Football, From Mass to Miami

2010-01-06T16:02:00.001-05:00

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2009-12-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

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Wheel of Death

2009-11-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

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2009-11-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

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The Eliminator

2009-11-18T15:34:00.001-05:00

Schleprock

2009-11-16T15:44:00.001-05:00

Wheel of Death

2009-11-10T14:58:00.002-05:00

UNC's Terminator Bright Spot

2009-10-07T20:29:00.006-04:00

The Tar Heel defense has been a bright spot, only giving up 14.6 points per game, good for first in the conference. The Heels are also only giving up 251.2 yards per game even though they've surrendered 300+ rushing yards to the Ramblin' Wreck. Quite an impressive feat, unless the it just means the entire ACC is filled with a bunch of slaps who play defense like the Big XII.

With that said, during the show prep I was looking over the ACC's defensive statistics and did notice that for all the woes on offense the Heels have popped up quite prevelantly on the defensive sheets:

#1 in Pass Defense and Pass Defense Efficiency
#2 in Sacks (a big change from just a season ago)
#3 in Rush Defense

Sure its early but after getting our brains beat in by Al Groh, his 3-4 defense and his Michael Myers-esque relentless will to stay employed this is our lone bright spot.

On the individual note the Heels have the current front runner for the ACC Defensive Player of the year and as it stands it isn't Deunta Williams, Bruce Carter, Marvin Austin or Quan Sturdivant. No folks its sophomore Robert Quinn.

Quinn is a beast, he's a certified cyborg according to Doc Walker and thus will probably be using lasers to destroy quarterbacks for just one more season in Chapel Hill. The sophomore is first in the conference in tackles for loss with 9.5 and second in sacks with 6 for the season. To put that in perspective the Heels entire defensive line only amassed 11 sacks for the entire 2008 season.

With Georgia Southern on tap get ready, word is that Quinn normally drinks Eagle blood mixed with concrete to get ready for games.

Whoopsie Daisies

2009-10-07T17:30:00.006-04:00

Dez Bryant the electric return man for the Okie State Cowboys has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA. He apparently had a relationship with a former NFL player that he failed to tell the NCAA about. How does this relate to Mass from Miami?

Gunter Brewer the Cowboys' esteemed wide receiver coach and one of the two heads that makes their spread attack work was my recruiting coach from UNC so eat that one. Another one of Brew's position guys gets hit hard, Adarious Bowman was another one who had a little trouble. We'll see how this works out with Mike "I'm 40" Gundy working to make everything ok.

In less than related news and more ACC pertinent T.K. Wetherell the "King of Smoothing"

released a statement about how they would handle the Bowden situation this season.

The ACC does some Bowl Game Re-Orderization

North Carolina at least is flirting with the Renner idea. My only word of advice as a former Tar Heel is if we want to sniff a bowl game or have a shot at that elusive Coastal we had better stick with Yates. Putting a wet behind the ears, 195 lb true freshman in the game behind an offensive line held together with bubble gum, pipe cleaners and scotch tape is a recipe for him to get the Taylor Potts treatment early.

Please just be propaganda and fodder for the morons on message boards who get wet with every word.

Look for the weekly picks and the podcast coming out soon suckas.

Even ESPN Stops for Bobby Bowden

2009-10-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

Hey folks we're all semi-riveted by the Seminoles information; the way we get our jollies off watching paint dry. Shaun King reported last night that Bowden wouldn't be asked to step down but there's been so much swirling around this assbackward situation that no one knows what's what. Heather Dinnich over at ESPN.com puts it best:

" the news - or lack therof - has been my priority this morning"

So basically stay tuned upon leaving this waste called work I'll have plenty news to hit you with including today's podcast, game previews and the stuntastic ACC Diary.

"You think you know but you have no idea..."

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post?id=4711

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Da U, Makin' The ACC Look Good

2009-10-06T20:47:00.001-04:00

While the bulk of the ACC has looked just like R. Kelly doo doo butter this season Randy Shannon has surprised the nation with his teams early success. True the Hokies and Beamer are ranked higher, holding it down at #5 with a clear shot at the national title. True the Hokies own the tie-breaker for the Coastal thanks to their dismantling of the Canes.

That may be true but after going through murderer's row and coming out 3-1 the folks in Coral Gables are squarely behind Shannon and nationally the name brand is having a national resurgence. This is what the league has been waiting on since 2004 when they added VT and Miami; two national powers in the title hunt.

With Jacory Harris getting aerodynamic on suckers, LaRon Byrd smokin' fools and the entire Canes young defense growing into an elite unit this Miami squad can go far. The real questions need to revolve around who is on the latest 7th flo' crew, where is Uncle Luke and at what point do bounties start becoming traditional locker room fodder again?

My guess is that its only a matter of time before Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp resurrect the old ways of the Canes.

Photo:http://www.gatorsaferoom.com/Portals/0/Blog%20Photos/da%20u.jpg
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Drop Your Panties; Daddy's Buying A New House!

2009-10-02T09:49:00.000-04:00

That's right folks. Just got the email not two minutes ago from Rams Club and I think I just peed myself. The "New Kenan" has just been green lit which means we'll be breaking ground as the Heels practice for their bowl game.

Its going to bowl in the stadium with more luxury boxes, more seating and an athlete center that will get the Heels ready for big boy football.

Get scared ACC. We're gonna make it fit.

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Jacory Harris: My Hero

2009-10-02T07:59:00.001-04:00

Folks this is without a doubt the most awesomest, badass, ballerific and stuntastic hair cut of all time.

Not only is Jacory Harris aerodynamic, he can now rep Da UUUuuUuUuUuuUUU whenever he peaces out on defenders.

The kid has to have a big game tomorrow night and with the power of Da UuUUuuUuUuuUUU in the back of his head the survey says he will.

Weekly Previews and Game of the Week coming out soon.

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Jekyll and Hyde

2009-09-29T11:27:00.001-04:00

Seriously ACC, you slay me. What with your wild ways and your Hurky Jerky decisions to be awful, terrible, crappy and oh so fantastic all at the same time.

Case and point; the Canes. A team that looked so offensively fantastic Jacory Harris was getting Heisman slobbed and Mark Whipple was crowned in the Dennis Green since of the word. They got abused by the Hokie Hi-ness this Saturday, a smack down so thoroughly layethed down that Miami dropped eleven sports from #9.

Or take their competition the Hokies who have Beamer Balled their way to #11 after a dismantling by Nick Saban's "Spartan-esque" Tide. Tyrod Taylor looked about as potent as a one balled man with a visectomy. Then this week the Hokies and Predator freshman Ryan Williams exploded to drop 31 on the Canes. They're back in the top 10 at #6 and appear to be fully back in the national title hunt. Alabama-VT rematch anyone?

Perhaps the best exhibit C is the North Carolina Tar Heel team. A unit that gave up 52 yards per game through its first three contests before bending over and taking it for 320+ yards. Bruce Carter is still on the milk carton while Gomer Pile aka Mark Whipple still stumbles through the playbook for 3 quarters before realizing the "hurry up" and quick passing game make Yates infinitely more effective.

This just in: when the offensive line is inexperienced and under manned they cannot block 5 and 7 step play action drops.

As my last exhibit of ACC futility matched only by sudden fertility we look at Florida State. A team so two faced they make Harvey Dent jealous. Yes that's a Batman reference and no not from the "Dark Knight" its from the animated series fool.

The Noles looked like they were well on their way to becoming the "Crimi-Noles" of old after shooting fireworks in the Miami loss and exploding for 54 against top 10 BYU. Then against USF, they got mollywopped yet again. No need to pile on as Bobby Bowden made the worst gaffe I've heard from a coach this season:

"They really were a whole lot better than we thought they were."

Seriously?

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Cheers and Boom Boom Pow To The Nation...Suckers

2009-09-21T19:38:00.001-04:00

We'll pause for a moment of silence for Maryland, Duke and Virginia. Not because they're programs are dying (they are) but because for the next week we will not be discussing them as they are clearly raining all over the ACC's parade toward respectability. They're like the fat, haggard friend in a night club. Sure they make VT, Da U and Clemson look better but in the end they're the ones who stop you from getting to the VIP.

Translation, MD, Duke and UVA, please go home early because the rest of the league is trying to hit the VIP harder than Chris Brown popped Rihanna. On a related note UVA @ Maryland homecoming in College Park on October 17th should be the pillow fight of the year, and not the sorority house slumber party type.

Now on to the teams that are carrying the torch, NC State you only get a slight head nod because you beat the Bulldogs, of Gardner-Webb. UNC a slightly noddier head nod for beating ECU, a team that hates us but doesn't realize we don't care.

Finally we get to the awesomeness that is the rest of the league. GT your time for torch carrying is over but thanks for the top 15 ranking, we'll be blowing out your candle and thank you for making Miami's shine brighter as the Canes jump to #9 in the nation.

Da UuUUuUUUUUUUuU is on the verge of being back and thanks to Jacory Harris their offense looks to be among the nations elite. There are girls in thongs on South Beach who are auditioning to be part of this new Canes era. The 7th floor won't be enough to contain how nasty these Canes are right now and heading into this weeks game against VT I'm hoping Coral Gables is prepared with enough Grey Goose, Alaze and Magnums to contain the celebration.

Speaking of the Hokies, they escape against Nebraska and that is just enough for Beamer. Tyrod Taylor proves that while completely inept for the entire game his scrambling ability are still adequate enough to make Nebraska decide that rushing the quarterback is an optional task, leaving Taylor all day to find a wide open man. Hokie Hi will definitely need to find some offense against the UUuuUuuUuuuUuuUU but hey having two league teams in the top 15 ain't bad sucka duck.

Right outside the top 15 nestled in at #18 is the FSU "almost back to" Crimi-Noles. They beat the hell out of the fighting Mormons and Bronco Mendenhall. For the Noles first five possessions it looked like the Cougs were still on their two year missions as FSU scored at will. Just a week removed from narrowly beating the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State the Noles pounded #9 BYU into absolute submission.

Sidenote, games on VS blow. The announcers have such a MWC slant I wanted to alternate between puking and punchisizing their larynxes. I hate VS.

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You Can't Spell Swagger Without "Da U"

2009-09-18T05:23:00.001-04:00

Folks if you did yourself the disservice of missing last night's 33-17 Georgia Tech throttling by the UUUUUUUUUUU (said Solja Boy style) then you missed an old school Canes beat down. A drubbing so thoroughly old school in its essence that I wasn't even surprised by the late game roughing the passer and ensuing celebration as Nesbitt collected his dignity like a freshman on their knees picking up their scattered locker contents.

Jacory Harris, I'm told, is the most dangerous man in the ACC. Sorry Russell Wilson but Harris is like you but with actual talent. He's a 6'6", 70 lbs version of Daunte Culpepper (the UCF baller version, not the 300 lbs, double chinned Lion version). The kid throws the ball effortlessly, scrambles with his head downfield and isn't afraid to get every receiver involved in the game; even basketball blinger (black-ginger) Jimmy Graham.

Defensively they bottled up the option with supreme athleticism and great discipline. I was more impressed with the latter as there's never been a doubt about their freakish flying abilities. Up ending Roddy Jones was spectacular as the UUUUUUUUUUUU (Crank Dat) showed they still had some swag.

Fans at Landshark Stadium even jumped up out the bed and turned their swag on as the place was packed for the first time since the Dolphins '72 undefeated season. Somehow people were able to stave off the urge to patronize their local Conga, Samba, Rhumba, Salsa or Ecstasy club long enough for the Canes to go all "Mike Lowery" on the Jackets.

As for the Wreck, that's exactly what they are at this point, wrecked. Like an old beater that goes from 0 to 90 in a half second but then refuses to even turnover when you've got your girl in the car. The Jackets showed explosiveness against Clemson but then sputtered to that awkward halt in the front yard in the second half and have remained there, on blocks in the front yard.

Back to the drawing board Paul Johnson and the scary thing is there isn't much adjusting he can do. Once this is your system you're stuck, there is no "well we'll try more open sets" or "we'll go with a few more passes to the tight ends and backs". This is it you just go back to practice and run the same plays you ran last night that didn't work.

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The ACC Week 3: GOTW

2009-09-17T15:52:00.001-04:00

Just one week removed from playing in a rivalry game against the Clemson Tigers the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are back on the Thursday Night circuit playing another crucial ACC contest. This time it is an inter-divisional game against the up and coming Miami Hurricanes, a game that last season saw the Jackets thoroughly throttle the inexperienced Canes 41-23 while piling up 472 yards of rushing offense.

Coming off a largely unimpressive effort offensively the Ramblin’ Wreck looks to hit the ground running against Randy Shannon’s team. However the Canes have had an extra week to prepare for this game and, after shocking the nation with their firepower on Labor Day, the U looks for their first 2-0 start since 2004.

Paul Johnson’s team looks to get their offense back on track after being stymied by the Clemson defensive front seven. Although the Jackets built an impressive lead last Thursday the Wreck only scored sixteen offensive points; no touchdown through sustained drives and relied on their first quarter trickeration to defeat the Tigers. This week Johnson’s troops need to get their offense back to the rushing machine they’ve been in the past.

Most Intriguing Storylines: Coastal Positioning and ACC’s National Image

Coastal Positioning

Entering the 2009 campaign Georgia Tech was expected to challenge Virginia Tech for the Coastal Division title out of the gate while Miami was lumped in with North Carolina as a possible dark horse candidate. The Canes jumped out of the shoot with an impressive victory over Florida State while GT has looked less than impressive in their two victories.

Both teams are 1-0 in the ACC with wins over the Atlantic Division’s two favorites but this game holds tremendous weight in their race to unseat the Hokies. For both Miami and Tech this game is the middle game of an early season three game ACC stretch; the Wreck already beat Clemson, now face Miami before hosting the Tar Heels while Miami has defeated FSU, hosts GT before making the road trip to Blacksburg.

This game is crucial because both VT and UNC are formidable opponents. Neither third win is guaranteed and the team that loses in Landshark Stadium will be in a position to start the ACC season 1-2 and already behind the eight ball in reference to the conference title game.

ACC’s National Image

The Atlantic Coast Conference has had two remarkably stellar games in their national television showcases. Both the Miami-FSU and Clemson-Georgia Tech were instant classic caliber games that featured offensive firepower, defensive stands, explosive plays and tremendous coaching decisions. This game must continue to carry that torch for the league because while the aforementioned contests were great to watch the rest of the league’s games have failed to reach the same pinnacle.

Two losses to FCS schools, another overtime and regulation nail-biter against an FCS team plus several ugly offensive efforts against BCS opponents have tainted the ACC’s overall image. Another strong outing on the national stage would be a huge step towards rectifying damage done by, most notably, UNC, NC State, FSU, Maryland, Duke and Virginia. It’s a heavy cross to bear but Randy Shannon and Paul Johnson are both tasked with carrying the conference flag tonight.

Match Ups to Watch:

Miami’s Athletic Front 7 vs Georgia Tech’s Flexbone Attack

Last week when the Clemson front seven was tasked with defending the ACC’s premier rushing attack by staying at home and making sure tackles. Although Kavell Conner gave up a big play by missing on his rules early in the game the Tigers settled down, circled the wagons and shut down one of the nation’s best running backs Jonathan Dwyer. GT needs to force the Jackets to overrun plays, miss tackles and wear town in order to be successful moving the football up and down the field.

For the Canes this is the most important issue as they surrendered nearly 500 yards against the Jackets potent attack. This season the Canes return Colin McCarthy, their talented anchor in the linebacking core, as well as five other starters from just a season ago. New coordinator John Lovett is a year removed from watching the Tar Heels play a disciplined “bend but don’t break” strategy that forced the Jackets into turnovers and even though the Wreck piled up 326 rushing yards they only managed 7 points.

UM’s Offensive Tackles vs Derrick Morgan

Matt Pipho and Orlando Franklin will be Jacory Harris’ best friends heading into this game as they are his body guards against GT’s warrior of a defensive end Derrick Morgan. Last week Morgan abused both of Clemson’s tackles en route to harassing Kyle Parker and disrupting the rushing and passing attack. With Harris and the U’s best offensive player Morgan looks to get on track early against Pipho and Franklin through his wide array of pass rush moves.

