Patrick Peterson had 257 yards – including an 87-yard touchdown – on kickoff and punt returns, leading No. 21 LSU (1-0) to a 30-10 halftime lead.

But No. 18 North Carolina (0-1) made a game of it, scoring two second-half touchdowns, then getting two shots at the win after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. T.J. Yates drove the Heels to the LSU 2-yard line and got off a pair of passes into the end zone after throwing for a career-high 412 yards.

Both slipped through the hands of Zack Pianalto.

Backed up against his own goal line, Yates rolled to his right and heaved a pass out of the end zone that Jheranie Boyd took to the other end zone for a 97-yard touchdown – the longest play from scrimmage in North Carolina history. Yates then hooked up with Erik Highsmith on a 14-yard touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

North Carolina recovered an onside kick, but LSU stopped that drive by forcing Yates to fumble as he tried to scramble. Trying to run out the clock, Stevan Ridley fumbled and the Tar Heels recovered, getting one more shot for an improbable victory.

Former quarterback Russell Shepard, now playing receiver to take advantage of his speed, hauled in a touchdown pass and broke off a 50-yard scoring run for LSU. And the current quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, finished off the first half with a 51-yard scoring pass to Rueben Randle.

Plenty of players stepped up for the Tar Heels, no one more than Yates. He completed 28 of 45 and had three touchdown passes. His favorite receiver was Boyd, who had six catches for 221 yards, making him only the fourth player in North Carolina history to have 200 receiving yards in a game.

Jefferson was 15 of 21 for 151 yards. Ridley rushed for 81 yards and Shepard had 67, while the LSU defense limited North Carolina to 24 yards on the ground.

The Tar Heels gave up a safety when center P.J. Lonergan snapped the ball past Yates, who wasn’t ready for the shotgun hike. It rolled out of the back of the end zone.

Peterson kept it going by fielding a punt at his own 13, gliding to his right, then making a quick cut through the hole that sent him off on the TD that made it 23-10.

He wasn’t done. Peterson set up the final score with a 37-yard punt return to the LSU 49. On the next play, Jefferson found Randle streaking down the middle of the field and hit him in stride for the touchdown.

There was the 17-yard gain on a lateral on the Bears’ first touchdown drive. There was the 18-yard reception that kicked off their second touchdown drive. The end-around that was supposed to be a wide receiver pass was special — seeing his intended target covered, Allen wove diagonally across the field for an 18-yard touchdown.

By the time Allen caught quarterback Kevin Riley’s short pass early in the second half, you half expected what came next. Allen moved left to right, picking up blockers, outrunning defenders and turning an innocent-looking play into a 48-yard touchdown.

In short, Allen made a spectacle of himself during Cal’s 52-3 pantsing of UC Davis, revealing himself to be the big play ingredient Jeff Tedford’s offense has been missing the past two seasons. Allen, a true freshman, rushed three times for 38 yards, caught four passes for 120 yards and scored twice.

GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS

GREENSBORO, NC– The Greensboro Grasshoppers are eagerly anticipating their 2.5 millionth fan, expected to step foot in NewBridge Bank Park on Thursday, September 2 against the Savannah Sand Gnats.

After reaching the two million mark in July of the 2009 season, the Grasshoppers have inched towards their 2.5 millionth fan at an even quicker pace.

The Grasshoppers have welcomed an average of 5,472 fans per game, which ranks second in the South Atlantic League, just slightly behind perennial attendance rival, the Lakewood BlueClaws.

“It is a tribute to our fans and this community that we are going to hit this mark so quickly,” said President and General Manager Donald Moore.  “We could not be more grateful to our fans for their great support these first six years.”

“We are thrilled about the idea of our 2.5 millionth guest,” said Moore. “But it is not always about the numbers or the records, it is truly amazing to have watched Greensboro Baseball grow in front of our eyes.”

The Greensboro franchise certainly has grown under the direction of Moore, seeing minor league baseball in Greensboro garner nationwide recognition for attendance.  The Grasshoppers were recently tabbed second in attendance for Class-A by minor league baseball.

The Grasshoppers plan on expressing their gratitude by showering the lucky fan with Grasshoppers’ gifts and memorabilia. The 2.5 millionth guest will receive a baseball signed by the 2010 Hoppers, a special jersey, and two hundred fifty dollars in Babe’s Bucks.  They will also be awarded the first pitch on Opening Day of the 2011 season.

For more information, please contact the Grasshoppers office at 336.268.2255 or visit www.gsohoppers.com.

The coaches of this team, Mitchell Hall and Lindy Hall, got their first look at a team that has added 5 new players to the roster from this past summer. The PP Blue added some strong ball players that includes Lucas Olszewski, Trevor Patrick, Cameron Lyons, and Harrison Holtz from the dismantled Summerfield Surge and Patrick Callaghan from the High Point Raiders. This Fab 5 joined an already solid 7 of Josh Reffey, Bill Osteen, Harrison Hill, Jack Maginnes, Pearce Landry, Matthew Fenner, and Joey Chestnutt. This past weekend showed some nice progress in a ‘work in progress’ squad.

