UVa, Duke, ECU, WCU, D2 Among DG’s “Fun Facts & Shout-Outs” (Week 10) – Ncsportsnetwork.com

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 10:

Virginia, Duke, ECU, Western Carolina, D2
Among DG’s ACC/NC “Fun Facts & Shout-Outs”
(Weekly Video = Posted At Bottom Soon)

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(final up to date Nov. 3, 2025)

While the main target of our “This Week In College Football” present is forward-looking as typically as potential, we at all times take a look again on the earlier weekend in school soccer, too, and generally we’ll supply some fast mentions to these making impactful headlines on the gridiron, particularly within the Atlantic Coast Conference and/or throughout North Carolina.

With that in thoughts, under are our Week 10 “Fun Facts and Shout-Outs,” delivered to you by our good associates at Jimmy’s bar and King Neptune restaurant in Wrightsville Beach.

Jimmy’s has a full bar, nightly drink specials and dwell music twelve months a yr(!). (It’s an important place to observe a sport, too.) Right subsequent door, King Neptune has grow to be top-of-the-line eating places in the complete larger Wilmington space.

Week 10 “Fun Fact #1″

Fun Fact: Among the 68 school soccer packages that compete on the Power Four degree — that means members of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, plus Notre Dame — solely 5 packages have didn’t submit a single season of 10 or extra victories inside the previous 20 years: Vanderbilt, Purdue, Virginia, NC State and Maryland.

Some Power Four faculties crank out 10-win seasons routinely. Others do it not often. For instance, within the Bold North State, the latest examples embody coach David Cutcliffe main Duke to a 10-4 marketing campaign in 2013, coach Larry Fedora main UNC to an 11-3 marketing campaign in 2015, and coach Dave Clawson main Wake Forest to an 11-3 marketing campaign in 2021.

Only 5 P4 packages have didn’t get to the 10-win threshold even one time up to now 20 years: the Commodores, Boilermakers, Cavaliers, Wolfpack and Terrapins.

So, why convey up this truth now, and what’s so “fun” about it? Well, two of the 5 packages on this depressing listing have — right here in November — a really sensible probability to take away themselves from it.

Fifth-year Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has the Commodores 7-2 with at the very least 4 video games left to play, that means three within the common season and at the very least one within the postseason. Vandy, which is the one Power Four program that has by no means reached the 10-win mark in a single marketing campaign, might be favored in its subsequent two video games — each at residence, in opposition to Auburn and Kentucky — so the Commodores might be 9-2 as they head to Tennessee for his or her regular-season finale. At that time, both a win over the Volunteers or a single victory within the postseason would lastly get the Commodores to this specific promised land.

Meanwhile, beneath fourth-year coach Tony Elliott, Virginia is 8-1 with at the very least 4 video games left to play, and the Cavaliers are favored each this week as they host Wake Forest and after they host archrival Virginia Tech of their regular-season finale. The Wahoos have a tough journey to Duke in between these video games, however there’s at the very least a risk they might attain the 10-win mark even earlier than they face some tough postseason opponents, maybe within the ACC title sport or in a bowl sport and even within the College Football Playoff.

If the Commodores and the Cavaliers each make it to 10 wins (or extra) this season, that would go away Purdue, NC State and Maryland as the one three faculties with 20-plus-year droughts on this 10-win-season class.

Now on to some Shout-Outs, which this week are designed to have fun North Carolina-based coaches and groups which have put themselves in place — getting into mid-November — to at the very least make a run at a convention championship. …

#1—Shout-out to second-year Duke head coach Manny Diaz and the 2025 Blue Devils.

Diaz and offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer have cultivated top-of-the-line offenses within the ACC — and one of the crucial entertaining assaults in all of faculty soccer — whereas placing the Blue Devils (4-1 in ACC play) in place to make a run on the ACC championship sport.

The Duke teaching workers recognized and signed Tulane switch Darian Mensah from the switch portal within the offseason, and that has confirmed to be a stroke of genius, as Mensah is #2 nationally with 321 passing yards per sport, and he’s thrown 21 landing passes in opposition to solely two interceptions.

