College Football Corner--slipping in San Francisco...

MARYLAND's 21-14 loss to Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl saw the Terrapins begin with a bang (14 first quarter points) and end with a whimper (67 total yards after halftime)... what went wrong out west?

-inability to run effectively...granted, the Beavers are ranked 2nd in the nation in stopping the run--but the senior backfield of Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore combined for 21 yards on 16 carries. This forced Chris Turner into 3rd and long repeatedly (10 of the team's 11 third down situations were by six yards or longer)... resulting in a 2 for 11 conversion rate (one coming on an OSU penalty).

-inability to stop the run...the Beavers gained 275 yards on the ground--giving a banged up Beaver passing game (quarterback Lyle Moevao left the game with a sprained ankle in the first half) plenty of room to operate. While Sean Canfield passed for under 100 yards in relief, he wasn't forced into making big plays and OSU operated from a position of strength.

Back to the drawing board for the 6-7 Terrapins--who play at Virginia Tech and host North Carolina next year in their ACC cross-over games...plus a non-conference game at Cal...

Presto's Picks...they built this city on the Emerald Bowl...

College football's bowl season is upon us, and I'm glad I don't have a stepson on my staff here at Redskins Radio. Maryland meets Oregon State this evening in the Terps second ever visit to the state of California and first to the San Francisco area...

By the way, one of the first albums I remember as a kid was the Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow-- as a teenager I saw "Starship" in concert during the "We Built this City" tour-- talk about bait and switch...it's amazing how much a group can slide when everybody leaves but Grace Slick. What's more amazing is my inability to get that song out of my head once I typed it.

"someone always playing--corporation games..."

The Beavers are far from a mid-level Pac Ten team; having won 6 of 7 (the only loss coming to USC) to finish the regular season 8-4.

"who counts the money--underneath the bar..."

Offensively can Chris Turner handle the Beavers' blitz packages and will another threat emerge across from Darrius Heyward-Bey? It will be interesting to see how well the offensive line has healed--and if they can generate running room for seniors Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball against one of the top run defenses in the nation.

"Marco he plays the bamba-listen to the radio..."

Defensively the Terps will be tested on the ground--Yvenson Bernard gained over 1000 yards for the third straight season (despite missing two of OSU's last four games)...the Beavers' 20 interceptions throwns is rather misleading; quarterback Lyle Moevo has only tossed a pair of picks since replacing the injured Sean Canfield--and the sophomore has run for two touchdowns and passed for a pair of scores during the Beavers' 3 game winning streak.


"it's just another Sunday--in a tired old street..."
(actual story: I had a friend in high school who instead of playing air guitar or singing along, waited until the DJ part-- and delivered it verbatim)...


Special teams will shine as always in Ray Rychleski's final game on the sidelines for the Terps (he leaves for a similar post at South Carolina); while the kicking game didn't lose any games for Maryland this fall, it didn't win games like last year- when each week some element of the punt or kicking game directly led to a close victory. How about a kickoff return for a score by DaRell Scott to send coach Rychleski out in a blaze of glory?

"we got a beautiful day out there on that Golden Gate Bridge... I see bumper to bumper traffic..."

Although they're playing a hotter team and on the opposite coast from which they're accustomed, Ralph Friedgen has a knack for preparing his team well come late-December; maximizing their divided attention between exams and the holidays-- TERPS 26, Beavers 21.

next week--Virginia-Texas Tech, Virginia Tech-Kansas, and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up"...

Basketball Bonanza--Eagles take off, Terps crash-land...

American University notched its first win over Maryland since the 1926-27 season; the Eagles led for the entire second half after grabbing a 21-20 advantage just before intermission. Derrick Mercer ripped the Terps for 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting; AU improves to 7-5 and continues their month away from Bender Arena by visiting #4 Georgetown at Verizon Center Saturday.

Maryland, meanwhile, slips to 6-6 for the first time since the 1995-96 season—three straight home losses making one wonder what the problem is…

Lack of intensity on offense…Coach Gary Williams feels the team isn’t running crisp sets…and it showed early Saturday (21% shooting in the first half).

