North Carolina
P.J. Fleck wants Gophers to absorb ‘failures’ from North Carolina loss ahead of Northwestern
P.J. Fleck describes the Gophers football team as a developmental program, one in which players take incremental steps toward improvement and ultimately success. Going hand in hand with the emphasis on development is another Fleck tenet: Failure means growth.
“You’ve got to go through the failing,” the Gophers coach said Monday. “There’s a step of being a developmental program. You cannot skip failing. I’m not talking about spring-game failing. I’m talking about live game reps. Failing is the only way you grow.”
Fleck and the Gophers will find out if the failings of last weekend’s 31-13 loss at then-No. 20 North Carolina result in growth on Saturday night at Northwestern as Minnesota (2-1, 1-0) returns to Big Ten play against the Wildcats (1-2, 0-1).
There’s a lot with which to work in the failure/growth category stemming from the result in Chapel Hill.
The Gophers watched the Tar Heels rain down big plays of 46, 55 and 39 yards on their way to building first-half leads of 14-0 and 21-3. Minnesota, meanwhile, mustered only one touchdown for the second time in three games. The Gophers converted two North Carolina turnovers to only three points, and when they trailed 21-13 in the third quarter with the ball at the Tar Heels 34-yard line, backup quarterback Cole Kramer, in for cramping starter Athan Kaliakmanis, promptly threw a first-down interception.
“There’s a lot of things that we could have done way better to make it a better football game on our end, and all you have to do is execute,” Fleck said. “I think our players saw that on film, and that’s what’s really hopeful.”
On Saturday in Evanston, Ill., the Gophers won’t be facing a top 20 team riding high behind a quarterback like North Carolina’s Drake Maye. They’ll meet a downtrodden Northwestern team that’s trying to recover from an offseason hazing scandal that cost Wildcats legend Pat Fitzgerald his coaching job and prompted team officials to make defensive coordinator David Braun the interim coach.
Northwestern opened the season with a 24-7 loss at Rutgers, rebounded to beat Texas-El Paso 38-7 and then fell 38-14 at then-No. 21 Duke. Fleck sees a Wildcats team that has talent in players such as wide receiver A.J. Henning, a transfer from Michigan who’s a threat as a rusher, receiver and returner.
“This is a huge challenge,” Fleck said of Henning, who amassed 1,279 all-purpose yards in three seasons at Michigan. “He’s one of the most dynamic players in the Big Ten. They use him in all facets of what they do offensively. Special teams, they’re going to do everything they can to get the ball in his hands as many times as they can.”
Fleck also sees a team rallying around its new coach.
“You can tell that team has come close together,” he said. “You can tell there is no quit in that team. They play their tail ends off from the start till the end.’
While he has an eye on Northwestern, Fleck puts his focus on his team and what it must do to clean things up, especially for an offense that’s produced only four touchdowns — a pair of 2-yard runs by Darius Taylor, a 1-yard sneak by Kaliakmanis and Daniel Jackson’s spectacular catch for the tying touchdown against Nebraska.
The run game, with true freshman Taylor developing into the lead back, has produced 466 yards over the past two games. Taylor and the offensive line get a big share of the credit.
“I thought they played tremendously,” Fleck said of the offensive line. “And I thought if you go back and you just watch the run game, we controlled the line of scrimmage. … I felt really good about where we were coming out of that game. And again, you’re finding out a lot about your football team as you go through and play.”
North Carolina
NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank
With a recent study revealing North Carolina as one of the states with the riskiest roads to travel, some may wonder how safe the roads are here in the Cape Fear region.
MarketWatch Guides, a site that provides “reviews of consumer products and services to help readers make educated purchasing decisions,” focuses in part on car insurance comparisons, vehicle safety and more.
A recent study by the site analyzed factors including annual miles driven per 100,000 system miles, percentage of rough roads and fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers. States were given a rating out of 10 points, with 10 being the most dangerous.
More: Distracted driving in Wilmington: How big of a problem is it?
