If you want to see Appalachian State against an in-state FBS opponent, Saturday's your day at East Carolina. The Apps play Florida (2010), Virginia Tech (2011) and Georgia (2013) but won't be making any appearances in the Triangle, or Winston-Salem, any time soon.
Of course, UNC, N.C. State and Duke do play two games each against FCS opponents this season, so that's not the problem.
After a nine year hiatus, Buzz Peterson returns to Appalachian State to coach the Mountaineer basketball team.
Back in 1993, UNC Chapel Hill set a state record by collecting 1,052 pints of blood at its one-day blood drive. At the time, it was the largest single-day collection in North Carolina, a record that held until last September.
That's when the folks at Appalachian State took ownership of the title, collecting 1,060 pints.
On Tuesday, June 2, UNC wants its title back. It will hold its annual blood drive at the Dean E. Smith Center from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a goal of 1,100 pints.
For more info or to register to give blood, click here.
It took a mighty offensive effort, including three home runs, but North Carolina survived a 9-8 contest with Appalachian State at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday.
How's this for unusual?
Christian Kucab, a Raleigh native and graduate of Appalachian State University, recently aced the LSAT, the law school admissions test.
Aced it. As in perfect score.
About 125,000 people took the test when Kucab did, recounted Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the UNC system's Board of Governors, which recognized Kucab Friday. Of that, fewer than 25 got a perfect score, Gage said, prompting a boisterous round of applause.
"We're so proud of you," Gage told Kucab, a graduate of Raleigh Charter School. "You represent the brightest and the best and are the reason we do what we do."
Kucab took a year off after graduating from Appalachian State and is working now for a law firm in Raleigh. He plans to attend law school in the fall. He has not decided where to attend. With that score, he'll probably have a few to choose from.
A tough nonconference schedule has East Carolina traveling to the mountains and the Triangle this fall. The Pirates open with Appalachian State on Sept. 5 and travel to UNC on Sept. 19.
N.C. State and Wake Forest are missing from ECU's nonconference schedule, but in their place, the Pirates, Conference-USA champions in 2008, will take on two-time defending ACC champion Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Appalachian State will play two nonconference games against schools from the UNC system, ECU and N.C. Central, in football in 2009, just not the two schools the App faithful would prefer.
The Mountaineers travel to East Carolina for the 2009 opener, on Sept. 5, the schools announced Tuesday. ASU and ECU have not met since 1979.
NCCU will travel to Boone on Oct. 10.
I'm preparing now for the Yosef barrage come next September.
Uh-oh, App State, your 35-32 loss to James Madison on Saturday was damaging on several fronts.
1) Duke beat the same James Madison team 31-7
2) You're no longer the top dog in I-AA
3) You choked away a 21-point lead
Since we had such a lively discussion in August, I figured you still had something to say. Go ahead.
DURHAM — The ACC is truly upside down, or in trouble, probably both.
On a day when its preseason favorite got drilled by an SEC team, the best team since expansion lost to a Conference USA team and a third team lost at home by 45 points to a Pac-10 team, it was Duke — Duke! — who flew the conference flag with a 31-7 win over James Madison.
Poor ol’ Joe Giglio.
He was born with a Bowl Championship Series spoon in his mouth.
Bless his young heart and bright brain, but he wasn’t there when Indiana State almost won the NCAA basketball championship in 1979, or when UNC Charlotte probably should have won it in 1977, or when Brigham Young finished first in the final Associated Press football poll for the 1984 season.
