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Thought I'd get it going for you BB, this is the other huge game to me. I heard a follow up rumor yesterday that the tarholes are starring down the barrel of at least a two bowl game ban, and that may still be just the tip of the iceburg. I'm sure LSU fans would like for whomever to be eligible/not to be before next weekend. I did hear fwiw they're going w/ Yates over Renner at qb, which I believe helps you guys imo.

Our practices have been going better than expected. Jefferson has improved. But will it be enough??? As the old idiom goes, this game will be won or lost on turnovers. I think we have much better speed, but NC has more power. Coaches are about even. But never underestimate a crazy Les Miles in a critical situation. We usually do well in first games, and play well in the Dome.

http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/996024.html

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina has submitted academic infractions regarding its football team to the NCAA, according to sources close to the situation. The University has announced a press conference Thursday for 7:30 p.m.

Officials from North Carolina uncovered the academic issues in their own review, pertaining to a tutor, and self-reported the findings to the NCAA.
Sources report the various players involved were relegated to the scout team at practice on Wednesday.

North Carolina canceled the media viewing portion of Thursday afternoon's practice session, as well as a scheduled interview session with head coach Butch Davis. A school official announced UNC will hold a press conference on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. to "to provide an update on the NCAA investigation." In attendance will be chancellor Holden Thorp, athletic director Dick Baddour, and football coach Butch Davis.

These academic findings are a new element to the ongoing NCAA probe.

UNC received an interview notice form on June 21 from the NCAA, which requested to interview student-athletes. Inside Carolina broke the story on July 15 that the investigation centered on possible improper contact with sports agents.

Telephone and financial release forms were requested for the student-athletes involved, as well as text message printouts for the past year. The interviews were conducted on July 12-13.

The NCAA returned to UNC for a second round of interviews on

Man, this thing just gets bigger and bigger. I had never even heard about the tutor thing, and thats considering I had heard about many, many other gross negligent items. Each one of which would be an NCAA hammerable offense.

- YOu better believe they're not sending 9 players (including most of better players) to the practice squad for nothing. First it was trips and agents, then Balmer, now tutors writing papers. I still haven't seen the JOhn Black Santa Blake recruiting fiasco break yet, but I suppose it takes time to sift through this amount of bs and lies. Seems LSU will be getting a bump from Vegas soon enough .

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5501067

Email Print Comments13 By Joe Schad
ESPN.com

North Carolina expanded the inquiry into its football program to include allegations of academic impropriety involving a former tutor writing papers for players, sources said Thursday.

The sources said the Tar Heels relegated at least nine players, to the scout team on Wednesday as a result of the academic portion of the investigation. The group included players who were questioned as part of the NCAA's inquiry related to agents and trips to Miami.

Source said starting defenisve tackle Marvin Austin, starting defensive end Robert Quinn and starting linebacker Bruce Carter were among the players who were relegated to scout team.

North Carolina scheduled a 7:30 p.m. ET news conference to provide an update on the NCAA's investigation. Chancellor Holden Thorp, athletic director Dick Baddour and coach Butch Davis are all expected to attend.

The school is unlikely to announce the suspensions of any involved players at tonight's news conference.

The NCAA is involved in the academic angle of the investigation as well.

Previously, the NCAA's investigation focused on star defensive lineman Marvin Austin and starting wide receiver Greg Little and their contacts with agents and trips to South Florida and California.

Two sources who were interviewed by the NCAA said that Austin has said Miami Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis helped fund some of his expenditures to South Florida. A source close to Davis said that he is a good friend of Austin's but would prefer to steer clear of an NCAA interview.

Joe Schad is a college football reporter for ESPN.

http://twitter.com/schadjoe

- Quickest updates I've seen fwiw, he's been on 'em since jumpstreet. I suppose the below is why they're heading to the practice squad for the time being. Problem is, they don't want to shoot themselves over players who may not ultimately be involved, but they've done so much dirt that I'm not sure letting the ncaa drag it out doesn't get them into even more mud at the end of the day.

http://www.accsports.com/blogs/jim-youn ... ctions.php

Jim Young | Mailbag ACCSports.com August 26, 2010 5

Remember when it was just a question of who paid for Marvin Austin and Greg Little to hang out in Miami?

Things have gotten considerably more complex – and serious – in Chapel Hill since then.

It’s now being reported that North Carolina has self-reported academic infractions involving football players to the NCAA.

The Tar Heels closed all of its Thursday afternoon practice to the media and canceled Butch Davis’ interview session as well.

UNC will hold a press conference at 7:30 this evening. Butch Davis will be there, as well as AD Dick Baddour and the school’s chancellor, Holden Thorp.

3:46 Update

ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad just sent this tweet out about the UNC situation.

UNC is investigating if approximately 9 players including standouts had papers written by a former tutor
Yikes.

3:54 Update

Obviously the words “academic infractions” conjure up memories of Florida State’s academic scandal in the minds of many ACC fans. So I dug out an old article detailing the penalties that were handed down by the NCAA.

