Monday Items: Clemson Players Discuss Toughest Venues; Kenan Stadium Strangely Absent

-- Clemson players were asked to talk about the easiest and toughest places to play in the ACC.

"Duke, it’s pretty much like a practice. You’ve got 15,000 fans out there. It’s not that difficult if you’ve got your guys out there cheering you on."

— Reggie Merriweather, running back

The game is pretty much like practice, too. Zing!

"N.C. State is a tough place to play in. It’s not that big, but some places just have a nice atmosphere, and they do up there. Their fans get a little rowdy and a little tough, especially when they get things going. "

— C.J. Gaddis, cornerback

[snip]

"Doak Campbell at Florida State, that’s pretty intimidating. They’re pretty crazy down there. You see that Indian on the horse coming out in the middle of the field and throwing that thing down, their fans go crazy.

N.C. State can be pretty intimidating, too. Their fans get into it, and every time they get a first down, they start hollering, "A Wolfpack first down!" One corner of Maryland’s stadium is pretty intimidating because it’s where all their students sit."

— Thomas Hunter, tight end

-- As the race for the Fulmer Cup nears an end, NC State remains absent from the standings. Which is to say, no Wolfpack players have had run-ins with the law this offseason. Both Duke and UNC managed to score a few points.

-- Injuries for the App game have been released. We could be without both our starting center and our most experienced wide receiver.

Based on the depth chart, Geron James would move up to second string at the X Receiver spot behind John Dunlap. Leroy Harris would probably shift back to center, with Kalani Heppe (assuming he's healthy) sliding in as the new starting left guard.

-- Carter-Finley is expected to be "fully functional" for the opener. If I get there and they've forgotten to erect the temporary bleachers, man am I gonna be chapped.

I am taking the following to mean they aren't going to blast us with the scoreboard soundsystem (but that's likely just wishful thinking):

[T]he school commissioned an acoustical study of the stadium, so that the state-of-the-art sound system can be reconfigured to suit every "nook and cranny" of the stadium, Brincefield said.

"The sound survey we did before was done before the Murphy Center was build and before Vaughn Towers was built," Brincefield said. "We have added some speakers and adjusted the angles so that everyone in the stadium should get virtually the same sound levels."

There were speakers added that will reach patrons in the 300-level seats of the north end zone, since most of the existing sound system goes right over the top of that area of the stadium, Brincefield said.

-- Ooh! Ooh! Let's have an internet feud!

We're still in nothing-special territory, here. Player thinks schedule is tough. Player takes a dig at the neighbors.

And then the Wolfpack blogs go nuts. They're seriously arguing over the internet about a joke involving a school of the blind.

Wolfpack? This is why your not a serious rival. Suck it up, schedule whoever you'd like and help your team win the damn game. UNC fans have been making these jokes for years. (We also enjoy making agricultural insults and claiming intellectual superiority, if you're interested.)

I'll leave it to the parties involved. I can only encourage a petty war of words, preferably one spanning several weeks.