ACC Weekend Pickoff

Is it almost November already? Man alive!

Well, there aren't too many ACC games this week (only 4 since 4 teams are off). But all of them will go a long way to determining who stays standing in the hunt for the conference championship. Off we go...

Miami (FL) at Virginia

It's Homecoming in C'ville (seriously who has the guts to schedule Miami as your Homecoming game) and the Canes are calling. They are coming off of an impressive win against Wake Forest and we all know how high flying the Cavs are. If Miami can pull off the road win, the Coastal gets very, very interesting. Stopping Cedric Pearman is job one.

Miami 24 UVA 21

Clemson at Boston College

Simply put, BC needs to stop turning the ball over. They have 8 turnovers in their last 2 games. Yikes. Clemson is coming off of a bye week and get C.J. Spiller back in the rotation. Problem is BC's run defense is pretty darn good. As UNC found out last week, BC's weakness is their pass defense. Can Clemson air it out for the win?

BC 31 Clemson 28

Duke at Wake Forest

Duke is 2 wins away from being bowl eligible. No, really. Wake is coming off a tough loss and one more loss will all but eliminate them from the title race. Duke is coming off an impressive road win at Vanderbilt. The ACC is quietly 30-10 in out of conference games. Think that's any good?

Wake Forest 17 Duke 13

FSU at Georgia Tech

The most impressive battle of the weekend is FSU's super young offensive line against Georgia Tech's 1st round draft pick defensive line. GT is coming off a tough loss and one more would all but eliminate them from the Coastal race. Should be fun!

FSU 21 GT 13

OFF (VT, Maryland, UNC and NC State)

Injury Update

Both of Virginia Tech's quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon suffered left high ankle sprains in the loss to FSU on Saturday. They are both in protective walking boots this week and will be reevaluated at week's end. Both are listed as questionable for the Maryland game a week from Thursday. If neither can go, the likely starter would be Cory Holt, who looked good in the last quarter of the FSU game. Converted tight end Greg Boone is also getting some looks at QB this week as well.

Let's go Bowling III

Ring around the rosy.....so the ACC is going to be different every week - let's just concede that fact now. The Atlantic currently has Maryland and FSU at the top, but the Terps have to navigate Lane Stadium on a Thursday night and FSU must get past a hurt Jacket team in Atlanta next Saturday. The Coastal is even crazier. UVA, who was left for dead after the Duke loss, is now in sole possession of first place. Truly. We'll see who gets out alive. For now, my bowl picks are below.

Congressional Bowl - Clemson (ACC #9)
Meineke Car Care - Boston College (ACC #5)
Champs Sports - Maryland (ACC #4)
Emerald Bowl - Wake Forest (ACC #7)
Humanitarian Bowl - Miami (FL) (ACC #8)
Music City Bowl - North Carolina (ACC #6)
Chick-fil-A Bowl - Virginia Tech (ACC #2)
Gator Bowl - Virginia (ACC #3)
Orange Bowl - Florida State (ACC #1)

Sunday Thoughts...

I have been watching Hokie football for a long time now, and I honestly can't recall feeling this good about a game we lost.

Consider this.

Tyrod Taylor goes out of the game on the FIRST play from scrimmage with a high ankle sprain. Uh oh. I could just see FSU pinning their ears back and coming full force at Glennon knowing he can't run and has to pass. Not to mention our receivers did not distinguish themselves last weekend, dropping passes and not getting open. Game over right?

Not quite.

VT was up 13-10 at halftime outgaining FSU 204 yards to 70 yards in the half. Not a typo, even though it looks like it. Glennon was outstanding in the first half, connecting with quite a few different receivers. And our defense was superb in the first half as well.

And just like every FSU/VT game I can remember watching, a special teams play turned the game. It was 4th and 20. Bud had just engineered an amazing stand, and we were about to get the ball back. Frank sends the heat and we try to block the punt. Roughing the kicker. 1st and 10. FSU scores on the next 3 plays. Ouch.

Can anything else go wrong? How about losing your second string QB to injury? Sean went out with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and judging my his expressions, his leg had just been amputated without anesthetic. So, our third string QB Cory Holt comes in not having taken snaps in a long, long time. He played very well, considering, leading us to a 4th quarter TD drive and making it a 27-20 game.

As you know, VT ended up losing the game 30-20, but more importantly losing Taylor and Glennon to injury. Early indicators are that Glennon is in better shape then Taylor, and may even be able to start the Maryland game in 11 days. The difference in the game turned out to be an area that we have strong in all year - turnovers. Two freshmen ended up costing us on those, and it is hard to fault them. They are freshmen, after all, and we lost our FIRST fumble of the year on offense. Really.

