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YOU CAN BANK ON IT

 
Published Oct. 3, 2009|Updated July 13, 2010

Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, top, put his math skills to good use Tuesday. Then again, the Dillon, S.C., native says he has a lot to live up to.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, bottom, grew up in Steele's South Carolina hometown. Steele and his best friend, LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis, attended Dillon High with Bernanke's younger brother, Seth.

"John and I tutored (Ben) in math a little bit," Steele said.

"Truly?" he was asked, before Steele flashed a look that meant he had hooked you.

Steele said the current Fed chairman was older "and wiser" than he and Chavis.

Steele is making his hometown proud with the way his defense has played. It held Boston College to just 54 yards total two weeks ago and limited No. 11 Texas Christian to two touchdowns in a 14-10 Clemson loss last week.

Steele was discussing Clemson's points-per-game average, calling it "Dillon math."

"Of course, Bernanke's from Dillon, so maybe I shouldn't have said that," Steele said.

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Quotable

"I don't wear a visor, but you would hope to have a visor on usually because stuff will be flying in your face as he gets going. He can coach hard. When he's (angry), you don't want to be in the front of the huddle. ... He'll start yelling and sometimes a little saliva might get on you."

Cody Grimm, linebacker, on Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster

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Wait, is Notre Dame in the Pac-10?

There are four nonconference games left in the Pac-10, and all of them are against Notre Dame.

Washington, Southern Cal, Washington State and Stanford all play the Fighting Irish.

The Pac-10 is 19-7 against out-of-conference foes so far this season.

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Literally, road woes

Coach Tom O'Brien and North Carolina State are bracing for another potential headache - one that could be just as tricky as Wake Forest's offense.

After playing the Demon Deacons today in Winston-Salem, the Wolfpack will have to navigate U2 concert traffic on their bus ride home. The rock band is performing at N.C. State's home field, Carter-Finley Stadium, in front of some 60,000 fans.

"They're going to have to bus us in here somehow," O'Brien said.

"I really don't know too much about (U2) ... but (my son) asked me if I was still alive when the Steve Miller Band was playing," O'Brien quipped. "I told him, 'No, I'm still brain dead. I haven't been around since then.'"

U2 continues on to play Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Friday, but it shouldn't affect the local teams. USF is off that weekend and the Bucs are on the road.

* * *

Maybe time to look at the travel budget?

Fresno State coach Pat Hill missed his weekly Western Athletic Conference call because he was ordered to take a work furlough day. Hill actually deserves overtime pay. His Bulldogs have lost three games to teams with a combined 12-0 record - Wisconsin, Boise State and Cincinnati.

Fresno will lead the country in something this year: 23,354 miles traveled for road games.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.