Heisman Watch Todd Gurley

The pride of  Tarboro  Todd Gurley  puts his name front and center in the race for the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player as Gurley scores four times as a national tv audience watches.  Gurley set the all time all purpose yards for the Georgia Bulldogs getting 293 yards including a 100 yard kickoff return.  I had asked for 200 yards rushing  from Todd but he could only come up with a 198 yards rushing as the Georgia Bulldogs crush Clemson 45-21.

One point in time Carolina trailed 22-21 but scored at will after that to beat Liberty 56-29 to open the college football season.

Duke had little trouble with Elon as Duke wins their opener 52-13 over the Phoenix.

NC State pulls one out of the hat late just like they did with the first game of the season last year.  Only difference their quarterback heads to the second game healthy which didn't happen last year. Pack 24 Georgia Southern 23.

ECU with ESPN in the house had little trouble with North Carolina Central even after the Eagles score first.  The Pirates top 50 beating Central  52-7.

This college football season is under way and for the first time there will be a four team playoff.  The preseason  number one and two teams didn't play like they were the top two teams but a Florida State survives Oklahoma St 37-31 while Alabama beat West Virginia 33-23.

Today Campbell volleyball beat Wofford 3-0 and this afternoon Campbell beat Valparaiso in five sets winning set five 15-9.  After not winning a conference game two years ago and not making the  conference tournament  last year the Fighting Camels  are off to a 3-0 start and have a match with Duke on Tuesday and travel to Long Beach CA next weekend.  We will know about the Camels after next weekend.

Gryphons Dish It Out Vikings Dished

For the second week in a row the Rocky Mount Gryphons show speed and explosiveness and score the most points during the Jason  Battle era stomping JFWebb in Oxford 51-7.  Webb scored early but the Gryphons responded and by halftime had control.

The Gryphons go to 2-0 on the season and return home for their last home game in what will seem like the rest of the year when they host Hertford County next Friday.  Conference play will be well underway before the Gryphons will see the home turf after next week.

Hertford County hosted Hunt  and for a while it looked as if Hunt might start the season 0-2 but simply too much Warriors as Hunt wins their first game of the year 42-13 over Hertford County.  HC visits next week to Rocky Mount they will be 0-2 on the season.

Tarboro has had so much success this past decade but Friday night they got a dose of the real world and what it is like being on the other end  of a stomping.  Washington dishes the Vikings 51-7.  It took to the fourth quarter for the Vikings to find the end zone.

Rocky Mount Prep loses for the first time this year as Granville Central takes care of the Jags 45-16.

Friday night started the college volleyball season and the Doughtie's were in Durham to see Campbell get their season underway beating North Carolina Central 3-0.  Central was the scene last night of the Southern Durham Hillside  high school football game and I don't know how many fans the Central football field will hold but the stadium was jammed and Southern won the game 16-13.

The college football season gets underway today as State, Carolina, Duke and ECU all get their seasons underway at home.

Wrong Night To Play

Three of Nash County's four high schools chose to play on Thursday instead of Friday this week in order to allow players,fans and students to get as much of a three day weekend as possible and as it turns out they could have used another day to practice this week.

We all have our things in life we count down to get to one but in the case of Nash Central the count is upwards as the Bulldogs loss their 15th straight game tonight in their home opener losing to Kinston 41-12.  The first two weeks of the season the Bulldogs have given up 33 points to Tarboro and tonight 41 to Kinston while scoring Just 18.  They have been out scored 74-18 against  a 1A and 2A schools.

If you pay attention to my picks I told you this week had some really good games an I thought the Northeastern- Northern Nash game would be good one.  I thought it would be high scoring which it was for Northeastern.  Will be interested to see how the Eagles scored so many points.  Northeastern  48 Northern Nash 20.

Another good game which I thought would be high scoring was Southern Nash at Beddingfield.  Tonight Beddingfield opens some eyebrows and throttles the Firebirds by breaking a 7-7 tie and beat Southern Nash 19-7. Not a good night at all for the three Nash County schools as they  are  0-3 on the night.

