PAGE 12
SCOREBOARD
RANDY WELLINGTON
BANKING ON SENIORITY
A lesson in
football
forecasting
This column’s doubly pur
posed: first, a challenge to
one Steven Rushin, who
has written columns for Sports
Illustrated since I started reading
it
Sometimes, he rhymes his
columns, thinking that he’s writ
ing poetry. And once, he wrote a
column using only anagrams.
Those feats are difficult but not
as hard at it would be to write a
cogent piece in verse that gives
some good advice.
I want to teach you all how to
prognosticate and, in the process,
celebrate my knack for picking
college games.
My record’s 36 and 12. I’m in
first place; my colleague Jamie
Agin's two behind.
This week, my magic touch
picked upsets like the
Washington State Cougars
strolling into Autzen Stadium
and beating Oregon.
I also knew that Minnesota
wouldn’t lose in Happy Valley to
the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Though you might not know your
college football, be assured that
picking two road 'dogs is nothing
less than brilliant.
They didn’t let me pick these
games until this year, my fourth
in working for this paper. Call it
what you will: a travesty, a hazing
ritual or just a vast conspiracy.
But now, I’ve seized my oppor
tunity. In coming weeks, I could
just use a coinflip to determine all
my picks. Results of heads or tails
would direct me whom to choose.
But that would be a little arro
gant and not the way to go. I’ll
stick with using all my football
acumen and understanding of the
trends in order to select my teams.
I will be wrong at times, that’s
true. I picked the Alabama
Crimson Tide to beat the
Razorbacks of Arkansas on
Saturday. When Alabama took
the lead by 31 to 10,1 thought the
game was over. Done.
But then, the ’Backs came
storming back and won the game
in overtime. Oh well. I cannot
pick them all.
At least I’m better than the so
called experts, giving their opin
ions on TV or in a magazine.
A guy called Dr. Z, Sports
Illustrated’s NFL authority, has
useful tips as long as you are
reading what he says and doing
just the opposite. Thank God
they finally have started showing
us his stats. He’s wrong more
than he’s right and doesn’t even
have to pick against the spread.
These guys don’t know a thing
of which they speak. They’re
jocks or talking heads who do not
have opinions of their own.
The only ones with any pre
science are the sharks and book
ies spread across the land. These
guys can pick a game much better
than an analyst. Their livelihood
is based on it, so it does make
sense that they are skilled.
And that’s my only tip for any
one who wants to pick like me.
You have to check the spreads
and see how much a team is
favored by. You have to know an
upset’s far more likely when the
favorite’s on the road.
That how I picked Wake
Forest shocking N.C. State when
all my other colleagues picked the
’Pack. I knew that State was ripe
and looking forward to their
game against Ohio State.
I guess you have to have a feel.
It isn’t something I can teach. It’s
something I was bom with, some
thing quite intangible. I wonder if
my mom would let me be a handi
capper, using all my skill to make
a living. No. I’ll stick to doing this
for fun and taunting those I beat.
I hope this column has
informed you all, and I hope it’s
challenged Steve. He probably
could write a better column, yes,
but could he write it all in iambs,
alternating weaks and strongs,
the way I have for you today?
Contact Randy Wellington
at randyw@email.unc.edu.
Sports Monday
WOMEN'S SOCCER UNC 3 Villanova 0
Tech cruises to volleyball win
UNC’s 24-gcime home winning streak ends
BY JACOB KARABELL
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
After North Carolina’s thrilling five
game home victory against Georgia Tech
last season, Georgia Tech coach Bond
Shvmansky said that the Tar Heels were
simply a better team.
After Sunday’s game, there is no doubt
that in 2003, Georgia Tech is the better
team.
The No. 5 Yellow Jackets dominated
UNC from start to finish, winning 30-21,
30-16, 30-23. The match ended North
Carolina’s 24-game winning streak at
Carmichael Auditorium.
The loss came a day after UNC's intense
3-2 victory against Florida State, which
“One of these days, were going to win a game.
Vm looking forward to that day .” john bunting , NORTH CAROLINA COACH
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N.C. State wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (82) evades a tackle by UNC linebacker Doug Justice in the Wolfpack's 47-34 win Saturday.
OVERWHELMED AGAIN
BY JAMIE AGIN
SENIOR WRITER
RALEIGH Of course there was N.C.
State quarterback Philip Rivers, who put on
a 23-for-30, 423-yard, three-touchdown
bonanza, becoming the ACC’s all-time
leader in total offense in
the process.
There was also
receiver Jerricho
Cotchery, who finished
FOOTBALL
UNC 34
N.C. State 47
with nine catches for a career-best 217
receiving yards.
And there were the three reserve
Wolfpack running backs, who amassed 158
rushing yards and 98 receiving yards filling
in for the injured T.A. McLendon.
Yes, as has been the case in each of the
Tar Heels’ four losses, there were multiple
players performing like Heisman candi
dates during N.C. State’s 47-34 win
Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Lost in all the statistics, though, was
that for exactly one half, the Tar Heels (0-
4, 0-2 in the ACC) had a chance to avoid
their first loss in Raleigh since 1991.
Early, it sure didn’t seem that the game
would be close.
After Dan Orner kicked a field goal on
SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 10
www.dailytarheel.com
MEN'S SOCCER UNC 1 Harvard 0
the Tar Heels won by scores of 30-14, 28-
30, 27-30,30-22, and 15-9.
