A Little Looking Back

Haha, so almost three months without a post...I got lazy.

I don't know if I will ever recap the rest of the Wake Forest football season or not, but I am still happy about the season, despite the Orange Bowl result.

This post is about the last four years at Wake Forest and the athletic accomplishments we have had at this school. Wake Forest has provided me with a lot of "I will remember where I was when..." moments and there have been a lot of games that I remember for good or for bad in the last four years...and hopefully a couple more in the next two months...I hope any Wake fan that reads this remembers them as well....

September 6, 2003: Wake Forest v. NC State (football)

My first football home game. The Deacs were up against the #11 NC State Wolfpack with Philip Rivers and company. The stadium was amazingly red (at the time I didn't know we sold out the stadium to other teams). Either way, we exploded in the first half capped off by a Willie Idlette punt return for a TD and won 42-28, prompting the students to rush the field. Not bad for a first home game, and I was from that day hooked on Wake Forest football for life.

Football Roadtrips 2003.

I attended both the games at Virginia and Florida State my freshman year and had a blast. Especially memorable was the trip to Florida State with Don, Kevin, Reggie, and Jimmy. An amazing weekend to say the least, despite the result of the game. Nonetheless, both Virginia and Florida State have excellent football stadiums that I loved.

November 1, 2003: Wake Forest v. Clemson (football)

Parents weekend. Seeing my dad for the first time since I went off to school, and a 42 point first half against Clemson capped off by Jyles Tucker's strip and touchdown from Charlie Whitehurst. Amazing stuff, and made even better by watching that moment with my dad and celebrating after the game.

2004 ACC Tournament...

I had the privilige of attending the ACC Tournament and went to every game if I remember correctly. It was a lot of fun despite Wake's early loss, and Maryland beating Duke was a great end to a spring break.

September 4, 2004: Wake Forest at Clemson (football)

A dissapointing double OT loss, but the introduction of Ben Mauk to Wake Forest football and a great trip with Don. The first of many roadtrips that season. In my life, I have never been to a game with more school spirit than Clemson, a sea of orange truly, and a very loud stadium.

September 11, 2004: Wake Forest at East Carolina (football)

PIIIIIIIIIIRATES!!!!! An introduction to the man known as Coop (the only person I have ever met that knows more about sports than I do). A fun game, and a argument on a bus with Don over what UMD meant in front of 30-40 angry tired Deacon fans....haha.

September 25, 2004: Wake Forest v. Boston College (football)

In my four years, no team was like BC in football. Four close games and a budding rivalry. This one ended with an Idlette TD with a minute left and a close Wake victory (the only one of the year apparently).

October 23, 2004: Wake Forest v. Florida State (football)

The closest thing to a historic Wake upset (at the time). We had them on the ropes, but a close loss did not dampen the fact that we took the number 5 team in the country to the brink. Yet symbolic of the close but no cigar 2004 Wake football season.

November 12, 2004: Wake Forest v. Virginia (soccer-ACC Tournament)

This game was played in a hurricane for all intents and purposes. Wake got legimately screwed in this one (ask Maryland's Crew). A fun night with Don, Jeannie, and Van nonetheless. I hate Virginia soccer....(to be continued)

November 24, 2004: Wake Forest v. Providence (basketball-MSG)

The semi-final of the Pre-Season NIT. I attended this game with my dad, sister, Don, Danny, and Don's dad. An excellent time and the beginning of a memorable Wake basketball season.

March 2, 2005: Wake Forest v. Georgia Tech (basketball)

Senior night for Downey, Levy, and Danelius. An excellent college basketball game, one I still watch to this day. An amazing environment at the Joel, and easily the most fun I have ever had at a college basketball game.

March 20, 2005: Wake Forest v. West Virginia (basketball- NCAA Tournament)

I won't talk about the game (painful for Deacon fans). I will mention (this should be its own article, and I think I will get to it) Taron Downey and his amazin effort. I have met very few people at Wake as cool as TD. He was so cool to Don and I as neighbors and really humble as well. I loved living near him and Levy and it was something that I really do cherish to this day.

Coming soon (I promise).... my 2nd two years at Wake and more sports moments.....

Wake Football 2006- The Time is Now

Time to finally exhale. On August 31st, 119 college football teams started 0-0. Ohio State was ranked #1 in the country. In Winston-Salem, a Wake Forest team that no one was talking about was preparing to start their season. Personally, I was hoping for about 7 wins and a bowl trip to either Boise or San Francisco. What happened over the past three months has been nothing short of incredible. The cliches that could be put here are many. But how really did it happen? How did Wake Forest go from a predicted 6th place Atlantic Division finish to representing the ACC in the Orange Bowl in Miami?

That answer started in spring practice. Ben Mauk was preparing to start at QB for the Deacons. Behind him, a redshirt freshman named Riley Skinner beat out fellow QB Brett Hodges as the backup to Mauk. Micah Andrews was ready to be a 1st team all-ACC RB and Kevin Harris and DeAngelo Bryant ready to get a few carries when they needed to. The WR corps was shaping up with Nate Morton, Willie Idlette, Kevin Marion, and Kenneth Moore ready to provide Mauk with a lot of speed and big-play ability. The defense was ready to step it up to give this team a chance to win. Sam Swank was ready to come back as kicker, but also had punting duties now on his plate after the departure of now-Seattle Seahawk Punter Ryan Plackemeier.