Among the opposite standouts for the Devils this season have been redshirt junior proper sort out Brian Parker II, redshirt junior broad receiver Cooper Barkate (a Harvard switch), true freshman working again Nate Sheppard, senior defensive finish Vincent Anthony Jr. and senior cornerback Chandler Rivers.

#2—Shout-out to first-year (full-time) East Carolina head coach Blake Harrell and the 2025 Pirates.

Harrell and defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge have constructed top-of-the-line defenses within the American Conference, and because of this, all 5 of ECU’s victories to date this season — most lately, a 45-14 triumph at Temple — have come by very convincing margins.

The Pirates are solely midway by their league schedule, however they’re 3-1 in convention play, they are going to be favored in at the very least three of their remaining 4 regular-season video games, and their greatest remaining problem — in opposition to nationally ranked Memphis — will come at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville on Nov. 15.

The program’s first look within the American Conference championship sport is unquestionably not out of the query at this level.

Among the standouts for the Pirates this season have been quarterback Katin Houser, broad receiver Anthony Smith, broad receiver Yannick Smith, defensive finish JD Lampley, linebacker Ryheem Craig, linebacker Samuel Dankah and security Ja’Marley Riddle.

#3—Shout-out to fifth-year Western Carolina head coach Kerwin Bell and the 2025 Catamounts.

Western Carolina is a college that has been a member of the Southern Conference for 50 years now however has by no means gained the league’s soccer championship and has made the FCS playoffs just one time.

Both of these targets are inside attain proper now, because the Catamounts — an ideal 5-0 in SoCon play to date this season — compete this Saturday in one of many greatest regular-season video games they’ve performed in many years, internet hosting #10 Mercer, the one different workforce that’s undefeated in SoCon competitors this season.

(That sport is at Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, and we hope to see you there, as a part of our Old North State Tailgate & Traveling Sports Circus.)

The Catamounts’ famous person is redshirt sophomore Taron Dickens, a dual-threat quarterback who’s main the FCS ranks with 367 passing yards per sport, with 26 landing passes and just one interception. Dickens missed Western’s first three video games this season — all losses — however is 6-0 in his six begins, during which the Catamounts have averaged 41 factors per sport.

#4—Shout-out to fourth-year Johnson C Smith head coach Maurice Flowers and the 2025 Golden Bulls.

This workforce obtained a large win final week, 17-14 at Fayetteville State, with senior quarterback Kelvin Durham main the Bulls on a late landing drive to earn a comeback victory with a lot of massive issues at stake, together with a visit to the CIAA championship sport.

If JC Smith beats Livingstone in Charlotte this Saturday afternoon, the Golden Bulls will punch their ticket to the CIAA title sport at Durham County Stadium on Nov. 15.

The Bulls’ opponent in that title contest within the Bull City can be nationally ranked Virginia Union, which has gained two consecutive CIAA crowns and is favored to win its third in a row. JCSU hasn’t gained the league title since 1969 and hasn’t performed within the championship sport since 1972!

Whether or not his workforce reaches its final targets, Flowers deserves a ton of credit score for turning the Johnson C Smith program round in an enormous means and posting his third straight profitable season in Charlotte.

#5—Last, however not least, shout-out to third-year UNC Pembroke head coach Mark Hall and the 2025 Braves.

Like the opposite coaches on this week’s shout-outs, he has his workforce firmly in competition for a convention championship, however in his case, that trophy is just one victory away.

Division Two packages end their common seasons within the first half of November, keep in mind, and UNC Pembroke completed its regular-season marketing campaign every week early, with a powerful 8-2 document.

Next up for the Braves is the Conference Carolinas championship sport, on Nov. 15, at North Greenville. The Trailblazers had been solely 5-4 throughout the common season, however they went an ideal 5-0 in league play, together with a 20-7 head-to-head win over UNCP in mid-October.

The rematch is available in what the league calls the Conference Carolinas Bowl, with the winner incomes its computerized bid to the Division Two playoffs.

UNC Pembroke led its league in each scoring offense and scoring protection this season, at 33 and 16 factors per sport, respectively. Among their star gamers is sophomore Tre Robinson, a dual-threat quarterback who beforehand starred at Chambers High School in Charlotte.