Sunday, though, was all Yellow Jackets,
all the time. In all three games, Tech (13-
0,2-0 in the ACC) went
on an early run and
coasted from there.
The low point for
UNC (10-5, 2-1) came
in game two. After a
Tech net violation
brought the Tar Heels
VOLLEYBALL
Ga. Tech 3
UNC 0
Florida State 2
UNC 3
within one at 5-4, the Yellow Jackets went
on a 12-0 run behind server Kele Eveland
to put the game away. The run was filled
with Tar Heel errors and miscues; on a
couple of plays, UNC appeared bewildered
Cotchery TD catch
turns tide for State
BY THE
NUMBERS
1 1
Receptions by
WR Jarwarski
Pollock, a
career high
615
Total yards
allowed by the
UNC defense, a
season high
13
Seconds elapsed
before State's Ist
TD after halftime
BY AARON Fin
SENIOR WRITER
RALEIGH For the second
consecutive week, the North
Carolina football team was
hanging around at halftime
when it really had no business
doing so.
Again, the Tar Heels had
improbably stolen momentum
before the break, turning
blowout into eyebrow-raiser.
The mood of the small UNC
contingent in the visitors’ seats
had transformed from dreary to
cautiously hopeful, maybe even
a little rambunctious.
But just like Wisconsin a
week ago, N.C. State wasted lit
tle time putting down the upris
ing in the third quarter Saturday.
It took the Wolfpack all of 13
seconds.
and allowed routine Tech hits to turn into
kills.
“We were confused, we didn’t have a
good rhythm offensively, we didn’t pass
well, we made bad sets,” said North
Carolina coach Joe Sagula, citing a laun
dry list of mistakes during the 12-0 stretch.
“There wasn’t one thing that was going
well.”
Though the third game was slightly
more competitive, sparked by UNC out
side hitter Molly Pyles’ 10 kills, the out
come never seemed in doubt. The Yellow
Jackets played the game with grins on
their faces, knowing that they had come to
Chapel Hill and won for the first time
since 1997-
“It’s fantastic,” said Tech junior Lauren
SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 10
State quarterback Philip
Rivers found a wide-open
Jerricho Cotchery for an 80-
yard touchdown on the first
play of the second half, extend
ing the Wolfpack’s lead to 30-21
and effectively quelling the Tar
Heels’ little rebellion.
“Like Mike Tyson used to say,
‘Everyone has a game plan ‘til
you hit ‘em in the mouth,’”
Cotchery said. “In the second
half, they came out ready to
turn it on, and that play kind of
took some wind out of them.”
UNC followed that up with a
three-and-out, and the Wolfpack
responded with another touch
down. And that’s all it took. State
went on to an easy 47-34 win.
N.C. State coach Chuck
SEE COTCHERY, PAGE 10
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SEPTEMBER 29, 2003
WOMEN'S WORLD CUP USA 3 North Korea 0
m
DTH/GABITRAPENBERG
Outside hitter Katie Wright tries to slam the ball
past a Georgia Tech blocker Sunday. UNC
struggled against the No. 5 Yellow Jackets.
Deacons
overcome
Tar Heels
in thriller
No. 1 Wake Forest
keeps streak alive
BY JEREMY BORDEN
STAFF WRITER
WINSTON-SALEM - Shadows
began to creep over Kentner
Stadium on Friday as North
Carolina’s field hockey team
somberly finished its cool-down
routine. The end of a long, hot day
saw tears in many of the Tar Heels’
exhausted eyes.
No. 2 North Carolina lost a hard
fought battle
with No. 1 Wake
HOCKEY Forest 2-1 in
UNC 1 overtime.
Wake Forest 2 North
overtime Carolina (9-1,0-
1 in the ACC)
had hoped to snap Wake Forest’s
streak of 27 consecutive victories.
The defending national champion
Demon Deacons (8-0, 2-0) also
have not lost at home since 2000.
Aggressive play seemed to be
North Carolina’s mantra in the first
half the referees stopped the
clock at one point to chastise some
overzealous UNC midfielders.
The aggressive play came to a
head when Tar Heel freshman
Laree Beans decked a Deacon as
Wake Forest was about to regain
control. She was promptly issued a
green-card warning.
Despite North Carolina’s spirit
ed and aggressive play, Wake Forest
controlled the first half with supe
rior ball-handling and efficient
passing inside the Tar Heel’s zone.
“I think we were playing very
timidly,” said North Carolina coach
Karen Shelton. "We looked like we
were a little scared.”
Goalkeeper Katy TYan did well to
thwart Wake’s offensive attack.
“My defense was really working
hard,” Tran said. “They were giving
me shots I could handle.”
Tran was quick to give her
defense credit, but her stellar play
kept the Tar Heels in the game. The
sophomore finished with 13 saves.
The Deacons’ efforts would pay
off, however, as they earned their
fourth penalty comer with just over
six minutes remaining in the half.
Pushed back deep into their own
circle, North Carolina defenders
SEE FIELD HOCKEY, PAGE 10
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Shalane Flanagan wins race, but
the Tar Heels place 2nd PAGE 10
MEN'S SOCCER
North Carolina wins defensive
struggle against Harvard PAGE 9
ONLINE
UNC field hockey goalie Katy
Tran excels against Wake Forest
Georgia Tech volleyball justifies
No. 5 ranking against Tar Heels