September 2nd it started. Big East opponent Syracuse was in Winston-Salem in a test for both teams. Cuse went 1-10 in 2005 and wanted to come out firing. Wake was looking to get off to a good start against a team it was favored to beat. The first half was a see-saw affair, creating a 10-10 tie at halftime. In the 3rd quarter, fate intervened. On a fumble by Bryant, Mauk broke his arm and separated his shoulder. Immediately I knew he was done for the season. As he was helped off the field, the first question was 'Who is our backup?' Swank kicked a FG a couple plays later, and a late TD sealed a 20-10 win. The Deacons were 1-0, but were left with a major question mark. Who is Riley Skinner? How many games are we going to win with a backup QB? Can we get to 6 wins?

If you are going to start your first game as a college QB, Duke is as good as it can get. September 9, the Deacs looked to go 2-0 for the first time since 2003. It started off quite poorly. Duke led 10-0 at halftime, and probably should have been up more than that. Skinner looked decent, but the defense and running game looked putrid. As we sat in the Groves Stadium sun and wondered how bad it might be, Skinner hit John Tereshinski to make it a 3 pt game, and Wake took a 14-13 lead on a Micah run with 90 seconds left. The defense couldn't stop Duke, and with the help of 2 penalties and a long pass, Duke held the ball on the Wake Forest 10 yd line with a few ticks left. The Wake crowd was silent knowing a loss to Duke was mere moments away. Then Chip Vaughn happened. Somehow, with a vetical leap I am not sure he could duplicate if he tried, Vaughn soured high enough to block the low attempt with his forearm and starting a disbelieving celebration from the bench and in the stands. A 2-0 start happened, but pessimism was the word of the week as the first road game approached.

The game at UConn started the weekly tradition of the Demon Deacons being the underdog. Wake was favored against one 1-A opponent for the rest of the season. Wake opened the scoring with an 86 yd interception return by DE Jeremy Thompson. Throughout the day, Wake's offense looked stagnant at times, but the defense played well when it had to and Wake won the game 24-13 to move to 3-0. The result was not all positive, as it was found out during the week that Micah Andrews had an ACL tear and would likely miss the rest of the season. In addition, LT Arby Jones also was hurt, and would miss several weeks.

Now, whatever level of football you play, if you lose your starting QB, RB, and LT, you probably should not be winning football games. Imagine Ohio State without Troy Smith and Antonio Pittman, or Michigan without Chad Henne and Michael Hart. There is a reason guys are backups. It is because they aren't as good as the starters. Or are they?

Riley Skinner had started 2-0 as a starter with Micah Andrews. Now he would have to win without him or his blindside protection. Fellow freshman Jeff Griffin would be the man to play LT, and do-it-all senior standout Steve Vallos would be there as well.

A lightning storm in Oxford, Mississippi delayed the Wake-Ole Miss game for almost two hours. Ole Miss probably wished it would have been cancelled altogether. Wake played its best game in many years in a dominating 27-3 victory. Skinner only had to put the ball in the air 5 times as Wake ran all over Ole Miss' defense. Eleven different Deacs ran the football for 240 yards. After a solid 34-14 win over 1-AA Liberty the next Saturday, Wake prepared for one of the biggest games in school history.

So, on October 7, the Deacons were 5-0. Undefeated. A record shared by fewer than 15 of the 119 that started the season. Despite the injuries and close calls, Wake fans were confident. No longer was the worst expected. A national ranking was close, but the national attention was on the opponent.

#15 Clemson came into Groves playing well, coming off a couple of blowouts and a victory at Florida State in the first weeks of the season. Vegas thought enough of them to make them 16.5 point favorities over the Deacons, who were not receiving much credit for being 5-0. The first quarter was an up and down one for Wake Forest, but they took a 7-3 lead with a Skinner to Idlette TD. A few minutes later, the Deacs went into their bag of tricks and WR Nate Morton threw another TD pass, this team a brilliant pass to Skinner himself in double coverage for a highlight reel touchdown. Swank added a FG in the third and Wake found themself up 17-3 with 15 minutes to go. On a FG try to go up 20-3 on the first play of the fourth, sports tragedy hit the Deacs. A dropped snap and fumble return for a touchdown gave Clemson new life and sparked a 24 pt slaughter and a 27-17 Clemson win that left Wake stunned and speechless. Personally, it was the worst loss a team of mine had ever been subject to.

After that loss, I would not have been surprised to see Wake finish 5-7. The terrible loss was one that would cripple any team. A trip to Raleigh was next, against an NC State team that had beaten Boston College and Florida State consecutively.

It was this game that showed everybody that Wake Forest was for real. In an up and down game, Wake used a safety and touchdown to take a halftime lead, and held on in the second half for a 25-23 win with a Josh Gattis interception and left NC State fans stunned. This game was important for several reasons. The first was the emergence of Sam Swank as an offensive weapon. The sophomore kicked 3 50-yd FGs, tying an NCAA record, and had a monster punt late in the game to force NC State to have to cover more field than they would have liked. The other development was a new twist of misdirection. The Deacs had used WR runs in the past, but for the first team on the season they were used with regularity. Kenny Moore was able to take advantage on a couple of long runs to help spark the Deacons. This would be a recurring theme for the rest of the season.

After a week off, and an AP Ranking in hand, the Deacs travelled to Chapel Hill. UNC had fired John Bunting earlier in the week, and Wake knew that they were in for a game. The Deacs struggled in the first half and went to the lockerroom tied at 14. The defense had not played well, nor had the offense for that matter. The two TDs came on an Alphonso Smith blocked punt and return, and on a Kenny Moore WR run with the help of a great block by Riley Skinner, who made a name for himself throughout the season for his blocking abilities. The teams then traded 2nd half FGs, before a UNC fumble helped Wake take the lead. After the turnover, Skinner went to the air with a 39 yard pass to Moore to provide the winning margin. The win was not without its drama as Jon Abbate intercepted a pass in the end zone on the final play of the game. The Deacons escaped with a win and a 7-1 record.

