Prep
Kinston at Wilmington Hoggard
North Lenoir at Eastern Wayne
Swansboro at South Lenoir
Parrott Academy at Northeast Academy
Goldsboro Rosewood at Jones Senior
College (a horrible week of choices…)
Florida State at Miami
South Carolina at Mississippi
UNLV at Colorado State
Ohio State at Wisconsin
Illinois at Michigan
Pro
Indianapolis at Houston
Chicago at Detroit
Tennessee at Baltimore
New England at San Francisco
Buffalo at Arizona
This was the toughest week of the young season as only five of you guys (Deep Run Pirate, Tate Mooring, ENCMetalhead, Drugpusher and KTown Pirate) had 11 games correct. KTP went 11-3 — I didn’t count my erroneous Kinston-Wilmington Hoggard pick against him — so he was technically the top picker this week by percentage.
No one went 5-0 in either college (all 40 of us missed Houston over ECU!) or pros. Twelve of us went 5-0 in preps.
Eastern gained another game on second place, though, with his 10-5 week. I’m in second place, five games back, while there’s a three-way tie for third, seven games back.
Again, many thanks to my tremendous, terrific, tabulating, tantalizing, thrilling, teddy bear-loving girlfriend for her help in putting this together
1. Eastern 67-22 (.753) 10-5
2. Hanks 62-27 (.697) 10-5
T3. COliver 60-29 (.674) 9-6
T3. Heelatious 60-29 (.674) 8-7
T3. Jagshouse 60-29 (.674) 9-6
T3. JWade 60-29 (.674) 7-8
T3. Rocky 60-29 (.674) 9-6
8. Native Son 59-30 (.663) 10-5 (5-0 in preps)
T9. Deep Run Pirate 58-31 (.652) 11-4 (5-0 in preps)
T9. GWhitley 58-31 (.652) 8-7
Others:
Clay 57-32 (.640) 7-8
Blake H. 56-33 (.629) 9-6
Johnny Kennedy 56-33 (.629) 7-8
Jourbet 56-33 (.629) 4-11
Randy Capps 56-33 (.629) 9-6 (5-0 in preps)
Tatemooring 56-33 (.629) 11-4 (5-0 in preps)
Shandsp 55-34 (.618) 10-5
Taplie Coile 55-34 (.618) 10-5
Diamondheels 54-35 (.607) 9-6
ENCMetalhead 54-35 (.607) 11-4
Petey Pablo 53-36 (.596) 7-8
The Kid 53-36 (.596) 9-6
Greg Melvin 52-37 (.584) 7-8
Horns 52-37 (.584) 9-6
Omega07solo 52-37 (.584) 6-9
Rousehouse 52-37 (.584) 9-6
Wimpy57 52-37 (.584) 10-5
Coach5511 50-39 (.562) 8-7
John Q. Awesome 49-40 (.551) 10-5 (5-0 in preps)
RJarman 48-26 (.649) 9-6 (5-0 in preps)
KHS Defensive Tackle 48-41 (.539) 7-8
Jackson 47-27 (.635) —–
Drugpusher 47-28 (.627) 11-4
Bluedevil99 47-42 (.528) 8-7
Jeff Howard 46-38 (.548) 8-7
ECPirates11 44-30 (.595) 8-7
Tranters 43-31 (.593) 8-7 (5-0 in preps)
Comet65 40-34 (.541) 9-6
TwinFan 39-21 (.650) 9-6
KTownPirate 24-20 (.545) 11-3 (left out Clinton-SL game)
Deep Run Dynasty 22-22 (.500) —–
Alan 21-9 (.700) —–
MrNLHS1991 20-25 (.444) 4-11
HSR 19-11 (.633) —–
AdrianBrewer 15-14 (.517) —–
Scott44544 9-6 (.600) —–
Carlogan* 7-8 (.467) 7-8
* indicates first-week player
Some thoughts and observations about the college football world while the hot blonde applies something to the sunburn I have on my nose — that I got while watching my beloved Virginia Cavaliers lose at Dook Duke today.
From the ECU media relations department:
NEW SKIP HOLTZ CONTRACT APPROVED BY ECU BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Pirate Head Football Coach To Earn Possible $9.5 Million In Compensation Package
GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina University has announced that an extension of head football coach Skip Holtz’ contract, which would help secure his position through the 2013 season, was approved Friday by the University’s Board of Trustees. The new six-year agreement provides a guaranteed compensation package of $4.07 million and a modified incentive and bonus structure that could reach a total of approximately $9.5 million.
Holtz, who has led the Pirates to two bowl appearances and consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1999 and 2000 campaigns, has guided No. 23 East Carolina to a 3-1 start in 2008. Included in the three victories was a 27-22 triumph over No. 17 Virginia Tech in the season opener and a 24-3 decision over No. 8 West Virginia that vaulted ECU into the Top 25 for the first time since 1999.
