SB Nation - Rich Gunnell

Headlines: Eagles 14, Cavaliers 10

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:43:51 -0000

Brian: I’ve finally had a chance to watch the Virginia game on replay on ESPN 360. I want my 2 hours back. It wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day it’s a win. In an ugly affair, the Eagles were able to stop Virginia on 4th and 1 just inches short of the first down marker to preserve the win. Let’s start with the "bend but don’t break" approach to the Cavaliers final drive. Now I know that this has been a calling card of the Frank Spaziani/Bill McGovern defensive era, but the Cavalier offense hadn't moved the ball that effectively all season. Man coverage had worked all game and the Virginia offense was only to manage 3 points against the BC defense. The Eagles were obviously able to get the win, but do you like the decision to switch to soft zone coverage late in the fourth quarter? Or was the final drive a little too close to comfort?

Jeff: The final was too close for comfort but for that, I blame the offense, not the defense. What you forget to mention in your quick synopsis of the game, for those who didn't see it, is that if Virginia had converted that 4th down then BC they still would have only had 0:16 left to get in the endzone. I really don't have any problems with the defense that the Eagles played in the end. Ideally, the Eagles would've gotten one more first down on the previous possession to melt the clock away a little more or completely. And to go back further than that, the Eagles should've scored more than 14 points all day. First, Shinskie throws a bad pick in the endzone on the opening possession after BC moved the ball at will down the field. Then, Colin Larmond Jr. had a long touchdown pass placed in his hands that he just dropped. That was easily the worst drop of the season and Boston College should have scored more than 14 points Saturday. They probably should've put up 28 or more. If they had, Virginia had no chance of keeping pace.

Brian: This was a game of inches, writes the Washington Post. Virginia QB Jameel Sewell wasn’t happy with the spot of the Cavaliers final offensive play.

The play that left the Cavaliers irritated was Sewell's run, which came on a fourth and one with 26 seconds remaining at the Boston College 12-yard line. Virginia had already brought the ball 67 yards without a timeout, but it needed just 12 more to win the game and one more to keep the drive alive.

The play was a designed pass, with Sewell in the shotgun. As Sewell dropped back and quickly scanned the field, he spotted an open lane -- not an open receiver. Sewell figured he could pick up the first down and the Cavaliers would have a few shots at the end zone. The plan was stymied by Boston College defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey near the line of scrimmage. There appeared to be brief confusion about the spot. A measurement was called, and the Cavaliers came a few chain lengths short.

"I thought I had it," Sewell said. "Looks can be deceiving."

In your opinion, did he get the first down?

Jeff: As I was watching I never doubted that the Eagles had stopped him short. I know my eyes are biased but the play was reviewed and stood so I think they got it right.

Brian: On offense, what was up with the playcalling in the third quarter? The Eagles got away from the running game in the third, with Montel Harris only carrying the ball 3 times for 6 yards. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles got back to the running game to wrap up the win. Harris finished with 151 yards on 38 carries. Why get away from the running game in the third quarter when it was so successful the other three quarters?

Jeff: Did you see all the dropped passes leading up to the Shinskie interception? People always talk about how some quarterbacks throw a catchable ball. Supposedly Matt Ryan throws a very catchable ball. I've never been running a route and tried to catch a Matt Ryan pass vs. a Michael Vick pass but to me watching on TV, the Shinskie passes look more like Matt Ryan passes than Michael Vick passes. However, our receivers are just not helping out Shinskie and the team at all. Anyway, the passing game was working on paper. Receivers were open often but they just were not catching the ball or Shinskie wasn't scanning the field quick enough. Surprisingly, I was not too upset with playcalling Saturday, largely just execution.

Brian: You mention Shinskie. Shinskie didn’t have a good game. He didn’t necessarily have a bad game either. His receivers certainly left him out to dry a little bit, including the dropped TD pass to Colin Larmond Jr. you mentioned earlier. Not sure if it’s a lack of chemistry between Shinskie and the receivers, but this receiving corps was touted in the preseason as one of the best in the conference and they are straight up dropping passes they shouldn’t. Next year the Eagles lose three senior receivers to graduation - Rich Gunnell, Justin Jarvis and Clarence Megwa. Looking ahead to next season, are you at all concerned that this trend of dropped passes will continue with the loss of a good number of receivers to graduation?

Jeff: You bring up the chemistry thing and maybe that is a factor. If it is though, that is an area that should improve leaps and bounds after Shinskie goes through spring and summer workouts with the team. Even though Shinskie is a true freshman and other true freshman have started at other colleges before, it is still rare for a guy who was so late in the recruiting process to come on and start. Maybe the chemistry thing is a big issue. Regardless, I am not too worried about next year because the senior receivers have been a little disappointing this year ... Rich Gunnell included.

Breaking Down The ACC's New Bowl Lineup and the Big Finish

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:52:09 -0000

Brian: Yesterday, the ACC announced their new bowl lineup for the 2010-2013 seasons. Let us break it down in table format:

Order	Bowl	Location	Opponent
1	Orange	Miami, FL	TBD
2	Peach	Atlanta, GA	SEC
3	Champs Sports	Orlando, FL	Big East #2 / Notre Dame
4	Sun	El Paso, TX	Pac-10
5	Meineke Car Care	Charlotte, NC	Big East
6	Music City	Nashville, TN	SEC
7	Independence	Shreveport, LA	Mountain West
8	EagleBank	Washington, DC	C-USA / Navy / Army / Big 12
9*	Emerald	San Francisco, CA	Pac-10 / WAC / Army or Navy

Gone are the Gator Bowl and the GMAC Bowl. Additionally, if the ACC has nine bowl eligible teams, they have a conditional agreement with the Emerald Bowl to send the #9 ACC selection to San Francisco if either of the bowl’s primary partners aren’t bowl eligible. I personally think that is a good deal for the ACC and better than any pizza bowl or car financing bowl that has served as the ACC bowl safety valve in the past. The Emerald Bowl typically has a decent Pac-10 team that usually draws local fans and schools like BC have a lot of alumni living on the West Coast. I enjoyed going to this bowl in 2003 vs. Colorado State and am glad to see it still in the rotation, if even on a conditional basis.

Love the new ACC bowl lineup? Hate it? Your thoughts?

Jeff: I don't hate it. I love the addition of the Sun Bowl in the #4 slot but I am not exactly thrilled that the Champs Bowl moved up. It essentially just became the Gator Bowl since they're taking a Big East / Notre Dame team in the future and I'd personally much rather watch a game at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium than the Citrus Bowl which is a dump. I was also hoping that in reshuffling the ACC #3 wouldn't be playing a Big East team and could get a high Big Ten team or a decent Big 12 team maybe.

Brian: The lack of Big Ten and Big 12 opponents is definitely something that jumps out at me. Even though the Gator Bowl's bowl tie-ins were ridiculously complicated and hard to understand, at least the ACC had the possibility of playing a Big 12 opponent two out of every four years. Now the best and only shot the ACC has at drawing a Big 12 opponent is the 2013 EagleBank Bowl where the ACC will put up its #8 selection. Try to hold back your excitement.

Jeff: I do like that the Meineke Car Care Bowl jumped the Music City Bowl. The Music City Bowl gets a bad SEC team. And by bad I mean one with a bad record like last year's 6-6 Vanderbilt team.

I also like the addition of the Independence Bowl and its bowl tie-in with the #3 Mountain West team. The MWC will send BYU, TCU, Utah, or Air Force more often than not. I think that's a perfect arrangement for the #7 ACC team to get real excited about each year.

Brian: I'm not thrilled with the addition of the Independence Bowl, but given that this replaces the GMAC Bowl, I guess I'm ok with it. The Mountain West is a better conference tie-in than Conference-USA (for the GMAC Bowl), but Shreveport, Louisiana instead of Mobile, Alabama? Why does it feel like we are going backwards in terms of desirable bowl locations? Also, while I appreciate that the (surely to be renamed) Advocare 100 Independence Bowl has more history than, say, the newly formed EagleBank Bowl, it would have been nice to see the conference reward the EagleBank bowl by moving it up in the bowl pecking order. Even in December, I would imagine a trip to Washington DC is a better reward for a 6-6 season than heading to Shreveport.

Jeff: Any year that the ACC gets two teams into the BCS this agreement is perfect because then it's really the #5 team going to Charlotte and #4 team headed to Orlando. But if we only get one team into the BCS as has been the norm lately, I think the #3 team deserves better than a game against a Big East team several days before New Years Day.

Brian: One final thing that I do like about this deal is there is much less ambiguity as to the bowl pecking order. Under the previous deal, you had a strange #5/#6/#7 arrangement with the Music City, Meineke Car Care and the Emerald Bowl. This arrangement has been replaced with a much clearer order. The ACC runner-up can now no longer fall past the #4 spot (Sun Bowl), instead of the #5 spot (Music City), which is also a welcome addition. If the ACC runner-up falls in the bowl selection order, they are at least rewarded with a bowl against a quality Pac-10 opponent, instead of a crappy SEC opponent in the Music City Bowl.

Big Finish

Brian: Josh Haden speaks out about his decision to transfer from BC. He’s ruled out transferring to an ACC school or a I-AA school. Your best guest as to where he’ll land?

Jeff: Sounds like he's looking for a party school. Arizona State.

Jeff: Rich Gunnell is 236 yards shy of setting the all-time BC receiving record. With 3 regular season games and 1-2 postseason games, does Gunnell get it done?

Brian: This one will be close. He is averaging over 63 yards per game and the Eagles basically have 4 guaranteed games left. But I'll confidently go over. Maybe he even gets all 236 against Maryland.

Brian: The men’s basketball team tips off the 2009-10 basketball season with an exhibition against St. Michael’s on Sunday. Chances St. Michael’s pulls a LeMoyne on BC?

Jeff: 0.25%. That's 1 in 400 for the non-mathematicians.

Jeff: Clemson has already sold out 3 basketball games for this upcoming season. The two obvious sell outs are Duke and North Carolina but the third is (surprise) Boston College. Surprised by the ticket demand for this early January game?

Brian: Surprised? Maybe just a little bit. That's great news for both Clemson and BC.

Brian: Papa Samba Ndao, a five-star, ESPNU 150 power forward recruit from Senegal ($), verballed to BC yesterday. You excited?

Jeff: It's always good to recruit a big man that sounds pretty athletic.

Jeff: Number 2 seeded women’s soccer outlasted Virginia 3-2 in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals of the ACC women’s soccer tournament. Isn’t it high time we give the women’s team some DAP?

Brian: Absolutely. Good luck to the women today as they face North Carolina in the semifinals.

Brian: Last one, BC is off this week, but there is still a pretty important ACC football game being played this weekend in your neck of the woods. Let’s hear a prediction. Who ya got? What’s the final score?

Jeff: I have mentioned several times in the last 4 or 5 weeks that I still think Florida State will get to 5-3 in conference and I'm not backing down from that. I'll say 30-24 FSU wins.

Pick 5

Brian: I've been on a tear of epic proportions the past few weeks (14-1 in my last 3 weeks). This undoubtedly means that I'll go 1-4 or 2-3 this week. All good things must come to an end, right?

Maryland at NC State (-6.5)
Troy (-24) at Western Kentucky
Vanderbilt at Florida (-35)
Duke (+10) at North Carolina
Oklahoma (-4.5) at Nebraska

Jeff:

Navy (+12.5) at Notre Dame
Central Florida at Texas (-34.5)
LSU (+7.5) at Alabama
Wake Forest (+14) at Georgia Tech
Florida State (+9.5) at Clemson

Headlines: Eagles 31, Chippewas 10

Brian @ BCI — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:29:02 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Thomas Claiborne is very excite!! (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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Due to a DVR malfunction (or was it a regional blackout?), Jeff didn't get to watch this week's Central Michigan game. So you are left with my thoughts on the game.

10/31/2009 - Boston College 31, Central Michigan 10 - 6-3 (3-2 ACC)

"Bend but don't break." It has been the calling card of the Frank Spaziani era at Boston College. The Eagles defense did just that in the first half and bought the offense enough time to wake up and put some scoring drives together in the second and third quarters. At halftime, it appeared that Central Michigan was going to give BC all it could handle. Chippewa Dan LeFevour finished the first half going 17-of-27 for 135 yards. The Chippewa offense crossed the 50 yard line three times in the first half only to punt the ball away shortly thereafter. It seemed like the Eagles defense ceded LeFevour some yards through the air in favor of keeping him contained in the pocket and limiting the damage LeFevour could inflict on the ground. LeFevour gained only 24 yards on 9 carries at half.

I thought the defense put in a solid performance on Saturday. Luke Kuechly continues to impress and put in another double-digit tackle day. As a unit, two statistics immediately jumped out at me during the ESPNU telecast. One was that the Eagles are 2nd in the country with the most interceptions by a defense since 2000. The Eagles have intercepted the ball 177 times, second only to Virginia Tech (185) and 5 ahead of Oklahoma. That is some fine company to be in. The other statistic is that the Eagles haven't allowed the opponent to score in the third quarter for three consecutive games going back to the NC State game. While a lineup of NC State, Notre Dame and Central Michigan isn't necessarily a murderers row, these teams have enough offensive weapons to consider this a pretty fine accomplishment. Whatever Spaz and McGovern are telling this team at halftime, it seems to be working.

