Name: MJ Morris, Stormy the Pig and a "service alligator" in the sports moments of the week :: WRALSportsFan.com
Brand: wralsportsfan.com
SKU: wralsportsfan-com-1
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

MJ Morris, Stormy the Pig and a "service alligator" in the sports moments of the week :: WRALSportsFan.com

preview

Our TakeTags:By Clark Gerber, WRAL SportsFan contributorThe internet is a big place. Unless you're 100% plugged in all the time (and let's be clear, that is NOT recommended), you're going to miss some stuff.Let us do that work. You can be a well-adjusted human being and still catch all the best sports moments of the week, with a quick review ...1. Can Morris save NC State's season?After a frustrating loss to Louisville on Friday, and a lackluster 3-2 start overall, NC State has decided to make a change at quarterback.Out is grad transfer Brennan Armstrong, and in comes sophomore MJ Morris, as the Wolfpack look for a "spark" on offense.Morris played well as a true freshman last season, combining for 8 total touchdowns and just one interception in three games. He was injured in a one point loss to Boston College and missed the rest of the season.Morris inherits an NC State offense that ranks near the bottom of the ACC in yards and points per game.Most Wolfpack fans seem excited, and maybe even a little giddy, about the switch.Morris will get his first start of the season when NC State hosts unbeaten Marshall (4-0) this Saturday at 2pm.2. Purple painCarolina Panthers fans have been clamoring for more highlight plays this season, and they certainly got one early in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.Sam Franklin Jr, who was on the wrong end of a viral moment last week, got redemption when he intercepted Kirk Cousins for a 99-yard pick-six to give the Panthers the lead.The play was great, but perhaps even better was the hustle from D'Shawn Jamison, who absolutely laid Cousins out on a key block at the 25-yard line.You can practically see the moment that Jamison realized he could get a free hit on the quarterback because he absolutely hits the turbo button to get there in time.Sadly for the Panthers, this wound up being their only touchdown of the game in a 21-13 loss.The team is 0-4 and, perhaps just as troubling, the fan base seems ready to check out. Just look at how much purple was in the stands on Sunday! (Supporting another 0-3 team, mind you.)Panthers fans may need to rewatch Franklin's pick-six a few times to help get them through a very long and painful season.3. Duke does GamedayDuke made history Saturday, hosting ESPN's football pregame show College Gameday for the first time ever.Blue Devils fans were out in full force ahead of their team's epic matchup against Notre Dame, and delivered more than a few memorable moments.That includes one Duke student getting his chance for $1 million if he could make a 33-yard field goal. It did not go well for him.Although Alex didn't even get close to the uprights, he did manage to hit one target. His second attempt went straight into the crowd and drilled somebody else's cell phone out of their hands!A little earlier in the show, the Gameday crew discussed the current head coach opening at Michigan State, and seemed to suggest Duke's Mike Elko as the top candidate for the job.The camera panned to Elko, who gave a perfect response in front of his home fans -- an emphatic thumbs down.To close out the program, Lee Corso made a wardrobe change for his traditional "headgear" pick ... in favor of Notre Dame. The Duke crowd was less than pleased, at least until celebrity guest Ken Jeong (a Duke alum) stole the show.4. Stormy's Twitter (er, X?) takeoverThe Carolina Hurricanes did something unusual on Friday night.The team split up and decided to play two different preseason road games at the same time -- one against the Florida Panthers and one against the Tampa Bay Lightning.The Canes' regular social media team went to the Lightning game, so they called on the mascot, Stormy, to live tweet (or live "post" now, I guess) the other game against the Panthers.Stormy did a pretty good job with