...and hopefully some wake-up calls were delivered.

Not gonna do the cliche "tale-of-two-halves" cop-out --- that doesn't cover it --- but allowing 50 points in a half... seriously? Anyway, here we go:

- Let's start there: First-half defense was almost nonexistent. Poor execution and poor game-plan (more on that below), and mostly poor EFFORT. Yep, our ol' trusty bugaboo --- EFFORT. Lazy forces, guys allowing themselves to get picked off by predictable screens, and late (or no) block/rim help.

- And speaking of the latter, Bacot looked like he was still on a TV set, and Nance like he was reading a newspaper on the backside block Jeezus H. As for screens, granted, COC (especially #35) threw more moving screens than the Green Bay Packers O-Line, but you can't count on those being called (especially in a Roger Ayers game) --- you hafta be tough and make that jabronie feel it when you're FIGHTING THRU, and put out the extra effort to beat the screener to the spot.

- OK, to the defensive game-plan: Look, sure we're good enough that we SHOULD be able to defend these guys with our base stuff, and sure, we want the guys to execute, but being stubbornly vanilla can become counter-productive to that end. I was briefly enticed when we snapped some doubles off their inbound plays (and it completely disrupted their action when we did it, BTW), I was let down from there. Mixiing in some snap doubles in 30/40 looks would have not only foiled COC's (largely successful) efforts at controlling tempo, but meanwhile, it would gave ignited our own, not to mention rev up the effort. Aggressive doubles would also put a stop to the nonsense of their guys being able to back into the block with impunity.

- What I'm assuming was a halftime blistering was fortunately able to light a fire under some butts, and the second-half defensive effort was light-years better --- both on and OFF the ball --- and the result showed for it. In paticular, we reacted better to those guys trying to play iso-ball.

- And speaking of effort, rebounding once again was disappointing. Opponents aren't just gonna stand there and concede boards just because we're bigger.

- Let's get to the positive --- THE most important adjustment from Monday's debacle was a COMMITMENT TO TRANSITION ftom the get-go. WOO-HOO! Good thing, too --- it sure as hell kept us the game in our defense-free first half... and fueled the 59 pts (and biscuits) in the 2nd. I figured recent practices featured mryiad 3-on-2-2-on-1 drills and a lotta running, and it showed. Sure it was clunky at times (Pete, stay the hell outta the sideline lanes --- you're a Big!), or like when Caleb would just throw up a random 3-pointer or RJ arbitrarily decided to do a Larry Drew ball-stopping imitation. But by and large, transition generated the best Carolina basketball we've seen of late. I mean, there were actual OUTLET PASSES(!!!).

- Y'know... amazing thing about our transition game --- if affords myriad opportunities to ATTACK THE RIM vs an unset defense. Amazing how that happens.

- The other adjustment that fueled the second half turnaround was POUNDING THE ROCK INSIDE on set plays. Right outta the Dean Smith playbook, we started with the first possession after the half.. Just as important, the Mando we know finally woke the hell up, AND we got him the rock DEEPER in the post.

- As for personnel, the other thing that kept us in the first half was Leaky's efficient and timely play. And honestly, I wish was even more aggressive --- he had a mismatch every time he touched the ball.

- Ball movenent was night-and-day better than Monday, and Caleb in particular was in his element attacking the rim off the Secondary.

- It's early... and not to bang on any player individually, Hubert needs to do better with the rotation --- particularly some of the seat-of-the-pants substitution patterns that created clunky stretches in both halves. There were positives from everyone as well as lapses, but from what these eyes gleaned, there should have been a bit more Dunn and Nickel, a bit less Trimble, and Styles will never find a rhythm at this rate of usage.

Anyway, one last point about transition: Ain't it amazin' that we only had 8 TOs, huh? We ran more, passed more and pushed tempo... and nonetheless took care of the rock. Aggression can have its rewards. Hmm... imagine that. Let's hope that becomes a habit......

Just wanted to state some of the obvious things which has been noticeable.
1. Turn overs are down tremendously
2. Sacks are down
3. Penalties are down, from holding, to false starts

Pretty sure the sacks are down due to Drake's mobility of avoiding them, with quick release and moving out of the pocket to make throws. We still have to work on our running game, but that will improve going forward. Since all of the offensive lineman are suppose to be back next year, that will assist in this endeavor.