For the two tackles keeping Harris upright is the most important task of the night as Harris is most effective through play action, deep drops and roll outs that enable him to through the ball downfield. The drawback to all three of these methods is that they also give the defensive line, Morgan in this case, more time to get to the quarterback. The tackles will need help from tight ends, backs and guards as containing Morgan is a task best accomplished by committee, not one on one.

Key to the Game: Miami’s Offensive Attack

The best defense for the Miami Hurricanes will be their offense for two reasons:

1) The Canes can rest their defense from the cutting and attacking of the Georgia Tech scheme that relies on wearing down the defense to force mistakes. Ergo a fresher defense and fewer mistakes means a better chance to defend the Tech option attack.

2) Scoring on the Jackets forces them to lose their “run first, run often” mentality. They cannot play from behind in the option and forcing them to throw creates turnover opportunities galore as Nesbitt is the ACC’s worst throwing quarterback.

My Pick: Miami 38 Georgia Tech 35

The ACC Week 3: Betta Have My Money!

2009-09-17T05:03:00.001-04:00

As the season opened the original theme of the ACC's twelve member institutions was to build on the momentum created with the ten bowl teams just a season ago. However anemic showings as have shifted that theme from building upon existing momentum to generating any semblance of good will toward the conference nationally. More contests such as the Miami-FSU, Clemson-Georgia Tech and Wake Forest-Stanford efforts are needed to slowly erase the FSU-Jacksonville State, Maryland-James Madison debacles of the week two schedule.

FCS games are slowly weaning their way out of the schedule slate as there are only two this week and both NC State and Wake Forest are fully prepared to play their respective in-state competition. During this week's ACC conference call both O'Brien and Grobe acknowledged that they could do their part for the ACC by not allowing dispersions to be cast through their respective squads struggling against an FCS opponent.

Gardner-Webb @ NC State 6:00 PM
Elon @ Wake Forest 6:30 PM

Middle Tennessee @ Maryland 3:30 PM

On paper this game doesn't draw most casual fans' attention, a middle of the pack Sun Belt team against an ACC team that appeared in last years Humanitarian Bowl. Upon further review two things become apparent; first is last season's 24-14 MTSU beating of the Terps in which they dominated the ACC school and second the terrible showing that the Terrapins have had so far in this young season.

Friedgen's troops enter this game on the heels of a throttling by California and more immediately and overtime nail-biter against the Colonial League's James Madison Dukes. The once innovative offensive coordinator now leads a team that is stagnant on offense, incapable on special teams and totally inept defensively. If the Terps do not get their act together James Franklin, the coach in waiting, may be hearing his number called before the season is out.

East Carolina @ North Carolina (ESPN2, Noon)- Pam Ward, Ray Bentley

The Tar Heels are 2-0 entering this contest against their quasi in-state rival but they were less than impressive against UConn on national television last weekend. The Heels defense, especially the front seven, played as advertised as they suffocated the Husky rushing attack and harassed the quarterback all afternoon allowing only 196 total yards. Problems emerge for the Tar Heels on offense as they only mustered one touchdown all game and were limited to 35 rushing yards on 38 carries.

Expect the Pirates to come into this game amped up after falling hard to West Virginia a week ago as dynamic quarterback Patrick Pinkney has looked less than stellar in his first two outings this season. The Purple and Gold always have a chip on their shoulder when playing the Tar Heels as the rivalry is largely one sided. With center Lowell Dyer and tight end Zack Pianalto sidelined for the Heels manufacturing yards will be the toughest task. Look to see heavy doses of Ryan Houston as well as new comer, receiver Eric Highsmith, who proved to be the Heels most reliable receiving threat on the perimeter.

Duke @ Kansas (Versus, Noon)- Ron Thulin, Kelly Stouffer, Lewis Johnson

The Blue Devils make their trip to Lawrence looking to build momentum after a win against Army last week. What sounds like a great basketball match up also pits two of college football's better offensive minds against one another as Mike Mangino squares off with quarterback guru David Cutcliffe.

Duke has their work cut out for them, especially after needing to rely on redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Renfree to bail out incumbent Thaddeus Lewis in order to beat the Black Knights last Saturday. Cutcliffe says both with play but the Devils need Lewis, their unquestionable leader entering 2009, to have a good showing if they expect to compete with an experienced and explosive Jayhawks team.

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

The Eagles have been a thorn in the Tigers side since they entered the ACC in 2005, beating Clemson three out of the four contests. Last season, under then interim coach Dabo Swinney the Tigers were able to reverse that losing trend. Now entering not only BC's first league game but also their first BCS contest the two first year head coaches will jockey for position in the ACC Atlantic. BC enters the game averaging 44 points as they've feasted on lesser competition while Clemson limps in after a tough loss to cross division rival Georgia Tech.

Clemson's fast, athletic defensive line will be unleashed against BC's inexperienced two headed monster at quarterback as both Justin Tuggle and David Shinskie will likely see their share of Ricky Sapp and Da'Quan Bowers. If Clemson's linebackers can bottle up Montel Harris and Josh Haden it could be a long day for the two ACC newcomers. On the Clemson side Kyle Parker will have to show some of that late game moxie he exhibited against Tech if he expects to prevail against a solid BC defense anchored by Spaziani's toughman attitude and disciplined approach.

Nebraska @ Virginia Tech (ABC, 3:30pm)- Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Holly Rowe

A great candidate for the ACC's game of the week as two top twenty teams squaring off in Blacksburg should be a dandy of an event. This game features an old school power slowly rising back to prominence and a newly minted beast of program that rose from obscurity. While both teams look to run the football, play great special teams and challenge the edge by getting big plays the story of this game will be the play of the defenses.

Bo and Carl Pelini lead the new Blackshirt defense into Blacksburg a place that has become synonymous with defensive excellence in the last decade. Both will be led by their defensive fronts as Jason Worilds and company will look to harass quarterback Zac Lee and stymie explosive runner Roy Helu Jr on the path to victory. Ndamukong Suh will lead the Blackshirts in their effort to contain Tyrod Taylor as well as stop freshman phenom Ryan Williams.

Virginia @ Southern Mississippi (CBS College Sports, 3:30pm)- Jason Knapp, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila

Before the season started this contest was exciting for the prospect of seeing both Vic Hall and Ras-I Dowling squaring off against one of the nation's best kept secrets, receiver DeAndre Brown. As the chips have fallen into place this game is more about Southern Miss maintaining their possible BCS buster status than the match up of the corners on the freakishly talented receiver.

Virginia's truly flailing around at the bottom of the ACC's proverbial barrel and while it would be great to get a win in Hattiesburg the fact is that seeing any of the three quarterbacks listed as co-starters be consistent would be a small moral victory. Southern Miss is not only the favorite pick they're a 15.5 point favorite according to Vegas, quite an embarrassing position to be in for the Wahoos as a BCS representative.

Florida State @ Brigham Young (Versus, 7pm)- Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, Lindy Thackson

BYU is the newest media darling as they beat a Bradford-less Oklahoma Sooners squad in Arlington to open the season with a bang. Quickly catapulting into the top ten the Cougars did not disappoint against Tulane and now enter their second major contest with the stakes very widely recognized. If the Cougs win this game they'll be set up to play their way straight into a definite BCS bowl spot and possibly a BCS title shot. Lose and BYU will disappear from the national conscience.

Florida State struggled with Jacksonville State in a sloppy game that required a fourth quarter comeback against the FCS opponent. After they're great looking loss to Miami their effort against the Gamecocks came as a quite a surprise. Making the trip out to Provo with a young team seems to have energized Bobby Bowden and if their defense can take advantage of injuries on the BYU front the Noles may be able to shock the college football world.

The ACC Week Three Predictions

Wake Forest 35 Elon 17
NC State 42 Gardner-Webb 10
Maryland 24 Middle Tennessee 21
North Carolina 17 ECU 10
Kansas 35 Duke 17
Clemson 31 Boston College 24
Virginia Tech 31 Nebraska 27
Southern Miss 28 Virginia 17
BYU 38 Florida State 31
Miami 38 Georgia Tech 35

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Only A Bit of a Shiner this Week...sooooo...

2009-09-14T14:30:00.001-04:00

On the heels of the awesome Clemson-Georgia Tech game came a weekend where the only word that can describe the league is "blah". The absolute garbage trotted out on the fields across the eastern seaboard stank considerably less than last weeks dumpster juice effort but by and large this week was like graduating to rotting cabbage.

It was a veritable smorgousborg of mediocrity and sub-mediocre games. The Tar Heels jump started the weekend by looking absolutely manorexic against the Huskies of UConn; a team picked 6th in the Big LEast. Carolina's offense was remarkably awful, including tight end Zack Pianalto dislocating his ankle celebrating the Heels' loan jaunt into the end zone.

The crap-tastic day really turned it up as the afternoon games kicked off with Virginia. They seriously blow; not improving, not showing flashes just are the ultimate in suckitude. I've got tickets to the Carolina-UVA alumni weekend game and right now I'm planning on skipping it in favor of listening to old Lionel Richie .45's and letting 8 year olds take turns punchisizing my testes all day. TCU abused Virginia. It was a serious Rihanna-Chris Brown situation.

Maryland goes next and FYI crab cakes and football is not what Maryland does. Unless by football they mean go to overtime, win by a field goal and look pathetic against a Colonial League team. Friedgen was better fat, the bacon grease lubed up his play calling abilities.

The piece de resistance was the Florida State effort against the Gamecocks. Not South Carolina mind you, rather Jacksonville State. The school most famous for women's softball and LSU cast off Ryan Perriloux. The FCS team is, by all accounts, mediocre at there own level. Somehow they mustered the strength to take a preseason top 20 Seminoles team to the brink. The Noles lived on the margins and in the end a late score sealed the victory then the Noles piled on another score to look almost respectable.

Amazing that this was the same team that played an instant classic a week ago today.

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ACC Game Of The Week

2009-09-10T14:37:00.000-04:00

The ACC had a less than stellar weekend in week one but the lone saving grace was the play in the Miami at Florida State team that saw both teams look strong. In keeping in the inter-conference thread this week’s Game of the Week is another primetime showdown. Clemson heads down to Atlanta to take on the Ramblin’ Wreck in Bobby Dodd Stadium for the rivals’ first ACC league game.

Last season this game was Dabo Swinney’s debut as the Tigers’ interim head coach and savvy veteran Paul Johnson beat him in a wire to wire struggle. The ACC needs to get another solid performance on television and while Clemson needs to win for their Atlantic title hopes the league would be better served with #15 Georgia Tech continuing to climb the polls.

Most Intriguing Storyline: Problems

Just one major storyline for both teams heading into this week’s game and that’s problems.

While the Tigers’ final score of 37 points seems impressive on the surface the fact that the team was only able to muster two offensive touchdowns against Middle Tennessee State raises a red flag entering today’s game. The bulk of their point production (23) came from special teams; either in the return facet where CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford both had touchdown returns or from Richard Jackson’s field goals. Although the Tigers’ rushing attack picked up 202 yards on the ground, their best player, Spiller, only contributed 12 yards.

Against Georgia Tech Spiller will have to prove that his hamstring and body are capable of holding up to the “every down back” that he claims he is capable of being in the ACC.

For the Wreck their production problems revolve less around statistics and more around sustaining production. The Yellow Jackets have shown they can run the ball consistently but they laid the ball on the rug five times, losing three fumbles to the Gamecocks. In running Paul Johnson’s flexbone offense the Jackets have to be more conscious of ball security. Clemson is better prepared to take advantage of the Wreck’s mistakes and five fumbles against the Tigers would be lethal.

Match-Ups To Watch:

Morgan Burnett vs Kyle Parker

Morgan Burnett is the Jackets best defensive player and is among the nation’s elite safeties, ranking right behind the likes of Eric Berry and Taylor Mays. Burnett shared the national lead in interceptions with seven just a season ago and is a ball hawking and hard hitting safety. Kyle Parker is a redshirt freshman quarterback who is about to start only the second game of his young career.

Parker’s inexperience is further complicated by Clemson’s absence of a truly capable receiving core. Jacoby Ford, while decent as Aaron Kelly’s sidekick a year ago, hasn’t shown the ability to take the lead or be a go to receiver. Brandon Clear replaces Xavier Dye in the Tigers’ starting lineup as Dabo hopefully gets a boost in his receiving core. Kyle Parker’s going to have to overcome the best safety tandem he’ll face all year if the Tigers are going to be successful in the passing game.

Clemson’s Front 7 vs GT’s Option Attack

The Yellow Jackets’ offensive attack is one of the most unusual on the current college football landscape. Their offensive line is a group of mostly undersized, athletic, quick guys that work well as a unit. Johnson’ scheme utilizes aggressive cut blocks and pulling multiple players to create chaos with his five down linemen. The cut blocking and pulling create great angles directional blocking as well as open up the tremendous holes that Josh Nesbitt, Roddy Jones, Anthony Allen and Jonathan Dwyer take full advantage of each game.

For the Tigers, new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has worked to mold the team into an aggressive, attacking unit. Now the savvy veteran Steele must un-teach the Tigers. Although Ricky Sapp, Kevin Alexander, Da’Quan Bowers and company are as athletic of a unit as there is in the nation their athleticism is a detriment against the Yellow Jackets. To be successful against the Jackets Steele must have his boys playing pure assignment football, not fast flow to the football.

Key To The Game: Discipline

Georgia Tech’s advantage lies in their ability to precisely execute their dynamic gameplan on a play by play basis. The team is very well trained, very well disciplined in their approach and will rigidly to adhere to Johnson’s system, a system they believe in whole heartedly. The drawback to the Jacket’s system will be in their constant exposure of the football, as was shown in their debut game against Jacksonville State as well as their losses a season ago to North Carolina and LSU.

Clemson must be disciplined in their approach as well. To defeat the Wreck the first order of business on every play must be to tackle the fullback. If the middle linebacker and defensive tackles do not accomplish this first task the Jackets will run roughshod over the Tigers. After tackling the fullback assignments must be followed; if Sapp or Bowers is responsible for the pitch back they must attack only the pitch back. A move towards Nesbitt and they leave Dwyer, Jones or Allen free in space with only a defensive back to beat before its off to the races.

This game is going to be a tight one with the Tigers a more athletic team under their first full season with Dabo Swinney at the helm and Tech a disciplined machine that, if they get rolling, can turn into a juggernaut. The short week will have less of an impact early as the Tigers have devoted practice time to this contest during both the spring and training camp but adjusting the Jackets game speed will still take time.

In this contest the discipline of the two squads will be called into question and Johnson’s unit is a proven commodity while Swinney is still searching for his team’s identity. The Jackets will run waves of running backs at the Tigers front seven and with Clemson and Kyle Parker’s inability to sustain drives the defense will eventually wear down at the hands of the three headed rushing attack.

My Pick: Georgia Tech 34 Clemson 27

The ACC Week 2 Preview...Righting the Ship

2009-09-10T05:22:00.003-04:00

A year ago the Clemson Tigers got their brains beat in by Alabama and the ACC's national profile took an embarrassing beating. However, the league then rebounded to produce ten bowl teams and finish the year with an interesting conference race.

Well as 2009's season enters week two the ACC is in familiar territory; tasked with rebuilding the conference's image following a weekend straight out of a Stephen King book. Virginia and Duke going down to FCS programs, Maryland getting crushed by Cal plus Wake and Virginia Tech looking bad against Baylor and Alabama respectively.

This week's slate of games is a mixed bag with three against FCS competition, four non-BCS FBS games, three BCS games including one conference game and the new league darling 'Canes get a bye.

James Madison @ Maryland (6 pm)
Jacksonville State @ Florida State (6 pm)
Murray State @ NC State (6 pm)

To say that the ACC can ill afford another weekend of FCS upsets is a gross understatement. With Virginia and Duke dropping games in week one to lesser opponents you can expect Bobby Bowden, Ralph Friedgen and Tom O'Brien have stressed to their teams the importance of taking every opponent seriously. Couple last weeks events with the fact that each of these teams enters week 2 at 0-1 and I am confident there will be no FCS hiccup in the ACC's near future.

Marshall @ Virginia Tech (1:30 pm)

Coming off the ten point loss to Alabama Virginia Tech enters this Saturday's contest needing a win before kicking off against Nebraska. Look for Tyrod Taylor to get plenty of extra work as the Hokie quarterback and his receiving core looked absolutely abysmal against a fast, athletic Alabama defense. On the ground the Hokies running back trio will have to establish themselves in order to produce the rushing attack Frank Beamer's squad will rely on during the ACC season.