What right now looks like the beast in the Big East is Fike rolls over Roanoke Rapids 41-7.

Leggett was the sight of what turned out to be a very competitive game as SouthWest Edgecombe beat North Edgecombe 22-12.

Rocky Mount Academy opened it's football season tonight whipping Halifax Academy 29-0.

Fike is showing the signs that they just might be the powerhouse of the Big East.  I think if you pull for North Edgecombe if you believe in good losses then you got one tonight.  They might be very good this year.  Don't know what to make of Northern's loss.  Thought that would be a better game.   Beddingfield may have made a statement that they could be the team to beat in Eastern Plains.

The college football season started tonight and where was SouthCarolina?  Where was the Wake Forest offense? 17-10 Louisiana La.

College Football Starts Tonight

The Deacons open the ACC and college football season on the road with a new coach in charge in Winston Salem.  They travel to Monroe Louisiana and play a team they lost to last year in Winston.  Don't think Deacs can pull this one out.  la- Monroe 36 WF 14.  The game will be on ESPN-U.

Villanova travels to Syracuse where Nova will give the Orange plenty but not enough Cuse 33 Nova 24.

UCLA at Virginia.  I doubt this one will be  will be close.  UCLA travels cross country and scorches the Cavs.  The Briuns 45 UVA 21.

Georgia Southern at NCState.  This is not going to be a blowout by any means but I suspect the Pack offense will be fine with their new QB as long as he stays healthy Pack 34 Georgia St 24.

Wofford at Georgia Tech.  This might be close for a half of the first quarter.  Rambling Wreck  62 Wofford 26.

UMass at Boston College.  How good is BC ?  Just good enough  to beat the minute men. 26-18.

Bill and Mary at Virginia Tech.  Tech hasn't had much offense the past few years and lived solely on it's defense.  I don't suspect this will be a run a way but the Techsters win 36-26.

It is time for the annual first game let's see what you got ACC  versus the SEC.  Clemson at Georgia. Tarboro's  Todd Gurley is being touted for the Heisman Trophy for the Bulldogs so I hope he gets 200 yards rushing.  Both teams looking at new quarterbacks and the hedges will be tough on Clemson
Dogs 31 Clemson 28.

Miami at Louisville  Is this a conference game or not?  Louisville has a new coach and have their first
Conference win 31-27.

Carolina host Liberty.  Carolina wins this one 44-34.  Two defensive backs suspended and the Heels didn't have much defense last year.

Labor Day Football Schedule Changes

There has been a trend over the past few years that several teams play on the Thursday night before the Friday night Labor Day weekend which gives many teams  three days off before practice on Monday.

Depending on what game you might want to go to Friday you had better check because almost half of our locals games are being played Thursday.  The Northeastern at Northern Nash is now on Thursday.            
Roanoke Rapids at Fike will be Thursday night this week.  The Kinston at Nash Central game is now on a Thursday.  All of the other games as far as I know right now are on for Friday night.  There has been one time change for the Rocky Mount JV game has been changed  to 6pm Thursday night instead of 7.  Since several Thursday Varsity games are moved to Thursday that pushes JV games if your JV team is playing to tonight.

Just found out that the defending State Champion Rocky Mount Academy opens it football season Thursday night hosting Halifax Academy.  The booster Club will be serving Spaghetti dinners  as a fund raiser before the game.

Hobbs Johnson's first full year in pro baseball is coming down the stretch  and his pitching record  is 11-8.  His ERA stands at 3.08 having pitched 141 innings for the Manatees  of  Brevard in the Florida State League.  He is second on the team in innings pitched, wins, and ERA.  It will be interesting to see if he is sent to fall ball in Arizona.

Brian Goodwin remains out with a shoulder injury.  I doubt this late in the minor league season that he returns this season.

The latest update on two former Rocky Mount Gryphon sons playing pro baseball.  Bill Merrifield 's son Whit has now played 69 games for the Kansas City Royals  triple A affiliate Omaha is still batting 339. He has played left field for most of those 69 games.

Sonny Wooten's son John who was promoted to Potomac the Upper A by the Washington Nationals about a month ago has played 18 games and is hitting 266.

