FFM2M Podcast Week 11

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With only 4 weeks left in the regular season we'll take a step back from analyzing teams and check out who will win the ACC's offensive and defensive players of the year. I'm sure Hakeem Nicks, Trimane Goddard and Bruce Carter will get a ton of love on the show but names like Da'Rel Scott, Antone Smith and Jonathan Dwyer should get mention on the offensive side while Clint Sintim, Michael Tauiliili and Morgan Burnett are definitely up there battling for the awards.

Much like last week with the Coach of the Year we should get a spirited debate going as I've already got my list pulled and ranked for the ACC's player of the year awards.

Should be a good show so tune it tonight at nine.

As always on "Football From Mass To Miami"
-Recap of the week that was
-Reviewing of the ACC Standings, Rankings and Power Rankings
-Previews and Predictions for the Upcoming week

I look forward to seeing you all in the live chat during the episode and if you can't listen be sure to download episodes here:

The Official FFM2M ACC Bowl Predictions: Week 11

With five weeks left on the schedule the ACC already boasts four bowl eligible teams (UNC, Maryland, GT, Miami) and another five teams are just one game shy of reaching that bowling benchmark. Only two teams really look to be completely out of getting to the postseason; the Tigers and the Wolfpack. Duke's still got an outside shot with games against fellow cellar dwellers Clemson and NC State.

Last week's shake up with FSU, BC and UVA going down has shifted the weekly bowl predictions and a lot hinges on this week's games in Blacksburg, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem and Tallahasee. The first three places because of the ACC Title Game implications and Tallahasee for the title game shot but also for the Tigers meager bowl hopes.

Let's run them down:

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets caught a serious break in the their defeat of the 'Noles with the late game fumble into the end zone. Paul Johnson's boys have got the benefit of only having two ACC contests left before their end of the year showdown with interstate rival Georgia. If they can pull out wins over North Carolina and Miami they'll be sitting in the drivers seat all the way down to Tampa.

Peach Bowl: Maryland

Ralph's team has been very Jekyll and Hyde this year but, this past weekend they took a break following their NC State eek out win two weeks ago. With a date against Coastal foe Virginia Tech the Terrapins need to be able to hold serve Thursday night to keep their ACC title game birth alive. They're sitting in the driver's seat and as the lead dog in the Atlantic they've got a full game lead that will insulate them until the showdown against Florida State.

Gator Bowl: Florida State

Just when I move them up into the ACC title game spot as the champion of the conference they go out and lose in a physical battle to the Wreck in the Doak. Christian Ponder and Greg Carr need to bring back their down field passing game and get Antone Smith back on track this week against a Clemson team that has played very well against Bobby Bowden lately. The 'Noles should take care of business, their toughest games coming against BC, Maryland and the cross state rival Florida. Good thing I didn't fire up the Ponder Heisman bus.

Champs Sports Bowl: Virginia

Yes the Heels are just a game back from UVA but the Hoos have only the Hokies standing in their way as a game looking difficult. Their dates with Wake Forest and Clemson don't seem as sexy as they did preseason and Groh's team has a chip on its shoulder; especially Cedric Peerman, after dropping a game to a young Miami squad. Look for Peerman to continue his tear through the ACC and he'll continue to put up monster numbers.

Those are the four big boys and notice the subtle shake up with the rest of the bowl picture:

Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina

The Heels are making it hard to move them up but a win this week would all but guarantee the Heels a top four finish in the ACC and a bump to one of the upper tier bowl games.

Emerald Bowl: Wake Forest

With a win over Miami the Deacons are right back in the Atlantic race but they don't have enough in the tank to catch the Terps or the Seminoles.

Music City Bowl: Virginia Tech

Coming out of the bye week it looks like Sean Glennon will get the start and their Thursday night showdown could drop them from contender in the coastal to fighting with Duke for space at the bottom.

Humanitarian Bowl: Miami

The Canes put a stop to the Hoos winning ways but with dates left against the Hokies and at Georgia Tech Shannon's boys will most likely limp into their ACC finale against the Wolfpack.

Eagle Bank Bowl: Boston College

Just two weeks ago the Eagles looked like a lock to finish in that 5-7 range, now; after loses at Carolina and at home to Clemson the are fighting for their post season life. Dates with Notre Dame out of conference and interconference showdowns with Florida State, Wake and Maryland definitely have become BC's own personal murderers row.

The ACC's Week 11 Television Schedule

The ACC is back in the national spotlight twice this week; three times if you want to count the U as a national network. Kicking off the slate with our first Thursday night contest since FSU went up and beat the Wolfpack this is a very crucial weekend of ACC action. With four ranked teams hitting the field this definitely should be a solid encore to the unexpected suspense last weeks schedule showcased.

One Keith Jackson sized "WHOA NELLY" goes to ESPN and their decision to pick up the Clemson game as their three thirty appetizer; relegating the GaTech-UNC Coastal showdown to the noon Raycom game. We here at FFM2M understand the Bowden Bowl was big business and held national intrigue preseason but with flex scheduling you've got to get the ACC's two highest ranked teams on the network. No disrespect to Stevey Martin and the Doc but this game holds serious ACC title implications and needs to get put in front of the nation.

That being said all four of the interconference games have title game say-so and every serious ACC fan will be glued to their seat Thursday and Saturday to watch as the teams jockey for the pole position. Only Maryland can control their own destiny but with a little help from their friends in the conference VT, UNC, GT, FSU and Wake can all sneak their way into Tampa.

Outside of the heated ACC race there is a Boston College game that has a little national heat to it. The Eagles have beaten up on the Irish lately and with Weis' team looking improved and BC limping it will be interesting to see if the ACC can go 2-0 against the Golden Domers.

Thursday, November 6th

23 Maryland @ Virginia Tech (ESPN, 7:30pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Saturday, November 8th

20 Georgia Tech @ 19 North Carolina (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

Clemson @ 22 Florida State (ABC, 3:30pm)- Terry Gannon, David Norrie, Todd Harris

Virginia @ Wake Forest (ESPNU, 3:30pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle, Melissa Knowles

Notre Dame @ Boston College (ESPN, 8pm)- Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

FFM2M Podcast Week 10

To listen to the live show: Click Here

Last week we talked bowl picture and as you can see the weekly bowl predictions are already up on the website. Tonight we'll get into another massive ACC disappointment; the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. FFM2M will check out what has been the Deacon's problem as well as why the ACC has suddenly caught up to the once innovative Jim Grobe.

A recent Butch Davis and Clemson rumor has surfaced and its only right that we discuss the possible ramifications of this move and how the Heels can stop the Tigers' efforts.

For the main course we'll delve into the mid-season race for ACC Coach of the Year. There are seven legitimate candidates on the radar and each with a rightful claim to being the COTY. Instead of just predicting the ending FFM2M will bridge the gap, meaning:

We'll discuss who is the COTY up to this point in the ACC

AND

Who will finish with the most impressive resume to win the hardware in December.

As with every episode of Football, From Mass to Miami you'll find:

A recap of all the Week 9 action in the ACC
Complete breakdowns of the ACC Standings
Detailed rankings of offense, defense as well as overall units
The ACC Issues of the Week
A look ahead to Week 10's games including predictions

Be sure to tune in as your host lays off the Clemson Tigers but gets deep into the ACC. Click here to listen live.Can't listen live? Be sure to come back to Football From Mass To Miami to check out the show right here on our website.

The Official FFM2M ACC Bowl Predictions: Week 10

Last week in the ACC a lot of things were shaken up. The Hokies lost their once iron fisted grip over the league, the Heels took BC down a peg and both the Terps and Hoos solidified themselves as legitimate title contenders. With that being said the Coastal Division race is still as muddy as pond water while the Atlantic Division is speeding towards a November 22nd showdown between Ralph Friedgen and Bobby Bowden for supremacy.

So without further ado here are the Week 10 ACC Bowl Predictions:

Orange Bowl: Florida State

Bowden's boys have really turned heads. They physically beat down a Virginia Tech team last weekend and took over the lead dog position in the conference. Christian Ponder is truly emerging and the next GREAT FSU quarterback. Is it too early to fire up the CP for Heisman in 2010 campaign bus?

Peach Bowl: Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson is definitely a candidate for the ACC as well as National Coach of the year. He's got the Jackets playing some good football. Although they're currently second in the Coastal their losses to Virginia and Virginia Tech should be righted with the tough remaining schedules both Commonwealth schools have to play to get to Tampa this season. The option attack of the Wreck has tough show downs against FSU and UNC in back to back weeks but if they can split these games they will be playing at home in December.

Gator Bowl: Maryland

The Terps have finally put back to back games together and the Fridge's boys are definitely starting to get with the program. Darrius Heyward-Bey is igniting with the aid of Chris Turner and the Turtles are locked into winning the Atlantic. Dates against UNC and FSU will make their road difficult but the Terrapins have one of the more talented and experienced teams on both sides of the ball.

Champs Sports Bowl: Virginia

Some may argue that the Hoos have shot their wad already but with games against depleted Wake Forest and Clemson units before their finale against the Hokies the Cavaliers schedule is doable. The fact that they hold a tie breaker over the Tar Heels gives them the edge in reaching this fourth place bowl game and Al Groh saves his job from the fire; again.

Here's the rest of the ACC Bowl Picture:

Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina

Charlotte loves the Heels and in Butch's second year reaching this fan friendly bowl won't be a disappointment.