First, it’s important to note the scale of the Seminoles’ problems. In total, 61 athletes in 10 sports were found to have participated in the cheating scandal.

Here’s the part that may be the most relevant to UNC fans.

“In November 2007, Florida State and the NCAA agreed that athletes who had received “improper help” would be suspended for 30 percent of their seasons.
If it’s found that several Tar Heels did receive a similar level of “improper help” to what the FSU players received and the NCAA applies that same penalty standard, then UNC’s 2010 season could get off to a very, very rough start. Hypothetically, if 30 percent is rounded up to 33 percent, then a player suspended for the first four games of the season would miss the LSU game, a home date against Georgia Tech, a road game at Rutgers and a home game against East Carolina.

UNC's issue in this game is going to be their O-line vs. LSU's D-line. Everybody in LSU's rotation is a legit NFL prospect practically, and not sure UNC has the horses to deal with that sort of size and speed.

I'll be interested to see how Peterson does vs. Greg Little. That might be the only matchup UNC can exploit offensively, if Peterson doesn't play disciplined.

As for LSU's offense, if Jefferson is improved with his decision making they should be okay. From what I saw last year, probably at least half of his rushing attempts were because he held the ball too long and couldn't locate an open receiver. And he had 112 carries last year. That's up to 60 passes that he left on the field because of his own indecision. And he was sacked 34 times last year, not because LSU's O-line was bad but because he has no pocket presence.

And no Trindon Holliday either.

LSU should win, but if Jefferson isn't any better than he was last year, it'll probably be close.

Just read this past weekend that LSU is now playing Sheppard out at WR (got his weight up to 2 bills) w/ Jefferson doing better at QB. He must be doing a lot better to do this right BB? I thought RS was all world as a QB prospect.

I'm not sure where this UNC stuff sits right now? I thought the damn was about to bust open last Thursday, but now its still in limbo. I suppose you can hope they keep those 9 players on the practice squad so that they don't have to forfeit "wins" later. Not that they're gonna win now imo, this is a nightmare scenerio for them. I still think Yates is horrible too, always pisses his leg. They didn't go 7-5/4-4 last year b/c the rest of the offense is much better either. I do think they have their power back Houston, but other than Greg Little its pretty bare.

Its great that the entitlement school will probably get smacked for acting too entitled. Oooooh the irony if you fraternized w/ these bluebloods.

No, it was decided early last year that Shepard would be primarily a WR....and be used in the WildKat type player. We needed some depth at WR, and we thought our QB situation was better with Jefferson and Lee. Shepard had some problems throwing the ball as well. He is a dynamic RAC player though.

Just read that if NCAA hasn't decided by weeks end, AD or Pres of UNC will make the decision before the game. Again, I think that so they don't forfeit wins just in case.

Didn't know that about RS, good to know though.

“Juice” brings energy to Tigers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Ul6myzNxU
August 30, 2010 - © 2010 Tiger Rag
| | | |
Shepard working to improve pass catching ability

By RICHARD FISCHER
Tiger Rag Assistant Editor
The LSU receiving corps has been sipping on some “Juice” during fall camp thanks to the presence of sophomore wide receiver Russell Shepard.
“Russell’s going to be good. Russell’s a competitive guy. He’s so animated,” said junior cornerback Patrick Peterson. “My new nickname for Russell is now ‘Juice,’ because he has so much energy.”
Shepard and Peterson have been sharing a friendly rivalry during spring and fall practices where both players keep track of how many passes the underclassman catches on the All-American when the two battle in one-on-one drills - a competition both men say they are winning.
“I don’t know what Russell’s writing down in his notepad, but it’s a great battle, and that’s what we need, to get each other better, to push each other’s buttons, just going out there and being competitive,” said Peterson.
But regardless of who wins competition, the main goal remains for each player to push each other so that LSU wins on the football field.
“I ask him to give me everything he’s got, and he asks me to do the same with him,” said Shepard. “Pat has really helped me take my game to another level, and I hope and pray that I’m taking his play to another level.”
Apart from working with Peterson, Shepard has made it a personal priority during the offseason to work on improving his pass catching ability.
“I’ve never worked this hard for anything I wanted in my whole life,” said the Houston native. “This summer, the last day of the spring to this point, I catch anywhere from 75 to 150 balls a day, so that’s something that I definitely worked on and something I definitely improved on.”
After converting from quarterback to wide receiver, Shepard has also been working diligently with wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales to fine tune his craft.
“Coach Gonzales is a detailed coach. He expects a lot out of his players, and he sets the bar high for us,” said Shepard. “Coach Gonzales has coached so many great players, so you look at him and know he knows what he’s doing.”
Even though Shepard has made the transition away from signal caller, he said he expects to line up as a wildcat quarterback anywhere between five and 10 plays against North Carolina.
But wherever “Juice” lines up against the Tar Heels, he said he has no personal expectations other than just helping the team win.
“We have a lot of talent, a lot of young players in very big roles on this team,” said Shepard. “The young players have to step up to give the Drake Nevises and the Kelvin Sheppards the senior season that they deserve.”
Written by tigerrag · Filed Under Football, Home Page, Richard Fischer

Bad news for LSU alumni...Holliday put on IR with torn ligaments in his thumb. Charles Scott traded to Arizona....might be a better place for him anyway.