Luckily for the Hokies they still bring their defense and special teams to the party and should have plenty for the rest of their schedule. The defense will need the offense to hold on to the ball for larger chunks of time as the Tide wore down the Virginia Tech defense late in the Chic-Fil-A Kickoff Classic. Facing an undersized, undermanned Thundering Herd will help Beamer get back into the top ten.

Kent State @ Boston College (2 pm)

The Eagles played four quarterbacks with Justin Tuggle and David Shinskie getting the bulk of the significant snaps in BC's opening weekend 54-0 drubbing of Northeastern. Running backs Montel Harris and Josh Haden had solid showings and the BC defense held the FCS Huskies to just 131 yards. Coach Spaziani gets a win in his debut and game two is another non-BCS opponent, this time from the FBS ranks.

Kent State struggled with Coastal Carolina last Thursday as they limped to 2-0 lead at halftime before Eugene Jarvis and Giorgio Morgan finally led the Golden Flashes to second half touchdown drives that put the game out of reach. With Jarvis in the backfield Spaziani's defense is in for a stiffer test against the run as the 5'5" running back is capable of going the distance from anywhere on the field.

Stanford @ Wake Forest (Raycom, Noon) Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

Stanford is coming off of a 39-13 Pac 10 victory over the Washington State Cougars while the Deacons are coming off of a 24-21 loss to Baylor. Stanford truly looked dominant with Andrew Luck throwing for 193 yards and senior Toby Gerhart ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Wake Forest played a worse game than the close score indicated as Jim Grobe's squad as only able to muster 269 yards and leading rusher Devon Brown only gaining 46 yards.

The Demon Deacons are going to have to come out much sharper against a disciplined Stanford team that is looking to get back in the bowl business for the first time since 2001. Grobe's unit needs this game to get one in the win column as the ACC schedule looks to be a major test for the Deacs. Jim Harbaugh's team will test experienced quarterback Riley Skinner but the key to this game will be whether or not the Deacons can control the ground game.

Duke @ Army (CBS College Sports, Noon) Dave Ryan, Jason Sehorn

Cutcliffe's second season in Durham got off to a horrendous start as the Devils did the entire league a disservice by dropping a game to FCS opponent Richmond. This week the Blue Devils will have a shot at a little bit of redemption by traveling up to West Point and beating an undersized Army squad and first year coach Rich Ellerson.

The Black Knights enter the contest off a win over Eastern Michigan in which they piled up 300 rushing yards to go with just 8 passing yards. Army only surrendered 40 yards on the ground to the Eagles, however Duke's rushing effort against Richmond was an embarrassing 19 yards or 1.2 per carry. Cutcliffe's team threw 55 passes in their losing effort and for the Devils to succeed in this game and moving forward they had better find more balance on offense.

North Carolina @ Connecticut (ESPNU, Noon) Clay Matvick, David Diaz-Infante

North Carolina beat the Citadel 40-6 in doing their part to avoid the disaster that befell Duke and Virginia. UConn beat Ohio by a touchdown while piling up 259 yards on the ground, seeming to find a replacement for NFL draftee Donald Brown in Jordan Todman. For UConn this is a season where Randy Edsall's squad faces limited expectations but last years 38-12 rout at the hands of the Tar Heels will still be fresh in their minds.

While UConn is a much stiffer test than the Citadel provided the Tar Heels this is a game that Butch Davis' squad should win. The Heels will need to get a better effort out of their young receiving core and look for tight end Zack Pianalto to become more active as the young wideouts learn the ropes.

Texas Christian @ Virginia (ESPNU, 3:30pm) Todd Harris, Charles Arbuckle

Quite possibly the most pathetic story of the weekend is the Wahoos' performance against FCS William and Mary. The Tribe outgained UVA, held on to the ball for 11 more minutes than Virginia and intercepted Jameel Sewell three times to post a twelve point win. If Al Groh's seat was just warm heading into this game then it is on fire right now.

The Wahoos couldn't run the football, their passing was mediocre at best and their defense gave up 309 yards to William and Mary. Entering this contest against TCU, a team that ranked 16th nationally, the Wahoos will get the Horned Frogs best shot as they have waited an extra week to kickoff their season.Things are not looking good for Groh and company as Gary Patterson looks to kick off his BCS busting campaign on a hot note.

Clemson @ Georgia Tech (ESPN, 7:30pm) Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

This week's ACC game of the week features a Clemson team getting their first real test in a game that, a year ago, saw new head man Dabo Swinney lose his interim debut. Paul Johnson's team looked more efficient in the flexbone last weekend but still layed the football on the rug five times, losing two of them. Under new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele the Tigers looked aggressive against MTSU, an aggressive nature that they will have to contain against the Yellow Jackets.

The biggest key to this game will be controlling the line of scrimmage. Georgia Tech's offense is predicated on keeping the opposition off balance and guessing. Clemson's new scheme focuses on forcing double teams and mismatches up front. Steele's defense, coming off a short week, must play true assignment football, tackle well and not over-pursue in order to squash the Jackets triple option attack.

On offense the most effective method of stopping the option is for Clemson to score early and often. Johnson's team isn't adequately equipped to play from behind and forcing Nesbitt to throw the football helps create interception and sack opportunities. The Tigers must get CJ Spiller running as the dynamic senior had a less than dynamic performance against the Blue Raiders.

These games are notoriously close and this one should be no different. Expect Tech to benefit from the short week and homefield advantage to rise to this national TV occassion in edging out the Tigers.

Maryland 28 James Madison 14
Florida State 45 Jacksonville State 10
NC State 24 Murray State 7
Boston College 41 Kent State 17
Wake Forest 31 Stanford 27
Duke 21 Army 17
North Carolina 28 Connecticut 14
Texas Christian 42 Virginia 14
Georgia Tech 34 Clemson 27

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And the Season Starts With A Bang...Sort Of

2009-09-04T05:03:00.001-04:00

If by bang you mean all the excitement and bubbliness that comes with opening a five year old bottle of Andres then yes, it was bang-tastic.

The Wolfpack prove that perhaps the preseason hype wasn't exactly warranted while Stephen Garcia and the "Shamecocks" prove that its a lot harder to orchestrate touchdown drives than it is to drink underage, keycars and fight the Man.

Russell Wilson, suffers from sophomore jinx-itis.

At least that's the unofficial diagnosis. Symptoms include overthrowing wide open targets, underthrowing sure touchdowns and basically being the man-sized equivalent of "is it in yet" for the entire game.

Toney Baker does his best TA McLendon impersonation; coughing up the ball like it had swine flu.

So score one for the SEC, albeit an ugly one. This win is the sort of lay where you don't tell your friends who she is, you just add her quietly to your tally sheet and hope to God that no one asks for her information. Best case scenario people will forget this game ever happened, worst case scenario both teams prove this was a bigger pillow fight than Auburn-Mississippi State circa 2008.

As a buddy said last night mid-game:

"This game shouldn't be on tv"

Photo:http://www.dragons-eye.com/peed-my-pants-13,-14,-15.jpg

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ACC Game Of The Week

2009-09-03T16:14:00.001-04:00

This week’s ACC game of the week takes place in Atlanta where the second annual Chic-Fil-A Kickoff Classic gets underway pitting the Hokies against the Alabama Crimson Tide. A year ago this game had a devastating effect on the ACC’s overall national perception and rightfully so as the Clemson Tigers were blitzed by Nick Saban’s Alabama squad. Not only do the Hokies need this game to start their ’09 season off on the right foot, the league needs Beamer’s team to show the nation that it’s much improved from last years beat down.

Most Intriguing Storylines: Redemption and Distraction

Distractions

For the Hokies the biggest distraction has been answering questions concerning star running back Darren Evans’ torn ACL. The teams best player in 2008 and Orange Bowl MVP Evans was expected to tote the rock heavily for the run reliant Hokies.

Most programs would be reeling from this loss; however, Frank Beamer is not most leaders. His reaction was, in short, I’ve got more players on the bench than I’ve got on the field. The stoic, no nonsense coach will rely on three talented young guns to pick up the slack; Ryan Williams being the most dynamic with David Wilson and Josh Oglesby helping out.

On the Bama side distractions are also abound. Terrence Cody and several other Alabama players were stricken with Swine Flu, Mark Ingram and Julio Jones recently emerged from amidst a fishing trip scandal and most recently defensive end Brandon Deaderick was the victim of a robbery/shooting in his apartment complex.

Nick Saban, the master of focus and blocking out distraction gets Ingram and Jones back into the line up, the swine flu appears to have left Tuscaloosa just Deaderick remains unresolved. With Saban’s new contract, the slap on the wrist from the NCAA plus the aforementioned issues there’s no doubt Saban has circled the wagons.

Redemption

Twice in the Georgia Dome the ACC was embarrassed lasts season; opening the season when Clemson got steamrolled by Alabama and closing the year out with LSU’s drubbing of Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech not only needs this game to kickoff their 2009 campaign but they need to show the nation that the ACC is better than the 72 – 13 margin of last season’s whippings.

The onus is on the Hokies in the spotlight to carry the torch for the ACC against a very nasty Alabama squad.

Match Ups To Watch

Stephan Virgil and Kam Chancellor vs Julio Jones

The two Hokies are the best players in the secondary for Bud Foster’s defense and they will face their toughest test of the season in containing world beater Julio Jones. Jones diced up LSU (128 yards), Georgia (94 yards) and Florida (124 yards) just a season ago and looks to build on his stellar freshman campaign. Virginia Tech’s defense is known for their stout play in the back end and Chancellor, one of the nation’s premier safeties, will get a chance to prove his worth against Jones, the nation’s top receiving talent.

Mount Cody vs Hokies Offensive Line

Terrence Cody, coming off the swine flu is still listed at a stout 354 lbs by Alabama. The Mount spent his junior year at Alabama proving double teams inadequate and dominating the line of scrimmage. The Hokies have an experienced offensive line featuring guard Sergio Render, one of the nation’s elite interior linemen.

At 319 lbs Render is still outweighed by the Alabama behemoth but the All-ACC guard is a dominating road grader in his own right. Look for Render, along with fellow mates RG Jaymes Brooks and C Beau Warren, to force the big man to battle cut blocks, double teams and trap blocks to keep him from getting that big body moving forward.

Key to the Game: Quarterback Play

Both teams will come out looking to run the football; Bama with Ingram and Virginia Tech with Williams, Wilson and Oglesby. Both teams will come out looking to stuff the box and shut down the other teams’ ground game. Both teams feature coaches that are cut from the hardnosed, no nonsense, no gimmick school of pure football. The parallels between the two teams are truly remarkable.

With an abundance of similarities the divergence is where the game will be won. The most obvious difference is the quarterback situation. VT features Tyrod Taylor, while the Tide trots out Greg McElroy. Experience versus Inexperience. Dual Threat versus Game Manager. 10-3 record in 2008 as a starter versus 11 total pass attempts in 2008.

The quarterbacks could not be more different and here lies the key to this Saturday evening match up. Taylor’s experience in big games and dual threat ability will come in handy against an Alabama defense that is chomping at the bit to atone for their last two outings that ended in embarrassing fashion. Saban’s got a heck of a defensive mind but due to Taylor’s scrambling capability and the talent to extend plays with his legs the Tide defense will be forced to play a passive defense that contains Taylor rather than attacks the junior.

On the other hand, McElroy is an inexperienced quarterback walking into his first major battle against Bud Foster’s highly vaunted defense. The Hokies, with an experienced secondary and defensive line, will throw confusing pre-snap looks, difficult zone blitzes and complicated pressure schemes to discombobulate the first year starter.

As the teams are so evenly matched this game boils down to McElroy’s ability to make plays with his arm against Foster’s defense.

My Pick: Virginia Tech

Thank The Lord!!!

2009-09-03T05:09:00.000-04:00

South Carolina @ North Carolina State (ESPN, 7pm) Sean McDonough, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

The return of Erin Andrews sees the tables turned in a rematch of last season's major college football opener. This year NC State has answers to their question marks while South Carolina's quarterback, receiving core and offensive line are veritable unknowns going into the game in Raleigh.

Russell Wilson is arguably the ACC's best quarterback and with the return of mega recruit Toney Baker to the lineup the Pack should have a lethal one, two punch in the backfield.

On defense look for the Pack to replace injured backer Nate Irving with sophomore Audie Cole, a physical specimen in his own right who should prove adequate in the Pack's stout front seven. Willie Young is the unquestioned leader and the Pack front should stop the run and put a ton of pressure on Stephen Garcia.

Garcia is a redshirt sophomore, however thanks to a little trouble 2009 was the talented quarterback's first spring practice on campus. The Gamecocks lost their top two receivers to graduation, they look to start an inexperienced tailback and have holes along the offensive line. On defense the front seven is stout but, as they showed a season ago, prone to late game collapses due to the offenses ineptitude and frequent three and outs.

NC State 27 South Carolina 17
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Pish Posh: The ACC Takes on The Widdle Guy

2009-09-02T07:24:00.001-04:00

Five ACC schools open with FCS programs while Clemson jumps out against the Sun Belt's mighty behemoth Middle Tennessee. Nothing to see here but if any of these teams loses "Hello Dolly" strike up the band and get ready to scoop gallons of egg off our face.

Seriously, don't be that guy.

Georgia Tech vs Jacksonville State (1pm)

Paul Johnson's team beat Jacksonville State 41-14 a season ago in their option offense infancy. This year with two springs, two training camps and 18 returning starters expect the Jackets to be more efficient and thus more lethal against the Gamecocks.

Georgia Tech 52 Jacksonville State 14

Boston College vs Northeastern (2pm)

New coach Frank Spaziani has plenty of question marks at quarterback, especially with projected starter David Shinskie suffering from cracked ribs entering this week. The defense is missing their top four talents from a season ago but the Eagles have plenty for their semi-crosstown rivals.

Boston College 28 Northeastern 7

Virginia vs William & Mary (6pm)

Al Groh's seat has never been hotter as he enters the 2009 season with three viable quarterback options and a revamped coaching staff. The Tribe is a disciplined group of FCS players who may keep it close against Virginia's inexperienced linebacking core but the Wahoos will avoid a possible deathblow.

Virginia 24 William & Mary 10

North Carolina vs The Citadel (6pm)

Entering year three of the Butch Davis era the Tar Heel faithful will be reminded of last season's opening game nightmare; a nail biter against McNeese State in Kenan. The Citadel is a similarly modeled team; quick passes to neutralize UNC's girth up front but the Heels more experienced linebackers and secondary core won't make the crowd sweat like they did a season ago.

North Carolina 42 The Citadel 17

Duke vs Richmond (7pm)

Cutcliffe's number one goal since arriving in Durham has been to increase the Blue Devils team speed. This first game won't offer quite the same test as their ACC slate but the Spiders are coming off an FCS title and return their dynamic quarterback Eric Ward. Duke must come out the gate hot to have a shot at reaching bowl eligibility.

Duke 35 Richmond 17

Clemson vs Middle Tennessee (6 pm)

New coach, new defense and a new quarterback mean that Clemson is somewhat in flux for Dabo's first season. Middle Tennessee is a team that beat Maryland by ten the week before the Terps beat Cal. They've got talent at running back but the Tigers' defense should definitely be up to shutting them down under new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.

Clemson 38 Middle Tennessee 7

And seriously Duke; I know they're the "reigning FCS Champions" but don't do this to us.

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The ACC Week 1....Let's Get It Started

2009-09-01T20:16:00.004-04:00

I apologize for the Black Eyed Peas Lyric, -15 for that

The ACC Week 1 Preview Part I

South Carolina @ North Carolina State (ESPN, 7pm)
Sean McDonough, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Entering this game images of last year should be dancing in the head of the Pack faithful.

The return of Erin Andrews sees the tables turned in a rematch of last season’s major college football opener. This year NC State has answers to their question marks while South Carolina’s quarterback, receiving core and offensive line are veritable unknowns going into the game in Raleigh. Russell Wilson is arguably the ACC’s best quarterback and with the return of mega recruit Toney Baker to the lineup the Pack should have a lethal one, two punch in the backfield.

On defense look for the Pack to replace injured backer Nate Irving with sophomore Audie Cole, a physical specimen in his own right who should prove adequate in the Pack’s stout front seven. Willie Young is the unquestioned leader and the Pack front should stop the run and put a ton of pressure on Stephen Garcia.

