Week 10

[ajoytoy]

5-3-1 (+1.88) last week :mj14:

ytd 45-54-3 (-10.86) :s4:

2 Unit Plays: 10-9

3 Unit Plays: 1-1

finally had a winning week...and the pool plays went 3-1...wish UCLA would have started later in the night cause i could have hedged a few parlays that i had with my pool plays...at least they won

Knew this line was coming out, but didn't think it would be this high...thought 10 at the most...playing it pretty hard....play at your own caution :mj21:

Pack +14 (-113) 5 Units :scared

will have a write-up later this week

will have pool plays and a few articles as well

glta

toy

 

[INtheBLUE]

Congrats on last week joy. Cant wait until your writeup on the NC St game. That one perked my interest too, but they have been so undependable this year so far.

Also Pinny has the same line at +103 instead of -110 (and its getting more in your favor every second). Makes ya a little more money if ya win huh?

Gl man

 

[ajoytoy]

Congrats on last week joy. Cant wait until your writeup on the NC St game. That one perked my interest too, but they have been so undependable this year so far.

Also Pinny has the same line at +103 instead of -110 (and its getting more in your favor every second). Makes ya a little more money if ya win huh?

Gl man

ty....the +103 is for FSU....my write-up will be a bit favoring of the Pack, but I saw a few things this weekend that solidified a big play on the Pack for this upcoming weekend

 

[INtheBLUE]

ty....the +103 is for FSU....my write-up will be a bit favoring of the Pack, but I saw a few things this weekend that solidified a big play on the Pack for this upcoming weekend

your right, my bad, just skimmed over the odd while I am trying to find an Ohio +12.5 for -105 or better. 4.5 % roll at stake if I can find it. Gettin a lil excited.

 

[lowell]

14 pts seems too high to give chuck in florida. i am with you

 

[Hokie Fan]

Ajoytoy,
Always like your write ups and opinions.
Will be checking out the pack first hand soon as I believe they will be coming to Chestnut Hill very soon..

Good Luck

Hokie Fan

 

[AR182]

toy,

this is the type of game where ncst.used to win....as a dog...but don't know this year....

right now i have no opinion on the game...

good luck..

 

[ajoytoy]

Pack finds running game
Brown, rejuvenated offensive line coming off big game

Amato says Brown like Herschel.

By CHIP ALEXANDER, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- N.C. State will head to Florida State this week with a rejuvenated offensive line, a rediscovered running game and a freshman tailback Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato is comparing to Herschel Walker.
And awaiting the Pack at FSU?

"We'll be playing a defense that's really salty," Amato said Monday. "They're really, really good on defense."

But it also could be an FSU defense that's a bit unsure about what the Pack's game plan may be. Until Saturday, State had been primarily a controlled passing team, getting precious little from its rushing attack. Now, there could be more balance in the play-calling.

The Wolfpack offense experienced a new sensation in the 21-17 win over Southern Miss. Time and again, running plays were called. Time and again, there were wide grins in the huddle after that freshman, Andre Brown, smashed his way to steady, often big yardage.

"It was definitely fun to run the football," junior center Leroy Harris said.

"It brings a different atmosphere to the huddle. You got a lot of smiles, guys talking about the block they made, and, you know, the running backs. You get that blood flowing, get that positive energy in the huddle that things are going to happen."

Brown made things happen, ripping off a 61-yard touchdown run and finishing with 248 yards on 32 carries.

It was the kind of performance that has earned Brown a start against FSU -- that had Amato comparing the 6-foot, 232-pounder to Walker, the former Georgia star and Heisman Trophy winner, for his blend of explosiveness and power.

The Pack came into the nonconference game averaging a meager 90.3 yards per game rushing; Southern Miss was allowing just 130. By game's end, State had 297 yards on 54 attempts, the Pack's best rushing performance since a 304-yard game against North Carolina last year.

"We actually anticipated them running the football more," Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower said Monday. "I don't know why they hadn't run the football more, because we thought that back [Brown] was a heck of a player, and we thought that coming into the ball game."