Coming Soon: A magical 5 week stretch that shocked the ACC's world...

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

My Final NCAA Top 25

This is my final regular season ranking for this season. I will post bowl predictions and a Wake season recap hopefully in the near future.

1. Ohio State (1)
2. Michigan (3)
3. Florida (4)
4. Boise State (5)
5. LSU (6)
6. Louisville (7)
7. Wisconsin (8)
8. USC (2)
9. Oklahoma (11)
10. West Virginia (12)
11. Notre Dame (13)
12. Auburn (14)
13. Virginia Tech (15)
14. Wake Forest (16)
15. Arkansas (9)
16. Rutgers (10)
17. Texas (17)
18. Tennessee (19)
19. BYU (20)
20. California (22)
21. Texas A+M (24)
22. Boston College (25)
23. TCU (NR)
24. Oregon State (NR)
25. Hawaii (18)

Dropped: Nebraska, Georgia Tech

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

My NCAA Top 25

One week to go....

1. Ohio State (1)
2. USC (3)
3. Michigan (2)
4. Florida (4)
5. Boise State (7)
6. LSU (8)
7. Louisville (10)
8. Wisconsin (12)
9. Arkansas (5)
10. Rutgers (13)
11. Oklahoma (14)
12. West Virginia (6)
13. Notre Dame (9)
14. Auburn (15)
15. Virginia Tech (18)
16. Wake Forest (19)
17. Texas (11)
18. Hawaii (20)
19. Tennessee (21)
20. BYU (22)
21. Nebraska (25)
22. California (23)
23. Georgia Tech (16)
24. Texas A+M (NR)
25. Boston College (17)

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

My NCAA Top 25

This is my updated Top 25 after last week's games with last week's rank following....

1. Ohio State (1)
2. Michigan (2)
3. USC (4)
4. Florida (3)
5. Arkansas (6)
6. West Virginia (7)
7. Boise State (9)
8. LSU (9)
9. Notre Dame (10)
10. Louisville (11)
11. Texas (12)
12. Wisconsin (13)
13. Rutgers (6)
14. Oklahoma (16)
15. Auburn (17)
16. Georgia Tech (18)
17. Boston College (19)
18. Virginia Tech (22)
19. Wake Forest (14)
20. Hawaii (20)
21. Tennessee (22)
22. BYU (24)
23. California (15)
24. Clemson (25)
25. Nebraska (NR)

Dropped out: Maryland

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

My NCAA Top 25

This is my updated Top 25 after last week's games with last week's rank following....

1. Ohio State (1)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Florida (6)
4. USC (10)
5. Rutgers (11)
6. Arkansas (9)
7. West Virginia (8)
8. LSU (14)
9. Boise State (13)
10. Notre Dame (15)
11. Louisville (4)
12. Texas (3)
13. Wisconsin (16)
14. Wake Forest (17)
15. California (7)
16. Oklahoma (18)
17. Auburn (5)
18. Georgia Tech (19)
19. Boston College (20)
20. Hawaii (21)
21. Virginia Tech (22)
22. Tennessee (13)
23. Maryland (23)
24. BYU (25)
25. Clemson (NR)

Dropped: Texas A+M

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

My NCAA Top 25

This is my updated Top 25 after last week's games with last week's rank following....

1. Ohio State (1)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Texas (3)
4. Louisville (5)
5. Auburn (7)
6. Florida (6)
7. California (9)
8. West Virginia (3)
9. Arkansas (10)
10. USC (11)
11. Rutgers (12)
12. Boise State (13)
13. Tennessee (8)
14. LSU (16)
15. Notre Dame (14)
16. Wisconsin (17)
17. Wake Forest (20)
18. Oklahoma (21)
19. Georgia Tech (22)
20. Boston College (15)
21. Hawaii (23)
22. Virginia Tech (24)
23. Maryland (NR)
24. Texas A+M (18)
25. BYU (NR)

Dropped: Clemson, Tulsa

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

My NCAA Top 25

This is my updated Top 25 after last week's games with last week's rank following....

1. Ohio State (#1 last week)
2. Michigan (#2 last week)
3. West Virginia (#3 last week)
4. Texas (#4 last week)
5. Louisville (#6 last week)
6. Florida (#8 last week)
7. Auburn (#7 last week)
8. Tennessee (#9 last week)
9. California (#10 last week)
10. Arkansas (#11 last week)
11. USC (#5 last week)
12. Rutgers (#12 last week)
13. Boise State (#14 last week)
14. Notre Dame (#15 last week)
15. Boston College (#18 last week)
16. LSU (#17 last week)
17. Wisconsin (#16 last week)
18. Texas A+M (#19 last week)
19. Clemson (#13 last week)
20. Wake Forest (#21 last week)
21. Oklahoma (#23 last week)
22. Georgia Tech (#24 last week)
23. Hawaii (#25 last week)
24. Virginia Tech (NR last week)
25. Tulsa (NR last week)

Dropped: Nebraska, Missouri

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

Monday Night Football

Nothing is better than a Giants-Cowboys Monday Night Football game, well that's not true. The Giants have to win of course. Last night they did making two Dallas quarterbacks look somewhat bad. The offense scored three touchdowns while not looking that great as well. With Tampa and Houston up next at home, the Giants have a great chance of being 6-2 hosting Chicago on Sunday night. That could be a great one.

Dallas is in rough shape because both their QB's are not that good, and their running game isn't good enough to carry them. I don't see how they can make the playoffs, even if they are in the middle of the NFC playoff race. I see too many teams that are better than them right now.

As for the Giants, I think they will win the division from here. Washington is bad, and Philly has had trouble winning close games this season. If the Giants beat the teams they should, there is no reason they should not win the division.