On offense, it took a half of football to cure the Notre Dame hangover and really get the ball moving. Shinskie had trouble hooking up with wide open receivers on long routes early in the game, including missing a wide open Justin Jarvis, Colin Larmond Jr and Clyde Lee III. All three routes could (should?) have ended with touchdown passes. Shinskie's decision making is slowly getting better, but as Spaz likes to point out, the offense is still very much a "work in progress." Rich Gunnell had another huge day, catching 8 balls for 134 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully, Shinskie can spread the ball around more and find other receivers in the Eagles final three regular season games. No other receiver had more than 2 catches. Montel Harris responded well to the departure of Josh Haden, finishing with 136 yards and 2 touchdowns in the victory. He hit the holes well and the Bazooka formation was also effective.

Finally, from the department of overplayed story lines. While I am happy for Steve Aponavicius for breaking the BC all-time scoring record (his 267 points breaks PK Brian Lowe's career mark of 262 (1986-89), to make this the lead-in for this game recap would be missing the lead. Besides, these type of records usually always go to kickers, and as circumstances would have it with stud recruit kickers flaking or being kicked off the team, Aponavicius has had the opportunity to be the Eagles field goal kicker for the last 3 1/2 seasons. Again, congrats to Aponavicius, but the overall takeaways from this game should be the Eagles defense limiting LeFevour and the Chippewa offense to 10 points, and Shinskie, Harris and Gunnell keeping the offense humming for an impressive 31-10 victory.

The Eagles have the week off to regroup, get healthy and prepare for the final ACC push, starting with a trip to Charlottesville on November 14.

Headlines: Luck of the Irish Runs Out On Eagles, Lose To Notre Dame 20-16

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:14:18 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Harris and Claiborne sit on the bench in the closing seconds of the Notre Dame game. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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10/24/2009 - Notre Dame 20, Boston College 16 - 5-3 (3-2 ACC)

Brian: The toughest part of losing this past weekend was that this was a very winnable game for BC. Nothing against the Irish, but this year’s Notre Dame isn’t that much improved from last season’s 7-6 record. As I said going into the game, Notre Dame has played bad teams late into the fourth quarter, and that’s a sign of deeper issues. Still, you can’t expect to win when you turn the ball over 5 times. A few less costly mistakes and the Eagles take this game easily.

Let’s start with the play of Dave Shinskie. His three interceptions were all poor decisions but Shinskie also had flashes of brilliance. Shinskie had nine passes of 20 or more yards going into the third quarter, and was able to get the ball to Rich Gunnell for a career day (10 catches, 179 yards, 1 TD). What did you like and what didn’t you like from Dave Shinskie on Saturday?

Jeff: Until almost the end of the 3rd quarter, Shinskie had a spectacular day. He threw the ball well down the field a threw it away a few times when necessary. But, unfortunately, as you might expect when you start throwing the ball downfield, you might be taking some risks that you'll ultimately pay for. For the first 43 minutes of the game there is really nothing bad I have to say about Shinskie's play and he proved that he is our quarterback of the future despite the loss. In a game where we didn't know if the team would show up flat on the road once again, the team certainly did anything but that. Despite not scoring early, they at least were moving the ball and giving the defense a little rest which they had not done in previous road games. Once Montel Harris fumbled on the 2 yard line and the game was put in Shinskie's hands to win for us since we could not run the ball at all Saturday, things changed. Shinskie forced a few balls to Gunnell that led to some of the INTs, and he also wasn't helped by a crucial Gunnell drop, and some busted first down plays like a wildcat formation with Harris and an attempted screen pass to Harris. Once it was Shinskie's game to win or lose for us, he should've been given all three downs to make something happen rather than being set up with 2nd and more than 10. A 3 interception day is bad and I'm not happy with several of Shinskie's throws, but this had more the feeling of a Matt Ryan day with 3 TOs than a Chris Crane day where you kinda just have to take the bad with the good. For a true freshman that didn't play football last year, how can you be too disappointed?

Brian: I don't think you can be too disappointed with Shinskie's play. Although I think having watched true freshmen Tate Forcier and Matt Barkley hold on to defeat the Irish, we may have been a little spoiled into thinking our freshman QB could pull out the victory as well. Who had a better game in your opinion? Shinskie or Clausen?

Jeff: Shinskie had the better game. No question. Our offense was one dimensional and two of the three interceptions came when we were trailing late.

Brian: Let’s move to the defense’s performance. While the Eagles were able to hold the Irish to 20 points of offense, the Eagles played soft coverage on the outside and Jimmy Clausen was able to exploit this weakness. Clausen finished the game 26-of-39 for 246 yards, but most of those passes were short outs to his receivers. Golden Tate’s game-winning touchdown was only a 10 yard out. The Eagles also gave up big chunks of yardage to Irish running back Armando Allen Jr. who came just two yards shy of eclipsing 100 yards rushing on the day. What did you like about the Eagles defensive effort? Where do you want to see improvement?

Jeff: Well the improvement area is obvious because it was the predictable area of weakness going into the season and has so far lived up (or down) to expectations - the front 4. We continue to not get pressure on the quarterback with a 4 man rush ever and running backs can get through the line nearly every time before being tackled by a linebacker. As far as what I liked is that people stepped up and made some plays whether it was a pass breakup, making an open field tackle, or forcing a holding call. There were numerous Notre Dame plays that could've turned out to be big plays or touchdowns that were stopped.

Brian: My absolute favorite play on the day was when Marty Bowman destroyed second string running back Robert Hughes on 4th and goal from the 1. That was definitely a curious play call from Weis, opting to go with the Wildcat with your second string running back ... and having your Heisman candidate quarterback on the sideline. The Eagles goal line stand was definitely one of the highlights on the day. My game ball goes to Bowman for putting a hurting on Hughes and watching him collapse right before the goal line. Who was your player of the game?

Jeff: Well you stole the obvious one. I would probably go with Bowman as well, especially since that was not the only play he made Saturday. My second choice for player of the game is Rich Gunnell. Even after he had had a great day statistically and Notre Dame was paying special attention to him, he converted a 4th and 18 pass from Shinskie. Gunnell is definitely one of the players of the game.

Brian: Speaking of Gunnell, apparently he and Jimmy Clausen got into it after the game. Clausen apparently bumped into Justin Jarvis pre-game and then when Clausen came out to congratulate the Eagles, Rich Gunnell wasn’t having any of this. You like the fire/swagger displayed by Gunnell?

Jeff: No comment. It happened seconds after the end of a tight rivalry game. They may or may not have had choice words for each other.

Brian: The good news for the Eagles is the loss has no impact on this team’s primary goal - winning the ACC Atlantic Division title and making a third straight appearance in the league title game. BC’s hopes of winning the Atlantic Division did take a minor hit, however, as Clemson outlasted Miami (Fla.) 40-37 in overtime. Both the Eagles and Tigers now have three division games remaining, with Clemson holding the head-to-head tiebreakers over the Eagles.

Boston College (3-2)
at Virginia
North Carolina
at Maryland

Clemson (3-2)
Florida State
at NC State
Virginia

It’s looking like a two horse race down the stretch in the Atlantic. Handicap the ACC Atlantic Division race from here on out.

Jeff: Clemson may very well be a better team than Boston College this year and they certainly looked like it on the field when we traveled to Death Valley earlier this season. However, right now both teams need to win out to go to Tampa and the Eagles have slightly more winnable games. We saw what Virginia is made of Saturday when they finally played a decent opponent. North Carolina is still winless in the ACC. Finally, Maryland just lost to Duke.

Clemson, on the other hand, has to play Florida State and travel to Raleigh. According to the cbssports.com 120, Florida State is the highest ranked team left either Clemson or Boston College plays and Clemson plays them while BC plays North Carolina. We both play Virginia and then I'd certainly rather be BC and traveling to Maryland than Clemson traveling to NC State as their third matchup.

Eagle Eye For Notre Dame Guys: Q&A With BC Interruption

CW — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:32:43 -0000

More photos » by Ethan Hyman - AP

2 months ago: Boston College's Montel Harris runs past North Carolina States' Rashard Smith for a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Ethan Hyman)

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Brian and Jeff from our newish Boston College SBNation counterpart BC Interruption were kind enough to answer some questions regarding Saturday's game. They're doing a really nice job over there, so check it out leading up to and after this year's version of BC vs. ND.

Is there any way to explain the schizophrenic nature of this Boston College team? A young team attempting to find a quarterback? A solid squad that had a bad game in Blacksburg? Dissociative identity disorder?

Brian: I think the Eagles schizophrenia can be easily explained in one simple stat. The Eagles are 5-0 at home and 0-2 on the road. But more than that, remember this is a very young team that had to fill a ton of holes this offseason, including, but not limited to, a head coach, an offensive and defensive coordinator, two behemoth nose tackles, two star linebackers and their only starting quarterback who had any in-game experience. This, however, shouldn't take away from the outstanding performances that both the Clemson and Virginia Tech defenses turned in.

For the Clemson game, this team simply wasn't prepared to go into such a hostile environment that early in the season. We also went into week 3 with a lot of ambiguity about who our starting quarterback would be. For the Virginia Tech game, we simply got outclassed on both sides of the ball and QB Dave Shinskie had a hard time reading the stifling Hokie defense.

Overall, I'd say this squad is a solid team: that is to say, the best of the worst in the Atlantic Division this season.

David Shinskie hasn't had a great season so far, but the Irish defense is going to do their best to thrust him into the Heisman discussion. Can you give me a list of speedy receivers and big, athletic tight ends that will be running free through our secondary?

Jeff: Colin Larmond Jr. is a sophomore wide receiver that seems to big making a lot of big plays for us. Despite not being a starter, he leads the team with 4 touchdown receptions and averages over 20 yards per catch. Larmond Jr. has some speed but is also a big target at 6' 3". Typically though when you think of speed, you think of our senior, Rich Gunnell, who leads the team in receptions but is not a very big target. Gunnell was a favorite target of Matt Ryan but this year his numbers could be better if he hadn't dropped several very catchable balls already this season. As far as tight ends go, we don't seem to be throwing to them as much as we have under previous OC Steve Logan but Chris Pantale, a redshirt freshman has surprisingly become the starting TE and is third on the team in catches.

Montel Harris: great back, good back with an extraordinary game or something else? What more well known running back does he remind you of, and what sort of plays do the Eagles generally run with him?

Brian: Montel Harris is a good back that, on occasion, has extraordinary games. The last two seasons, he has had two monster games against Florida State. Last season he rattled off 121 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and this year he topped that with 179 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries. However, as a Jacksonville native, Harris needs no additional motivation when playing the Seminoles. Harris absolutely embarrassed the NC State defense this past Saturday, breaking the school record for rushing yards (264) and rushing touchdowns (5). Unlike his predecessors, Harris is rarely used in the passing game on outs and screen passes. Harris is our feature back but you will likely find him lined up behind the QB. We did throw a different look at opponents this year earlier in the season when we had both Harris and running back Josh Haden in as split backs, but with Haden's injury, Notre Dame probably won't see this look. Harris is usually lined up as a tailback when the quarterback comes out of the shotgun and you'll see a lot of delayed handoffs to Harris from that formation. Also you'll probably see Harris come out of the Wildcat (BC calls it the Bazooka) although he hasn't been a threat to pass.

As for which well-known running back Harris reminds me of (great question, by the way!), that is certainly a tough one. After last week, I'd say the Miami Dolphins' Ronnie Brown when Harris was running the Wildcat offense, but Brown has a good 30-40 pounds of Harris. Plus Brown is much more of a power running - a la his Clemson days - than Harris. Since I'm a NY Giants fan, I'll go with Harris most resembling Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw. Both are nearly identical in height and weight (5'10", 196 pounds) and both are shifty backs that stay low to the ground, find the holes, make guys miss and explode for big yardage.

Riley Skinner and Christian Ponder both had solid games against the Boston College defense. What sort of personnel and scheme will Jimmy Clausen be seeing on Saturday?

Jeff: I hope I don't know the answer to this question because I hope that the coaches have a new scheme up their sleeves that might actually get a little pressure on the quarterback. Other opposing QBs have been able to have success by stretching the field a little with the hours and hours of time they have to sit in the pocket. Our secondary is pretty good but no matter how good you are you can only cover receivers for so long. Look for a lot of blitzing from everywhere Saturday in an effort to not let Clausen just sit back there all day. Our front four alone will not get much pressure on your QB by themselves.

And finally, what's your prediction?

Brian: I typically defer our divine college football predictions to Jeff, so I'll let him take the reins here and answer this question.

Jeff: I'm so torn on my prediction here. In the preseason I had us losing to NC State and beating Notre Dame to be 5-3 after Saturday, so I should still be predicting a win, but I can't forget how horribly we've played on the road so far this season. Notre Dame is not as good as Virginia Tech so I don't think the same kind of disaster is possible in South Bend, but Notre Dame is a good team and it will be a hostile environment. I'll dodge the question slightly and give a qualified prediction. If BC fails to gain at least 25 yards on their first two offensive possessions, they will lose 31-17. If BC gains more than 25 yards on its first two possessions combined, BC wins 31-23 where BC is up 2 scores for a significant portion of the game. Either way I do not expect a nail biter this week.

2009 Virginia Tech Football: What to Watch vs. Boston College

furrer4heisman — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

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The Team

We are going to learn a lot more about this Virginia Tech team these next two weeks. Whatever the Hokies are will come out against Boston College at Georgia Tech. I'm interested to see how the defense performs against the Eagles and how the offense performs against the Yellow Jackets.
The only complete game we've seen this year was against Miami in a torrential downpour. I want to see the Hokies do that in a game in normal conditions. These next two weeks would be a great time for them to do it.
I seriously doubt the Hokies are going to win the rest of their games. And if they're going to have a bad week and drop a conference game, I'd rather it come against an Atlantic Division team like Boston College than a team that is going to contend for the Coastal Division like Georgia Tech.

