N.C. State, hot off of four consecutive ACC wins, accepted a bid to play Rutgers in the Papajohns.com Bowl (they sell virtual pizza to Nintendo Wii Avatars) at 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 29. Yes – it’s a bowl. But 3 p.m. on a Monday?
Yes, it’s on ESPN, but pretty much all bowl games are televised nationally somehow. I’m guessing that they’re probably arguing that a lot of people are off for the holidays – but a lot of us now have to get off work just to watch the game. Why not a better timeslot on ESPN 2? They’re just going to be showing bowling or cricket or soccer or some other lame sport, anyway.
Not to sound totally ungrateful – after the 2-6 start to the season, any kind of postseason is something to be happy about. But the Pack played some very inspired football down the stretch – including that spectacular 41-10 victory in Chapel Hill – and has the kind of explosive offense that N.C. State fans haven’t seen since the departure of Philip Rivers.
Russell Wilson – there’s a lot to be said about the recently named ACC Rookie of the Year, but I think this sums it up: for the 2008 regular season, Wilson threw 16 touchdowns and one interception. He hasn’t thrown a pick in his last 226 pass attempts, the best such streak in the nation. And it’s his first year.
A word for the primary receivers he likes to throw to, Owen Spencer and Jarvis Willi: Catch the ball! Your drops have been costing the team points, and most of those drops have been on passes that Wilson put on the money. If a quarterback is throwing perfect darts that are hitting you on the numbers in stride, there’s simply no excuse.
Like N.C. State, Rutgers is on a hot streak. And we have a strange connection in terms of common opponents: N.C. State suffered an embarrassing 41-10 home loss on a miserably rainy night to South Florida, a team that Rutgers beat 49-16 on Nov. 15; Rutgers, on the other hand, suffered a nationally-televised 44-12 home loss to UNC, a team we later beat 41-10.
Despite the game’s crappy time, be prepared for a real fight down in Birmingham.
-Joel Isaac Frady