Stephen Garcia is a redshirt sophomore, however thanks to a little trouble 2009 was the talented quarterback’s first spring practice on campus. The Gamecocks lost their top two receivers to graduation, they look to start an inexperienced tailback and have holes along the offensive line. On defense the front seven is stout but, as they showed a season ago, prone to late game collapses due to the offenses ineptitude and frequent three and outs.

NC State 27 South Carolina 17

Hope Springs Eternal...For Now

2009-09-01T09:06:00.000-04:00

In just over two days we will be shoving off on the voyage that is College Football 2009. The season will see plenty of ups and downs but for right now everyone is undefeated. Everyone is in the hunt for the national title. Everyone is tied for first place in their league.

Sure quarterback question marks surround Boston College; especially with David Shinskie suffering a cracked rib and Justin "Give Me A" Tuggle getting the apparent (?) nod from Spaz.

Sure Duke's battling the weight of a half century of being quagmired in abject mediocrity. Too generous? Ok we'll say the Blue Devils have lived in the Treblinka of college football success and their loan escape attempt, the Spurrier era, was cut short by a pack of swastika wearing German Shepherd from Gainesville clad in Blue and Orange.

Sure the Hokies lost Darren Evans; they're freshman All-American beast mode running back. But its ok Ryan Williams and Co will be there to literally shred the flesh from defenders and pop out ACL's with their thumbs. The stable at VT is nice, be ready because their eternal hope can only be buoyed by a beating of Alabama.

Perhaps the most perplexing quandary approaching the season is why Miami's two back up quarterbacks transferred a week and change before the first game. Surely one of them could have stayed to, oh, I don't know play just in case the rail thin Jacory Harris gets dinged up? Guess not. Every time Harris takes off running Randy Shannon will be sweating like a whore in church.

Speaking of church the Wahoos had better pray for a bowl game OR for no bowl game if you're not in the Al Groh camp. Either way trotting out the triple threat of Vic Hall, Mark Verica and Jameel Sewell doesn't necessarily terrify the nation but it should scare the entire coaching staff.

Just some thoughts don't worry I will casually continue to ruminate on the ACC and be ready the podcast starts soon.

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Hide Yer Women and Children!

2009-08-31T12:27:00.000-04:00

Its game week! So that's healthy helpings of Evan Williams' "frat water" and plenty of beer to chase the chest hair wooing swill. There's no need to class it up beyond Wild Turkey as we show everyone why college football is God's gift to the south.

Its the first week of the season and if that doesn't make you stand up tall like a "wedding Richard" then you'll never get it up. The ACC has the honor of not only kicking off the season but also being in the nation's showcase game Saturday.

We're getting the podcast up and running again as the season starts and we'll also be cranking out the silly, serious and down right badass content that should make you wanna do something strange for some change.

Stick with me and I'll get you're mind right for the season, obviously Carolina news shall follow and peep your boy on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/michaelfelder

Face!

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Poetically Speaking

2009-08-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

This is a brand new segment to kick off the season. Yes, I know I've allowed the blog to go stagnant during the Sahara that is the summertime. Yes, I know that Seinfeld of the day, ACC through Occam's Razor and other features were badass.

Anyways, with just 6 days left I decided to restart so that I don't fall prey to that brutal disease known as mid-season burn out.

There will be no preseason previews, I figured if you idiots are looking to me as your lone source for ACC information you're, and I mean this respectfully, a slack jawed mouth breather. There's plenty of magazines, school ran sites and blogs that give you a "preview" even though every synopsis is relatively similar in its flacid, mundane approach:

They lose this, they gain this, so and so must step up and coach is 1)On the hot seat or 2)Finally ready to blossom.

So without further ado I will bang out this newest update, Poetically Speaking. In this 1st edition we'll do:

THE ACC in LIMMERICKS!

If you don't know what a limmerick is then you're either in preschool or you don't deserve to have ever graduated from any reputable elementary school. Moron!

Boston College

They've played in 3 straight ACC title games
But in 4 seasons 3 coaches did change
With Herzlich out
All the fuss is about
Which unproven quarterback will be the least lame

Clemson

This team makes me think of a Fanta
The Orange and Grape got pounded in Atlanta
Now Tommy is out
Because of the rout
And Dabo must take the Tigers to Tampa

Duke

Cutcliffe's Devils got off to a hot start
But around week five they just fell apart
An increase in team speed
Is Duke's dire need
Because the players are already smart

Florida State

Bobby Bowden's still right in the mix
Christian Ponder must avoid throwing picks
The O-Line is buff
If the defense plays tough
They'll see better days than Sexton, X-Lee and Chris Rix

Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson's flexbone strikes fear
He adds Allen to Jones and Dwyer this year
Replace 3 on the D-Line
But the O will be fine
That Johnson's a hell of an option engineer

Maryland

Slim Fridge's Terps have 2 nice running backs
Low expectations may help them sneak up on the pack
But with no receiving threat
Well at least no one yet
Chris Turner may be in for quite a few sacks

Miami

Miami's slowly closing the gap
Fans thought OC Nix was a hack
The Canes'll take lumps
Before the win total jumps
But Shannon is slowly bringing the U back

North Carolina

There's a boy named Butch from Ar-Kansas
His most talented recruits still in feetie pajamas
He's got speedy 'backers
Could use a few qb sackers
To make the Heels 09 season bananas

NC State

Nate Irving is out for the year
But defenders have Russell Wilson to fear
If he can avoid big hits
Doesn't throw picks
The 10 wins will make Raleigh cheer

Virginia

Al Groh is back on the hot seat
It seems like the headline's a repeat
Sewell and Hall will factors
Can they replace their linebackers
For the 'Hoos a bowl game is a treat

Virginia Tech

The Hokies are the true cream of the crop
Beamer didn't blink when Evans' ACL went pop
He said we got a stable
Our defense is able
VPI still expects to be on the top

Wake Forest

The Deacs have a seasoned o-line
They will give Riley Skinner plenty of time
The offense seems ready
But is the defense still steady
Or was the NFL Draft the start of the decline

Its not Shakespeare but I know I'm damn good. Let's play some footbaaaaallllllll!

Photo HT:http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/hokies1.jpg

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The ACC's Top Non-Conference Games 5-1

2009-08-10T16:44:00.001-04:00

#5 Georgia @ Georgia Tech on November 28th

Last year between the hedges the Bulldogs got embarrassed by a Tech team that was a 7.5 point underdog. Stafford’s big numbers passing came largely in playing catch up for the second half following a massive Yellow Jacket rushing onslaught after halftime. The Ramblin’ Wreck just seemed to physically impose their will on the Dawgs as the Jackets carved up Georgia’s porous run defense to the tune of 409 yards. Another year under Paul Johnson sees the Jackets cracking preseason top 15’s and emerging as an ACC Title Contender. On the flip side Georgia is in an under the radar mode after losing two NFL first rounders. This season finale in Atlanta will help the ACC again show where they stand in the South compared to the SEC.

#4 South Carolina @ North Carolina State on September 3rd

Last season the Pack got beat down in Columbia both physically and on the scoreboard. Russell Wilson was abused by the Gamecocks front seven and the NC State offense looked remarkably inept. The NC State defense showed flashes but somehow managed to make Spurrier’s Chris Smelley led offense seem adequate. This season as the kickoff game Raleigh’s fairgrounds will be juiced up and the tables have turned somewhat. NC State is the team with the expectations and South Carolina is the team ensnarled in questions. Although the loss of Nate Irving hurts the Wolfpack the return of a stellar defensive line and a proven winner at quarterback should help the ACC jump start the season on the right foot.

#3 Texas Christian @ Clemson on September 26th

Gary Patterson has built the most consistent non-BCS team of the last decade in terms of taking on and hanging with the big boys. He’s scheduled solid BCS opponents and the success of the Mountain West, though punctuated by Utah recently, begins in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs will not be intimidated by Death Valley, they are one year removed from standing toe to toe with Oklahoma in Norman. For the ACC to truly move closer to the same stratosphere as the Big XII and SEC they must not lose to this non-BCS model of consistency. An experienced TCU defense will push either inexperienced quarterback the Tigers trot out and expect Patterson to have something up his sleeve for CJ Spiller the Tigers dangerous X factor. This game is a must win in Death Valley, not just for the Tigers but for the ACC.

#2 Florida State @ Brigham Young on September 19th

Provo, Utah is not the most popular destination for a group of seventy-five 18-23 year olds from Florida. However, Bobby Bowden will take his roster of talented young Seminoles out west for what will likely be a top twenty match up against the Mountain West Conference. Christian Ponder vs Max Hall will be the big showdown as the FSU defense tries to stop Harvey Unga and Jimbo Fisher’s offense looks to get on track against a BYU defense that’s proven itself porous at times. Much like the TCU and Clemson game the Seminoles must carry the torch against an up and coming Mountain West Conference for the ACC and the BCS.

#1 Virginia Tech vs Alabama on September 5th in Atlanta

The Chic-Fil-A Kickoff Game should make every ACC fans stomach turn after last season’s debacle. Aside from the 2007 BCS Title game where Florida trounced and outclassed Ohio State no game in recent memory cast more dispersions on a team and conference than last season’s 34-13 Alabama mud hole stomping of Clemson. Enter 2009’s Virginia Tech Hokies, and while they can’t redeem Bowden’s punchless Tigers of a year ago the Hokies do have the capability of resurrecting the ACC in the public eye.

The Hokies are everything the Tigers were not; they’re plain where the Tigers were flashy, they’re gritty where the Tigers were pretty and they stomp where the Tigers danced. Pair the "bring your lunch pail" mentality personified by Beamers squad with the "roll your sleeves up and get dirty" nature of Nick Saban’s Tide and you’ve got an old fashioned, hand in the dirt, "hit me and I’ll hit you back", head cracking battle in the ATL.

A thousand apologies to the September 12th USC and Ohio State match up; this game here is the top 10 heavyweight, inter-conference match for 2009. Two teams so eerily similar in philosophy and approach to football that if you removed the names and colors the only clear difference would be Tyrod Taylor scrambling and Alabama’s 3-4 defense compared to the 4-3, 4-4 hybrid of the Hokies.

The ACC's Top Non-Conference Games 10-6

2009-08-05T15:15:00.001-04:00

This year is one of reckoning as the ACC garnered just a little bit of national respect for sending a record ten teams to bowl games. The recently maligned league has two jobs entering the 2009 season; continue the improvement made through upgrading coaching, facilities and talent level and work to maintain some of the national spotlight. With several critical out of conference dates for the ACC’s contenders we’ll take a look at the ten most critical games for the ACC and its national perception.

#10 Oklahoma @ Miami on October 3rd

No one expects the young Canes to win this game early in the season and rightfully so; the Sooners return plenty of firepower from their Big XII Championship team. The young Randy Shannon has been to only one lower tier bowl game so it would seem Big Game Bob Stoops has the Hurricanes overmatched at every turn heading into this contest. It’s the very obvious "haves" of OU versus the "not sure what we have yets." With the OU team going up for their second straight BCS title game appearance this is a great measuring stick for Shannon’s young team. If the Canes can keep it close, or pull off the improbable upset, this would be a solid hat tip to the improving ACC.

#9 Florida State @ Florida on November 28th

The annual contest of the North Florida rivals was a slopfest a season ago that saw the eventual national champions run roughshod through an inexperienced, offensively inept Florida State team. This game will be another measuring stick more than a slug it out battle of the nineties. The Noles are trying to comeback to prominence and their performance will show Bobby Bowden, Mickey Andrews and most importantly Jimbo Fisher how much further the Tallahassee squad must climb to return to the glory of a decade ago.

#8 Boston College @ Notre Dame on October 24th

Last years Atlantic Champs have lost quite a bit including two of the top four defensive tackles taken in this years NFL draft; their second coach in as many seasons and two starting linebackers for the season. New "old" coach Frank Spaziani makes his first trip to South Bend at the helm after handling this rivalry from the defensive coordinator position over the last decade. The Irish appear poised for a break out season after two years of subpar football and the Eagles look to be set for a down year. BC has beaten Notre Dame handily each of the last two seasons but without a proven quarterback and questions on defense that streak could be coming to an end quickly. However, a win here over a hyped ND squad would be a solid coup for the league.

#7 Virginia Tech @ East Carolina on November 5th

The Hokies first and foremost need revenge for a season opening loss in 2008. East Carolina is a potential BCS buster out of Conference-USA and entering 2009 both teams are drastically improved from last years opener. For ECU Pickney is the full time gamer and Skip Holtz’s Pirates return a total of 16 starters. The Hokies have a weapon, in Tyrod Taylor that the Beamer opted not to utilize in last season’s close loss and the freshman receiving and running back core is a year older and Orange Bowl tested. A loss to a non-BCS opponent would be brutal for the ACC here and what’s worse is a loss to East Carolina would send a shockwave through the region.

#6 East Carolina @ North Carolina on September 9th

Two seasons ago Butch Davis was baptized into this largely one sided rivalry as the Pirates packed Dowdy-Ficklen and beat the state’s flagship university. Davis knows full well how pesky a confident ECU can be as they were a thorn in the side of his Canes. A lot has changed since 2007 and the Heels look to prove they’re "The Old North State’s" true big boys by winning. While a Hokie loss is worse nationally for the ACC; the four league schools sharing the state know that another Carolina loss to ECU would shake up the recruiting picture and muddy the waters between the BCS teams and the non-BCS Pirate squad.

Check Back Soon For 5-1 of the ACC's Best Non-Conference Games...

Friday Fisticuffs

2009-07-03T07:04:00.000-04:00

After an almost two week hiatus to recover from the awfulness created by confirmed kills day we're back for a day before regrouping for the long hall this weekend. As usual we bring you the Friday Comment Breakdance Fight.

While it'd be easy to do something near and dear to our readers hearts like which drug or bear is best; we're going to attempt to keep it 3 rated and not "Showgirls" styled NC-17. Speaking of No Children hats off to John and Kate for pretending not to have kids and getting all the shine. BTW, yes that's the lone J&K+8 reference you'll ever see on my site (sometimes I get bored waiting in grocery store lines).

As we're speeding into this 4th of July weekend I decided to go Patriotic on your white ass. And by white ass I mean red, white and blue posterior. And by Patriotic I mean fireworks because nothing is more Patriotic than running to that assbackward state that borders yours, buying copious amounts of TNT inspired fireworks and speeding home to cause serious trouble.

Thus our Friday smackdown is FIREWORKS! As in which fireworks are best?

Personally I'm partial to bottle rockets and M80's. Bottle Rockets are fun to shoot at each other, don't believe the box about aiming; grow a pair and shoot them at each other from across the yard. If you've got real balls try and catch them and throw them.

As for M80's; they're the daddy of the fireworks world. A mini dynamite stick made for kids to blow up watermelons (please save your black jokes for the comments section), GI Joes, Mailboxes and my personal favorite; fish. Yes fish, the fuse is waterproof so if you find an unattended koi pond or a pond where fish come to the surface and eat anything you can splatter fish guts everywhere: AWESOME!

Whether its black cats, the chinese styled, smoke bombs, cherry bombs or roman candles defend your choice with vigor my friends. I will admit shooting off a roman candle in a confined space is a good way to make the shart ghost visit.

PS- First person who says sparklers wins a free prize!

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Official "Confirmed Kills Blog Roll"

2009-06-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

Folks the day is about to officially kick off and thus the blog is rolling for your dumbself. Seeing as we are clearly football first I'll sprinkle random ACC knowledge into the days coming posts.

Actually on second thought I'll just sprinkle them into the comments section to keep things awesome!

I'll kick off with a quote about my (not) favorite tennis player Amelie Mauresmo and please feel free to add your own soul stealing diatribes.

"She had an Adam's apple as big as her balls and her hands were the size of Andre the Giants."

Its about to get grazy for this blogger!

"And remember, you can't get a butthole pregnant"
-Crandall Lea

And yes that is a beautiful matress stain. BYAAaaaaaaAAAAH!

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Official "Confirmed Kills Blog Roll"

2009-06-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

Folks the day is about to officially kick off and thus the blog is rolling for your dumbself. Seeing as we are clearly football first I'll sprinkle random ACC knowledge into the days coming posts.

Actually on second thought I'll just sprinkle them into the comments section to keep things awesome!

