McGlockton died in California on Wednesday morning. He was 42 years old.

The announcement was made by Stanford University, where McGlockton was in his second season as a defensive assistant. The cause of death was not immediately announced. Funeral arrangements are pending.

McGlockton entered Clemson in 1988 and red-shirted that season. He then played with distinction from 1989-91. The Tigers posted a 29-6-1 for the three years he played, including a 9-2-1 record in 1991 when the Tigers won the ACC Championship.

McGlockton made first-team All-ACC in 1991 and was a freshman All-American in 1989. He tied for the regular season ACC lead in sacks as freshman in 1989 with six, then had a seventh in the bowl victory over West Virginia. He sacked West Virginia quarterback Major Harris, then recovered the ball in the end zone of a touchdown.

The native of Whiteville, NC finished his career with 20.5 sacks, still eighth in Clemson history even though he played just three years. Clemson led the nation in total defense in 1990 and led the nation in rushing defense in 1991 with McGlockton starting on the defensive line.  He turned professional after his junior season and was the 16th pick of the April 1992 draft by the Oakland Raiders.

McGlockton's final NFL season was 2003 with the New York Jets. He also played with the Denver Broncos and Kansas Chiefs, as well as the Raiders. He registered 555 tackles, 51 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and four interceptions in his career. He played 12 years and 179 games in his NFL career, the top 10 totals among former Clemson players in the NFL.

He made four straight Pro Bowl trips starting in 1994, when he had a career-high 9½ sacks with three forced fumbles and 48 tackles for the Raiders.

McGlockton had a legendary high school career and was a second-team USA Today All-American at Whiteville High. He still holds the North Carolina Prep record for interception returns for touchdowns in a career with nine.

After turning pro in 1992, he bought shoes and uniforms for the Whiteville basketball team for more than a decade. He also purchased cleats annually for the football team. In 2000, in the twilight of his NFL career, he purchased state championship rings for the entire basketball team and the cheerleaders.

Unbelievable, Shocking, Amazing News Flash: Sandusky’s Attorney Contemplating A Plea Bargain

According to ESPN:  The lawyer for former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky said Wednesday that he might have to talk to his client at some point about pleading guilty to charges of child sex abuse.

Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, made the comment to The Patriot-News of Harrisburg (Pa.) on the same day a new accuser, a Philadelphia man who is now 29, became the first plaintiff to file a lawsuit in the scandal.

In new comments Thursday, Amendola said he would consider "possible alternatives" with Sandusky if new charges are filed that involve more victims than the eight covered by the 40 pending criminal counts.

Sandusky has never considered a plea in his case, Amendola said.

Coale Wins Tatum Award, First Hokie Ever

COALE (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Virginia Tech senior wide receiver Danny Coale has been named the recipient of the 2011 James Tatum Award, ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Thursday.

The Tatum Award is given annually in memory of the late Jim Tatum to the top senior student-athlete (in athletic eligibility) among the league's football players. Tatum, a two-time ACC Coach of the Year, coached in the fifties at both Maryland and North Carolina and believed strongly in the concept of the student-athlete.

The Award will be presented at the ACC’s Night of Legends event which will be held Friday evening at the Charlotte Convention Center as part of the festivities held around the Dr Pepper Bowl.

Coale, a native of Lexington, Va., ranks second at Virginia Tech in career pass receptions (155) and pass receiving yardage (2,530). His receiving yards are the 19th-best career total in ACC history. He leads Tech and is 9th in the ACC in reception yardage this season with 776 yards and a 15.5 per-catch average.

He becomes the first Virginia Tech football player to be honored with the Tatum Award.

Coale graduated from Virginia Tech in the fall of 2010 with a degree in finance with a 3.3 grade point average and is now working on a second undergraduate degree in Marketing Management. He was an Academic All-America All-District selection this year.

BC Linebacker Kuechlyh ACC Defensive Player Of The Year

(Michael Tureski/Icon SMI)

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, whose continuous pursuit of ball-carriers has made him one of the most prolific tacklers in ACC and NCAA history, is the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference for 2011 in balloting by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Kuechly, a junior from Cincinnati, was named on 30 of 45 ballots. NC State cornerback David Amerson, the nation's leader in interceptions with 11, placed second with 14 and Duke safety Matt Daniels had the other vote.

Kuechly averaged 15.92 tackles per game for Boston College, which won three of its final five games to finish at 4-8. The figure is almost certain to set an NCAA single-season record. In order to catch Kuechly, his nearest competitor, Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner, will need to make 73 stops over his final two contests. Kuechly's total of 191 tackles fell two short of the NCAA mark, and his career achievements are equally compelling. In only three seasons, he has been credited with 532 stops; that's the second-highest total by an FBS player since the NCAA began compiling individual tackling statistics in 2000.

He has done that in only three seasons and has another year of eligibility remaining.

Another pending record is career tackles per game, which the NCAA does not certify until a player's college career ends. Kuechly is averaging 14 stops a contest over his three seasons; that's 13 percent better than the NCAA record of 12.2, set by Maryland's E.J. Henderson from 2000-02. In order to eclipse Major League Baseball's career home run record by 13 percent, a batter would need 861 round-trippers -- nearly 100 more than the current mark.