DURHAM - North Carolina coach Butch Davis earlier this week compared Duke's passing offense to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

That drew laughter from Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, who coached the Colt's quarterback Peyton Manning at Tennessee: "Well, let's see," he said. "I don't see [wideout] Reggie Wayne out there nor Peyton."

DURHAM -- Everywhere he looks in the Bull City, Duke football coach David Cutcliffe said North Carolina light blue outnumbers Duke blue.

The Blue Devils' second-year coach, who lives in Durham, has found himself surrounded by North Carolina fans and Tar Heel blue. When he arrived he was amazed at the proximity of the two schools.

Hip hop has a new hero and it's none other than former Duke great J.J. Redick.

The erstwhile ACC scoring king told allhiphop.com that he's releasing an album with a rap "super group" before the end of the year.

Staff video by Travis Long, Joe Giglio, Caulton Tudor

Topic: The big Duke-Carolina football game and Virginia Tech's trip to ECU.

CARY — Tiffany McCarty was just too much to handle.

The Florida State sophomore forward broke free in the second half, leading her team to a 2-0 win over Duke in the first round of the ACC Women's Soccer Championship at WakeMed Soccer Park Wednesday.

DURHAM - Duke coach David Cutcliffe said North Carolina's defense is "by far the best defense in our league."

He said playmakers will make the biggest difference on Saturday when the rival Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1) and Tar Heels (5-3, 1-3) kickoff in Chapel Hill at 3:30 p.m.

"You've got to like a challenge," Cutcliffe said. "It's fun. This is what you do it for to play against those type of teams."

TED RICHARDSON - trichard@newsobserver.com

DURHAM – As junior guard Nolan Smith, center, sat on the bench in the first half Tuesday night, Duke wobbled like a truck with one under-inflated tire.

Like it or not, though, the Blue Devils will have to get used to playing without Smith for a couple games. After Duke defeated Findlay 84-48 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that Smith will miss the first two games of the regular season because of an NCAA suspension.

DURHAM - Duke junior guard Nolan Smith has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for playing in a non-sanctioned summer league, team spokesman Matt Plizga said Tuesday.

Smith will miss the Nov. 13 season opener against UNC Greensboro and the Nov. 16 game against Coastal Carolina. Plizga said Smith thought the league he was playing in had been approved by the NCAA and didn't find out otherwise until he returned to campus.

Duke has picked up its 16th commitment in Clerance France, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker at Carver High in Columbus, Ga.

France, who has 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash, was also offered scholarships by Western Kentucky and Troy.

Duke junior forward Kyle Singler was the only ACC player named to The Associated Press’ preseason All-America men’s basketball team Monday.

Singler, who also was voted the preseason ACC player of the year by the media, averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season.