But the kids played really, really hard. The coaches coached well, and Stinespring called maybe his best offensive game of the year. We knew Bud was going to call a masterful defensive game, and he delivered. We are still susceptible to the big play, but we limited a top 10 offensive team to 248 total yards. Not bad. For the most part the running backs ran, the receivers caught and the quarterbacks got them the ball. We are still a very young team, but thanks to the Cavaliers turnaround season, are still in great shape to win the division. If we win our next four games, we will be in Tampa in early December. A tough task to be sure, but what more can you ask of a super young team that is not short on effort or heart. I like this team. A lot.

I am not sure what I am going to predict from here on out. If UVA keeps winning, that game is going to be mighty interesting. Duke is winning on the road. Maryland is 6-2 and Miami is turning things around. My early thought is we win at least 3 of those, if not 4. This team grew up a lot yesterday and if Glennon stays healthy, I trust he can lead us to wins. Go Hokies!

ACC Weekend Pickoff

From here on out the games are good, I mean REALLY good. This conference is turning out to be pretty darn competitive; did you know there are only TWO teams out of the twelve that are below .500? Not bad!

Boston College at North Carolina

There are very few offenses you can turn the ball over five times against that won't make you pay dearly. Unfortunately, UNC will. They are also hurting from their tough OT loss to UVa last week. My money is on Baby Blue.

UNC 27 BC 17

UVa at Georgia Tech

This one sets up very interesting. UVa has made a complete makeover of their team, but they have done it at home. Every Hokie fan needs to buck up and be a Cavalier fan this weekend; we are a half game behind Georgia Tech right now and need them to lose a few! Georgia Tech's triple option offense has been tough to stop and I am not sure if UVa is the team to do it. My heart says Cavs; my head says....

GT 17 UVa 13

Wake Forest at Miami (FL)

This could be the lowest scoring game of the year in the conference. Without Sam Swank, Wake Forest proved to have no offense last weekend in College Park, while Miami is still struggling to find its offensive identity. Both defenses are good. Who breaks serve?

Miami (FL) 16 Wake Forest 10

NC State at Maryland

Anyone who knows which Maryland team is going to show up this weekend put up your hands. No takers? I don't blame you. Maryland has gone 3-0 against ranked teams this year, but struggled mightily against the teams they should own. We'll see which one shows up.

Maryland 24 NC State 21

Duke at Vanderbilt

Think there might be some Mensa candidates attending this game? Sheesh! Duke started off strong but is starting to show its lack of depth and playmakers on the field and just can't consistently match up with the heavies in the conference. Would be nice to get this OOC win, but...

Vandy 24 Duke 17

VT at FSU

This is a really tough one to predict, let alone pick. Word on the street is coaches have been pulling all nighters this week, kids are spending hours in film study and the practices have been very intense. The attitudes are great too. Problem is, FSU is pretty good on defense, and that is where we are going to struggle. FSU starts 3 true freshmen on their Offensive Line. That's trouble. Bud Foster eats that for lunch. But can TT find open receivers? Will they catch the ball? Can we run the ball? I like a spirited effort from our guys to keep it close, but this season will come down to the final 4 games. If we lose tomorrow but win out and GT slips up just once (and they will), we will win the division.

FSU 24 VT 21

Let's go Bowling II....

A lot can change in a week eh? Especially in the ACC, where almost everyone will be getting a new holiday location - at least till next week...

Congressional Bowl - Clemson (ACC #9)
Meineke Car Care - Boston College (ACC #5)
Champs Sports - North Carolina (ACC #4)
Emerald Bowl - Wake Forest (ACC #7)
Humanitarian Bowl - Virginia (ACC #8)
Music City Bowl - Maryland (ACC #6)
Chick-fil-A Bowl - Florida State (ACC #2)
Gator Bowl - Virginia Tech (ACC #3)
Orange Bowl - Georgia Tech (ACC #1)

Sunday Thoughts...

Greetings Hokie fans everywhere,

I have been writing this blog for almost 6 weeks now and have found that it is always easier to sit down and write when things are going well. The positive attitude about wins, a sack here, a forced fumble there tends to make the keystrokes and words pour out just a smidgen easier. It's always tougher to talk about the losses. The missed opportunities. The offense.

I'll admit it. When Brett Warren took a pick 6 to the house in the first offensive series for Boston College, I was stoked. After all, it was just what our team needed to get going. On the road. Conference game. What better way to start then to not only stall their opening drive but also put them 7 points behind. One thing our defense has been able to do over the last 15 years is force opposing offenses into bad decisions, and we lead the country in interceptions since 2000. A startling statistic when you consider all the fantastic defenses in college football these days. And even with an anemic offense, an opportunistic defense that helps you with points and field position has always been one of VT's strengths.

