Football postmortem, Hoops, and a White Sox Winner

Dude, Whatever
Grasping at straws:

"I'm surprised at the way we played," NCSU coach Chuck Amato said. "One play seemed to do something to turn it all around. We missed making a play, they make a big play out of it and go down and score, and it just steam-rolled."

Late in the first quarter, State linebacker Stephen Tulloch sniffed out a screen pass and made his move on an interception. But the ball slipped out of Tulloch's hands, Clemson receiver Chansi Stuckey snatched it out of the air and streaked for a 22-yard gain.

"After that, things went sour," Williams said. "If not for that play, ... we might have scored and had the momentum."

This is so weak. One missed INT that turned into a 22-yard gain. The Tigers go from 3rd-and-4 at their 45 to 1st-and-10 at NC State's 33. That's it? That's the big, psychologically damaging turning point? Even if you could make the case that "momentum" exists and that this play had an obvious effect on it, how could any play occurring in the first quarter impact a game so dramatically?

Funny note from that play: after Tulloch tipped the ball, Phillip Holloman, who was moving in to tackle Chansi Stuckey, let up and began jumping up and down in celebration. Stuckey then caught the tip and took it for the 22 yard gain. Holloman could have ended the play in the backfield had he simply stayed with the ball. That's what we call a perfect microcosm.


Ooh, hoops!
Seth Davis shows that him sucking at things isn't merely limited to March:

13. N.C. State: Will losing Julius Hodge be addition by subtraction?

My opinion of Hodge vacillated from year to year, game to game and sometimes from possession to possession. While Hodge's versatility and talent cannot be questioned (his winning drive in the second-round against UConn last year was the program's biggest bucket in more than a decade), the Wolfpack suffered when his teammates relegated themselves to bystanders. Now all hands must be on deck in Raleigh, and the 'Pack has some pretty good paws -- most notably those belonging to 6-10 sophomore center Andrew Brackman. N.C. State doesn't have any player as talented as Hodge was, but its whole may wind up exceeding the sum of his parts.

I can't believe this question is even being posed. There are plenty of reasons why we'll miss Jules.


Jon Garland