Saturday features a battle between two highly touted Virginia high school quarterbacks who have gone on to have success in the ACC. Both Tyrod Taylor and Russell Wilson played their final prep seasons in 2005. Since then, Taylor has been a part of two ACC titles and Wilson was an All-ACC performer last year as a redshirt freshman.
StateFans Nation has an in-depth breakdown of the matchup. There's also a lot more on Saturday's game, the women's soccer team, roadtrips, freezing lake dips and beating Varly tips. Links after the jump.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Marika Gray back to her old self (Darryl Slater)
"Despite playing recklessly as a kid, she had avoided a major injury. Her dad wouldn’t let her take up soccer until she was 9 because he feared she’d hurt herself. For good reason. In first grade, she came home with a knot on her head after a boy shoved her into the goal post when she scored. Then there were the scars from falling off the jungle gym, the scraped elbows from playing football, always with the boys."
Virginia Tech women’s soccer building on success (Mark Viera)
"Cagle has tried to instill core values in the players: competing, accountability, responsibility. They participate in a decathlon in the offseason. They know that showing up on time to practice means they are actually late. They are told to carry themselves with positive body language (but smiles are also mandated before playing)."
Jim Weaver on football scheduling, soccer violations (Darryl Slater)
"The 2010 non-league schedule currently looks like this: Sept. 4 at home against Central Michigan, Sept. 18 at home against East Carolina and Oct. 2 vs. Boise State at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. The schedule also includes conference games at Miami, North Carolina, Boston College and North Carolina State, and home ACC contests against Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Wake Forest."
Kam's Career (Kyle Tucker)
"Chancellor might not have lived up to Gray’s prediction, and he has been frequently (and sometimes unfairly) criticized by fans, but he has been a key part of Tech’s defense throughout his career. And along with a handful of not-so-hot games where he missed a big tackle or was beaten deep by a receiver, Chancellor has had some huge, huge games for the Hokies."
Grimm bemused by his prospects of NFL career (Randy King)
"Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm says it still hasn't hit him that he may be a viable candidate to one day play in the NFL. However, Grimm's superb senior season -- his 85 tackles rank third in the ACC and his four forced fumbles lead the league -- and his excellence on special teams have made such a dream far from a long shot."
The man, the myth: Mark Muncey (Mark Viera)
"Who? Muncey is a fifth-year senior who plays on special teams for the Hokies. While many Virginia Tech fans might not know his name, he is perhaps the most interesting character on the team. Over the past few weeks, Grimm has told a host of Muncey stories. On Monday, Muncey met with reporters for the first time to offer a first-hand account of his hijinx."
NC State Wolfpack
When Does The Hurting Stop? (Backing The Pack)
"2.) Ryan Williams. Oh god, Ryan Williams. Williams leads the ACC with 1235 yards and ranks 5th in yards per carry (5.8). I'll set the over/under on his YPC against the Wolfpack at 6.5. What do you think?"
Two Virginia Prep Titans Square Off (StateFans Nation)
"Saturday afternoon in Lane Stadium, two of the best-ever Virginia high school QB products will lead their respective teams when NC State visits Virginia Tech. Tyrod Taylor, a Hampton High School graduate, has paced the Hokies this year and has improved a great deal in his third year. He’s become an effective leader for the Hokie offense, an efficient passer and is always a threat to run on his own, often for big yardage."
We F**king Ownz the Waterz Beetches! (Yet Another...)
NC State has already beaten Virginia Tech. In bass fishing: "I think to be fair they should just allow the other teams to fish with dynamite. Because really, when the Bass Pack take to the water, everyone else is just fishing for second place."
Wilson downplays financial factor (Ken Tysiac)
"Wilson reiterated his desire to be a Hall of Fame major league baseball player and quarterback. He hasn't announced a timetable for deciding on his football future at N.C. State, and O'Brien doesn't expect to discuss the issue with Wilson until after the football season ends."
Atlantic Coast Conference
A lesson for freshmen from some old guy (From The Rumble Seat)
"I don't know if this post is supposed to be a form of self-chastisement or celebration, because I'm a little embarrassed to admit the hedonism that has occurred this semester. I think everyone in our road-tripping group has completely agreed that we will never, ever, ever subject ourselves to this kind of punishment ever again. It's been an incredible year, and while I would never travel and carouse as much as I have ever again, it's been totally worth it. And to everyone who actually reads this blog it is probably very obvious why it was so fun."
Ann Bowden: "They Need Us More Than We Need Them" (Scalp Em)
"Quotes like the above do nothing but solidify the fact that I can’t wait for the FSU football program to go in another direction. I think the Bowdens underestimate the fact that while FSU does need a great football program and the money that goes along with it, FSU does not need a great Bowden-led football program. The scary thing is that the administration is going to half ass it yet again and continue the tradition of caving into the wishes of a football coach, instead of doing what’s right for the university."