Virginia Tech Offense vs. Boston College Defense

Unlike previous years, the strength of the BC defense is its secondary. The defensive line was already missing Ron Brace and BJ Raji from graduation. Now its key defensive end, Alex Albright, is hobbled by an ankle injury. We'll find out if he'll play when the injury reports are released Thursday. Right now Brad Newman is listed as a starter instead of Albright. The linebacking corps is without Mark Herzlich and other key members have been injured this year as well.
But the BC secondary has been big for the Eagles. Led by CB DeLeon Gause and Donnie Fletcher, the Eagles are allowing 6.2 YPA this year, but 7.6 YPA in conference games against Clemson, Wake Forest and Florida State.
The key for Virginia Tech on offense will be the running game. If BC can force passing downs, Tyrod Taylor will have to throw against a secondary that returned five interceptions for touchdowns last season.
If the Hokies do have success through the air, it will be over the middle against BC's linebackers. Look for Greg Boone to have a decent game.
I think Taylor and Ryan Williams will be able to find yards outside of the tackle box. When Taylor is forced to throw, I hope he'll tuck and run rather than try to force something against the BC secondary. Last year, he had 110 yards rushing against the Eagles.
The Hokies were limited in the first game against BC last season because they weren't able to get yards on the ground. Darren Evans was still coming into his own and was stymied by Raji and Brace. He averaged 1.6 yards per carry in that game. However, I think Williams will be able to find running room to the outside that wasn't there against Duke. And if Josh Oglesby can get yards going North-South to complement Williams, it will be a long day for BC.

Virginia Tech Defense vs. Boston College Offense

The Hokies will have success against the Eagles if they are able to get pressure on David Shinskie. Shinskie has been great the last two weeks since taking over at quarterback for Justin Tuggle. Shinskie threw for 431 yards and five touchdowns against Wake and FSU. If the Hokies can't get heat on him, he'll be able to pick the Hokies apart.
Tech is still giving up big plays through the air and that's something Shinskie and the Eagles can do if Jason Worilds and Cody Grimm don't get to him. Last season the Hokies gave up big plays through the air that cost them.
Kam Chancellor and Dorian Porch need to avoid big plays like they did in the Miami game. Boston College has two solid receivers in Rich Gunnell, who is the active leader in catches in the ACC, and Justin Jarvis has been improving each week along with Shinskie.
Stopping BC's run game will be equally difficult. BC's offensive line struggled early, but improved the last two weeks in home games against Wake and FSU. I think Montel Harris will see a lot of success running against Virginia Tech. The Hokies' defensive tackles have yet to step up and have a big game and I think we'll see more of the same this week, even with John Graves closer to 100 percent. I think Harris will become the fourth running back to have a 100 yard game against the Hokies this year.

Outcome

Harris will be the reason this game is close. But Shinskie and BC's struggle on the road combined with Virginia Tech's advantage on special teams is why it will win.

Watch the Box Score For

Virginia Tech Sacks
Turnovers
Montel Harris Rushing Yards
Virginia Tech Rushing Average

Virginia Tech Players to Watch

34 - Ryan Williams, Fr., RB
8 - Greg Boone, Sr., TE
6 - Jason Worilds, Jr., DE
22 - Stephan Virgil, Sr., CB

Boston College Players to Watch

15 - David Shinskie, Fr., QB
2 - Montel Harris, So., RB
34 - Mike McLaughlin, Sr., LB
9 - DeLeon Gause, Jr., CB

Final Score

Virginia Tech 23, Boston College 20

The Preview: Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles

FSUncensored — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:50:44 -0000

Gametime is 3:30, on ABC or ESPN. How do you know which network to watch? I have you covered:

The TomahawkNation forecast indicates an 80% chance of a lot of rain, with temps in the upper 60's to the lower 70's. Wet.

Be here for the Tomahawk Nation livegamethread!

The preview awaits you. It is here to consume the rest of your day.

This summer, I wrote a preview of BC's defense. Unless you've been reading us for a while, you probably don't understand just how good BC's defense was last season. So read it.

Here's the part I want to highlight, my prediction.

BC plays a read and react defense under defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani (now the head coach), which means they rarely blitz. Spaziani is highly thought of as a defensive coordinator and is very detail oriented. He has always done a nice job of adapting his scheme to his personnel. And this year he has quite the task on his hands with the loss of his 3 best players (by far). BC returns only 5 starters on defense, and none of those 5 are projected NFL selections. To say that the talent has dropped off would be a huge understatement. It's highly doubtful that BC's defense will come close to what it did last season. Let's see what they bring back...

Defensive Line & Linebackers (The "Front 7")

Gone are the big boys we discussed above. BC doesn't have the ability to replace them. The best of this group is tackle Damik Scafe (6-3, 293, Jr.). He played a bit last year and will probably play in the NFL eventually, though he's an obvious dropoff from last year. The other tackle is tackle Kaleb Ramsey (6-3, 256, Soph.) Young and obviously not very strong, he's a major liability and most teams will be able to run on him.

While BC has major questions at tackle, they are considerable better off at defensive end. Austin Giles (6-3, 283, Sr.) will battle Alex Albright 6'2" 250 could also get the nod. At the other end, Jim Ramella (6-4, 243, Sr.) is a very solid player. These guys are good, but not great, and won't come close to having the impact that the two interior guys had last year. In fact, they could regress as teams focus on them and not the interior guys.

At linebacker, the Eagles are a mess. They lost Herzlich and he obviously isn't replacable. They also lost Robert Francois (6'2" 255), and Middle Linebacker Mike McLaughlin (6'0" 252) will try to return from tearing his Achilles back in March, but even if he does come back, he'll be quite rusty. Trying to replace Herzlich is sophomore Dominick LeGrande 6'2" 200 (yes, 200). He's not ready, but has to play anyways because of Herzlich's absence. LeGrande played safety last year. Sophomore Will Thompson (6'1" 235) will replace McLaughlin if he can't go. He has impressed people but is not as good as the guy he will be asked to replace. At the other position will be one of two redshirt freshmen in 6'3" 217lb Nick Clancy or 6'3" 222lb Alexander Disanzo.

These guys are much smaller, much less experienced, much less talented, and much younger. There's a huge dropoff for BC's defensive line and linebackers.

So BC's front-7 did weigh 1902lbs. This year, they will weigh in at 1711bs. That's a huge dropoff of 191lbs! No team in the country that I could find had this significant a dropoff, and nobody else was even close. That's to say nothing of the talent they lost (regardless of size), which they can't replace this season.

So 1711lbs combined in their front 7. Why does this matter? FSU's run game destroys small front 7's.

So, I was close, but I need to make a few changes. Giles is starting at DT, not Ramsey. McLaughlin is back and starting, though I was not impressed with him against Wake. He pressed too much. FSU also needs to make sure to exploit him in coverage, because he is not agile to put it mildly. LeGrande is their best linebacker, but he missed the Wake game with a concussion and is expected to return.

In any case, 1743lbs is their new weight, which is still 159lbs lighter than they were last year. Frequent readers will remember that I thought FSU could run on BYU because of their diminutive front-7 (under 1750lbs), and run the Noles did. USF's front-7 was decently sized at 1818lbs , but very very talented, and paired with a poor performance from FSU's line, the run game wasn't there. I won't say that BC's front-7 is as bad as BYU's, but they are nowhere close to USF's, or Miami's for that matter.

But so far this year, they have done a nice job stopping the run. Most of that work was done with the extra safety, however, and that comes with some consequences. BC's defense is really well coached. Spaziani is a great defensive coach. BC's guys know they have to take chances, but that comes at a cost. BC plays a lot of zone defense, with 8 in the box, and that leaves them exposed to big plays when their guys jump routes. As I discuss a bit below, Wake did exploit them some. Clemson, however, could not because their wide receivers are wildly undisciplined, dropped balls, and most importantly, because their offensive line is pretty bad and BC didn't really need 8 in the box to stop them. Wake's run game has been terrible for almost half a decade, and they still loaded the box and allowed 1st down passing.

Here's some notes from the Wake game:

Dr. Saturday Wrote:

B.C. controlled the vast majority of this game, moving ahead 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.

The Deacons could have been there, though, if not for a few of the usual blown opportunities, specifically a fumble in Eagle territory and a missed field goal in the first half. With its back against the wall, Wake drove for two long touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie, using a grand total of three minutes to go 67 and 80 yards, respectively, to put the game into overtime on a Riley Skinner throw into the end zone with 11 seconds left; from there, following a B.C. field goal on its turn with the ball, the Deacons proceeded to move to the Eagle three-yard line with a chance to score for the win. Cue crushing fumble on first-and-goal, an Eagle recovery and a hard ending to one of the best comeback efforts of the day.

The desperately-needed B.C. win takes a lot of sting out of the Eagles' late defensive collapse, which couldn't get a stop at the end of regulation (and nearly failed in overtime, too) and gave up five passes longer than 20 yards, most in the second half.

But how much of those last two drives were because of BC's Prevent Defense as BC fans contend? What about the turnovers? Was Wake's run game all one play?

Deacons Make Good 1st Down Choices

Wake had less than ideal success with 1st down running, having success only only 4 of 14 1st down runs (defined as 50% of necessary yardage). 4 of them went for a "stuff" (less than 10% of necessary remaining yardage). The other 5 were somewhere between 11 and 49% of necessary yardage.

But part of that had to do with BC's decision to take away the run by using an extra defender down in the box (typically a very aggressive safety). So Wake countered by throwing on 1st down (this is similar to what Miami did to the Noles). Wake threw on 17 1st downs. Only three of those passes were incomplete. Of the 14 that were complete, 11 were successful, and of those 11, 8 went for 1st downs. That's 9.4 yards per pass, 11.4 per completion. But on the issue of the prevent defense, there is some merit to that. 6 of the 11 successful 1st down pass plays were on the last two drives, and BC was definitely playing off coverage. They also didn't play it that well, as some of the completions were rather short.

It is worth noting that two of the turnovers for Wake wasn't really turnovers at all. One was simply a fumble on 4th and 25. Another was an interception on 4th and 6 from midfield, intercepted at the goal line. Both plays were better or similar to the what would have happened if the pass just fell incomplete or the runner was simply tackled.

Situation	Plays	Yards	Yards/Play	Points/ Play
1st 10 Drives	45	328	7.3	0.222
Last 2 Drives ("Prevent")	16	147	9.2	0.875
Overtime	5	17	3.4	0 (Obvious)

Okay, so there was something to the prevent argument.

Long Distance Down Struggles Signal Lack of Pass Rush

Wake faced 21 2nd or 3rd down and long situations. They passed on 13 of those. These are known as high leverage situations for the defense. They were successful on 5 of those. 5 of 13 is very good for an offense in long downs, particularly when you consider what some of those plays were. On 3rd and long, Wake hit passes of 58, 26, and 38 yards. They got no pass rush, and some of the linebackers and safeties really looked awkward in coverage. When BC blitzed, they did not get to Skinner (no sacks and very little pressure).

Name	Rush	Yards	Avg
QB Rushing	7	3	0.4
WR Rushing	6	-7	-1.2
RB Running (w/o 76 yard run)	17	70	4.1
RB 76 Yard Rush	1	76	76

The point of this chart, is to show that Wake Forest ran almost 10% of their plays as runs to the wideouts, with poor results. The run game, for most of the day, wasn't special, and definitely inflated by the one long run (which of course, does count, so we can't dismiss it. When a defense loads the box, it increases the chance they stop the run, but also increases the chance of allowing a big run, because of the angles.

So back to their secondary. Here's what I wrote before.

Secondary

Remember all those interceptions? Kiss them goodbye. BC's secondary was allowed to play pass first, second, and last. Now? They'll have to use one of the secondary members (a safety) in run support. The burden on the secondary should be significantly increased. Were those defensive backs really that good? Or were they the beneficiaries of a great front-7 that put opposing offenses in tough situations? I think it's the latter. None of the BC secondary guys are likely all-conference candidates or NFL players (none are projected to go in the 2010 or 2011 draft). Let's have a look:

At Safety, BC should be okay with Free Safety Wes Davis and Strong Safety Marcellus Bowman. Davis is a 6'2" 215 Junior who produced 60 tackles, 3 tfl, 2 INT, 6 pass breakups last year. He's a decent player in coverage and in run suppot, but as with most of these guys, I expect him to get exposed because he now has to play run and pass (can't play 25 yards off the ball). Davis will be hung out to dry all by himself because Bowman, a 6'2" 217lb Senior will be called upon to help stop the run. Again, the loss of the great front-7 guys (both expected and unexpected) is going to put tremendous pressure on this secondary.

At corner, BC has similar problems. They return the experienced Roderick Rollins, a 6-0, 188-pound senior. Rollins has had the benefit of a lot of help from his safeties in his career and that help won't be there this year. He's decently physical, but can he turn and run after the initial bump coverage? We shall see. At the other corner spot is rising sophomore Donnie Fletcher (6'1" 188lbs). Fletcher is another big corner. They also have the experienced Deleon Gause 5'11" 174lb, a Junior who has good physical skills, but is inconsistent.

