Thursday, January 29, 2009

FSU v. UNCP coined the Two Rivers Classic

There's a new name to the UNCP/Fayetteville State gridiron rivalry set to begin Aug. 29 (Labor Day Weekend) at Nick Jeralds Stadium in Fayetteville: The Two Rivers Classic.

Umm, come again? Yeah, it makes sense since the Lumbee and Cape Fear are near both Universities, but c'mon. How about a fan vote? Some suggestions maybe? I thought the I-95 Divide had a nice ring to it. Maybe the Blue-Gold Showdown?

More details and information coming on this blog after the official press luncheon Feb. 6.

FayObserver's notes on rivalry

Pacers too tall for Braves

Here's a few further comments I have from the USC Aiken/UNCP Men's basketball contest that didn't make The Robesonian's print edition Thursday.

After winning two of its last three Peach Belt Conference games, UNCP returned home Wednesday for a battle with nationally-ranked USC Aiken. The 14th-ranked Pacers proceeded to click on all cylinders offensively after tip-off, scoring 32 points in transition and 40 in the paint.

After jumping out to a 24-point halftime lead, USC Aiken limited UNCP to just 18 field goals in an 87-60 rout in front of 1,700 fans, the largest crowd at the Jones Center this season on "Pack the House" night.

For Braves fans, the losses continue to mount against teams from the Peach Belt. You know it's a long night when your best defender, Cortez Brown, fouls out with 15 minutes to play in the second half. That's right, 15 minutes. The Braves were beaten down the floor and were beaten on the boards. USC Aiken's front court towered over UNCP, who's tallest player on the floor was 6-6 forward Brandon Thomas. Mismatches in the paint caused problems most of the first half for the Braves as they fell behind 46-22 at intermission.

One positive I noticed for the Braves was first-year coach Ben Miller's ability to never stop instructing. With the Braves down 36 points midway through the second half, Miller called a timeout to try and settle the troops, a chore easier said than done for recent Pembroke basketball.

"Coach just told us to ignore the scoreboard," UNCP forward David Moore said. "He said to just play in five minutes increments and try to win those. We tried to put the score out of our minds."

That really says alot about the players' respect for coach Miller. The latest words of encouragement coming from a senior transfer who was one of many Braves bruised and battered inside against the Pacers. The old addage "keep your head up" still has life it seems. The Peach Belt Conference's leading scorer, Chris Commons scored 25 points to pace USC Aiken. The 6-8 senior displayed an array of spinning low-post moves and an occasional look off the glass. After each basket, Commons would come down court laughing at the Braves bench.

It was that kind of night on the hardwood for the Black and Gold.

BOX SCORE

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Downey, Fredrick's heroics down Gators

Just when I thought I was witnessing another close loss on the hardwood by the Gamecocks, the basketball Gods shined down on Frank Maguire court Wednesday night in Columbia.

After senior guard Zam Fredrick missed a game-tying free throw attempt with 3.3 seconds left, his layup as time expired gave South Carolina a 70-69 victory over Florida, its first win over the Gators in 10 tries. The win was South Carolina's second victory over a top-25 team this season, including a close victory at Baylor in early January.

Fellow backcourt mate Devan Downey helped spark a seven-point turnaround in the game's final minute, nailing a fadeaway 3-pointer with 27 seconds to play to pull the Gamecocks within a deuce.

At 13-4, 3-2 in the SEC, maybe the Gamecocks can be one of the last four teams to make it into the Big Dance come March.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Tebow, Harvin deliver for BCS Title Gators

It’s great to be a Florida Gator, or at least be blessed with talented players such as Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin.

The SEC flexed its muscles last night in the FedEx BCS National Championship in Miami as the No. 2 Florida Gators upended top-ranked Oklahoma 24-14. Florida scored the game’s final 10 points for the win and held the Sooners 40 points below their season average.

Tebow and Harvin combined for 462 of Florida’s 480 yards of offense and three touchdowns as the favored-Gators delivered the emphatic national championship victory.

The SEC is now 5-0 in BCS Title Games, 12-5 overall in BCS contests. Florida has won two of the last three national championships and Urban Meyer may have just passed Steve Spurrier as Florida’s all-time greatest coach. The Sooners on the other hand are winless in their last five BCS games.

Percy Harvin said it best, when describing his team’s toughness and ability to all but shutdown a powerful Oklahoma offense.

"Everybody wondered about how tough we were," said Harvin, whose two-yard touchdown run on a direct snap in the third quarter gave Florida a 14-7 lead. "I think we answered that question. We were the tougher team, and that's why we're national champions.

I watched the game in Cinedigm Live 3D, a new technologiy created by 3ality and Sony that brought the BCS Title Game Live in 3D to a theatre audience for the first time ever. It was an awesome experience and something I insist on everyone witnessing for live sporting events.