Given the Pack's abundance of young talent at tailback, many N.C. State followers had wondered why State wasn't running more and throwing less.

One answer: the Pack's offensive line, which needed to be more consistent, more effective.

"A line develops over time," offensive line coach Mike Barry said. "On any team, at every level, it takes a couple of years to get that cohesiveness and that understanding.

"And we put in a new [offensive] system this year. It might be apples last year, and now it's oranges. It's the same fruit but with a different taste."

The one constant has been Harris. The former Southeast Raleigh High standout had a personal-best 13 knockdown blocks against Southern Miss, causing Amato to say it was the best game by a Wolfpack center since former All-America Jim Ritcher was winning the Outland Trophy in 1979.

"He was flying around, hitting people," Amato said of Harris. "It was a great performance."

It's a line with a former defensive tackle, Dwayne Herndon, starting at right guard. Sophomore Kalani Heppe, until he dislocated a shoulder in the Wake Forest game, also was a new starter at left guard.

Herndon, Barry said, now is fully comfortable on the offensive line, noting "his effort, his athleticism, his toughness" have really helped the team. Senior John McKeon, capable of playing guard or tackle, started at left guard Saturday; and Barry got freshman guard Curtis Crouch into the mix, using him for 30 snaps.

Crouch, who played at Fayetteville Smith, came to NCSU as a 320-pounder. He's now listed at 6 feet 6 and 254 pounds.

"He was an 18-year-old who ate doughnuts and those fried white-bread sandwiches," Barry said. "Now, he watches what he eats. He has speed and quickness. I'm really excited about him."

Left tackle James Newby has started every game and been dependable. Right tackle Derek Morris hurt the team with penalties early in the season -- holding calls, personal fouls, false starts -- but the flags have stopped, and the junior has been productive.

"Some [penalties] were aggressive mistakes," Barry said. "It's not like he's blocking the wrong guy or going the wrong way. At times, he was moving a split-second before anyone else.

"Those were legit [false-start] calls, but I don't get upset when I look at where he's come from this year. He's still developing."

Harris said a "new play" often hurt Southern Miss and gave Brown room to roam. Amato said he wasn't so sure about that, saying State used a counter play that had blockers moving in one direction while a guard pulled in the opposite direction to create a crease. State has not used it lot this year, Amato said, but it has been in the playbook.

"And that guy toting the leather helped it out," Amato said.

Brown did do that. And the Pack's running game helped lessen the pressure on sophomore quarterback Marcus Stone in his first start.

"We felt like with the young quarterback, [in his] first start, that they would line up and try to be more productive in the running game," USM's Bower said. "And certainly they were."

 

[ajoytoy]

Winning Attitude A Wolfpack Ally Heading Into Florida State Week
NC State hopes momentum will carry over.


Oct. 31, 2005

By Tony Haynes

Raleigh, N.C. - Saturday's 21-17 victory over dangerous Southern Mississippi provided a big morale boost for an NC State football team (3-4) that was leaking oil before the game. But as far as coach Chuck Amato is concerned, how the Wolfpack won may be equally important. Trailing 14-0 early in the third quarter, NC State roared back behind a dominating running game and an aggressive defense to snap a two-game losing streak. The comeback and the good feelings that came in its aftermath can only help the Wolfpack as it now prepares for a meeting with 9th ranked Florida State in Tallahassee.

The Pack and Seminoles will face off Saturday afternoon. Kick off at Doak Campbell Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.

"I thought the way we answered when we were down 14-0, that to me shows an awful lot," Amato said on Monday.

And it wasn't a conventional comeback by any means. Although it was behind, the Pack relied on the running of freshman tailback Andre Brown to get the 21 points it needed to rally past the Golden Eagles. Brown, who had only 13 carries for 51 yards coming into the game, erupted for 248 yards and two scores on 32 carries. And when quarterback Marcus Stone - making his first college start -hit receiver Brian Clark with a three-yard TD pass with 5:08 left, the Pack had a lead it would not relinquish.