Brandon, Deana and I are in the press box and Kevin is on the field shooting.

This game can go in a lot of directions, and I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

It's that time of year where the major sports are gone and then there is baseball (or Stanley Cup). So I come up with stuff to keep me from being bored and lonely on the site...lol

Comeback Player of the Year
- Offense - OL William Barnes
- Defense - DL Keeshawn Silver/ DE Desmond Evans

I think all of these guys will take advantage of new coaches. Position coaches or schemes of coordinators. I'm looking at Silver's weight closely...that will tell me how committed he is. He put on too much bad weight too quickly IMO.

MVP
- Offense - WR Downs
- Defense - DL Myles Murphy

I know probably very boring picks here...

Rookie of the Year
- Offense - OL Zach Rice/ WR Andre Greene
- Defense - DL Travis Shaw

OUR THREE MOST TALENTED FRESHMEN AND MAYBE PLAYERS AT THEIR POSITIONS!!! It will be difficult keeping these guys off the field. It will be all about mental preparation and maturity whether they see the field or not.

Surprise Player
- Offense - TE/ WR Bryson Nesbitt/ WR Antione Green
- Defense - Nickel DeAndre Boykins

With Boykins...this is more like the broken clock theory for me. I've been hoping for big things from him for a while. We will see... Again...he may benefit from the scheme change. Nesbitt has been discussed frequently by the Mods but he still has to put up numbers. You can see the talent dripping off this kid but he HAS to clean up the blocking. Green just needs to catch the ball at this point and then make plays. He needs to make those 50/50 plays to make it to the next level.

Thought this deserved a thread of its own. Heels crack USA Today Top 10. Klempsun at #9 .. My guess is we'll be around 12 in the CFP poll, but still quite an accomplishment, and several ahead of us will lose because of head-to-head matchups coming up. And unlike the start of last year, this one is earned. Now let's go out and keep it.
Heels land at #10, Klempsun at #9.
Step in the right direction.
@andrew jones ?

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/after-three-college-football-playoff-contenders-fall-who-joins-the-top-10-our-college-football-coaches-poll-prediction/ar-AA143yxa?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=98d8b7d6a83e40e6845bcce949e8b8c4

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With no changes in the top five but three teams set to drop out of the top 10, here's how this week's poll should start:

1. Georgia (10-0)

The Bulldogs couldn't get things going on the ground against Mississippi State and had to rely on quarterback Stetson Bennett to move the ball offensively. Bennett had 25 completions in 37 attempts for 289 yards and three touchdown, though he did thrown two interceptions for the second time in three games. While the 45-19 final properly represents Georgia's dominance, Kirby Smart should shoulder responsibility for poor clock management late in the first half that led to a Mississippi State punt return for a touchdown, making it 17-12 at the break.

2. Ohio State (10-0)

After struggling in last week's win against Northwestern, the Buckeyes poured it on Indiana early with 21 points in the first quarter and galloped to a 56-14 win. Coming off the worst start of his career, C.J. Stroud threw for 297 yards and five scores on 10.6 yards per attempt to regain some footing in the Heisman Trophy race.

3. Michigan (10-0)

Michigan didn't quite have the field day most expected against Nebraska, which managed to do a pretty good job slowing down J.J. McCarthy but managed nothing offensively in the Wolverines' 34-3 win. Beating one of the worst teams in the FBS is old news for Michigan — add the woeful Cornhuskers to Indiana, Colorado State, Hawaii and others. Maybe the Wolverines are just bored?

4. TCU (10-0)

The defense thing is a new twist for TCU, which had crawled out of multiple deficits in Big 12 play and held off several upset bids by leaning on Max Duggan and a terrific offense. But the Horned Frogs bottled up Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who had just 29 yards on the ground, and hassled quarterback Quinn Ewers, who averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt.

5. Tennessee (9-1)

Overconfidence near the end of the first half breathed some life into Missouri's upset bid, turning the Volunteers' 28-14 lead into a 28-24 game in the third quarter. Could the Tigers pull off the upset? Would the Volunteers wilt after the emotional letdown of last week's loss to Georgia? Tennessee responded with Hendon Hooker's 68-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt, kicking off a 38-0 run that left the Tigers in the dust.