The contract calls for a guaranteed base salary, marketing, radio and television total of $565,000 in 2008 with an increase to $605,000 in 2009 before $50,000 additions in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 if Holtz remains the head coach for the Pirates. Incentive and bonus compensation related to season ticket sales (amount equal to $25 per season ticket sold), Pirate Club donations (amount equal to five percent of annual fund) and student academic success (starting at $100,000 and increasing by $25,000 per year) are also a part of the agreement.
“I remain genuinely appreciative and grateful to the leadership we have at East Carolina for the confidence and support they have in the direction that our program is heading,” Holtz said. “The level of commitment that is currently in place at ECU and the unmatched support of the Pirate Nation have allowed us to be in a competitive position at college football’s highest level.”
Holtz, 44, became East Carolina’s 19th head football coach in the school’s history on Dec. 3, 2004 and quickly revived a program that had won just three contests in a 25-game period in two-plus seasons prior to his arrival. Accompanying the Pirates’ turnaround on the field, which include a 7-6 finish in 2006 and an 8-5 record in 2007, has been dramatic school-record attendance increases at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
In all, ECU has drawn six of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium’s top 10 all-time crowds since Holtz’ arrival which helped produce new school records a year ago in both average (41,537) and total attendance (249,219). The Pirates’ 2008 home opener against the Mountaineers Sept. 6 drew 43,610 fans, ranking as the largest in the Holtz Era and fourth-largest in stadium history.
“The contract is consistent with our desire to continue the tremendous strides our football program has made over the past four years.” East Carolina Director of Athletics Terry Holland said. “One of the keys to our growth has been the stability of leadership and it is our hope that this will remain in place in the future.”
East Carolina also captured its first post-season victory since 1999 under Holtz’ leadership last year when the Pirates posted a 41-38 win over No. 24 Boise State in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. He currently owns an overall record of 23-18 heading into Saturday’s Conference USA contest against Houston, despite annually playing one of the toughest schedules in program history over the past four years that includes 13 (of 14) non-conference games against Bowl Championship Series members.
The agreement also includes a $100,000 buy-out clause should Holtz leave ECU prior to the expiration of the contract.
My take: This is a straight-up great deal for Pirate Nation. Seriously — you’re going to have to come up with some more cha-ching if you expect to hold onto him; I don’t have the time to look up the numbers now, but pretty much any BCS school can match these numbers.
ECU is certainly getting their money’s worth with this deal.
Prep
C.B. Aycock at North Lenoir: NL
South Lenoir at Clinton: CHS
Halifax Academy at Parrott Academy: HA
Greene Central at James Kenan: JK
Farmville Central at Ayden-Grifton: A-G
College
Houston at East Carolina: ECU
Virginia at Duke: UVa
South Florida at N.C. State: USF
Purdue at Notre Dame: ND
Alabama at Georgia: UGa
Pro
Cleveland at Cincinnati: Cle
Arizona at N.Y. Jets: NYJ
Minnesota at Tennessee: Tenn
Green Bay at Tampa Bay: TB
Philadelphia at Chicago: Phi
Alan Wooten of the New Bern Sun Journal! Congratulations, dude.
There were 16 entrants with seven getting all four answers right. The questions, with the correct answers:
1. How many total yards did ECU finish with in the 1991 season? (4,808)
2. What was the name of the bowl, who was the opponent and what was the final score of ECU’s first bowl game? (Lions Bowl; Clarion; Lost 13-6)
3. Where did Houston first-year coach Kevin Sumlin star as a linebacker in college? (Purdue)
4. When is Skip Holtz’ birthday? (March 12, 1964)
ALSO — stay tuned: I might have another set of tickets to give away tomorrow; be sure to come back — I know you will…
Here you go — your chance to win 2 tickets to Saturday’s East Carolina-Houston football game, slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Quick rules: DO NOT — I REPEAT — DO NOT PUT YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS! Send them to me at bhanks@freedomenc.com. If you put your answers in the comment section, you will be disqualified, kicked off my blog and scalded with hot water. OK, maybe not the last part, but I’ll certainly do the first two.
Send the answers to me; at 5 p.m., I will have a co-worker draw the winner out of all the correct answers.
When you send your answers to me, type Trivia in the subject line.
The questions:
1. How many total yards did ECU finish with in the 1991 season?
2. What was the name of the bowl, who was the opponent and what was the final score of ECU’s first bowl game?
3. Where did Houston first-year coach Kevin Sumlin star as a linebacker in college?
4. When is Skip Holtz’ birthday?
From the ECU media relations department:
HOLLAND ADDRESSES ECU-NC STATE SCHEDULING PHILOSOPHY
East Carolina AD Releases Statement On Future Games
While I have no first hand knowledge of the circumstance of the comments made on a radio talk show (http://www.wral.com/sports/999thefan/story/3599730/), these are the absolute facts as I know them regarding future football games with NC State:
1. Skip Holtz and Terry Holland want to play the other public Football Bowl Subdivision institutions in our state (NC State and UNC) as often as possible. These are great rivalry games that are good for the economy of this state and for eastern North Carolina in particular.