"That was a very important win for us," said senior receiver Tramain Hall. "It restores a lot of confidence back upon our team. It restores the enjoyment of the game, too. A lot of times when you're losing, the enjoyment of the game kind of goes away from you. The biggest thing that stuck out to me in that win was how we stuck together. That really needs to carry over for us going down to Tallahassee."

No. 3 in the NC State running back rotation coming into the Southern Mississippi game, Brown is listed No. 1 on the depth chart this week and will get his first career start against the Seminoles. But that doesn't mean others, like Darrell Blackman, Toney Baker, Reggie Davis and Bobby Washington, will be feeling left out in practice this week.

"Whoever has been No. 1, we've rotated those reps because you just never know what's going to happen," Amato said. "They'll all get reps and they deserve them."

Brown's explosion on Saturday was the second best rushing day in school history. Only Ted Brown, who rushed for 251 yards against Penn State in 1977, has put together a more productive day on the ground for the Wolfpack. For his efforts, Andre Brown was named ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday.

And after stumbling through a 1-for-7 first half that included two interceptions, Stone rebounded after intermission, making some key throws during the Wolfpack's 15-play scoring drive in the fourth period that ended with the game-winning touchdown.

Amato liked the way Stone delivered in the clutch, especially on the play that ultimately won the game. But before that could happen, the coaches considered all kinds of options during a time-out.

"I called a time-out to decide what play we wanted to call, and we needed every second of it because we went through the whole gambit of what we wanted to do," Amato said. "When Marc [Trestman] decided on the play, and he was adamant about it, I said just make sure that we have the ball after the play is over; whether to kick an extra point or to kick a field goal. It had to send a great message to Marcus to say `my coaches are going to put these three yards in my right arm.' He took a three-step drop, Brian Clark ran a great pattern, and he hit him right between his numbers, which we've had a hard time doing this year."

Now the Pack is setting its sights on a trip to Tallahassee, where it will be facing a Florida State team that can nail down a spot in the first ever ACC Championship game with a win. Now 7-1 overall and 5-1 in league play, the Seminoles came from behind to knock off Maryland on Saturday, 35-27. The two teams have split their last four games, with the largest margin of victory by either team coming when the Pack downed the `Noles 17-7 in 2002. Since FSU entered the league in 1991, NC State is the only ACC school to have beaten the Seminoles three times, and is the only one to post a victory at Doak Campbell Stadium (2001).

Based on that record of success, Amato was asked if his players embraced going to Tallahassee.

"I guess I need to ask them what they're embracing," said Amato, who was an assistant coach at Florida State for 18 years before taking over at NC State in 2000. "There's no question that our kids the last four years have played as well as any team against Florida State, and that's saying a lot. We won two and we lost two. One team could have won all four and won team could have lost all four. That's how close those games were. We've got to have a positive, passionate desire to win a football game. Success breeds success and we've had some success against them."

More Pack Points: The NC State defense is coming off its best back-to-back efforts of the season, holding Wake Forest and Southern Mississippi to averages of just 235 yards of total offense and 77 rushing yards. The star of the defense has been end Mario Williams, who has 9.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in those two games. Somehow, Williams was NOT named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording school records for sacks (4) and tackles for loss (6) against Southern Miss. The Wolfpack continues to get the penalties under control, having been penalized just nine times over the last two games. After carrying the unenviable title of `most penalized team in the ACC' earlier in the season, NC State has improved enough to rank ahead of North Carolina (10th), Miami (11th) and Florida State (12th).

 

[ajoytoy]

Posted on Tue, Nov. 01, 2005

Defense bears pain of injuries

FSU running out of healthy CBs, DEs

By Steve Ellis

DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER


Mickey Andrews isn't one to make excuses. And for most of his 23 seasons at Florida State, Andrews never needed to make one for his usually dominating defenses.