BC's secondary plays extremely physical, which is great when they have the help of safeties who aren't pre-occupied with stopping the run. But without safety help, if the corners can't run and run, they will be burned for long TD's. Wes Davis will have to prove that he can cover the deep middle instead of a deep half (now that Bowman will play down in the box).t

I am pretty impressed with Rollins, he's a quality corner. **Update** Rollins is apparently doubtful with some sort of leg injury. Fletcher, however, has been burnt on some double moves. Despite their decent showing so far, I stand by my summer evaluation. This secondary was a product of a really good front-7, which is just no longer there. It's very important for FSU to stay in manageable down and distance. If they can, it will be like the BYU game, putting BC in tough situations and forcing their hand. If the Noles cannot, it will be much tougher for them. Spaziani is the master of the 3-5-3 defense (not 3-3-5, but 3-5-3). Here's an excerpt, but check out Dr. B's great article on the subject (lots of video as well). That should kill an hour of work for you, at least.

The basic package appears as a variation on the 33 Stackset with an extra OLB/Nickelback playing, with the SS being the 5th guy in the underneath zone. BC's base is still a 4-3. WILL and SS take the flats underneath, with the two interior LBs playing hook/curl zone and the SAM taking a slot/TE (curl) zone up the seam (note that it could also appear as a shifted 4-3, with the Sam playing in a 3pt stance). The two CBs and the FS are playing the usual 3-deep zone coverage. In the figure above, W, S, and B are LB's (Will/Sam/Bandit), and the SS's are called "Dogs" on the callside, "Rover" on the weakside. One of them will most likely be a OLB or backup Safety/Nickel. Its just terminology.

Read the explanation (Long)

As that article indicates, hitting the 4-verticals play will be key. Wake did it to them. We saw FSU use this against Jax State (Caz Piurowski), and once against BYU.

BC's defense was the ACC's best and easily top 5 nationally. They beat FSU up last year. FSU had the youngest offensive line in the country and were destroyed by an ultra-talented and experienced set of defensive linemen and linebackers. I have full confidence that Frank Spaziani will come up with good game plan after good game plan, but his ability to get creative will be severely hampered because his defense will face far fewer obvious passing situations. He's also never been a blitz guy, and he'll definitely need to blitz FSU to get pressure, because FSU's offensive line can handle BC's 3 or 4 man rush. When BC blitzes, can their secondary handle the single coverage responsibilities against FSU's wideouts? Though they will run a lot of cover-3, I do expect to see some man at times, particularly when blitzing. I expect FSU to run the ball on BC, even without a 100% Christian Ponder, force BC to make adjustments that they really don't want to do, and then FSU will exploit them down the field. This game could look very different from a big plays standpoint. BYU was content to sit back, but BC will not. If FSU starts to run on them, or picks them apart underneath, Spaziani will blitz. Their blitz wasn't good against Wake Forest, but I suspect it will be better Saturday, if needed.

For Florida State, a lot of this game comes down to not beating themselves. They have to get DT Scafe blocked. Other than that, I would not be worried about BC's defensive players more so than I would about FSU beating themselves. FSU needs to throw when BC has predictable run personnel in the game, be it via play-action or a regular dropback. McGlaughlin is 30lbs bigger than any other linebacker BC has, and FSU needs to make BC pay for having him on the field, specifically because he isn't particularly mobile at this point. And if they remove him, run the ball. Jermaine Thomas is back this week as the starting running back, which should be good. I could See Easterling having a big day from the slot.

Of course, the major X-Factor is the rain, and there will be lots and lots of cold rain. I am not sure what that means for a team like FSU, and this game is played on turf. So far this year I predicted a very high scoring Miami game, a high scoring Win at BYU, and had a very uneasy feeling about the USF game, predicting FSU to win by less than a touchdown when everyone else saw a blowout. I don't have the same grasp on this game. I'll say FSU runs for 180 yards on 36 carries, and throws for 240 yards on 30 pass plays (28 throws, 2 sacks). It'll be good for 28 points in some nasty conditions.

I watched the Clemson and Wake Forest games in their entirety. I don't feel much can be learned from the Clemson game in terms of defending BC. Clemson has one of the top 3 defenses in the country. I can think of at least 35 teams I would trade defenses with. Clemson was able to do things to the Eagle's offense that FSU simply cannot do, because literally, Clemson has a definitively better player at 9 of the 11 defensive positions. Also, Clemson is much better coached. But we can still break down BC's Offense, which again, will probably look like what we saw against Wake and not Clemson.

In the off-season, I wrote this on BC's Offense. There have been some changes, so I'll quickly run through them.

The Eagles lost up and coming star coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired after flirting with the NFL. That's a smart move for Boston College, because Jags is a very hot commodity and would have left soon anyways. He got a lot out of his players and his team outperformed the expectations of everyone. The Eagles also lost highly respected Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, Steve Logan. Both are not with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Replacing Jagodzinski is longtime defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani. More on him later. Replacing Logan is Gary Tranquil, who was born in 1940. At one time, he was a decent offensive coach, but he's been out of the college game for 4 years. Where Logan was excellent and really took advantage of his player's talents and opposing defenses, Tranquil is not highly thought of. He runs a pro-style offense, does not spread teams out, and does not utilize his quarterback in the run game at all. His schemes are simple and from a purely schematic standpoint, Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews should own him. They are also abandoning their zone blocking scheme. Tranquil's offense is literally what Mickey Andrew's defense is designed to stop.

Unfortunately, there have been some changes here. I still don't think Tranquil is any good, but after their anemic showing against Clemson, they scrapped a lot of the new stuff and went back to the zone scheme that was successful for them last season. BC is running a lot of two-tight end sets, which scares me. I will say I was right in that they are trying to be more of a power run team. In an ideal world, they man-block a power run game. The next best thing for FSU would be power running w/ no QB threat from a zone scheme. The worst possible scenario would be spread run with a mobile QB. So it's not all bad, but it's definitely not ideal.

Boston College has a great offensive line. We talk a lot about how good FSU's O-Line can be, but I am here to tell you that BC's line is every bit as good. This is one of the best offensive lines in the country. They return all 5 starters. This is an excellent group. People make a big deal about his "big" these guys are, but they really aren't huge.

LT Anthony Castonzo (6-7, 287, Jr.)
RT Rich Lapham (6-8, 322, Jr.)
LG Thomas Claiborne (6-3, 323, Jr.)
RG Emmett Cleary (6-7, 270, R-Fr.)
C Matt Tennant (6-4, 294, Sr.)

Castonzo is a likely NFL 1st day pick (2nd rounder, maybe 1st, probably 2011 draft). He is an excellent pass blocker and is pretty quick. FSU's defensive end will have a tough time doing much against him. Lapham is obviously huge at right tackle. He is a very good run blocker but has bad feet and is a liability in pass protection. Not an NFL player. At Left Guard, Claiborne is an ex-defensive tackle who was excellent last year. He was 3rd team ALL-ACC and should be even better this year. Claiborne is an NFL player provided he keeps his weight in check. At Left Guard, Cleary is the newcomer to the group. He could be good eventually and was a tackle coming out of high school, but he's quite raw and will need to work on his back and knee bend to be any good. At Center, Tennant should be first team ACC. He's better than FSU's Ryan McMahon, though obviously less known. Don't get mad, FSU fans, I'm just giving it to you straight. BC has at least three NFL linemen who are probably 1st day (top 4 round) selections on their line. They return 4 starters and the line has 4 upperclassmen. This is an excellent offensive line and will make BC's skill position players look much better than they are. This isn't the most heralded unit in the country, but unless you judge offensive lines on things other than performance, talent, or experience, they should be considered one of the better groups. FSU will have one heckuva time against this unit.

Not much change here. Important to note that they were terrible against an all-time great Clemson defensive line, which was partially due to the Tiger's dominance, and partially due to the confusion. How disciplined to the scheme will BC stay? Will Tranquil try to throw some of his new stuff in there and risk confusing his own group? BC has a huge advantage here. They should be conservative and pound the rock until FSU clearly says "we're devoting extra people against the run, throw on us." FSU's DLine is now as bad as I thought they would be- they are worse.

At Quarterback, BC has Dave Shinskie, who is a 25 year-old Pocket passer and he also played minor league baseball. He hasn't played football in 6 years. More on him here. He's a good passer, because he was a decent prospect coming out of high school. He's not a run threat, however, and that's really what the 'Noles care about. They also have a kid named Tuggle, son of former NFL All-Pro Jessie Tuggle. He's an athletic freak but a really erratic passer.

If I were BC, I'd use Tuggle in the shotgun all day and run zone read down FSU's throat 55 times for about 350 yards. I think we'll see some Wildcat with him, but not as the base package, and that's a good thing.

The Eagles look good at running back. Montel Harris is their big back at 5' 10" 200. He had one heckuva game last year against the 'Noles as a freshman. He's not a home run threat, and this author thinks he's more of a product of BC's offensive line, but he does what is asked of him and grinds out tough yards. Last year he gained 900 yards on 179 carries (5 YPC), and caught 20 balls for 160 yards. The other back is Josh Haden, a scatback who gained 479 yards on 120 carries (4 YPC). He's 5'8" 182lbs, but should catch a few more balls this year. Blocking for these two is Senior James McClusky. He's 6'2" 250lbs and a mauler. He did hurt his Achilles in spring, however, and the Eagles desperately need him to be healthy this year as they utilize a 2-back attack. I fully expect Harris to get 200 carries this year, and also expect his average to drop a bit as other teams key on him more.

McCluskey is doubtful with an Achilles injury. So BC is running more two tight end sets, as I mentioned. Haden is still inconsistent, but he is very skilled and could break a long run. So about those wideouts and tight ends...

The Eagles do return WR Rich Gunnell, who was basically Robinson's equal in production, though far less explosive. Florida State's Patrick Robinson can easily handle him one on one without help (Robinson is CBS' #1 Draft Eligible Corner), and he'll be asked to as the 'Noles focus on stopping the run. They also have Justin Jarvis, who is 6'5" and was decently productive this year. Can Jarvis handle the increased role? That remains to be seen, but the Eagles are counting on him. The remaining guys are relatively unheralded wild cards. Junior Ifeanyi Momah is 6'6" 230 and caught 11 for 149 and 3TD's last season. He's their Greg Carr, except bulkier and about as fast as your average tight end. RsFr Clyde Lee had a decent spring I am told and could play some in the slot (though I suspect BC will not use many 3-wide sets). Finally, can Senior Clarence Megwa (6'1" 190) come back from a thought to be career-ending leg injury? If he can, BC will need him, because he started for them last year. Update: Megwa's leg is apparently healed, he's dealing with a hand injury and they expect him to be ready for the FSU game.

At tight end, 6'3" 250lb Soph Lars Anderson has a chance to be a very good pass catcher. Last year he snagged 9 balls for 85 yards. They also have Jordan McMichael, who was a very nice recruit in 2006 (I think), but has done nothing to date to impress anyone.

I don't think any of the draft eligible guys will get drafted. They really don't seem all that special. They aren't bad, but rather are just good college players.

Some notes. First, Gunnell has struggled, which almost certainly means he will have a big day against FSU, but Robinson should lock him down easily. Momah is definitely out. BC is using a tight end by the name of Chris Pantale, and he's been good for them. The McMichael kid is very good. Again, two tight end sets.

For FSU, most of the defensive line will play, but that is not to say they are healthy. Freshman JaJuan Harley, back from injury problems, will start at Rover over much maligned Senior Korey Mangum. Think of it as a mercy killing. Harley is the best athlete on the team and maybe in the ACC, but expect maddening inconsistency, busts, and also some highlight plays from the true freshman making his first ever start.

I expect BC to stay in two-tight end sets, with 1 back and two wideouts. They should be able to run the ball on the Noles, particularly with counters and traps, in addition to their zone run game, which is already good. I'm not re-inventing the wheel here. This is the same stuff you've seen since Chuck Amato replaced Kevin Steele as FSU's linebacker coach. Oh, they have a little speed-option they run as well. BC runs a ton of play-action passes, and I expect them to do well with those to their two impressive tight ends because FSU's players just aren't taught well on the defensive side. The defensive acuity just hasn't been instilled in these guys. It's not their fault. I'll take BC to have 200 yards rushing and 180 throwing, and 24 points.

Noles 28, BC 24.

Note: the heavy, heavy rain here is keeping my score prediction down. If it were higher, I'd predict a higher number.

Q&A with BC Interruption: Wake Forest vs. Boston College

MRickman84 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:41:42 -0000

We are happy to have BC Interruption as a part of SB Nation now. With their great coverage of BC sports and a smart but fun style, the guys are a perfect fit for the network. If you haven't yet, check out their site and you will find our answers to their questions as well.

BSD: After last week's performance there has been plenty of media attention regarding BC's quarterback situation. Tell us a little about the strengths/weaknesses of each of the candidates. Will more than one of them likely see snaps on Saturday?

BCI: The answer the second half of your question first. Yes, more than one of the BC quarterbacks will see snaps on Saturday. Don’t be surprised if three (or more!) quarterbacks take snaps on Saturday. Spaziani seems to have shown his hand a little and at this point, all indications are that Dave Shinskie will start this Saturday. Justin Tuggle will also play. The wildcard will be true freshman Michael Marscovetra, who may also see the field this weekend.

As for the strengths/weaknesses of each candidate, if you ask Spaziani, all three candidates have done little to separate themselves from the pack. This seems to be the reason why we are now three games into the season and a starter has yet to emerge. Early on, Tuggle seems to be making better decisions and has the best ability to run with the ball. Shinskie has looked rusty, particularly in the Clemson game, but has a bit stronger arm. Some say that Marscovetra has the best arm of the bunch, but he is the youngest and most unproven of the bunch.

To be honest, it won’t matter who we throw under center on Saturday if the offensive line doesn’t step up their game.

BSD: It seems that BC's defense has been stout for the past several years. What are the strongest areas of the D this season? Has the run defense been able to at least partially counteract the loss of B.J. Raji?

