NC State Football

CHAPEL HILL, NC—Most football game marching bands are content to spell out a few letters, or maybe simple moving geometric shapes. But not this one. Not by a long shot.

For Zeke Zupernova, Director of the guest North Carolina School for Felons Marching Band, it was payback time, pure and simple. Halftime at the UNC versus NCSU football game, this year on Tar Heels turf. Vicious rivals. High noon.

In a performance that will surely live forever in YouTube infamy, the 400-member strong School for Felons band, under Zupernova’s direction, took the field and delivered the most graphically obscene, scandalous marching band routine in college football history. On national TV, no less.

Sure, the Felons’ outrageously choreographed performance did, in a few short minutes, cost him his job, but for Zeke Zupernova, a rabid UNC fan since birth, that performance marked the successful culmination of his plan decades long in the making. Revenge, sweet revenge.

Talk about holding a grudge. As a teenager in the 1960s, die-hard Tar Heels supporter Zupernova had lost a bet to his North Carolina State-loving neighbors, thereby forcing him to wear an NC State Wolfpack pom-pom girl outfit to school every day for a week. Ever since, Zeke had vowed to exact the biggest payback in recorded history.

At long last, Saturday, November 20th, 2010 turned out to be the big day. Humiliation day.

Zupernova’s Marching Felons, resplendent in their Carolina blue band uniforms, were the last of the halftime show participants to take the field. From their lineup in the Carolina end zone, the one painted with an enormous UNC ram mascot, they lustily launched into what seemed to be a porn soundtrack song.

With military precision, the Felons then fanned out across the field to spell out, in rapid succession, the words LET’S...MASTER...STATE. Huge cheer from the partisan UNC fans.

The Marching Felons then scattered, only to quickly coalesce into the shocking outline of a 60-yard long erect penis and scrotum with dozens of all-white-clad majorettes twirling inside. In the area surrounding the titanic penis shaft, more Felons marchers then moved to form the shape of a grasping hand. Screams from the stands.

Keeping in perfect time with the sensuous music, the giant hand began to move. Back and forth, crisscrossing the field. Slowly at first, then faster, faster, and faster still. The crowd roared.

Soon, as the music reached a crescendo, group after group of the sperm majorettes raced up through the gigantic shaft and leaped out of the head. As spurt after white majorette spurt launched themselves across the field, the Tar Heels crowd went totally berserk.

Finally, to the beats of the last raunchy notes, the majorettes dove onto their target painted in the far end zone—the face of the NC State wolf mascot—leaving it completely covered in white.

And down on the sideline, surrounded by tens of thousands of UNC fans convulsing in ecstatic delirium, Zeke Zupernova couldn’t help but smile.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack are 6-2 overall with a conference record of 3-1, and for the first time since the era of Philip Rivers, the Wolfpack have a realistic chance of winning the Atlantic division of the ACC.

The Wolfpack looked good early against Florida State, but then it was like they put on the brakes and didn't kick it back in to gear until the second half.

Russell Wilson had a subpar game as a passer completing 18 of 28 passes for 178 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Wilson really made a difference in this game with his feet; he had 69 yards and three rushing touchdowns. This was really the first game in a while Wilson made a big impact with his rushing ability.

Mustafa Greene really stepped his game up, rushing for 76 yards and averaging 4.6 yards a carry; he fought had for every yard he gained. Greene, just being a true freshman, is playing fantastically, and if he continues to play this well, he will eventually get the recognition he deserves.

N.C. State really can't afford to lose this upcoming game against the Clemson Tigers; there is a lot on the line for the Wolfpack.

Florida State, Maryland and N.C. State all have one loss in conference play, and they all still have a chance to play for the ACC title in Charlotte, N.C.

They all have tough games ahead of them, each one of them can't afford to lose any more games or it'll be an uphill battle to make it to Charlotte.

Clemson has had an up and down season this year, they have a .500 record, but they are 2-3 in conference play.

Clemson has not been eliminated from contention just yet but are close to it, and they will look to climb back into it with a win over the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack have won big games this season against tough foes, and then have had let down games to opponents they should have beat handy.