But if the veteran defensive coordinator was ever tempted, he'd have one at the ready. Injuries are piling up at cornerback and defensive end - two positions that have been a part of breakdowns and big plays by opponents in recent weeks.

FSU is down to three healthy cornerbacks after Tony Carter was diagnosed with a partial dislocation of his left shoulder. Carter underwent an MRI on Monday. And Trevor Ford has missed four games because of a nerve injury in his neck. Ford participated in practice Monday night, but the status of both Carter and Ford for Saturday's game against North Carolina State won't be known until later. Cornerback Gerard Ross has also been hampered by injuries, but he has played. And free safety Pat Watkins was limited in practice last week because of a concussion.

"We understand that we're not the only team that has injuries," Andrews said. "It's just one of those years where we've had a bunch of people that were very limited in practice trying to play on Saturday."

At defensive end, and on the interior line, injured players have included defensive ends Darrell Burston, who participated in about a dozen plays against Maryland, Willie Jones and D.J. Norris.

The injuries are something that Andrews can't do much about. Opponents' big plays and the play of his team late in the first half are concerns that can, and need to be addressed.

"We continue to violate the cardinal rule of winning, and that's 'Don't beat yourself,'" Andrews said. "We had two long passes for TDs. Both of them were on sell-the-farm blitzes. When we do that, we've got to get better pressure, we've got to get better coverage. It's just that simple."

FSU has allowed 27 combined points in the first quarter through eight games.

But Maryland scored a touchdown with 47 seconds before halftime on Saturday. Duke scored a touchdown in 6? minutes before halftime two weeks ago. And Virginia, in FSU's only loss, scored twice in the final 1? minutes of the second quarter.

"The thing that is puzzling is we're not any more productive at the end of the first half," Andrews said. "We have to find a better way to finish off the first half.'

Yet FSU has made the plays when it must in the fourth quarter. Something else that Andrews likes is the way FSU's offense and defense are feeding off each other. A fourth-down stop led to FSU's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and Ernie Sims' interception set up FSU's final score against Maryland.

N.C. STATE .AT FSU

Saturday's game: 3:30p.m. on ABC

 

[ajoytoy]

Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Florida State
Pack and 'Noles meet Saturday in Tallahassee.


Nov. 3, 2005

NC STATE (3-4, 1-4) at No. 9 FLORIDA STATE (7-1, 5-1)

DATE: Saturday, November 5, 2005

TIME: Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (EST) Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL (82,300)

RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network: 2:30 p.m. (EST)

TELEVISION: ABC (Regional)

OPPONENT----Florida State rallied for a 35-27 come-from-behind victory at home over Maryland last Saturday thanks to fourth-quarter touchdowns by a rookie and a veteran.

Freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford's 15-yard run with 8:52 left gave the Seminoles a 28-27 lead and FSU scored again, three minutes later, on senior fullback James Coleman's 1-yard run. Coleman's score was set up by Ernie Sims' interception.

Maryland's final bid for a tie ended with 52 seconds left when Joel Statham was sacked by A.J Nicholson at the Florida State 40. Statham was forced to start when regular quarterback, Sam Hollenboch, was unable to perform due to an injured shoulder. The victory moved the `Noles a step closer to securing a spot in the ACC Championship game.

After FSU took an early lead, the Terps scored 24 straight points midway through the game, building a 24-14 advantage on Dan Ennis' 40-yard field goal three minutes into the second half. That's when the Seminoles turned to wide receiver, Greg Carr, for help.

The 6-foot-6 freshman caught a 37-yard pass to the Maryland 1 and three plays later broke away in the end zone to catch a 4-yard strike from Weatherford to cut Maryland's lead to 24-21.

After Ennis kicked a 35-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter and give the Terrapins a 27-21 lead, Carr went to work again. He was able to draw two pass interference calls against Maryland cornerback Gerrick McPhearson that eventually set up Weatherford's go-ahead touchdowns run.

