Carolina is now 6-2; the six wins make the Heels bowl eligible for the first time in years.
Once again, Carolina's opportunistic defense was huge. The Heels picked off three passes, one for a touchdown and one that was returned to BC's one yard line, that led directly to 14 points. The other interception was followed by a 44-yard touchdown pass.
As good as the defense was, the undeniable star of the game was wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. Nicks picked up the slack for the injured Brandan Tate by scoring four times today, including once on an end around, to lead the Heels. Quarterback Cam Sexton had another nice game and consistently found Nicks and Brooks Foster; the two finished with 15 receptions.
A great win any way you look at it, but even more impressive coming off a terrible loss to Virginia last week. Coach Butch Davis had a much better game this week, as evidenced by his decision to try to score when Carolina got the ball at the end of the first half with a little less than a minute left. Instead of running out the clock, as Davis decided to do at the end of regulation in Charlottesville last week, Carolina drove 55 yards in 31 seconds. The drive was capped by Sexton's 25-yard touchdown to Nicks, who caught a slant, reversed direction, picked up a few blocks before he sprinted into the end zone.
Carolina now has a bye week coming up. Starting quarterback T.J. Yates may be ready to play after the bye, so it will be interesting to see what Davis decides to do if he has two competent quarterbacks available in two weeks. The way Sexton has played he may have 'Wally Pipped' Yates.
World Series
Interesting to read and hear all the hand-wringing coming out of Philly. Folks seem to have already forgotten that the Phillies won the first game. I guess that says more about the nervousness fans have about 45-year old Jamie Moyer than anything else.
As a 46-year old, I must say I am am a bit annoyed at the showing off of contemporaries like Moyer and 47-year old Barack Obama. Get a blog read by almost a dozen people, then talk to me!
Quick Hoops Update
First Haywood goes down, now word out of Dallas that the Mavericks have cut my main man Reyshawn Terry. Rey-Rey had a nice summer league for the Mavericks - he averaged 11 and 7 rebounds - and led the Mavs with 13 points in their last preseason game. But I guess new head coach Rick Carlisle, who was famously victimized by Michael Jordan in one of the greatest games I've ever attended, is holding an anti-Carolina grudge.
No word on whether Reyshawn will return to Greece for the season. CHB readers hopefully remember that Terry spent last season in my dad's home town of Thessaloniki playing for ARIS TT Bank, where he averaged 9 points in 20 minutes in 19 Euroleague games.
Bad Week for Panathinaikos
Holding a 2-1 lead with seven minutes left in their UEFA Champions League game in Athens, Panathinaikos gave up late goal and had to settle for a tie against Werner Bremen on Wednesday. The game was the third and last of the first round of their group stage. More importantly, Panathinaikos could have really used the 3 points.
Even playing two of their three games at home, Pana only has one point after tying Werner and losing at home to InterMilan and losing on the road to Anorthosis of Cyprus. Inter has seven points, Anorthosis has four, Bremen has three (on three ties), with Pana bringing up the rear with one.
Olympiacos made it out of their group and into the sweat 16 of the Champions League last season, but it appears unlikely that the Greens will repeat that accomplishment this year.
1 comment:
your blog was sportalicious!
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