North Carolina

Louisville uses defense to stay unbeaten, top N.C. State 13-10 with late field goal

Published

1 year ago

September 30, 2023

Louisville uses defense to stay unbeaten, top N.C. State 13-10 with late field goal

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Louisville didn’t have to be perfect but the Cardinals turned out to be good enough Friday night.

Brock Travelstead drilled a 53-yard field goal with 5:32 remaining and Louisville remained undefeated by holding North Carolina State scoreless in the second half for a 13-10 victory.

“Our guys played hard and made enough plays,” first-year coach Jeff Brohm said. “We made some plays in the second half.”

The Cardinals (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who overcame a 10-point deficit, continued their strong start as Jack Plummer threw for 286 yards on 21-for-35 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions.

N.C. State (3-2, 1-1) was limited to 201 yards of total offense. Brennan Armstrong was 13 for 25 for 112 yards and two interceptions while gaining a game-high 61 rushing yards.

It looked like the Wolfpack would have a chance with less than three minutes remaining, but N.C. State was flagged for running into Travelstead, who’s also the punter, and Louisville kept the ball. Still, NC State got the ball at its own 34 with 1:44 left before Quincy Riley intercepted Armstrong on the next play.

“Defense overall (had) a very good plan and we executed it very well,’” Brohm said.

Travelstead missed on a 52-yard attempt in the first half. He was unfazed with another long-range chance.

“I wanted to be there for my team,” Travelstead said. “That ‘I’m the guy to do it.’ Just having that extreme confidence in myself and knowing that I’m going to make it is the biggest thing for me. If you go out there with any doubt, it’s not going to go in.”

Louisville’s defense was relentless, giving the Wolfpack few openings.

“This one hurts,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “I can’t really give answers until I watch the film but it’s pretty obvious what we need to get better at.”

Brohm didn’t want to stress the unbeaten record too much in late September.

“We know the schedule ahead is going to continue to get more difficult,” he said. “But we have to learn from each game.”

Louisville didn’t score until Plummer’s 39-yard pass to Chris Bell with 6:38 left in the third quarter. The Cardinals pulled even on Travelstead’s 33-yard field goal later in the quarter following NC State’s second turnover of the half.

“Defense, we could have done some things better to help win that game as well,” said Wolfpack linebacker Payton Wilson, who made 10 tackles and recovered a fumble.

The Wolfpack led 10-0 at halftime despite compiling only 86 yards of total offense — with 65 of those on one drive.

N.C. State moved 65 yards in 13 plays for Delbert Mimms III’s 4-yard touchdown run. The Wolfpack converted on fourth down twice on the drive, including a run from punt formation by linebacker Payton Wilson.

Brayden Narveson ended the first half with a 48-yard field goal. That came after Shyheim Battle’s interception of Plummer and return to the Louisville 32.

There were six punts in the first quarter. Then Travelstead missed on a field-goal attempt early in the second quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Louisville: The Cardinals didn’t crank out much offense as they had done in previous games, but winning their second ACC road game of the season is worth savoring.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack still hasn’t gotten untracked offensively and a solid defensive outing couldn’t save them. All of Louisville’s scoring drives covered less than 50 yards.

FOOT NOTES

N.C. State had won seven consecutive ACC home openers since losing to Louisville in 2015. … Louisville defensive back Cam’Ron Kelly intercepted Armstrong in the end zone in the third quarter. Kelly, a former player for Wolfpack rival North Carolina, forced a fumble later in the quarter.

COWHER HONORED

N.C. State alum Bill Cowher, the only former Wolfpack player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was inducted into the program’s Ring of Honor on Friday night. He said the university was an ideal fit for his blue-collar western Pennsylvania roots.

“Talk about going back down memory lane and I can’t think of a negative (memory),” Cowher said. “When I left here, I was more confident than when I came.”

Cowher was a standout NC State linebacker from 1975-78 under coaches Lou Holtz and Bo Rein before an NFL playing career. He later was a Super Bowl-winning head coach during a 15-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

UP NEXT

Louisville: Home next Saturday against No. 11 Notre Dame.

N.C. State: Marshall visits next Saturday.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

Source link

Click to comment

North Carolina

Key Ole Miss Transfer Target Thaddeus Dixon Chooses North Carolina Over Rebels

Published

52 seconds ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Key Ole Miss Transfer Target Thaddeus Dixon Chooses North Carolina Over Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels have made strong moves in the transfer portal this offseason, but the program missed out on a key contributor on Saturday when cornerback Thaddeus Dixon pledged to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Ole Miss was in the race late for Dixon, but a deciding factor in his decision to join the Tar Heels may have boiled down to Carolina’s hiring of former Washington assistant Armond Hawkins as defensive backs coach. Dixon is a transfer from the Washington Huskies, so familiarity in his new home likely played a role.

BREAKING: Washinton transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon has committed to North Carolina, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🐏https://t.co/pcXs7hjbOS pic.twitter.com/6g5D02NC7V
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) January 18, 2025

READ MORE: Will Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons Continue Playing Baseball in 2025?

So, where do the Rebels go from here? Ole Miss has already gained some key pieces in its secondary out of the transfer portal (including CB Jaylon Braxton of Arkansas), but Lane Kiffin’s team will probably still be seeking some help in the defensive backfield as the transfer portal continues to move.