Florida State started fast, but couldn't put the Terps away. Leon Washington scored on a 3-yard run on Florida State's first offensive series and Willie Reid added a 61-yard punt return TD to give the `Noles a 14-0 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter.


Maryland (4-4, 2-3) countered with three touchdowns in nine minutes to take a 21-14 halftime lead. Statham ran for a score and added touchdown passes covering 29 yards to Derrick Fenner and 20 yards to Jo Jo Walker. FSU fans were so upset they booed the Seminoles off the field at the half when they took a knee on the final play before the intermission.

Statham, who sparked Maryland's 20-17 victory over Florida State a year ago, completed 15 of 29 passes for 177 yards. Weatherford was 27 of 37 passing for 264 yards, but was intercepted twice. Reid had seven catches for 90 yards and finished with 227 all purpose yards.

Florida State can lock up a spot in the first ACC title game Dec. 3 at Jacksonville with a victory over NC State on Saturday. The Wolfpack needs wins in 3 of its last 4 games to become bowl eligible.
Usually when a team is forced into a youth movement it struggles, but not Florida State. 27 freshmen have seen action this season for the `Noles, including 12 true freshmen and some, like Weatherford and Carr, are playing key roles.

The Seminoles lead the ACC in total offense (444) and pass offense (325) and they're the second-highest scoring team in the league (36.2). Because FSU is so potent throwing the football, the `Noles rushing stats are not that impressive. They're eleventh in the ACC in rushing (119.4), just a notch below NC State.

Weatherford has been FSU's biggest surprise. The redshirt freshman is completing 62 percent of his passing and leads the ACC in passing and total offense. If Weatherford continues on his present pace, he would break Philip Rivers' ACC freshman single-season passing record by 160 yards. Rivers threw for 3,054 yards for NC State in 2000.

With the way Weatherford is throwing the ball, its no surprise that wide receivers Carr, Reid and Chris Davis all rank among the ACC's top-five in receiving yards per game. Carr is third (67.1), Reid fourth (60.7) and Davis fifth (59.0). Carr's 9 touchdown receptions leads the ACC.

The offensive line has weathered some injuries, the most notable to redshirt senior right guard Matt Meinrod. He was lost for the season with a knee injury in the opening game. However, David Castillo, a fourth-year starter and one of the league's best centers, continues to be the glue that holds the unit together.

Like NC State, the Seminoles have some exciting talent at runningback. Senior Leon Washington is doubtful with an ankle injury, so leading rusher Lorenzo Booker (388 yds, 5 TDs) will probably start against the Wolfpack. Behind him are Lamar Lewis (5-9, 188, So.) and Antone Smith. A true freshman, Smith is regarded as the top runningback recruit in the nation. He's seen limited action (130 yds, 3 TDs) in five games and has 4.25 speed.

Defensively, FSU is third in the ACC in total defense (292) and fourth best against the pass (182). Opponents are scoring an average of nearly 19 points a game. However, in the last four games (with three of them decided in the fourth quarter) that number has increased to 25.3 points an outing.

The `Noles are good against the run (109) and really pressure opposing quarterbacks. FSU leads the ACC in sacks (27) and is also limiting opponents to a paltry 29 percent efficiency on third down.

It all starts up front and anchoring the line is one of the nation's best tackles. Senior Brodrick Bunkley leads ACC interior linemen with 11 tackles for loss while end Kamerion Wimbley is tied for the league lead in sacks.

The linebackers are all second-year starters and form a very, very impressive unit. Middle linebacker, Buster Davis, is the most experienced with 19 starts, but senior A.J Nicholson and junior Ernie Sims are both Butkus Award semifinalists who can make big plays. In fact, between them Nicholson and Sims have recorded 100 tackles and 4 interceptions. Nicholson was the national Defensive Player of the Week with 19 tackles and 2 interceptions against Boston College.