But I digress. On the one hand, I am upset at the execution on offense, the major gaffes on special teams coverage. On the other hand, let's hold on here folks. Let's understand where we stand here. Have we forgotten all the youth on this team? The running backs? The receivers? The defense? Let's all cut ourselves a break here. After the ECU loss, NO ONE with a sane mind could of predicted we would have been 5-1 going into our bye week. So, do our expectations change? These kids are only 5 weeks older then they were when we predicted a rough season. So, they overachieved in those 5 weeks. Do we then expect them to go undefeated the rest of the way? Of course not. But perhaps it is how terrible the offense looked last night.

Do you realize if you take out Tyrod's 113 rushing yards, VT would have had 130 yards of offense on the day. Wow. There is no question that BC has a very physical defense, one of the best we will face. But that is downright awful. Yes, we are young. But the O line is not. Blame some of it on the playcalling. Really, a quarterback draw on 3rd down when you have no time left? Hmmm. But coaches don't miss blocks, miss tackles and drop passes.

So, where does VT go from here? Well, at FSU is no picnic. But, one thing Beamer and his coaches have been able to do in the past is rally the troops after a rough and tough loss. We'll see where we are next week.

One final thought for you. If I told you I just watched a football game and one team forced 5 turnovers - 2 of which were interceptions returned for touchdowns, AND blocked a field goal AND lost the game, would you have believed me.

Didn't think so. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

For all the criticism, it must also be said that no one has done more with less then Beamer this year. All of those losses to the NFL and we are still 5-2 and control our own destiny in the conference. Can Miami say that? Clemson?

Nope. My money is on Beamer rallying the troops and finishing out strong - 8-4 or 9-3.

Not bad for a young team, is it?

ACC Weekend Pickoff

Is it really week the 7th game of the season ALREADY? We get into some very interesting matchups this weekend, with everyone in conference play. Let's get to it!

FSU at NC State (Thurs night)

Both teams have shown sparks of brilliance and the firework duds we see every Fourth of July. FSU has been downright terrible in Thursday night games, especially away from Doak Campbell. NC State showed some life in their last game where they took BC to the wire. Too much offense for the Noles in this one.

FSU 28 NC State 14

Wake Forest at Maryland

The two questions here are (1) did Maryland learn from their Charlottesville debacle and are they ready to rumble with emotion and execution and (2) can Wake Forest keep their momentum rolling? Wake is now in the driver's seat for the Atlantic division since they have already beaten league heavyweights FSU and Clemson. If they fail to get to the championship game it will be their own fault.

Wake 21 Maryland 14

UNC at UVA

This may turn out to be the most exciting conference game of the weekend. No, really. UVAs recent resurgence is nothing short of amazing, and if they can get past UNC, I will start to pay attention. UNC is coming off of 2 last second game changing moments where they have come out on the positive side. Their momentum should keep them going throughout the season, but the big question that is lingering is how will UNC do without Brandon Tate in the lineup for the rest of the year?

UNC 28 UVA 21

Miami at Duke

Miami needs a conference win. And bad. They are 0-2 so far to start the year and likely the hopes to make it to their first ever conference championship game went by the wayside when they lost back to back games to UNC and FSU. Duke would like to rebound from their bad loss at Georgia Tech. Duke could be 4-2 at the end of the weekend. Again, really.

Miami 24 Duke 14

Georgia Tech at Clemson

This game is hard to predict, because I can see a number of scenarios playing out. This is Clemson's first game without Tommy Bowden on the sidelines in almost 10 years. How will they respond? I can see them coming out fired up desperate to make a statement win. I can see them coming out confused and bewildered not knowing which way is up. Factor in Georgia Tech's triple option and you have a lot to consider.

Clemson 24 Georgia Tech 21

VT at BC

For those of you who can harken back to the Big East days, you will remember very few blowouts on either side of this matchup. It was almost always a physical, run down your throat kind of game with huge offensive lines, a slug fest that was always entertaining. Coach Jags has gotten away from that in favor of a more finesse offense. Until VT proves they cannot win on the road with this young team, you have to go with VT in a tight one. Also, Tyrod is quietly 9-0 as a starter. Betcha didn't know that??!?

VT 24 BC 17

Lions, Tigers and Bears, OH MY....

....well, at least Tigers.

Clemson officially relieved Tommy Bowden of his duties this morning after starting a putrid 3-3 so far this year.