According to On3’s current transfer portal class rankings, Ole Miss has the third-best haul in the country, behind Texas Tech and Missouri. The Rebels have seen 23 players transfer into the program so far this offseason, and that number could continue to grow between now and kickoff of the 2025 season.

Ole Miss opens its 2025 campaign on Aug. 30 at home against Georgia State.

Ole Miss To Host Former Penn State WR Trey Wallace

Ole Miss Rebels DT Jamarious Brown Named Freshman All-American

Ole Miss Lands Former Louisville QB Pierce Clarkson Via Transfer Portal

Former Ole Miss Football Superstar AJ Brown Named AP All-Pro Second Team

The Pete Golding Effect: How Ole Miss Football Will Reload Defensively in 2025

Source link

North Carolina

Thaddeus Dixon Joins in Husky Exodus to North Carolina

Published

8 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Thaddeus Dixon Joins in Husky Exodus to North Carolina

In a postseason recruitment that was raw and revealing at times, where decorated cornerback Thaddeus Dixon suggested in social media postings that University of Washington football fans wanted him to come back more than the coaches, apparently received all the assurances he needed at North Carolina.

On Saturday, the senior defensive back from Long Beach, California, told On3 he would join the Tar Heels for his final season of college football, adding to a growing list of one-time UW players and coaches headed to Chapel Hill.

So far, the departing group includes linebacker Khmori House, safety Peyton Waters, wide receiver Jason Robinson Jr., defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and defensive analyst Armond Hawkins, all moving from Montlake to the ACC.

The 6-foot-1, 187-pound Dixon would have given the Huskies three highly accredited corners, joining fellow UW starter Ephesians Prysock and Arizona transfer Tacario Davis, to fill out a secondary that could have had few equals this coming season, and still might.

BREAKING: Washington star transfer CB Thaddeus Dixon has Committed to North Carolina, he tells @on3sports
The 6’1 195 CB totaled 69 Tackles, 16 PD, 1 FF, & 2 INT in 2 seasons with the Huskies
Ranked as a Top 10 Player in the Portal (No. 2 CB) per On3https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/bePHJU7wP7
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 18, 2025

Dixon reportedly took recruiting visits to Mississippi and North Carolina, and fielded overtures from Michigan, before settling on the Tar Heels.

The disconnect for Dixon appeared to show up when the Huskies landed a portal commitment from the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Davis, a second-team All-Big 12 pick this past season, presumably to take his vacated spot.

The 6-foot-4, 193-pound Prysock and Davis teamed together at Arizona in 2023, with both earning All-Pac-12 honorable-mention accolades.

Dixon originally was supposed to run out of college eligibility when the season ended, hence the Huskies went looking for cornerback help, but the NCAA gave the veteran an extra year when it changed the rules governing players with junior-college backgrounds. He came to the UW from Long Beach Community College.

One of the Huskies’ top individual success stories this past season, Dixon went from a back-up player in 2023 to unseat returning starter Elijah Jackson, who opened all 15 games for the national runner-up team.

Thaddeus Dixon soaks up the moment after an Apple Cup interception. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Moving into the lineup, Dixon started 12 of 13 games and received All-Big Ten honorable-mention honors for Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff. He had a team-best 10 pass break-ups, an Apple Cup interception and several textbook tackles in the open field. He’s easily made himself into an NFL prospect.

With three accomplished cornerbacks, the Huskies could have picked two starters and put the odd man out at nickelback.

Dixon clearly wasn’t going to go that route at the UW, likely figuring his past performance should have provided him with more cornerback guarantees.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

Source link

North Carolina

Bill Belichick's girlfriend seemingly shuts down rumors coach will leave North Carolina for NFL

Published

15 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Bill Belichick's girlfriend seemingly shuts down rumors coach will leave North Carolina for NFL

Bill Belichick’s girlfriend on Thursday seemingly shut down any talk of her boyfriend leaving the North Carolina Tar Heels football program for a job in the NFL.

Jordon Hudson responded to rumors that suggested Belichick had one foot out the door when it came to his Tar Heels gig. Belichick had been rumored to be interest in coaching the Dallas Cowboys, but the head coaching job wasn’t open until he had already committed to North Carolina. CBS Sports reported that Belichick didn’t sign his contract with the school.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Oct. 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey: Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson enter the field before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

She posted a photo on her Instagram showing the two posing with a football and Belichick dressed in Carolina blue.

“Pictured: two people who are overtly committed to @uncfootball,” she wrote as the caption.

Michael Lombardi, who is the general manager of the North Carolina football program, also threw cold water on the rumors of Belichick jumping back to the pros.

EX-NFL COACH JON GRUDEN RIPS STATE OF COLLEGE SPORTS

Dec. 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC: Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of Bill Belichick, in attendance at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

“Bill is recruiting in DC today, and Baltimore tomorrow. His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isnt a option so please stop making it one. Thank you,” he wrote on X in response to the CBS Sports report.

“The reception towards UNC and Coach Belichick has been amazing from every school we visit. We are going to fight to keep North Carolina players here and bring the best to Chapel Hill,” he added.

Belichick was hired as the Tar Heels’ coach in December. He called the job a “dream come true.”

Bill Belichick fields questions from media

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said in his introductory press conference. “It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really a dream come true.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.