6. Southern California (9-1)

As expected, the Trojans sailed past Colorado in Friday night's 55-17 win. But not without incident: USC running back Travis Dye was injured in the second quarter and is expected to miss the rest of the season, Lincoln Riley said. Dye ranked second in the Pac-12 with 884 rushing yards and was averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

7. LSU (8-2)

Whether LSU looked good against Arkansas matters much, much less than the end result. The 13-10 win against Arkansas maintains the Tigers' playoff hopes, which requires a clean finish through November — against Alabama-Birmingham and Texas A&M — and then pulling off what would be an enormous upset against Georgia.

8. Alabama (8-2)

The Crimson Tide will bounce back into the top 10 after making a late defensive stand to beat Mississippi 30-24. While the win punched the Tide's ticket to the New Year's Six barring an upset loss to Auburn to end the month, topping the Rebels gives the SEC West to LSU and ends any realistic hopes of making the playoff.

9. Clemson (9-1)

Clemson will also return to the top 10 with a win against Louisville, which had won four in a row before but was unable to overcome an injury to quarterback Malik Cunningham. Without Cunningham, the Cardinals couldn't put together extended drives against the Tigers' defense. On the other side, DJ Uiagalelei had his best game in weeks with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns.

10. North Carolina (9-1)

Look for the Tar Heels to take a nice leap up the poll after outlasting Wake Forest in a 36-34 win. As expected, the game was decided by the play of quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Hartman, two of the nation's best. While Hartman threw four touchdowns and averaged 10.1 yards per attempt, Maye finished with 448 yards through the air, 71 yards on the ground and five total touchdowns. The redshirt freshman may be playing his way into a spot as a Heisman finalist.

We just win baby! I don’t think that I was really expecting us to be 9-1, but I preached it last season. It’s a process. Gotta give a new staff 5 years before you can see if it’s going to work out. Sometimes it happens quickly and fades. Paw paw is still building the program up, but Drake Maye accelerated the program very quickly. Yes, Mack is BACK and we have a shot at getting a 42 year old Gorilla off our backs on Dec. 3rd. It will be very fitting to dethrone King Dabo and the Clemson Tigers.

Outside of Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech all of the teams are bowl eligible. Most people says the bowl do not matter if you are not in the College Football playoff. But this provide the conference with a chance to make a statement, hopefully it will be against some SEC, and Big Ten schools. The parity has been there in most of the games, excluding a few that were not competitive. The top tier teams appears to be Clemson, UNC, and Florida State at the moment, but we still have two more weeks of football to be played. Things change from week to week, never thought State would lose to BC.

Are injured. When Puff and Jalen are able to play, our rebounding numbers will improve.

Of course when Nance realizes he is a big man and stop watching the ball and go and get it…he will help the rebound total.

I fully expect Bacot to get at least ten 20 rebounds games…..right now his energy is being drained from watching RJ dribble.

This game on paper looks like a old fashion shoot out because both teams are the tops in the ACC in offense proficiency but they also bring up the rear in defense proficiency…

I understand why the Demon Deacons are a slight favorite because they are at home unlike the last two years. They are coming off two straight games with losses featuring a ton of turnovers and they are pissed off and lastly they have a five year senior at quarterback who puts up big numbers.

I believe Drake Maye will have to carry UNC in the air and with his legs to keep Carolina in the game and somehow the defense will have to come up with some stops and turnovers to keep the winning streak on the road intact…

If we had to play all of the teams in the Atlantic this year, how would we do?

Clemson - Loss
Syracuse - Win
$tate - Loss
FSU - Loss
Louisville - Loss (I think that Cunningham would kill us with his legs)
Wake - Loss
BC - Win

I feel very lucky to be in the Coastal. Thanks Swofford! 😂😂

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UNC vs Gardner-Webb Prediction Thread, Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 8PM

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Armstrong has thrown 2 int. that have been returned for touchdowns by Pitt. Pitt offense has yet to take the field at the 13:09 mark of the first quarter. Hoping for this performance from us today at Weak Forest.