BCI: The strength is in the secondary. Safeties Wes Davis and Marcellus Bowman have been solid contributors to the Eagles secondary. Corners Roderick Rollins (Sr.) and DeLeon Gause (Jr.) have also been solid. Behind these guys is a wealth of talent including Jim Noel, Okechukwu Okoroha, and Donnie Fletcher. The Eagles led the country in interceptions last year (26), and the secondary has been equally as strong this year, ranking #5 in pass defense.

The surprise has been in the linebacking corps. With the losses of Mark Herzlich, Mike McLaughlin and Will Thompson, the Eagles have had to rely on a very young linebacking corps early. Freshman Luke Kuechly has played very well through three games, filling in for the injured McLaughlin. McLaughlin returns to the field this weekend, but I would expect both Kuechly and McLaughlin to share the workload at MLB.

While it is hard to replace nearly 800 pounds at defensive tackle in B.J. Raji and Ron Brace, so far the Eagles front four have held serve. For the Northeastern and Kent State games, the Eagles held our opponents to under 100 yards rushing. At Clemson, we held Spiller & co. to 151 yards on the ground.

BSD: It feels like Rich Gunnell has been at BC for 8 years, especially after the dagger he delivered to Wake Forest late in the game last year. Is he the primary deep threat this season? What other receivers should we keep an eye on?

BCI: Gunnell is still the primary deep threat for the Eagles, but he isn’t the only threat in the receiving corps. Keep an eye on Justin Jarvis and Colin Larmond, Jr. RS Freshman Clyde Lee has also been a pleasant surprise. He’s a burner and has averaged 10.7 yards per catch. Clarence Megwa, returning from a nasty broken leg injury suffered last year at Clemson, is also a solid contributor in the group of Eagle receivers.

The tough part about evaluating the receivers, quite frankly, is that they haven’t seen the ball much. Given the offensive line struggles and the dismal offensive performance at Clemson, the Eagles offense hasn’t been able to get these guys the ball much. Of the group, only Gunnell and Larmond Jr. has eclipsed 100 yards on the season through 3 games.

BSD: How do you feel the crowd will be this weekend? Is the general tone of the BC fanbase optimistic for the remainder of the season?

BCI: The game is currently close to (and should) sell out because it is Boston College’s Parents’ Weekend. This is good news that most of the seats will be filled on Saturday but it probably won't be one of the loudest crowds ever at Alumni Stadium. Many of those fans might be those parents who just come to one game a year or this might be their first game ever. Also as a result, the students might not be quite as game ready as they would otherwise be for a 2:00 game.

As for the general tone of the fanbase, even though we are three weeks in, I still don’t think anyone really knows what the Eagles have. Particularly so on offense. The coaching staff’s indecision on a starting QB has certainly contributed to this feeling. This weekend’s game will be a huge litmus test in terms of finding out exactly what we have. If the Deacons simply blow the Eagles out of the water on Saturday, with tough games against Florida State, Virginia Tech and NC State coming up, I fear that the wheels will fall off the Eagles bandwagon.

BSD: What concerns you the most about facing Wake Forest?

BCI: Misdirection plays. Wake always has a play or two against BC that looks like it’s going right until some speedster comes down the left side with the ball for a 30 yard gain. Those plays worry me. If BC can keep Wake from getting a few big plays, BC will come out on top.

BSD: How has the new coaching staff graded out so far? Which changes in strategy have been welcomed and which ones are many of the fans questioning?

BCI: I have to cop out on this one and give Coach Spaziani and the Eagles coaching staff an incomplete here. The Eagles have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat and suffered a humiliating defense at Clemson (humiliating, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Maybe a bit on special teams too. Why you actually kick to Spiller? We have no idea). This week is the Eagles new coaching staff’s first test. Can they rebound from the loss to Clemson and have the young Eagles ready on Sunday? Will the offensive line come to play? Will we continue to be conservative with the offensive playcalling? Still a lot of unanswered questions on this test so we really can’t grade the job this coaching staff has done quite yet.

BSD: For Wake fans making the trip to Chestnut Hill, what hometown digs are must-visits? (restaurants, bars, etc)

BCI: For starters know that most of the action will take place in Cleveland Circle. The BC dive bar of choice is MaryAnn’s in Cleveland Circle, but I can’t imagine that would be any fun for Wake Forest fans to go to. In the Circle, there are some good bar/restaurants to check out (Roggie’s / Cityside) as well as choice of two solid pizza places (Presto's or Pino's). Finally, no trip is complete without attempting the Godzilla burger challenge at Eagle’s Deli. When on campus, both Shea Field and the Mods (an area of modular apartments for the senior class that is home to some of the best pre-game tailgates) are fun scenes to experience.

BSD: The last few games between Wake and BC have been very entertaining and meaningful in the overall ACC race. Any predictions?

BCI: The past few years’ Wake-BC games have always gone down to the wire and have had some very strange and wild finishes. I don’t expect this year to be any different. Riley Skinner has struggled in his three games against the Eagles, posting a 3:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. I’ll predict these struggles continue for Skinner on Saturday. Of course we’re biased, but I think with the game at home, the Eagles will do just enough on offense and the defense will remain stout, possibly turning a Wake Forest turnover into points. Eagles win 23-21.

'Nole Your Enemy: The Boston College Eagle's Offense

FSUncensored — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:36:03 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

4 months ago: Boston College quarterback David Shinskie passes the ball during NCAA college football practice, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Browse more photos »

We continue our " 'Nole Your Enemy" Series with Boston College. We started with South Florida (Offense, Defense) and continued with BYU's Offense and Defense.

On October 3rd, the 'Noles will travel to Chetnutt Hill to face the Boston College Eagles. Last year, BC got the best of the 'Noles in Tallahassee, 27-17. The year before that, FSU beat BC at their place and eliminated the Eagles from National Title Contention (remember that they had Matt Ryan in 2007). The year before that, BC beat FSU in Tallahassee (the day game where Weatherford threw the horrible pick-6 right before the half).

But how good was last year's BC offense and how good will they be this year?

On offense, Boston College was not great, but they weren't as bad as you might think.

The Fremeau Efficiency Index calls them the 43rd rated offense, while Bill Connelley's S&P+ measure says they were the 46th. That's very close. Remember that these measures adjust for opponent, so BC doesn't get a lot of credit for torching cupcakes, and they don't get offensive credit when their defense scores. They also don't credit teams for scoring in garbage time. Let's have a look:

FSU had the best offense in the conference, arguably, though this meausre has Georgia Tech a bit better. Boston College's was sort of middle of the road.

Here's Bill Connelley's measure (100 is considered average, so over 100 is good, under 100 is not):

FSU had the best offense in the conference by this measure. Boston College's was sort of middle of the road.

Here's a look at their passing game:

Hmm, it seems that BC's passing game was pretty average.

Here's their run game:

So Boston College's rushing game was pretty average as well.

I'll save you the charts, but their performance in conference games was about the same. That doesn't really matter though, because the above metrics adjust for opponent (playing a cupcake won't help the above numbers because of the opponent adjustment). Still you can check out that link if you want.

The Eagles lost up and coming star coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired after flirting with the NFL. That's a smart move for Boston College, because Jags is a very hot commodity and would have left soon anyways. He got a lot out of his players and his team outperformed the expectations of everyone. The Eagles also lost highly respected Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, Steve Logan. Both are not with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Replacing Jagodzinski is longtime defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani. More on him later. Replacing Logan is Gary Tranquil, who was born in 1940. At one time, he was a decent offensive coach, but he's been out of the college game for 4 years. Where Logan was excellent and really took advantage of his player's talents and opposing defenses, Tranquil is not highly thought of. He runs a pro-style offense, does not spread teams out, and does not utilize his quarterback in the run game at all. His schemes are simple and from a purely schematic standpoint, Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews should own him. They are also abandoning their zone blocking scheme. Tranquil's offense is literally what Mickey Andrew's defense is designed to stop. See for yourself:

FSU's Defense		Total Off.			Rushing				Passing
Opponent Type	PPG	Plays	Yds	Per Play	No	Net	YPC	TFL's	Att	Comp	Yds	TD	Int	Sacks	Dropbacks/ Sacks	QB Rating
Pro-Style	19	65	270	4.1	31	83	2.6	10	34	17	187	1.2	1.2	4.3	8.8	100
Decidedly Not Pro-Style	28	60	385	6.4	39	235	6.0	7	20	11	151	1.5	0.5	0.8	28	138

What I am trying to say is that Tranquil is a huge downgrade from Logan, but against FSU, it's an even bigger downgrade. Last year, BC used the threat of the QB run to hurt FSU's defense, including a 16 play (all rushing)- 67 yard drive, consuming 8:55 of the clock and icing the game (ended in a field goal). They literally ran the same play over and over again. FSU's defense was so poorly taught under lame duck coaches Mickey Andrews and Chuck Amato, that they let BC run some variation of the same play for at least 10 of those snaps. In any case, what we're hearing out of BC's camp is that the Eagles will run a pro-style attack featuring two backs. That will be juuuuust fine with the 'Noles.

Quarterback

Under center, The Eagles lost Chris Crane, who was inconsistent but not terrible. They also lost Dominique Davis, who failed out of school and has since transferred. Davis wasn't very good anyways, so that's not a big deal. In keeping with the elderly theme will be Dave Shinskie, a 25 year-old Pocket passer who played minor league baseball. He hasn't played football in 6 years. More on him here. I project him to be a decent passer, because he was a decent prospect coming out of high school. He's not a run threat, however, and that's really what the 'Noles care about. Seeing that he's a freshman, but older than this author, his maturity might mean that he won't be a huge downgrade. Of course, he also hasn't worked with these wideouts all off-season and been in the system at all.

Our friends at BC Interruption helped us out a bit here and Brian had this to add:

There is some serious talk about true freshman Michael Marscovetra starting. He has had as good of a summer as any other candidate and has good arm strength. I think the deciding factor will be Shinskie's maturity though and his effect in the huddle. Notable how far Justin Tuggle has slid down the depth chart, but as you point out, Tranquill/Spaz favor the pro-style pocket passer to the Tuggle/Davis, running-QB mold that Jags/Logan recruited. Just hope that Tuggle can be used in another way (message board chatter has been throw him in at LB just like his dad?).

I really don't know much about Marscovetra.

Offensive Line

Boston College has a great offensive line. We talk a lot about how good FSU's O-Line can be, but I am here to tell you that BC's line is every bit as good. This is one of the best offensive lines in the country. They return all 5 starters. This is an excellent group. People make a big deal about his "big" these guys are, but they really aren't huge.

LT Anthony Castonzo (6-7, 287, Jr.)
RT Rich Lapham (6-8, 322, Jr.)
LG Thomas Claiborne (6-3, 323, Jr.)
RG Emmett Cleary (6-7, 270, R-Fr.)
C Matt Tennant (6-4, 294, Sr.)

Castonzo is a likely NFL 1st day pick (2nd rounder, maybe 1st, probably 2011 draft). He is an excellent pass blocker and is pretty quick. FSU's defensive end will have a tough time doing much against him. Lapham is obviously huge at right tackle. He is a very good run blocker but has bad feet and is a liability in pass protection. Not an NFL player. At Left Guard, Claiborne is an ex-defensive tackle who was excellent last year. He was 3rd team ALL-ACC last year and should be even better this year. Claiborne is an NFL player provided he keeps his weight in check. At Left Guard, Cleary is the newcomer to the group. He could be good eventually and was a tackle coming out of high school, but he's quite raw and will need to work on his back and knee bend to be any good. At Center, Tennant should be first team ACC. He's better than FSU's Ryan McMahon, though obviously less known. Don't get mad, FSU fans, I'm just giving it to you straight. BC has at least three NFL linemen who are probably 1st day (top 4 round) selections on their line. They return 4 starters and the line has 4 upperclassmen. This is an excellent offensive line and will make BC's skill position players look much better than they are. This isn't the most heralded unit in the country, but unless you judge offensive lines on things other than performance, talent, or experience, they should be. FSU will have one heckuva time against this unit.

Running Back

The Eagles look much better at running back. Montel Harris is their big back at 5' 10" 200. He had one heckuva game last year against the 'Noles as a freshman. He's not a home run threat, and this author thinks he's more of a product of BC's offensive line, but he does what is asked of him and grinds out tough yards. Last year he gained 900 yards on 179 carries (5 YPC), and caught 20 balls for 160 yards. The other back is Josh Haden, a scatback who gained 479 yards on 120 carries (4 YPC). He's 5'8" 182lbs, but should catch a few more balls this year. Blocking for these two is Senior James McClusky. He's 6'2" 250lbs and a mauler. He did hurt his Achilles in spring, however, and the Eagles desperately need him to be healthy this year as they utilize a 2-back attack. I fully expect Harris to get 200 carries this year, and also expect his average to drop a bit as other teams key on him more.

Wide Receiver/ Tight Ends

The Eagles aren't hurting much here either, but they aren't exactly loaded. They have to replace their best wideout and their best tight end, in Brandon Robinson and Ryan Purvis, respectively. Robinson caught 42 balls for 646 yards. Purvis snagged 24 for 176 yards. The Eagles do return Rich Gunnell, who was basically Robinson's equal in production, though far less explosive. Florida State's Patrick Robinson can easily handle him one on one without help (Robinson is CBS' #1 Draft Eligible Corner), and he'll be asked to as the 'Noles focus on stopping the run. They also have Justin Jarvis, who is 6'5" and was decently productive this year. Can Jarvis handle the increased role? That remains to be seen, but the Eagles are counting on him. The remaining guys are relatively unheralded wild cards. Junior Ifeanyi Momah is 6'6" 230 and caught 11 for 149 and 3TD's last season. He's their Greg Carr, except bulkier and about as fast as your average tight end. RsFr Clyde Lee had a decent spring I am told and could play some in the slot (though I suspect BC will not use many 3-wide sets). Finally, can Senior Clarence Megwa (6'1" 190) come back from a thought to be career-ending leg injury? If he can, BC will need him, because he started for them last year. Update: Megwa's leg is apparently healed, he's dealing with a hand injury and they expect him to be ready for the FSU game.