the updates -- the proper amount of silly and informative for a preseason game.What stole the show, however, were Stormy's hand drawn end-of-period score updates.Let's get some more of these posted throughout the regular season. Or at least release Stormy-drawn versions for all 32 team logos in the NHL. The people need to see it!5. Collins goes berserkIf you like to watch Charlotte Hornets games, you've probably heard the team's play-by-play announcer Eric Collins dial it up a few times. It's what he does.And if you happened to the be watching the Baylor-UCF football game on Saturday, you were treated to a Collins instant classic.UCF trailed by one with 1:02 left in the game, facing a 4th &amp; 5 from their own 30-yard line. A wild play ensued and Collins lost his ever-loving mind.UCF's drive didn't go much further, which is a real shame to be honest.If that was the play-by-play call on a 15-yard pass for a first down, just imagine what a last-second game-winning touchdown or field goal would have sounded like.6. See you later, alligatorIt's not that uncommon to see animals at a baseball game.Bark at the Park Night is a mainstay for the Durham Bulls and many other ball clubs across the country.But when one fan tried to bring their pet alligator to a game this week, that was a bridge too far. (And you might be surprised to learn, this didn't happen in Florida!)According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies fan Joie Henney was denied entry to Citizens Bank Ballpark on Wednesday night, along with Wally, his pet alligator.Henney says Wally is an emotional support animal, who even "likes to give hugs" to people who pet him.A quick social media search shows that Henney's claims seem to be legit. Wally has thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok, where he can be seen giving those hugs.Sadly, society just isn't ready to have an alligator at a Major League Baseball game.Wally will have keep watching his beloved Phillies at home for now, but maybe someday he can see them in person.TAYLOR SWIFT WATCHTaylor Swift's reign over the sports universe continued this week.The pop star attended the Chiefs-Jets game on Sunday night to cheer on new seemingly boyfriend Travis Kelce, and she brought a star-studded entourage with her.Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner and even Hugh Jackman were all in the same luxury suite as Swift and it looked like a great time (judging by the roughly one million camera cutaways during the broadcast).Fans seized upon one moment in particular at the end of the game. Swift turns to (her very good friend) Lively and appears to say "look at him" before playfully mocking Kelce's postgame handshakes.Is this a genuine moment that proves Taylor is smitten and actually has feelings for the Chiefs tight end? Or does it mean absolutely nothing and that's not even what she said?Feel free to spend hours thinking about it until her next appearance. Or don't and just read this article every week. That's advisable too.We'll see you next time.SUGGEST A CORRECTIONNC State names MJ Morris starting quarterbackHolliday: Luck of the Irish leads to brutal Duke defeatThe Carolina Hurricanes are aiming to make the step from perennial contender to Stanley Cup winnerPanthers continue winless start, fall 21-13 to VikingsTags:Copyright 2023 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.View allListen &amp; WatchLocalNCAA FBNFLNHLGolfNASCARTeamsScoreTimeNCAA FBMarshall&nbsp;Sat 2:00pmNC State&nbsp;Syracuse&nbsp;Sat 3:30pmNorth Carolina&nbsp;NFLPanthers&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmLions&nbsp;NHLPredators&nbsp;7:00pmHurricanes&nbsp;TeamsScoreTimeBoston College&nbsp;Sat 12:00pmArmy&nbsp;LSU&nbsp;Sat 12:00pmMissouri&nbsp;Maryland&nbsp;Sat 12:00pmOhio State&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;Sat 12:00pmOklahoma&nbsp;William &amp; Mary&nbsp;Sat 12:00pmVirginia&nbsp;Marshall&nbsp;Sat 2:00pmNC State&nbsp;Washington State&nbsp;Sat 3:00pmUCLA&nbsp;Alabama&nbsp;Sat 3:30pmTexas A&amp;M&nbsp;Syracuse&nbsp;Sat 3:30pmNorth Carolina&nbsp;Virginia Tech&nbsp;Sat 3:30pmFlorida State&nbsp;Wake