Week Two Guess Time

First week of the high school season brought about a 7-1 record to start the season.  Week two just might have a tougher schedule to predict and missing only one or less will be hard  to do this week.

3A Washington visits Tarboro.  Washington took a licking last week to Havelock.  The past few seasons everyone else has too so even though they come to Edgecombe County 0-1  this might be a closer game than those in Tarboro might expect.  The Vikings will win this one 26-14.

SouthWest Edgecombe buses across County to North Edgecombe.  The Warriors got a big win opening night  win but the Cougars will be too big across the front to slow up the Cougars.  The pound it up the middle Cougars win 36-8.

Rocky Mount travels to Webb where I suspect we will get a better feel about the Gryphons after Friday.  Webb won 39-30 on Friday  against a 1-A school so if a 1A  club can score 30 what could the Gryphons do?  Right now the big question for the Gryphons  is how good was there shutout of South Granville?  Gryphons 26 Webb 20.

Southern Nash travels to Beddingfield where after playing the run up the middle SouthWest Edgecombe they draw the wide open offense of Beddingfield.  Didn't have to worry about the pass last week but this week might all they need to prepare for.  This game could go to the wire but  and I'm holding with the Birds Southern Nash 36 Bedfingfield 28.

Kinston at Nash Central.  Until Nash Central proves they can beat anybody then I'll pick everybody they play.  This could be a close one if the Bulldog defense plays well because at this point it looks as if they will get no help from their offense.  Kinston 21Nash Central 6.

Roanoke Rapids at Fike.  Fike shut out Bunn last week which is a much better team than the Yellow Jackets.  Fike just might put 50 on board.  Fike 56 RR 7.

Hunt at Hertford County.  Hunt lost on the last play on the road to a really good team.  Hertford County lost opening night but rumors during preseason were they are down this year.  Sure does look like it.  Hunt 42 HC 21.

The final game of picks for this week just might be the hardest of all.  Northeastern at Northern Nash.        
This was a really good game last year at Northeastern.  Then and now this will be a good one but the Knights will go to 2-0 in a high scoring shoot out Northern 35- Northeastern 31.

Labor Day Weekend College Football

It has almost become tradition that the Labor Day Weekend is the beginning of the college football season.  So this makes this game week.  Having spent three summers in August football practice in high school it is a thrill  to head to practice on game week Monday knowing there is a games ahead by weeks end.

We will start with Carolina the only team in the area that is in anybody's poll.  Carolina has plenty of offensive punch coming back but must find a new quarterback.  Regardless of who wins the job  they will have a  untested signal caller under center.  The big question for the Tar Heels what have they done to improve the defense.  If they can't stop anybody then that untested qb will need to out score their opposition.   In order for the Heels to be the the top 25 their defense needs to be much better than last year.

Duke is coming off two of the best years since the early 60's.  Two straight bowl games when they could have won both but didn't win either.  Their backup qb left school to be near his sick mother.  They have lost two of their best players with injuries already in the preseason.  The question for the dookies is can  they possibly be as fortunate this year as last.  It hasn't started this year as well as last.

Over at Wake they have a new coach with new ideas replacing a coach that almosted seemed perfect for the Demon Deacons.  He could take the limited resources and won an ACC title.  Can the new man in charge do great things with little resources?  The Deacs had an average recruiting class while changing coaches so will this be a rough year in Winston?

The Pack was three and nine last year and clearly their problem was quarterback play.  The starting quarterback goes down in the second quarter of the first game whith a broken foot and they rush him back too soon and the season winds up a disaster.  A transfer Qb ready to lead the way.  If the Pack gets great quarterback play they could be good if not it could be a repeat of last year or somewhere in between.

The Pirates of ECU have their top passing combo back for another year.  They are in a new conference and most of these teams they have never played before  are on the schedule.  This could be a great year in Greenville if they match up well with their new conference members and the offense rolls.

ECU and Carolina could be in bowl games but anybody else makes it to a bowl their years need to get started this Saturday with big wins.  Anybody that struggles this Saturday May have more on the way during the season.