At tight end, 6'3" 250lb Soph Lars Anderson has a chance to be a very good pass catcher. Last year he snagged 9 balls for 85 yards. They also have Jordan McMichael, who was a very nice recruit in 2006 (I think), but has done nothing to date to impress anyone.

I don't think any of the draft eligible guys will get drafted. They really don't seem all that special. They aren't bad, but rather are just average college players.

Boston College's offense should not be as good as they were last year by the time FSU rolls into town. I believe that BC's offensive staff is now much worse than they were last year (think Jeff Bowden bad), and their quarterback hasn't played organized football in 6 years. By the end of the season this offense might be as good as they were last year, but this preview concerns the FSU-BC game, so I don't care about what the Eagles do later in the year. As noted above, their scheme plays right into FSU's hands. FSU will be able to use the schemes that made Mickey Andrews famous, single cover Gunnell with Robinson, and dare BC to throw. I expect this offense to lack explosiveness, and while FSU will probably be burned once or twice with play-action, FSU's full-commitment to stopping the running game should be well worth it.

Tomorrow: Taking a look at BC's defense.

For more on BC, see:

BC Interruption or Eagle in Atlanta

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ACC Roundtable: Pre-Season Edition

FSUncensored — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:43:30 -0000

Welcome readers of CBS Sports!

The Atlantic Coast Conference was quite the enigma in 2008. The ACC had 10 bowl teams and yet had no teams in the top 10 at seasons end. The ACC had the best non-conference performance among the BCS conferences, and yet nobody seemed to notice. Why is this?

The ACC isn't sexy. America loves sexy and in college football, offense is sexy. The ACC, on the other hand, is a defensive conference. Six of the ACC's head coaches have a background on the defensive side of the ball. Compare that to the Big 12, where only three of the head coaches have a defensive background. Head coach personalities are often reflected in the play of their teams, and that is the case with the ACC. The ACC was the best defensive conference in 2008, but again, few noticed. 5 ACC teams had a top 20 defense in 2008, and all but two had a defense in the top half of college football. No other conference came close. Wake Forest featured 4 Defensive NFL draft picks in the first 4 rounds, including the #4 overall pick in linbebacker Aaron Curry. That same Wake Forest team beat media darling Ole Miss and surprising Baylor out of conference, yet received little publicity for doing so with a 4-4 record in conference.

The ACC's style is downright boring. The majority of ACC coaches are very conservative. They punt. They play the field position game. They don't run wide-open offenses. The ACC has the lowest average margin of victory of all the major conferences. The games are all close, because all the teams are talented. There are no off-weeks in the ACC. Teams who overlook an opponent lost to that opponent more often than not. In many ways, the ACC resembles the NFL. People enjoy NFL football, but there isn't a higher-scoring alternative played on Sundays. As Tony Barnhart writes, the NFL loves the ACC. Over the last 5 years, the ACC has the most first round picks on defense.

And while the ACC plays great defense, they also have some talent on the offensive side of the ball. Most don't realize the good offense being played because of the defensive nature of the conference. 4 of the first 9 draft choices last year were from the ACC and 3 of those were offensive players. The last two 1st round QB's chosen from the ACC have been big time hits (Matt Ryan and Phillip RIvers), in no small part because of the excellent defenses they faced in the ACC.

In 2009 though, the ACC might put a few more points on the scoreboard, and catch the eyes of some voters who ignored the conference last year, as more offensive-minded coaches gain control, and young quarterbacks become experienced veterans. Inside, we preview the ACC with the help of some of the best writers who cover the ACC, in this first edition of the ACC Roundtable!

We asked each writer three question sets about their team.

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?
The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?
Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

Atlantic Division

Boston College won the ACC Atlantic last year by virtue of a tiebreaker over FSU and Maryland.

ATLANTIC	CONF. W-L	OVERALL W-L
Florida State	5-3	9-4
Boston College*	5-3	9-5
Maryland	4-4	8-5
Wake Forest	4-4	8-5
Clemson	4-4	7-6
North Carolina State	4-4	6-7

Talk about parity! The entire Atlantic division was bowl eligible, and every team was within 1 game of playing for the conference championship. This year, things look to be slightly more spread out, as several teams seem poised to take a big step forwards or backwards.

Forget the ACC writer's picks. Let's have a look at the current vegas odds:

9/4 Florida State
7/2 Clemson
7/2 North Carolina State
6/1 Wake Forest
9/1 Maryland
21/1 Boston College

There's a wide divide between the top three and the next two, and then a huge gap between everyone and Boston College. So let's start with Boston College.

Boston College

Boston College has a new head coach in Frank Spaziani this season after their head coach (Jeff Jagodzinski) left the team to pursue NFL opportunities. Spaziani was the Eagle's excellent defensive coordinator.

In 2008, Boston College had arguably the best defense in the nation (with USC and UF having legitimate claims as well). BC had two monsters in the middle. Over 650lbs of defensive tackle tandem in B.J. Raji and Ron Brace, who would be selected in rounds 1 and 2 of the NFL draft, respectively. They also had a Butkus Award Finalist in linebacker Mark Herzlich, a certain 1st round pick had he elected to leave school. Tragically, he decided to return to school and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer this off-season. Not many schools have three or four early round draft choice types on defense, but BC had just that in 2008, and they rode that defense to the ACC championship game. Boston College notched an incredible 26 interceptions, which led the nation. They did this by dominating 1st and 2nd down with their huge defensive line and linebacking corps, which allowed their secondary to focus almost solely on the pass. Interceptions come on 3rd and long and BC was great at forcing opposing offenses into 3rd and long. This year, BC returns only 5 starters on defense, and none of those 5 are projected NFL selections. To say that the talent has dropped off would be a huge understatement. It's highly doubtful that BC's defense will come close to what it did last season, and the burden on the secondary should be significantly increased. Were those defensive backs really that good? Or were they the beneficiaries of a great front-7 that out opposing offenses in tough situations? BC hopes for the former but Vegas seems to think it is the latter.

On offense, BC was not great, but they weren't as bad as some might believe. Consider that they had to face the excellent defenses of Virgina Tech (twice), North Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Florida State, and their numbers look a bit better. They have either the best or second-best offensive line in the ACC, led by Center Matt Tenannt and Left Tackle Anthony Costanzo, both of whom should eventually be first day draft choices. The wide receivers are experienced and are led by Rich Gunnell. The major question is quarterback, which our BC writers discuss below.

Your Boston College writers are Brian and Jeff of BC Interruption, one of the leading Boston College websites.

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

BC will likely be better on the offensive side of the ball and worse on the defense side. Overall, this is probably a net loss. Unfortunately, this will show in the Eagles' final record. Notre Dame has a better chance of beating the Eagles this year (the game in South Bend). Our game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is nearly a sure loss, and it's difficult to find definite wins on our ACC schedule. A record of 9-3 (5-3 ACC) is likely a best, best case scenario with anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4 a possibility. In all liklihood the Eagles won't surpass their 2008 win total.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

I don't know if you can call it an injury per se, but obviously the biggest void for the Eagles to fill this season is in the linebacking corps with the loss of All-American Linebacker Mark Herzlich. Add to this the uncertainty of when Middle Linebacker Mike McLaughlin will return from tearing his Achilles back in March, and the Eagles will need newcomers to step up at linebacker. The Eagles will look to sophomores Dominick LeGrande and Will Thompson to fill the holes left by Herzlich and McLaughlin. Spaziani will likely also rotate in redshirt freshmen Alex DiSanzo and Nick Clancy as well as senior Kevin Distaso. Of that group, however, only Will Thompson has significant experience as he played behind Robert Francois. These Eagles will hopefully step up, but it would be unreasonable to expect them to completely fill the void left by Herzlich and McLaughlin.

Incumbent starting quarterback Dominique Davis leaving for academic reasons might actually be a blessing in disguise. This allowed the Eagles to go out and recruit another quarterback in Dave Shinskie, who appears to be the front-runner for the starting position. Also, where Jeff Jagodzinski and Steve Logan favored more of the duel-threat style quarterback (Davis and Tuggle), early it appears Frank Spaziani and OC Gary Tranquill favor more of the traditional, pro-style quarterback (Shinskie, Marscovetra, Rettig, Bordner).

Less importantly, it would have been nice to see WR Clarence Megwa back in pads during the Eagles opening practices, however Megwa injured his right hand and has had to sit out of practice. If Megwa can get back on the field, he will join a talented wide receiving corps that has the potential to be one of the better units in the conference (provided the starting QB can get them the ball). Still, we are glad Megwa is back and has recovered from a fairly gruesome broken leg injury suffered vs. Clemson last season. Again, if the QB can get the receivers the ball, I would expect big things from seniors Rich Gunnell, Clarence Megwa and Justin Jarvis. Hopefully, Ifeanyi Momah will step up and serve as more than a goal-line, possession receiver.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

Without a doubt, the preseason focus is on the starting quarterback position. We will only go as far as our starting quarterback will take us. Right now, the candidates are trying to shake off the rust in practice as no QB has any FBS game experience.

The Eagles proved last year that they could make noise in the ACC simply by having a competent, game-managing quarterback. If David Shinskie (or Tuggle/Marscovetra) can manage the game and not lose games a la Chris Crane, the Eagles will likely live up to or slightly surpass their preseason expectations. However, the starting quarterback will have to step up their game and be even better than Crane was last season if Eagles fans expect the team to overachieve this season. There are too many questions on the defensive side of the ball this season. To overachieve, BC will have to win the games they won last year with defense (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech round 1, Florida State) with their offense.

Boston College seems to always exceed expectations. Losing their highly regarded head coach and their three best players from a season ago make Boston College a major longshot to win the division this season. Very few teams have the ability to replace the players BC lost, and the Eagles aren't in that group of teams. Bowl Eligibility should be considered a major victory for the Eagles.

Key Note: Boston College's defensive line and linebackers are 160lbs lighter this year than last year (1902 to 1742). BC was huge in the front-7 in 2008, and this is a major drop-off.

Prediction: 5-7 (2-6 ACC) BC's off-season was rather devastating and will be too much to overcome.

Maryland Terrapins

Maryland was quite the enigma in 2008. They beat bowl teams in Nevada, North Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Clemson, and Cal, yet lost to middle Tennessee State and were shut out by Virginia! They do return their quarterback a running back, but their offensive line and wide receivers are major question marks. They return just 4 starters on defense, and are switching from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 scheme, despite having a serious lack of depth along the defensive line.

Your Maryland writer is Ben Broman, of the excellent Maryland website Testudo Times:

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

Short version: They'll be better, but the record won't be.

There's a lot to like about Maryland this year - a game-seasoned, fifth-year senior QB; a deep, talented stable of RBs with a frontline All-ACC starter; nine (yes, nine) game-ready WRs; a likely improved secondary; and leaders returning from the linebacking corps. The new defense, instilled by former UMass head coach Don Brown, has been getting rave reviews and has torn through the offense without fail so far, utilizing surprise blitzes and press coverage. While the defensive line has been getting a bad rap in the media, the new scheme will take a lot of pressure off them, and the projected starters all either have experience or were highly touted out of HS. There's only one problem, but it's a sizable one: the offensive line. The group is talented, but very, very young, which could render all those skill players moot, particularly early on as they adapt to playing when it counts.

By the end of the year, I'm fairly confident that the line will have gelled together and the weak spots will have been shored up, meaning this team will be a bear to play late in the season. At that point, there's no doubt in my mind this year's Maryland will be better than last year's. They might even be better already. But last year's Maryland overachieved a little, winning in spite of a constant prevent defense; so while they may win head-to-head, besting 8 wins may be tough to do, especially in an improved ACC.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

Injuries have been quiet in College Park this off-season. The only major player lost was probable starting DT Dion Armstrong. He left the team due to academic ineligibility and fitness problems, but no one was really counting on his presence come September (these issues had been known for awhile). He'll be replaced by redshirt freshman A.J. Francis and true freshman Zach Kerr. Both should be able to do an adequate job in filling that hole - both are as talented as Armstrong, and very underrated.

There are a few other newcomers who could contribute, notably PK Nick Ferrara, G Pete White, LBs Darin Drakeford and Avery Murray, and RBs Caleb Porzel and D.J. Adams. Ferrara is a scholarship kicker, so you'd expect him to be the starter. White is a massive, talented guard, a position that doesn't have a lot of depth. Both Drakeford and Murray enrolled in the spring to get a head start, and, because there's not a lot of depth at LB, could find themselves backups. Neither Porzel nor Adams are needed, but they're two of the most skilled and athletic players Maryland's brought in a long time, and have been impressing Ralph Friedgen in practice. Friedgen's known to be quick to burn RB redshirts, so the best of the two may see the field.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

Unquestionably, the offensive line. As I've already said, they're the one huge weakness. If they can show that they're better than what people are saying, even if that only ends up being average, I'll be very confident about this team. If I had to single out one guy, I'd say LG Lamar Young - he's very talented, but reportedly has some issues with attitude, an issue a group this young doesn't need to deal with.