Clemson consistently recruits the best talent in the country yet can't ever seem to get over the hump to winning the conference crown or competing for a national championship. When you have that much talent on the field, there is but one excuse - coaching.

Bowden has been there 10 years now and the 4 times VT has played them, the lowest margin of victory has been VT +14.

Yikes Tommy.

Yikes.

Best of luck to you in your future career though; there will be no shortages of openings - I hear Tennessee, Auburn, Washington and Syracuse may be open, just to name a few.

Let's go Bowling...

Ok, ok I know it's mid October and bowl games don't start until late December. But is it really ever too early to start thinking about the postseason? The ACC is now tied into 9 games. Each week I will predict which team tabs which bowl game.

Congressional Bowl - Maryland (ACC #9)
Meineke Car Care - North Carolina (ACC #5)
Champs Sports - Florida State (ACC #4)
Emerald Bowl - Boston College (ACC #7)
Humanitarian Bowl - Miami (Fl) (ACC #8)
Music City Bowl - Clemson (ACC #6)
Chick-fil-A Bowl - Wake Forest (ACC #2)
Gator Bowl - Georgia Tech (ACC #3)
Orange Bowl - Virginia Tech (ACC #1)

Looks like NC State, UVA and Duke are the only three who won't make holiday travel plans.

I reserve to change my predictions until Bowl Selection Sunday, naturally.

Lunch Pail

Anybody who's anybody knows that "the lunch pail" is Bud Foster's calling card - a symbol of the blue collar, workmanlike mentality that typifies his defense.

Soon it will be featured on College Gameday.

For those of you who haven't seen the clever commercials promoting the premiere college football matchup pregame bonanza, they usually have Chris, Lee and Kirk doing something and asking "True or False."

The campaign’s new commercial spot “Virginia Tech Lunch Pail” will begin running Monday, Oct. 13 on ESPN, and features the GameDay crew eating lunch alongside a metal lunch pail decorated with the letters ‘VT'.

After Chris asks Kirk where he got the lunch pail and Kirk says he found it on the sideline at a game in Blacksburg, GameDay ask fans, “Virginia Tech keeps a lunch pail on the sideline at all home games. True or False?” Fans can then vote, see a video response with the correct answer and view additional content about that week’s big match-ups at www.collegegameday.com.

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot (Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN) will originate from Dallas this Saturday, site of the Red River Shootout pitting undefeated No. 1 Oklahoma against Big 12 rival and unbeaten No. 5 Texas (televised on ABC at noon ET).

ACC Power Rankings

As stated in my previous post, these standings look to change week to week.


ACC Standings


ATLANTIC
Wake Forest 1-0
Florida State 1-1
Boston College 1-1
Maryland 1-1
Clemson 1-1
NC State 0-2


COASTAL
Virginia Tech 2-0
Georgia Tech 4-1
North Carolina 1-1
Duke 1-1
Virginia 1-1
Miami (FL) 0-2

The Schizophrenic ACC

Someone help me figure this conference out.

Really.

Let me make sure I have this right.

Wake Forest goes TO Tallahassee and beats FSU on their home field. At night.

Then proceeds to lose to Navy. At home.

Clemson, with all the preseason hype, a top 10 team no less, loses at home to Maryland.

Maryland then proceeds to go to UVA and get SHUT OUT 31-0. Keep in mind this was after beating TWO ranked teams. Cal and Clemson.

Also keep in mind this is the same UVA team that was destroyed at Connecticut and Duke.

Speaking of Connecticut, they got blanked at North Carolina last night.

Oh, and this is the same UNC team that lost at home to VT, then went to Miami and beat them.

And Miami is now 0-2 in conference after getting beaten at home 42-39 to FSU.

The Coastal Division winner looks to be VT if they can hold on and lose minimal games to BC, FSU and Miami.

The Atlantic? Who wants it less?

Maryland had it in the bag, then decided not to make the trip to Charlottesville.

If Wake Forest beats Clemson this coming Thursday night, it will be theirs to lose.

Virginia Tech might be the ONLY team doing what they were supposed to do and what they have been doing since they joined the ACC in 2004. Win conference games.

I know that you are supposed to beat each other up in conference games, but it seems all teams are doing is beating THEMSELVES up.

Who can figure this conference out?

Surely not me.

Thank goodness for bye weeks...

I suppose we should all be grateful that yesterday's matchup with the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky was not televised. You had to pay $5.95 on ACC Select, a premium service which allows you to watch conference matchups streaming on the internet. The 27-13 final may elicit some strong reactions from those of you who JUST saw the score and not the action.

"Wait, really? We only won by 2 touchdowns?"

"Did they really score 13 points on us?"

