News Nuggets, 01.03.05
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
Previous Day Nuggets...
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Compiled from staff reports
and electronic dispatches
Tech sack artist looks to Baghdad for inspiration
PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
01.02.05: Utah
domination of Pitt exposes BCS ... Petrino backpedals as LSU
zeroes in on Miles ...
More... |
01.01.05: Cards
hang on in Liberty Bowl shootout with Broncos ... Utes
poised to cap off perfect season in style ...
More... |
12.31.04: Offensive
juggernauts collide in Liberty Bowl ... Tire Bowl goes flat
for North Carolina ...
More... |
12.30.04: Boston
College tests ACC waters in Tire Bowl ... Syracuse reverses
field, ousts Pasqualoni ...
More... |
12.29.04: Petrino
flirts with LSU on eve of Liberty Bowl ... Power indexes:
Conference ratings... Team ratings ...
More... |
12.28.04: Utah
carries banner of have-nots into Fiesta Bowl ... Tampa
slaying perplexes victim's friends ...
More... |
12.27.04: Vanderbilt
football star slain by gunfire in Tampa ... Tulsa coach
resigns with C-USA on horizon ...
More... |
12.26.04: Tulane
rewards Scelfo with contract extension ... Big Ten pushes
for instant replay for all of I-A ...
More... |
12.25.04: Chang,
Hawaii spoil UAB's bowl debut in shootout ... Memphis bumps
West up to $800K per year ...
More... |
12.24.04: BCS
produces sequel to 'Night of the Living Dead' ... Cincy
torches Herd in frigid Ft. Worth Bowl ... UAB makes bowl
debut against prolific Warriors ...
More... |
12.23.04: Bowling
Green shakes off Memphis in GMAC Bowl ... Primetime bowl
preview: Bearcats vs. Herd ... Tranghese: BCS not interested
in playoff ...
More... |
12.22.04: Up-and-coming
programs tangle in GMAC bowl ... Petrino hits jackpot with
new pact at U of L ... College basketball power indexes ...
More... |
12.21.04: Cold,
hard facts about health swayed Majerus ... Basketball panel
tinkering with RPI formula ...
More... |
12.20.04: GMAC
Bowl history sets stage for Tigers-Falcons shootout ...
Memphis reinstates Banks after one game ... Mounting
attrition challenges Pitino, Cards ...
More... |
12.19.04: Houston
AD livid with Nebraska over cancellation ... Duke cans
offensive coordinator Galbraith ... Majerus retreats back to
TV booth ...
More... |
12.18.04: Wolfpack's
Hodge not short on self-esteem ,,, James Madison rushes to
I-AA championship ...
More... |
12.17.04: Nebraska
icon Osborne irked with aloof AD's ... William & Mary QB
captures Payton Award ...
More... |
12.16.04: Pirates
hawking hoops tickets with a twist ... Majerus ditches TV
gig to rescue Trojans ...
More... |
12.15.04: Bowl
season kicks off with Southern Miss victory ... Marshall
linebacker suspended for bowl game ...
More... |
12.14.04: Preview:
USM, North Texas kick off bowl season ... Former ECU
assistants McFarland, Brindise land jobs ... McLendon to
bolt Wolfpack for NFL draft ...
More... |
12.13.04: Musical
chairs at full tilt as coaches change jobs ... List of
Division I-A coaching changes ... Heisman Trophy chronology
1935-2004 ...
More... |
12.12.04: Title
game of the Heismans set ... All-time Heisman winners list
... Blue- Gray Classic scratched again ...
More... |
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NEW ORLEANS Charles Tapp II gave a
dog tag to his little brother, a token to take along when he ``goes to
battle'' for Virginia Tech.
But Darryl Tapp knows the stakes are
much higher for his older sibling, an Air Force officer who was shipped to
Iraq midway through the football season.
``I try to stay away from looking at
the news or reading the papers,'' the younger Tapp said. ``I don't want my
mind to wander.''
Darryl has done a good job of staying
focused, leading the Hokies in sacks, tackles for losses and hurrying the
quarterback. He was voted to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team at
defensive end, a major reason that No. 9 Virginia Tech (10-2) won the league
championship and a spot against third-ranked Auburn (12-0) in Monday night's
Sugar Bowl.
But Tapp's thoughts are never far away
from his brother, who was deployed to Iraq on Oct. 13 just four days after
Darryl had six tackles, including a sack, in a victory over Wake Forest.
Charles Tapp is an Air Force captain
and budget officer, working in Baghdad with a unit that is helping set up a
new Iraqi government. While not on the front line of the deadly battle with
insurgents, the 30-year-old still must cope with the daily threat of
violence.
``There are inherent dangers of being
in the International Zone,'' Tapp wrote in an e-mail from the Iraqi capital.
``But not as dangerous as (it is for) some of our Marines and soldiers
engaged directly with insurgents.''
He doesn't want his 20-year-old brother
to be concerned about what's happening in Iraq. On Sunday, a spate of
attacks killed at least 29 Iraqi soldiers, police officers and civilians.
The Tapps e-mail each other frequently,
with Charles sending along pictures of himself and his unit. He also tries
to call Darryl before and after every game if nothing else, to be a
reassuring voice on the other end of the line.
``I have asked Darryl to focus on the
things he can control his academics and football,'' Charles Tapp wrote in
his e-mail. ``I do hope he draws strength from knowing that I and the men
and women in the armed services are serving for him, other Americans, and
our international neighbors to make the world a better place for all people.
But I know these are all easier to say than to do.''