My NCAA Top 25

If I had a vote, and I defy someone to tell me I'm not more qualified than some people who do get one, this is my current Top 25 teams in the NCAA.

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Texas
5. USC
6. Louisville
7. Auburn
8. Florida
9. Tennessee
10. California
11. Arkansas
12. Rutgers
13. Clemson
14. Boise State
15. Notre Dame
16. Wisconsin
17. LSU
18. Boston College
19. Texas A+M
20. Nebraska
21. Wake Forest
22. Missouri
23. Oklahoma
24. Georgia Tech
25. Hawaii

USC and Louisville have not been playing quite well enough to stay ahead of Texas or the SEC Trio right now. I want to put Rutgers and Boise higher, but I'll wait to see the SEC teams beat up on each other, and to see if Rutgers can beat Louisville.

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

NCAA Pick Review

I'm going to update this one throughout the day so I don't have to go through them all at once.

Louisville 38 Syracuse 20

This game was closer than the score would indicate. Credit to Perry Patterson keeping his team in the game. Louisville will have to play a lot better next week to win against West Virginia. Louisville 28 Syracuse 13

Ohio State 37 Indiana 10

This one was no surprise, different week same story for the Buckeyes. Ohio State 44 Indiana 3

Wisconsin 45 Purdue 31

Purdue's explosive offense did not show against Wisconsin, so Wisconsin did not have to put up the huge points I thought they could. Wisconsin 24 Purdue 3

Arkansas 31 Mississippi 10

Ed Orgeron's life gets increasingly more difficult by the week, and a good win by the Hogs after a 1AA win last week. Arkansas 38 Mississippi 3

Missouri 41 Kansas State 24

This is probably my closest pick of the week. Missouri bounced back as expected and their offense showed up today. Missouri 41 Kansas State 21

Auburn 49 Tulane 10

Auburn did not overlook Tulane, who has struggled throughout the season anyway. Auburn let Tulane drive the ball farely well, but played good red zone defense to keep Tulane from Challenging. Auburn 38 Tulane 13

Notre Dame 31 UCLA 28

I expected a similar close game, but higher scoring and without the fortunate ending on Notre Dame's end. They won't win out. Notre Dame 20 UCLA 17.

South Carolina 23 Vanderbilt 19

South Carolina played a much better second half than I expected. In addition, Vanderbilt did not use last week to their advantage this week, and that's why they lost. South Carolina 31 Vanderbilt 13.

Northern Illinois 56 Temple 7

The result was pretty much as expected, though Temple scored more than I expected. The only downside was that Wolfe was shut down again, which is interesting, seeing as Temple doesn't play great defense.

California 38 Washington 9

What a game. Washington really played hard with a backup quarterback, and they showed that they will be good all year despite any injuries. Props to Washington for the hail mary to tie it. California 31 Washington 24 OT

Michigan 28 Iowa 14

The workmanlike victory I expected from Michigan without Super Mario. Iowa is a mess lately and Michigan takes the next step of their toward Ohio State. Michigan 20 Iowa 6

Tennessee 40 Alabama 16

Tennessee is so weird. They show up sometimes, don't other times. Ainge has a good game, but throws too many picks. I don't know about Bama either. The SEC is weird. Tennessee 16 Alabama 13

Oregon 31 Washington State 17

More absurdity, I thought Oregon was good, and Wazzu was ok, but Oregon got hammered. Just bizarre. I can't figure it out. Washington State 34 Oregon 23

Boise State 49 Idaho 21

Hey, a game that makes sense. Boise did what it wanted offensively, but didn't play great defensively and let up a late score. Boise State 42 Idaho 26

Oklahoma 16 Colorado 6

I was about to be really close, until Oklahoma ran up the score. Can't take anything from this game. Oklahoma 24 Colorado 3

Texas A+M 24 Oklahoma State 22

Higher scoring, but close to what I expected. Oklahoma State blew a real chance at winning this game, between the end of regulation and the OT missed EP. Texas A+M 34 Oklahoma State 33 OT

LSU 35 Fresno State 20

I knew Fresno wouldn't win, but I expected them to put up a little more fight. LSU did their scoring, but Fresno couldn't even pick up a mercy TD at the end. LSU 38 Fresno State 6.

Rutgers 28 Pittsburgh 20

SUNJ at 7-0, incredible. I was so impressed with Ray Rice of course, and a great defensive effort by Rutgers against Tyler Palko and Pitt's offense. I think right now they can beat Louisville, but maybe not WVU yet. That said, I want to see how Rutgers defends against the duel threat at WVU.

Texas 38 Nebraska 19

Both teams tried to lose this one and made a lot of mistakes. Texas fought through the weather and Colt played real well. This should be the last tough test before the Big 12 Championship Game. Texas 22 Nebraska 20.

ACC Games

Virginia Tech 33 Southern Miss 14

Yes, VTech won big, but Southern Miss isn't great shakes. We'll see in the next couple weeks if they are still any good. Again, don't know how much to take from this game. Virginia Tech 36 Southern Miss 6

Miami 28 Duke 16

Duke had a chance to win this game from the 6 yard line, but Miami was able to hold them and win a real close one in Durham. Great effort by Duke to come back and give themselves a chance. Miami 20 Duke 15


NC State 21 Maryland 16

NC State looked more like the team who lost to Southern Miss, and Maryland looked as good as they have looked all year, but they did let NC State back into the game in the second half. If NC State doesn't get better soon they may not reach six wins. Maryland 26 NC State 20

Florida State 14 Boston College 13

Boston College had a statement win in Tallahassee and the changing of the guard is official in the Atlantic. BC won the turnover battle and that meant a win. Sets up a great Wake-BC game in two weeks in Winston-Salem. Boston College 24 Florida State 19

Georgia Tech 27 Clemson 17

Wow! Clemson looked amazing tonight and GTech couldn't touch the running game. Also, Clemson found a way to stop Calvin Johnson cold. Clemson, proceed to Jacksonville. Georgia Tech, back to the drawing board. Clemson 31 Georgia Tech 7

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

Saturday NCAA Picks

UConn's defense manned up and "only" allowed 37 to WVU in a 37-11 loss. WVU should have won by more, it would have looked good later.