The Wolfpack will have to avoid another one of those games against the Tigers on Saturday.

Mustafa Greene will be a key to the success of the Wolfpack against Clemson, he was big against FSU and will be pivotal in the Wolfpack offense not becoming one-dimensional.

Turnovers will be key for both teams, especially the Wolfpack, as the Wolfpack have not won a game this season when Wilson has thrown three interceptions in a game.

Clemson will be without the most underrated player in the ACC (in my opinion) in Andre Ellington who will miss their next two games.

On the defensive side of the ball for N.C. State, C.J. Wilson will be important for the Wolfpack in the backfield; Christan Ponder picked on C.J. last game.

Da' Bower has been a sack master for the Tigers this season, collecting 10 sacks, and he could potentially cause huge problems for the young Wolfpack offensive line.

In order for the Wolfpack to make it to Charlotte to play for the ACC title, they will have to avoid any and all let downs against those tough teams.

No. 16 Florida State (4-0) currently leads the ACC Atlantic division, but has yet to play the three teams that are directly on its heels--North Carolina State (2-1), Maryland (2-1), and Clemson (2-2). A slip up against one of those teams paired with said team winning out would send it to the conference title. Over in the Coastal division, No. 23 Virginia Tech (4-0) is the leader with No. 22 Miami (FL) (3-1) right behind it. Georgia Tech (3-2) would need to win out to take the division, meaning it would need to defeat Virginia Tech next Thursday, followed by wins over Miami and Duke. It certainly would not be an understatement to say that the majority of the ACC teams are in survival mode right now.

The Big East teams currently find themselves in a similar boat, but to be fair there is a lot more football to be played amongst them. Pittsburgh (2-0) is presently wearing the conference crown, but five teams are behind the Panthers with a lone loss, most notably Syracuse (5-2, 2-1). While this weekend's slate of games may not make you smile or get you excited, they will certainly clear up the BCS picture for the time being.

Check out the scores of the following games at College Football Talk!

Clemson at Boston College (12:00 ET)

No. 22 Miami (FL) at Virginia (12:00 ET)

Louisville at Pittsburgh (12:00 ET)

Syracuse at Cincinnati (12:00 ET)

The Heisman Trophy is traditionally awarded to the best player in college football, and has only been awarded to two players in the ACC.

Traditionally the ACC has been known for its basketball, and not football but when Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke won the Heisman Trophy for Florida State in 1993 and 2000, it put the ACC football on the map.

Russell Wilson has had a great career at N.C. State, playing football and baseball, much like a former Heisman Trophy winner Charlie who excelled in two sports, expect Ward's second sport was basketball.

So far this season Russell Wilson had thrown for 1,474 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he also has one rushing touchdown.

Let's compare his numbers to some of the other quarterbacks on the 2010 Heisman Watch by ESPN:

Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan - 1,008 yards passing with 7 passing touchdowns and 905 yards rushing with 8 rushing touchdowns.

Kellen Moore. QB, Boise State - 1,069 yards passing and 11 passing touchdowns

Terrelle Pryor. QB, Ohio State - 1,015 yards passing and 12 passing touchdowns, with 373 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn - 982 yards passing with 12 touchdowns, and 474 yards rushing along with 5 rushing touchdowns.

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford - 1,253 yards passing with 13 passing touchdowns, and 202 yards rushing and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Russell Wilson's passing numbers are better then all of the Heisman candidates listed above, and the only one close to his numbers is Andrew Luck of Stanford.

Denard Robinson, Terrelle Pryor, and Cameron Newton all are dual-threat quarterbacks like Wilson, except they think run before pass, where Wilson's running because he is trying to make something out of nothing.

I don't understand how Kellen Moore is on the list. because their conference opponents are weak and the toughest team they have played is Virginia Tech.

Team success is also a determining factor on whether you are a Heisman candidate, and team success has been something Wilson has not had at N.C. State until now. 

The Wolfpack are 5-1 overall, and 2-1 in conference and they are positioned well to challenge Florida State for the Atlantic division title.