I'll kick off with a quote about my (not) favorite tennis player Amelie Mauresmo and please feel free to add your own soul stealing diatribes.

"She had an Adam's apple as big as her balls and her hands were the size of Andre the Giants."

Its about to get grazy for this blogger!

"And remember, you can't get a butthole pregnant"
-Crandall Lea

And yes that is a beautiful matress stain. BYAAaaaaaaAAAAH!

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FFM2M's First Ever Confirmed Kills Day!

2009-06-20T07:29:00.003-04:00

Well folks today is the day for the first ever FFM2M sanctioned "Confirmed Kills" Day!

Huh? What's confirmed kills? Why should you care?

Well to start it confirmed kills, also known as scalps, is a term derived from the military's method of describing known enemies who meet their demise at a given soldier's hands.

So does that mean I'll be out there killing people and pulling off scalps to prove how big my stones are? Quick answer is no. Long answer is Mike Felder is too terrified of prison and the intense poking that goes on there to even remotely consider acting on my vengeful instincts.

No folks confirmed kills, in lay person terms, are the anti-wounded soldiers from last night's party. They're the beers that you know you and only you drank. That's right, its like a baseline test for fun happy times.

Generally I host confirmed kills days alone but the idea was so appealing to others that I've decided to open the forum and not only have two others join me for the debauchery but also host a live blog and comment roll to invite others into the awesomeness that is the arena of the beer sniper.

There will be pictures, there will be posts and there will be tweets.

There Will Be Blood (maybe).

Tune in folks, it will be an epic day in internet history, like the time I peed in the bed or the first time I went to Clemson.

Photo cred to twentysomewhat

Friday's Freaking Smackdown!

2009-06-19T06:34:00.002-04:00

Well folks starting today I've decided on making Fridays a little more enjoyable. That means kicking off a Friday Slugfest for you all to launch salvos at while you're doing nothing at work or, as many of our most loyal readers are doing, smoking pot on your couch.

Reading this made me immediately reread the area code to make sure it wasn't a 910 for LB friend of the site.

"(206): A homeless man in dtwn SF was blasting lil wayne and singing at the top of his lungs. I kinda wanted to give him my life savings"

And it touched off a battle that should spark some interest. Going off the sports path as I so readily do and soliciting comments, which I want so badly; here is today's comment fodder (if any of you assclowns can even read this far):

FMyLife vs TFLN

That's right folks today for the fantabulous friday comment debate we will have a which is better battle royale. Be ready to defend your submission.

Have no clue what FML or TFLN is?

First of all kill yourself because:
1) you're obviously out of my demographic and
2) you're a bigger loser than a Lions fan born and raised a crappy town like Flint.

FML aka "Fuck My Life"
http://www.fmylife.com/

Another solid UK import like The Office or Elizabeth Hurley this site spread like wildfire in recent years and has blown up. Folks send in crap that happened to them and other users comment (read denegrate). Here's a classic example:

"Today, my boyfriend told me he couldn't hang out with me because he felt really sick. I went to his house anyway to surprise him with homemade soup. I walk in to his room only to find him hooking up with my sister. She can't drive, our mom drove her there. FML"

Now while formidable TFLN has taken the web by storm in the last 9 months. Its all-american, like apple pie or Molly Sims (if she's from America?).

TFLN aka Texts From Last Night
http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/

Just simply put the messages you get late night from your idiotic, drunk or both friends. Very easy to explain:

(407): i went to disney world today with my friends, met snow white, then saw her later at a bar. she is naked next to me in her bed, passwed out. when you wish upon a star...

Note the spelling error, classic blackberry texting error. I say blackberry because if this kid has an iPhone or some other phone QWERTY phone besides a blackberry I would lose all respect for him (don't worry blackberry vs iPhone will be coming soon).

Do your worst folks!

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Jean Short Friday: A Preview of the Nothingness I Live In Everyday (Yay)!

2009-06-19T05:37:00.000-04:00

Well folks I went to bed last night with the Heels leading Arizona State 4-0 in the 4th. I woke up to a lovely 12-5 loss and the realization that maybe we're like Andy. You know the 40 year old virgin:

"It just never happened. When I was young, I tried, and it didn't happen. And then I got older and I got more and more nervous because it hadn't happened yet. And I got kind of weirded out about it. Then it really didn't happen"

That describes out four year run perfectly, sucks rhino sized balls but hey with baseball season over that can only mean one thing; FOOTBALL season looms larger on the horizon. So on this RuPaul-esque "Fantabulous Friday" I'll give a few updates that one (me) guy never got around to denoting.

First of all the ACC 30 best players countdown by Heather Dinich is pretty solid so check that out on ESPN.com.

You slack jawed morons are pretty disappointing in your responses so I may have to call for back up from an audience I know will rip me into cute little chum style strips. Fun!

I'm currently passing the one month anniversary of the end of my long distance relationship. The consolidation of two very different lifestyles has been far from easy and let me say this firm mattresses are better (in the Billy Madison "shampoo is better" type of way).

We'll be doing a bit of live blogging tomorrow from the first ever multiperson confirmed kills day in FFM2M history (a more detailed report on that at midday today).

Yeah BoYEEEEEeeeEEEEeee

Weekend is hurr.

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Comments of Fury

2009-06-18T09:45:00.000-04:00

Alright folks I'm about to do some pandering, like a 50 something college coach telling a snot-nosed high school kid how great he is. Yeah it feels a little like groveling but it will definitely drive some discourse on the site and that's what counts; so here goes:

I can see we're getting some steady traffic and folks are enjoying our emails from the blog updates; however (Stephen A Smiff style) there's zero witty comments. Well damn you all and let's get it started. To make the site more interactive my first order of business is to get a poll up later today. Which I guess technically makes it second order of business since this is the first order. Damn me and my tremendous brain.

For now I'm going to start a commenter war. That's what I want commenter on commenter violence and surprisingly witty retorts. I'll toss myself out there as the initial fodder for this experiment and from then on user submitted and/or pilfered photos will be used to destroy things like egos, self respect and dignity. In honor of my greatness I've submitted the greatest photo I've ever taken!

Do your worst assjackets (LB) and let's get the comments swirling.

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Tonights Show! Debauchery Will Ensue

2009-06-17T18:35:00.000-04:00

Here's the link guys and be sure to check out the iTunes store for "Football from Mass to Miami" and "Game Time Sports" archived episodes. Great listens if you haven't heard them yet. Just go to the iTunes store and search "MichaelFelder" (all one word).http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/27329 <http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/27329>

Well folks let's start at the start and that means the Lakers are champions and I'll have to detail my bet that I lost to a local radio personality as well as to my dad. We'll also talk about the LA title in terms of WVU styled damage and the idiocy that ensued. I've also got some NBA draft news that might wow you but most likely will have Bobcats fans opening their eyes to the travesty that is about to occur unless they listen to me.

We'll also go off the beaten path with the latest Erin Andrews news, the saddest thing to occur on a tennis court in quite some time and the best MMA news I've ever heard. Personally I'm not an MMA guy so don't worry I wont be breaking down the next "Nobody I know" vs "Other guy I've never heard of" fight.

Also Coaches on Twitter is silent but Players got twitter popping this time for news that is the best for a celtics great since the KG trade. Also Lebron hits the White House, the Astros still suck and...

The Stallworth incident. I promise you this, my opinion doesn't change one iota.

Photo from EDSBS
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The Chronicles of FELDER

2009-06-17T08:58:00.001-04:00

Hey folks,

We've got another edition of The Chronicles and that means we're catching you up to speed on the haps in the world of Mike Felder.

First up I'm dominating a couple of articles including The ACC in Metaphors as well as another Occam's Razor piece. Both to be debuted later this week for you assclowns.

Secondly we'll knock out some radio work including an appearance on http://kkay1590.com with Brian Scott as I break down a little ACC/SEC football. We'll knock out Clemson, Virginia and possibly Duke on the ACC front and Vandy, Arkansas and Kentucky on the SEC front homies.

In other news please believe me when I say that the show will go on tonight. My co-host returns and we've got plenty to dish about;

Stallworth, Favre, Artie Lange, Sammy Sosa and plenty of obscure sports stories. Not to leave out Big Ben again proving he's the best since Bradshaw.

Click the widget on the side and let's get "grazy" folks!

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The ACC in Metaphors: Sitcoms Part 2

2009-06-12T06:11:00.000-04:00

After yesterdays inexplicable events surrounding my excessive "sarcasm" and "hurtful comments" I've decided to make a drastic life change: Be more sarcastic, denegrating, demeaning and derrogatory online. As we all know the internet is truly the final frontier for caustic, witty rhetoric and I, like the bulk of bloggers, find myself forced to limit my speech to posts because in person very few are capable of battling witticism for witticism with me without some sort of emotional outburst.

Whatever happened to the Alice Roosevelt Longfellows of the world?

"If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me."

Bear in mind I'm not taking shots at anyone in particular, rather realizing that I can't go through life making crude comments, being condescending and functioning as an overly self aware member of the inteligencia.

With that said we'll get to the newer, more boisterous Part 2 of The ACC in Sitcoms!

"Parks and Rec"-NC State

Little brother of the "The Office" this show has got some great cast members like Amy Pouhlter as well as that Indian guy whose name I won't bother looking up. Its a funny show, a lot of times its pretty freaking good, even better than The Office at times, although never consistently. Well NC State, the outcast, red headed step child of the ACC is just like this show. Great cast (Philip Rivers, Mario Williams, Adrian Wilson, Torry Holt) but they'll never be as good as centerpieces such as Miami, FSU or VT. Sure they may beat them a game or two but never with any regularity. Also the pit on the show might as well represent the refuse pile that NCSU truly is as a University.

"Everybody Loves Raymond"-Virginia

First class all the way, right down to the minimal inuendo, whole family friendly topics and the choosing of Amy over Stefaniá. By the way Stefaniá should be an easy choice, she's a hot Italian babe and Amy is just a homely Anglo. This is a show with longevity, its as classic in syndication as it was first run and its also just as mediocre. Never bad, never great; Raymond was a steady ratings getter. The Wahoos are the picture of mediocrity. A 9-3 season is just as much an anomoly as a 4-8 one. To live in the 6-6 house, is their probably safest bet. Like living across the street from your folks 6-6 is a blessing when you're picked last and a curse when you're picked highly.

"Yes, Dear"-Wake Forest

Small audience, smart audience, quiet audience. Small fanbase, smart fanbase, great fanbase. An underrated show that a lot of people have no idea was ever on is a great representation of the Deacs miniscule program. They're both non-threatening, unassuming but based on a solid foundation. The show lives on the "Odd Couple" principle while the Deacons have fully bought into the redshirt everybody ideal. Both tried and true ways to win. There isn't much left to write here other than the only way the Deacs could have more Guts was if they added Mike O'Malley to their staff. Checkout the leaderboard MO!

"My Name is Earl"-Maryland

A sort of ass backwards show with a strange premise a funny fat guy, a few loyal viewers that popped up and then disappeared into Bolivia (thank you Mike Tyson). The Terps just by name are strange, not to mention their meteoric rise to stardom under Friedgen (the fat guy) and then subsequent drop off the map (or TBS 10pm syndication). This was a clear cut just lucky to strike when they did situation as they caught FSU post Weinke, the ACC pre-VT, BC and Miami and had a temporary offensive genius running things.

"King of Queens"-North Carolina

Sometimes good things don't last as long as you wish they did. Whether its King of Queens truncated run or the winning ways of Dick Crum or Mack Brown. Hopefully Butch Davis will change this trend. Much like Carrie and Doug the Heels have seen some serious ups and downs (major downs like the Torbush/Bunting era). But just like Leah Remini saw during her fat phase the true Heels football fans are a loyal bunch that love them fat or skinny. For the record chunky Leah Remini; not as hot but her attitude was great and she was light on her feet for a growing lady. Heels basketball fans were like Becker watchers who also tuned into King of Queens "sometimes"; uninformed and honestly annoying to be around.

"Seinfeld"-Virginia Tech

Great consistency. A model for what a program should be. A self-made, low budget high returns outfit that makes a lot out of nothing; and Virginia Tech is pretty good too. Beamer is the Larry David of this group, the quiet voice behind the scenes orchestrating a masterpiece and being compensated very well to do it (thanks to his UNC pump fake). When Seinfeld's great ie the bet, opposites, world's collide, summer of George et cetera the show is amazing, but when its "bad" ie smog city strangler and the final episodes its still better than 95% of television and 100% of the forensics dramas or reality shows. The Hokies are the same, under Beamer when their great they are title great, when they're bad they still find a way into a respectable bowl game. They play football the right way and like the greatest sitcom of all time, their fans appreciate everything they get.

Coming soon Mike Felder does the ACC in something else. Email your suggestions to felder@cfb-campus.com and who knows your topic may show up here.

Photo from http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Seinfeld-Wars-seinfeld-353739_929_1400.jpg
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The ACC in Metaphors: Sitcoms Part 1

2009-06-11T07:25:00.000-04:00

If you read college football blogs, websites or even the campus clicks at SI.com you've seen all "The (insert conference) as (insert beer/liquor/inanimate object). Well the ACC, oft neglected, has yet to get the love we so desperately have been craving since our mom's stop breast feeding us in high school.

With that said I'll be here to give you a dose of the ACC in metaphors. I'll get around to doing the beer, liquor articles once I doublecheck that I'm not ripping anyone off. If you know me, and I'm sure you do, you know originality is my middle name. That said our first installment will be something I'm well versed in - SITCOMS!

The ACC in Sitcoms:

"Frasier"-Boston College

The snooty up north private school outside of Boston is just like the Seattle based Frasier show. Too smart for you but for some reason it always does well. BC has had a couple ACC title game appearance, two top ten NFL draft picks in two seasons, a top 25 defense and I still have no clue how the Chestnut Hill school does it. The explanation escapes me, like one of Niles Crane's witty symphony referencing quips.

"Scrubs" (on ABC)-Clemson

Notice the "on ABC" portion of that because we here at FFM2M loved NBC's Scrubs and enjoy syndicated Scrubs...However, the ABC Scrubs has been a monumental let down. Same show my ass. Great cast, great characters, great writers but something isn't right. Oh yeah its a massive let down. Sound familiar? Yeah, it should because its a perfect description of Clemson and their inability to deliver with their great roster, NFL talent and successful tradition. Zing!

"Cheers"-Georgia Tech

A great show in its prime but completely forgotten about in the modern era. Could it make a comeback a la "Mama's Family" through early AM syndication? Possibly. The Jackets are the same way, they've got four national titles, a slew of historical players, coaches and epic games against storied programs. They were the southeasts #2 football school for decades and like "Cheers" unless you're in your mid-forties you have no recollection of either.

"Friends"-Florida State

Right place, right time situation. Friends burst on to the scene when sitcoms were dying in the mid-90's. Seinfeld and Cheers were quietly wrapping up and King of Queens was still a couple years from existing. Friends hit and hit hard, just ruling the sitcom world before anyone could get a foothold. In '91 Bobby Bowden won his first ACC title in his first ACC season, over a decade later he had won every title since then. Timing is a bitch, the ACC was down, the 'Noles had the best cast and no one wanted to go up against them on a regular basis. Still ok in syndication but not as good as the originals.

"Joey"-Duke

Oh no he didn't. Oh yes I did. Quite possibly the worst sitcom of all time for easily the worst football program in ACC history. Joey started out with a bang as a "Friends" spinoff. Then people realized wow, this show is garbage. Duke started out alright, rich kids from the North moving south for a good education and a little football. A Rose Bowl appearance plus the Spurrier era but then they fell to earth hard. If Joey maybe had better acting and a better script it might have survived just like if Duke had a better roster, better gameplan or a better facility they might win more.

"The Office"-Miami

In the grand scheme of college football the 'Canes are a new face on the block. But, just like The Office the Fighting Sebastian Ibis' are a smash hit in their short existence. A handful of Emmy's and a handful of titles equate to quick success and solid hardcore fans. Although the 'Canes have struggled in the last two seasons the fact is their newbies to college football and the massive success they've experienced make Michael Scott and co. seem like appropriate brethren.

Check back for episode to when we align UNC, VaTech, Maryland, Wake, Virginia and NC State.