Most Valuable Player – This is a tough call, Percy Harvin and Tebow are both well-deserving. But it was Tebow’s final drive and 108 yards rushing that proved to be the difference in sinking the Sooners and exciting Gator Nation.

Best Oooh/Ahhh Moment – Florida’s Chris Rainey notched a highlight-worthy gain in the second quarter, side-stepping OU’s Nic Harris and falling out-of-bounds near the first down marker. He tweaked his right knee on the juke and did not return.

Staggering Stat – Florida converted 12-of-17 third down attempts, most of which coming via Tebow’s legs or his ability to throw on the run.

After passing for 257 yards and two touchdowns, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford is expected to announce his early exit out of CFB soon, projected by most to be the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 pick in April’s NFL Draft.

Bradford finished with 50 touchdown passes this season, becoming only the second sophomore ever to win the Heisman trophy. (See Tebow, 2007)


Could the Gators repeat as BCS Champs?

It’s never too early to look at next season’s top squads and projected finish. Here are my predictions for college football’s Top 5 teams in 2009.

1. Florida Gators (If Tebow returns, the loss of Harvin won’t be devastating)
2. Texas Longhorns (Colt McCoy has to be the Heisman front-runner)
3. USC (The Trojans will go undefeated, unless they slip up in the PAC10)
4. Ohio State (QB Pryor has a year under his belt and the Big-Ten to thank)
5. Oklahoma State (Surprise sleeper, the Cowboys return everyone on offense)

Just outside the Top 5 will be the Sooners, Nittany Lions, LSU Tigers and Utah Utes. It wouldn't surprise me if Georgia reloads either, despite losing Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford to the NFL Draft.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Norwood returns for senior year

After declaring for the NFL Draft immediately after South Carolina's 31-10 bowl loss Jan. 1, junior linebacker Eric Norwood has decided to come back and finish his college career at USC.

Norwood, who the NFL's Early Draft Advisory Committee projected as a 4th-7th rounder, will return as the Gamecocks top defensive player. Norwood said his situation is similar to Wake Forest's Aaron Curry. Curry came back for his senior season and is now expected to be taken in the Top 5 in this year's draft after being named the nation's top linebacker.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Signing Day Countdown: UNCP and SCAR

I hope readers of my blog didn’t think I gave up on my 7-6 Steve Spurrier-led Gamecocks . . .

What’s done is done for 2008 season. As disappointing as it may have been, it’s time to shed light on a few positives we have to look forward to for next year and beyond.

South Carolina Gamecocks

As Captain Munnerlyn, Eric Norwood, Jasper Brinkley, Jared Cook and Emmanuel Cook played their last games for the Garnet and Black on Jan. 1st in Tampa, a few soon-to-be USC standouts watched from workouts at the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando.

As it stands according to ESPNU Recruiting, South Carolina has five players in the Top 90, headlined by South Point High stars Devonte Holloman and Stephon Gilmore. Both are expected to compete for playing time at the safety positions alongside returners Chris Culliver and Darian Stewart. I’d like to see Gilmore put at the Spur position in Ellis Johnson’s 3-3-5 look.

Both Holloman and Gilmore played fantastic in last night’s all-star game. Holloman collected three tackles and a pass deflection while Gilmore made a diving interception in the north endzone in the third quarter. Safety Damario Jeffrey for the Gamecocks also got an invitation, but was in street clothes on the sidelines due to injury.

The Gamecocks are set to have a Top 10 class it looks like, if all 25 high school senior commits indeed sign the dotted line in February. ESPNU’s No. 2 all-purpose player, Jarvis Giles from Tampa, Fla., is enrolling at South Carolina this week and will certainly challenge RBs Eric Baker and Bryan Maddox for the starting nod next season.

Giles wasn’t much of a factor in the UA game, tallying six carries for 12 yards unofficially. Giles’ squad lost to Holloman and Gilmore 27-16. He chose the Gamecocks over offers from Tennessee and Nebraska.


UNC-Pembroke Braves

ATTN: Fayetteville State, you’ve been warned. Division-II’s newest college football rivalry won’t kickoff till September, but UNCP has staked its claim as the new recruiting behemoth in the I-95 rivalry. Pete Shinnick and the Braves are expected to reload this offseason with much talent if everything goes according to plan on signing day. Following a 9-1 record and NCAA Independents coach-of-the-year accolades in 2008, Shinnick has the Braves geared up for a possible postseason berth in 2009 with nearly every starter returning on both sides of the ball.

Last season’s diamond in the rough, Jamal Williams, saw extensive action on offense and special teams for the Braves and accounted for nine total touchdowns. I’ll call him the Devin Hester of Pembroke if I may. At 5’6, Williams darted his way through defenses and averaged nearly 30 yards-per-touch as a return threat.

Wonder who this year’s Jamal Williams will be?