Saturday picks

Louisville 38 Syracuse 20
Ohio State 37 Indiana 10
Wisconsin 45 Purdue 31
Arkansas 31 Mississippi 10
Missouri 41 Kansas State 24
Auburn 49 Tulane 10
Notre Dame 31 UCLA 28
South Carolina 23 Vanderbilt 19
Northern Illinois 56 Temple 7
California 38 Washington 9
Michigan 28 Iowa 14
Tennessee 40 Alabama 16
Oregon 31 Washington State 17
Boise State 49 Idaho 21
Oklahoma 16 Colorado 6
Texas A+M 24 Oklahoma State 22
LSU 35 Fresno State 20
Rutgers 28 Pittsburgh 20
Texas 38 Nebraska 19

ACC Games

Virginia Tech 33 Southern Miss 14
Miami 28 Duke 16
NC State 21 Maryland 16
Florida State 14 Boston College 13
Georgia Tech 27 Clemson 17

Quick analysis of Saturday

I feel Rutgers really puts itself on the map with a win v. Pitt (I love Ray Rice and Brian Leonard), Texas has too much for Nebraska (Zac Taylor won't beat Texas), VTech bounces back against a team they can handle at home. Miami won't lose quite enough to lose to Duke. NC State pulls out a close one against Maryland because they have the better quarterback. Matt Ryan is too banged up for BC to beat FSU. Clemson has no answer for Calvin Johnson (Duane Coleman couldn't defend Riley Skinner) and Proctor won't be able to fully succeed against GTech's defense. John Tenuta is one of the better defensive coordinaters in the NCAA. Proctor has struggled throwing the deep ball, and Clemson's run game won't win this one for them.

Back tomorrow to see how I did.

Thursday Night Recap

NCAA Football

Central Michigan beat BG by more than I expected, Utah blew a sizeable lead against New Mexico, but it was close as I expected.

UNC is very, very, very, very, very, did I mention very bad at football right now. They have quit on Bunting I think and the only thing that they have to look forward to is playing Duke; well, that and basketball season. Don't really see how Wake can lose to them next week, even in Chapel Hill.

NLCS Game 7

Carlos Beltran will be thinking about that pitch for awhile, amazing that he can even think about laying off that pitch. Other than that, one mistake by Heilman did it, otherwise great pitching. That and no offense was the difference, bad game for seven straight innings without a hit.

Endy's catch is one of the best of all-time I think. I don't want to feel like I'm just saying that, but my god that catch was absurd. I don't know that he could do that again if he tried. Too bad it was in a losing effort, or it might really go down as the best, especially given the cirumstance.

Friday Night NCAA

West Virginia will beat UConn by a lot. UConn has not played well in a number of weeks, and WVU might have to start attempting to impress voters and win points in the computers, so they might not and probably should not really take their feet off the gas pedal. Slaton and White should make it fun to watch despite the mismatch.

West Virginia 52 UConn 17

Wake soccer senior night in Saturday, that and college football picks tomororw at some point.

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

NLCS and Thursday Night Football

NLCS Game 7 tomorrow night

I obviously want the Mets to win tomorrow night, but I will say this. If and when the Mets lose, whether it be tomorrow or to Detroit, it will because of Billy Wagner in my opinion. No lead is big enough for my comfort when Wagner is on the mound.

Go Mets.

Thursday Night Football

Central Michigan 20 Bowling Green 17
Utah 38 New Mexico 30

UNC at Virginia

A battle of two of the three worst teams in the ACC. UNC is bad, there is no way to sugar coat it. I am not sure they win another game this year, including Duke. UVA has not been much better, but I am at least kind of impressed with their QB play with Sewell, whereas none of UNC's QB prospects have played well. UNC's leading tackler is also injured for the season, so this ship is going down Titanic fast.

Virginia 27 UNC 13

and that's how it looks from the bottom.

Random Running Thoughts

Monday Night Football

Umm...wow. Not much else to say about this one, except that the Cardinals have actually outdone themselves, which I did not think was even possible. I know Leinart looked good, and the defense played well, but one has to wonder what kind of effect this will have on the team for the rest of the year. Thank god they get Oakland this weekend to try and turn things around.

NHL Tuesday Night

Buffalo 9 Philadelphia 1 (giggles like school girl) I'm not joking when I say Philly can't lose by enough. What an embarassing defeat, even early in the season, on national television nonetheless.

Miami Brawl

Quick note: Miami's handling of its own players is embarassing, as is the ACC not putting its foot down and handing down a harsh punishment. I guess if a program makes money it is beyond the law. Good to see FIU really punish its players for what they did. Shows that at least one school in southern Florida has its priorities straight.

NBA Random Thing

Rumor Central on ESPN.com says:
"The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the Clippers offered a five year, $50 million extension to Chris Kaman.
According to the newspaper, Kaman's salary would increase to about $8.5 million next season and includes bonuses.
In Tuesday's edition of the Los Angeles Times, Coach Mike Dunleavy confirmed the offer, but declined to comment on financial terms.
"Honestly, I think this was a very significant offer that was made to Chris, and we'd obviously like to see this get done," Dunleavy tells the newspaper. "We think it would be in the best interest of our club and best for Chris as well, but there is a deadline."
Kaman is believed to be asking for a contract that averages $11-11.5 million per year.""

