Many teams are still working out the kinks both on and off the field.
It is still early in the college football season and many teams are still working out the kinks both on and off the field.
Never was that more apparent than when the Minnesota Gophers hosted the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday night. Heading into the final seconds of the game, Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich had an opportunity to secure a victory for his team.
Kesich, who missed a 27-yard field goal attempt earlier in the game, missed a 47-yard field goal and North Carolina was officially victorious. Despite that, though, the fireworks operator still set off the display for the home crowd.
Fireworks for the LOSS!! #Gophers continue their 2023 season into 2024!! Have a nice night, drive safely, hug your kids!! pic.twitter.com/uBBGvBfplE
In case you missed it last night, Minnesota set off fireworks after losing to North Carolina:
Friday is not a good day to be a Minnesota fan.
The Gophers dropped their 2024 season opener to North Carolina, 19-17, on Thursday night. They did so in heartbreaking fashion, missing a 47-yard game-winning field goal attempt as time expired.
The loss is a disastrous start to a pivotal year for the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota. The team went 5-7 during the 2023 regular season and showed signs of steep regression. The loss to North Carolina continues that trend, especially given the team’s nonexistent offense.
Transfer quarterback Max Brosmer was supposed to be a significant upgrade over 2023 starter Athan Kaliakmanis. His Gopher debut against the Tar Heels included a pedestrian 13 of 21 passing for 166 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Minnesota offense managed 244 total yards in the loss.
NO GOOD 😱
Minnesota misses the game-winning field goal attempt and North Carolina survives! pic.twitter.com/6bKBNRnuUC
This captures the current state of Fleck era at Minnesota. A lot of flashy, bright lights all around the stadium, yet another loss on the field.
Minnesota has games upcoming against No. 25 Iowa, No. 9 Michigan, No. 23 USC, Maryland, Rutgers, No. 8 Penn State and Wisconsin. It looks like Gopher fans are in for a long season.
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A North Carolina high school had football equipment stolen from its fieldhouse.
A high school in North Carolina had thousands of dollars of football equipment stolen over the weekend.
The thefts at West Caldwell High School (Lenoir, North Carolina) took place on Sunday. The equipment stolen included nearly two dozen helmets that were taken from the football team’s fieldhouse.
The loss of the items stolen is estimated to be $12,000. The burglars appear to have broken into the fieldhouse to access the equipment.
The program’s head coach told Charlotte television station WSOC-9 that he is hoping the community will rally around and help the program in their time of need.
“Our community is going to step up and help. That’s what I told them. And I said we’re going to face it; we’re going to rise,” West Caldwell head coach Tony Pyland told Dave Flaherty of WSOC.
“Nothing that happened in the last few days takes away from what we’ve been doing since May.”
The police have been investigating the theft of the equipment and are looking for surveillance camera footage from locations near the school.
The West Caldwell coaching staff told WSOC that they will continue with their offseason workouts as scheduled, despite the loss of the helmets.
OKC Thunder sign North Carolina’s Cormac Ryan to Exhibit-10 deal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed North Carolina’s Cormac Ryan to an Exhibit-10 deal. The 25-year-old went undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft.
Ryan spent five college seasons various stops from 2018-24. He spent his first campaign at Stanford before transferring to Notre Dame for three years. He then went to North Carolina for his final year last year.
In 36 games last season, Ryan averaged 11.5 points on 38.2% shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He shot 35.4% from 3 on 5.9 attempts. At 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, he has decent size for a guard.
Ryan will likely get plenty of minutes to play in summer league, especially as the event draws to a near. If he impresses, expect him to be assigned to the G League’s OKC Blue roster for next season.
A look at who Tennessee baseball will play next in the College World Series.
Tennessee (57-12) awaits its next opponent in the College World Series. The Vols remain undefeated after wins against Florida State and North Carolina.
Tennessee will not play on Monday or Tuesday. The Vols are slated to play the winner of Tuesday’s elimination game between the Seminoles and Tar Heels.
First pitch for the Florida State-North Carolina game on Tuesday is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT. ESPN will televise the matchup.
The Vols are the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee advanced to the College World Series by defeating Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional.
He pitched five innings in the Vols’, 6-1, win against North Carolina (48-15) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
Beam recorded seven strikeouts and totaled 73 pitches (53 strikes) against 21 batters.
“Felt really good early on,” Beam said. “Cal (Stark) called a great game behind the plate. We had pretty much everything going. I was just trusting with what he had game planned and we had game planned with and we were going with it.
They put some good swings on balls, especially that ball to center field. (Hunter) Ensley made a really good catch. The defense played well behind me. That helped me out in some situations, and the, I guess, the time break was unfortunate, but it is just what happens. It’s baseball. There’s always something that’s going to happen. I went down to the pen. I got loose and just Vance (Honeycutt) made a really good swing on that pitch. Backed up a cutter and he made a good swing. Then coach made the call and Kirby (Connell) got me out of it. I was happy that the guys behind me had my back.”