North Carolina’s ranking among the most dangerous
According to the study, the states with the most dangerous drivers based on the factors studied are:
- Louisiana – 7.55/10
- California – 7.21/10
- New Mexico – 6.74/10
- Hawaii – 6.73/10
- Delaware – 6.67/10
- New Jersey – 6.53/10
- Mississippi – 6.47/10
- North Carolina – 6.39/10
- Massachusetts – 6.33/10
- Maryland and Texas – 6.26/10
According to the study, North Carolina had 32.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers, but only 2.1% of rough roads, which was the lowest percentage out of the other ranked states.
For a more localized perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation releases annual traffic crash facts data. The most recent 2022 report includes a ranking of counties based on several factors, including reported crashes, crash severity, crash rates based on population, registered vehicles and estimated vehicle miles traveled.
The most dangerous county for drivers, ranked at No. 1 for the past five years, was Robeson County. The county had 60 fatal crashes in 2022 with 1,136 non-fatal injury crashes. The rest of the total 4,056 crashes were property-damage-only. The county with the best ranking was Hyde County, coming in at No. 100. The county had one fatal crash in 2022 and 10 non-fatal injury crashes. The county had a total of 45 crashes, the rest of which were property damage only.
More: MyReporter: Which intersections see the most red-light camera violations in Wilmington?
Here’s where the Cape Fear region counties ranked.
Brunswick County
Ranked No. 76 in 2022, Brunswick County had 25 fatal crashes and 715 non-fatal injury crashes. The total crashes for that year were 3,146. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.
New Hanover County
Ranked No. 58, New Hanover had 19 fatal crashes and 1,313 non-fatal injury crashes, both of which went down from 2021. The total crashes in New Hanover were 5,617. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.
Pender County
Ranked No. 47, Pender County had the worst ranking despite having the lowest number of crashes. The county had 12 fatal crashes and 374 non-fatal injury crashes, and a total of 1,156 crashes. The rest of the crashes were property damage only.
Iris Seaton, USA Today Network, contributed to this report.
Tropical Storm Debby already has parts of Florida under tropical storm warnings. The Florida Big Bend is currently under a Hurricane Warning. Debby is forecast to briefly strengthen into a category 1 hurricane as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico where water temperatures are near 90 degrees.
As it continues its path over land it is expected to dial back to tropical storm strength as it reaches the Carolinas mid to late next week. Moderate rainfall is possible for northeast North Carolina and southern Virginia by the end of the week.
Higher amounts of rain are possible for southernmost portions of the Outer Banks but generally models show 2-4 inches for northeast North Carolina and 1-2 inches for southern Virginia through Thursday.
Stay with News 3’s First Warning Weather Team for the latest updates as the storm develops.
The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor a tropical depression over Cuba. It’s expected to become a tropical storm later Saturday, bringing impacts to the Carolinas around the middle of next week.
Heavy rainfall and flooding are the primary impacts expected, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
“Gusty winds are also possible, but it is too early to predict specific impacts in great detail at this time,” the weather service said.
At the same time, there is the potential for heavy rainfall and some flooding associated with front expected to stall inland this weekend.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the center of the tropical depression, which would be name Debby if it becomes a tropical storm, was over Cuba and moving west-northwest near 15 mph. The hurricane center said a turn toward the northwest is forecast for Saturday, followed by a northward motion on Sunday and then a slower northeastwardmotion Sunday night and Monday.
Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph. Slow strengthening is expected throughout the day Saturday. Faster strengthening is possible Sunday, with the storm nearing hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.
STORM TRACKER: Monitor the latest tropical developments here.
Here’s a look at what we can expect in the Wilmington area, according to the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Wind
The probability of tropical storm force winds has increased, especially for the South Carolina coast. The most likely time of arrival of for northeast South Carolina is Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and for Southeastern North Carolina is during Wednesday morning.
Rain
The potential for significant rainfall exists with 8 to 12 inches possible from near Cape Fear to portions of thenortheast South Carolina coast. Flash flooding and urban flooding are possible. Some rivers, including the North Cape Fear River and the Waccamaw River, could exceed flood stage next week.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Enter your address to see hurricanes, tropical storms that have passed nearby
Marine impacts
Rough surf, including dangerous rip currents, and hazardous marine conditions are expected this weekend and will persist into the upcoming week.
Are you prepared for a hurricane?
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Even if this system won’t pose a threat to the NC coast, it’s never too early to be prepared.
GET READY: Are you prepared for a hurricane? Here’s what to know if you live in the Wilmington area.
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