Now, I don't follow the NBA has closely as I used to, but there is no way Chris Kaman is worth that much money. It cannot be possible. If you don't believe me, find a picture of Chris Kaman and tell me if you think he is. Even Isaiah Thomas would not make this move, well maybe not that far, but you get the idea. If Chris Kaman is worth $11 million, then I think I deserve $1 million, because I have to be 1/10th the player he is.

Boston College Special Teams

The rest of the ACC was disappointed to find out that suspended BC kicker Ryan Ohliger was reinstated, but will not be the kicker of field goals and extra points this weekend at least. This allows BC a better shot to beat their opponents since Ohliger won't be responsible for missing any important kick he may encounter.

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Weekend Review

An exciting weekend of football wraps up tonight with Chicago probably blitzing Arizona, but hockey will be on so that will dull the pain.

Saturday saw an interesting day of college football. Let's see how my picks matched up with the real things.

Iowa 38 Indiana 13

Indiana pulled the Big 10 stunner with a fourth-quarter touchdown and a defensive stand to pull out a huge win for Coach Hoeppner. Indiana is only getting better, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them ranked in the next few years. It will be interesting to see if the wheels start to come off Iowa's wagon after this one. Indiana 31 Iowa 28.


Wisconsin 24 Minnesota 9

Tough to tell if I wasn't sold on Wisconsin's offense, or assumed that Minnesota's defense wasn't quite that bad. Either way, they are a mess, and Wisconsin is quietly 6-1 with a loss only against Michigan. Wisconsin 48 Minnesota 12.

West Virginia 38 Syracuse 20

This is about what I expected, though Pat White running like that is a surprise. Say what you want about their schedule, WVU is scary. West Virginia 41 Syracuse 17.

Georgia 21 Vanderbilt 13

I thought Vandy would keep it close, but who would have thought they could pull the upset. Georgia better do something quickly or else this will get a lot worse before it gets better. Vanderbilt 24 Georgia 22.

Oklahoma 31 Iowa State 17

The loss of Adrian Peterson tells me Oklahoma will lose another game this season, which is not good. I don't like OU but Peterson is a great back and I hope he recovers quickly. Oklahoma 34 Iowa State 9.

Rutgers 27 Navy 21

An injury to Navy's QB let this one get out hand. Rutgers is now 6-0 and one of 7 unbeatens remaining. Rutgers 34 Navy 0

Arkansas 47 SE Missouri State 6

Arkansas took care of business in their scrimmage against SEMS. Let's see how they do in their first SEC game after Auburn. Arkansas 63 SE Missouri State 7.

Texas Tech 42 Colorado 16

The biggest surprise from this game, besides margin, is how poor Texas Tech has played since their win against TAMU. Colorado 30 Texas Tech 6.

Louisville 45 Cincinnati 14

Cincinnati has played another good team real close. Even with Brohm back, Louisville did not look like the explosive Louisville offense that we have seen. Louisville 23 Cincinnati 17.

Ohio State 38 Michigan State 19

Ohio State merrily rolls along in their march towards Glendale. Michigan State is moving towards the Steve Mariucci era. You would think this team would be able to score more points. Ohio State 38 Michigan State 7.

Missouri 35 Texas A+M 13

Missouri's offense was can't miss until this weekend, when they never had the ball, and then made some questionable decisions in their playcalling. Maybe Texas A+M is for real, but I'm not 100% sold yet. Texas A+M 25 Missouri 19.

Oregon 31 UCLA 24

UCLA made this game look closer than it was with 2 fourth quarter touchdowns, so Oregon rebounded nicely from their loss to Cal. It will be interesting to see how the rest of their season goes. Oregon 30 UCLA 20.

California 38 Washington State 24

Cal pulled off a workmanlike victory against a team that gave USC fits. An impressive performance by the Cal defense, but I'd like to see a little more firepower from the offense. California 21 Washington State 3.

Hawaii 42 Fresno State 39

In the "how can you play like this at home department": 10 touchdowns by Hawaii on the road, and the destruction is Fresno continues. Hawaii 68 Fresno State 37.

Texas 56 Baylor 10

I was right about the Texas offense, but the defense has to play better against Nebraska. Hopefully it was a bit of wake up call. Texas 63 Baylor 31.

Nebraska 23 Kansas State 13

Like Cal, Nebraska pulls off a good win against Kansas State in their leadup to Texas. They did not look ahead and took care of business. Nebraska 21 Kansas State 3.

USC 27 Arizona State 21

This will be my pick of the day, though I never thought Arizona State could come back from 21 down, it was the close game I expected. USC 28 Arizona State 21.

LSU 51 Kentucky 20

Okay, so much for Kentucky garbage time touchdowns. Domination all around. LSU 49 Kentucky 0.

Michigan 31 Penn State 12

Credit Penn State for staying close, and having a chance to tie. However, a third-string QB was not gonna get it done. Michigan 17 Penn State 10.

Florida 27 Auburn 10

I'm surprised at the lack of offense by Florida, but credit Auburn for scoring 27 without an offensive touchdown. Auburn 27 Florida 17.

ACC Games
South Florida 27 UNC 16

Another day, another bad UNC performance. They may not win again this year. South Florida 37 UNC 20.

Florida State 45 Duke 7

Even in garbage time, Duke should not score that many points on Florida State, even in Durham. Florida State 51 Duke 24.

Maryland 20 Virginia 9

UVA had a chance to make something of their season, then gave it away in the 2nd half. Gritty win by Maryland and could be a good building block for the rest of the year. Maryland 28 Virginia 26.