In my book Russell Wilson is a contender for the Heisman Trophy, so when will he receive the attention he deserves?

The N.C. State Wolfpack dominated the Boston College Eagles 44-17 to move to 5-1 and 2-1 in conference play.

The Wolfpack had to rely on the passing game to score, because Boston College is especially tough to run against.

Russell Wilson had another phenomenal day passing, throwing for 328 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Wilson was also the leading rusher for the team, running for 45 yards on 14 carries, while Mustafa Greene and Dean Haynes combined for only 25 yards on 10 carries.

Owen Spencer had a big day being on the receiving end of Wilson's passes. He had eight catches for 70 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, the Wolfpack were stout all day, only allowing 17 points. The last touchdown scored by BC was meaningless, because it was late in the fourth quarter and the game was pretty much over.

Freshman David Amerson lead the team in tackles with seven, but Nasty Nate had a solid day with six tackles and one sack. J.R. Sweezy had a nice day on the defensive line with four tackles and two sacks.

The Wolfpack defense only allowed BC to complete 11 passes between two quarterbacks (David Shinskie and Mike Marscovetra) and had three interceptions—two belonging to Brandan Bishop and C.J. Wilson had the other. Wilson returned it to the house for a touchdown.

Shinskie had another terrible outing for BC, as he only completed 7 out of 24 passes for 89 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

In the fourth quarter, he was replaced with sophomore quarterback Marscovetra, who completed half of his passes for a touchdown and an interception.

Montel Harris also had a pedestrian day, only rushing for 53 yards on 14 carries, with no touchdowns.

Harris is one of the best running backs in the ACC, and last year, he ran all over the Wolfpack defense.

The Wolfpack also had a blocked punt for a touchdown, and Josh Czajkowski was three for three on field goals today, including a 44-yard field goal. The special teams seem to be improving with every game.

N.C. State will be traveling to East Carolina for a showdown with the Pirates next Saturday at noon. This game will have no implications in the ACC, but it is important for the Wolfpack to win the respect back of the voters. 

Coming into the season these two teams weren't even comparable to each other, on paper that is, and now that Week 5 of the college football season is here the Hokies are the ones with their backs against the ropes.

The season hasn't gone the way Virginia Tech fans had hoped, but they can still salvage an ACC title.  That title chance may be running through Raleigh, North Carolina this year where the Wolfpack of N.C. State have made a statement so far in 2010 going 4-0.

Russell Wilson has dominated and already has over 1,100 yards passing with an 11-1 touchdown to interception ratio.  He's allowed N.C. State to rank both in the top 20 in passing yards per game and points scored.

As long as Wilson stays healthy, N.C. State has a chance to win every game they play.  He's not only the best quarterback in the ACC, but maybe one of the best in the country.  He's at least one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country.

The Wolfpack has a balanced rushing attack with Mustafa Greene and Dean Hayes, and they should give the Hokie defense a few problems, mainly because Tech's defense has had a hard time tackling.

To go along with their defensive woes, there have been a number of blown coverages against opposing offenses this year, including last week against Boston College.  Even though Boston College didn't score they had multiple opportunities to put points on the board, but failed because they have a below average offense.

That's not the case with N.C. State and the Hokies defense is going to have to play their best game of the year in order to win on Saturday.  It's a tough task for Bud Foster, but it's not like he hasn't answered in situations like this in the past.

Offensively, the Hokies have to get consistent play from their offensive line.  These guys have had a horrible start to their year and they've been pushed around like a high school J.V. squad against smaller, slower defenses.

If the Hokies want to have any success running the ball the offensive line is going to have to earn their scholarships this week and learn how to block against the run.  That being said, if they fail to do this again then Virginia Tech's passing game will be affected, especially with plays down the field.

Tyrod Taylor has been good this year, but the offensive line has prohibited him from being great.  Taylor is going to have to play a mistake-free game, and without Ryan Williams in the backfield for a second straight week Taylor has even more pressure on him to play better.