In the secondary, All-America candidate Antonio Cromartie, one of the nation's top cornerbacks, tore up his knee in July and the `Noles are still trying to fill the void. Redshirt freshman, Tony Carter, who missed the second half of the Maryland game with a shoulder injury, continues to improve. Sophomore J.R. Bryant made his first career start against Maryland at the other corner, sending senior Gerald Ross to the bench.

There is more experience at safety as both Kyler Hall (6-1, 202) and Pat Watkins (6-4, 204) are seniors. Watkins has 9 career interceptions while Hall has started 14 games.

The kicking game features some dangerous return men. Reid broke Deion Sanders single-season punt return record last season and last week returned two kickoffs for 40 yards and 7 punts for 97 yards. Teammate Kenny O'Neal is a track star who is fourth in the ACC in kickoff returns (26.7).

Senior Punter, Chris Hall, is a Ray Guy Award semifinalist. His 37.2 yard average isn't that impressive, but he hits his punts high enough that they are seldom returned. In fact, opponents have returned only five punts all season for a mere 16 yards. Sophomore kicker, Gary Cismesia, had made 10-of-14 field goal attempts, including 2-of-3 from beyond 40 yards.

FSU has not been happy with its kickoff return coverage lately, so true freshman kicker Graham Gano, a USA Today High School All-American, gave up his redshirt year and took over as the Seminoles kickoff man against Maryland. He's also the back-up punter.

NOTES: State ran for 297 yards against Southern Miss after averaging only 56.5 net rushing yards in the previous four games...Andre Brown is the ACC Rookie of the Week after rushing for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns against USM...In the last 5 games, the Pack is 21-of-71 on third down (.295)... FSU is converting 46 percent of its third down opportunities... Pack linebacker Stephen Tulloch is averaging 13.0 tackles per game (No. 2 ACC) and has 11.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks...Mario Williams has recorded 9.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in the last two games and leads the ACC in tackles for loss... Darrell Blackmon is No. 2 in the nation in kickoff returns (34.5)...The Pack's defense has held its last two opponents to an average of 235 yards total offense and 77 rushing yards...FSU leads the ACC in total offense (444) and pass offense (325)... In 69 games under Chuck Amato, the Wolfpack has entered the fourth quarter with the score differing by seven points or less 34 times...FSU has turnover margin of -1, but has not lost a fumble in its last four games...State is last in the ACC with a -8 turnover margin...FSU has scored 11 points or more in the fourth quarter in each of its last seven games...The Seminoles have lost only 9 ACC games since entering the league in 1992. Their only home ACC loss came in 2001 when NC State earned a 34-28 victory. FSU is the most penalized team in the ACC (68) and leads the league in penalty yards per game (78.1).

INJURIES--NC State: DT John McCargo (foot)-out; CB Jeremy Gray (foot)-out; ROV Garland Heath (knee)-probable; LB Oliver Hoyte (ankle sprain)-probable; OG Kalani Heppe (shoulder separation)-out; TB Andre Brown (ankle sprain)-probable.Florida StateWR De'Cody Fagg (shoulder)-cleared; CB Tony Carter (shoulder)-probable; RB Leon Washington (ankle)-doubtful; CB Trevor Ford (neck)-probable.

 

[ajoytoy]

Sticking with my big play and my 4 pool plays for the weekend:

W. Mich -3.5 (+106)
Akron -3 (-107)
Texas Tech -16.5 (+102)
Nebraska -1 (-110)

will try write my reasoning for the Pack game after lunch today

 

[Irish]

GL toy
leaning toward ohio, they play well at home. Hope the pack hits for you.

Cheers
Irish

 

[ajoytoy]

30...thats the number

30 current players on the Wolfpacks football team either grew up or played high school ball in the state of Florida...2nd on the roster only behind the home state of NC...why do you ask that would be the case?

Quite simply....The Man behind the shades

Coach Amato has had contacts down in the state of Florida since he left FSU to take the head coaching job a few years back....

Up until last year, the team to beat in the ACC was the Noles...with the addition of powerhouses Miami, VT and BC, the ACC has become one of the elites in football in a relatively short amount of time...

