Doesn't seem like much happened in the two weeks I was gone.
Merely: East Carolina's dream season imploding at Carter-Finley; N.C. State losing its two most important players; North Carolina losing its QB; the Hurricanes losing Rod Brind'Amour and Justin Williams while the NHL was rejecting Eric Staal's new contract; Florida State capitulating to Wake Forest; Charlotte running out of gas; the U.S. winning the Ryder Cup in dominating fashion and Clay Aiken announcing he is gay.
• Read Terry Holland's letter to N.C. State, UNC (PDF)
The dispute over football scheduling between East Carolina and N.C. State remained unresolved Thursday.
Both schools released to the media a June 18, 2008, letter East Carolina athletics director Terry Holland sent to his counterparts, Lee Fowler at N.C. State and Dick Baddour at North Carolina.
Coach Tom O’Brien said Thursday that Harrison Beck will start at quarterback against South Florida, but N.C. State’s injury report didn’t rule out regular starter Russell Wilson’s return.
Wilson was listed as doubtful, which means he has a 25 percent chance of playing in Saturday’s game at Carter-Finley Stadium.
N.C. State welcomes NCHSAA regional meeting
• Read Terry Holland's letter to N.C. State, UNC (PDF)
You know a football rivalry is hot when the athletic directors can't even agree when two schools are supposed to play.
In an e-mail released to the media Wednesday, Terry Holland said East Carolina expects N.C. State to honor a contractual obligation to play five times between now and 2016 unless the schools reach a mutually agreeable alternative schedule.
N.C. State's Lee Fowler said he has a letter dated June 18, 2008, indicating Holland's agreement in principle that the schools will play just three times during that period.
Staff video: Travis Long, Caulton Tudor and Joe Giglio
Topic: Can UNC and N.C. State survive without their quarterbacks?
N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien apparently touched a nerve at South Florida with comments he made last week about the Bulls’ defense.
After practice on Sept. 18, O’Brien was asked if any N.C. State staffers had visited South Florida during their offseason quest to study ways to stop the spread offense.
N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson injured his right (throwing) shoulder during the first half of last week’s 30-24 overtime win over East Carolina, a source close to the program said Tuesday.
Coach Tom O’Brien announced Monday that Wilson will miss Saturday’s game against South Florida, but would not disclose the nature of the injury. Wilson previously suffered a Grade 3 concussion in the Aug. 28 opener at South Carolina and returned to the starting lineup 16 days later at Clemson.
N.C. State running back Jamelle Eugene said something after Saturday’s defeat of East Carolina that seems cruelly ironic now.
Eugene had just played for the first time after missing three games with an ankle injury. He said that as other players return from injuries, the Wolfpack would improve.
The injury situation in N.C. State’s football program officially passed the surreal point with today’s news that quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Nate Irving will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against South Florida.
There’s probably no way to accurately measure such things, but I’ve been covering college football for many years and I can never recall a program going through a more devastating two-year stretch of rotten luck.