"Isn't this the same team that lost by more then 40 points a piece to Kentucky and Alabama?"

Yes. Yes. And yes.

Virginia Tech has clinging to a 10-3 lead late in the first half, when the offense started to spark a bit and we converted a 4th and goal into 6 points. Then, Macho had a 50 yard interception return which was almost a touchdown, but he was pushed out of bounds at the 5. We settled for a field goal since there were only 3 seconds left.

Adantage Hokies 20-3.

We got the ball to start the half and drove down the field for a touchdown. 27-3 Hokies. Now THAT is more like it, right. That is more like the score you would expect in this game. Put in your reserves. Get some valuable playing time. Walk out with a victory on Homecoming.

Someone forgot to tell Western Kentucky.

I should tell you that WKU opted to put in a wide receiver turned running back turned quarterback turned whatever into the game to take the direct snap and run the read option. For some reason, Bud's boys had some trouble defending it and they marched down the field for a field goal.

Then, down 27-6, they converted an onside kick. (Oh, I should mention this is after they had converted a fake punt in the first half. Special teams - advantage WKU).

WKU managed to score one more time, and then we took Tyrod out in favor of Sean Glennon, I guess to make sure he didn't get hurt.

So, a team that had not given up a sack all day gave up 5. FIVE sacks. I guess when Sean is in there, you know you can bring the heat because he sure isn't going to beat you with his legs. (Decision to burn Tyrod's redshirt - advantage BEAMER).

There are some positives to take out of this game.

Darren Evans continues to impress. He added two more touchdowns to his already impressive resume.

Macho Harris continues to return kicks well, read defenses well, and catch the ball for the defense well.

We are 5-1. Hard to argue with that record limping into the bye week

I guess that is really the issue. This was a game that came at a perfect time. It should have allowed us to work on the passing game, ironed out some of the wrinkles on offense, gotten the defense some more reps to work on pass coverage (their biggest weakness) and helped us to work on kickoffs and punt coverage.

The passing game wasn't terrible, but nothing to rave at against this defense.

Western Kentucky rarely threw the ball; instead, they gashed us on the ground play after play.

How we don't have someone who can kick the ball into the endzone is beyond me. Beamer instead has decided to kick it high and short giving the coverage team a chance to get downfield to make a play. Hmmm.

Lots of questions going into the bye week, but it does come at a great time. The team is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference. No one, including myself, would have predicted that after the loss to ECU and the lackluster performance against Furman.

The fact is teams have letdowns. After three close, gritty wins against good competition, it was expected.

And need I remind you VT football historians of a little game in 1998 against Temple.

It was at home.

It was a 5-0 squad against an 0-5 squad.

Oh yeah, and it was homecoming.

Thank goodness for bye weeks.

ACC Weekend Pickoff - Week 6

The conference races are starting to clear up a little. Still lots of games to play, but some favorites are starting to emerge. No UVa, not you.

Duke at Georgia Tech

Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that Duke would be in SECOND place in the Coastal division? Not me. They captured their first conference win since 2004 last week against struggling UVa. Can they continue this week? Georgia Tech's high powered option attack is shredding good defenses, so I say no.

Georgia Tech 28 Duke 21

Maryland at Virginia

This is one of those classic games where Maryland, after topping yet another top 25 team on the road finds out what it is made of. They should waltz into Scott Stadium and destroy the helpless Cavs. But, UVa is wounded and in desperate need of a win. There are a couple of games on Virginia's schedule that I can see them winning, but only if they play smart, don't turn the ball over, and force good field position with their special teams and defense.

Maryland 17 UVa 14

Boston College at NC State

NC State had a great win against ECU 2 weeks ago and followed it up with a thud against USF last week. Not that playing 2 ranked teams in a row is an easy task. BC is struggling to hit their groove offensively. What will ex-head man Tom O'Brien have in store for BC?

BC 21 NC State 20

Clemson IDLE

Wake Forest IDLE

Florida State at Miami

This used to be the game of the year for both schools. I remember a time when most of these contests were decided by a field goal (Wide Right, Wide Left anyone?) Both teams are young, full of talent and promise, and needing to make a statement. Both defenses are good, while the offenses are struggling.

Miami 17 FSU 10

Western Kentucky at Virginia Tech

VT improved offensively last week in their big road win at Nebraska. Tyrod was able to find some wide open receivers, but missed a number of opportunities as well. There were 5 times that VT was inside the red zone, and for the most part had to settle for 3 each time. This week, they get a chance to iron out the wrinkles, play some backups on defense, and prepare for a much-deserved bye week before heading to Chestnut Hill to face BC in mid October.

VT 41 WKY 3