I'm Tired Of Talking And Hearing About This Damn Game

Enough already.

Every possible angle, injury, plot, sub-plot and sub-sub-plot has been hashed and rehashed over the last month or so that honestly, I'm sick to death of hearing about this game. My Google Alerts inbox is overflowing with countless articles previewing the game -- 10 talking points here, What To Watch For there...Hey, did you know that Weslye Saunders is the son of a columnist here in Raleigh? It's TRUE!

(However, it gives me a small measure of comfort that all the Tar Heel fans in the area have had to listen to nothing but State/South Carolina talk wall-to-wall since ACC Operation Football (or whatever they're calling it these days). Misery truly loves company.)

Thankfully, all that ends tonight.

No more preseason talk. We'll have all day Friday and the following week to go over the gory details of what actually transpired -- not subjective opinions on what we THINK will happen.

For now I'm just tired of trying to wring any more blood from this pregame stone.

EDIT: Per the request in the comments section, tonight's weather calls for temps in the mid-70s, partly cloudy skies and only a 20% chance of rain. In other words, perfect football weather.

View the complete entry of "I'm Tired Of Talking And Hearing About This Damn Game"

Pep Rally TONIGHT, 7:00, Harris Fields

Help us launch the 2009 football season with an on-campus pep rally the night before the Wolfpack’s opening game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Coach Tom O’Brien and members of his 2009 team will speak at the rally. O’Brien will be introduced by Dick DeAngelis ’58, a lineman on the NC State team that beat USC in 1957 to lock up our first ACC football title and a 7-1-2 season. The NC State Marching Band, cheerleaders and other student organizations are also scheduled to perform.

Questions? Contact Jeramy Blackford '04, Alumni Association director of student programs, at jeramy_blackford@ncsu.edu.

View N.C. State Pep Rally, 9/2/09 in a larger map

View the complete entry of "Pep Rally TONIGHT, 7:00, Harris Fields"

30 hours, 48 minutes...

...not that anyone's counting.

To get you in the mood, here's a two-part series on the history of State football up to 1991. Enjoy.

View the complete entry of "30 hours, 48 minutes..."

Degenerates (Still) Love The Pack

Continuing a trend from last season, the betting public is a big fan of Tom O'Brien and the Wolfpack

1: North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-2-1 ATS, 6-7 SU in 2008) The Wolfpack may have the best young quarterback that you’ve never heard of in sophomore QB Russell Wilson. Wilson’s yardage and completion percentage weren’t impressive last season, but he took care of the football. His 17/1 TD/INT ratio was the best in the country, and he has the longest streak of passes without throwing an INT in the land as well. HC Tom O’Brien is hoping for big things out of his squad right from the get go this year.

Up Next: Home vs. South Carolina

Since the public's betting habits dictate the spread, winning against the spread is typically an indicator your team is generally underrated. Conversely, losing against the spread typically indicates a team that's overrated. Hence Clemson's spot at #12 in the ACC last year at 4-7 ATS despite a 7-6 mark straight-up.

View the complete entry of "Degenerates (Still) Love The Pack"

The People Have Spoken: New Uniform Design DEAD

Big ups to Steven for catching this last night: An article in yesterday's Technician says the new uniforms have been scrapped and the team will wear last year's design.

After a swift outcry from students and fans, the N.C. State Athletics Department has opted to scrap its new white jerseys for the men’s basketball team and return to a design similar to the one it used last year.

The jerseys, provided free of cost due to endorsement deals with Adidas sporting goods company, will have “N.C. State” printed across the chest.

“We were looking for a positive outcome, but since this didn’t turn out that way, we’re more than willing to go back to the old way and move forward,” Athletic Director Lee Fowler said.

The Athletic Department posted pictures of the new jerseys on Twitter Wednesday afternoon and angry comments immediately flooded Internet chat rooms and message boards.

“It seems to have created some controversy, and there’s nothing [Lowe], I, or the department would rather avoid than making the students upset,” Fowler said.

The jerseys featured the word “State” above the player’s number, with the letters “NC” clustered above them. Fowler and coach Sidney Lowe said they were discouraged from only including the word “State,” as schools such as Michigan State University have on their jerseys.

The article further states that Lowe partnered with folks on his staff when coming up with the design. Putting the pieces together, that tells me that Sidney pushed for the word "State" across the chest but had to compromise with someone in the process to incorporate the letters "NC." So if the design looked like the NC were thrown in after the fact, it most likely was.

I'm not sure who stepped forward in the process to discourage the use of the word "State" without the "NC," but I'd love to have a sit down with them. Perhaps they could convince me why it matters that Michigan State uses a similar design, given that State wore that design well prior to the days of David Thompson. The photo after the jump, from the State library collection, dates back to 1952:

(Continues)

State apparently used only the term "State" on their jerseys those days all the way until the early 1990's. Here's a photo of Chris Corchiani wearing a State-only version:


And here's the dreaded Unitard with the "N.C." added:


So did the Unitard not only represent the single worst athletic apparel move in the history of sport, but also kill off the "State"-only jerseys for good? It appears so.

View the complete entry of "The People Have Spoken: New Uniform Design DEAD"