Comparing the ACC and Big Ten in football (Blogger So Dear)
"If each team in the Big Ten played their equal in the ACC, I would be willing to bet that those top teams in the ACC would come out on top over the Big Ten. That's not to discount Iowa, PSU and Ohio State (sorry, again, I really just don't think Wisconsin is that good--just like I don't think UNC is that good either.) I just think that paired up--Georgia Tech vs. OSU, Virginia Tech vs. Penn State, Clemson vs. Iowa, etc...--the ACC would win more games."
Wanna look like you got stuck head-first in a spider web? (The 7th Floor)
"Is it me? Can I get Nina Garcia in here? Perhaps I'm just still in a bad mood, but, I dunno, Nike, can we get some gold chains or something?"
What to make of Shinskie's stats? (Eagle in Atlanta)
"Does this confirm what many of us are "seeing?" I would say that based on the stats you can say that Shinskie's not as accurate as he needs to be. He is aggressive though and willing and capably of going long."
Around the Nation
Mizzou Basketball Preview (Part Six): Spirit Animals (Rock M Nation)
"Anyways, I happened to pick up a book on spirituality, namely shamanism. I leafed through this book and read all about animal spirits. Apparently, shamans believed that every person had a spirit animal, an animal spirit that lives inside each person adding to their power and acting as sort of a guardian angel. Basically, you get the wisdom of that animal, as well as some of its attributes."
Why Play A 12th Game? (Alligator Army)
"Florida has taken a third route; using the 12th game exclusively as an ATM machine. Yes, Florida scheduled Miami for a home-and-home, but won't add Miami on a permanent basis. UF clearly looks at the 12th game as a way to make money and nothing else."
Whither Mirror Lake? (Eleven Warriors)
"While convenient for the University, who’s stuck footing the refinishing of the lake’s bottom year-after-year, diminished jump participation, a poorly coordinate rescheduling of the jump, or little excitement surrounding the happening in future classes could spell the end what’d often devolved into Woodstock with hypothermia."
Lose It Or Move It (Black Shoe Diaries)
"Students don't deserve any additional seats after this season. And given the dregs that are on the schedule next season, not to mention what is probably a four-loss Penn State team, who thinks the student attendance will even be equal to their paltry 2009 attendance? Anyone? Alex has an organization to defend, and he's right to do so. Nobody can doubt the dedication of the Paternoville kids, but that passion simply doesn't extend to the rest of the student season ticket holders."
Revamping the Offense in Midseason: Causes and Effects (Corn Nation)
"That's the fundamental question that Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson will need to address in the offseason: why was there a need to revamp the offense midseason? Did the coaches make faulty assumptions or faulty decisions? Or did the players simply fail to step up and deliver, despite the best actions and interventions of the coaches. Only the staff can really answer that, and that's a fundamental question that this staff will need to answer after the season is over."
Silence and a lot of standing around (George Schroeder)
"Chip Kelly didn’t play Blount against Arizona State, and it was the right call despite what many fans thought. Kelly doesn’t owe Blount playing time. While the young man is climbing all those unspecified ladders, he needs to climb the depth chart, too."
Stuff Only I Care About
No One Remembers Shockdome (mgoblog)
"This is obvious in retrospect, right? Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. There is a slight chance he knows what he's doing. And even if you are one of the folk who really believes emotion and momentum overwhelm probability in football, not even broaching the idea that Belichick might be on to something is simultaneously stupid and arrogant—neat trick."
Anti-Feminism is Always To Blame (Bootlegger Sports)
"Well, except that one time where she very famously did do exactly that. But then, everything looks worse if you remember it and have proof on film. Destroy that video and what do you have? Nothing but hearsay and that won’t hold up in any court. You know, I do have to applaud Lambert for not trying to play up some ridiculous, tired feminist angle to this whole ordeal."
Derek Roy: Small in Size, Large in Talent (Die By The Blade)
"In Buffalo, Derek Roy possesses those very same qualities. While he's not the biggest guy Lindy Ruff has, his contributions on a nightly basis are immeasurable. A special teams contributor both ways (power play and penalty killing), Roy can lead the way offensively, does everything in his power for the sake of the club and maintains a responsible all-around display."
From Timmy to Tyler (The Goose's Roost)
"It’s an interesting comparison when you think about it. Dineen also mentioned that both Kennedy and Ennis are not natural centers, and so they’ve had to work hard to transition into that role. He also called Ennis their "top player" so far, something that Kennedy was called throughout much of last season."
How Many Rookies is Normal in the NHL? (The Copper & Blue)
"You could maybe make a case that the teams with no rookies do substantially better. In some ways this is probably a selection bias since teams that end the year with no rookies playing 60 games have probably been very healthy and I would imagine that good health is probably the bigger factor. You might even be able to argue that teams who employ only one rookie over the course of the season tend to do better but the difference really isn't very big and there are really good teams across the board."
Why There's a Book on Semyon Varlamov (Japers' Rink)
"And yet the book on Varly remains the same: go high glove. In fact, he's been beaten there a couple of times in his last three outings. After the jump we're going to take a closer look at these goals to get a better understanding of just why savvy shooters are picking that spot to snipe."