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News Nuggets, 08.19.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Nevels gets Ross's nod as Army's No. 1 QB

WEST POINT - Reggie Nevels, who for three straight years has entered preseason camp locked in a heated competition to earn Army's starting quarterback berth, has once again emerged atop the Black Knights' depth chart.

That three-peat was assured when Army head coach Bobby Ross announced this week that Nevels, a senior, would line up beneath center for the Black Knights' season opener against Louisville on Sept. 11, narrowly edging junior Zac Dahman and senior Matt Silva for the job.

Nevels, Dahman and Silva entered camp entrenched in a virtual `dead-heat' for the starting role. The decision was made even tougher by the performance of all three candidates this past week, according to Ross.

"We're going to start with (Reggie) Nevels," Ross stated after the conclusion of Monday's workout at Michie Stadium. "We've been pleased with what all of them have done. I wouldn't hesitate to put any of the three in at any time. The improvement has been in the stage of phenomenal, it really has, with each and every one of them. That's why we needed the extra day (to make the decision), because we wanted some time to really talk about it. It wasn't real clear.

"But we've got to make that decision and we made it today. We're going to continue to give both (Zac) Dahman and (Matt) Silva work with the first (unit) also.

"If we were to start tomorrow (Reggie) would start. He's got to come out and perform every day in practice. We can't lay the ball on the ground, we can't do things like that. But as a whole, we feel like we're going to go that way with it."

After pairing an original list of eight candidates down to three during spring drills, Ross did not name a starting quarterback at that time. The veteran NFL and college mentor opted to wait until preseason camp to make his decision, utilizing the extra time to evaluate the development of each of the would-be starters during the early preseason sessions.

Expanded ACC hoops slate upends rivalries

GREENSBORO — The basketball schedule for the expanded Atlantic Coast Conference lacks some of the traditional series between long-standing rivals.

The upcoming season will be the first for the ACC as an 11-team league. Miami and Virginia Tech officially joined the conference in July, but the league will keep a 16-game conference schedule. That means each team will play home-and-home series with six conference opponents, and just one game against four.

As a result, some traditional rivals will play only once this season. Duke and North Carolina State, which have played two regular-season games every season since 1911-12, meet once, on Jan. 13 in Raleigh.

Meanwhile, North Carolina will meet Wake Forest and Georgia Tech once each. Wake Forest and North Carolina will not play in Chapel Hill for the first time since the 1943-44 season, with their only meeting coming Jan. 15 in Winston-Salem.

The Tar Heels host Georgia Tech on Jan. 12, and will not play in Atlanta for the first time since 1978-79.

Last season, six ACC teams earned NCAA tournament berths. Two of those teams, Georgia Tech and Duke, reached the Final Four, with the Yellow Jackets losing to Connecticut in the national championship game.

ACC teams went 14-6 in the NCAA tournament, and the ACC became the first conference in tournament history to have five teams seeded fourth or better.

Pinkie injury fells Tar Heel tackle for season

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina defensive tackle Chase Page will miss the season after injuring his left pinkie finger in practice.

Coach John Bunting said Wednesday that Page tore a flexor tendon during a drill in Tuesday's practice when the senior got his hand caught in an offensive lineman's jersey.

Page had surgery Tuesday night and was released from the hospital Wednesday.

Page was one of seven returning starters on a defense that allowed 38 points and 505 yards per game during last season's 2-10 campaign.

"There's no way to replace his leadership right now, but the other players have got to step up," Bunting said.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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