Elsewhere in the state of North Carolina…
North Carolina outlasted a valiant effort from Appalachian State, who scored 40 points in the fourth quarter and nearly got the win. This two-point conversion attempt could not have been better for the Mountaineers.
Which brings us to our next boneheaded college football decision, and perhaps a case of bad coaching. In this case, it is about awareness of the situation. Down one point as a result of the missed two-point conversion attempt, Appalachian State went for the onside kick. They did not recover, and North Carolina returned the attempt for a touchdown.
A competent special teams coach, if not the head coach,m would have made sure everyone on the kickoff team was aware that the play to make is downing the football. A return for a touchdown makes a one-score game a one-score game with time left for Appalachian State. Falling on the football allows UNC to run out the clock.
So what happened? Appalachian State drove right down the field on the ensuing possession and once again had a shot to tie things up with another two-point play. What looked like the same exact play was much better covered by the Tar Heels and UNC escaped.
WHAT A GAME pic.twitter.com/Trtxu2pIKx
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 3, 2022
Some coaching gaffes by the staffs at NC State and UNC didn’t come back to haunt them on the road against these Group of Five teams. Clearly, the college football gods were asleep at the wheel.
Arkansas disrespects Cincinnati in more ways than one
Delaware’s head coach is bleeping proud to be a Blue Hen
Meet new Delaware head coach Ryan Carty. He celebrated his first game as head coach of the Blue Hens by scoring a solid road win at Navy to get the season started. Why wouldn’t he be excited about that? That’s a big accomplishment for the FCS program and sets the tone for what Carty hopes to establish at Delaware once again.
And he just couldn’t help but drop an f-bomb in an on-field postgame interview. But at least he apologized for his choice of words.
Penn State will host Carty and his Blue Hens next season in the first meeting between the two schools. Penn State is scheduled to host Delaware on September 9, 2023.
Why you should be a fan of Old Dominion
Not only is Old Dominion being well-coached by former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne (who just beat former defensive coordinator Brent Pry in his coaching debut with Virginia Tech), but the Monarchs have arguably the cutest fan in college football.
It’s a rescue puppy wearing crocs!
How stinkin’ cute is that? Forget my argument earlier. Put Old Dominion in the playoff just for the sake of this very good boy.
Looking ahead to Week 2
Week 2 isn’t exactly packing much firepower on the schedule but it does have a couple of games worth watching. Alabama heads to Texas for what will be massively hyped and likely ends with Alabama stomping the Longhorns. Tennessee also makes a trip to Pennsylvania, to face Pitt.
Baylor visiting BYU will be a good reason to stay up late next Saturday. It is the only game between ranked opponents on the slate next weekend (pending Week 2 poll updates).
Penn State fans may be watching Akron’s road trip to Michigan State as former offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead looks to coach the Zips to a massive upset in East Lansing. It won’t happen, but you can always have something to root for.
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