Photo from http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Mark-Seliger/Cast-of-Seinfeld-Rolling-Stone-no-660661-July-1993-Photographic-Print-C13020344.jpeg
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Great College Football Read

2009-06-11T05:37:00.001-04:00

Folks just stumbled across a great read from Orson Swindle over at Every Day Should Be Saturday; one of the best college football blogs out there. Check the link out this is a solid piece of writing:

"This all comes back to your focal event as a fan, or the instant where you realized the game had some kind of parasitic, infectious grip on you that no amount of treatment would undo. The game's rigid fatality..."

The addiction that is college football, the passion and finality that come with being a college football fan. Orson crafts a masterpiece.

Plus any article that can squeeze the word simulacrum (look it up stupid) is quite alright with me.

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2009/06/10/the-dimensions-of-a-football-field-or-offseason-bloviating-on-limits-and-football/#more-10576

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ACC Bottom To Top: Clemson

2009-06-10T13:18:00.001-04:00

Hey folks I just realized the NC State post has done a disappearing act so I'll get that up soon. With that said we'll bang out a sweet original article about the Atlantic's next to last place team, the only team I personally hate, the only ACC team I've ever hoped lost to a FCS school and the school responsible for the worst BCS season demise in history:

The Clemson Tigers

Dabo's in and Tommy's out. The Tigers are starting to warm me up this year with their new mentality and as we all know Kevin Steele worked with Nick Saban; one of 3 current coaches than I worship every Saturday. Ergo Kevin Steele is perfectly acceptable as is Danny Perryman a tough SOB line coach. That said changing that baby soft culture is no small task we'll see how it goes; here's your Clemson Tiger run down.

Biggest Offseason Loss

Most folks scream James Davis or Michael Hamlin here; I don't. Screw those guys and check out Aaron Kelly. The Tigers only proven receiver commodity over the last few seasons and their all time receiving yardage leader. He was a big, physical receiver capable of going across the middle and making big catches in traffic.

Now I know you're thinking "What about Jacoby Ford?"

Well if you like 5'9" 180 lb midget wideouts be my guest. In the ACC with guys like Morgan Burnett roaming the back end the track star is going to get his brains beat in if he's Kyle Parker's primary target. Kelly will be missed worse than Adam Morrison misses playing at Gonzaga.

Best Returning Player

Two words. Number Seven. Two more words, Ricky Sapp. Two other words Torn ACL. The beast returns from his mid-season injury ready to reclaim and prove his standing as the ACC's premier pass rusher. He's a prototype player fully capable of making all the moves, his only drawback?

Effort.

With a partial season lost to injury and seeing his draft stock fall harder than an old lady in an ice storm I'm predicting that Sapp is ready to show the world he's the truth. He's the Tigers best player and as long as he's healthy look for him to post double digit sacks.

Breakout Player To Watch

Normally here you get some flash, I'm going to drop a name so far off your radar he's in outer space. The Tigers tackle Chris Hairston. His 11 total starts in 2 seasons mask the fact that he got heavy minutes in 22 games for the Tigers. The kid's a bonafide monster at 6'6" and 320 lbs watching out for Kyle Parker's blindside. Hairston has all the tangibles and with a good season he can not only be the anchor that the Tigers need at LT but he can boost his personal draft status. And really isn't that what its all about?

Three Crucial Games

Clemson @ GT, Clemson vs TCU, Clemson vs FSU

The Tigers have got some serious games including the Palmetto State Showdown and dates with Atlantic Division Rivals NC State, Wake and BC. However these three games are their most critical. In FSU you've got a potential Atlantic first place battle late in the season while the Tech game should be a battle of wills in Atlanta (hopefully better than last time the Tigers went to the ATL shawty).

TCU is about pride for the ACC as a whole and for the Tigers BCS bowl hopes. Depending on how things shake out a one or two loss Clemson team could sneak into the BCS with a win over one of the Mountain West's powerhouse teams. The Horned Frogs are a preseason Top 20 team entering 2009 and this would be a bear of a win in September.

Dream vs Nightmare Season

For the Tigers and Dabo, living the dream would mean going 10-2, losing to two out of the Miami, NC State, TCU, FSU, GT and Wake group. An ACC title for the first time in nearly two decades and instant legendary status for Dabo Swinney.

Flip that switch and let's checkout the Nightmare for the Tigers, going 6-6. Another underachieving season sees the assclowns of debauchery lose to their in-state rivals; a real Cockfest (one of my favorite sentences I've ever constructed). The sad part is would any of us be surprised if that's the effort we got out of perennially disappointing Clemson?

After all no one looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane the way the Tigers do.

Photo from http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/writers/cory_mccartney/05/04/shoes.to.fill/t1_sapp.jpg
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BC Does Its Best Florida State Circa '99 Impression

2009-06-10T08:46:00.001-04:00

No they didn't walk off with hundreds of dollars worth of "hot gear" from Dillard's a la Peter Warrick.

No they didn't forge checks like Adrian McPherson.

BC did nab themselves a 25 year old though. And not the cool "oh I got me a 25 year old grad student last night" that you tell your boys freshman year.

The Eagles got him Weinke style, after a long, less than productive minor league stint they've added a baseball defeated David Shinskie to their fold. The 25 year old former Twins prospect signed on with the Chestnut Hill squad early this week.

http://atleagle.blogspot.com/2009/06/who-is-david-shinskie.html

With the dismissal of Dominique Davis the Eagles were hurting for an experienced qb on the roster. Well they got one, only his experience was on the diamond, slogging away in the world of long bus rides, $1 beer nights, Annie styled-minor league-cougar-lifer-groupies and strange mascots; not the ACC gridiron.

However minor league guys have fared well as college quarterbacks whether its Dennis Dickson playing both at once or Weinke going 6 seasons and then crossing over. Shinskie should get to campus by second session and get in the playbook quickly.

Personally I predict he'll be just fine as long as Spaziani won't ask him to do too much. With the freshmen sitting on the roster Shinskie seems to be the obvious choice to start, even after a 6 year hiatus.

PS-ACC Player You Oughta Know (two birds? Meet my one stone)

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The ACC Through Occam's Razor

2009-06-09T07:09:00.000-04:00

My girlfriend and her roommate are on a quest to learn something new everyday and although they're operating on the NBC summer '96 principle ("If you haven't seen it, its new to you") I'm still some what inspired. Thus I've decided to take their idea and go all Emmitt Smiff on it, ya know I had did blowed it out. With that said I'm introducing our newest weekly feature "The ACC Through Occam's Razor!"

Say what? You don't know what Occam's Razor is? Well in the words of Kenny Powers "you beautiful bitch, I'm about to fuck you up with some truth."

'Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitas.'

Oh you don't speak Latin? That's ok no one does anymore. In English that's:

"Plurality should not be posited without necessity."

Still not following? Let me drop lay person terms on your dumb self. It means don't go all the way around your ass to get to your elbow. Keep it simple. The obvious answer is probably the best answer.

As this pertains to the ACC we'll break down things that seem complex into nuts and bolts that even a drooling, mouth breathing, slope browed troglodyte like yourself can understand.

This week I'm going to go Clemson on your ass and explain the art of shrinking away better than Rick Moranis (Honey I Shrunk The Kids Reference 1). The Tigers went from preseason killing machines to Pussy Cat Dolls in one night as Alabama loosened up their buttons and gave Tommy and team the first day of prison treatment.

While excuses have been made for their pathetic excuse for a season in keeping with our theme I'll show you the A to B, Occam's Razor reasoning behind it:

This is actually a two part answer. The concrete reasoning is their horrendously inexperienced offensive line. The guys were essentially all green going into 2008. We all overlooked this in favor of their shiny offensive toys Spiller, Kelly and Davis (I know I left Ford off, he's a midget and a track guy, doesn't belong anywhere near a football. If he's all they have this season they're in trouble).

Now while the line was horrendous here is the real reason for their demise: mentality.

Blame the play calling, the inexperience, the defense's passive scheme, the Swinney and Bowden rift, injuries and whatever else you want to trot out as an excuse but it all returns to mental make up.

Like a brown banana the Tigers were soft. They had the testicular fortitude of an eight year old asian girl. Perhaps even less, since those girls carry water for miles before breakfast. The Tigers were like a bunch of non-contact sport athletes. Sure you look great getting off the bus and your body's put together like Atlas.

One problem, when you get punched in your mouth you tuck your tail under your skirt and curl up in the fetal position. That was why they were, without a doubt, the biggest disappointment in the ACC last season.

Plain and simple, no tough analysis needed. Watch the Maryland game where they looked like world beaters until Maryland pushed back, the Tech game where nut-up time came and they showed they were playing with two undescended testicles.

There is hope for anyone who can still stomach the purple and scourge. That Boy is getting minds right in Pickens County. The Tigers will be tougher under the new staff. Guys like Danny Perryman, Kevin Steele and Dabo won't tolerate the half-assery that was the hallmark of Tommy Bowden's soft-spoken, no feather ruffling coaching tenure.

Check back later in the week when I diagnose another issue through Occam's Razor.

Simple is best.
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UNC O-Line Takes Major Blow

2009-06-05T11:39:00.000-04:00

The Tar Heels, who were supposed to return 66 starts to their offensive line this season, were caught off guard when guard Aaron Stahl decided to forego his redshirt senior season.

http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/869892.html

Stahl reportedly has had enough and while I could use a personal anecdote to sensationalize the Florida native's exit I'm gonna be classy and let my former teammate ride off into the sunset.

Now here's the issue, minus Stahl's 18 career starts between center and guard the Heels are now at 48 career starts. That's well below the 80+ number that is a hallmark of a quality ball club. Clemson returns 79, NC State 66, FSU 89 and Wake is the daddy at 119.

Like it or not the Heels are in a little trouble. Hopefully Davis and staff have an ace up there sleeve because right now the prospects have shifted from a possible ACC Title Game appearance to staring down the barrel of a 6-6 season.

Picture from http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/869892.html
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An ACC Player You Oughta Know

2009-06-05T05:21:00.002-04:00

What's that you say?

He's a baseball player?

Why you're right folks.

But he's also the newest starting quarterback for the purple and orange out of Pickens, he's Kyle Parker.

While generally now is when I discuss why said player is poised to have a solid year and what makes me think he'll be "BALLIN'" (and you know this) Parker is a special case. His former coach, Tommy Bowden, really just took the words from me about a year ago.

"He's really good looking. If I was a girl, I'd be very interested in him. He wears those tight pants. When you wear loose stuff, you can't tell the definition of a guy's body. In baseball, everything's tight and you can tell he's very well put together."

With that said do you really need to know that he's got a rocket arm, was an Elite 11 quarterback coming from Jacksonville, Fla or that Dabo is so high on the kid he's having trouble not burying the great Willie Korn in the annals of Clemson lore with the other never was's.

Parker's got poise, skills and a ton of talent surrounding him. Plus with 79 starts returning along the O-Line his jersey should stay as clean in football as it does when he trots around the bases for Jack Leggett.

Quote from http://clemson.scout.com/2/743007.html

Photo from http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/clem/sports/m-basebl/auto_action/1826385.jpeg

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Seinfeld Girlfriend of the Day

2009-06-04T06:02:00.001-04:00

Is it a little late?

Yeah. But that's alright, that's ok, I've got some good ones lined up and I've semi-worked my schedule out to allow for hilarity to ensue.

With that said without further ado here's the info on this Eastern European hottie. Although she goes by Elina Löwensohn in public we know her as Katya the Romanian gymnast.

Everyone has been there with a girl; we call it limboland. Its all good, except for Jerry sees what a gymnast body can do and makes the 90's mistake of sleeping with her.

Why is that a 90's mistake you say?

Yes because strangely, in the 90's if you slept with a woman you had to keep seeing her, three week minimum. Who freaking knew? If this was the 2000's he'd have given her the business and then just ignored her texts, calls and emails starting the next day.

Which brings us to, quite possibly, the most disparaging quote about Jerry of all time:

"In my country, they speak of a man so virile, so potent, that to spend a night with such a man is to enter a world of such sensual delights most women dare not dream of. This man is known as the 'Comedian.' You may tell jokes, Mr. Jerry Seinfeld, but you are no Comedian." -Katya

You bite your tongue Katya. That's blasphemy; especially when Jerry said you just laid there in bed like a wet towel while he was sweating his ass off pumping and thrusting. He didn't say that exactly but that's how Imagine Seinfeld having sex; he's a hard worker probably.

As for Löwensohn, she's been busy since this episode and the injury to her friend Misha. Done a lot of film, most of which I can't pronounce the titles so I assume they are foreign or Lifetime movies about one of the channels 4 genres (teen pregnancy, spousal abuse, adultery by men or unsatisfied woman wanting a fantasy) either way its all Greek to me.

One more tidbit, she was in "Schindler's List." The same Holocaust movie that Jerry was caught making out in like a middle schooler at Titanic. In other words Jerry was caught making out with a girl in a movie featuring one of his former conquests.

Photo from http://abadeo.com/pageboy/Elina_Lowensohn.jpg

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An ACC Player You Oughta Know

2009-06-04T05:26:00.002-04:00

You know, Sergio?

The really biggish, really monstrous, two-time All-Americanish guard?

You know, Sergio from Rio.

Well actually from La Grange, Georgia (yes exactly like Bubba Sparxxx) but considering the sheer volume of strip clubs in Atlanta and the amount of trannies roaming the streets every other weekend could be Carnivàl.

The junior is coming off a sophomore All-American campaign and a 2nd team All-ACC effort. He sat out the spring to heal from offseason shoulder surgery and should tear into 2009 fully charged. He's the Hokies anchor at guard, capable of steamrolling defensive tackles and agile enough to make the break out blocks in the back seven.

A likely first team All-America and ACC; Render is one of the nation's top ranked guards. With the departure of C Nick Marshman, Sergio will have to go from a stand out contributor as a freshman and sophomore to a legitimate leader on the VT front. Opening holes for their stable of running backs is the path to Beamer'st ever elusive first national title.

Photo from http://www.hokiesports.com/football/players/2008/render.html

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ACC Player You Oughta Know

2009-06-03T07:53:00.001-04:00

Yeah, before you all start getting on my case I've been working two jobs, walking twelve miles uphill both ways plus catching, killing and skinning my own meat before cooking it over a fire I made from rubbing sticks together.

With that said we're a little behind schedule so with out further ado I bring you one of the several ACC Players You Oughta Know:

Willie Young

The senior out of NC State is one of the nations elite defensive ends and at 6'4" 255 lbs he's got the prototypical size that's a mist for the NFL. With a team leading 12 sacks Young returns for his final season after flirting with the NFL.

One of the last Chuck Amato holdovers Young's one of those Florida products that Chuck the Chest mined out of Florida. Young's got the potential to lead the ACC in sacks although a couple guys in Pickens County will have some serious say in that matter.

Now get off my back the beast has been sated for a few hours.

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Another One Bites The Dust: BC Edition

2009-06-02T14:06:00.000-04:00

Sophomore quarterback Dominique Davis will transfer from Boston College after being slapped with an academic suspension by the university.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/football/view.bg?articleid=1176345

Davis started the Eagles last three games and played admirably in the place of injured senior Chris Crane. He was the projected starter entering fall camp for a very very thin BC team.

The Eagles have lost their two defensive monsters to the NFL, their starting middle linebacker to a torn achilles and the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year to cancer treatment in the last 3 months. I guess its only fitting that the offense taste the sweet nectar of disappointment.

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An Exercise In Exhaustion

2009-06-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

Mike Felder's been pulling double duty recently. That's duty with a "t" not doody. Because if I was putting double doody in I'd be reading a lot more Phil Steele than I have been.

Don't worry I get a break from the school system for a few hours to get some web work done so I'll get you current on our two features.

Wednesday we're still a go for the shows as well as getting our ACC Players in.

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Just So you Know

2009-05-30T14:39:00.000-04:00

Even though today is a work Saturday (real work, not the most awesome blog in America work) I've still managed to sneak in some gourmet living.

Housekeeping (you want fluff pillow?):

Seinfeld Girlfriend of the Day is a business day feature. Stop emailing asking for more.

The ACC Player You Oughta Know will be revisited Sunday with tidbits on Willie Young (NCSU), Sergio Render (VT) and Kyle Parker as the countdown continues. Sorry Barry Humphries we already know and envy you and your motorcycle (meaning scooter) DUI escapades.