Forest&nbsp;Sat 3:30pmClemson&nbsp;Kentucky&nbsp;Sat 7:00pmGeorgia&nbsp;Arkansas&nbsp;Sat 7:30pmOle Miss&nbsp;Michigan&nbsp;Sat 7:30pmMinnesota&nbsp;Notre Dame&nbsp;Sat 7:30pmLouisville&nbsp;Fresno State&nbsp;Sat 8:00pmWyoming&nbsp;Georgia Tech&nbsp;Sat 8:00pmMiami&nbsp;Oregon State&nbsp;Sat 10:00pmCalifornia&nbsp;Arizona&nbsp;Sat 10:30pmUSC&nbsp;TeamsScoreTimeJaguars&nbsp;Sun 9:30amBills&nbsp;Ravens&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmSteelers&nbsp;Panthers&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmLions&nbsp;Texans&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmFalcons&nbsp;Saints&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmPatriots&nbsp;Giants&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmDolphins&nbsp;Titans&nbsp;Sun 1:00pmColts&nbsp;Bengals&nbsp;Sun 4:05pmCardinals&nbsp;Eagles&nbsp;Sun 4:05pmRams&nbsp;Chiefs&nbsp;Sun 4:25pmVikings&nbsp;Jets&nbsp;Sun 4:25pmBroncos&nbsp;Cowboys&nbsp;Sun 8:20pm49ers&nbsp;Packers&nbsp;Mon 8:15pmRaiders&nbsp;TeamsScoreTimePredators&nbsp;7:00pmHurricanes&nbsp;Devils&nbsp;7:00pmIslanders&nbsp;Penguins&nbsp;7:00pmSabres&nbsp;Kraken&nbsp;9:00pmOilers&nbsp;Flames&nbsp;10:00pmCanucks&nbsp;Sanderson Farms ChampionshipPosNameScoreThru27Sean O'Hair-4FYellaWood 500Pos#NameStart Pos112Ryan Blaney10224William Byron8311Denny Hamlin1247Corey Lajoie3652Austin Cindric7631Justin Haley3079Chase Elliott23841Ryan Preece19936Riley Herbst6Andy's Frozen Custard 300Pos#NameStart Pos120John Hunter Nemechek11248Parker Kligerman7318Sammy Smith15416Chandler Smith957Justin Allgaier1600Cole Custer3721Austin Hill582Sheldon Creed2499Brandon Jones8Love’s RV Stop 250Pos#NameStart Pos134Brett Moffitt31299Ben Rhodes835Dean Thompson4425Chandler Smith28511Corey Heim9643Daniel Dye2972Nicholas Sanchez2813Hailie Deegan23975Parker Kligerman13Our Take@WRALSportsFan999TheFan: Welcome Tim Donnelly to The Drive on 99.9 The Fan!Tim is deeply rooted in local sports here and he’s excited to… https://t.co/Qx8Br56lvW— Wed 5:00 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Filipowski returns to Duke 'stronger than ever' after offseason hip surgery https://t.co/XukYyX4I2E— Wed 4:37 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Filipowski returns to Duke 'stronger than ever' after offseason hip surgery https://t.co/XukYyX4I2E— Wed 4:37 p.m.HighSchoolOT: Williams football coach Patrick Stokes shines light on his program going into the 2023 season https://t.co/5abN34Dvmn— Wed 4:29 p.m.HighSchoolOT: Michael Twichell takes us through West Craven's 2023 roster https://t.co/r6dKH1rdSb— Wed 4:19 p.m.WRALSportsFan: No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller has breakout performance for Hornets in summer league https://t.co/62dkiyIW7Q— Wed 4:17 p.m.WRALSportsFan: No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller has breakout performance for Hornets in summer league https://t.co/62dkiyIW7Q— Wed 4:17 p.m.DurhamBulls: We're back home again starting Tuesday, July 25 with a 6-game homestand!Some of the highlights:- $2 Tacos &amp; $5 s… https://t.co/PO5eaZ3oN9— Wed 3:47 p.m.WRALSportsFan: ACL injuries are keeping stars out of the Women's World Cup https://t.co/DIZPCFsX0T— Wed 3:06 p.m.WRALSportsFan: ACL injuries are keeping stars out of the Women's World Cup https://t.co/DIZPCFsX0T— Wed 3:06 p.m.CarolinaMudcats: Our production crew &gt; yoursCheck out this great fishing net catch from one of our production crew members during… https://t.co/doanzuga5B— Wed 2:45 p.m.HighSchoolOT: Wheatmore's Philip Yarbrough previews the 2023 season for the Warriors https://t.co/4eBwEbjIjv— Wed 2:43 p.m.DurhamBulls: When the Bulls win, you win!Learn how you could win a private luxury suite for 20 people to a 2023 Bulls home game thanks to @Amica!