While he wasn't always incredibly productive, teams had to pay a ton of attention to wide receiver Darious Heyward-Bey. That won't be the case in 2009 as Bey is gone to the NFL (#7 overall choice.)

This Maryland team should take a step back. Their over/under for wins in vegas is 6, and there are 9/2 odds available if you are brave enough to project the Terps to win more than 6 games. Like Boston College, bowl eligibility should be considered a major victory for this team. They lost a bunch. The opening game at Cal is very likely to be a loss, probably of the blowout variety. They then get two very winnable games against James Madison and Middle Tennessee State, but Maryland should be big underdogs in 5 of their final 9 games. To be bowl eligible, they will need to win against Rutgers, Virginia, at Duke, & Boston College, or pull a big upset for each of those they lose.

This is Maryland, so anything crazy is possible, but poor line play on both offense and defense, combined with a lack of quality depth should keep the Terps home during Bowl Season. The Terps cannot sustain any injuries, particularly on defense. Projection: 5-7 (3-5 ACC)

Wake Forest

Wake Forest had one of the best defenses in the nation last season, as profiled above. How they replace the departed defensive players and the play of their offensive line are the major issues facing the Deacons this year.

The best site for Wake Forest coverage is undoubtedly Blogger So Dear, the brainchild of Martin Rickman.

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

Wake Forest probably won't be better than last year, but they do have some chance. A program like Wake Forest can't replace 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round NFL draft choices on defense in one season, but they do have a 4-year starter at quarterback and stable of runningbacks. Vegas odds indicate it's very likely that Wake wins 7 games or fewer, but finishing 4-4 in conference play is doable, even if the team won't be as good, probably because of easier games against Boston College and Maryland.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

Wake has been lucky this off-season and hasn't suffered any major injuries of note.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

The offensive line. All five starters return from a group that was horrible last year, albeit somewhat because of injury. Wake must get their running game in order so that QB Riley Skinner doesn't have to force so many passes.

Expect Wake's defense to take a step back this season. Like Boston College, they depended largely on takeaways and those probably won't be there in the same quantity that they were last season. Only 4 starters back on defense puts extra pressure on the offense to win some early games. The game against Stanford should be particularly telling, as the Cardinal can really put up the points. If the offense can carry this team early, they have a shot to reach 8 wins. If the offense struggles, or the defense is worse than expected, Wake will be watching bowl season from their couch. Wake will likely be favored in 7 of their games, and 7 wins seems about right for this squad, as they pull off one upset and drop one game they should win, and take a minor step back from their fantastic 2008 season. Projection: 7-5, (3-5 ACC)

North Carolina State Wolfpack

The 'Pack almost had two different seasons in 2008. WIth and without quarterback Russel Wilson:

Wilson had an incredible 17-1 TD/ INT ratio last year.

via Dr. Saturday

They also were the only team in the conference that featured an offense that was significantly better than their defense (Georgia Tech an FSU also had offenses which were better than their defenses, but not close to the huge discrepancy the Wolfpack had).

With that in mind, we turn to James C. of the sarcastically named Yet Another NC State Sports Blog

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

Yes, State will be better this year, and yes, it will show up in the record. The reasons are simple: a capable backup quarterback for Russell Wilson and eight home games on the schedule.

State faltered last season when forced to call upon the quarterbacks on the depth chart behind Wilson. Both Harrison Beck and Daniel Evans were turnover machines; to a person, every State fan that I've talked to knew the PapaJohns.com Bowl was over the moment it was announced Wilson wouldn't return for the second half. Forget the fact that State was up by 11...the game was over at that point.

This season should be different, however. Six-foot-six redshirt freshman QB Mike Glennon -- the best looking quarterback prospect State has had on campus since Philip Rivers -- throws a crisp ball with a quick release and, per teammates, is deceptively quick in the pocket. He's an unknown commodity at this point, but he continues to impress Tom O'Brien in practice. He's made more than one allusion to Matt Ryan when speaking of the young Glennon.

With eight home games and two games against FCS opponents (a last- second change to the schedule required picking up a second FCS opponent), State's record is almost guaranteed to be better this season. Out of conference, I see State going 3-1 against its two FCS foes and South Carolina and Pitt. Going .500 over the remaining conference slate would still put the Pack at 7-5 and into a bowl bid.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

I don't think the ceiling for the Pack is as high as it was before losing All-Conference linebacker Nate Irving. Irving was the driving force behind State's defense last season when healthy, and he stood to be one of the league's best defenders before a car accident put him out of commission for the year. I don't know that any one player on State's roster can replace Irving, but Dwayne Maddox and Terrell Manning are two youngsters that could potentially make some noise in his place.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

State needs a running game. Bad. If Russell Wilson is to remain healthy for the full 12 games, State's running game has to step up and take some pressure off him. While the sight of Wilson scrambling is a nightmarish one for opposing defenses, it also puts the collective hearts of Wolfpack fans in their throats, hoping and praying this isn't the run that puts him out of commission for the rest of the year. So two units must step their games up in '09 -- the running backs and the offensive line. I'm a believer that everything on offense flows through the play of the OL, so if that comes together then I think everything else will fall into place. But bottom line -- State needs a two-pronged attack on offense to succeed this season.

Where I might've gotten brave in predicting nine or maybe even 10 wins prior to Irving's injury, I'm now thinking State will finish the regular season 8-4. That would be a solid step up and set the table for 2010 to be a tremendous season.

While NC State's offense was really a tale of two seasons, their defense was not. State's defense was just bad last season- definitely in the bottom half of the country. WIthout Irving, can they really be better? The signs of improvement at the end of last season were likely a product of playing two bad offenses (Wake and Duke), and two really sloppy offenses (Miami and North Carolina- combined 9 turnovers).

I applaud James for not being a homer in his evaluation and am torn between 8-4 and 7-5. There's a real chance State can start 7-0, but again, it depends on the offense taking a small step forward and the defense taking a big step forward. With Irving, I'd have said 8-4, but without Irving, I expect the 'Pack to lose 4 of their final 5 games, after starting 5-1, as they end up 7-5 (4-4 ACC).

Clemson

There are two fine Clemson websites out there for Clemson fans. First, Block-C (formerly Danny Ford is God), and ClempsonFootball.

Back on June 4th, I wrote this on why Clemson could win the Atlantic Division. It did not go over well with many 'Nole fans.

Clemson to win the ACC +1000 Hold on Noles fans. Let me explain! Where is the value in football? Along the lines and on defense. Quarterbacks are sexy. Linemen are not. This guy will never be on the cover of GQ:

via www.nflgridirongab.com

But he'll be paid millions upon millions of dollars because he weighs as much as a small elephant yet has the feet to win dancing with the stars.

Clemson's recruiting classes in 05-07 ranked 15th, 13th, and 16th nationally. Clemson has 15 starters from those 3 classes. That's 15 physically mature grown men who were very talented to begin with.

And Clemson isn't sexy. They lost their best wide receiver (Aaron kelley) and the 2nd leading all-time rusher in James Davis. They also lost their quarterback. Similar to UGA, people are writing Clemson off because they lost their recognizable players. They did not, however, lose their best players, and that's what I care about.

The Tigers were widely picked to dominate the ACC last year and flopped so poorly that their coach was fired. Clemson was as overhyped last year as they are underhyped this year. To understand why, let's review what happened to Clemson. They got smoked by an Alabama team who nobody realized was elite until much later in the season, then they suffered huge injuries to both lines, particularly on the offensive line where they had 9 different guys start a game! Their QB had serious personality issues, and he was a pocket passer type who suddenly had no pocket. They were 3-1, but then lost three very close games @ Maryland, @ Wake Forest, and against Georgia Tech by an average of less than a field goal. Know what I call that? Bad luck, and it's proven that everyone wins about half of their games decided by 7 points or less. Winning or losing a huge percentage of those is truly, variance. Clemson was 1-4 in games decided by less than a touchdown. If they had gone 3-2, they'd probably be ranked in the top 15 to start this year.

So, did anything good come of their season? You bet. First, they got an excellent defensive coordinator in Kevin Steele to replace an already excellent defensive coordinator in Vic Koenig. Steele was at FSU forever, is considered one of the best defensive coordinators in America, and knows FSU's defensive scheme inside and out. Second, Clemson already played excellent defense last year. They were the 4th best defense in the country. Their points per game numbers don't show it because the offense set them up in horrible field position after horrible field position, but that ultra comprehensive system (linked above) shows their true performance level. Clemson will, have a defense that is in the conversation for "best in America", and I expect as many as 7 of these defenders to eventually be drafted in the first 3 or 4 rounds of the NFL draft. Finally, they got a lot of guys experience on the offensive line. Much like FSU, their offensive linemen took their lumps last year and will be much better this year. Clemson's OLine is probably more talented than FSU's, though I am not prepared to call them better. They received far less press because they didn't become so inexperienced until later in the season (brought on by injuries), while the Noles were very young from day one and got a lot of preseason press. This year, they bring back all 5 of their main starters and these guys are very talented and experienced.

At receiver, they return 2 of the top 3, and also have Dye (high 4* Junior), Jones (high 4* soph), McNeal 5* frosh, and Rendrick T aylor (Unproven, but a a greg jones/ cornelious ingram type athlete at tight end). Jamie Harper (another high 4* RB) is more than capable of replacing James Davis at running back to go with CJ Spiller. And at QB, they have Willie Korn and Kyle Parker (5* and 4* respectively). Both are very talented players and the chance is that one WILL play pretty well. Plus, Clemson's staff won't ask them to do much at all. Behind a very talented line, and a great running game (likely), they will be asked to manage the game, throw play action passes, and make plays with their legs. It's been proven that if you play NFL style ball (ultra conservative, defense, field position) in the ACC, you’ve been successful. Eventually, that’ll stop because teams like FSU or Miami will just be better than folks and will play offense AND defense, but for my money, not this year.

What about the schedule? Clemson starts off @ GT on a Thursday night, but they play Middle Tennessee state before that, so it's effectively a bye week, they then get BC at home, go @ Maryland, get a bye week, play Wake Forest at home, then travel to Miami. They then come home and get Coastal Carolina (a bye week) before hosting FSU. FSU hasn't won at Clemson since before Chris Rix! They then play @ NCST, and finish at home with Virginia.

Clemson gets de facto bye weeks before their two most difficult games, and draw Virginia out of the Coastal, which is HUGE.

Playing at home, getting a bye week before FSU, and getting to play UVA gives Clemson a shot to win the division.

Clemson 2009 looks to be similar to Ole Miss 2008. In 2007, Ole Miss:

*Went 0-3 in games decided by 4 points or less (the bad luck factor) (Like Clemson)
*Was loaded with talent from a coach who was a great recruiter (like Clemson)
* Fell way short of expectations (like Clemson)
* Fired their coach. (Like Clemson)

In 2008, Ole Miss team:

* Returned 16 starters from those elite recruiting classes, including 9 on defense. (Clemson returns 15, including 8 or 9 on defense)
* Had an elite defense, especially their defensive line. (Much like Clemson)
* Had a new coach to energize the program, including quality coordinators. (Like Clemson)
* Brought back an offensive line comprised almost entirely of talented upperclassmen (Like Clemson)
* Had a distinct lack of name skill-position talent (Like Clemson, except spiller)

And won the cotton bowl.

The point of this exercise is that just because you haven't heard of the talent on a squad doesn't mean that the talent is not there. Sometimes all it can take is a new coach or a lack of really bad luck to allow that talent to shine through. Ole Miss won games with excellent defense, and a 5* QB who had tons of time behind a talented and more experienced OLine, despite Jevan Snead being a first time starter.

Since I wrote that, a few things have happened to Clemson. They have remained mostly healthy, and named baseball star Kyle Parker their starting quarterback. The defense should againbe among the nation's best as they return almost everyone, including maybe the Nation's best defensive line. Playing at home against FSU, getting a bye week before the 'Noles (and a de facto bye week before Georgia Tech), and getting to play UVA (2 tough games against the Coastal Division) gives Clemson a shot to win the division.

The key will come down to how Clemson plays in 4 key ACC games. @ Georgia Tech, @ Miami, v. Florida State, and @ NC State. Provided they stay healthy on the offensive line, the offense should be improved.

Projection: 9-3 (5-3 ACC).

Florida State

FSU is covered here extensively. The Seminole offense was the best in the conference last year, and the defense was above average in the conference and top 25 nationally.

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

FSU should be significantly better this season, but their record might not reflect it. FSU plays the toughest schedule in the nation, per Phil Steele and numerous other sources.

Sep. 7	Miami-FL	8, ESPN
Sep. 12	Jacksonville St.	6, ESPN360.com
Sep. 19	at BYU	7, VERSUS
Sep. 26	South Florida	TBA
Oct. 3	at Boston College	TBA
Oct. 10	Georgia Tech	TBA
Oct. 22	at North Carolina	8, ESPN
Oct. 31	NC State	TBA
Nov. 7	at Clemson	TBA
Nov. 14	at Wake Forest	TBA
Nov. 21	Maryland	TBA
Nov. 28	at Florida	3:30, CBS

It's doubtful any team would run through that slate unscathed, including the National Championship favorites. The 2009 FSU team would likely win 1 or 2 more games against last year's schedule. Against this current schedule, it is anyone's guess.

FSU lost fullbacks Seddrick Holloway and Marcus Sims to attrition, but neither projected to be a serious contributor as FSU moves to more two tight-end sets and away from the fullback.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

The interior of the defensive line. FSU's run defense was horrible last season.

The defense cannot allow opposing offenses to hold onto the ball forever like some did last season. Getting the ball back to the offense will be key for FSU, as the offense will wear out opposing defenses.

