UNC’s Austin won’t practice this week, but other 12 should

(BY ROBBI PICKERAL, STAFF WRITER) Twelve of the 13 North Carolina players who were either declared ineligible, or withheld, from Saturday’s 30-24 loss to LSU are expected to practice with the Tar Heels this week, a team spokesman said Sunday.

However, star defensive tackle Marvin Austin – suspended two days earlier for breaking school rules – will not. “That’s a [coach] Butch Davis decision,’’ team spokesman Kevin Best said.

UNC faces uncertainty with potential scandal

Scandals haven't been part of UNC's vocabulary for 50 years. That's no longer the case. Tony Barnhart says while the Tar Heels might feel great after a monster comeback minus 13 players, their future remains cloudy.

Dalton keeps TCU’s title hopes on track

If No. 6 TCU hopes to reach the title game, it'll likely have to go unbeaten. The Horned Frogs take their first step, topping No. 24 Oregon State 30-21. TCU can thank QB Andy Dalton for keeping their hopes intact, Charles Durrenberger says.

Today’s Game: Tulsa at ECU

(Edward G. Robinson III) Tulsa (0-0) at East Carolina (0-0)

2 p.m., Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium

Region: Citadel rolls past Chowan

(Associated Press) Freshman Matt Thompson threw three touchdowns and ran for another to help The Citadel defeat Chowan 56-14 on Saturday.

In their season opener, the Bulldogs scored first with a 7-yard interception return by senior defensive back Cortez Allen on the Hawks (0-2) first play from scrimmage.

Blue Devils burn Phoenix with late push

(By Chip Alexander, chip.alexander@newsobserver.com) Duke coach David Cutcliffe wanted Sean Renfree to be relaxed but excited, confident but not too confident.

And, more than anything, a winner in his first career start at quarterback.

Duke Observations

(By Chip Alexander, Raleigh News & Observer) The Elon opener proved to be a nice draw for the Blue Devils on a pleasant September evening. Wallace Wade Stadium had a lot of blue in it, with an announced crowd of 33,941. That's a sellout.

One of the biggest questions for Duke this season is how Sean Renfree can handle replacing Thad Lewis as the starting quarterback. But Renfree, a redshirt sophomore making his first career start, looked pretty cool and relaxed. And accurate.

Tigers have some answers on offense

(By Ron Green Jr., rgreenjr@charlotteobserver.com) A few thousand orange-hearted fans were still making their way into Memorial Stadium in the Saturday sunshine when the Clemson offense trotted onto the field to start the season.

The Tigers had the ball at their own 40-yard line after North Texas had bounced the opening kickoff out of bounds.

Scandal cast a heavy shadow over Tar Heels

(By Scott Fowler, sfowler@charlotteobserver.com) An NCAA investigation and a football game don't really have anything in common.

But they often looked like two sides of the same coin Saturday night, as a North Carolina team reeling from scandal was defeated 30-24 by Louisiana State on national television at the Georgia Dome.

No. 21 LSU survives No. 18 UNC’s late surge

Patrick Peterson had 257 yards on kickoff and punt returns, leading No. 21 LSU to a 30-10 halftime lead over the Tar Heels, who were missing 13 key players because of NCAA investigations over player relationships with agents and possible academic violations.

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