Frontcourt follies…James Gist has fouled out of back to back games and hasn’t been a factor against either Ohio or American after getting into foul trouble early. Bambale Osby scored 1 point in 15 minutes while Braxton Dupree went 1 for 4 from the field against the Eagles…Maryland was also outrebounded 40-33 by the Eagles.

Perimeter Defense…American hit 8 of 19 from three-point range with several of those long-range baskets answering surges by Maryland.

What has to be frustrating for this team is they’re less than a month removed from beating Illinois—they know there are possibilities for this squad; now they have to regroup with wins over Delaware and Savannah State before a trip to Charlotte January 5th.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Hoya Holiday...

Nothing quite like wrapping up final exams week with a major test on the court--Georgetown takes its 8-0 mark to Memphis Saturday in a matchup of top five teams. While this will be the Hoyas biggest challenge of the season, it's far from their first big road game (they beat Alabama in Birmingham and won at Old Dominion).

Hoya highlights...
I had a chance to catch their 110-51 thumping of Radford last weekend-my, McDonough Arena is tiny...a 2500 seat bandbox that felt like a junior version of Cameron Indoor-- a shame they didn't expand this gym to 8,500 back in the 70's or early 80's-- it's nice the Hoyas still play there once a winter.

Entering the no-zone zone...
After facing a diet of zones crowding around center Roy Hibbert, Georgetown takes on a team that plays almost exclusively man-to-man... it'll be interesting to see how the Hoyas attack goes from pecking on the perimeter to finding back-door cuts early and often.


Defending Derrick...
Tigers freshman Derrick Rose is having a phenomenal early-season (16 points a game-38% from three point range)--he'll be guarded by Jonathan Wallace and Jesse Sapp Saturday; the problem is if they contain Rose, coach John Calipari has 7 other players who can produce if needed. Against Radford coach Thompson wasn't pleased with his team's perimeter defense-- how will they hold up against the number two team in the nation?


Tenacious Tigers...
Coach John Thompson III says that while Memphis's offense is very good, he's really impressed with what the Tiger D does-- pressuring fullcourt and halfcourt and every shot. Can the Hoyas get decent opportunities consistently- and make the right decisions at full-speed?

Beltway Basketball Bonanza--Terps tumble...

Maryland's 61-55 loss to Ohio was nothing new; although it's been some time since the Terps lost a non-conference game at home...the seeds of a team struggling to find itself have been evident this fall-especially in close wins over Northeastern and Hampton.

Offensively this has been a difficult eleven games. The Terps have had problems converting baskets after setting up decent shots; missed layups and dropped passes have plagued this team from opening night. Three point shooting has disappeared in recent first halves-- 1-7 against Boston College and 1-8 against Ohio.

Greivis Vasquez has taken a lot of the blame when the team hasn't played well--one wonders if the sophomore is putting too much pressure on himself-- but the points and energy have to come from somewhere.

It's a challenge blending five freshmen into a rotation--while Cliff Tucker, Braxton Dupree and Adrian Bowie have all played well at times this year, none have emerged as a sure-fire starter: Dupree played just three minutes in the first half against the Bobcats.

Next up: home dates against American, Delaware and Savannah State--at face value these should be self-esteem building wins, but nothing is guarranteed this winter...

Beltway Basketball Bonanza--Peaks, Valleys and Georgetown...

December brings final exams to college campuses…on the court teams are handling their early season progress reports…

Georgetown gets a smattering of A’s… the Hoyas began their slate by grinding to seven double-digit victories…I really like the offensive balance coach John Thompson III’s team is displaying—they could easily be selling out for Hibbert 20-10’s by pounding the post non-stop, but instead choose to work everyone into each possession. While DeJuan Summers and Jonathan Wallace are both contributing in a major way, don’t discount freshman Austin Freeman’s December play as a force off the bench. Brace yourselves, Big East.

Maryland remains a work in progress… off to its first 6-4 start since the 1995-96 season—with four defeats to quality opponents—UCLA, Missouri, VCU and Boston College. Coach Gary Williams feels his team is getting better but needs to “close the deal” offensively—make the open shots and take advantage of their opportunities better. In the first half against BC, the Terps left more than a few points on the table in missed layups and dropped passes. Good move in making Eric Hayes the primary point guard—the sophomore seems to be the better ballhandling fit while Greivis Vasquez will continue to provide more than enough off-the-ball energy.


George Mason has looked great in their win over Kansas State, mystifying in their loss to East Carolina, dominating in their drubbing of Drexel and educational in their defeat at Kent State. Still, this is the early-season class of the Colonial Athletic Association next to Virginia Commonwealth (Tuesday January 29th in Fairfax the only regular season meeting between the two schools). Will Thomas has been dominant inside and has added a jumper to his repertoire, while Folarin Campbell, John Vaughan and Dre Smith are all capable perimeter threats. Coach Jim Larranaga also has a few role-players who maximize their minutes in Chris Fleming and Louis Birdsong.


George Washington had their hopes for the season torpedoed in November when they lost guard Travis King with an injury…minus the team’s offensive leader the Colonials have been uneven—the rollercoaster ride has seen a 32 point loss at Virginia Tech four days after GW routed Maryland-Eastern Shore by 39. Virginia Tech transfer Wynton Witherspoon has been a major bright spot, leading the Colonials with 12 points a game. Games at Binghamton and Longwood loom as chances to climb above .500 before ringing in the new year with Alabama and the A-10.


Meanwhile…American has won four of five with Derrick Mercer looking oh so good while Howard is in the middle of a month on the road slipping to 3-7 (five losses in six games).

Beltway Basketball Bonanza--American holds off Howard...

In trying to get to see every team in the area play over the course of the season, I had the opportunity to catch Tuesday’s Howard-American game at Bender Arena. Little did I know the Patriots were trying to post the 1,000th victory in school history.

American trailed for much of the first half before settling down; the Eagles used a 10-0 run over the first 6:50 of the second half to take a double digit lead for the rest of their 66-54 victory over the Bison.

AU moved the ball around the floor well—notching 14 assists in 19 made baskets…and produced despite leading scorer Derrick Mercer being held to 2 of 6 shooting with three turnovers.

Garrison Carr was held out of the starting lineup by coach Jeff Jones because the guard had departed from a “complete game”—the junior wound up contributing 17 points and 8 rebounds off the bench—and coach Jones was pleased in his total game against the Bison.

Howard continues to give coach Gil Jackson optimism; despite having offensive problems (32 percent shooting) after halftime they didn’t let the game get out of hand—making a few runs before falling short. Eugene Myatt notched 22 points in defeat.

An aside about Bender Arena—I’m amazed at the backdrop behind the backboards. There’s quite a bit of space between the baseline and the walls, making free throw shooting a real experience.



Commonwealth Bonus—Hokies hangin’ tough…

Virginia Tech looked solid in their 67-39 win over UNC-Greensboro, holding the Spartans to 27 percent shooting and 1 of 18 from three point range. Coach Seth Greenberg has been looking for a certain toughness; he was able to get it Tuesday night-let’s see if he can build on it in the weeks to come (George Washington visits Blacksburg Sunday). One thing he can definitely build on is the play of Jeff Allen—16 points and 12 boards for the freshman. I saw Allen play in the Capital Classic last April as well as the other incoming Hokies--they may have some growing pains this year but will be back in ACC contention before you know it.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza--let the games begin!

There are at first glance three major seasons in my calendar: Training Camp to the the Super Bowl, Midnight Madness to the Final Four and naptime (early April to late July). Thus, there is a window of madness from October 15th through Christmas when the NFL, college football, college hoops, the Wizards and Caps are all in progress-and sleep is not a part of the equation.

College basketball’s back in full gear—and what a week it has been of lessons:

Wednesday, November 28th: Comcast Center, College Park: Maryland beats Illinois 69-61 in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge—Terps play perhaps their best game of the young season—holding their own on the glass with a rough and ready Illini team…Eric Hayes has his best night of the season—scoring 18 points on 4 of 7 three pointers; my oh my the upside looks nice.

Thursday—Patriot Center, Fairfax: George Mason opens CAA play with a masterful 85-38 thumping of Drexel—holding Dragons’ leading scorer Frank Elegar scoreless…GMU dominated the glass in such a manner the Drexel coaching staff was pushed to the frustration of asking players “can we get a bleeping rebound!?”-the Patriots possibilities are endless.

Friday—Comcast. The third ranked Maryland women blast #17 Ohio State 77-53—the key to the game was Marissa Coleman’s masterful defense of Marscilla Packer—holding the Buckeye’s leading scorer to 6 points on 2 of 11 shooting—she didn’t score her first field goal until there was 15:52 left in the second half. Did I hear 10-0? In November?

Saturday—Verizon Center, Washington DC: Georgetown finishes with a 16-5 run in their 61-49 victory over Fairfield—the Hoyas hold the Stags to 5 of 27 shooting in the second half. Coach John Thompson III said it wasn’t the result of tactics, but the result of intensity—and when this team brings it, watch out: DaJuan Summers jumpstarted an 11-3 finishing kick with a monster blocked shot.

Sunday—Verizon, B-B&T: beltway schools go 0-3…
1--George Washington commits 21 turnovers in a 74-70 loss to Auburn; the Colonials get to the foul line just 11 times—missing six of those free throws.

2--George Mason falls to East Carolina 68-65, a game where the Patriots rallied from 12 down at the half—taking a 57-52 lead before running out of gas. GMU shot 28 percent in the first half (0-9 from three point range)—coach Jim Larranaga wasn’t pleased with his team’s approach to the game…and lifted Follarin Campbell in the first half when the senior showed a lack of intensity. Upside was undercut by failure at the free throw line—Mason went 13-25 from the charity stripe.

3—Maryland’s outgunned by Virginia Commonwealth 85-76. The Rams backcourt of Jamal Shuler and Eric Maynor combined for 58 points—Shuler scored 19 in the first half while Maynor poured in 28 points after intermission. Maryland’s lack of long-range shooting hurt them again (27% from 3-point range) and VCU’s full-court pressure wore down the Terrapin guards--Eric Hayes was held to 1 for 9 shooting while Greivis Vasquez committed 5 turnovers. So much for upside.

Simply put-- the Terps and Patriots aren't as good as they looked last Wednesday and Thursday--and aren't as bad as they played Sunday...but both coaches felt their teams lost because they didn't bring the intensity needed in preparation and on gameday. Question is, will this be a lesson learned--or be a lesson both schools will have to re-learn?

THIS WEEK—Howard at American, George Washington-Maryland Eastern Shore, Maryland begins ACC play by hosting Boston College.

College Football Corner--Tournament Time?

The 2007 regular season ends with top ranked Ohio State facing second rated LSU in the BCS Title game...to be played sometime next May--okay, they'll duel January 7th- which means the Buckeyes will have a 51day layoff between their match up with Michigan and their game with the Tigers...didn't they have this same problem last year?

In between now and then they will play 31"exhibitions" that will pit 6-6 behemoths against 5th place teams-- or better yet, two 10-2 teams that really wish they were playing for the national title. Previously I had written about the need for a tournament format; after all, Division I-A football is the only college sport that doesn't determine its champion on the field. So bear with me as I unveil a constructive way to determine the 2007 National Champ: Sixteen schools combining eleven conference champs plus five wildcards; you'd then seed the field,balancing the bracket while trying to keep teams in their natural region (Ohio State in the midwest, USC in the west).

Using that system these would be the regions: East--#4 Georgia vs Central Florida; #5 Virginia Tech vs #11 West Virginia...South--#2 LSU vs Troy; #7 Missouri vs #12 Arizona State...Midwest--#1 Ohio State vs Central Michigan; #8 Kansas vs #9 Florida...West--#3 Oklahoma vs Brigham Young; #6 USC vs #10Hawaii.

First round games would be played midway through December at home sites(15th this year), quarterfinal games would be held New Year's Day at Neutral Sites(keeping the bowls in the mix), semifinals a week and a half later with the title tilt coming in late January (this year the 26th). You'd reward eight schools with an extra home game, ask fans to travel maybe once or twice (who wouldn't go on a third trip if it wasn't for the championship?)...anyways it would be incredible--which is precisely why it would never happen.


VIRGINIA TECH wrapped up a BCS berth by beating Boston College 30-16. Special teams played a part in another Hokie win; Brandon Flowers' return of a blocked extra point began a rally from nine points down.

UPSIDE--the defense held the Eagles to under 100 yards rushing and intercepted Matt Ryan the last two times the Eagles had the football-- by Vince Hall deep in Hokie territory and by Xavier Adibi which resulted in a game-clinching return for a touchdown.Duane Foster not only blocked an extra point but also swatted a field goal in the winning effort.

DOWNSIDE--the offense ran into more than a few problems against BC, gaining just 98 yards on 36carries while committing two turnovers. Branden Ore reverted to his early season struggles, managing under three yards a carry.

Meanwhile, the Hokies prepare for the Orange Bowl and a game with Kansas, Virginia has a January first game with Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl and Maryland meets Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl. Happy bowling...

Presto's Picks--ACC highs, lows I don't knows...

#6 VIRGINIA TECH plays Boston College in the ACC Championship Game—how about that-the former Big East schools have taken 3 of 6 title game spots since its inception (and don’t forget—Virginia Tech played Miami in a defacto championship game their first year in the league).

Another league aside: Atlantic gets an A+ while the Coastal earns a C-… the ACC’s Atlantic Division finished the regular season a composite 45-27, the Coastal broke even at 36-36.

Offensive player of the year: Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan—racked up a slew of yardage while singlehandedly delivered a pair of clutch wins for Boston College. Runners up: Georgia Tech runningback Tashard Choice-the only 1,000 yard rusher in the league this fall while Duke wide receiver Eron Riley averaged over 20 yards per catch and scored nine touchdowns for Duke.

Defensive player of the year: Virginia defensive end Chris Long—focal point of the Cavs defense, made many a game-changing play (like the safety in their one point win over Maryland). Runners up: Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson averaged over 11 tackles a game, recovered four fumbles and was a force all over the field, Wake forest defensive back Alphonso Smith returned three of his interceptions for touchdowns.

Coach of the year: Al Groh—after one week the Cavaliers had 5-7 written all over them; Groh got them through some early season growing pains and navigated the offense around the midseason injury of main offensive threat Cedric Peerman to contend for a Coastal division crown. Runners up—not to be local… but Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer and Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen each answered different difficult challenges this fall; Beamer’s Hokies had to play in the shadow of April’s campus tragedy (and got better as the year progressed despite an offensive line that took two months to gel) while Friedgen’s Terps bounced back from heartbreaking losses, a three game losing streak and an offensive line that suffered serious injury problems all season.

Matchup I look forward to next year: Maryland visiting Virginia featuring a duel of promising tailbacks Mikkell Simpson and DaRell Scott.


Now to the championship game…: the Hokies and Eagles hooked up in one of the more memorable Thursday night games of the season, with BC scoring twice in the final four minutes to remain unbeaten and keep Matt Ryan in the Heisman forefront. What a difference a month makes—since then the Eagles have gone 2-2, allowing 27 points to Florida State and 42 to Maryland; while the Hokies have won four in a row by an average score of 36-15.

Case for Virginia Tech: that the Hokies lead the ACC in fewest points and yards allowed is not a major shock—but did you know Virginia Tech is tops in offensive and defensive passing efficiency? The Hokies are also second in the ACC in sacks while Boston College is last in the league defending the pass and has committed the most penalties in the conference..

Case for Boston College: the Eagles won in Blacksburg—one would expect they’d fare better on a neutral field. BC is #1 in pass protection (fewest sacks allowed) while the Hokies are last in the ACC in sacks allowed. The Eagles also possess a premier passer in Matt Ryan (3,953 yards and 28 touchdowns) while Andre Callender (over 1500 yards combined rushing and passing).

HOKIES edge the Eagles, 24-20.

REDSKINS NATION MOURNS...

By week thirteen of the NFL season, what was once fresh becomes mundane--the weekly rhythm seems to give the schedule its own momentum: Monday-recap with press conference, Tuesday-day off + Gibbs show, etc...the past few days have been like nothing the Redskins have ever dealt with in their 75-year history.

We received an email from the team at 10:07 Monday morning letting us know Sean Taylor had been shot... there was shock, uncertainty and then hope on a rollercoaster Monday, followed by another surprise Tuesday at 6am--ESPN radio wasn't leading with "Sean Taylor is in critical condition" as had been the case all night, but Bob Piccosi led his update by saying the Redskin safety had died.

I never met Sean Taylor and did not have the opportunity to interview the 24-year old, but the gist of what I've heard about the University of Miami product can be summed up as "a very dedicated, talented professional whose personal life was turning the corner in a positive manner".

It is a tragedy anytime a young person's life ends violently. It's doubly so because, according to everything I've been told by a multitude of sources, Taylor had turned a new leaf and was on track to not just to be a great player but a fine young man. At 24 he had so many years not just with the Redskins but with his family--and do we ever get over losing somebody so young? Maryland great Len Bias died tragically at the age of 22--that moment in our lives is seven months away from it's 22nd anniversary...and many of us are still hurting on some level.

This grips me because sports is supposed to be "fun"-- an escape from reality...sudden-death overtime merely means your team is finished for the week. Elimination simply makes us turn to our hopes for next season. We turn to the sports pages and the games to avoid problems, to avoid death--and when we see somebody so young die in such a manner- there's no place else to go.

I feel for the adolescent girl who copes with his parent's divorce by rooting for a reunion between the Redskins and playoffs; I feel for the young man whose "big brother" model has been struck down. I feel for a region that won't know how to cheer for its favorite team when the games resume; I feel for kids whose #21 jersey will no longer mean the same thing.

I feel for a team and organization that has to grieve mid-stream while preparing for two games over the next nine days that are extremely crucial to something extremely unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I feel for a group of men who will be forever incomplete, a band of brothers who didn't get a chance to say goodbye to a good friend. Our pain is more abstract than those who knew Sean Taylor well.

I feel for parents who have outlived their son--and a father who made his career protecting others as a police officer but was powerless to save his child. I feel for a daughter that will never know her daddy; I feel for a young woman who won't grow old with the man of her dreams.
Our grief is window-dressing compared to what Sean Taylor's family will go through every day for the rest of their lives.

Where do we go from here? Start like we did today--by waking up and hurting just a little bit less than yesterday.

REDSKIN SEAN TAYLOR DIES AT 24 FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS...

THE LATEST ON REDSKIN SAFETY SEAN TAYLOR FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:

MIAMI (AP) - Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died in
a Florida hospital, one day after being shot at his home.
Taylor's former lawyer, Richard Sharpstein, says he received the
news this morning from Taylor's father.
Sharpstein calls Taylor's death a "tremendously sad and
unnecessary event." He says the player was a "wonderful, humble,
talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him."
Doctors had been encouraged last night when Taylor squeezed a
nurse's hand. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained
consciousness after being transported to the hospital.
Police are still investigating the shooting as a possible armed
robbery.

College Football Corner--Hand him the Heisman...and History...

Over the years the Heisman Trophy has seen more than a few odd turns and upsets, from 1956 when Paul Hornung took home the honor despite playing for a 2-8 Notre Dame team to Ohio State's Archie Griffin winning in1975 despite not even being named Big Ten MVP to Florida State's Chris Weinke given a career-achievement award in 2000 over Oklahoma's Josh Heupel.

This year the award should go to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow: while a sophomore has never won the honor(Herschel Walker finished second in 1981) today is a different era where the nation's best usually depart after three seasons. And Tebow is enjoying a phenomenal year-- completing almost seventy percent of his passes, almost 4000 total yards (3132 rushing plus 838 passing) from scrimmage, 29 touchdown passes(with only six interceptions) plus 22 touchdown runs. And he's done it in the spotlight of a defending national champion playing in arguably the toughest conference in the nation. History should be made in New York this December.

VIRGINIA TECH won the Commonwealth Clash, outscoring VIRGINIA 33-21 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers were actually taking control of the contest, forcing back to back three and outs by the Hokies--with under a minute to play Jameel Sewell had UVa about ten to fifteen yards out of field goal range and a potential four point halftime lead when Brandon Flowers picked off Sewell. Three plays later Sean Glennon found Eddie Royal on a 39 yard touchdown pass, and the Hokies would take the lead for good.

HOKIE HIGHLIGHTS-- After a season operating behind a patchwork offensive line, Branden Ore rumbled for a season high 147 yards rushing. 147 was a Hokie magic number as Eddie Royal tallied that amount receiving.Defensively the difference maker Orion Martin-- the junior notched two sacks and broke up a pair of passes.

CAVALIER COMMENDATIONS-- Mikkell Simpson ran for 81yards while catching six passes against a defense keyed on his every move; while DE Chris Long tallied one and a half sacks in the face of continual double-teams, Clint Sintim was able to break free for three sacks of his own.


MARYLAND clinched a bowl berth with a 37-0 shutout of North Carolina State. A three touchdown second quarter gave the Terps a nice cushion entering halftime and unlike previous games (Wake Forest,Virginia) made a double digit second half lead stand--after a three and out to begin the third quarter, they scored on three straight possessions.Major props to a team that never gave up despite a multitude of injuries (specifically on a mangled offensive line)--after three straight losses the 4-5 Terps looked like they were in trouble; instead they're making holiday plans.

UPSIDE-- the Terrapin ground game posted 249 yards rushing, DaRell Scott leading the way with 89 yards while Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore each scored a pairof touchdowns. Chris Turner even got into the act with 40 yards of his own-- and the sophomore continues to grow in his starting role with a turnover-free game. Defensively, Dave Philistin shined with ten tackles and his first career interception--and led a unit that held the Wolfpack to ten yards rushing.

DOWNSIDE-- just one sack in 45 passing attempts? One would have hoped the defensive line would have generated a little more pressure. Other than that,the Terps were as dominant as they've been all year.

College Football Corner--Intrastate Showdown, Commwealth Clash or Dominion Duel?

I’ve often wondered exactly what Virginia is…a state, dominion or a commonwealth? Regardless, this weeks matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech brings together two vastly different residents together with the ACC Coastal Division up for grabs. A brief breakdown:

School names: University of Virginia has a graceful ease about it. Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University reminds one of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. EDGE: UVA.

Colors: Blue and Orange versus Maroon and Orange… EDGE-TECH as long as they don’t wear those uniforms with odd-colored shoulders.

Nicknames and mascots: Cavaliers has a nice antebellum feel to it, but isn’t the Mascot the ex-Tampa Bay “Bucco Bruce”? (hey, Bucco Bruce’s family has to eat, and the NFL doesn’t dole out 401k’s to logos and/or mascots). Fighting Gobblers/Hokies is family and merchandise friendly. EDGE: TECH.

Campus towns: I’ve never been to Charlottesville when it wasn’t sunny, and I’ve never been to Blacksburg when it wasn’t cloudy. EDGE: UVA-can’t beat sunny and 70 in January.

Stadium food: They don’t serve it at Scott Stadium, but you just know UVa’s wine and cheese reputation garners snickers (the laugh not the snack). And I’ve gone on record with the Tech Turkey Leg. EDGE: TECH.

Founders: Virginia-Thomas Jefferson. Tough to top the guy who wrote the Declaration of Independence. George Washington’s the only Virginian who can trump TJ---although Roanoke’s Wayne Newton is making strides…


#8 VIRGINIA TECH expects to be here; after starting the season ranked 9th in the nation the Hokies struggled behind a mangled offensive line and an unsure quarterback situation. But since the team’s month off (games with William & Mary, Ohio and Duke resembling a mid-semester break) they’ve gotten healther and have run the ball better (Branden Ore’s averaged 76 yards a game the last four weeks after talling 53 ypg the first two months)—while at quarterback coach Frank Beamer’s been able to successfully mix the strengths of Tyrod Taylor (playing the role of Tim Tebow) and Sean Glennon (in the role of Chris Leak). But the bedrock this year’s team’s built on remains Beamerball—special teams that produces points and a defense that ranks first in the ACC.


#16 VIRGINIA was not expected to be here until recently: the Cavaliers were seen as a sinking ship through September, the beneficiary of a soft non-conference schedule in October and a collection of cardiac kids throughout the fall, but somehow Al Groh has this team one win away from a division title. Credit a defense that puts premium pressure on the passer (Chris Long leads the ACC with 12 sacks) and an offense that hasn’t missed a beat despite losing Cedric Peerman (on track to contend for conference player of the year honors) to a season-ending injury.