Before shipping out, Charles tried to
comfort his brother by telling him that he wouldn't be serving on the front
lines of the Iraqi war. He also gave a dog tag to Darryl, ``so that he could
see a physical reminder when he 'goes to battle on the field' that I am with
him.''
Since arriving in Iraq, Charles has
passed along some of the lighter side of war to his younger brother. For
instance, the captain has gotten so used to lugging around a gun, he joked
in one of their conversations, that he'll probably have to carry one of
those Super Soakers when he gets back home.
``All the time, he's reminding me to
focus on things I can control,'' Darryl said. ``He keeps telling me that
he'll be all right.''
The Virginia Tech coaches were amazed
at how well Tapp held up after his brother was sent into harm's way. If
anything, it seemed to motivate the junior even more.
``I'm sure that's on his mind all the
time,'' defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. ``The one way he can show
that he appreciates his brother because his brother has been a role model
in his life is that he goes out, performs and works the way he does.''
Tapp was nicknamed ``Fast Forward'' by
his teammates, a testament to his work ethic.
``The one thing about Darryl Tapp is
that he knows one speed,'' Foster said. ``That's full speed, in everything
he does.''
Over in Iraq is one proud brother.
Charles has been able to watch all five of Virginia Tech's televised games
since he was deployed, joined by those who work in the office. They've
dubbed themselves the Baghdad branch of the Virginia Tech Hokies Fan Club.
The eight-hour time difference made it
a little tough for Charles to get up for a pair of Thursday night games (it
was 3:45 a.m. in Baghdad), but he managed. He'll set the alarm early again
on Tuesday, determined to watch his brother play in the Sugar Bowl.
``I will be bright-eyed and
bushy-tailed for the game,'' Charles promised.
He also passed along a message to his
little brother.
``Darryl, you know how proud of you I
am,'' Charles wrote. ``And even though I'm miles away, know that I am with
you in spirit, and will be watching from kickoff until the last whistle is
blown.
``I love you, Chief. See you in a few
weeks.''
Meyer bids adieu as Utah relishes perfection
TEMPE Urban Meyer paused a few times
to collect himself.
Saying goodbye was hard enough. Doing
so after a 12-0 season was almost too much.
The fifth-ranked Utes sent Meyer to his
new job at Florida with one last nearly perfect performance, beating
Pittsburgh 35-7 Saturday night in the Fiesta Bowl.
``All the speaking, all the work, all
of the people just trying to get them interested in Utah football. And
we've done that,'' Meyer said. ``There's an interest in Utah football.''
Like never before.
The first team from a non-BCS
conference to play in a Bowl Championship Series game didn't disappoint
against the Big East champion Panthers (8-4), scoring on half of its 10
possessions. Utah will be one of at most three unbeaten teams in Division
I-A.
In just two seasons, Meyer took the
Utes from a group that underachieved under former coach Ron McBride to the
elite of college football.
``Going undefeated is hard to do.
There's a lot of good football teams out there,'' Meyer said.
The Utes had to fight the system and
their low profile throughout the season, briefly falling out of the top six
spot they needed in the Bowl Championship Series standings but eventually
securing a berth in one of the four big-money games with an 11-0 regular
season.
And the 12th victory was the ideal
ending. Pittsburgh had no answers for Utah's spread offense, which
overloaded the Panthers with options, shovel passes and deep routes. Alex
Smith, Utah's first Heisman Trophy finalist, picked apart Pitt by completing
29 of 37 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns.
He also ran the option with just as
much precision, gaining 68 yards on 15 carries to lead Utah to 467 yards.
``This last season, every time at the
opening of the game some defense has some brand new scheme for us, and it
became pretty obvious pretty quick that Pitt was going to pressure us and
crowd the line of scrimmage,'' said Smith, who might decide to skip his
senior season and head to the NFL.
``So when they are going to do that
with this offense, you're going to have some big plays. Luckily, the guys
around me made it so easy on me.''
Smith certainly didn't hurt his draft
status Saturday, completing 78 percent of his passes and not turning the
ball over.
Paris Warren caught a Fiesta
Bowl-record 15 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. His second score
came off a lateral from Steve Savoy, who caught a screen pass from Smith and
pitched it to Warren coming around the left side.
The Panthers never saw it coming much
like the rest of Utah's attack.
``They dropped a lot of people back and
tried to keep everything in front of them. We just took advantage of what
they gave us,'' Warren said.
Pitt fell into the same situation most
of Utah's opponents did this season: falling behind early and trying to
rally. The Panthers made it tougher on themselves by offering little
protection for quarterback Tyler Palko.
The Utes sacked Palko nine times,
another Fiesta record, and held Pitt to just one touchdown a 31-yard pass
from Palko to Greg Lee that cut the lead to 28-7.
It was not such a great sendoff for
Pitt coach Walt Harris, who is leaving to take over Stanford.
``They are a very good, very explosive
team and it was a tough game for us,'' Harris said. ``We did not match up
physically the way we needed to in order to stay in it offensively.''
Saturday's sendoff turned into a party
for Utah fans, who made up at least 75 percent of the sellout crowd of
73,519 at Sun Devil Stadium, giving it a red hue. Utah hadn't gone unbeaten
and untied since 1930.
So Meyer's farewell message was simple:
Enjoy it.
``It was a great game against a very
good team and I told our players,'' Meyer said, before pausing briefly.
``People can take a lot from you; they can never take the fact that you're
12-0.''
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data
published by ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools; and reports from Associated Press and
other sources. Copyright 2004
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