The PP Blue started off on saturday with a game against a strong North Carolina Baseball Academy team. The Blue struggled in the first 5 innings as they found themselves down 6-0 going into the last inning.The team looked defeated but the coaching of the son father duo of Mitchell and Lindy Hall must of said something to wake them up. The team rallied for 2 runs early in the inning. Then with 2 outs and down 6-2, Lucas Olszewski doubled in 2 runs to make it a 6-4 ball game. The fans of PP Blue started to feel like it just may happen. With Olszewski on second base it was up to big boy Harrison Hill to keep it going. Well Hill certainly did, as he blasted a 2 run 2out 225 ft home run over the centerfield fence to tie the ball game. The game ended a tie but it really showed what kind of team they can be as they showed they have a never die attitude.

The second game of the day included some great hitting by the Blue but they ran into a team, Stokes Cyclones, that had no weakness in any part of their lineup. The Blue went down 21-10 for their 1st loss of the Fall. The Blue fought hard as Patrick Callaghan blasted a 3 run homerun, but the Stokes bats were just too much on this day.

On Sunday The Blue played the NCBA again and came up on the short end of a 9-5 ball game. Again they fell behind early and tried to chip away but they ran out of time.

They then played the Kernersville Giants in the afternoon and really put it all together with a 14-6 triumph that ended the weekend on a positive note. Cameron Lyons pitched a nice ball game to hold down the Giants. Everybody had their their bats rolling this game as Patrick, Olszewski (3hits), Callaghan, Hill(2hits,triple), Osteen(2hits), Landry, Reffey, Lyons(2hits),Holtz(2hits),Maginnes, and Ferner all aided the cause with a super offensive showing.

Overall the team looked good and they really came together as a team as they are still trying to  get to know each other. This is a great group of kids that have a great attitude of trying to be better baseball players every time they step on the field. The great attitude comes from the way they have been brought up by their very supportive families. This team probably wont win a bunch of championships(but they may sneak in 1 or 2)  but I guarantee you they will improve their game under the guidance of their fine coaches and the support of Proehlific Park.

Great job this weekend boys!!!

***A special get well wish to Paige Adams as she missed the Sunday games.

***GET WELL soon.

YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS CATCH OUT. MY BE THE GREATEST CATCH IN BASEBALL HISTORY

The two-time NCAA Division III basketball All-American and recent Guilford graduate signed with the Spanish LEB Gold (second division) team in July.  Grupo Iruna Navarra reached the LEB Silver semifinals in 2010 and earned a promotion to the LEB Gold.

“I could have taken a couple other offers, which were at higher levels in different countries, but this opportunity for a first-year player is really good,” said Sanborn, who is sharing his experience in a blog.  “Spain is one of the top foreign countries to play in. If I do well, I’ll be able to possibly move up to the top league in Spain.”

Sanborn attracted the attention of international professional clubs after competing for the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer league team.  He was the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year as a senior at Guilford after compiling 30 double-doubles and averaging 19.8 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 33 games. Sanborn helped Guilford to a 104-19 record, four NCAA Tournament appearances and two national semifinal berths in his four seasons.

“I’m excited to get the season started, and found out today that our first pre-season game will take place five days after I get there, against a first-division team,” said Sanborn.  “I’m expecting to learn a lot in the first couple of days there, and look forward to playing in a real game so quickly.”

Sanborn joins former teammate Ben Strong ’08 as recent Guilford graduates in professional basketball. Strong wrapped up his second season with Maccabi Haifa in the top Israeli professional league in the spring. Guilford has produced four NBA players: M.L. Carr ’73, World B. Free ’76, Greg Jackson ’74 and Bob Kauffman ’68.

Former Deacon guard played on Rockets’ summer league team

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Former Wake Forest guard Ishmael Smith has signed a multi-year contract with the Houston Rockets, as announced by the team on Monday.

Smith, who graduated from Wake Forest in May, went undrafted but received an invitation to play on the Rockets’ summer league team last month in Las Vegas. Smith impressed the team during the summer league, averaging 7.8 points and 4.8 assists per game and shooting 58 percent from the floor.

A native of Concord, N.C., Smith ended his Demon Deacon career as the only player in school history with 1,000 points and 600 assists. He ranks second all-time at Wake Forest in career assists.

A second team All-ACC pick as a senior, Smith averaged 13.2 points, 6.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in 2009-10.

Smith is expected to compete for time at the point guard spot with veterans Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry. Brooks is entering his fourth season with the Rockets, while Lowry is entering his third with the franchise.

A school-record eight former Deacons are currently on NBA rosters, including four drafted or signed in the past two years.

Chas McFarland, a 2010 Wake Forest graduate, played on the Rockets summer league team last month. McFarland signed a contract last week to play in Brazil.

The last Deacon to play for Houston was Frank Johnson during the 1988-89 season. Mike Helms was drafted by the Rockets in the seventh round of the 1982 NBA Draft but never suited up for the team.

Smith will wear jersey No. 13 for the Rockets.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qek-oyDD3Ag