Emerald Bowl: Boston College

A jaunt to San Francisco will be what Coach Jagz and his squad get as they limp down the home stretch with games against Notre Dame, Florida State and Maryland.

Music City Bowl: Virginia Tech

Hopefully Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon can get healthy, otherwise this game my be a stretch for the Hokies.

Humanitarian Bowl: Wake Forest

The Deacons magic appears to have expired and they'll be lucky to get out to Boise before all the wind leaves Jim Grobe's sails.

Eagle Bank Bowl: Miami

The last ACC team in should be the 'Canes, beating out Clemson, Duke and the Wolfpack for this trip to our nations capitol.

The ACC Week 10 Television Schedule

As is evident by the weak ACC calendar this week television coverage is being held to the minimum. Three of the four ACC games this weekend will be televised, but on a positive note the big time regional game of #15 FSU at the Dodd to take on the Wreck gets a quality ABC squad. Apparently the ACC's battle of the private school brains; Duke @ Wake, is getting about as much burn as last week's Vandy and Duke match-up.

Saturday, November 1st

Miami@ Virginia (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

15 Florida State @ Georgia Tech (ABC, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales

Clemson @ Boston College (ESPNU, 3:30pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle, Melissa Knowles

Week 9:The Official Football From Mass Two Miami Bowl Predictions

Last night on the podcast FFM2M released our first ever ACC football bowl predictions. Going forward that will be a weekly fixture, both here on the website and in the FFM2M podcast.
To listen to the previous podcasts, including this weeks just use the "Talk Shoe" tool bar to the right or click here.

Before we lay down The Official Football From Mass Two Miami Bowl Predictions lets take some time to outline the bowl games rank in order of selection.

Orange (Miami, FL)
Chic-Fil-A (Atlanta, GA)
Gator (Jacksonville, FL)
Champs (Orlando, FL)
Meineke Car Care (Charlotte, NC)
Music City (Nashville, NC)
Emerald (San Francisco, CA)
Humanitarian (Boise, ID)
Eagle Bank (Washington DC)

Spots number 1-4 as well as 8 and 9 are pretty much set in stone by the ACC overall standings.

Bowl games 5-7 have a little flux within their selection process. The Meineke Car Care, Music City and the Emerald Bowl have their pick of 5-7 between themselves. This means that depending on the teams available each bowl game is going to offer a bid to the team most attractive to them. Issues including date of the game, fanbases' reputation for traveling and opponent match ups all will factor into the Bowl Committees' and the Athletic Departments' decision on which bids to offer and accept.

Now with that cleared up here are Football From Mass To Miami's Week 9 ACC Bowl Predictions:

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech
The Hokies finally dropped a game in the league, relinquishing their iron fisted grip over the conference and again showing vulnerability on special teams. Frank Beamer's team is still among the conferences elite and the Hokies should end up in Tampa to compete for a chance to redeem themselves in the Orange Bowl.

Chic-Fil-A Bowl: Maryland
Early season the Terps looked to be an unlikely choice for the ACC title game but they're coming on strong with the maturation of Chris Turner and the explosion of Da'Rel Scott and stand out wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Gator Bowl: Florida State
The 'Noles will be served well finishing ahead of the carnage in the middle of the ACC but missing out to a tough Maryland squad. Playing right in their backyard of Jacksonville will definitely serve the fighting Bobby Bowden's justice. Getting Ponder and the rest of the young squad a good bowl game possibly against Notre Dame, renewing an old rivalry.

Champs Sports Bowl: Georgia Tech
Paul Johnson's squad is probably the most overachieving of the bunch in the ACC and they will definitely show Orlando what option football is all about. Set against a Big 10 team this could be a pretty exciting inter-sectional match up.

Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina
A true match made in heaven, Charlotte is essentially Chapel Hill south and the Heels would bring plenty of fans just as they did in 2004. This may be a disappointing finish for the Heels who have started out 5-2 but with the logjam in the middle of the ACC going to this bowl wouldn't be a serious let down. It'd be a nice end to Butch's season and give the young Heels a base to build off of.

Music City Bowl: Wake Forest
Wake will be another team stuck in the middle tier of the ACC and although the Deacons had a decent showing in Charlotte the Tar Heels are a more appealing partner. The Deacs don't have a massive fan base to command the courting of bowls but they do a play an exciting brand of football and would be a good fit for the Nashville area.

Emerald Bowl: Boston College
A team with almost know real following outside of alums and family members will get the short end of the stick when it comes to the bowl bids. This bowl lacks a lot of the luster associated withe the Gator Bowl the Eagles went to last season but Coach Jags has still got a winner in Chestnut Hill.

Humanitarian Bowl: Miami
The Canes fans only travel to BCS games. The Blue Turf Bowl isn't a BCS game. Ergo the Canes fans won't travel. Randy Shannon getting the Canes to any bowl is a major step after a couple poor seasons in Coral Gables. This will be a good building block for the Canes and barring a drastic turn around it'll be the first time most of the those Miami boys see snow.

Eagle Bank Bowl: Virginia
The Hoos are surging but with their emergence on the ACC scene comes the toughest stretch of their schedule (GT, Miami, Wake & VT). Hopefully Al Groh's troops can battle through this stretch to claim the final bowl spot in the ACC. Going to DC would be a perfect fit for the Cavaliers as they've got a strong fanbase in the DC and northern Virginia area.

On The Outside Looking In:
Clemson, Duke, NC State

Week Nine: Football From Mass To Miami Podcast

To listen to the live show: Click Here

Last week's show we got heavy into busting Clemson's chops about Dabo Swinney and the dismissal of Coach Tommy Bowden. We talked about the possible options including Will Muschamp, Bobby Johnson and my personal favorite prospect the "off the radar" Gene Chizik.

This week's ACC issues will be less about coaching in the conference and more about exposing the ACC's best kept secret:

The team sharing 1st place in the Atlantic, the 5-1 Eagles of Boston College

We'll delve into what makes Coach Jagodzinski's Eagles work so well and take a look at some of their key players. Bring your pencils kiddies because there will be a pop quiz on the BC Eagles by the end of the night.

We'll also say what everyone else is slowly starting to think about: BOWL GAMES. With 9 Bowl Tie-Ins the ACC will have to stop cannibalizing itself to fill the quota but with everyone projecting their butt off the ACC could have some banner bowl match ups. FFM2M will look at where everyone should go and take a shot at figuring out where the most coveted fan bases will end up.

*Spoiler alert, a major fan base will be grossly disappointed at where they'll end up come December-January.

As with every episode of Football, From Mass to Miami you'll find:
A recap of all the Week 8 action in the ACC
Complete breakdowns of the ACC Standings
Detailed rankings of offense, defense as well as overall units
The ACC Issues of the Week
A look ahead to Week 9's games including predictions

Be sure to tune in as your host lays off the Clemson Tigers but gets deep into the ACC. Click here to listen live.

Can't listen live? Be sure to come back to Football From Mass To Miami to check out the show right here on our website.

ACC's Week 9 Broadcasting Schedule

Folks, sadly the ACC has all but fallen off the radar for this week in the television world. We've got major game in the VaTech and FSU match up that will be seen across the nation but we've been relegated to the U and Raycom ACC Game of the Week for the most part. The Ron Franklin team calling the game in Tallahassee is one of my favorites, especially with Jack Arute giving those excitable sideline updates.

Heels fans, look for Doc Walker to talk about how much of a beast Quan Sturdivant is, he'll definitely create a word for the young linebacker.

Lastly UVA and GT have a good team. Charles Arbuckle is one of the most underrated analysts working college football. He's got detailed analysis and he's a lot less likely to stick his foot in his mouth.

Saturday Afternoon:

Wake Forest @ Miami (ESPNU, Noon)- Dave Armstrong, Larry Coker

Boston College @ North Carolina (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

Virginia Tech @ 25 Florida State (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute

Virginia @ 18 Georgia Tech (ESPNU, 3:30pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle


The NC State game up in College Park, MD didn't make the television schedule and neither did the Smart School's of the South Battle between Vanderbilt and Duke.

The ACC's Week 8 Television Schedule

The ACC proudly boasts another Thursday night game although this one is paired up against a top twenty five match up between BYU and TCU. But if a game is on VS does it really happen?

All in all we've got some good coverage, all games televised and a couple of solid national television match ups for the ACC to add to their ever growing cache. And yes, Erin Andrews will be at the State Fair Thursday.

Thursday, October 16th:

Florida State @ North Carolina State (ESPN, 7:30pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Saturday, October 18th:

Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware

19 Wake Forest @ Maryland (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

21 North Carolina @ Virginia (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Terry Gannon, David Norrie

Miami @ Duke (ESPNU, 3:45pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle

18 Virginia Tech @ Boston College (ESPN2, 8pm)- Mark Jones, Bob Davie

With the Heels and the Hokies on The Deuce the ACC gets two of their three ranked teams put in front of the nation. Also if you get a chance tune into The U's coverage of the The U playing Duke. There's a little bad blood following the Cane's last trip to Durham and Charles Arbuckle is a very solid

Week Eight: Football From Mass to Miami Podcast

To listen to the show live click here

On last week's show we talked at length about UNC committing to football in order to keep Butch Davis. I thought the Clemson mess would solve itself but the Tigers will once again take the lead in the ACC issues with their recent firing of Tommy Bowden. The parties involved fumbled the exchange but in the end Terry Don Phillips set himself up to hire the perfect candidate and this week I'll break down MY preliminary list of go to guys. That list will also include two names that the Tigers shouldn't even invite to Pickens county.