Felder Chronicles update will include me possibly have a very minute shot at perhaps visiting Baton Rouge just for the fun of it and a Bayou Bengals Game.

Keep it real, keep it spicy and stay gourmet.

(I wanted to call this Hot Sauce Saturday but then I'd have to do a real entry...Not gonna happen)

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Sexy Weekend Has Begun (Began?...Started!)

2009-05-30T13:19:00.000-04:00

Its the weekend. Gourmet living and highlife for everyone.
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Some Not So Good News For Mr. "Not So Fast My Friend"

2009-05-29T13:28:00.000-04:00

But its not quite Duke Vitale throat surgery 3 months of silence devastating news. Yesterday Lee Corso suffered a slight stroke according to ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4213090&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines

The clown prince of college football has been taken down by that nasty mistress of age and neurological defects. The good news is the Sunshine Scooter will be on the set wearing a Hokie Head come September 5th.

The bad news is that he'll probably pick the Tide to Roll for their second straight season opening win in the ATL Shawty! Damn elephant head with the trunk just dangling.

Either way it'll be good to see Mr. Ch-ch-ch-ch making awful predictions, inciting riots, making Kirk Herbstreit look even hotter and giving us the low down on what it was like to coach when they wore leather helmets.

Yo!

Picture from http://sixmeatbuffet.com

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Today's Seinfeld Girlfriend

2009-05-29T08:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we hit you with our inaugural Seinfeld honey, the lovely Dolores. Today, by request we bring you Carrie.

What's that you say?

You don't remember Carrie?

Of course you do because everyone has a Carrie in their circle. You know that friend whose facebook photos you scroll through and it looks like 1,700 pics of one endless party. The friend who goes from tan to pale, short to long hair and appears to be in the mountains and Cabo all on the same day. In other words Carrie is:

The girl who only wore one dress.

As another of Jerry's conquests Carrie looked simply stunning the first time Jerry saw her and equally great each time thereafter. One problem, nobody told her that the luster has worn off from the cocktail dress when you rock said dress 3 dates in a row.

Its tough to say,"Damn you look hot tonight" or "Girl, I'd drink your bath water" after she's worn the dress to every function you see her at.

Her real name's Shannon Holt and while she donned the same dress multiple times on Seinfeld she's had a string of one and done episode appearances on numerous television shows. Hits like "ER", "The Unit" and my personal favorite "Grace Under Fire," Now I know what you're thinking how badass can she be with the obligatory bit part on "Law and Order?"

Badass enough to have a semi-regular character on "That 70's Show" and "The Suite Life at Sea." By semi-regular of course I mean two episodes. And to think without Seinfeld "The Seven" episode I'd have never discovered this gem.

Here's to you Shannon Holt, Carrie or as "The Lady Who Only Wears One Dress" as we more affectionately know her. Perhaps we've coined a new term to add to the lexicon; a Carrie.

By the way "The Football From Mass to Miami" Lexicon will be making its debut soon.

Photo found at www.circustheatricals.com

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Barry Humphries Suspension Proves Dabo Is Cleaning Up The Streets...

2009-05-28T15:02:00.000-04:00

That's right folks Clemson's Humphries has been suspended for the first two games of the season after his May 2nd arrest for drunk driving on a scooter at nearly 5 am.

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/may/27/barry-humphries-suspended-first-two-games-2009/

As Dabo cleans up the rabid streets of Clemson we pause to remember that scooters are vehicles too and thanks to Georgia, Clemson and a few other football programs "scooters aren't just for cheap, hipster, eurotrash metrosexuals anymore."

Perhaps the next Tiger suspension will be for something like excessive popped collars, over consumption of apple martinis or who knows maybe even asphyxiation by skinny jeans.

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Goodman Situation Information

2009-05-28T12:59:00.000-04:00

By way of the Tallahasee Democrat we've got some new information regarding the nature of the aforementioned WWE chair slamming. The woman suffered some pretty brutal Anquan Boldin-esque injuries including an orbital lobe fracture, cheekbone fracture and multiple nose fractures. Not to make light of her situation but wow Goodman must be serious in the weight room if he's heaving chairs like He-Man.

http://nolesports.tallahassee.com/article/20090528/FSU03/90528002/1002/SPORTS/FSU+s+Goodman+suspended+after+arrest

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An ACC Player You Oughta Know...

2009-05-28T07:33:00.001-04:00

Folks for the next 98 days we'll introduce you to an ACC Player that you should know heading into the 2009 season. That's right we're going to pump them out from now until the season starts just to keep you current on who's who in the ACC.

We'll kick it off with FFM2M's personal favorite Ryan Taylor of the Tar Heels. Now personal favorite doesn't mean a Madden-Favre mancrush situation its more of an older brother and little brother who somehow got more talent (plus a white family and a full scholarship) situation.

On a serious note the rising senior is a special teams dynamo for the Heels. While he's been shuttled between tight end, linebacker and halfback the Tar Heels' special teams captain has been a stalwart in the third facet of the game for the past three seasons.

Entering 2009 Taylor has found a home at the halfback spot and should give the Heels quality minutes opening holes for Shaun Draughn and company and who knows perhaps catching a pass or two out of the backfield.

As long as Taylor keeps his head on a swivel and avoids instances like the Miami Brutality he should be set to have a solid senior season.

Photo from http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/unc/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/2592627.jpeg

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Today's Seinfeld Girlfriend

2009-05-28T05:39:00.001-04:00

Sure plenty of other sports blogs may post pictures of random hot women, well we here at FFM2M consider ourselves a little more television driven. And by television driven we mean sitcom psychopaths. And by sitcom psychopaths we mean Seinfeld sickos.

With another forum for broadcasting the Seinfeld love we decided to do one better than just a delectable selection of hot women for the gourmet sports buffet diner to enjoy. We will attempt to bring you a new Seinfeld love interest on a daily basis.

We open with the lovely Susan Walters better known to us as Bovary or perhaps Mulva if you're nasty. Actually her name was Dolores but no one remembers that. She's a southern belle from the ATL who apparently has been on more than just Seinfeld, who knew? Some show The Young and The Restless - Never heard of it but apparently its been on for awhile.

Hats off to this, our inaugural testament to Jerry's awesome ability to date any woman he pleased.

How could we forget Dolores and the body part she rhymes with?

Oh yeah because generally we try to forget that body part exists. Its a lot easier to finish without worrying about stimulating her "Dolores"

Image from imdb

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FSU Player Gets The "Indefinite Suspension" Label

2009-05-27T19:48:00.000-04:00

Richard Goodman, one of the 'Noles receivers involved in THE 2008 frat-football brawl, was officially suspended by Bobby Bowden today. Apparently the senior wide out was responsible for WWE-ing the face of a female bystander.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_fsu/2009/05/fsu-suspends-goodman.html

Throwing a chair and blasting a girls face was enough to get Goodman charged with aggravated battery; a second degree felony. Another healthy blow to the FSU receiving core.

Is it possible the 'Noles are closer to a top ten finish than we suspect? After all with the suspensions, the academic fraud and Student Union Brawl these new 'Noles aren't too far off from the Crimi-Noles of the 90's.

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Interesting Lunch Time Links from ESPN

2009-05-27T12:34:00.000-04:00

Generally the ACC Lunch Time Links are relatively mundane. However the Phil Steele explosion has intrigued me enough to warrrant posting the ACC's links from ESPN.

Check out the reasons Penn State is more confident than Bobby And FSU about their suspension.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/acc/0-6-111/ACC-lunchtime-links.html

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Coaches Poll Covert-Ops?

2009-05-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

According to USA Today and the Sporting News the final results of the Coaches Poll will be secret in 2010. This means no more exposing coaches for biased voting, protecting conference ties or voting for friends.

No now, just like the faceless AP Poll the Coaches won't be held accountable for what they screw up. This doesn't bother me because of the BCS but rather because of teams out of the BCS Leagues short changing the system. Expect the SEC, Big XII etcetera to stick together while guys out of the ACC, Big 10 and Pac-10 get slighted due to their lack of highly ranked in conference opponents. We shall see.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=553494

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The Chronicles of FELDER

2009-05-27T09:24:00.001-04:00

This week in the inaugural edition of "The Chronicles of FELDER" we'll introduce the newest blogging feature and talk about the news out of Felder-land for the coming week.

First and foremost you can tune in to The Gulf Coast Sports Radio Hour at 4pm by heading to:

http://kkay1590.com

I'll be breaking down Kentucky and Duke with the host Brian Scott as well as talking a little ACC-SEC big picture. Perhaps a little College Baseball? Get excited baby the Heels will try to make another College World Series trip, only this time coming home with the hardware.

Later tonight we do the Football From Mass to Miami sister show Game Time Sports. Keep in mind that Game Time Sports is less a sterling big sister filled with amazing information and more a psycho little sister with a great body but an attitude like a babymama from Compton. In other words crass yet hilarious.

We will add the Game Time Sports widget to the blog just to appease you FFM2M knuckleheads thirsty for some intelligent sports discourse.

On the original writing content be sure to check out the posts starting to pour out at a rapid pace. Every week we'll have the ACC Bottom to the Top breakdown as well some articles breaking down schedules, players and the ACC progress.

Get ready, The Chronicles of Felder are going to be always available always gourmet and always informative to keep you abreast of my most recent activities.

ItsFELDER

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Wet, Wild Wednesday Yessir!

2009-05-27T08:40:00.000-04:00

Hey folks

In the new mobile age we can update from work which is much better than actually doing any work. I've just recently purchased a couple college football previews so my bathroom trips last hours not minutes.

On a serious note Mark Herzlich; the BC linebacker and reigning ACC defensive player of the year, has started chemotherapy at home in Pennsylvania. He's undergoing 8 weeks of chemo to kill the cancer in the tumor before surgery to extract the mass. On a good note the cancer is localized and contained so keep your fingers crossed about the next few months going well for Herzlich.

Now less than seriously the SEC continues its strangle hold on bad behavior as another South Carolina player gets arrested.

http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=304805

Shocker, yeah right. As for getting wet and wild this Wednesday you can hear two radio appearances from your's truly and we're getting ready to add the Game Time Sports show to the blog.

ItsFELDER

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Just A Hint Of Why Gourmet Is Back In Style

2009-05-26T22:59:00.001-04:00

When we're not conducting football styled info sessions, reading unlimited blogs or browsing local papers and police blotters we like to have a little fun.

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The ACC, From The Bottom To The Top Part 1

2009-05-26T22:35:00.002-04:00

Tune into the Gulf Coast Sports Radio Hour Wednesday at four to hear Brian Scott and Michael Felder delve deeper into Kentucky, Duke and the SEC/ACC picture.

Biggest Offseason Loss

The Blue Devil’s biggest losses come in the departure of wide receiver Eron Riley. Riley was quarterback Thaddeus Lewis’ favorite target; having accounted for 693 of Lewis’ 2171 yards and 8 of his 15 touchdowns. Riley was a sure handed, speedy target capable of getting open down field and making the big play for the Devils.

Losing Michael Tauiliili; the middle linebacker who led the ACC and finished third in the nation in tackles should also be noted. However, his loss will not be felt as significantly as Riley’s due to the Devils returning solid contributors from last season’s defense.

Best Returning Players

In Durham this question gets a simple answer; Thaddeus Lewis. Lewis is the best pure pocket passer in the ACC and with the exception of the big names at the position the senior would be an upgrade for most schools.

He is, in effect, the anti-Graham Harrell; no gaudy or inflated statistics but a legitimate pro-styled quarterback who has received great tutelage under Cutcliffe and will have a legitimate shot at the next level.

Break Out Player

Donovan Varner will be tasked with filling Eron Riley’s shoes. The 5’9” sophomore out of Miami, Floridais the best athlete on Cutcliffe’s team and after playing corner, return man and a little receiver in 2008 Varner will use his talents on offense and in the return game exclusively.

As a full time receiver Varner has already flourished, catching six balls for 116 yards in the spring game last month. He gives Thaddeus Lewis a weapon capable of breaking the big run and a dangerous asset for Cutcliffe’s offensive mind to utilize.

Three Crucial Games

Duke @ Kansas, Duke @ NC State, Duke vs Wake Forest

The Devils will have a shot at winning all of these games and to achieve Cutcliffe’s goal of a bowl appearance they will likely have to win all three. Heading to Lawrence will give the Blue Devils their first quality test of the season against a likely top 25 team. NC State, Wake Forest and a November date in Chapel Hill should all help Cut’s in-state recruiting goals if they can find a win.

Dream vs Nightmare Season

For the Blue Devils their dream season is an 8-4 masterpiece by Cutcliffe. Getting the Devils to their first bowl game since Spurrier and putting them squarely in the thick of the ACC Coastal race. Loses to VT, NC State, UNC, GT and Miami appear to be inevitable however, stealing a win from one of those schools while completing their soft non-conference schedule while beating UVA, Wake and Maryland would land the Devils in a heavenly scenario.

On the flipside of the dream scenario is the Blue Devil nightmare. Losing all league games plus contests with FCS Richmond and Kansas would truly set the Blue Devils back into the “loser” stratosphere they’ve inhabited since the departure of Spurrier.

Gorgeous is the new "She-Yot Biatch"

2009-05-26T19:16:00.000-04:00

Folks in the age of blackberries and iPhones (the lamest phone strictly for hippies and poseurs) we've taken this show on the road.

While I'll still be uploading stories from my classic thinkpad there will be plenty of posts coming by the way of my sweet BB curve. There's plenty of great ACC news to breakout and this will let me stay on top like that freshman couple who starts dating during week of welcome and never separates.

Speaking of couples joined at the hip the lovely pseudo-Mrs has moved to Charlotte and in the wake of world's colliding I have been thrown for a loop. Spending Tuesday to re-evaluate my lifestyle has left me with only one conclusion, my blogging must increase to offset my power surge of non-ceremonial alcohol consumption.

Stay tuned for some solid blogging and remember to always make way for ducklings.

ItsFelDER
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2009-05-26T18:59:00.001-04:00

We've just gone mobile with the blog and we'll be bringing, to quote EDSBS, "spicy" updates on a daily basis. It should be a gorgeous affair.

BC and GT Tasked with Filling "BIG" Shoes

2009-03-23T19:16:00.000-04:00

With quarterback battles raging across the country folks forget that football games are won and lost in the trenches. For Boston College and Georgia Tech defensive line play has been a constant over the last couple ACC seasons however, that all changes entering 2009 as the four best defense linemen in the ACC leave campus. BJ Raji and Ron Brace from BC, Vance Walker and Darryl Richard from GT leave massive holes along their respective teams defensive fronts and plugging those holes will be no small task in the spring.

The quarterback is the sexy position. They get all the limelight, all the glory and all of the headlines. They also receive the brunt of the blame, the ridicule and the criticism. So it is no wonder that heading into spring football the quarterback is the position of note for fans and the media alike. Searches and battles at schools like Michigan, Southern Cal, Alabama and Georgia exemplify the feeding of the media’s quarterback frenzy.

Even ACC country is caught up with the battle raging at Clemson between Kyle Parker and Willie Korn. However, second most anticipated ACC battle has left fans quite disappointed. Entering spring folks in Tallahassee were expecting to see Jimbo Fisher’s handpicked recruit EJ Manuel square off against incumbent Christian Ponder but alas this position clash was over before it began with Manuel suffering a dislocated finger on his throwing hand early in spring drills.

While the nation hones in on quarterback battles and who will win the starting jobs the “meatiest” story of the ACC this offseason will be written on the campuses of Georgia Tech and Boston Colleges. Both schools are presented with the same daunting task; replacing the heart, soul and girth of their defenses. Although the hogmollies from the trenches don’t draw the attention that the pretty boys under center command they are every bit as integral to each teams’ winning formula and that is why BC and GT have the biggest shoes to fill in the ACC.

The Georgia Tech duo of Darryl Richard and Vance Walker comprised 583 pounds of man while BJ Raji and Ron Brace accounted for some 663 pounds of the BC front four. Both mammoth numbers in and of themselves the impact of these four players was felt on more than just the scales. Combined the four defensive tackles totaled 136 tackles, 45.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks during the 2008 season. Each of duos were experienced anchors that not only produced tangible statistical numbers but also served a bigger purpose to their respective squads; they freed up the linebackers to flow to ball carriers and make plays unhampered by the oppositions offensive lines.

