Irish slip to No. 3; Panthers continue to climb
By Eric Chanowich and Eric Sendelbach
Unbeaten teams fell faster than George Bush's public approval ratings, serving up the most exciting weekend yet this season. Of course, it was exciting for everyone except Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Georgia or North Carolina State who all tumbled from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Former Sendwich No. 1 Notre Dame was shocked at home by Boston College. The Irish, clad in green jerseys, were out-Irished, fumbling seven times and losing three of them. The Eagles capitalized on a "Happy Birthday" interception thrown by Pat Dillingham to Josh Ott that was easily returned 71 yards for the eventual winning touchdown. BC moved up 36 spots to No. 28 while the Notre Dame's fall was far less dramatic, dropping two places to No. 3.
On a side note, an anonymous Boston College player is this week's recipient of the Terrell Owens/Sharpie (everything has a corporate sponsor these days) Poor Sportsmanship Award for tearing up a sizeable chunk of turf from Notre Dame Stadium and throwing it into the air immediately following the victory. Irish linebacker Mike Goolsby gave him an earful about the divot, and shortly after received an earful from a member of the Irish coaching staff, but we have to give Goolsby props for defending his turf, literally.
Panthers on the prowl
Virginia Tech held a two touchdown lead in the middle of the third quarter, only to allow Pittsburgh three unanswered touchdowns, and an eventual 28-21 Panther victory. Aside from a 59-yard Lee Suggs touchdown run, the Hokies offense was ineffective. Courtesy of Pitt turnovers, their other two touchdown drives were for a mere three and 21 yards.
The Panthers, however, didn't need perfection to beat the Hokies, as freshman sensation Larry Fitzgerald hauled in three touchdowns. Virginia Tech slid eight spots to No. 15. Previously unheralded Pittsburgh improved their record to 7-2 and rose to No. 16.
Gators, dog owners yet again
The Georgia Bulldogs held a 1-11 record versus Florida while Steve Spurrier served as the Gators' head coach. The table, however, was set for Georgia this year, as Spurrier departed in the off-season and the Bulldogs, with their 7-0 record, had exactly three fewer losses than Florida this season.
Not so fast. Rookie head coach Ron Zook and the Gators took over exactly where Spurrier left off, handing Georgia its first defeat of the season. The Gators broke a 13-13 deadlock with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and stifled Georgia for the rest of the game, holding on for a 20-13 win. The Bulldogs dropped three spots to No. 6 and Florida soared to No. 12.
Yellow Jackets sting Wolfpack
Everyone outside of Raleigh knew it was only a matter of time before N.C. State picked up its first loss of the season. While most suspected it might come later in the season against ACC powerhouse Florida State, the Wolfpack bowed out of the unbeatens with a stunning loss to Georgia Tech.
New head coach Chan Gaily and the Yellow Jackets used calculated ball control to keep Phillip Rivers and N.C. State's powerhouse offense, averaging 41 points per game, off the field. The Wolfpack took a 17-9 lead early in the fourth quarter on a T.A. McClendon touchdown run. Shortly after, Georgia Tech exploded for two touchdowns within two minutes of each other and held on for a 24-17 victory.
Georgia Tech moved 24 places to No. 19 and N.C. State slid from No. 10 to No. 17. The Wolfpack fell to second place in the ACC, with a 4-1 conference record, just behind Florida State (5-0). The two will meet to likely decide the ACC champ and automatic BCS bid recipient on Nov. 23 in Raleigh.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, November 5, 2002