Along with the continued Clemson melodrama we'll talk about the Brandon Tate injury and what a blow that strikes to UNC football's season expectations. The Heels will have to pick things up and make some serious personnel changes to continue their push towards the ACC title game.

Lastly this week's biggest ACC issue will be the resurgence of Virginia. The Wahoos looked awful early but the last two weeks they have proven themselves to be a team capable of winning on any given Saturday.

As with every episode of Football, From Mass to Miami you'll find:

A recap of all the Week 7 action in the ACC
Complete breakdowns of the ACC Standings
Detailed rankings of offense, defense as well as overall units
The ACC Issues of the Week
A look ahead to Week 8's games including predictions

This show might get a little bit testy as your host bristles from the incredible let down experienced at the hands of the Clemson Tigers.

Be sure to tune in live by clicking here

The ACC's Week 7 Television Schedule

As is the new post for Football From Mass To Miami the weekly ACC football games and their announcing teams and networks. The menu is a little thin this week and probably with good reason seeing as Oklahoma plays Texas and Florida plays LSU, two monster national games. The good thing is the Thursday night spotlight will be shining very brightly on the ACC's somewhat tarnished Atlantic Division match up.

Thursday Night

Clemson @ 21 Wake Forest (ESPN, 7:30pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Sorry Jaybird but only one Erin Andrews sighting this week in ACC country, she'll be out in Columbia, MO for the evening game Saturday. On the plus side we do have the "A" team of Nessler, Griese and Maguire in Kenan for the Carolina-Notre Dame game.

Saturday's Games

East Carolina @ Virginia (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

Notre Dame @ North Carolina (ABC/ESPN, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales

Apparently nobody thought it was a good idea to put the monster Georgia Tech vs Gardner-Webb or Miami vs UCF showdowns on television.

Week Seven: ACC Podcast

To listen to the show live just click here.

Last week we talked about Tommy Bowden's white hot seat as well as touching on Al Groh struggling at Virginia. In this weeks edition we're going to hit on a topic that is a little closer to home for the Carolina listeners and might pique the Clemson interest: Butch Davis' future. The rumors flying around have Tennessee hot on his trail but Clemson has also been mentioned as a school that might be interested in a big time name like Butch. We'll talk about what Carolina has to do to keep Butch and continue to build on the success he's created.

As with every episode of Football, From Mass to Miami you'll find:

A recap of all the Week 6 action in the ACC
Complete breakdowns of the ACC Standings
Detailed rankings of offense, defense as well as overall units
The ACC Issues of the Week
A look ahead to Week 7's games including predictions

This week should be exciting and I think we may have a special guest or two stop by to do some Week 7 predictions against yours truly. So be sure to click here and listen live starting at 9 pm.

The ACC's Week 6 Television Schedule

New to Football From Mass to Miami is the weekly announcing schedules. If you're like me you like to know who is calling what game and of course whether or not Erin Andrews will be on your sidelines. This weekend she will be nowhere near ACC country, she's actually patrolling the sidelines at Purdue, what a waste. With that said the ACC does feature a couple of good teams, Charles Arbuckle is a solid analyst and of course the Nessler, Griese and Maguire team is top shelf.

With four nationally televised games the ACC has a chance to show America that we're just as strong, if not stronger top to bottom than the rest of the college football; outside of the Big XII and SEC.

Duke @ Georgia Tech (ESPNU, Noon)- Dave Armstrong, Larry Coker

Boston College @ North Carolina State (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

Florida State @ Miami (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales

23 Connecticut @ North Carolina (ESPN2, 7pm)- Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard

Maryland @ Virginia (ESPN, 7pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle

The ACC also has one game that will go unseen by the masses, the monumental showdown in Blacksburg, Virginia:

Western Kentucky @ Virginia Tech (1:30 pm)

Football, From Mass to Miami Podcast Tonight 9pm

Tonight on the podcast yours truly will again be breaking down the ACC from top to bottom and addressing the most poignant issues surrounding the conference. There's a lot to talk about regarding the week 5 events in the league as well as the quick approach of the halfway point for the ACC. So be sure to click here and listen live as we break down the nation's most underrated conference.

As with every episode of Football, From Mass to Miami you'll find:

A recap of all the Week 4 action in the ACC
Complete breakdowns of the ACC Standings
Detailed rankings of offense, defense as well as overall units
The ACC Issues of the Week
A look ahead to Week 5's games including predictions

Be sure to tune in to the show live to get your questions answered and hear some knowledgeable ACC football discussion. Check it out

The Inaugural From Mass To Miami Podcast

The website has been moving smoothly, aside from a couple trips out of town to watch some very good college football in recent weeks. Expect to see the format change a little with the most recent big development. Shifting from ACC Football Now; we will now be known as:


Football, From Mass to Miami


A little play on the conference spanning from Chestnut Hill all the way down to South Beach. We'll still cover the same topics, hit the same area and give you in depth game previews. The only difference is the name.


In other news tonight I'll be hosting the inaugural Football From Mass to Miami podcast live on the Talkshoe hosting website. You can listen live by clicking here. It is going to be a one hour show where listener participation is encouraged and you can get live audio information dedicated to the ACC.


In this weeks first episode you can expect:

A recap of all the Week 4 action in the ACC
Complete breakdowns of the ACC Standings
Detailed rankings of offense, defense as well as overall units
The ACC Issues of the Week
A look ahead to Week 5's games including predictions

Be sure to tune in to the show live to get your questions answered and hear some knowledgable ACC football discussion. Check it out

Week Three: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly ACC Recap

Week Three Scores:

North Carolina 44 Rutgers 12

Maryland 35 California 27

Duke 41 Navy 31

Clemson 27 NC State 9

Virginia Tech 20 Georgia Tech 17

Florida State 49 Chattanooga 7

Virginia 10 UConn 45

This week was a solid one for the ACC as they went 4-1 in nonconference games and featured a Coastal Division showdown with the Hokies taking on the Yellow Jackets in Blacksburg.

The California Golden Bears were shocked by the Terps in the best ACC surprise of the weekend. Maryland caught the west coast Bears sleeping early and when Jeff Tedford's squad woke up in the fourth quarter it was too late for them to salvage the victory. North Carolina showed America that the preseason hype wasn't completely unwarranted as they blasted Rutgers and even Duke got into the action beating a solid Navy squad.

With that said let's get into The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the ACC's third week of football action.

The Good

Maryland Rush Defense: The Terps defense against the run was spectacular, holding Jahvid Best and the Bears to a measly 38 yards for the game. Best entered the game with over 300 rushing yards on the season but was held to only 25 yards by a defense that looked passive in the weeks leading up to the game. David Philistin led the way with 13 tackles including one for loss as the Terps stacked the line and shut down the Bears rushing attack.

Florida State Quarterbacks: Devontrey Richardson and Christian Ponder were a combined 22-36 for 297 yards and 4 TD's Saturday against Chattanooga. Yes the Mocs are an FCS team but for the 'Noles this is a sign that the two quarterback system of D-Vo and Ponder is slowly maturing and readying itself for the ACC schedule quickly approaching. It is clear that the Seminoles have started their crawl way back to national prominence, entering the Coach's Poll at #25 this week.

UNC Defensive Back Seven: The unit is young but the linebackers are starting to understand their fits and the secondary is benefiting from the experience from a season ago. Nabbing 4 interceptions from Rutgers' quarterback Mike Teel the unit is beginning to gel nicely in their zone drops and making good reads on the football. If they can play as physical with the Tech's and Miami the team will definitely be competing for the Coastal Division title come November.

The BAD

NC State Offense: The Wolfpack produced only 288 yards against the Clemson Tigers' less than suffocating defense. While the team moved the ball well at times between the twenties they continued their 13 quarter offensive touchdown drought. Yes, it has been over three games since the Pack offense has put the ball in the end zone against a FBS team. Next week against ECU the countdown continues.

Virginia Rushing Attack: Mikell Simpson and Cedric Peerman were expected to be All-ACC contenders entering the 2008 season, a tandem second only to CJ Spiller and James Davis of Clemson. The two were supposed to take the heat off Peter Lalich and giving opponents fits with their smash and dash running styles. The duo rumbled for 24 total yards at Connecticut, bringing their combined season total to 200 yards. Without some increased production from these backfield mates Virginia's woes will continue.

The UGLY

Virginia Tech Passing Attack: The un-redshirting of Tyrod Taylor was designed to jump start the Hokies offensive attack. In a way it worked as VPI has two wins with Taylor at the helm and their rushing production has increased substantially. But, Taylors 48 yards passing was one of the worst showings for a quarterback in the modern era. He threw for 61 fewer yards than the triple option conservative attack of the Ramblin' Wreck.

Sure he completed around 64% of his passes but to put it in perspective; Taylor was 9-14 for 48 yards, Georgia Tech had one pass for 41 yards during the game. In other words, if all of Taylor's completions were lined up from the one they wouldn't even reach midfield.

Virginia Rushing Defense: The Wahoos offense looked bad, their rushing defense was abhorrent. Donald Brown is nobodies All-American but the Hoos defense sure did their best to make him look like a world beater in allowing him to rush 20 times for 206 yards through three quarters. The Cavaliers surrendered 382 total rushing yards or 163 more rushing yards than their offense gained total. Clint Sintim, Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby, the senior linebackers and core of this defensive football team have got to find a way to turn this once proud defense around.

