O'Brien Wins 100th

Most coaches when they realize the Gatorade bath is coming do all they can to deflect the flow but last night with just a few seconds left in the Champs Bowl Game N C State's Tom O'Brien stood and took the whole jug as if he enjoyed every drop.

It was his 100th as a college coach and squared his record in Raleigh to 25-25. The former Marines four years in Raleigh have been a road map and in other years when the defense needed Red Shirt players to play, O'Brien has stuck with the plan and let them sit a year and finally the fruits are blossoming. Regardless of whether Russell Wilson returns or not the Pack will be in the fight for the conference crown and if Wilson returns will have a Heisman candidate to tout.

Coach K can move past Dean Smith on the wins list tonight in Greensboro as the Blue Devils tangle with UNC-Greensboro. There have been years when this would be a blow out for Duke but not any more. Duke should still move Coach K up the wins list.

Carolina and State had big wins in basketball last night. I see both improving but whether either finishes with 20 wins is still up in the air.

Today the Nations Capitol will be purple as the ECU Pirates invade RFK Stadium. RFK Stadium over the years was my favorite place to watch football games. I remember twice in my life taking the Carolina Express (train) to Washington to watch the Redskins play.

The Redskins use to have a Carolina Day at RFK and a train left Wilmington and made stops all through eastern North Carolina. Living in Ahoskie we use top get on in Weldon and the entire train was full of North Carolina people on the way to see the Redskins. When the Redskin band would play"Hail To The Redskins" the lower level of the stadium would bounce up and down. Today's world of having to buy season tickets teams no longer allows for such trips as Carolina Day.

The Pirates sold more than three times more tickets than Maryland the home team. It would not surprise me at all if the Pirates don't win by 20 or more. Bowls games are won by teams that want to be there and Maryland does not in Ralph Fridgen's last game.