Battle of Grounded Knee
First off, let me be clear: I have not seen a replay yet that is, in my mind, conclusive one way or another as to whether TA McLendon's knee was down before or after he stretched the ball across the goal line at Kenan Stadium. There weren't many TV angles to choose from, considering one of the great games in this rivalry -- can I call it that, Ed? -- was only televised by a local station.
That said, shame on the Wolfpack message-boarders floating the conspiracy theory that ref Jim Knight reversed linesman Mike Owens' original TD signal because he felt a debt of gratitude to UNC Hospitals after his on-field heart attack several years ago. It's a painful loss, and it's going to hurt for a while, but come on.
And cheers to Chuck Amato for biting his tongue and not lodging a protest to the ACC office. It's not like they can get a do-over at this point. His players, and fans, should follow his lead and put the bitter loss behind them.
Maybe Bobby Cox, who filed a silly protest of a recent baseball playoff game because of a dugout-to-bullpen phone delay, could learn something from Amato: You play the cards you're dealt.
Comments (2)
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First, two points of disclosure. I am an NC State alum. Although I was in Raleigh (where the game was televised), I was at a wedding, so I have seen no footage.
NC State has been quick to salute its nationally ranked defense, but when a top defense surrenders 30 points to Carolina, the team has not earned a win.
And, if anyone has impugned Jim Knight as Jeff reports, that is weak.
Posted on October 12, 2004 12:56 PM
I am a UNC alum and was at the game. My NC State grad friend and I were too far away to see the play in question, but we both agreed that it wasn't a good way to either win or lose a game. I will disagree with Ed Hardin and call it a "rivalry" game. You can tell how much the game meant by watching the students and fans stream onto the field.
On a semi-related note, it's good to see that UNC has indefinitely suspended the three players charged with possession of marijuana. I hope they are innocent and are proven so, but marijuana use among the student athletes was absolutely rampant when I was at UNC.
Posted on October 13, 2004 8:18 AM