Shepard is a very bright young man.

http://hardknocktigers.blogspot.com/201 ... ock+Tigers)

Austin suspended for the LSU game per ESPN.

One down, hearing 6-8+ more on the way.

I didn't see the whole game, went out to a bar saw the first half, and then saw the final few plays. What was that BB? LSU barely beats UNC without 90% of their best players. Are you a little worried about this year?

As you well know Pudge, the outcome of football games aren't decided by things like that. Especially college games. I could give you hundreds of examples of teams who were perceived as down and out rising to the occasion. If you watched the first half you saw the real LSU team. After we got up big, Miles decided to call off the dogs. He started playing a lot of underclassmen, especially on defense. After the 97 yard pass play, he put most of the regulars back in the game. You have to hand it to NC because they never gave up. That is how you make a comeback happen. You get a few fortunate calls, a few good plays and a team on their heels.

Like I said earlier in the week, this was a lose/lose game for LSU as far as perceptions go. If we blow em out, then it was because they had left their best players at home. If we just get by then the question is why didn't we beat them by 3 td's. A win is a win and we have to take solace in that, because we came within a rats ass hair of losing this game. Ole Piss was up 31-10 on Jacksonville St. and blew it. FLA looked shaky as well. Kansas lost to North Dakota State in Turner Gill's debut. In college football anything can happen. LSU has one of the youngest teams in the NCAA. And I've gone on record saying that I don't expect us to win the West. Jefferson, while he showed some improvement from last year still isn't a solid QB. We lost Will Blackwell on the first play of the game, our best OFF Lineman. This is going to be a wide open college football season.

I just remember seeing LSU crushing them in the first half and then turning back with 10 seconds left and UNC is on the verge of winning it. It's about finishing games, and obviously LSU did not do that. And I think that's what I meant by being a little worried.

Winning the West? I think that was out of the question, barring Alabama completely falling apart. But perhaps instead of vying for essentially 2nd place in that division, perhaps LSU now is the 4th best team in the West behind Auburn and Arkansas?

The more and more I see of Les Miles and his LSU teams since their championship, the more and more I sense this guy is a lot closer to Ron Zook than he is to Nick Saban.

Spot on comment. I saw only the 2nd half, it was obvious LSU had already thought they had it wrapped, unc got some plays/calls and kept grinding. Best Yates has played his entire life i'm sure, but senior college qb' do that occassionally. Then all of a sudden lsu is a semi dropped pass away from making unc's cheating ass seem like heroes. Hollywood Herbstreit literally was praising unc for their effort... F unc, bunch of cheaters....we should feel great about their effort, right Kirk . What a joke.

What was concerning to me if I'm an lsu fan is how unc kept passing the ball at will down the field. I've never seen their offense pass that well, for whatever reason. LSU looked totally lost on D almost the entire 4th qtr.

UNC hasn't been proven to be cheaters (i.e. recruiting violations) yet. So Herbie was perfectly right to presume innocence in praising them.

yeah riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...

Bruce Feldman's blog...
3. The North Carolina Tar Heels mess:

Chapel Hill became center stage for the offseason agent scandal, which spawned an academic investigation and resulted in a huge number of players being held out of the season opener against LSU. The good news is the Tar Heels who did play played their butts off and almost beat the Tigers. The bad news: Just hours after that exciting finish, Butch Davis' top assistant, John Blake, resigned, and that is a really, really telling statement about just how deep some of these issues are into the core of Davis' program.

One blue-chipper being recruited by the Tar Heels told me Monday that he likes UNC but can't consider them at this point. "My dad put it on hold," he said. "We can't risk it. Not unless all of that NCAA stuff goes away."

How many of the UNC starters will be allowed back on the field in the coming weeks? Will there be more scandalous news coming out of Chapel Hill? Can Davis, who appears to have UNC on the brink of becoming a top-10 football program, survive all of this?

I'm not saying that they didn't cheat. I think they did. But to rip Herbie because he praises a team for a gutsy performance in a game that nobody thought they had a chance to win before any real recruiting violations have come to the surface, indicates you've lost perspective.

Especially coming from a guy that roots for a school that a decade ago had a QB that allegedly was gambling on illegal animal fights while he was in school. I'm sure that he wasn't using his own money for those.

In major college football, everybody cheats, some more than others. So, this is holier than thou attitude is pretty silly.

Actually Pudge, the game was rated as fairly even before the violations became apparent. NC was actually a favorite at a few different times during the summer. The line hovered around 1-2 points, then spiked to 7-10 points after the suspensions. So saying that "nobody gave them much of a chance to win" isn't accurate.