Jun 16, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Tennessee Volunteers starting pitcher Drew Beam (32) throws against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Seventh-year Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello met with media and discussed the Vols’ win.
“Two good lineups that are very dangerous, but runs were at a premium tonight for a few different reasons,” Vitello said. “One was the defense, was outstanding on both sides, and there were also some balls that were stung that defenders were in a position to make a play on. Glad we were to get it done for a lot of reasons. The last time we were in that dugout Drew (Beam) pitched really well for us but he pitched even better tonight. We just followed his lead, and he helped put us out front which is what you want your starter to do, and fortunate to win.
“Every team in that league is good, but North Carolina had as much success as anybody in it. They had kind of been a force of nature, and still are capable of being that with all that had gone on, so I think it says a lot for our guys to come out and have the focus they did after a pretty emotional win. There is a separator day in there, so kudos to our players for that.”
Photos of Tennessee’s win against the Tar Heels in Omaha.
No. 1 overall seed Tennessee (57-12) won its second game in the College World Series on Sunday. The Vols were victorious against No. 4 seed North Carolina (48-15), 6-1, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
Tennessee will next play on Wednesday against the winner between Florida State and North Carolina. First pitch between the Tar Heels and Seminoles is slated for 2 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN.
The Vols defeated Florida State, 12-11, to open play in the College World Series. Tennessee scored four runs in the ninth inning against the Seminoles.
Below are photos of the Vols’ win over North Carolina on Sunday in Omaha.
TV information for Sunday’s game between Tennessee and North Carolina in the College World Series.
No. 1 overall seed Tennessee (56-12) will return to action in the College World Series on Sunday. The Vols will play North Carolina (48-14) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
First pitch between the Vols and Tar Heels is slated for 7 p.m. EDT. The contest will be televised by ESPN2.
Tennessee advanced to the winner’s bracket game after defeating Florida State, 12-11, on Friday. North Carolina opened play in the College World Series with a, 3-2, win against Virginia.
The Cavaliers and Seminoles will play in an elimination-game on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT (ESPN).
If greens are the faces of a golf course, this one at Pinehurst has crooked, sandy ears and a wicked smirk.
What will be the most difficult hole at Pinehurst No. 2 for the 2024 U.S. Open? If recent history is any indication, forget about the long par 4s.
No. 6, a par 3 that is listed as 228 yards on the USGA’s official scorecard, could easily take the top spot … again.
In the 2014 U.S. Open – the only of three previous Opens at No. 2 since the Donald Ross design was renovated by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2011 – the sixth played to an average of 3.374. That made it the most difficult hole in relation to par.
No. 6 surpassed No. 16 and its 4.341 average, and No. 16 is a 536-yarder that plays as a par 4 in the U.S. Open but is normally a par 5 for resort guests and members.
The next three toughest holes were No. 2 (par 4, 4.339 average), No. 8 (par 4, 4.336 average, another converted par 5) and No. 11 (par 4, 4.323 average).
In all, No. 6 gave up 12 birdies in that 2014 U.S. Open, with 270 pars, 150 bogeys, 13 double bogeys and one “other.” Martin Kaymer, who won that Open by eight shots, played the sixth in 1 over for the week, making one bogey in the third round against three other pars.
What makes No. 6 so daunting? For starters, it’s will be a long iron for most of the Open field. The green features runoffs in all directions – a Pinehurst No. 2 specialty – and the putting surface is set at an awkward angle, offset back and to the left. That makes it especially hard to hold the surface, as balls hit to the center/front portion of the green can run through if struck too firmly. Any attempt to fly the ball deeper into the green brings the bunkers even more into play.
Eventual winner Martin Kaymer blasts from a bunker on No. 6 during the second round of the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. (Photo: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
Even shots that land near the center of No. 6 green but are hit with sidespin are likely to turn and find one of two deep bunkers waiting on both sides. A hump and a slope on the front of the green also wait to reject shots, frequently forcing balls to the left and into the deeper of the two bunkers.
Players who find themselves in the left bunker must blast a high shot with spin onto the putting surface. Expect to see multiple efforts fail to clear the lip after players try to shave it too close when blasting out to a short-sided pin on a green that runs away from the trap – it really is a devilish spot, even for the best players in the world. If the rains hold off and No. 2 is playing particularly firm and fast, it will be even more difficult.
Basically, it’s just a very hard hole with no real place to miss. It’s often said the greens are the faces of a golf course, and if that’s true, then No. 6 has two giant sandy, crooked ears and a wicked smirk.