All in all this week was strong for the ACC and next week the conference schedule features only two games as the Tar Heels play host to Virginia Tech and Wake Forest heads down to Tallahassee. The ACC also has nonconference games against the SEC (GT vs MSU), Big XII (UM vs TAMU) and Conference USA (BC vs UCF, NCSU vs #15 ECU)

Week Three: What AFN Will Be Watching Today

There are a couple good games on today including the ACC Game of the Week, Virginia Tech versus Georgia Tech. Of course the Ohio State at USC "Collision in the Coliseum" game is taking all the national media spotlight but deservedly so. I'm not gonna lie I'll veer off the ACC path a little today with the USC game and the heated South Carolina and Georgia battle, I love good football.

Special note, my main man Jay will be in town and we will be enjoying some great college football games together, with that said here's what we're watching:

12:00pm

NC State @ Clemson AND #23 Cal @ Maryland

Pulling a little double duty here. Both games have a shot at getting out of hand but I'm counting on Tom O'Brien and Ralph Friedgen to make this an interesting first round of games. The Thunder and Lightning backfield matched up against ACC leading tackler Nate Ingram should be interesting and the Bears attack against David Philistin and friends will hopefully be a good watch.

3:30pm

Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech AND #2 Georgia @ South Carolina

The ACC's first marquee match up will be a battle of two similar philosophies but two very different styles. Both teams hope to run the football down the oppositions throat; but GT plan on doing that using Paul Johnson's signature triple option attack. Virginia Tech sophomore Tyrod Taylor gets his first taste of real action for the season after making his post-redshirt debut against FCS Furman.

Georgia storms into Columbia ready to avenge last years disappointing, touchdown-less loss to the Gamecocks. South Carolina (not Carolina) looks to redeem themselves after losing to the SEC's perennial bottom feeder, Vanderbilt.

*UCLA @ BYU will definitely creep its way into the rotation but the two games above are the best match ups, plus three's a crowd.

8:00pm

Ohio State @ Southern Cal

While "The Collision in the Coliseum" might be the worst moniker ever bestowed on a meaningful regular season showdown the hype leading up to the game is at least partially deserved. I'm hoping to see two dominating defenses with one of my favorite players this season, Rey Maualuga, starring as the best defender on the field. The Buckeyes have a lot to prove after their back to back national title embarrassments. SoCal wants to keep Pete Carroll's non-conference record sparkling like his teeth and I think the Trojans defense and The Stable will be able to do that.

Stay tuned for information about the first ever ACC Football Now Podcast that will be making its debut Tuesday September 23rd at 9pm on Talkshoe.

Week Three: ACC Game of the Week

Check out the Coastal Division and Atlantic Division Previews

The Yellow Jackets, with their new offensive scheme and new head coach Paul Johnson make the trip up to Blacksburg to take on the team that has been the ACC's loan perennial power since entering in 2005, Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech enters this game coming off a win in Chestnut Hill over the Eagles of BC while Virginia Tech limps into the contest after struggling to close out FCS Furman.

Paul Johnson's team is already 1-0 in the ACC and with a win here they would go to 2-0 in the league 1-0 in the Division and have some breathing room during their quest to Tampa. The Hokies need to rebound from the ECU shocker and prove they're still the team to beat in the Coastal which is why this early season showdown is the ACC GAME of the WEEK.

Both teams feature stout defenses that will pressure the quarterback, play opportunistic football and take advantage of mismatches with their front four. Getting behind the line of scrimmage and disrupting the flow of the game on both run and pass is what drives these two surprisingly underrated defensive units.

Offensively though the schemes are different both GaTech and VaTech look to run the ball first and punish you with a relentless rushing attack. VPI's power running game has been less than impressive this season but the addition of dynamic quarterback Tyrod Taylor should give the Hokies a shot in the arm and a boost in offensive production. He missed the first game but is already the Hokies leading rusher with 112 yards.

The Yellow Jackets rushing attack has yet to be stopped in their first two games. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt and B-Back Jonathan Dwyer have been the two biggest surprises of the young ACC season as they've pitched and ran for some big numbers in the new offense. Averaging 255.5 rushing yards a game the Jackets have proven to be a problem for BC already and they look to test the Hokies defensive discipline.

Georgia Tech Defense vs Virginia Tech Offense

Georgia Tech's defensive line was tabbed as one of the units to watch in the ACC during the preseason and they haven't disappointed. Vance Walker, the leader of the unit has put up strong numbers including 3 TFL's and a solo sack as well. Derrick Morgan and Darryl Richard have also been major players in this scheme, piling up TFL's and sacks on an All-ACC pace.

While the defensive line got all the hype with pro prospect Michael Johnson, the back seven have been the true story of this season as they've been the most noticeable improvement to Coach Johnson's talent pool. At Navy he had players who were limited athletically, now with first rate talent his team goes from hoping to hold and limit opponents to playing an attacking, gambling defensive style capable of frustrating opponents (see Ryan Perrilloux and Chris Crane). Along with the seven sacks they've amassed the GT defense has four interceptions, two by leading tackler, safety Morgan Burnett.

The Jackets will be up against a nameless, faceless and completely identity-less offensive entity when they face the Hokies, a team averaging less than 300 yards of total offense a game. That paltry stat is only worsened by the putrid realization that only 103 of those yards come through the air (The Yellow Jackets, a triple option team, average 104 passing). To make this competitive the Hokies need to find some sort of offensive leader. Sean Glennon is out, Tyrod Taylor is in, which helps the rushing output but only serves to further the woes of the passing game.

VPI's leading receiver is Kenny Lewis, a running back, with only five receptions on the year. The departure of three senior receivers Hyman, Morgan and Royal for the NFL left the Hokies depleted and inexperienced at receiver. Young guns such as Dyrell Roberts and Andre Smith will have to step up to help out Taylor with this menacing Ramblin' Wreck pass rush.

Expect to see Morgan Burnett tight in the box with the Tech linebackers daring Virginia Tech to stretch the talented back seven vertically.

Virginia Tech's Defense vs Georgia Tech's Offense

Despite their offensive woes the Hokies defense has remained impressively stout, even with the loss of Xavier Adibi, Vince Hall and Brandon Flowers. VPI is only giving up 96 rushing yards a game and a very respectable 212 passing yards. Macho Harris isn't 100% but he's still playing quality and at times punishing defense. With the departure of the aforementioned linebackers Cam Martin and Purnell Sturdivant have stepped up nicely and played with the same Lunch Pail mentality of the traditional Bud Foster defense.

Stephen Virgil has been a bright spot in the defensive backfield as he's returned both a fumble and blocked PAT for scores and playing opposite Harris he is growing into VT's next NFL cornerback. The Virginia Tech run defense is going to be put to their most crucial test of this short season when they face the Yellow Jackets triple option attack and they'll be getting all they can handle when Nesbitt and Dwyer take the field.

The Jackets have scored eight touchdowns on the season, every one of them has been on the ground and Coach Johnson and team seem content to follow that trend all season. They're averaging right at 30 points a game and almost six yards per carry (5.9). With the every game the Wreck's crisp execution gets better and the team becomes more confident in their ability to win by staying within Johnson's system.

Demaryius Thomas, the leading receiver, patiently lays in wait as the Jacket's "deep threat," averaging 32.5 receiving yards a game. The Wreck will test Cam Martin and Purnell Sturdivant's discipline as Nesbitt and Dwyer methodically move the football down the field.

Look for Kam Chancellor and Macho Harris, VPI's most experienced back end players, to get involved in the run game early, helping out the less experienced backers. VT should load up the box, playing some variations of cover-2 to allow Harris and Virgil to stop the run as well as straight man to get their safeties active in the box early. The Hokies do have a slim athletic advantage and can afford to risk crowding the line of scrimmage.

Special Teams

So far this season Beamer ball has been somewhat less than stellar. Yes, the Hokies returned a blocked PAT for a score but they also committed a gaffe uncharacteristic of the Maroon and Orange; costing the Hokies a game. The ECU game special teams mishap that allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown lost Tech the game but should show the players how critical sound special teams can be, especially for a struggling offensive unit.

While the Hokies have had a very public shortcoming the Yellow Jackets kicking game with Scott Blair has been very Jekyll and Hyde-like. Blair is averaging 44.2 yards per punt and has forced three fair catches in the Jackets first two games. A quite strong showing early on by the sophomore. However, Blair a Calhoun, Georgia native, has been the polar opposite when it comes to his place kicking. He's 1-5 in field goal attempts and 7-8 with PATs.

Match Ups To Watch

Virginia Tech's QB's vs Morgan Burnett
Taylor isn't much of a passer, but then again neither is Glennon, and Burnett has shown a nose for the football through 2008's first two games. The safety had better be on the radar for the Hokies because if the quarterback doesn't look Burnett off the College Park sophomore could snag a couple more interceptions.

Cam Martin and Purnell Sturdivant vs Josh Nesbitt and Jonathan Dwyer
The Hokies top linebackers had better be ready to flow sideline to sideline all day in order to stop the Jackets' dangerous rushing duo. If they miss their assignments and make improper fits either player is capable of taking the ball for large chunks of yardage.

Virginia Tech's Receiving Core vs Georgia Tech Secondary
Georgia Tech's senior cornerback appears prepared to stop anyone the Hokies trot out there, it'll be up to OC Bryan Stynespring and the players themselves to work on establishing a legitimate receiving threat. The Hokies will be seeing nine in the box if they don't force the Wreck's secondary to respect their receivers.