Miami 56 Florida International 10

This will get a whole column in the next couple days, but a rout as expected. Miami 35 Florida International 0.

Wake Forest 24 NC State 16

This was the kind of game I expected, and I was happy to see Wake pull off the close game with the clutch defensive play in the end. I still was not happy with the 2nd half offense and the way we played with a lead. However a win is a win on the road and the week off before UNC should see a 7-1 start. A national ranking is here this week and hopefully we have a longer stay than in 2003. I am impressed with Riley Skinner's pocket presence but I am not impressed with the lack of pass rush the last two games save the last drive against NC State.

Wake Forest 25 NC State 23.

As for Sunday, Tiki had a huge day for the Giants, who ran really well. Hopefully this becomes the norm, because no one can stop Tiki when he is running well. With Philadelphia and Washington losing, it becomes a good day. Next Monday in Dallas will be a great test. Giants 27 Falcons 14.

Saturday College Picks

Well, VTech made me look rather foolish. Hopefully this will go better.

Iowa 38 Indiana 13
Wisconsin 24 Minnesota 9
West Virginia 38 Syracuse 20
Georgia 21 Vanderbilt 13
Oklahoma 31 Iowa State 17
Rutgers 27 Navy 21
Arkansas 47 SE Missouri State 6
Texas Tech 42 Colorado 16
Louisville 45 Cincinnati 14
Ohio State 38 Michigan State 19
Missouri 35 Texas A+M 13
Oregon 31 UCLA 24
California 38 Washington State 24
Hawaii 42 Fresno State 39
Texas 56 Baylor 10
Nebraska 23 Kansas State 13
USC 27 Arizona State 21
LSU 51 Kentucky 20
Michigan 31 Penn State 12
Florida 27 Auburn 10

ACC Games
South Florida 27 UNC 16
Florida State 45 Duke 7
Maryland 20 Virginia 9
Miami 56 Florida International 10

Wake Forest v. NC State

The game that defines the rest of the season against a team that has been playing exceptionally well as of late. It will be interesting to see how the Deac's running game does after last week's struggle. NC State just doesn't scare me on either side of the ball, which is good news. These games have tended to be close, and I don't see tomorrow being much different. I predict Kevin Harris to have over 100 yards rushing, and the Deacs to not turn the ball over, and in the end putting themselves in great position to win.

Wake Forest 24 North Carolina State 16

Thursday Night College Football Picks

Four games on the schedule tonight, two involving ranked ACC teams.

Florida Atlanta 23 Southern Utah 20
Colorado State 27 Air Force 19
Clemson 59 Temple 3

Virginia Tech at Boston College

Chesnut Hill is always a tough place to play, and tonight should be no different. Virginia Tech has had an open date to get over their GTech loss, while BC spent their time off with kicker troubles. Even without WR Josh Hyman, VTech should bounce back and win in Chesnut Hill.

Virginia Tech 27 Boston College 17.

Maybe something else later tonight.

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Cory Lidle

With the tragic news that Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle today died in a plane accident in New York, the sports media world is currently discussing the situation as they do with all tragedies that consume the sports world. Instead of tackling the issue like they are, I choose to move in a different direction.

Sports in full of rivalries: Yankees-Red Sox, Cowboys-Redskins, Duke-North Carolina, Ohio State-Michigan, Army-Navy, etc. Furthermore, teams such as the Yankees, the Cowboys, and Duke generally fit a love 'em or hate'em position. If you aren't a fan of one of these teams, you most likely hate them.

I won't lie: I hate the Yankees, I hate the Cowboys, and I hate Duke (except football, really no reason to hate Duke football). However, days like today show us really how shallow these rivalries and hatreds are. Certainly people that dislike the Yankees are not happy about today's events. Being from New Jersey, I don't take planes hitting buildings lightly. I am upset that this happened, and I feel terrible for the friends and family of Lidle. It is really an unfortunate incident that is bad for the baseball world.

Days like today put sports rivalries in perspective. What we as sports fans have to realize that hating the logo does not mean hating all the people associated with it. This is not to say that there aren't athletes that draw our contempt (read, Terrell Owens), but my dislike of the Yankees does not mean I dislike all their players. In fact, many Yankee players are truly unhatable as people. Yankee fans give Alex Rodriguez grief for not coming through in the clutch, but A-Rod is a great guy, as is Jeter, Posada, Bernie, Mussina, etc. These are a good group of individuals who happen to play for a logo (and owner) that many people don't like.

Does this mean when the Yankees play their first game next season I will be rooting for them? That I don't know. I will root against the Yankees in the future as I have in the past. However, for right now, put those rivalries aside, if only for a couple days. The bigger picture becomes a lot clearer on days like these.

Today, root for all those who provide us some sort of enjoyment in sports, regardless of the uniform they put on. Without the rivals, the wins don't mean as much.

Cory Lidle, RIP.

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Wake Soccer

Lost in the mix of Wake Forest football's great start is the fact that Wake has 3 top ten teams (men's and women's soccer and field hockey)in other sports. While field hockey is certainly no surprise, women's soccer coach Tony Da Luz has brought his squad into the nation's top ten, and expectations are high for the postseason. The women have a tough test Wednesday October 11th against Duke, a game on FSC.

Coach Jay Vidovich has his squad currently ranked as high as number 3 in the country (the team is ranked 5th in two other polls) and a major player in an absolutely loaded ACC. Although the squad has lost two one-goal games to Duke and Maryland, the Deacons got a quality win at Clemson, not an easy place to win at. A tough test this Friday against UNC should provide another challenge, as will a trip to Charlottesville later in the season to face Virginia.