Not only were these four players the class of their respective teams, combined they were the class of the conference. Vance Walker and BJ Raji taking the two first team All-ACC defensive tackle spots while Brace and Richard occupied the second team slots. Frank Spaziani and Paul Johnson will have to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat in order to replace these defensive stalwarts as neither team is particularly well stocked at the tackle position.

For the Ramblin’ Wreck the post Walker and Richard era has a positive outlook in Ben Anderson and TJ Barnes. Anderson saw plenty of action in reserve duty for both Richard and Walker during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The junior has appeared in eighteen games and brings a capable scrappy attitude to the defensive tackle position. Although a bit undersized at 6’2” and a “svelte” 271 pounds Anderson has accounted for a sack and a couple of tackles for loss. He’ll be counted on by Johnson to be a consistent and productive starter at the defensive tackle position.

While Anderson will be the model of consistency Paul Johnson’s staff stake their defensive line future on the freshman TJ Barnes. Barnes redshirted 2008 and will likely be a four year starter, should he play out all of his eligibility. The 6’7” 325 pound youngster from Enterprise, Alabama will look to take over where Vance Walker left off. He’s an athletic big man with good feet who looks to be fully capable of not only commanding but defeating routine double teams. The Jackets will need Barnes to keep their linebackers clean if they hope to return to their status among the nations top rush (24th, 120.3 ypg) and sack defenses (18th, 34 total, 2.62 per game).

The reigning Atlantic Division Champions 2009 defensive tackle prospects are not quite as clear as their Coastal Division foe. Frank Spaziani and the Eagles lose the girth that elevated his defense to 7th nationally against the run yielding 91.2 ypg and 26th in the sack department by racking up 35 total and 2.5 per game.

Damik Scafe a 6’3”, 293 pound sophomore will be the leader in replacing Brace and Raji. He has some experience including 13 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 quarterback hurry in the 2008 season. Although limited his experience clearly makes him the elder statesmen as the rest of the roster has zero experience on the defensive line.

Bryan Murray and Kaleb Ramsey are the leaders in auditioning for playing time in 2009. Murray is a 6’2”, 292 pound freshman with the physical skill set to be a plug in the middle. On the other hand Ramsey is a talented athlete who played tight end and defensive end in high school. The freshman is listed at 256 pounds making him quite undersized in the ACC but at 6’3” and built wide he has the frame support the weight he needs to be a successful defensive tackle.

The Boston College trio of Scafe, Murray and Ramsey will have to grow up fast as the linebacking core of the Eagles only returns one starter after the Achilles injury to Mike McLaughlin. Inexperienced linebackers coupled with unproven defensive tackles could be a recipe for run defense disaster in Chestnut Hill.

Both the Eagles and the Yellow Jackets have their work cut out for them as they try to replace All-American, All-ACC and elite NFL draft caliber players on their defensive fronts. The fifteen spring practices are the first chance we’ll get to see what Anderson and Barnes will give the ACC’s Coastal Division for the Yellow Jackets, a team expected to be among the nations top fifteen. In the Atlantic Division new headman Frank Spaziani will have to hold open auditions to fill the holes in what once was the seventh best rush defense in the nation.

Scafe and Anderson have proven themselves capable in spots now each will get a chance to be THE MAN instead of just A GUY in the rotation. Out of the young players working to get their first minutes Barnes looks to be the most promising but Murray’s stout build could position him to be a reliable middle defender.

The ACC: 12 Early Questions Entering 2009

2009-03-23T19:07:00.003-04:00

We're kicking off the 2009 season in the spring this year and the ACC looks to be gearing up for a banner year. Watch for routine updates, starting with this introduction to the ACC's spring season.

12) How will the Yellow Jackets respond to the early success?

In Paul Johnson’s first season the Jackets surged out to a very admirable 9-4 record, finishing second in the Coastal Division and showing the nation that the option wasn’t dead; it’d just taken a break from BCS football. Johnson’s young Jacket squad was only learning the option in 2008 in the 2009 season this roster will be peppered with Johnson recruits and anchored by players experienced in running the attack.

With both quarterback Josh Nesbitt and the ACC’s leading rusher Jonathan Dwyer returning the Ramblin’ Wreck possess the nucleus of the nation’s fourth best rushing attack. The key to the spring will be the Jacket’s ability to shore up a defense that lost defense linemen Vance Walker, Darryl Richard and Michael Johnson and their best cover corner Jahi Word-Daniels.

11) Can Jim Grobe replace his first ever “star” class?

Steve Justice and Kenny Moore were drafted in 2008 but 2009’s NFL draft holds the true keys to Wake Forests four year run in the ACC. Aaron Curry, Chip Vaughn and Alphonso Smith are three of the best players to ever step foot on the tiny campus in Winston-Salem and their departure is going to be felt by the Deacon defense....

Replacing Curry, the do everything linebacker along with Smith and Vaughn will be no small task and it will be interesting to see how Grobe’s “a redshirt for everyone” strategy works to fill these positions. The Deac’s offense looks to be ready to hit the ground running in ’09; returning Riley Skinner (QB), Josh Adams (RB) and DJ Boldin (WR) will go along way towards buying time for their defense to gel.

10) Did Gene DiFilipo (after the soap opera) pick a winner?

BC’s not known for drama, they’re a blue collar, hard working school outside of Boston with great academics and a hardnosed, get it done football attitude. However, DiFilipo’s offseason posturing with former Coach Jeff Jagodzinski put the spotlight squarely on the New England campus for a week. When a coach goes 20-8 in two seasons at a middle tier football school it’s expected that he’ll be courted by other, better jobs; what is not expected is for the AD to attempt to strong arm the coach out taking job interviews.

DiFilipo’s bizarre approach to keeping a successful coach ended in Jagz leaving and BC staring down the barrel, scrambling to make a hire to salvage their recruiting class. Enter Frank Spaziani, he’s put in over a decade of work for the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball and he’s a coaching staff, player, fan and campus favorite in Chestnut Hill. He’s finally got his shot at the top spot and now it’s up to him to prove he can extend BC’s consecutive bowl trips to eleven while trying to find a quarterback and a defense to get him there.

9) Will the Terps run their way to a solid Atlantic finish?

Last season the story coming from College Park centered on Darrius Heyward-Bey not getting the football enough due to inconsistent quarterback play from Chris Turner and Jordan Steffy. This season, Turner and Heyward-Bey are gone and the Terps should return all but one offensive lineman. The story now focuses on Steffy handing the ball off to the ACC’s most dynamic running tandem; Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett.

Both showed flashes of brilliance in 2008 but the Terps were too inconsistent to take full advantage of the potent one-two punch. In 2009, with an experienced offensive line and no proven receivers look for the Terps to ride the legs of Meggett and Scott to ACC success. They may not post the gaudy per game numbers of the “run-centric” Georgia Tech offense but they will be a potent attack built to punish defenses in the fourth quarter.

8) What is Thaddeus Lewis going to do without Eron Riley?

Sure if you look at the stats you’ll see that Riley only caught 61 of Lewis’ 224 completions and only 693 of the quarterbacks 2,171 yards or only 27% and 39% of the aforementioned passing statistics. However, take a look closer and you’ll see that Lewis’ go to, speedy receiver accounted for eight of the quarterback’s fifteen touchdown passes. That’s 53% and that number will be a lot harder to replace.

Riley’s 61 catches more than doubled any other Duke receiver’s production so the Devils will turn to receiver by committee. The talented trio of Donovan Varner, Johnny Williams and running back Jay Hollingsworth will have to work together to pick up Riley’s leftovers. Varner, a converted cornerback, showed promise last season snatching 21 catches and showing flashes of athleticism in the open field. If Coach Cut can find a legitimate deep threat he may be able to keep defenses honest and push towards Duke’s first bowl since 1995.

7) Will the massive staff overhaul save Al Groh’s job?

With the exception of Tommy Bowden for obvious reasons, no coach’s seat was hotter during the season than Al Groh’s. The coach lost his job, saved his job then tried to lose his job over the course of the season’s twelve games. At one point the Wahoos were tied for the Coastal lead only to drop their last four games for a 5-7 finish and no bowl appearance.

Groh fired three assistants, two assistants left on their own accord and in the off-season the grizzly veteran has pushed to fill his staff with quality football coaches. He’s added Latrell Scott and Gregg Brandon with the hopes of bolstering his offensive production. Meanwhile long time NFL and college assistant Bob Trott has signed on to coach linebackers and former Kansas State coach Ron Prince is back in Charlottesville to head the special teams units. Will this remodeling of the staff be enough to get Groh a few more years in the land of the Wah-Hoo-Wah?

6) How will Bowden’s ‘Noles handle the added scrutiny?

We all know the Bobby Bowden, truly one of college football’s good guys, will handle the added attention the way he always has, with grace; but how will his young football team respond. The nation’s eye has turned back to Tallahassee for all the wrong reasons following the cheating scandal and NCAA sanctions levied just over a week ago. Just as Christian Ponder was setting up to battle EJ Manuel to retain his starting position the NCAA shine’s their security guard flashlight on the dark underbelly of FSU sports.

Instead of focusing on how the Noles will replace NFL draft bound Everett Brown and the ever present showdown between Bowden and Joe Pa the nation will be poking around the capital trying to dig up more dirt on the Noles. Its been over a decade since the “Crimi-Noles” moniker debuted and once again FSU finds itself between a rock and a hard place; the difference is those “Crimi-Noles” teams were dominating the ACC, this team has yet to prove itself.

5) What is Tom O’Brien going to do with Mike Glennon?

This time a year ago the Wolfpack faithful were raving about their incoming freshman Mike Glennon. The brother of Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon, Mike was the Pack’s ace in the hole, set to enroll in the summer and become the savior of the red and the white. Enter Russell Wilson, 2008’s ACC Rookie of the Year and the quarterback of 2008’s All-ACC team.

O’Brien is the model of consistency, the poster boy for steadiness and uniformity which is why there will likely be no open competition as the Pack enter spring football. The job will be Wilson’s and barring some outrageous Festivus styled “feats of strength” Glennon won’t come close to anything but mop up duty for the Wolfpack. This team rallies around the savvy Wilson and, if he’s healthy all season, the quickly improving Pack have a shot at winning eight, or more, games this season.

4) Can Jacory Harris showcase his talent with Marve out of the picture?

The two quarterback system enacted by offensive coordinator Patrick Nix called for Harris and Robert Marve to alternate series in the first half, never truly allowing either quarterback to truly get into the flow of the game early. Nix is out the door, Mark Whipple is in as the new OC. Marve, after violating team rules, is also out of the door in Coral Gables. It’s time for the Harris show.

Mr. Football in Florida in 2007, the true freshman showed poise in big spots including a comeback win over Virginia and a battle against a ranked Virginia Tech team. He has a live arm, outstanding mobility and a core of talented young receivers. The biggest story will be Harris’ reunion on field Saturdays with his favorite high school target the 6’5” 205 pound wide receiver Tommy Streeter. This dynamic duo looks to connect for big plays as the Canes revamped offense gives Whipple plenty of toys to experiment with.

3) How can the Tar Heels replace Nicks, Foster and Tate?

52 is the number of total receptions that return on the Tar Heels 2009 roster, including tight ends, backs and receivers. 114, is the amount of receptions Nicks, Foster and Tate combined for in 2008; Nicks totaled some 68 receptions on his own. In other words the Heels are inexperienced on the perimeter offensively and leave returning quarterback TJ Yates without a capable, proven, reliable go to receiver. The running game with emerging star Shaun Draughn will be the Tar Heel’s safety net but without a viable pass attack expect opponents to stack the box against the Heels.

Here is where the situation gets dicey: the Heels have Greg Little, a wide receiver, converted to running back, converted back to wide receiver to lead their receiving core but behind him the group totals zero receptions and limited game time. On the bright side the Heels have a bevy of highly touted, big and physical wide outs; sophomore Dwight Jones (6’4” 220 lbs) and freshmen Joshua Adams (6’4” 200 lbs), Todd Harrelson (6’2” 190 lbs) lead the charge as the young men auditioning for the spot opposite Little during the spring.

Looking at the build of UNC’s receiving core is there any doubt that Michael Irvin was one of Davis’ favorite U prospects and Cowboy receiver? It is far too early to anoint any of these talents as Irvin-esque but if they can work to fill Nicks’ shoes (68 rec, 1,222 yds) they will be well on their way to being Davis and UNC’s next big thing.

2) How is “That Boy” going to do in his first full season?

Last season Dabo Swinney inspired the Pickens County campus with his fiery antics including the “Tiger Walk”, kissing Howard’s Rock and the live television berating of a punter who failed to hustle off the field. What is next up for the man from Alabama? Transitioning his second half of the season inspirational novelty act into a full time culture infusion for Tiger Town. The roster is chock full of talent but losing quarterback Cullen Harper, receivers Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham, running back James Davis and the 75% of the secondary make the young ball coach’s job a little tougher.

The first test of the coach will be deciding between Kyle Parker and Willie Korn. Parker was a highly touted two sport recruit who redshirted his freshman season on his way to becoming an All-ACC baseball stand out. Korn, played sparingly as a true freshman in 2007 and saw action in five games in 2008 but entered Clemson as the “savior of Tigerland.” Korn’s plans to start in 2008 were derailed by Harper’s stand out 2007 season and now he finds himself embroiled in a legitimate battle with Parker.

One thing is for certain, Swinney has to make a clear cut decision for 2009. Parker’s baseball could give Korn a leg up but, NCSU’s Russell Wilson was a two sport guy and he’s the reigning first team All-ACC quarterback and Rookie of the Year.

1) Will Frank Beamer’s Hokie squad live up to their lofty expectations?

Gone are the guys who helped carry Beamer’s young team last season. Out are names like Victor “Macho” Harris, Orion Martin and Purnell Sturdivant as well as Sean Glennon who started the season at quarterback for the Hokie-birds. With Glennon out Beamer can finally hand the reins over full time to Tyrod Taylor, the ACC’s most electrifying returning player. The Hokies are slated to open the season as a top ten team, the ACC’s elite and have date with Alabama in the Georgia Dome.

The first key to avoiding “The Great Clemson Embarrassment of 2008” will be VaTech’s offense. Taylor has one of the ACC’s best running backs at his disposal in Darren Evans as well as receivers Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin and Dyrell Roberts; all of whom are sophomores. Experience tight end the mammoth but surprisingly versatile Greg Boone (6’3” 280 lbs) returns as well. On defense VPI will expect safety Kam Chancellor, corner Stephen Virgil and linebacker Cam Martin to stabilize an experienced and deep core.

Dyrell Robers, who smashed every VT freshman return record in 2008, will be back to wreak havoc on cover teams as the Hokies look to get back to playing Beamer Ball. With all the pieces in place the September 5th date with a young Tide team could be the Hokie’s national coming out party.

We're Back!!

2009-03-14T14:57:00.002-04:00

Its spring football season ladies and if you're a junky like I am this is one of the most underrated times of the year for you. Message boards are going full throttle, folks are speculating about who will start where and the handful of early entry kids get a chance to impress us with their skills. There are only fifteen spring practices but they get scrutinized like each one is a game in a season running between March and April.

There are some interesting story lines heading into the ACC spring and as your home for everything that is the ACC we'll keep you posted on all the key news brewing up and down the eastern seaboard. We're looking forward to another great season both on the podcast and the website.

Stay tuned for some very exciting podcast and website news for your host Michael Felder.

FFM2M Podcast Week 11

2008-11-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

To listen to the podcast Click Here

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

2008-11-04T17:15:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-04T16:48:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-29T17:00:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-29T15:17:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-28T16:30:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-23T12:44:00.008-04:00

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

2008-10-22T15:09:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-22T14:47:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-15T15:59:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-15T15:38:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-08T15:57:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-08T15:36:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-03T09:59:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-01T10:09:00.006-04:00

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

2008-09-23T13:41:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-14T16:44:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-13T06:50:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-10T18:13:00.006-04:00

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

2008-09-10T05:33:00.006-04:00

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

2008-09-09T10:56:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-08T09:26:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-30T08:53:00.004-04:00

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?

2008-08-30T08:42:00.007-04:00

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.

“Coach, how much longer can you keep Chris Smelley on the bench?”
“Coach, I know we’re watching the same game. Why haven’t you thrown your visor?”
“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...

2008-08-29T08:45:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-28T18:28:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-27T12:50:00.008-04:00

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...