David Wilson will likely be the Hokies' best option out of the backfield.  That doesn't mean he's going to start, but Wilson is a lot quicker than Darren Evans, and when you have a struggling offensive line, speed becomes a huge asset.

N.C. State is allowing just under 19 points per game on defense this season and the Hokies are allowing about 20.  The Hokies are also averaging 180 yards on the ground per game, and will need to rush for a few more to increase their chances of winning.

Defense is the biggest key for both teams.  Both have given up some big plays this year, but whichever defense makes the fewest mistakes puts their team in the best situation to win (it's almost like rocket science). That being said, expect there to be a few fireworks in this one. 

There should be a lot of points scored, and the first team to 40 is going to win.  That's hard to say when you have Virginia Tech's defense on the field, but it's not a typical year for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech has too many question marks heading into this game, and they're just not playing consistently enough on either side of the ball to win.  Russell Wilson is going to overpower the Hokies defense, and he's going to lead the Wolfpack to victory.

Expect it to be an up-and-down game, with each team going on a scoring run, but look for the Wolfpack to pull away in the fourth quarter.

N.C. State 42, Virginia Tech 31

KSI Index Rating National Spread-QB of the Week

Gold Medal Award

After finishing in the Top-3 for the KSI Index Ratings National QB of the Week for the third week in a row, Russell Wilson of North Carolina State University has finally broken through and won the Award for weekend number four of the 2010 college football season.  Wilson, who was sensational in a 45-28 rout of Georgia Tech last Saturday, edged Stephen Garcia of South Carolina, who lost a tightly contested SEC tilt with rival Auburn, 35-27.  He is now on the Heisman Radar!

Wilson was 28-of-41 for 368-yards passing with three touchdowns and one interception, while running for 16 yards on nine carries.  Garcia was 15-of-21 passing for 235-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.  Garcia also rushed for 21 yards on 10 carries with the deciding point of separation being Wilson rushed for a touchdown while Garcia did not.

Colin Kaepernick, a consistent finalist for the Spread-QB Award on a weekly basis so far this season finished a close third.  Kaepernick was 16-of-25 for 196 yards rushing while rushing for 82-yards on 17 carries in a key 27-13 victory over Non-AQ rival BYU.

The KSI Index Gold Medal Award is set up for a BCS Conference quarterback who faces another BCS Conference foe, or a Non-AQ quarterback who is facing a BCS Conference opponent or another Non-AQ opponent that is ranked in the Top-25.

Terrelle Pryor beat out the three-headed quartet from the University of Michigan to win the Silver Medal Award for the KSI Index (Spread-QB) National Quarterback of the Week Award.  It is important to note that the three headed quarterbacking monster from Wolverine country had a sensational showing considering both Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier were injured on the day.  The three (including #2 starter Devin Gardner) finished 23-of-26 for 255 yards passing and two touchdowns through the air.  The quartet also rushed for 184-yards on 15 carries, scoring three touchdowns rushing.

Pryor was equally effective going 20-of-26 on the day for 224-yards through the air, while rushing 7 times for 104-yards and 1 touchdown rushing.  When adding his four touchdowns through the air with his touchdown romp with his feet, the five touchdowns proved to be the difference maker.

It would have been interesting to see what Denard Robinson could have accomplished if he hadn’t been injured in the second quarter.  Robinson, in a little over a quarters worth of work, was 4-of-4 passing for 60 yards through the air while rushing 5 times for 129 yards.  He contributed two rushing touchdowns before his injury, which occurred on his longest rush of the day, a 36-yard scamper up the Michigan sideline.

Silver Medal Award

Bryant Moniz of Hawaii wins the Bronze Medal Award this week for his dominating performance against Charleston Southern, a team the Rainbow-Warriors won 66-7.  Moniz was 19-of-27 for 395 yards and 6 touchdowns through the air on the day for a 252 QB-Rating.  Moniz also had two rushes for 20-yards, finishing in second place behind Terrelle Pryor.

Russell Wilson wins the Gold Medal Award for his play versus a BCS Conference opponent (Georgia Tech), Pryor wins the Silver Medal Award for his work versus a cup-cake Non-AQ opponent who was not ranked in the Top-25 (Eastern Michigan which has now lost 16 games in a row) and Moniz earns the Bronze Award for demolishing a FCS school in Charleston Southern.