So, lets go back to before the 3 new additions came into the league and FSU was the BMOC and had their way with all the 'other' schools....there was only one team that beat the Noles more than twice...can you guess? yep, the Pack is the answer...2 out of the last 4 years (the ones with Amato as HC) the pack has beaten the Noles...

So what does all this mean you say?

quite simply, to these players the NCSU/FSU matchup is their most important game wach year....forget the Heels, Devils or Deacons....forget the Textile bowl with the Tigers...its the bragging rights when they go home to florida each winter and summer break....most of the players on the other side of the ball played pop-warner thru HS ball with these players from florida, so you know how bad they want to beat them year in and year out....

now onward to this year...The Pack has majorly underachieved...The O-line continues to have problems...QB Davis is not the leader the coaching staff thought he would be after Philip left to the NFL...The Defense, who at times is amazing, is not the same dominating defense of last year...Amato has been on the Hot Seat after the Heels game and it is still there....how this team finishes the year could affect who is the HC next year, but lets nots worry about that right now....what makes this matchup more intriguing is the past relationship of Amato to the state of Florida...he still actively recruits there...these players come up here to play under the old FSU coach with the big talk and high pitched voice....

Though Amato will never admit it, you know if he could win one game per year, he would choose the Noles....its getting to that point in the year for the Pack...they must win 3 of the last 4 to be bowl eligible while one win by FSU basically claims the berth to the ACC chamionship game....

The introduction of freshman RB Andre Brown was a much needed boost to the psyche of the Pack last week in the come from behind victory against S. Miss....I saw things that I hadn't seen sine the VT game on the field in that 2nd half...the love and true passion of playing for the moment...the Pack needs more of that to carry onto Doak Campbell saturday afternoon....QB Stone showed some improvement over the course of the game....the big thing for him to do is not throw the INT....play smart and the game will unfold itself...the D will continue to play above average...but where the Pack really needs to shine is in the special teams department...Blackman does a good job when he has his head in the game....Penalities are actually pretty equal in this matchup...win that and the battle up front and the Pack has a realistic chance...

now will the Pack win?
I dont think so, but I think they can do what Maryland did last week....but for that to happen, the offense has to do what it did last game....FSU's D is good at stopping the running game, so the Pack has to make them honest by throwing some long balls....The packs d has to limit their run and contain the big plays...if that happens then the game should be close and the game is up for grabs...

now please take all this with a grain of salt...this is coming from a State alum...The line of +14 is way too much IMO...I truly believe the game will be 27-31 final....you pick the winner

 

[Dice34]

Colin Cowherd picked 8 games before the season even started.
Six have gone off so far and 6 have been winners against the spread.

The next game up is this weeks NC State-FSU game. His pick before the season even started was to take NC State at FSU. Hopefully his streak will continue and u bring some cash home.

 

[bryanz]

Dice , Love Cowherd, missed his preseason PK 8, what are the other 7 ? Thanks.

 

[DerekNJND]

toy,

this is the type of game where ncst.used to win....as a dog...but don't know this year....

right now i have no opinion on the game...

good luck..

Yea every week I look at the games and make my own spreads before I peek at the Vegas lines. I had this one on the money at -14. When your estimate is exactly where the line is, its NO PLAY.

 

[bryanz]

Derek , what was your line on Wis / PS ?

 

[Dice34]

Dice , Love Cowherd, missed his preseason PK 8, what are the other 7 ? Thanks.

well 6 have been played already and he hit all 6

with 2 left, one is NC state this week and his next one is Mich St vs Penn State.

Sept 3rd
USC at Hawaii
Ball St at Iowa
Col. St at Colorado

Sept 10th
Notre Dame at Mich

Sept 17th
Tenn at Florida

Oct 1st
LSU at Miss St

All against the spread, all winners, all b4 the season

Hopefully, he keeps it up with NC state and Chuck Dynamite.

Sorry for intruding ajoytoy, GL this week