Prediction

Georgia Tech's defense will be much better than the Furman unit that held the Hokies to 3 first half points. The defensive line will pressure Taylor and I expect the sophomore to make a couple amazing plays with his legs, not his arm. He'll lead the Hokies in rushing again and should add a long score or two to his highlight reel. In the end the lack of a serious receiving threat will doom the Hokie-birds as the Jackets will load up the box and force VT into the adventure that is throwing the football.

The Hokies defense will be stout against the option, Bud Foster is notorious for playing a simple defense that allows his athletes to make sound football plays. This will be one of Georgia Tech's toughest tests all season and Nesbitt and Dwyer will be facing a caliber of athlete that they have yet to face off against. With that said I think as the game grinds on the Jackets offense slowly wears down the Hokie defense and they'll find the end zone a couple times.

Special teams will swing the Hokies way and give them a sound edge in the kicking game as well as the opportunity to score off of a block. Paul Johnson may want to think about going for it or pooching the football because Lane Stadium isn't the place you want a young kicker getting his feel for the position.

In the end I think the Yellow Jackets get their second ACC win to move to 3-0 and squarely in first in the ACC.

Georgia Tech 23 Virginia Tech 17

Week Three: Atlantic Division Previews

Check out the Coastal Division Previews


Four teams get into action this week including the first ACC Atlantic match up of the year coming when NC State heads down to Clemson for the Textiles Bowl. FSU gets into a little scrap with Chattanooga which shouldn't be much of a test, more like a good tune up for the Wake Forest game. Maryland hosts the 23rd ranked California Bears in College Park and this game is a nonconference bout that could really change the course of the Terps season should they be able to pull it out.


North Carolina State @ Clemson (12:00 pm Saturday)


The Textiles Bowl has grown in prominence over the last decade or so with the Wolfpack and Tigers both climbing into the national spotlight at times. However, this doesn't appear to be one of those "big" years for the game. Both teams were utterly embarrassed by SEC foes in week one. Week two saw Clemson rebound "strong" against the Citadel while NC State's struggles continued against a middle of the road FCS team, William and Mary.


In week three Clemson looks to build momentum for their charge towards the ACC title that is still very much within reach. Meanwhile NC State hopes to somehow catch a break and avoid locking up a non-winning season in their first seven games by avoiding a five game losing streak (Clemson, ECU, USF, BC & FSU all in a row).


The Tiger's weaknesses on the offensive line have been heavily documented including Chris Hairston's scooter accident on Saturday following the win. This weakness plays to the lone strength on the Wolfpack team; their defensive line and aggressive linebackers.


Keys to a Clemson Win


-Protect Cullen Harper. He got beat up against Alabama and against an inferior opponent there were times that Harper was under duress. NC State is somewhere between 'Bama and the Citadel in terms of talent and their ability to get to the quarterback. They terrorized Tommy Beecher for much of the game at South Carolina and the jury-rigged offensive line is going to have to keep Harper off his back for the Tigers to waltz to victory.


-Make the Pack 1-Dimensional. Russell Wilson is back for the Pack, throwing the football and running for his life. The Tigers can't let NC State get into their offensive game plan of run the football a lot, then run some more. By forcing negative first down plays and stuffing the box the Tigers should force the Pack into dropping back to throw. The Tigers' offense can help expedite this process by scoring early and often to force the Pack to play from behind, letting Ricky Sapp and DaQuan Bowers attack off the edge and Michael Hamlin and co. feast on Wilson's passes.


-Punch the Wolfpack in the Mouth. Clemson is better, more experienced and more athletic. Against 'Bama the Tigers were taken to the woodshed by a tougher team, they can't let NC State walk into the Valley and kick them in the teeth, they need to show some backbone and stone the Wolfpack early.


Keys to an NC State Win


-Utilize those running backs. Curtis Underwood and Andre Brown are two quality backs for the Wolfpack. Tom O'Brien must find a way to interject them into multiple facets of the game to give Wilson a shot to compete. The screen, draw and check down passes must involve the backs in order to stymie the Tigers brutal pass rush. Establishing the run early will open the play action pass game as well as slow down the Clemson rush.


-Sack Cullen Harper. The Wolfpack defensive line is their best overall unit on the team. Through two games they have 13 TFL's and 8 sacks. Against this Clemson offensive line expect Shea McKeen and Willie Young to be all over Harper, giving the Pack a chance for the big play in Death Valley.


-Play Disciplined. The Pack defense cannot afford to play the undisciplined, renegade style that was a hallmark of the Chuck Amato athletic defensive scheme. Clemson's running back tandem of CJ Spiller and James Davis will gash the unit and make them pay with cut backs from over pursuit. In the pass game an overzealous approach would be the death of the Wolfpack secondary as Clemson's play action passing and double moves can only be counter acted by sound technique defense.



Maryland vs California (12:00 pm Saturday)


This Jeff Tedford team mirrors most of his strong offensive Pac-10 squads from years past. A strong quarterback with a talented core of skill players capable of making you pay with both the run and the pass. Things don't bode well for the Terps who have been the Atlantic's worst team thus far into 2008; losing to Middle Tennessee and Darrius Heyward-Bey's paltry 7 receptions in two games are the most glaring shortcomings.


Gone are the days of tough defense and quality quarterbacking as Jordan Steffy and Chris Turner have both proved themselves unable to lead this team to anything but a marginal victory over an FCS team. Five interceptions to one touchdown combined and an abysmal completion percentage just under 50 percent. Da'Rel Scott is a quality running back who is averaging 160 yards a game and giving the Terps good ground production, their woes can be attributed solely to their poor quarterback situation.


Facing this Cal with offensive guru Jeff Tedford is going to seriously test the Terps increasingly passive defense. They're reacting to teams and this is evident in the absence of sacks and minimal amounts of turnovers forced, passes defensed and tackles for loss. Without a more aggressive approach, led by Dave Philistin and Alex Wujciak, the Terps will be in for a long Saturday filled with Bears dancing into the end zone.


Keys to a Terp Win


-Disrupt the Bears' timing. Jamming receivers, timely blitzing and defensive line stunts are three tools the Terps need to employ to disrupt Tedford's precision passing attack. Allowing Riley to sit in the pocket will only result in the Maryland defensive backfield being picked apart like a Thanksgiving turkey.

-Win Special Teams. No the Terps won't win the quarterback battle. No they don't have the athletes on defense or at the edge; but, the Terrapins can play sound special teams and win that facet of the game. With Travis Baltz averaging over 40 yards a punt, forcing 4 fair catches and pinning opponents inside the twenty twice The Fridge should play field position using Baltz as his weapon. Scoring a blocked punt or field goal will also go a long way in towards getting the Terps some much needed momentum.

-Gamble on both sides of the ball. Maryland can't play the passive, vanilla defensive looks they've showed through the two games this season and hope to beat the Bears. They need to blitz, disguise coverages and bring pressure from depth in order to force Riley to make poor decisions. On offense Maryland should work some misdirection to counteract the superior speed of Cal. Running play action through establishing Da'Rel Scott early should help lock the safeties and star linebacker Anthony Felder into the run game and open up Heyward-Bey vertical.

Florida State vs UT-Chattanooga (3:45 Saturday)

The 'Noles looked outstanding against lowly Western Carolina last weekend, blowing them out in classic FSU fashion 69-0. This week brings a marginally stiffer test in Chattanooga but not a game worth extrapolating a ton of knowledge from. Florida State needs to focus on getting their young guns Christian Ponder and D'Vontrey Richardson more live fire experience in preperation for their ACC opener against Wake Forest.

Chattanooga experienced a monster blowout in their opener against Oklahoma and barring some superb execution and a lot of luck this game should be more of the same. Florida State's defense should fly around to the football, expect to see Toddrick Verdell, Derek Nicholson and Myron Rolle working shut down the Mocs attack and polish their skills.

Keys to a 'Noles win

-Play sound football. The 'Noles have superior talent and they must simply come out and play disciplined football to ensure a victory. Make good run fits, cover down receivers and tackle the football on defense. On offense, D-Vo and Ponder need to stretch their legs, get Greg Carr and Rod Owens involved early and often to get their timing down and make sure that the run game is fully operational.

-Test the men up front. The offensive line at Florida State was a biggest question mark heading into 2008, ranked worst in the ACC by some college football pundits. Game one saw them push the Catamounts around to the tune of 290 rushing yards. They need to grow their cohesion and continue to gel against the Mocs, helping Jermaine Thomas push close to the century mark and protect Ponder and Richardson.

-Escape unscathed. Rule number one with this game is to stay completely healthy. Losing an offensive lineman, quarterback or key defender would decimate this fragile, untested football team. Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher and Mickey Andrews need to make sure that they keep their units out of harms way, knees in tact and ankles sprain free. The 'Noles have Wake Forest next weekend and they'll need all their bodies for the 7 o' clock date with the Deacs next Saturday.

Week Three: Coastal Division Previews

We've got four games in the Coastal this week including the ACC game of the week featuring Georgia Tech making the trip up to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies. The three remaining games are nonconference games against quality opponents. It'd be nice to see the ACC beat up on the Big East in the UNC and UVA games and Duke playing a successful Navy squad tough would surely elevate the profile.

Check for the Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech full game break down and preview on Thursday, including match ups to watch and players to surprise you.

North Carolina @ Rutgers (7:30 pm Thursday)

The Heels get their national television debut all alone on a Thursday night after limping into the bye week following sneaking out of Kenan with a win over McNeese State. This Rutgers team is going to test the Heels and with Darrius Massenburg out for the game following a knee scope the Heels will be short one defensive lineman.