— Wed 1:52 p.m.HighSchoolOT: Two dozen former North Carolina high school baseball players heard their name called in this week's MLB Draft.Get… https://t.co/vtIi32MSL1— Wed 1:26 p.m.JMBpreps: Now 24! https://t.co/GveQE4Nr9J— Wed 1:15 p.m.JMBpreps: RT @DaRifle13229: Western Harnett faced 6 of them in 2019 and went 18-8— Wed 1:15 p.m.CarolinaMudcats: Another jam-packed week at Five County Stadium!Join us next week starting on Tuesday, July 18th for another week… https://t.co/GguXG5Eb5l— Wed 1:13 p.m.HighSchoolOT: New Millbrook coach Laymarr Marshall shares updated thoughts following the offseason https://t.co/tFz1q3fh0J— Wed 11:37 a.m.PatrickWelter: One of the biggest inflators of #NBASummerLeague stats is transition defense. Leads to some fun highlights, but you… https://t.co/kf9iF36uRu— Wed 11:19 a.m.DurhamBulls: The best jerseys in baseball are 20% off today until 11:59pm ET with Bulls Prime!Oh and also get FREE shipping on… https://t.co/DL6l5YpYbC— Wed 11:19 a.m.PatrickWelter: I’d send this 70 yards into the water https://t.co/vEalYRNRb7— Wed 11:16 a.m.HighSchoolOT: Apex football leader John Mozerka shares his excitement for the Cougars' 2023 team https://t.co/rLzGmXG4Bh— Wed 10:47 a.m.DurhamBulls: Us when there's no baseball today https://t.co/wbCmjTO2IU— Wed 10:17 a.m.WRALSportsFan: Tracking every MLB Draft pick with NC high school roots https://t.co/aWtScnOeaU— Wed 8:36 a.m.WRALSportsFan: Manfred has no intention of altering Pete Rose's lifetime ban from baseball https://t.co/gZ2wY9ztiK— Wed 8:05 a.m.WRALSportsFan: National League snaps All-Star Game losing streak, tops AL 3-2 behind Elias Díaz homer https://t.co/D9tYE6Yb02— Wed 8:00 a.m.WRALSportsFan: NC Courage defender Emily Fox looks to win and become a positive influence in World Cup debut https://t.co/IyPxoiZcQi— Tue 9:08 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Saudi investment in PGA Tour will top $1 billion. And Norman will exit as LIV's CEO, tour exec says https://t.co/aJnEcmcohi— Tue 6:42 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Novak Djokovic ties Roger Federer with 46 Slam semifinals and meets Jannik Sinner next at Wimbledon https://t.co/5JSA3I5jOC— Tue 6:37 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Hurricanes sign forward Brendan Lemieux to one-year contract https://t.co/KwtCxcVrvm— Tue 6:27 p.m.WRALSportsFan: 'The Speech' Jim Valvano documentary debuts on ESPN Wednesday night https://t.co/tG4BajAqRD— Tue 4:36 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Girls lacrosse changes from halves to 12-minute quarters in high school https://t.co/ZJbBusSWDM— Tue 2:37 p.m.WRALSportsFan: Eric Church to perform acoustic benefit concert for UNC student-athletes https://t.co/Jqe7a2dR85— Tue 2:05 p.m.WRALSportsFan: High school baseball joins college, pro levels in transmission of pitch calls https://t.co/VgZz86z9Ar— Tue 12:01 p.m.WRALSportsFan: For first time, every player at the Women's World Cup will be paid at least $30K https://t.co/Nht8P6XDpV— Tue 11:43 a.m.WRALSportsFan: Elina Svitolina beats top-ranked Iga Swiatek to reach Wimbledon semifinals https://t.co/OQ7OhPuz5z— Tue 11:38 a.m.WRALSportsFan: 10 NC football recruits make On3's updated national top 300 for 2024 https://t.co/RXKDBdcyBW— Tue 11:15 a.m.WRALSportsFan: New examples of false starts adopted in high school track and field, cross country rules https://t.co/AEmBTCzz3K— Tue 9:40 a.m.WRALSportsFan: Bob Huggins says he plans to stay in rehab and wants to return to West Virginia as coach https://t.co/NZvLnnUUS0— Mon 11:02 p.m.WRALSportsFan: "We're trying to learn from her': Raleigh native Gagliardi joins Hurricanes coaching staff for development camp https://t.co/2WgzIbdnGk— Mon 10:52 p.m.Extra EffortPopularRecommendedVideoSPONSORPopularRecommendedVideo

Our TakeTags:By Clark Gerber, WRAL SportsFan contributorThe internet is a big place. Unless you're 100% plugged in all the time (and let's be clear, that is NOT recommended), you're going to miss some stuff.Let us do that work. You can be a well-adjusted human being and still catch all the best sports moments of the week, with a quick review ...1. Can Morris save NC State's season?After a frustrating loss to Louisville on Friday, and a lackluster 3-2 start overall, NC State has decided to make a change at quarterback.Out is grad transfer Brennan Armstrong, and in comes sophomore MJ Morris,...

MJ Morris, Stormy the Pig and a "service alligator" in the sports moments of the week :: WRALSportsFan.com

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS