- 31,964
- 1,056
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2007
2009 ACC Football thread vol. Watch what you say
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by ThaxbyChamblis,
- Start date
- 43,626
- 8,620
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
August 10, 2009
[h1]Improper attire costs Clemson two practices[/h1]
Cris Ard
Rivals.com College Football
Talk about it in The Tribal Council
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Clemson football team has been forced to trim two of its allotted 29 preseason practices, coach Dabo Swinney said Monday.
The Tigers have been cited by the Atlantic Coast Conference for wearing improper attire in practices, Swinney said.
"We've got what I'm calling Girdle Gate going on around here," Swinney said. "The pants that were under our shorts - and just so you know we've always worn that around here - for whatever reason, it has become an issue this year. On the first two days of practice the ACC ruled that this was improper attire ? to have that girdle on with the little built-in padding.
"Obviously we didn't know that. Certainly if you're robbing a bank, you wouldn't invite the media to come cover it."
Clemson's first practice, back on Aug. 4, was open to the media. Its morning practice today also was open to the media. The a.m. session was supposed to be the first of two workouts on the day.
Swinney said his team will not practice tonight, as a result of the ruling, and won't begin the first "full blown" two-a-day session until Wednesday.
[table][tr][td][/td] [td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]AP[/td] [/tr][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is referring to this ruling of losing two practices
due to improper attire as Girdle Gate.[/td] [/tr][/table]The coach seemed baffled at the ruling, as he addressed the media just inside of the Jervey practice facility shortly after 12 p.m. Monday.
"Obviously there was no intent to break a rule, but somebody turned us in on that and the ACC said it was indeed improper attire," he said. "I think you can turn on the television or get on the Internet and find a lot of high-profile universities that have the same exact attire that we had on the first two practices. But we're not going to argue this ruling."
Swinney said he first learned of the ACC looking into the matter last week, when an equipment staffer brought it to his attention after a conversation with Stephanie Ellison, Clemson's director of compliance.
"He came up to me on Thursday and said they had called over and said someone had called them to say we were wearing illegal attire," Swinney said. "I said, 'What?' We were wearing the same thing we had been wearing for years. All Stephanie could do was react to it.
"There's a lot of other schools in other conferences who have worn them. I don't know what their penalties are, but ours was two less practices. We'll make good use of the time."
Swinney said he was appreciative of the NCAA's involvement in the matter because the ACC had initially wanted to force the Tigers to restart its acclimation period.
"I was like dad-gum, we can't get anything done in shorts. We've got to get to work with our pads on," Swinney said. "So we put that out there and the NCAA said, 'OK, we'll accept that.'
"We're not arguing the rule. It is what it is. I told the team for whatever reason nobody seemed to care the last few years. But it seems people are watching us."
Swinney said staffers worked out a different schedule with the team in light of the ruling. Players will have position meetings tonight, a team dinner and a walk-through, which the 39-year-old coach says is not considered by the NCAA as an on-the-field [practice] activity.
"We'll get a lot out of it. It might even be a blessing in disguise," he said. "We've got a big scrimmage in the morning and then Friday afternoon we're going to have a team function, a little outing planned."
Swinney said the team practiced a little longer than normal Monday, as a result of the Tigers having its originally scheduled second practice of the day taken away. The team had been slated to end workouts at 11:30 a.m., following a start time of 9:30. The Tigers were not done until after 12 p.m. Monday. The previously scheduled evening session had been slated to begin at 7:30, with an end time of 9:15.
Swinney said the ACC front office has since sent out an email to all of its schools' compliance directors informing programs of the ruling.
Clemson is preparing for its season opener on Sept. 5 against Middle Tennessee. The Tigers are a 21-point favorite over the Blue Raiders.
- 8,762
- 13
- Joined
- May 14, 2009
- 4,184
- 10
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
I think our group of WRs will be better than what the media and some fans are expecting. They are young and have a lot of raw talent, but from everythingI've read TJ has really become a good leader and decision maker running our offense.
My main worries for the Heels this year include our Secondary and our O-line. Hopefully we are more aggressive on defense and blitz more, because those passiveprevent defenses at the end of games are too much to handle.
SMH that they didn't list FSU at UNC as a top game. I'm telling you, that game is going to be huge.
My main worries for the Heels this year include our Secondary and our O-line. Hopefully we are more aggressive on defense and blitz more, because those passiveprevent defenses at the end of games are too much to handle.
SMH that they didn't list FSU at UNC as a top game. I'm telling you, that game is going to be huge.
- 684
- 10
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2006
Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43
our backfield is sick, but we lost our o-line. unless the new guys step up in a big way, i don't think we'll be a better rushing team than last year. everybody watch out for Bruce Campbell this year though... he is the next freak athlete from Maryland
8. Bruce Campbell, Maryland, OT: The Terps have been good for a few workout warriors, and the 6-6, 306-pound Campbell is a supersized version. Maryland strength coach Dwight Galt calls him "one of a kind." Campbell certainly has the bloodlines. His father, Bruce, starred for the Providence College hoops team in the '70s before he was drafted by the Nets.
Earlier this month, Campbell bench-pressed 490 pounds, which is impressive, especially considering the length of his arms. He also ran a 4.82 40. "Bruce looks like a Greek God," Galt says. "He almost looks like a bodybuilder. He's the offensive line version of Vernon Davis."
- 5,409
- 923
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2004
Someone NEEDS to cut and paste the %#@% that's been said by Miami fans in the College Football thread.
- 3,436
- 11
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2009
Evans out for the year
- 4,751
- 10
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2004
Why dont you do it, since you seem so concerned
- 43,626
- 8,620
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
Woooowowowowow.Originally Posted by r0yalty
Evans out for the year
- 43,626
- 8,620
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
[table][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[table][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td][img]http://images.clickability.com/pti/btn-print-page.gif[/img][/td] [td] [table][tr][td][/td] [td] SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close [/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]
Posted: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:12AM; Updated: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:12AM
[table][tr][td] [h1]SI's Top 20 Scouting Reports[/h1] [/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]5[/td] [td]
Virginia Tech
ACC
[/td] [td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Select Team[/td] [/tr][tr][td]1. Florida[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2. Texas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3. Oklahoma[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4. USC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5. Virginia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6. Ole Miss[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7. Oklahoma State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8. Alabama[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9. Boise State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10. Ohio State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11. Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12. Georgia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13. LSU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14. Penn State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15. Georgia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16. Florida State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17. TCU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18. Oregon State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19. Utah[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20. North Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Main page
2009 Schedule
[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]
There's no questioning Tyrod Taylor's running ability, but the career 55.7 percent passer has to cut down on interceptions.
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
[table][tr][td]Fast Facts[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]
COACH: Frank Beamer (23rd year)
2008 RECORD: 10-4 (5-3 in ACC)
FINAL AP RANK: 15
RET. STARTERS: Offense 8, Defense 7
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Worth Noting[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]Since Frank Beamer took over the program in 1987, the Virginia Tech defense has scored 79 touchdowns while the special teams have chipped in another 41.
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[/td] [/tr][/table]
This article appears in the August 17th, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated
With a ramped-up ground game, the offense may finally hold up its end.
It's scary to think what the Hokies could accomplish if they fielded even a respectable offense. Over the past three seasons they won 31 games and two ACC championships despite having an attack that ranked no better than 99th in the nation. Coach Frank Beamer built one of the most successful Division I-A programs -- only Florida, Ohio State and Texas have more wins than Beamer's teams over the last 14 years -- around defense: The Hokies' unit ranked among the top seven every season since 2003. Beamerball may be a winner, but that doesn't mean it's pretty, or even fun to watch.
Darren Evans is intent on changing that. The 6-foot 213-pounder rushed for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2008. Not bad for a guy who started practice last fall fourth on the depth chart and who only got the starting job in the seventh game by virtue of being one of the last healthy backs. "The more snaps he took, he just became a force," says offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring. "It was exciting to see that light come on for him."
Lining up with junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor (738 rushing yards), Evans will be the centerpiece of what should be a versatile running game -- one that should get a boost from redshirt freshman Ryan Williams, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound bolt of lightning who wreaked havoc on the scout team last year. Clearing the way will be an experienced line led by senior left guard Sergio Render and senior left tackle Ed Wang. Says right tackle Blake DeChristopher, who started 11 games as a redshirt freshman last season, "If we do our job, it shouldn't matter who runs the ball."
The big question is whether Taylor, hyped as the next Michael Vick when he arrived in 2007, has developed as a passer. Splitting time with senior Sean Glennon last year, Taylor threw for two TDs and was intercepted seven times. Inexperience at wideout was partly to blame, though freshman starters Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts combined for 83 catches.
Still, with a punishing running game and a rock-solid defense, Virginia Tech will be the team to beat in the ACC -- and maybe more.
-- Mark Beech
Issue date: August 17, 2009
[table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[table][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td][img]http://images.clickability.com/pti/btn-print-page.gif[/img][/td] [td] [table][tr][td][/td] [td] SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close [/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]
Posted: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:09AM; Updated: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:09AM
[table][tr][td] [h1]SI's Top 20 Scouting Reports[/h1] [/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]12[/td] [td]
Georgia Tech
ACC
[/td] [td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Select Team[/td] [/tr][tr][td]1. Florida[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2. Texas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3. Oklahoma[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4. USC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5. Virginia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6. Ole Miss[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7. Oklahoma State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8. Alabama[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9. Boise State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10. Ohio State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11. Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12. Georgia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13. LSU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14. Penn State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15. Georgia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16. Florida State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17. TCU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18. Oregon State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19. Utah[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20. North Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Main page
2009 Schedule
[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]
Josh Nesbitt won't throw much, but he averaged 15 yards a completion in '08.
Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI
[table][tr][td]Fast Facts[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]
COACH: Paul Johnson (2nd year)
2008 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3 in ACC)
FINAL AP RANK: 22
RET. STARTERS: Offense 9, Defense 8
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Worth Noting[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]Last year Georgia Tech ranked ahead of only three Division I-A teams in passing, averaging 99.2 yards on a meager 12.7 attempts per game. Expect the Yellow Jackets to throw more this season to keep opponents from stacking the box with nine defenders.
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[/td] [/tr][/table]
This article appears in the August 17, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated
The Jackets get behind their bruising ballcarrier for a run at ACC supremacy.
The words were delivered in a calm yet commanding voice. "We get the ball first in the second half," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson told his players at halftime of their Nov. 29 game at Georgia in which they trailed 28-12. "We will score on that possession, and that will change everything." A few minutes later, on the Yellow Jackets' first snap after intermission, quarterback Josh Nesbitt tossed the ball to Jonathan Dwyer on an option play, and the 6-foot, 235-pound running back broke three tackles while galloping 60 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. From there, Georgia Tech went on to beat the Bulldogs 45-42, snapping a seven-game losing streak to its rival. And Dwyer, who rushed for 144 yards that day, showed the SEC what coaches and players in the ACC already knew: He's as hard to bring down as any running back in the country.
"Jonathan has great lower-body strength, and that makes him very difficult to tackle," says Brian Bohannon, the Yellow Jackets' quarterbacks and running backs coach. "Plus, for a 235-pound guy, he can run as well as anyone. We have big, big expectations for him this season."
Indeed, for his team to have a shot at getting into a BCS bowl, Dwyer, who was the ACC offensive player of the year as a sophomore in 2008 (with a conference-high 1,395 rushing yards), will have to contribute another monster season. But the entire offense -- with nine returning starters -- has to kick Johnson's option-based spread attack into a higher gear this season, the coach's second in Atlanta after six years at Navy. Though Georgia Tech ranked fourth in the country in rushing last year, big adjustments had to be made: For instance, the entire starting line had been recruited by Johnson's predecessor, Chan Gailey, to play a pro-style offense.
"There's no comparison between last year and this year in terms of how much more comfortable we are with this offense," Dwyer says. "Instead of thinking about everything we do, we're just playing. We're clicking as a unit, and that makes you play faster on the field."
Dwyer, from Marietta, Ga., turned down scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to attend Tech. In what could be his final college season -- barring a setback, he is viewed by many scouts as a first-round pick in next year's NFL draft -- Dwyer believes that the Yellow Jackets can win their first national title since 1990. "If we keep improving like we did during the spring," he says, "we can shock the country."
-- Lars Anderson
Issue date: August 17, 2009
[table][tr][td][/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[table][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td][img]http://images.clickability.com/pti/btn-print-page.gif[/img][/td] [td] [table][tr][td][/td] [td] SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close [/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]
Posted: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:10AM; Updated: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:10AM
[table][tr][td] [h1]SI's Top 20 Scouting Reports[/h1] [/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]16[/td] [td]
Florida State
ACC
[/td] [td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Select Team[/td] [/tr][tr][td]1. Florida[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2. Texas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3. Oklahoma[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4. USC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5. Virginia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6. Ole Miss[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7. Oklahoma State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8. Alabama[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9. Boise State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10. Ohio State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11. Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12. Georgia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13. LSU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14. Penn State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15. Georgia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16. Florida State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17. TCU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18. Oregon State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19. Utah[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20. North Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Main page
2009 Schedule
[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]
Coming off elbow surgery, Dekoda Watson will step into a leading role on Florida State's defense.
Richard C. Lewis/Icon SMI
[table][tr][td]Fast Facts[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]
COACH: Bobby Bowden (34th year)
2008 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3 in ACC)
FINAL AP RANK: 21
RET. STARTERS: Offense 8, Defense 5
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Worth Noting[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]One of the Seminoles' strengths is an offensive line that features three players who were freshman All-Americas -- sophomore left tackle Andrew Datko, junior center Ryan McMahon and junior left guard Rodney Hudson, now a Lombardi Award candidate.[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[/td] [/tr][/table]
This article appears in the August 17, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated
Loaded on offense, the Seminoles see an end to their three-year ACC title drought.
Sitting in the student section of Doak S. Campbell Stadium last Sept. 20, Dekoda Watson was sure of one thing: He wasn't coming back to Tallahassee in 2009 for his senior season. Watson, a linebacker from Aiken, S.C., was serving a suspension for academic misconduct, and as he watched his teammates lose to Wake Forest -- Florida State's third consecutive loss in the series -- it was painfully clear that the Seminoles' long dominance of the ACC was over. The program that had won 12 outright or shared conference championships in 14 years (1992 through 2005) hasn't advanced to the ACC title game in three seasons.
"When I was in the student section, I saw us make so many mistakes it just hurt," Watson says. "I won't lie, I wanted to leave. But you know what? I've never won a ring, and the more I looked around [after the '08 season], the more I started to believe that this could be our year in the ACC."
Indeed, though the schedule is brutal -- 11 of 12 opponents played in bowls last season -- the Seminoles should be the class of the ACC Atlantic. With eight starters back on offense, including junior quarterback Christian Ponder and all five linemen, the onus is on the defense to come through. The top three tacklers from '08 have departed, so it's understandable why defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews was relieved to hear that Watson was returning after all. "Dekoda is our leader," Andrews says. "He's going to be a disruptive force."
Watson played in the last 10 games, including a 42?13 whipping of Wisconsin in the Champ Sports Bowl, and occasionally flashed playmaking skills that recalled past star Florida State linebackers Derrick Brooks and Peter Boulware. Despite being hampered by a sore hamstring and an injured left elbow that required Tommy John surgery in the offseason, the 6-foot-2, 226-pound Watson had eight tackles for losses and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 46.
"It's time for us to bring back the glory to Florida State," says Watson, who might have been a second- or third-round pick in April's NFL draft. "That's why I came back."
-- Lars Anderson
Issue date: August 17, 2009
[table][tr][td] [table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[table][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td][img]http://images.clickability.com/pti/btn-print-page.gif[/img][/td] [td] [table][tr][td][/td] [td] SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close [/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]
Posted: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:10AM; Updated: Wednesday August 12, 2009 9:10AM
[table][tr][td] [h1]SI's Top 20 Scouting Reports[/h1] [/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]20[/td] [td]
North Carolina
ACC
[/td] [td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Select Team[/td] [/tr][tr][td]1. Florida[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2. Texas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3. Oklahoma[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4. USC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5. Virginia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6. Ole Miss[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7. Oklahoma State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8. Alabama[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9. Boise State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10. Ohio State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11. Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12. Georgia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13. LSU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14. Penn State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15. Georgia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16. Florida State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17. TCU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18. Oregon State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19. Utah[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20. North Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Main page
2009 Schedule
[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]
Bruce Carter needs only a crack to squeeze through to chase down the passer or smother a kick on special teams.
Kevin C. Cox
[table][tr][td]Fast Facts[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]
COACH: Butch Davis (3rd year)
2008 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4 in ACC)
FINAL AP RANK: NR
RET. STARTERS: Offense 6, Defense 9
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Worth Noting[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [table][tr][td]North Carolina plays consecutive Thursday night games against Florida State and Virginia Tech -- two teams against whom the Tar Heels are a combined 1-17 since the two joined the ACC in 1992 and 2004, respectively.
[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
[/td] [/tr][/table]
This article appears in the August 17, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated
It's time to turn the close losses into big wins and step onto the national stage.
Note to basketball coach Roy Williams: Should you come up short of point guards, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out the Tar Heels' trio of hyperquick linebackers. All have the wheels to run your frenetic fast break, and Bruce Carter, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior who played a little hoops in high school, has serious hops. He blocked a school-record five kicks or punts in 2008.
After playing running back, quarterback and safety at Havelock (N.C.) High, Carter was signed as an all-purpose athlete and arrived in Chapel Hill in January 2007. Coach Butch Davis, who had been hired just two months earlier, immediately moved him to linebacker. Eight months later Carter blocked a punt in a season-opening win over James Madison and wound up starting seven games as a freshman, playing in all 12. "Bruce has a knack for getting off the ball," says Davis. "And he's a good enough athlete to work his way through little cracks to give himself a chance to get to it."
Joining Carter at linebacker -- he works the strong side -- will be junior Quan Sturdivant, in the middle, and sophomore Zach Brown, on the weak side. Sturdivant (6-2, 230) had a team-high 87 solo tackles in 2008, while Brown (6-2, 220) is the fastest of the three, having run a 4.28 40 in the spring. "You need speed," says Davis, who has rebuilt the defense in the mold of the fleet-footed ones he had at Miami, first as the line coach (1984-8and then as head coach (1995-2000). "Middle linebackers don't make 20 tackles a game these days. Football isn't as much of a smashmouth game."
With nine starters back on defense, Davis figures to lean heavily on that unit to buy time for the young offense. The Tar Heels passed for 21 of their 39 offensive touchdowns last year, but they lost their top three wide receivers to the NFL and there will be three new faces starting on the line.
North Carolina is coming off its first winning season (8?5) since 2001, and four losses were by three points or less. Carter believes the Tar Heels are better prepared to finish off opponents. "This year's going to be our turning point," he says.
Mark Beech
Issue date: August 17, 2009
- 7,349
- 243
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2002
They should rename this the "dreClark 2009 ACC Football threa."
The more I think about it, Darren Evans' injury is really gonna hurt us this year. Our O-line isn't good at opening huge holes or getting out andblocking in space; Evans really maximized what the line gave him and got a lot of tough yards. While Williams is a tough runner, we don't have anybody thatcan wear down a defense or grind it out and always fall forward to get those tough yards inside the tackles.
The more I think about it, Darren Evans' injury is really gonna hurt us this year. Our O-line isn't good at opening huge holes or getting out andblocking in space; Evans really maximized what the line gave him and got a lot of tough yards. While Williams is a tough runner, we don't have anybody thatcan wear down a defense or grind it out and always fall forward to get those tough yards inside the tackles.
- 1,002
- 10
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2004
lol ill do my part Dre
Since we basically only have VT,FSU,Miami, and UNC fans ill post the fall practice reports...
Since we basically only have VT,FSU,Miami, and UNC fans ill post the fall practice reports...
http://floridastate.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Coach=321
Jimbo Fisher calls it "controlled chaos."
And he loves it.
For the first time since he, Rick Trickett and company arrived at Florida State in early 2007, practices are being conducted at the pace Fisher prefers - somewhere between breakneck and warp speed.
"We've changed the whole tempo - we're getting more reps in less time," Fisher said. "Nobody's standing around. Everybody's getting reps, and everybody's getting chances. That's the way you develop young guys. You don't learn by watching. You learn by doing.
"That's the way we can get these young, talented guys reps. And the older guys get more reps."
[table][tr][td][/td] [td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Gene Williams - Warchant.com[/td] [/tr][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]By splitting the teams on two different fields, players like Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel can get a lot more meaningful reps in practice.[/td] [/tr][/table]By changing the format of practice, Florida State's players are seeing a dramatic increase in repetitions per session - by as much as double in some cases. And they're often doing it in a shorter amount of time than in previous years, which forces the players to concentrate when they're physically tired.
"It teaches you how to play at a fast pace," Fisher said. "It teaches you to play at a game competition level. Not a practice level - a game competition level. Where you're training every day like it's a national championship game. … "What happens is you learn to control chaos. And you learn how to deal with it."
The Seminoles are accomplishing this by frequently splitting the team across two separate fields. For example, the first- and third-string offense and defense will be on one field, while the second- and fourth-strings will be on another field.
That means players have less time to wait between plays.
"You might end up taking 10 snaps in a row," junior offensive guard Rodney Hudson said. "And that will be beneficial in the games because you might have a 10- or 15-play drive in a game."
"It's a lot more intense," sophomore defensive tackle Moses McCray said. "Everything is faster and up-tempo. The way we're practicing now, the games should be cake."
While the veteran players are excited about the benefits of the ramped-up workouts, they also admit that it has been an adjustment.
"It's definitely been tough," senior tight end Caz Piurowski said. "Some of the toughest practices ... you're going from one field to the next and one drill to the next. It's definitely tough, but I think it's going to be real good."
One side benefit of the faster pace is that the players actually are getting extra conditioning work while shuffling from drill to drill.
But the biggest impact might be seen in the rapid development of the freshman class. In previous seasons, young players often were forced to wait patiently for their turns while veterans took the majority of the snaps. This preseason, they were thrown into the fire from day one.
"They're getting every rep that the ones are getting," Fisher said. "When you're going on both fields, they're getting the same number of reps. Now, they may do it wrong a little bit … but instead of watching it, they're actually physically doing it. So it actually speeds up their development."
That is welcome news, even to the veterans. Though juniors and seniors never want to come off the field, they know the reality is that football is a physical game - and a starter can be sidelined on any play.
"During the season, you can't rely on your ones the whole time," Piurowski said. "Injuries are going to happen. People are going to get tired. Fatigue is going to set in. You need to count on your twos and threes and even fours sometimes. I think this is going to be huge, because it's not just the ones and twos getting reps and the threes getting sprinkled in here and there. Everyone is getting reps. Everyone is learning the plays."
It also is providing an opportunity for second- and third-teamers to lead instead of always looking to the starters for guidance.
"If I'm not up there on the upper field and one of the younger tight ends has a question, hopefully Beau [Reliford] or Ja'Baris [Little] can help answer the question," Piurowski said. "Some of the younger guys that can kind of develop that [leadership]."
Given all the benefits of the revised practice schedules, one might wonder why the Seminoles didn't implement these changes last year or the year before.
But Fisher said it simply wasn't feasible. The players weren't in good enough condition to handle the constant work, and not enough players had bought in to the new philosophy.
"Not even close," Fisher said. "Didn't have the personnel, and didn't have the mentality."
Following North Carolina's Tuesday afternoon practice, UNC head coach Butch Davis spoke about a number of topics, including some of the top performers in practice and the return of sophomore linebacker Zach Brown.
[size=+1]HOARSE DAVIS BREAKS DOWN CAMP[/size]
[table][tr][td][/td] [td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Adam Powell (CB)[/td] [/tr][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]UNC head coach Butch Davis broke down North Carolina's practice Tuesday afternoon.[/td] [/tr][/table]Arriving inside the Kenan Center hallway adjacent to the UNC weight room and locker room after practice, Davis was noticeably hoarse when he began speaking to reporters. The Tar Heel head coach mentioned that after five days of practices and meetings, his voice has been going non-stop.
"I'm the perpetual chatterbox during practice, trying with tempo, hustle, talking about things we need to do, and you talk an awful lot," Davis said. "Two or three meetings a day and now on the practice field yelling and everything, it's not a sign of anything that's going wrong."
"Today was our fifth day of practice, and I'm very pleased with the things that we're doing as a football team," Davis added. "I think that our conditioning is showing up, that we've had a good offseason. Guys are able to push through these practices."
"Training camp is never very easy. It's always hot. There's always a lot of competition. The coaches are pushing for the number of reps during practice, but I think our kids have handled it very good," Davis continued. "Probably the most impressive thing about our football team right now is their willingness to work on the things that we don't do well."
"So far it's off to a good start, but we've got a long ways to go."
[size=+1]SIGNIFICANCE OF PRACTICES EMPHASIZED[/size]
Davis and the other coaches have been working hard to impress on the players this summer that between now and the regular season opener against The Citadel on September 5, the Tar Heels will conduct nearly half of the total practices that will come during the entire season
"We've talked to them an awful lot about how if we're going to improve as a football team, this is an unbelievably critical period of time," said Davis. "We get 29 practice opportunities before the first game. After that first game there will be 11 regular season games left, and if we have three practices a week, that means that we're only going to have 33 practices (remaining)."
"So basically almost half of the practices that we'll have as a football team this entire year are going to come during training camp. It's the most significant time of practice for us to get better, to identify players, to identify guys with roles," Davis added.
"We're making a big deal out of the fact that we've got 29 practices, and that's basically the entire half of a football season. I think that they relish the idea of how important that each one of those practices actually are---that when they leave the field, they personally have to feel like they've made improvement as a football player and as a team."
[size=+1]DEFENSE SHINING EARLY ON[/size]
Davis revealed that the Tar Heel defenders have gotten the better of the offensive units in the early stages of camp, and that the UNC defensive line in particular has been setting the tone on the practice field.
"I think our defense, thus far through the first part as you would suspect, our defense has had probably a little bit of the better end of the deal in practices, just from the standpoint they've got a larger, significant number of guys returning," Davis said.
[table][tr][td][/td] [td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Adam Powell (CB)[/td] [/tr][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td]Junior cornerback Kendric Burney got some specific praise from Coach Davis for his efforts in practice.[/td] [/tr][/table]"Defensively, I think our defensive line has set the tempo for all of our practices," he added. "They're really pushing themselves. They're older. They're more mature. They're able to push themselves longer during the heat of the battle."
Along with the linemen, Davis spoke highly about several retuning players among the linebackers and secondary.
"Guys in the secondary that I think have stood out, I think Kendric Burney has made some plays," he said. "I think Jordan Hemby is off to an excellent start. I think our linebackers, I think Kevin Reddick, Bruce (Carter), and Quan (Sturdivant), those guys have done a good job."
[size=+1]COACHES CHALLENGING, FOCUSING ON FUNDAMENTALS[/size]
Davis admitted that with the added experience of this year's team, the coaches are able to bring more to the table this summer in practice in terms of challenging the players and pushing them to reach their maximum potential
"To be honest with you, we are able to challenge our players a little bit more," Davis said. "It actually started back in the spring time, with guys really being here a little bit longer, we can kind of take it to another level on some things."
While the team naturally wants to play fast, Davis has reminded the players of the need to focus on their assignments and on having proper fundamentals in addition to being fast.
"I think that if you're not careful, you'll not focus enough on the little things, and that's one of the things I told them," he added. "I said although it's the third year and you'd like us to go at a rapid pace, you're still going to win football games with blocking, tackling, a lot of the fundamental things. But the one thing is that they know how to push themselves, and we don't have talk to them about the difference between what's a good practice and what's not a good practice."
[size=+1]OFFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS COMING TOGETHER[/size]
Although the defensive units have looked particularly strong over the first few days of training camp, Davis said that Tuesday's session was the best so far for the offense.
"The offense, today, was by far and away their best practice," he said. "We had a really good blitz drill today, really trying to put the pressure on our offense, and I thought they did a very good job as far of the protections are going."
Offensively, defensively, and in the realm of special teams, much of the first week of practice is about implementing various plays and schemes.
In special teams, much of that effort is being dedicated to finding new prospects at punt and kickoff returner.
"There's an awful lot of stuff going on from an installation standpoint, besides the offensive and defensive work things that we're doing," Davis said. "We've got to really do a lot of work on special teams. We've got a lot of specialist areas, Replacing Brandon Tate and some of those guys that were punt returners, kick returners, is a big part of the issue during this training camp."
[size=+1]EVERYONE GETTING A SHOT[/size]
As he's mentioned in prior interviews in the past, Davis makes no bones about the fact that he considers training camp the opportune time to give everyone on the team an opportunity to show what they can do, including the newcomers.
"As I said before, we're not really focusing a great deal much on depth charts and those kinds of things," he said. "We're trying to give guys a lot of equal-opportunity reps, you know. We're coaching three teams in just about every position just so the guys can get an awful lot of opportunities to get on the field and get better."
"Clearly with the young kids, the freshmen and the redshirt freshmen, they're getting a lot of the fundamentals and the basics, but they're getting an awful lot of opportunities to watch the older kids execute some things that we hope that they'll be able to very soon," Davis added.
In addition to speaking highly about UNC's top two tight ends, Davis mentioned how some of the rookie offensive linemen are stepping up in practice.
Due to the overall lack of depth along the offensive line, the newcomers are getting a chance to prove themselves against high-caliber competition on the practice field each day.
"I think Zack Pianalto is having an excellent camp. Ed Barham is doing a very, very good job," Davis said.
"In the offensive line, I'll talk about some of the young offensive linemen. Jonathan Cooper, Travis Bond, those guys, Brennan Williams, those young freshmen, you know what? Because of the lack of depth, they're getting challenged probably more in this training camp than they would have clearly ever gotten challenged, because they're getting opportunities at times to go sometimes with the second unit," said Davis, "Which means they get a face full of guys like Tydreke Powell and some of those second-team defensive linemen that are pretty good. You have a pretty good challenge every day."
[size=+1]BROWN RETURNS, BRYANT REMAINS AWAY[/size]
While Zach Brown has made his way back to Chapel Hill after missing a couple of early practices due to his sister's wedding, sophomore offensive lineman Kevin Bryant has yet to report. Coach Davis spoke briefly about both.
"(Bryant) is not back," said Davis. "Yeah, it is good, you know (to have Brown in camp). It's good he got an opportunity to be in his sister's wedding, and I don't think he's not going to retire from football and go into a singing career anytime in the near future, but it was good for him to be a part of that, and it's good to have him back."
Davis doesn't feel that missing a couple of early training camp practices will set back Brown, who is among the elite athletes on the team and in peak physical condition.
"I don't think missing one day or two days of practice, I don't think it's going to set him back. He's practicing well now that he's back," Davis said.
[table][tr][td][/td] [td][/td] [/tr][/table]A drill the entire team focuses on the first day of full pads: Inside run.
And the offensive line more than held its own today in that drill, breaking open plenty of holes for the running backs to go through for big yardage.
"We were running it down their throat," OL Jason Fox said. "It was full tackle, and half the plays we didn't even get tackled."
The defense got back at the offense, though, with several interceptions.
Colin McCarthy had a pair of interceptions. Brandon McGee, Brandon Harris and walkon DB Corey Nelms also had interceptions as quarterbacks struggled keeping the ball away from the defense.
Of his picks, McCarthy said, "I had one in the two-minute (drill) - coach (John) Lovett made a good call, the D line got a good pass rush and they threw the ball up and I was able to come down with it. In seven-on-seven it was a regular drop, I broke on it and got a pick.
"It felt good to help the team out. We're getting turnovers. We're focusing on turnovers, because the last couple of years we haven't been able to force turnovers. We're continuing to focus on getting turnovers and making big plays."
There were also sacks on defense from Olivier Vernon and Adewale Ojomo, who also had tackles for losses.
Jeremy Lewis was also a standout in run defense.
A highlight on offense aside from Jimmy Graham's sliding TD catch: LaRon Byrd had a pair of nice catches in 11-on-11 work. Graig Cooper had a pair of scores in 11-on-11.
* First day in full pads? That's a welcome-to-the-next-level day for UM's freshman.
"It's a big difference, completely different for high school," freshman OL Jared Wheeler said. "In high school you have a bunch of little kids running around. Out here it's the big dogs. This is where it happens, man."
Wheeler's welcome to Miami moment?
"On an interception I was looking to trail the defensive back that caught the ball, and a defensive lineman, (Micanor) Regis, caught me - it was a little `Welcome to Miami' for me," Wheeler said.
* DT Marcus Forston says "I'm in the best shape of my life right now."
He adds, "I'm running to the ball better, using my hands better, getting off blocks better."
Forston said a big focus this off-season was losing weight, and he feels much lighter on his feet.
* Freshman TE Billy Sanders says his first day at UM in full pads "Went pretty well. My blocking's getting better, so that's good, but I had a few missed blocks. And my route running is doing well."
Of the hitting today, Sanders said, "I got hit a few times by the D line, but it was fine. It's faster (than high school)."
Sanders had one reception today in 7-on-7 work for an eight-yard gain.
Sanders says he hopes to play as a true freshman, but that coaches have given him no indication of his chances of playing yet.
* OL Harland Gunn says "The big thing about our O line is we have good chemistry. It's not `Who is going to start?' We're just working as a collective unit. Everyone is selfless. It's good competition at the same time, but there's no bad chemistry."
* Jason Fox said of the offensive line that "We have a lot of potential. I think we have a lot more experience (than last year). I think we are a really tight group, and we play well together. We've been playing together for three years, some of us. Half of us now, when we play our own guys (in practice) either we make fake calls or we don't say anything - we know each other so well that we don't need to make calls, and that way the defense doesn't know what play we're running. Otherwise when you play the same team every day they sort of figure out what play you're running.
"When you come that close, know what the other player is doing without saying it, that's special."
Fox also praised freshman DE Olivier Vernon.
"He has a lot of raw talent," Fox said. "He's coming in out of high school, and the guy can play football. He's fast, he's strong, he's got several different ways to beat you. That's not normal for a freshman. He has a lot of potential."
* OL A.J. Trump spoke about the progress he's seen in QB Jacory Harris.
"He's gotten a lot better - he's learning," Trump said. "Coach (Mark) Whipple is doing a great job with all the quarterbacks. I've seen an improvement just from the spring - those guys making reads, standing in the pocket, getting more confidence in the offense. As a whole the quarterback unit has improved."
Trump also spoke about freshman Brandon Washington's progress at learning the center position.
"He's doing a good job," Trump said. "He's picking things up quickly for just being here one spring. He's getting there. He's probably a guy that's going to play for us this year; that wouldn't surprise me at all."
* LB Colin McCarthy put on pads today for the first time since early last season, when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
"It felt good to get out here, run around and hit people," he said. "It's been a little while, but it went well. It felt great."
- 2,791
- 11
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2002
i wanna see how zach brown does this year. that defense need to produce more turn overs
- 167
- 10
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2008
[h1]ACC out to prove its swagger is back[/h1]
By JOEDY McCREARY, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
[h2]Printable View[/h2]Return to Original
- Buzz up!
- [h5]Print[/h5]
It's hard to believe a conference with Miami and Florida State could lose its swagger. The Hurricanes and Seminoles in their hey days practically invented the term.
But that's what has happened to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Virginia Tech gave the league's national reputation a boost with a much-needed BCS victory in January, the ACC's first win in the Bowl Championship Series in nearly a decade. And putting 10 teams into bowl games also gave the ACC a reason to gloat. No conference had ever done that.
"We were fortunate enough to go to two (BCS) bowls (but) the first two, we lost, so that basically was a letdown to us and to the ACC," Virginia Tech tight end Greg Boone said. "Last year, we redeemed ourselves."
And the rest of the league, at least to some extent.
After Tech's face-saving victory over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl, there's plenty for the league to like entering this season.
The loaded Hokies are favored to rule the ACC for the third straight year and are the closest thing the ACC has to a national championship contender.
Georgia Tech returns nearly every key member of its unique option offense that gave both the conference and rival Georgia fits. The Seminoles and Hurricanes, whose rivalry game has returned to Labor Day, insist they've taken steps toward returning their once-dominant programs to superiority. Wake Forest, North Carolina and N.C. State are primed to continue their recent upswings.
And if nothing else, the ACC's offenses should benefit from some experienced stars.
The league's rushing title could shape up as a two-man race between Clemson's C.J. Spiller and Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer, the ACC's reigning player of the year. And 11 of the 12 schools return a quarterback who has started at least one game under center, including N.C. State's Russell Wilson, the first freshman signal-caller to be named to the all-ACC first team.
Despite that, not everybody is convinced offense will dominate the league.
"With the amount of talent that comes back on offense, there's the same amount of talent that comes back on defense," Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis said. "Somehow, it's going to balance itself out."
A capsule look at teams in predicted order of finish:
Coastal Division
VIRGINIA TECH-Key players: QB Tyrod Taylor, TE Greg Boone, FS Kam Chancellor, Sr. Returning starters: 8 offense, 7 defense.
Notes: TB Darren Evans, who ran for 1,265 yards last season, is done for the year because of a preseason knee injury. …. The Hokies' national title hopes will rise or fall dramatically in their season-opener against Alabama. … Hokies don't play Florida State, Clemson or Wake Forest, and N.C. State comes to Blacksburg.
GEORGIA TECH-Key players: RB Jonathan Dwyer, QB Josh Nesbitt, WR Demaryius Thomas, S Morgan Burnett. Returning starters: 9 offense, 8 defense.
Notes: Dwyer is bidding to become the first two-time ACC player of the year since Florida State QB Charlie Ward in 1992-93. … Yellow Jackets play five of seven games on the road from Sept. 17-Oct. 31.
NORTH CAROLINA-Key players: QB T.J. Yates, RB Shaun Draughn, S Deunta Williams, LB Quan Sturdivant. Returning starters: 6 offense, 9 defense.
Notes: Tar Heels need someone to step up and catch the ball, after three top receivers moved on. … Biggest obstacle to school's first BCS appearance might be the schedule: Toughest two Coastal games (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech) are on the road.
MIAMI-Key players: RB Graig Cooper, OT Jason Fox, K Matt Bosher, LB Sean Spence. Returning starters: 8 offense, 8 defense.
Notes: Jacory Harris takes over QB job on full-time basis after Robert Marve transferred to Purdue. … Biggest offseason addition: Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, the QBs coach on the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers team that won the Super Bowl. … Hurricanes haven't finished with double-digit wins in any season since joining the ACC.
VIRGINIA-Key players: QB Jameel Sewell, OT Will Barker, OT Will Barker, CB Ras-I Dowling. Returning starters: 5 offense, 6 defense.
Notes: Coach Al Groh added two former FBS head coaches to his staff, offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon (Bowling Green) and special teams coordinator Ron Prince (Kansas State). … Sewell sat out last season because of academics. … Cavaliers were one of two ACC teams left out of postseason in '08, joining Duke.
DUKE-Key players: QB Thaddeus Lewis, RB Re'Quan Boyette, DT Vince Oghobaase, DE Ayanga Okpokowuruk. Returning starters: 5 offense, 5 defense.
Notes: Lewis is 2,879 yards shy of the school's career record for passing yardage and has thrown for at least 2,100 yards in each of his first three seasons. … Blue Devils will need seven wins to qualify for school's first bowl berth since 1994, because they play two FCS teams: Richmond and North Carolina Central.
Atlantic Division
FLORIDA STATE-Key players: QB Christian Ponder, OG Rodney Hudson, C Ryan McMahon, LB Dekoda Watson. Returning starters: 8 offense, 5 defense.
Notes: Tough schedule awaits Seminoles: Each of their 11 FCS opponents reached a bowl last season. … Season could be determined by five-game stretch that includes visits from Georgia Tech and N.C. State and trips to North Carolina, Clemson and Wake Forest.
CLEMSON-Key players: RB/KR C.J. Spiller, WR Jacoby Ford, OL Thomas Austin, LB Brandon Maye. Returning starters: 7 offense, 8 defense.
Notes: Coach Dabo Swinney figures to lean on Spiller until his young QBs gain experience. … Reason for optimism in Death Valley: Five regulars return on the offensive line.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE-Key players: QB Russell Wilson, RB Jamelle Eugene, WR Owen Spencer, DE Willie Young. Returning starters: 7 offense, 7 defense.
Notes: Wilson, the 2008 ACC rookie of the year, has to work to keep his job from redshirt freshman Mike Glennon. … Wolfpack have the talent to contend for a division title if they stay healthy; Wilson, Eugene and RB Toney Baker were among the key players who missed significant time last season.
WAKE FOREST-Key players: QB Riley Skinner, RB Kevin Harris, OT Chris DeGeare, DT Boo Robinson. Returning starters: 9 offense, 4 defense.
Notes: Skinner looking to become first QB to lead Demon Deacons to four straight bowl games. … Another win against Florida State would put coach Jim Grobe in exclusive company as one of few coaches to beat Bobby Bowden four straight years.
MARYLAND-Key players: RB Da'Rel Scott, QB Chris Turner, WR Torrey Smith, P Travis Baltz. Returning starters: 6 offense, 4 defense.
Notes: Terps hope Smith can step in at receiver for first-round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey. … Former UMass coach Don Brown, who takes over as defensive coordinator, has little experience to work with.
BOSTON COLLEGE-Key players: RB Montel Harris, OT Anthony Castonzo, DE Alex Albright. Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 defense.
Notes: Only ACC school to have no quarterbacks who have started at least one game. … Defense will miss ACC defensive player of the year Mark Herzlich. The linebacker is sitting out this season to fight cancer.
- 3,740
- 216
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2004
Davon may be the better route runner, but i always say thearon as the more explosive and dynamic player. Dude was electric in HS
- 574
- 284
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2000
Should be a good season, can't wait.
I'm just glad the Daniel Evans project and the Harrison Beck air show have both been cancelled
. The second half of the Papa Johns bowl was like undergoing a root canal.
Our offense should not miss a beat, but our defense will be suspect with Nate Irving's injury and some attrition in the secondary from the two-deep.Luckily the secondary will never have to face the best QB in the league . . . except in practice
.
I'm just glad the Daniel Evans project and the Harrison Beck air show have both been cancelled
Our offense should not miss a beat, but our defense will be suspect with Nate Irving's injury and some attrition in the secondary from the two-deep.Luckily the secondary will never have to face the best QB in the league . . . except in practice
- 43,626
- 8,620
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
Willy Korn just not that good or just not alot of experience at this point? Believe this will be his 3rd year with the program.
Gotta think that Korn is just not that good. And Kyle Parker was names starting QB today for Clemson.
Looks like Ojomo is injured for the Caines
- 43,626
- 8,620
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
You guys suck
Originally Published: August 19, 2009
[h2]Will the ACC make the BCS leap?[/h2]
Comment Email Print >http://a.espncdn.com/icons/share-i...moz-initial;">Share </div><cite class=
ESPN.com
Archive
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Over the past four seasons, the ACC has produced more NFL first-round draft picks than any other college football conference in the country.
In 2006, ACC teams had 12 former players selected in the first round -- the most by one conference in NFL draft history -- and four of the top nine players selected in this year's draft were from ACC schools.
Up-and-coming NFL stars such as Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech), St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long (Virginia) and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (Boston College) all played for ACC teams.
[+] Enlarge
Bob Donnan/US PresswireTyrod Taylor will have to shoulder more of the load with Darren Evans out for the season.