After losing to Fresno State in their opening week the Scarlet Knights have some of the same questions to answer as the Heels. Stopping the run, limiting big passing plays and running the football will be the name of this game for both sides. The Knights gave up 206 rushing yards to the Bulldogs while only gaining 106 yards. The Heels fared somewhat better giving up 152 to McNeese State while rushing for 163.

However, 106 of those rushing yards were gained by wide receiver Brandon Tate, not the Heels running back tandem of Greg Little and Shaun Draughn. Both teams will have to run the football and limit the big pass plays that hurt the defenses last season. With Butch Davis and Greg Schiano being former colleagues and exhibiting similar football philosophies this game should be a slugfest of skilled players competing for their first marquee victory of 2008.

Keys to a Tar Heel Win

-Running the Football. Greg Little entered the 2008 season as the definitive starter at running back. His 37 yards on 14 carries has left some question marks surrounding the Heels run game. Shaun Draughn's 30 yards on 7 carries should get the defensive back convert seeing more carries in this football game. Little and Draughn will have to play up to expectations for the Heels to dictate the pace of this football game.

-Get Brandon Tate Loose on the Edge. The senior had 397 all purpose yards against McNeese State, 198 of those were on punt and kickoff returns including an 82 yard punt return for a touchdown. Rutgers' special teams weren't tested too often with their inability to score and Ted Dellaganna pinning the Bulldogs deep with his punts. Tate needs to get a big return early in order to set the tone and shorten the field for the Carolina offense.

-Take advantage of mistakes. The Heels secondary is going to have to play exceptionally well to limit the touches of Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood, two solid receivers. Mike Teel will make mistakes under the defensive pressure and Kendrick Burney, Trimane Goddard, Deunta Williams and company are going to have to take advantage of his errant or hanging passes. This secondary and receiver match up should be a great Thursday night showdown.

Duke vs Navy (12:00 pm Saturday)

The Blue Devils looked solid beating James Madison 31-7 in week one but then returned to earth battling their Big 10 counterpart Northwestern to a 20-24 loss in week two. Coach Cutcliffe has got the Devils on the right track towards improving and this game against Navy is going to display two contrasting styles and test the Blue Devils defense.

Duke, led by the arm of Thaddeus Lewis compiled 472 yards of total offense against the Wildcats and out gained them in the loss by 144 yards. Navy is coming off a week in which they gave up 488 yards of total offense in a loss to Ball State including 326 yards in the air. This is a recipe for the Devils to be successful with their skill players hurting Navy on the edges.


The problem for the Cutcliffe's Devils will be stopping the Navy run game. The Midshipmen rumbled to 346 rushing yards in the loss and only attempted 11 passes for the night. Cutcliffe's defensive stoppers led by Michael Tauiliili and Vince Ohgobaase will have their hands full stopping the triple option anchored by Shun White, Eric Kettani and Jarod Bryant. It is going to be a war of wills Saturday in Durham.

Keys to a Blue Devils Win

-Get an early lead. The triple option loses its effectiveness when the team is forced to play from behind. The ball control, power running must give way to quick passing and reaching for chunks of yardage, something Navy's athletes aren't well equipped to do. Duke needs to get Thad Lewis taking shots early to get up by two scores in order to push Navy out of their comfort zone.

-Play assignment football. The core of Duke's front seven is a group of older, experienced and heady players. They're going to need to use their wiles to combat this confusing Naval assault. By staying at home and playing their rules the Devils should be able to limit the big play by making the sure tackle and making solid run fits.

-Get Leon Wright more touches. The defensive back is the Blue Devils most explosive athlete and Cutcliffe needs to find a way to get Wright touches in the return game. His 23 yard punt return was an electrifying effort and working him into a regular return role will give the Blue Devils another much needed weapon on the edge.

Virginia @ UConn (7:30 pm Saturday)

Abysmal. Right now that is the only way to describe the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2008 season. Overmatched by SoCal and only mustering 187 yards of offense isn't the worst of their doing rather the week two 295 yard effort against IAA Richmond was the larger disappointment. All-ACC caliber running backs Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson were only able to gain 96 yards and Peter Lalich completed only 53.8 percent of his passes against the Spiders.

UConn hasn't been much better, after blasting through Hofstra in week one the Huskies Big East title dreams were put in perspective with a 12-9 escape of the Temple Owls. Tyler Lorenzen threw for an anemic 86 yards and his inability to complete passes forced the Huskies to run the ball 55 times in order to salvage a victory. If ever two teams were on a converging path this game is it.

Two disappointing second games lead the Huskies and 'Hoos limping into Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut with more questions than answers on the offensive side of the ball. The defenses should be the stars of this ESPN evening show with Scott Lutrus of UConn and Clint Sintim of UVA leading their proud units to the field.

Keys to a Virginia Win

-Disrupt the line of scrimmage. The Wahoos had 10 tackles for loss and 6 sacks in last Saturday days game against the Spiders. UConn gave up 5 tackles for loss and 1 sack to Temples young defense. Matt Conrath, Clint Sintim and co. will have to take advantage of the UConn's inept offensive line to disrupt Lorenzen and stand out running back Donald Brown.

-Make UConn One Dimensional. Stacking the box, blitzing linebackers out of the 3-4 scheme and confusing the offensive line by bringing pressure from multiple directions will force the Huskies into second and long or third and long situations. Making Tyler Lorenzen beat them instead of allowing Donald Brown to continue his All-Big East campaign (currently averaging 180 yards per game).

-Use the power running game. The Huskies don't have an active defensive line and they are largely undersized compared to the Cavaliers massive big men upfront. By getting Mikell Simpson and Cedric Peerman pounding on the linebackers and leaning on the linemen the Cavs can suck up the safeties and the linebackers, allowing Lalich to hit solid receiver Kevin Ogletree with the vertical passing game.
Tomorrow AFN will break down the ACC Atlantic Games.

The Best of Week 2 in the ACC

After being out of town for a week it is good to get back to the ACC and writing about the trials and triumphs of the conference. Week 2 was pretty eventful and an overall win the league. Wake Forest was the only true on the field victory of any meaning but the 'Canes, Noles, Tigers and Yellow Jackets were all impressive this week.

Disappointments include Maryland as a whole, Chris Crane from BC, NC State's utter ineptitude at quarterback and Duke losing to Northwestern (who would've thought a Duke loss would be a disappointment).

Week Three should get things pumped up here with the conference season slowly starting to get underway and some good nonconference match ups as well. Rutgers and UNC lock horns on Thursday night to highlight the conference nationally and the Heels definitely need a good showing after the McNeese State debacle. Maryland vs California as well as Virginia at UConn fill out the meaningful nonconference battles.

Before we get immersed in week three lets look at the best of week two in ACC Football country.

Best Showing: Miami's Defense

Yes, Wake Forest beat their SEC foe, yes Florida State rang up 69 points against Western Carolina but neither of those teams efforts was a herculean as the 'Canes defensive unit. Led by freshman and sophomores the unit held reigning Heisman winner Tim Tebow in check for three quarters of the game.

A questionable pass interference call and an overturned play that gave the Gators a first down deep in the red zone were the major differences that iced the game for the Gators. Shannon's young team was energetic and every bit as fast and athletic as the Fighting Tebows. Their offense has a ways to go but they've got an ACC Championship caliber defensive unit now. The Virginia Tech and UNC sexy picks for the Coastal Title are in a lot of trouble with Robert Marve slowly improving his play to keep Jacory Harris off the field.

Worst Showing: Maryland

The picture of pathetic thus far into the season. Virginia is bad, but their defense is capable of taking awful performances and making them look mediocre. Maryland's passive defensive philosophy and horrendous offensive outings have made the Terps look horrible. Darrious Heyward-Bey hasn't been able to get the ball and the blame for not using one of the nations elite receivers can be shared by Coach Friedgen and quarterback Chris Turner.

Defensively the Terps are excessively passive, laying in wait to read and react to the opposition as opposed to attacking and forcing the issue. This team clearly isn't as talented on the defensive side of the ball, missing Erin Henderson as their leader and hard nosed run stopper. In the days of EJ Henderson or Shawn Merriman the Turtles always attacked the quarterback and forced teams into third and longs to dictate the games pace.

The Terps better get aggressive on defense and find a quarterback who can get the ball to Heyward-Bey, other wise they'll be battling NC State for last in the Atlantic.

Check out the ACC photos section for our week one tailgating experience as well as some photos from Clemson Alabama and the Clemson and Citadel weekend in South Carolina.

Week One: What We're Watching

Every Saturday ACC Football Now will give you the run down on the games we'll be tuned into during the day. Feel free to email us before, during and after the game and coming soon AFN will be hosting live in-game chats to discuss the ACC happenings of the day in real time. Here's the run down.

Michael Felder's playlist:

12:00pm Virginia Tech vs ECU

The Hokie birds will definitely be tested in this early season game that is slowly growing into a rivalry. Played in Charlotte both teams will get the stadium rocking more than the Panthers ever have and the atmosphere should be fantastic. Kirk Herbstreit has predicted a Pirate win and for the ACC's sake let's hope that he's wrong.