2. If NC State and UNC called today and told us that they would each play us home and home every year, we would do whatever necessary to make that work, as we did in 2006 when we moved the Virginia Tech series back a year in order to play at NC State in 2006 and have NC State and UNC in Greenville in 2007. We believe those games are that important to the future of this area economically and otherwise. We are therefore TOTALLY committed to playing games against those institutions whenever the opportunity arises for us to play them.
3. Last spring, NC State and ECU began discussions about moving games around to allow each to achieve their desired home and away “balance.” ECU specifically asked about moving the 2009 game scheduled for Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to the 2010 season. We wanted the local rivalry game with NC State in 2010 when we expect to have completed our East End Zone project that could add between 5,000 and 7,000 seats to our stadium. Our only contracted non-conference home game for the 2010 season is Navy, and having NC State in that particular year would obviously make our season ticket package more attractive for the 2010 season.
4. There have been a number of suggested resolutions to achieve each institution’s desired balance, including playing once every three years in the short term while leading to a longer term agreement to settle the issue of future games when the current coaches and athletics directors are not likely to be in their present positions .
5. However, the bottom line is that ECU and NC State have a signed contract to play in Greenville in 2009, 2012 and 2016 and in Raleigh in 2008, 2010, and 2013. Until there is a different schedule mutually agreeable to both teams, ECU is prepared to continue honoring that contract and expects NC State to do the same.
My take: Say what you want about ECU — and we have as many detractors as we have fans here — but the Pirates will play anyone, anywhere. While Terry Holland has made questionable decisions elsewhere (basketball anyone?), he has seemingly made nothing but great calls in the football program. Yes, I’m backing off my John Thompson rants of a few years ago. I was wrong. Yes, it hurts to say it.
Congratulations to the quartet of Native Son, BlakeH, Deep Run Pirate and Petey Pablo, who had impressive 12-3 weeks last week. Their excellent performances have all four on the threshold of the top 10.
Eastern not only holds onto first place overall this week — he gains a game on the entire top 10 and now leads by four games. But look who is lurking in second place all by himself: three-time defending champion JWade.
Again, many thanks to my tremendous, terrific, tantalizing, thrilling, teddy bear-loving girlfriend for her help in putting this together.
Eastern 57-17 (.770) 11-4 (5-0 in pros)
JWade 53-21 (.716) 10-5
Hanks 52-22 (.703) 10-5
Heelatious 52-22 (.703) 9-6
Jourbet 52-22 (.703) 9-6
COliver 51-23 (.689) 9-6
Jagshouse 51-23 (.689) 9-6
Rocky 51-23 (.689) 10-5
Clay 50-24 (.676) 11-4
GWhitley 50-24 (.676) 10-5 (5-0 in preps)
Johnny Kennedy 49-25 (.662) 11-4
Native Son 49-25 (.662) 12-3 (5-0 in preps)
Blake H. 47-27 (.635) 12-3 (10-0 in preps/college)
Deep Run Pirate 47-27 (.635) 12-3 (5-0 in preps)
Jackson 47-27 (.635) 9-6 (5-0 in preps)
Randy Capps 47-27 (.635) 11-4
Omega07solo 46-28 (.593) 11-4 (5-0 in college)
Petey Pablo 46-28 (.593) 12-3 (5-0 in college)
Diamondheels 45-29 (.608) 10-5
Greg Melvin 45-29 (.608) 10-5
Shandsp 45-29 (.608) 10-5
Taplie Coile 45-29 (.608) 7-8
Tatemooring 45-29 (.608) 9-6
The Kid 44-30 (.595) 10-5
ENCMetalhead 43-31 (.581) 8-7
Horns 43-31 (.581) 11-4
Rousehouse 43-31 (.581) 8-7
Coach5511 42-32 (.568) 11-4 (5-0 in preps)
Wimpy57 42-32 (.568) 9-6
KHS Defensive Tackle 41-33 (.554) 9-6
RJarman 39-20 (.661) 9-6
Bluedevil99 39-35 (.527) 8-7
John Q. Awesome 39-35 (.527) 10-5 (5-0 in college)
Jeff Howard 38-31 (.551) 8-7
ECPirates11 36-23 (.610) 10-5
Drugpusher 36-24 (.600) 9-6
Tranters 35-24 (.593) 10-5 (5-0 in preps)
Comet65 31-28 (.525) 6-9
TwinFan 30-15 (.667) 10-5
Deep Run Dynasty 22-22 (.500) —–
Alan 21-9 (.700) —–
HSR 19-11 (.633) —–
MrNLHS1991 16-14 (.533) —–
AdrianBrewer 15-14 (.517) —–
KTownPirate 13-17 (.433) 5-10
Scott44544 9-6 (.600) —–
Some thoughts about the NCSU-ECU football game, which I covered for TFP:
Blogging with Bryan C. Hanks 