This year's version of the Deacs sports the most talent the team has had in probably three seasons, and a great deal of junior and senior leadership will be the key to making a run for the College Cup. The presence of junior defenders Pat Phelan and Julian Valentin in the back allow the Deacs' midfield and forwards the ability to attack with confidence, knowing the back five will do their job. Goalie Brian Edwards will probably end up with several school records by the time his college career comes to an end.

Ryan Solle, Wells Thompson, Steven Curfman, and Mark Ellington are all seniors who not only provide on-the-field results, but also leadership to the younger members of the team. Solle and Thompson look like they will be playing in the MLS in the near future, and Curfman has the talent to get there. Ellington has rebounded nicely from his stroke last season and is getting minutes and contributing as the season progresses.

The play of some of the young players is also encouraging. Sophomores Michael Lahoud, Sam Cronin, and Jamie Franks have proven that last year's good play was no fluke. Freshmen Austin Da Luz has been magnificent on the ball, and reminds me of Justin Moose, with a better passing game and better attitude, which will be scary for opposing teams if it all comes together for him. The kid can pass, dribble, and score. I wouldn't be surprised to see him winning league accolades as soon as next season.

As for this season, if this team can more effectively play from minutes 70-90, the sky is the limit. Both losses are a result of poor play, particulary on the defensive end, late in the game. Few teams across the NCAA have a better goalie, and the Deacs are loaded with talent at every position, including many who are capable of playing in more than one area of the field. The biggest question is consistency, as there have been nights where the team has essentially no-showed. Fortunately, the talent has been able to overcome it and win most of these games, but that won't fly in the postseason. I trust Coach Vidovich will correct this problem before that becomes an issue.

All in all, I have great expectations for this time, and I look forward to seeing the Deacons playing in November, and hopefully December. In 2004, Wake Forest cheered on its men's basketball team, citing St. Louis as the final destination. This year, I and others cheer on our soccer team to reach the same destination as the Chris Paul-led hoops team. While the hardwood Deacs came up a bit short, I have confidence that Solle, Thompson, Tracy, Lahoud, Edwards, Valentin, Phelan, and company will be there, most likely with some other ACC teams (Maryland looks good for a return, as does Virginia). From there, anything can happen.

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Weekend Reflections

This was a bittersweet weekend for me as a sports fan. Saturday saw the Mets move on to the NLCS and and Yankees get bounced before the World Series for the third straight season. Usually, the day the Yanks go home for the winter is one of the best days of the year for me. Although I am not really a baseball fan, I do hate the Yankees and root for the Mets. The Mets closing out LA quickly is good, as it gives the pen some time to rest and gets the rotation properly set up.

The New York Rangers have started 2-0 thanks to their shootout victory against the Flyers. The shootout was of particular note, as 25 straight shooters for both teams came up empty before Marcel Hossa ended things. It was a highly entertaining game and it's always good to see any Philly team lose, no matter then importance. They do it again Tuesday night on OLN/Versus (I'm not sure how long it will take me to be able to say Versus with a straight face)

On top of that, Texas defeated Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout 28-10, shutting down Paul Thompson and slowing down Adrien Peterson. Colt McCoy looks a lot better than he did than in the Ohio State game certainly. Texas should win the rest of their regular season games, with Nebraska seeming to be the best team left on the schedule. With a good amount of luck, Texas could find themselves in Glendale facing a rematch with Ohio State, though don't bet on it.

However, those results did not make up for the deep pain that the Wake-Clemson game brought me. That was as bad as I have ever felt after a sporting event. We were 15 minutes from a national ranking, 6-0, and a great week before heading into Raleigh. I need not go into detail about how the game turned in 10 seconds, but the situation does require further investigation, which I may get around to later in the week, depending on how I feel.

Sunday had the Giants rebound well from their pitiful trip to Seattle. The bye week seemed to work as the bad version of Washington showed up at the Meadowlands. The D played better and Tiki had a good game. Watching TO struggle in Philly was fun, though I guess a Dallas win would have helped the Giants a bit more. A tricky game at Atlanta is on tap for the GMen on Sunday.

So to recap, Mets, Giants, Rangers, Longhorns all victorious. TO and the Yanks unhappy. Should be a great weekend, but such is the life of a Deacon fan.

In more national analysis, Auburn's loss was certainly shocking, though I guess one could see it coming given the way they played South Carolina so close. There is not a huge difference in talent between Arkansas and South Carolina, in fact I would probably say Arkansas has more talent. USC almost losing to Washington came as no surprise to me. USC will lose at some point, it is just a matter of when. Florida was most impressive to me with the win over LSU. Unfortunately for them, they do get Auburn off that loss, which will make it even tougher to come out with a win.

Other quick college football observations: Cal is really good, Oregon and Clemson are not, GTech had a good win in a classic trap game, Duke giving Bama trouble makes it not a good time to be a fan of the Tide, oh Florida State I don't know what to say, Boise is also really really good and is capable of beating several top 25 teams, I am still not sold on ND but they are winning, Fresno State and TCU have been supremely dissapointing, Rutgers/Navy on Saturday should be an exciting game if you love the running game, as of this week Michigan beats Ohio State in November

NFL observations: VY10 played real well Sunday, Indy does not look as good as Chicago, a big oops by the Jets, the Steelers are done, when does Tony Romo start, how high a draft pick will the Dolphins end up with

MLB Predictions: Detroit and the Mets in the Series after they each win in 6 games

Coming this week: More analysis, and picks for college and NFL games, and hopefully more NHL analysis.



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What's up?

This is going to be my new blog, where I will talk about sports from my viewpoint, as well as anything else of interest that pops up. I am just getting my two cents out there, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully have something substantial in the next couple of days.

Jared

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