Projection: FSU goes 9-3, 6-2 in the ACC, losing to UF, Clemson, and one other team in conference.

Coastal Division

Vegas says 4 teams have a legit shot to win this division: Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina. Duke and Virginia do not and neither have a legitimate chance to make a bowl game.

Let's start in reverse order, with VTech up first.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech won the ACC last year and have won the Coastal division for almost every year it has existed. We have two ACC writers: GobblerCountry and College Game Balls. Take it away boys:

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

GC: We'll be better and it will show in our record. He people over-hyping the Hokies this preseason forget that they're a team that lost four games last season. Tech may not win the ACC this year, but they won't lose four regular season games, either.

The talent on the offense has improved by leaps and bounds. It's just up to our offensive coordinator to utilize that talent. Other than quarterback, I think this team has better talent across the board than the 1999 team. But that team had a true difference-maker at quarterback.

If Tyrod Taylor turns into anything resembling a difference-maker, we'll be a special team.

CGB: If we aren't better, then I want my proverbial money back. 2008 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Hokies and lo and behold we win ten games (again), the ACC and the Orange Bowl. The only key players missing from ‘08 in ‘09 are DE Orion Martin, CB Macho Harris, LBs Purnell Sturdivant, Brent Warren and sigh QB Sean Glennon. With Bud Foster in charge I have faith we'll be able to overcome the losses on defense and the offense will be able to do more than enough to win ACC games.

As for our record, I am calling for us to win 11 games which is one better than last year. That's assuming we make it to and win the ACC Championship. That's why our trip to Atlanta is so crucial. And I'm not talking about the game versus Alabama, but our return trip against Georgia Tech. That's the must win game on our schedule.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

GC: We lost our returning leading rusher, battering ram and bell cow in Darren Evans. Without him, the Hokies no longer have someone they can rely on in short-yardage situations.

The newcomers expected to have an impact are led by Ryan Williams, who I expect to get the bulk of the carries by the middle of the season. Williams' debut is the most anticipated by Hokie fans since that of Kevin Jones. He's supposed to be a home run hitter who can break any play for six points.

CGB: As far as the Hokies are concerned these two questions go hand-in-hand. At the beginning of camp Darren Evans, our only returning running back with any major carries, tore his ACL and was zonked for the year. Ryan Williams, David Wilson, Josh Oglesby and Tony Gregory are grinding it out in camp to see who is going to carry the rock come Bama time. They have a whopping 38 collegiate carries among them, 100% belonging to practice-killa-game-chilla Oglesby.

Williams and Wilson are the big play threats missing from the backfield over the past couple of seasons and because of the hype surrounding their recruitment most Hokies want to see them leading the ground attack. So far replacing Evans has gone as well as filling out a TPS Report. Williams is a me-ist and Oglesby and Wilson suffered their own nagging injuries. Ultimately, they'll get their yards but none of these guys are going to punish defenses like Evans did.

Both Sergio Render (Phil Steele #1 guard) and Jason Worilds (Preseason ACC 1st Team) had off-season shoulder surgery that forced them to miss spring ball. They're both healthy and practicing, but worth keeping an eye on.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

GC: Just like every other year for the Hokies, it's the offensive line. They gave up the more sacks than any other ACC team even though they had a mobile quarterback under center for most of their games. The run blocking came along by the end of last year when Tech rolled up big rushing numbers against BC and Cincinnati. Hopefully that momentum can continue into 2009 and we can get better pass blocking.

CGB: Tyrod Taylor, our young but seasoned receivers Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin, Dyrell Roberts, our offensive line, whoever replaces Darren Evans at running back and finally the entire offensive coaching staff Billy Hite, Curt Newsome and Bryan Stinespring need to get their act in check if we are going to make some national noise. Yes I am that frustrated with our offense over the last four seasons. The only offensive player I left off the list is TE Greg Boone because he catches balls, knocks defenders on their butt and takes snaps out of the Wild Turkey. He does it all excellently and if necessary he should be called on to gain our tough yards.

Projection: 9-3 (6-2 ACC). The Hokies hopes for a national title are unrealistic. They are in the group of very good but not elite ACC teams. They'll be recognized as the best ACC team, but that's because of their schedule- they avoid FSU and Clemson (the Atlantic's two best teams), and their road games are @ Duke, @ East Carolina, @ Maryland, and @ Virginia (only one of those teams should make a bowl game). Virginia Tech isn't significantly better than abut 4 other ACC teams, but their ACC schedule is far and away the easiest of any ACC team, with all of their tough games coming at home (except Georgia Tech).

Georgia Tech Yellowjackets

Georgia Tech surprised everyone last year under new Head Coach Paul Johnson. They have an excellent offensive attack that forces the defense to be very disciplined and defend every inch of the field. This is a team that put up 40+ on Georgia and 30+ on a number of other good defenses.

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

Your writers are Winfield Featherson, Bird, and Dane, of From The Rumble Seat

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

Our team will definitely be better in all aspects offensively - QB play, running backs, wide receivers, and line play. Historically, Paul Johnson's teams always increase their production in both the passing and the running game during his second year as head coach. Our defense will have a gaping hole on the defensive line (except for standout end Derrick Morgan) but it will be greatly strengthened by a strong corps of linebackers and a veteran secondary.

Despite improvements in all positions minus the D-line, the ACC makes for a helluva conference slate alongside three SEC OOC games. It's possible that GT's record may not improve on last year's 9 wins but the team will improve by leaps and bounds. However, anything short of 9 wins would be a big disappointment for a majority of the optimistic Yellow Jacket faithful.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

First off, a majority of our injuries were minor and not season-threatening. The major set back was obviously Jaybo Shaw, our competent backup to Josh Nesbitt. He'll be succeeded by a lot of raw redshirt and true freshmen if CPJ decides to put a medical redshirt on Shaw. Roddie Jones' wrist injury set him back as far as contact drills go but it shouldn't limit his playing time and overall effectiveness. And hopefully all of our LB's will be good as gold come Jacksonville State though Kyle Jackson continues to have problems with his foot.

The best newcomer is definitely going to be Jarrard Tarrant. He had his assault charges dropped against him in February that kept him off the 2008 squad. Tarrant brings speed to the secondary and competency at punt returns - a HUGE PROBLEM for GT since Gailey's tenure. Look for Tarrant to play a key role on defense and in the field position battle.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

With Jaybo Shaw out, Tevin Washington and David Sims must prove themselves as comparable backups. This will be trial by fire as they will certainly be used in games. The kicking game, though minor in Paul Johnson's system, must stay strong. Scott Blair will probably be limited to only PAT's which will keep his leg from dying half way through the season. Various questions also surround our defensive line as we lost multiple players to the NFL.

Prediction: 8-4 (5-3 ACC). GTech's schedule is very tough, with road games at Miami and Florida State. 9-3 would not surprise me.

Miami Hurricanes

A young Miami team went 7-6 last season behind an emerging offense and a poor defense. They then fired their offensive coordinator. Go figure. See the diagram above (under FSU) and look at how bad Miami's run defense was. Allowing 5 yards per rush attempt won't win many games. If Miami is to contend for the coastal division championship, they must shore up their run defense issues.

On offense, Miami has new coordinator Mark Wjipple, who will run a pro-style offense with lots of passes to the tight ends and running backs, QB Jacorry Harriss, RB's Cooper and James, and a ton of talented receivers including Aldarious Johnson and LaRon Byrd. Miami's only question on offense is their offensive line, which played poorly in 2008. If they are better, Miami will challenge FSU and Georgia Tech for the conference's top offense (and possibly for the division).

Unlike Virginia Tech, Miami plays both Clemson and FSU. They also play Oklahoma. But Miami is also very talented and if they beat the Hokies in Blacksburg, they have a shot at the division. Prediction: Miami will be a better team in 2009, but their record will again be 7-5 (4-4 ACC) due to a tough schedule.

For much more in-depth canes coverage, visit 7thFloorBlog.com

North Carolia Tarheels

North Carolina is doing a great rebuilding job under Butch Davis, who is bringing renewed energy to Chapel Hill, along with a big increase in talent.

On offense, Carolina lost all of their receivers (including two NFL guys), and their offensive line is very shaky. They go return their quarterback in T.J. Yates and a variety of solid runners, led by Shawn Droughn. Can they replace their lost wide receivers? Doubtful, but if the O-Line gels quickly they could use their running game to make up the difference.

Carolina had one of the better defenses in the nation last year, and should again excel on that side of the ball. They boast a huge front-7 which is excellent at stopping the run, allowing the secondary to play the pass.

Projection: 8-4 (4-4 ACC) UNC runs their weak non-conference slate with easy, wins at home against Duke and Virginia, and taking two of: @ GTech, FSU, @ Virginia Tech, Miami, @ Boston College, and @ NCST.

Virginia

Your writer is Brendan of From Old Virginia. Take it away, Brendan:

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

I think I will be surprised if the answers to these questions aren't a unanimous yes, except for maybe from the reigning ACC champs. It's that time of year. Yes, we will be better, and it has everything to do with the offensive side of the ball. We have a new coordinator who is almost guaranteed to be an improvement because the old one couldn't have been much worse. We have two (semi-)new quarterbacks, practically a whole new set of receivers, a new playbook with a new system, and hopefully a new and improved Mikell Simpson to carry the ball.

But what's new isn't half of why I'm looking forward to seeing the offense. It has more to do with what's older, and more experienced: the offensive line. A new and inexperienced line is a surefire formula for underachieving; ours spent nearly all of last season learning to play together and gelling as a unit, and four of five starters return. There's the right mix of new blood and experience on this offense to really open some eyes this year.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

Oh God - this question is here just for the sake of jinxing things, I just know it. Hopefully the football gods are not listening right at this moment, but Virginia hasn't had any significant, season-ending health issues - yet. Transfers and academic losses include defensive ends Andrew Devlin (formerly a tight end) and Kevin Crawford, tight end Rod Wheeler, and safety Rico Bell. There's also two freshman offensive linemen who didn't make it to the fall: Cody Wallace and Morgan Moses.

None were expected to start this year, and several of those wouldn't even have been on the two-deep. The depth at defensive end took a major hit though, and there will be some true freshmen who have to step up. Will Hill, our lone early enrollee, will be one, and there will probably be others. Most of the above losses are losses for good - these aren't like Jameel Sewell who had to spend a year getting eligible. The exceptions are Wallace and Moses, the freshmen. Wallace is probably a longshot at best to return, but Moses will begin his prep school career shortly and Virginia fans will be following it closely because Moses is three-hundred-thirty-twelve pounds of major-league talent.

As far as newcomers go, as with any team there will be plenty of former backups moving into a starting role. But there are three freshmen expected to make a major impact. WR Tim Smith is a tremendous talent as well as a true freshman and will be on the field from Day 1. In the backfield, redshirt frosh Torrey Mack is expected to share the load at running back, and classmate Steve Greer is a projected starter at inside linebacker. If you had to name three UVA freshmen to watch out for, it's far and away those three.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

I'll take this to mean, which player was a regular last year and needs to improve his game? Imaginary players are well-known to be fatal to coaching careers (original question posed was poorly phrased), and anyway we have basically an entire linebacking corps that is new to the starting gig. But new starters always need to step it up. Two players come to mind. On defense, there's DE Matt Conrath. He showed a lot of promise last year as a freshman and played very well as freshmen go. But the brand-new linebacking corps needs help from both front and back if they're going to be successful. With Clint Sintim gone, we need a pass rush threat, and Conrath is the guy everyone's looking at to consistently provide it. The defensive line needs to be huge to take pressure off the linebackers, and it starts with Conrath.

On offense, Mikell Simpson had a terrific 2007 - just ask Maryland. But he was having a really awful 2008 until it was cut short by a broken collarbone. He's now in an offense tailor-made to his talents. He's always been at his best in space, and excels when he's the target of screen passes and such. The offense will get him the ball with room to run - he must take advantage.

I expect UVA to narrowly miss out on a bowl game, going 5-7 (2-6 ACC). If they spring an upset against TCU, Maryland, or Georgia Tech, the Cavs will be bowling. But that also assumes they don't have any letdowns, which is probably unrealistic, so 5-7 it is.

Duke

The Blue Devils lost a ton from the surprising 2008 team. No team lost more letterman than Duke. Duke should continue to have one of the worst offenses in the country, and will be horrible running the ball. The defense should be slightly below average, which for Duke, is acceptable. Prediction: 2-10 (0-8). This is a major rebuilding year for Duke despite the recognizeable name at quarterback.

General ACC

Brandon Rink-On of http://ontheb-rink.com/blog answered the questions for us from a different perspective. Enjoy:

Every team believes they are a little better going into the season, but who will make the most improvement from season-to-season this year in the ACC? Georgia Tech? I don't know-last season was pretty good for
them. Clemson? Well, there are just too many unknowns there. My pick is Miami. They were a lot better team than they showed(or were coached) last season and should be more impressive this season. The
Canes will be led by a nasty defense that will wreak havoc on the Coastal. And the new offensive scheme has to be better than whatever their previous OC Turner was doing(which was?).

In the record, it will not quite translate into a division title, but they will be in contention(which is more than you can say for the last few years).

Virginia Tech is an easy one with the loss of one Darren Evans and key newcomer in Ryan Williams, but another team has caught my eye in the offseason. Let's say my team is Clemson, they lose two offensive
lineman, Barry Humphries to transfer and J.K. Jay to a back injury, and have a couple guys dinged up like their only real returning WR in Jacoby Ford. The starting five on the line is pretty solid for the Tigers, but