NC State

What was the low point? Was it when from 90 rows up in the opposite upper deck we saw the ball squirt free and then experienced a collective scream from the sea of red surrounding us...Nope. Was it the slow Green Mile walk back to the car past the endless rows of impromptu parking lot celebrations while hearing that incredibly annoying howl in your head like you played PacMan too long and it won't go away...Nope. How about when you hear and read incessant reactionary commentary from media and other non-experts which would have been just as effusive in their praise had Ty Jones had a size 38 waist instead of a bulky 39...Nope. It was the next day when three different folks pointed out to me that TE Beau Reiliford was open like an all night laundrymat on the play. That was the low point. The fact that this team sleepwalked through the last 28 minutes of the game; then suddenly bumped into the hope chest - woke up - and marched down the field like Braveheart with an uzi, only to open the celebratory champagne and go blind when the cork exploded into our collective retinas...

We have talked about team wins, but wow was this a team loss. Simply put, NC State was not good enough to beat us. But they did, and this was the Swiss Family Seminole, because everyone pitched in to help. For the first time all year, the special teams was special in a short bus kind of way...Twice inside the 20, our punter hit poor punts that delivered short fields. The kickoff return team is a disaster. We trail only 2 of 120 Division 1 teams in kickoff average, and those poor squads have special NCAA dispensations to allow returners in wheelchairs. In an anamoly, two of Dustin's kicks did not sail through the end zone, and NC State brought both back outside the 30. In general terms, we may have the best two specialists in the country as a unit. However, with the athletes on this squad and the staff deciding that starting players will be on the return teams, we should be better. Reading that we are spending a bunch of extra practice time this week on returns, I would be shocked if this is not a point of excellence this Saturday.

Christian Ponder played his best game of the season. He made 1 bad throw all game. He briefly thought that Taiwan Easterling was channeling Shaq and almost made a wolfpack donation. Other than that, he was superb. The TD to Haulstead was a terrific dig and go that he slipped in between three defenders. The drop by the same poor Willie on 3rd and forever was a game changing perfect toss stepping up while avoiding the body odor of two overweight guys in red tights. He recognized blitzes and ran only when there was nothing else. The 1 minute march to win the game was a thing of beauty that would have been his defining moment. It breaks your heart. But, I bet that if he could change one thing this game that was actually in his control, it would have been the 3rd down run in the second half when he had the first down nailed down near the goal line and instead of cutting upfield, he tried to score. Perfect tackle and we kick a FG from inside the 10. Were there some gambling officials hiding under the turf on that side of the field because we were some scared Seminoles in that area??...You also have to feel bad for Tampon Ty Jones who had 10 tackle-breaking incredible carries for over a hundred, and his legacy is the extra snickerdoodle he had at the 3rd quarter break.

On the subject of rants, I need AD Randy Spetman to slip a note to the conference officials telling them it is not 1999 and we are not coming off a baby seal clubbing of our 72nd straight ACC victim. They do not need to still feel compelled to throw double digit hankies on the carpet when they see spears on the helmets just to make it an even contest. After reviewing film, our own coaching staff can not find a reason for two pre-snap penalties and yet another mystery hold took away a TD. All of which may have been somewhat palatable had not Russell Wilson run around in the pocket for days on end with the NCAA leading sack squad in hot pursuit and yet not a single holding call was whistled on the underdog Pack. Good grief.

On defense, the secondary was superlative. As I mentioned, Russell Wilson had scones and Earl Grey in the pocket and to my memory did not find a single wideout open down the field. Two late plays burned a LB in zone coverage and a backup safety was behind the slant on the 4th down conversion. Their QB's success was due to elusiveness with his wheels and our lack of containment, not because the back 4 failed. Also props to Kendyll Smith who had 15 tackles and was like a piece of wrigleys stuck on your shoe. They could not shake him. But, yet another disappointing second half from Mark Stoops. A dominating 1st half by our defense forced NC State to completely abandon their initial approach of a 1 back draw-based attack. In the third quarter - after 10,000 State fans had literally left the building based on the prevailing opinion that we were going to blow their heroes doors off - NC State lined up in the I and just crammed it down our throats. It was not an overwhelming success but more of a series of paper cuts that ended up infected. 2nd and 6 became 3rd and 2 became an impossible-to-cover short first down throw...over and over and over. We never adjusted. NC State did not punt in the second half. Read that again...yikes....small horses and a covered wagon just started screaming through my nightmares. We needed to get our second level up and dare their QB to throw. We did not. Mark is a young DC, but his inability to adjust on the fly has me a little concerned. I do mean a little, because these kids are playing better all over the field, but the coaches have got to put them in position to excel - especially against inferior opponents. Just ask Mack Brown.

NC State will not run the table. They will lose maybe 2 more ACC games this year. If we win out, we will go to the ACCCG. Let's hope the Tigers in the Upstate of SC wake up this weekend knock off the Pack at noon so our 3:30 game has a little extra oomph. I also hope that a homecoming crowd and some angry collegians wearing Nike will provide a great afternoon in Doak. It has been a whole lot more fun tailgating in 2010 so far with a undefeated home mark. And with the wife sitting this one out, the last thing we need is to hear that we lost because she was on the bench. No excuses. Let's Go Noles!