3:30pm Virginia vs USC AND Oklahoma State vs Washington State

Yes, only the second game of the day and it is a flip job for Michael. SoCal in Charlottesville is intriguing but in the end I'm fairly certain that the Trojans will get put this game out of reach by midway through the third. Okie State is an underrated team in the Big XII and Wazzou, with new head coach Paul Wulff, look to return to the golden era of Ryan Leaf (never thought you'd hear that huh?). Zac Robinson's dynamic play making ability should be the highlight while Wulff's strong FCS showing on both offense and defense should translate to the big time fairly well.

6:00pm North Carolina vs McNeese State

No, this game isn't on television. No, the Heels aren't webcasting the game. Yes, I will be live in full effect at Kenan Stadium to take in the opener for the Heels. Sky divers, fire works and post game festivities have been planned for the Tar Heel debut and the Cajuns should be the first victims of the Butch Davis' second year campaign. I'll be there all game; watching Deunta Williams and Trimane Goddard will be great but seeing Matt Merletti and Ryan Taylor play after the Heels have a sizable lead will make the night a little bit sweeter.

8:00pm Clemson vs Alabama

The Illinois vs Mizzou game will be DVR'd as will the Clemson game. After I get back from watching the Heels I'll watch the full 'Bama game and respond to some emails before I hit the town for the evening. Expect to see some scoring out of Clemson and frustration out of Julio Jones. The Tigers have a lot to prove this season and Michael definitely needs them to run roughshod over the Tide.

10:00pm Washington @ Oregon

For anyone who didn't know I'm a huge Pac-10 football guy. Not because I love California (the state) or I'm a Pete Carroll disciple; mostly because no one on the east coast stays up to watch it and so they are completely oblivious to that conference and I refuse to be one of them. Ty Willingham is fighting for a job and the Ducks look to rebound from last season's collapse and the loss of probably starter Nate Costa. Should be a Pac-10 dandy, I'll be watching Oregon safety Patrick Chung, he's a hard hitter with a nose for the ball and is only one of about a million signs that they do play defense on the West Coast.

Next week Jay's picks will be added as we work to build a line up to be envied by all. Email your questions and musings to ACCFootballNow@gmail.com.

The Erin Andrews Breakdown: When Our Queen Talks, We…Listen?

The Thursday night North Carolina State v. South Carolina football game provided plenty of highlights. We saw helmets rolling, we heard the hits, and we saw lots…and I mean half a seasons-worth lots…of interceptions.

Yet none of these plays out shined side-line reporter Erin Andrews. Simply put, Andrews is Queen of the sporting world. Thursday night, she proved her supremacy yet again.

She’s good. She’s very good. She demands our attention as viewers. This observation is more than a compliment to her appearance. Is she beautiful? Hell yes. But she’s also knowledgeable. And as crazy as it may sound to some, I listen to her. Allow me to break down her performance…

Appearance:

Points: Clad in an all-black wardrobe resembling Olivia Newton John’s “Sandra D,” Andrews looked astonishing.

Bonus points: To the camera man filming USC quarterback Tommy Beecher holding his head in hands following a hit that relieved him from finishing his already 4-INT game. Reason for the bonus points you ask? Andrews’ lower body was in the frame for a good 10 seconds just over Beecher’s shoulder…you catch my drift.

Grade: A

Grease is a great movie. I’ve always loved Sandy. (Andrews would have received an A+ had she fully accessorized with the giant hoop earrings and red 8-inch heels).

Reporting:

Points: At halftime, she asked NC State coach Tom O’Brien what he said to his team to keep them motivated after quarterback Russell Wilson’s frightening injury, (whether or not O’Brien’s pep-talk worked is an entirely different conversation).

At the start of the third she questioned South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier’s tolerance for quarterback Tommy Beecher’s rough first half.

Grade: B

She receives a B not for what she said, but for what she didn’t say.

The questions to O’Brien regarding Wilson were handled extremely well. She inquired in a respectful tone. To see a young man be carted off on a back-board is scary, regardless of your allegiance. I was appreciative as a viewer for her timely updates of his condition.

The questions to Spurrier, however, needed a few follow-ups. Here are some of my suggestions.

1. “Coach, how much longer can you keep Chris Smelley on the bench?”
2. “Coach, I know we’re watching the same game. Why haven’t you thrown your visor?”
3. “Coach, have you considered putting that kid on the 3^rd row of section 20 wearing a button down polo and a bow-tie in at QB?”

Not to harp on the poor quarterback play, but Spurrier is notorious for yanking his signal callers at the drop of a hat (or visor for that matter).

Overall Grade: A-…we can’t be giving out solid A’s this early in the season now can we? Not to mention, we have to save the A+ for when Andrews’ attire resembles one of the Baywatch lifeguards. Well…we can always dream.

Enjoy this weekend’s ball games. Good luck to all of your teams, and remember to listen to our queen.

Ruminations from the Night...

AFN sat down to watch the first night of football and can't lie, it was a doozy. Here were some of the thoughts that circled as the balls started to fly, helmets started to fly off and scores got very out of hand.

-NC State looks like they're going to be in for a long season. Their defense seems stout but if they're going to be playing 40+ minutes a game every weekend expect them to come unglued late in the third quarter.

-Georgia Tech is going to give people fits. The Yellow Jackets rolled up 400+ yards of total offense in their season debut and looked as if they were pulling punches through the third quarter. Yes it was against an FCS school but that doesn't mean the Wramblin Reck isn't going to surprise people this season.

-Miami may have a quarterback controversy. Jacory Harris played in place of Robert Marve and all he did was play well. Leading the Canes to a 52-7 victory, including 20 points in the opening quarter. The true freshman looked every bit as good as advertised and with the momentum he's built it will be hard for Shannon to keep him off the field in the coming weeks.

-Wake Forest will be in the top 25 all season. The Deacs are as sound as ever and the redshirt for everybody philosophy will help them stay on the same playing field as teams with better talent overall. They play solid football and though Baylor had some speed the Deacs execution made the Bears pay. Damn experience is a nice.

-TJ Graham, the NC State wide receiver and track phenom is just that; a track phenom. He dropped to game changing passes that could have put the Pack in prime field position. Until he catches a football he'll remain a track guy.

-Thoughts and prayers to Russell Wilson and his family. The redshirt freshman took some nasty hits last night and was concussed after being sandwiched by Jordin Lindsey and the knee of Cliff Matthews. He was carted off the field and given a decent bill of health in a Columbia hospital a short time after.

Coming soon to ACC Football NOW Jay Spence and his weekly Erin Andrews break down...

Check Out The "In The Bleachers" Prediction Podcast

Hey guys!
Last night we appeared on the In The Bleachers predictions podcast hosted by Brian Sakowski of In The Bleachers. We made our BCS Conference Champion predictions as well as our predictions for the BCS Title match-up and eventual BCS Champion.

Along with myself the podcast features:

Justin Hokanson from the Bleacher Report and Gridiron Guru
Sean Keeley from Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Jon Johnston from Corn Nation
Joel Hollingsworth from Rocky Top Talk
Peter Bean from Burnt Orange Nation & EDSBS Live
John Radcliff from Mountainlair
Spencer Hall from EDSBS, EDSBS Live, and the Sporting News
Big Head from MIZZOURAH
Adam Nettina from College Football News and ITB

Check out their sites and listen to the podcast here. Check back before the weekend to see the predictions that I made on the show and I'll give you a quick break down of who I picked and why. You'll be surprised when you hear some of the predictions.

Week One: Coastal Division Previews

Check Out The Atlantic Division Previews

Every team in the ACC's Coastal Division is in action this weekend witn five of the six teams featuring home games. Only Virginia is taking on a BCS opponent to start the season and they picked a dandy in Pac-10 power Southern Cal. With the season opening up Thursday let's take a look at what the Coastal needs to do to come out on top for Week One of the 2008 season.

Miami vs Charleston Southern (7:30 pm Thursday)

The Canes open the season with seven players suspended for disciplinary reasons, including projected starting quarterback redshirt freshman Robert Marve. Jacory Harris, a true freshman will start in his place against the Buccaneers of CSU. A large contingent of the Canes have admitted to knowing nothing of the Bucs and for the sake of the ACC's respect let's hope they're grossly overstating how informed they are on Charleston Southern.

Offensively the Bucs feature Clemson transfer Tribble Reese, who was lost in the Will Proctor, Cullen Harper and then Willie Korn situation. He returns the best receiver for CSU in Dee Brown the 5'11", 180 pound senior should be the target of most of Reese's attention. Especially with All-Big South Tight End Ryan Ard being moved to defense over the offseason. Coach Jay Mills' pass happy offense is going to force the issue and get the ball out quick against Miami's young defense.

On defense the Bucs have a mismash of a d-line including the aforementioned Ryan Ard moving over after a stand out year at tight end. This unit is undersized and will give Miami's inexperienced offensive line a chance to get its feet wet without being completely dismantled by the lines of UNC, BC or Florida. Jacory Harris will have to play within himself and rely on the running game of Graig Cooper and Javarris James to get the Canes rolling.

Keys to a Miami Win

-Graig Cooper and Javarris James. Let the boys run early and Jacory Harris will settle into a comfort zone as he makes his college debut. The offensive line won't be forced to react to blitzing or stunts as they simply line up and play smash mouth football. All in all this will be the most important aspect of the game for the Canes.

-Keep Tribble Reese guessing. The Miami corners have got a considerable amount combined starting experience and their safeties have been in the system for several seasons as well, this will allow the U to mix up their looks and disguise coverages against Reese. Showing zone and playing man or vice versa should confuse the senior transfer and give their defensive line time to get to the quarterback.