There you go Canes! That was an impressive 31-3 pasting of Pittsburgh. What I really liked was the defensive speed that the Hurricanes displayed. They held the Panthers to just 232 yards of offense. They've earned this week's number one spot.

I'm still a little concerned with QB Jacory Harris. One minute he looks like an All-American the next you cringe when he throws. He had 248 yds passing with two TDs, but two INTs. That's six Interceptions in three games. One of the biggest tests of the season for Miami will be Saturday at high noon against Clemson.  

The Wolfpack are for real. QB Russell Wilson is on fire and rolled  up over 350 yards passing on Georgia Tech. No ACC QB is playing better.

3) Clemson Tigers 2-1 (0-0) Last Week—3

Clemson got a week off to heal up after their war with Auburn and prepare for a monster game with Miami Saturday. Clemson needs to win this game to prove they are as good as they showed in the first half of the Auburn game, and not the team that got outscored 24-7 in the second Half.

4) Florida State Seminoles 3-1 (1-0) Last Week—4-T

Was that some defense I saw being played in Tallahassee? The Noles pitched a shutout against Wake Forest in a 31-0 route. Look I'm not saying FSU is back, but I think this is a significant result. Here's why. Back in 2006 Wake Forest beat FSU 30-0. It was a game where I thought the Noles flat out quit, and to me marked the official end of the FSU dynasty.

Is this the beginning of their return? We'll see but it was nice to see the D again at Florida State. The Noles head to Virginia Saturday to face an improved Cavs team.

5) North Carolina Tar Heels 1-2 (0-1) Last Week—7

The Heels and their patchwork team got a good win Saturday 17-13 at Rutgers. That's a nice non-conference victory for the ACC. The defense despite all their losses kept the Scarlet Knights to just 244 Total Yards.

Up next for the Heels is an East Carolina team that pushed Virginia Tech for a couple of quarters. 

6) Virginia Tech Hokies  2-2 (1-0) Last Week—9

Slowly but surely the Hokies are getting their act together. They went on the road and took care of Boston College 19-0. The defense held BC to 70 yards on the ground. They did this without Star RB Ryan Williams.

If the Hokies can go to Raleigh and defeat the ACC's most surprising team in NC State, I'll declare them ready to make a run in the ACC Coastal division.

7) Maryland Terrapins  3-1 (0-0) Last Week—8

Maryland took care of business 42-28 against Florida International this past Saturday. RB Da'Rel Scott had 103 yards with two Touchdowns. The defense did give up 472 totals yards with 355 of that through the air to FIU.

This has been a good start for Terps. They've already passed last year's win total. They open ACC play at home against the Duke Blue Devils.

8) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 2-2 (1-1) Last Week—4-T

The Jackets have major major issues on defense. I can't name one single playmaker on that side of the ball, and they were torched by NC State for 45 points. It could have been 50 something if not for some Wolfpack errors in the red zone. 

The offense can't carry the defense and a shaky special teams unit. It's having a hard enough time on its own.

9) Virginia Cavaliers 2-1 (0-0) Last Week—10

The Cavaliers rolled past VMI 48-7. They offense gained 466 total yards and the game was never in doubt.

I've been a little unsure of the Cavaliers. They played very well at USC, and now they have tremendous opportunity to make a statement in the ACC when Florida State comes to Virginia. I'm very curious to see how Virginia plays in this one.

10) Boston College Eagles 2-1 (0-1) Last Week—6

We've been just wondering how good the Eagles are. We got the answer in Saturday's 19-0 home loss to Virginia Tech. BC isn't very good especially on offense. The Eagles aren't going to win many games when QB Dave Shinskie goes 11 for 25 with two picks.

If the offense doesn't get in gear the Eagles could find themselves in a mess. A 1-3 Notre Dame team goes to Boston College next week.

11) Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2-2 (1-1) Last Week—11

The Deacs have been outscored 99-24 in their last two games. Um that's not good. The past weekend FSU whooped Wake Forest 31-0. The Deacs are dead last in the ACC in defense.

Wake Forest welcomes Georgia Tech and their ACC best rushing attack Saturday night. Loser of this game will be the second team after Duke that I will officially declare as having no chance under any circumstance of winning the ACC.

12) Duke Blue Devils  1-3 (0-1) Last Week—12

Getting clobbered by Alabama is one thing, but losing to Army by two touchdowns is totally another. The final score was Army 35 Duke 21. This was a game the Blue Devils had to have to give themselves a shot at bowl game.

We're only four games in and I don't see how the Blue Devils can navigate their way to five more wins. Duke goes to Maryland in their next game. 

The ACC took care of business this weekend, with a 4-1 record in non-conference games.

And the six teams that opened ACC play? Well, they served up some good games.

For a recap of Thursday’s game between Miami and Pittsburgh, check out what Ben Kercheval wrote HERE .

Florida State blanked Wake Forest’s high-powered offense 31-0, with Christian Ponder scoring three times for the Seminoles.

Virginia Tech also pitched a shutout, but this game came against the Eagles of Boston College. The Hokies intercepted Eagle quarterback Dave Shinskie in the red zone early and never looked back, winning the game 19-0 in Chestnut Hill.

This game will certainly boost the morale of the Hokies for the remainder of the year, and we know very well that  every Virginia Tech game counts heavily  for other teams.

Duke entered the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game against Army down 35-7. In the Blue Devils’ ACC opener against Wake Forest, I thought Duke’s offense had taken a turn for the better and would improve significantly.

With back-to-back embarrassing losses, I think the only direction Duke is headed for is the ACC basement, once again.

Both Virginia and Maryland took care of weaker opponents, beating VMI and FIU respectively by a combined 55 points.

North Carolina State most certainly had the most impressive victory, a 45-28 win over Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack forced two turnovers, scored on a blocked punt, and quarterback Russell Wilson FINALLY broke onto the national scene.

Wilson quietly threw for 17 touchdowns as a freshman, with just one interception. Last year, he led the ACC in touchdown passes with a 31-11 ratio.

So far this year, he has 11 scores through the air and just one blemish for the 4-0 squad. The remainder of NC State’s schedule is all ACC games, expect a bout at East Carolina.

If Wilson can serve up some more wins, and with the lack of impressive ACC play, who is to say that the Tom O’Brien-led group cannot reach a BCS bowl?

What about the Big East?

The weak east coast conference totaled a record of 3-4 over the weekend. All seven games ended as they should have, and even in the losses most felt rest assured. Three teams played real tough matches, coming up short by a score or less.

Cincinnati nearly had the biggest upset, losing by two points to No. 8 Oklahoma. Quarterback Zach Collaros has his best effort of the season, and did so in a game that the Bearcats desperately needed—connecting on 60.5% of his passes for 305 yards and a score.

What may have killed Cincinnati was a missed extra point very early during the second quarter. The Bearcats ultimately lost by two, with their final score coming with around 70 seconds remaining in the game.

If Cincinnati had converted the earlier PAT, then they may have opted to go for the two-point conversion and possibly tie the match with Oklahoma. The Sooners won 31-29.

The Mountaineers of West Virginia also had an upset brewing. With a 17-14 deficit expanded by three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, West Virginia needed a score to take the lead. The LSU defense had other ideas; they forced two punts and a missed field goal in the final quarter to preserve its six point victory.

The Tigers ate up nearly eight minutes of the clock in that period, and had fantastic field position, forcing young quarterback Geno Smith to make plays, something he could not handle that late in the game. The Tigers went on to win 20-14.

As for the Big East’s victories, Syracuse, Connecticut, and South Florida took care of non-BCS opponents by an average of three touchdowns. Rutgers played a tough battle with North Carolina, limiting Tar Heels quarterback TJ Yates significantly.

Yates finished with just 204 yards passing and a score, along with an interception. I came pretty close in my prediction of the outcome, but not as close as John Taylor did for several of his games.