Over the past four seasons, the ACC has sent 34 teams to postseason bowl games. Last season, an NCAA-record 10 ACC schools played in bowl games.
But when most college football fans discuss the best leagues in the country, the Big 12 and SEC are usually near the top of the list. The ACC typically isn't mentioned until the middle of the pack among Bowl Championship Series conferences, maybe even behind the Big Ten and Pac-10 and ahead of only the Big East.
It's an unfair assessment, according to ACC commissioner John Swofford.
"If you really step back and take a look at the conferences a year ago, top to bottom, we may have well been the deepest conference in the country," Swofford said. "What we didn't have is a team or two involved in the national championship race down the stretch. I think that has a lot to do with how our conference is perceived competitively, maybe more than it should."
ACC teams weren't even close to competing for a BCS national championship in 2008. Florida State was the only ACC team that didn't lose two games by the end of October, and then the Seminoles lost three of their final six games to finish 9-4. Every ACC team lost at least four games last season, and no ACC team was ranked higher than No. 14 in the USA Today coaches' Top 25 poll at the end of the 2008 season.
Georgia Tech was the highest-rated ACC team in the final BCS standings at No. 14.
[h4]ACC blog[/h4]
Which ACC team will surprise in 2009? Which one will disappoint? How will Virginia Tech deal with the loss of Darren Evans? Heather Dinich examines the ACC race, makes some predictions and raises a few questions. ACC blog
• ACC predictions for 2009
• Five questions for 2009
• Chat: Heather Dinich, 3 ET
"I think the league is getting beat up a lot because we haven't had a team go to the BCS Championship Game," Miami coach Randy Shannon said. "We always have somebody in the Orange Bowl, but never anybody in the [BCS] championship game."
Until last season, when ACC champion Virginia Tech beat Big East champion Cincinnati 20-7 in the FedEx Orange Bowl, ACC teams hadn't won a BCS bowl game since the 1999 season. ACC teams had lost in their previous eight BCS bowl game appearances, before the Hokies finally ended the drought last season.
Might this be the season the ACC finally arrives? Can ACC teams do what Big 12 teams did in 2008? Can they climb college football's steep ladder and finally get themselves in contention for a BCS national championship? Or will the ACC finally secure a BCS at-large bid and have two of its teams playing in BCS bowl games, a feat it has never accomplished before now?
"You sure hope so," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "It doesn't take but one team to do it. You just need one national championship contender to win a ballgame late in the year. We might have somebody this year; we might not."
Virginia Tech looked like the ACC team that might be able to contend for a BCS national championship in 2009. But then the Hokies lost star tailback Darren Evans to a torn ACL during the first week of preseason camp. With Evans sidelined for the season, quarterback Tyrod Taylor might have to carry an even bigger load.
With 18 starters coming back, Georgia Tech might be good enough to unseat Virginia Tech in the ACC's Coastal Division. The Yellow Jackets went 9-4 in coach Paul Johnson's first season in 2008, and were one of the country's most potent offenses running his triple-option, spread system. Georgia Tech will have to replace three very good defensive linemen, but plays many of its toughest foes at home.
Florida State is the favorite in the Atlantic Division, after winning more than eight games in a season for the first time since 2004. The Seminoles bring back 13 starters, but must replace most of their skill players on offense. NC State, which won its last four regular-season games in 2008, might be a dark horse pick to win the Atlantic Division.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Chuck BurtonFour-year starter Riley Skinner leads Wake Forest.
One reason the ACC might be significantly better in 2009 is its teams' quarterback play. Every ACC team except Boston College and Clemson brings back its starting quarterback this season, and seven of the 10 starting quarterbacks coming back are upperclassmen.
"Our quarterback play in the ACC has maybe been lacking," Bowden said. "I know our [quarterback play] hasn't been very good. If you're going to compete for a national title, you better have a quarterback. You better have one like the kid at Texas, like the kid at Florida, or like the kid at Oklahoma."
Some ACC teams might be just beginning to reap the benefits of recent coaching changes. Butch Davis is about to begin his third season at North Carolina. Tom O'Brien and Shannon are starting their third seasons at NC State and Miami, too. Johnson and David Cutcliffe are about to begin their second seasons at Georgia Tech and Duke, respectively.
Duke, which used to be one of the worst Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country, went 4-8 in Cutcliffe's first season. The Blue Devils lost five games by 11 points or fewer.
"I feel like our conference should be pretty competitive," Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner said. "I've always felt it was one of the most competitive leagues in the country. There are really no pushovers and you've got to come to play every week."
Playing in college football's final game is the only thing keeping the ACC from joining the sport's heavyweights.
"We need to continue to build our programs, have a team or two involved in the championship race and win a game or two against other conferences," Swofford said. "I think when that happens, our league will get the respect it deserves."
Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at [email protected].
- 4,184
- 10
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
KR will be a beast by the time he leaves UNC for the league:
[table][tr][td]The Chronicles of Reddick[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
Reddick
[/td] [td]
[/td] [td]
[table][tr][td]
By Greg Barnes
Inside Carolina
Posted Aug 19, 2009
[/td] [td]
[/td] [/tr][/table]
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Kevin Reddick collided with a pair of obstacles in his attempt to take the field for North Carolina over the past 12 months, but now that his academics and health have been solidified, the freshman linebacker is focused on trotting out against The Citadel on Sept. 5 in a starting role.
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
Reddick's beginnings as a Tar Heel took an unusual detour last summer when the NCAA Clearinghouse flagged one of his test scores after he had already gone through the second summer session at UNC. His second ACT attempt fell short of the qualifying range, and Reddick, who had been practicing with North Carolina for nearly a week, was forced to withdraw from school and attend Hargrave Military Academy for the fall semester.
As you might expect, the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder would prefer to leave those memories in the all-too-recent past.
"That's over and done with - I don't want to say too much about that," Reddick said on Tuesday. "I'm here now, so I'm just trying to stay focused and try to help the team out and get out there and play."
And that's what he tried to do during spring ball - get out there and play. But once again, an obstacle sauntered into his path; this time in the form of a serious illness. Just several days into spring practice, Reddick was diagnosed with mononucleosis. He was essentially quarantined from his teammates for a week and was sidelined for three weeks total.
That's twice that the New Bern, N.C. native got the ball rolling in a designated practice session only to run headfirst into a brick wall.
"It was just crazy - it seemed like every time I turned around, I was having a downfall somewhere," Reddick said.
This preseason, the true freshman already has 14 practices under his belt, providing relief that some random force of nature is not going to swoop in and deliver yet another detour - those have typically arrived in the first week of practice for Reddick, if history is any indication.
He's made the most of his first full training camp experience, playing a significant role in one of the few position battles on a squad that is both deep and experienced.
Inside Carolina staff members witnessed sophomore Zach Brown working with the first team at weakside linebacker on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after another media outlet reported that Reddick was working as the first-string option at that very same spot.
As it turns out, the competition for the Will linebacker role is so fierce that not even Reddick is sure where he stands.
"We really don't have a starter at the Will right now, so we're just still battling and helping each other out at the same time," Reddick said. "… I'm learning a lot from [Brown] and he's learning a lot from me. It's still a team thing, but at the same time, you've got to eat for yourself. You've got to go out there and compete for yourself."
Head coach Butch Davis further discussed the position battle during his post-practice meeting with the media on Tuesday.