-Just play football. Simply put, the talent levels of the two squads are on different planets. Miami is wondering where their next 1st round pick will come from while CSU is just hoping they can have a guy make an NFL roster. If the Canes go out and play smart, physical football they'll win this game easily to start their season in the win column.


Georgia Tech vs Jacksonville St (7:30 pm Thursday)

Another Coastal division team and another FCS tune up game to ease the pains brought on by transition. Exit Chan Gailey and Patrick Nix's pro style offense, enter Paul Johnson and his option attack. Josh Nesbitt, by all accounts will be the starter, and Johnson has worked overtime to get the Greensboro, Georgia native prepared for this home opener.

Jacksonville State is picked to win their Ohio Valley Conference after returning a solid team and adding the elite talent of former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux. The skilled sophomore is larger than his teams linebackers and one of the strongest players on the squad since transferring from the SEC. This game will feature strength on strength with Georgia Tech's stout defensive line of Vance Walker, Darryl Richard and Michael Johnson working to corral the speedy Perrilloux.

A relatively inexperienced team the Gamecocks of JSU are definitely going to be tested on the defensive side of the ball facing Johnson's option attack. Nesbitt with "feature" back Johnathan Dwyer is going to have to make crisp pitches and solid reads to take advantage of the FBS school's lack of size and depth. Expect Johnson to get his guys plenty of reps in order to polish their attack before conference play.

Keys to a Georgia Tech Win

-Control the line of scrimmage. For the Tech offense this shouldn't be an issue, they have a size and strength advantage over the Gamecocks and running the option should make it easier for the Yellow Jackets to manhandle the J-Ville linemen.

-Contain Ryan Perrilloux. The former Bayou Bengal is cut from the Vince Young cloth and is fully capable of winning games by himself. Vance Walker, Darryl Richards and Michael Johnson will have their hands full containing and chasing this talented quarterback. Letting Perrilloux run rough-shod through their linebackers and secondary will make for a long day in Atlanta.

-Protect the football. Nesbitt is going to start his first game running the option. This means fake handoffs, fake pitches, pitches and carrying the ball into the teeth of the defense. Nesbitt is going to have to demonstrate early that he understands how precious possessions are and he'll have to take care to ensure that the ball doesn't end up on the carpet.


#17 Virginia Tech vs ECU (12:00 pm Saturday in Charlotte, NC)

The Hokie birds decided to redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor this Tuesday and that means ECU will be facing senior quarterback Sean Glennon exclusively in this neutral site battle. On the other side it looks like Patrick Pinkney from ECU is going to be getting the full time nod from Skip Holtz, instead of splitting time with Rob Kass as he did a year ago.

ECU will miss Chris Johnson, their blazing Mr. Everything from a season ago, but they do return plenty of offensive fire power on the perimeter. Match this up with Virginia Tech's influx of new defenders and the Hokies have become a vogue pick to get upset by the non-BCS Pirates.

On the defensive side of the ball the Pirates return nine starters and a host of other athletes who saw field time in 2007. The good news is Va Tech returns four massive, experienced, talented offensive linemen. The bad news is that outside of tight end Greg Boone they don't return much in the way of skill position experience. None of the Hokie running backs or wide receivers have contributed anything to the cause and Tyrod Taylor sitting on the bench only takes away more of the possible production.

Keys to a Virginia Tech Win

-Finding some offense. Ike Whitaker, Danny Coale, Dyrell Roberts and possibly Xavier Boyce will have to break through as inexperienced young wideouts; while Kenny Lewis, Darren Evans, Josh Oglesby and Jahre Cheeseman will have to tag team to handle the running duties.

-Playing to their strengths. The Hokies offensive line and defensive back seven are their strongest units and they should tailor their gameplan to these strengths. This means running the football as often as possible and forcing the Pirates into second and third in long, obvious passing downs. The question is how will Bud Foster get ECU into compromising down and distance situations.

-Play some Beamer Ball. There is one thing that has been synonymous with Virginia Tech during the bulk of Frank Beamer's tenure; Special Teams. While there are plenty of unknowns concerning where Tech's points will come from and who will fill out the defensive line rotation, special teams should remain a constant. Bodies flying to the football and making big things happen should get the Hokies at least some great field position if not put six up on the board.

Virginia vs #3 USC (3:30 pm Saturday)

The Wahoos offseason was quite tumultuous as they were pillaged by academics and left decimated by the NFL draft. Al Groh lost his starting quarterback and looks to trot out an inexperienced body regardless of who he chooses. Pete Lalich will be the likely starter shoved out on to the field against the men of Troy.

Pete Carroll has had his own problems this training camp as Joe McKnight, their star running back suffered an elbow injury and had the fingernails ripped from his right hand during a preseason scrimmage. Projected starting quarterback Mark Sanchez dislocated his knee cap during pre-practice drills a little over a week ago. It appears that both players will be in the starting line up come Saturday and that doesn't help the Cavaliers chances to pull the upset.

On the positive side the Cavs feature Clint Sintim, Jon Cooper and Antonio Appleby returning to fill out the linebacker spot. The best core in the ACC will have its hands full chasing USC's dynamic threesome of running backs. Running the rock Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson return for Groh and the Hoos look to get in behind tackles Eugene Monroe and Will Barker.

Keys to a Virginia Win

-Control the ball. The Wahoos definitely need to hold on to the football for upwards of 35-40 minutes during this battle. Their best defense will be their offensive combination of Peerman and Simpson running the ball and eating up the clock and yardage. Finding a way to block Brandon Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Taylor Mays will be difficult but if the Hoos can stop USC's offense by staying on the field they've got a big victory.

-Play sound special teams. Its quite clear that the Wahoos don't match up physically with the Trojans. They will probably lose the battle to control the line of scrimmage and take a pounding from the USC front seven. Special teams is where the Hoos can make up some of their slack. Sound punting and kicking efforts, eliminating block opportunities and making field goals will help Virginia make headway. Expect UVA to gamble on the their teams, stealing a blocked kick or punt for a touchdown may give the Cavaliers the momentum boost they need late in the game.

North Carolina vs McNeese St (6:00 pm Saturday)

TJ Yates is back from surgery to repair a tear in the labram of his throwing shoulder and the Heels return a plethora of offensive and defensive starters. Their opponent is FCS' McNeese State, a team that finished undefeated in the regular season and that features speed burners Quentin Lawrence and Steven Whitehead.

The Tar Heel secondary features uncertainty at one corner position due to the injury to Charles Brown. With Richie Rich, Tavorris Jolly, Jordan Hemby and Johnny White battling for the starting spot the Heels will have to give a strong showing to subdue the pass happy McNeese State attack. Sophomore safety Deunta Williams is not worried, he's exhibited the confidence that has begun to flow through the Tar Heels veins thanks to Butch Davis.


The emergence of Greg Little as the feature running back in the last two games of 2007 should set the Heels on track to establishing the power rushing game they've lacked for several seasons. UNC's experienced offensive line should lean heavily on MSU's smaller defensive line in order to pound the run and set up the play action pass to Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster.

Keys to a North Carolina Win

-Running the football early and often. Greg Little, Anthony Elzy and Shaun Draughn will have to get started quickly in order to bang on the 'Pokes small defense and force their hand. Garrett Reynolds and Calvin Darity should assert themselves quickly.

-Make sure tackles. The Cowboys are going to complete passes against the man to man and zone defenses of the Tar Heels. For the Heels to avoid giving up that momentum shifting play Burney, Deunta Williams, Trimane Goddard and the rest of the perimeter defenders are going to have to make confident tackles in space. Letting a five yard hitch go for a sixty yard gain would spell disaster in Chapel Hill.

-Get their hands up. UNC's defensive line is probably its second strongest unit, behind their gifted receiving core. This line is great rushing the passer; however, expect Fourroux to get the ball out quickly and not give Austin, Wilson, Massenberg and company the chance to get deep in the backfield and bang on him. The d-line getting their hands up should produce batted and tipped balls out of the shorter Fourroux and create turn over opportunities for the Heels defense.


Duke vs James Madison (7:00 pm Saturday)

The Blue Devils got rid of nice guy coach Ted Roof and looked to revamp their football image by hiring David Cutcliffe away from his offensive coordinator spot at Tennessee. Cutcliffe's stint at Ole Miss was relatively successful and Duke is hoping he can replicate that marginal success in Durham.

Things are looking up though as Duke returns a solid nucleus of players including quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, wide receiver Eron Riley as well as defensive linemen Vince Oghobaase and Ayanga Okpokowuruk. Cutcliffe has got some quality players to work with and a stretch of winable games to open up his debut season with the Devils.

James Madison enters the season ranked #4 in the FCS subdivision and seething from a fluke loss to the Appalachian State Mountaineers in the FCS playoffs. The Dukes return plenty of talent to their squad and they look to go 1-1 in Triangle openers after losing to UNC last season.

Keys to a Duke Win

-Exploit the athleticism advantage. Though this advantage is slight the Devils do have better top end speed at the skill positions and along the defensive line. They should get some good play from those areas and overwhelm the Dukes in the second half.

-Run the no huddle. Cutcliffe has been working feverishly to install his no huddle offense as the Blue Devils' system in order to create mismatches and speed the tempo of the game. With experienced and talented quarterback Thaddeus Lewis the coach should be able to move the ball up and down the field without giving the Duke's a shot at adjusting to his fast paced style.

Check out the ACC Game of the Week Clemson and Alabama preview coming soon...