"We've got a pretty good battle going on for the Will linebacker position with Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick that's pretty hotly contested," Davis said. "Those are two really good players. They're good tacklers [and] they've got speed. Both of them are young, but they've got really good instincts."
While Brown's sub-4.3 40 times have drawn plenty of buzz this summer, Reddick's football IQ has proven to be a worthy adversary to that blistering speed.
"I feel like I'm a playmaker and that I've got a nose for the ball, as far as reads and that kind of thing," Reddick replied when asked what attributes have allowed him to excel.
He's quick to let you know that he never expected to be a starter when he arrived in Chapel Hill, but he definitely intended to make a run up the depth chart.
"Nobody here played second before they got here," Reddick said. "In my mind, I'm just telling myself, 'I can't live to play second. I've got to compete.' If I was third or fourth, I would still be competing to move up… Any team is about competing."
During the recruiting process, most analysts penciled Reddick in as your prototypical middle linebacker. And while he may eventually end up there whenever junior Quan Sturdivant decides to turn pro, right now he's focusing on his current position.
"I can play all three," said Reddick, who is also listed on four different special teams units as a backup. "I'm playing the Will now - that's my primary position, but at times they'll throw me in at Mike just to go back and get the feel so that I can keep on top of that one."
His efforts haven't been overlooked - Davis has highlighted Reddick's improving performance in a variety of recent media interviews when asked about standout players. Hearing that praise only makes Reddick look away sheepishly and shift uncomfortably in his cleats. For this freshman linebacker, it's not about the personal accolades.
"I'm just trying to help the team," Reddick said. "If you're doing your job and helping the team, you're probably going to get noticed. Just go out there and ball out, every day."
[/td] [/tr][/table]
Write up posted by Buck Sanders on IC about injuries in the ACC:
- 1,002
- 10
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2004
moncur could be out for the first 3 games and Ojomo could miss the season
argualbly our two top de's
Mrob and steven wesley will have to step up...Vernon and Dye might not put that shirt on now
argualbly our two top de's
Mrob and steven wesley will have to step up...Vernon and Dye might not put that shirt on now
- 5,176
- 10
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2008
Originally Posted by lowslows
moncur could be out for the first 3 games and Ojomo could miss the season
argualbly our two top de's
Mrob and steven wesley will have to step up...Vernon and Dye might not put that shirt on now
- 6,807
- 2,211
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
I just can't wait for football to start
I'm fiending so bad for some FSU v. Miami and wake. Really any game idc as long as it's football.
I'm fiending so bad for some FSU v. Miami and wake. Really any game idc as long as it's football.
- 1,002
- 10
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2004
Thats the word.
They say he snuck his %$% we he got out the shower
They say he snuck his %$% we he got out the shower
- 4,184
- 10
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
As much as I hate Miami, this is pretty tight:
[h1]'Canes rallied around walk-on Chris Hayes when father died[/h1]
[table][tr][td]
Chris Hayes (49) is carried off the field after the Hurricanes defeated Wake Forest Oct. 25, 2008 in Coral Gables, Fla. (JC Ridley, University of Miami / October 25, 200
[/td] [/tr][/table]
- Dave Hyde
- Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
- Related
Tickets on sale for Orange Bowl and Orange Bowl Classic
- Topics
Football
Randy Shannon
Chris Hayes- See more topics »
Dave Hyde Sports Columnist
August 16, 2009
CORAL GABLES
No agents. No TV cameras. No marketing teams. Just a kid no one knew, getting in a play no one noticed, screaming atop teammates' shoulders in a moment no one else cherished, "I'm so happy!"
Every so often in an athletic world bulging with egos and millionaires you find a story that still cuts to the essence of sport.
You've never heard of Chris Hayes. There's no reason you would. In a sports world of big names and oversized headlines, he's 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds of agate type.
Four years ago, he came out of a Sarasota high school that didn't have a football program with this wild notion of walking on as a University of Miami receiver. Friends thought he was nuts. His mom said, "Don't get killed." His dad, though, beamed that his son had such big, brass ambition.
When Hayes not only survived the tryout but was one of four walk-ons to make the team, his father let loose with a celebratory string of curses over the phone - "Something he never does," Hayes said.
It didn't matter if Hayes was raw meat on the practice field the next few seasons. Didn't matter if teammates jokingly nicknamed him "Make-A-Wish" to explain his presence. Didn't matter that he never dressed in uniform for a game or made the traveling squad.
Hayes took his role seriously. He did whatever was asked. He retrieved footballs. He did computer work for coaches. Once, when the Hurricanes played a night game in Gainesville, he drove up with friends since he wasn't on the travel squad, watched the game and drove back all night to make the next morning's practice.
"The coaches don't want any excuses about missing practice," he said.
Then, one day last October, Hayes got the kind of phone call all of us fear. His father was dead. He had killed himself.
The details aren't important to this story, other than to say the son was stunned, and broken, and lost as to what to do or how to react. His father was always so full of life. Now this?
"I was a wreck," he said.
And here's the point: What happens to a player on a team's fringe when he needs help? Is the team there for him? Is anyone? Does he just drift away?
Well, Hayes got the news about his father on a Monday, the funeral was that Friday and almost every hour in between he got a call or text message from someone: a teammate. A school official. Special teams coach Joe Pannunzio. Someone.
When Pannunzio updated Randy Shannon and suggested maybe Hayes could stand on the sideline for that Saturday's game, Shannon said nothing doing.
"He's going to dress out," Shannon said.
Teammates high-fived him in the locker room when he arrived an hour before the game. Coaches patted his back. Then they went out and played Wake Forest in a game that looked like a typical college Saturday until the final play.
That's when Shannon told Pannunzio to get Hayes in the game. So while the rest of the stadium was counting down the seconds, Hayes was running into the huddle to replace the tight end - a position he'd never played - and saying a prayer to his father. His one goal: Don't screw up.
Aaron Curry, the Wake Forest linebacker who became the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft, lined up opposite him. Hayes was so numb he doesn't remember the play, only the aftermath, when someone said, "Pick him up!"
Suddenly, he was going up on teammates' shoulders. Suddenly, he was being paraded across the field. Suddenly, tears began falling, tears he'd been holding all week, surprising tears of joy for a moment his dad would appreciate above everyone else.
"I'm so happy!" Hayes began yelling up there. "I'm so happy!"
It was a Rudy moment, only better. When Hayes was set down, he sprinted to the stands where his mom stood, crying. They hugged and cried some more. And Hayes kept crying when Shannon handed over the game ball in the locker room.
See, sports isn't just about a guy who toe-taps both feet in the Super Bowl end zone or the one who swishes two free throws on national television. It's also about the Chris Hayeses out there. It took a while for him to talk about the day no one's forgotten.
"Probably the neatest thing I've been involved in in 20 years of coaching," Pannunzio said.
"I get emotional thinking of it now," Shannon said.
"I always kind of questioned, 'Why did I get put on this team?'" Hayes said. "Why did this happen? I was never going to be a player who did anything on the football field that was so great. I think that day when they were there for me, that showed me why."
As a senior this year, Make-a-Wish remains a long shot to play a down or even make the travel team. That's OK. He'll be at every practice. He'll do whatever is asked.
"There's a lot of ways you can help on a team," he said.
His one play is proof of that.
E-mail
Print
- 4,184
- 10
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
SI's Top 10 ACC players:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mu...y/0908/cfb.top.10.acc.players/content.10.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mu...y/0908/cfb.top.10.acc.players/content.10.html