The Hokies have played a slightly tougher conference schedule (their cross-over ACC opponents Boston College, Clemson and Florida State are a combined 24-9 while the Cavaliers beat up on the combined 17-16 North Carolina State, Maryland and Wake Forest)—and although this game is in Charlottesville, Tech is very comfortable with this stage. HOKIES 26, CAVALIERS 21.


MARYLAND’s recent series with North Carolina State has been as thrilling as you could ask for in the ACC, with six of their last seven meetings decided by a touchdown or less and more than a few games carrying major importance:

In 2001, The Terps rallied to win 23-19 and clinch the ACC championship. 2003 saw Nick Novak make up for a missed extra point with a last-second field goal. The Wolfpack claimed a bowl berth in 2005 by beating Maryland 20-14 in a matchup of five-win teams—just like this year.

NC State averages 40 passes and 30 runs a game; Daniel Evans spreads the ball around (five receivers with 30+ catches) but throws a lot of short stuff—(under 11 yards per completion). Jamelle Eugene is a poor man’s version of UVa’s Mikkell Simpson—a moderate threat as a runner and receiver.

Maryland looks to open things up against the ACC’s 10th ranked defense; while Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore have been hampered by injuries lately they should get healthy against the Wolfpack. Chris Turner’s education continues with another positive step forward.
TERPS 34, Wolfpack 21.

College Football Corner--Seperating Contenders from Pretenders...

While September is show-me month in college football and October is moving month, November is the finishing kick month—where the remaining contenders in the mix play for the right to be elite. Unfortunately this year, we’ve seen the vast majority of contenders play their way out of position. The latest to abdicate: #2 Oregon and 3rd rated Oklahoma after both lost their starting quarterbacks to injury in losses to Arizona and Texas Tech.

Remaining teams in the mix each have rivalry games pending include: #1 LSU, who faces Arkansas Saturday with a spot in the SEC title game already locked up; #2 Kansas and 3rd ranked Missouri play Saturday for a berth in the Big 12 title game; #4 West Virginia (Pitt) and 6th rated Arizona State (Arizona) try not to look past inferior opposition while hoping for someone to slip; #5 Ohio State can't leapfrog anyone as their season's done-the Buckeyes are simply waiting for somebody to stumble. If there's anything we've learned from this fall, it's don't expect the road to smooth out anytime soon.


#8 VIRGINIA TECH set up a Commonwealth showdown for the ACC Coastal Division title by beating Miami 44-14. Woe are the Hurricanes—outscored 92-14 in back to back losses to the Hokies and Virginia—it’s hard to recall they controlled their own destiny one month ago.

UPSIDE---It’s always nice to be able to run in November, and the Hokies were able to pound out 182 yards on the ground—Branden Ore tallying 81 of them with two scores. It’s been said “if you have two starting quarterbacks, you have no starting quarterbacks” —but coach Frank Beamer has been able to alternate Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon effectively; Glennon passed for 171 yards and a touchdown while Taylor added 38 yards rushing. Defensively the Hokies tallied 3 takeaways and 5 sacks—nice effort by linebacker Vince Hall (11 tackles).

DOWNSIDE—penalties continue to blemish otherwise solid efforts (7 for 34 Saturday) …while one might be concerned the Hokies allowed Miami back in the game after taking a 17-0 lead.


MARYLAND saw it’s postseason hopes go back on life support with a 24-16 loss at Florida State. Perhaps it was the presence of EXECUTIVE coach Chuck Amato that put the Terps in a win or else position Saturday against North Carolina State (and even a win wouldn’t guarantee a bowl berth—Miami if they upset Boston College could snag the ACC’s eighth and final tie-in).

UPSIDE—Darrius Heyward-Bey caught 5 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown; he’s had a rough season trying to be the Terps’ lone receiving threat with one quarterback who got hurt and another learning on the job. Chris Turner would love to have some of his throws back—but despite being lifted for two series late in the first half fared well under the glare of a hostile environment.

DOWNSIDE—The Terps couldn’t contain FSU runningback Preston Parker (133 yards rushing and a touchdown) and were able to recover just one of five Seminole fumbles. Jordan Steffy saw his first action since his concussion against Rutgers, and the rust showed: 1 for 3 passing for one yard plus 2 rushes for minus 7 yards.

Presto's Picks...Bowl Bubble and postseason possibilities...

It’s not March Madness—but there is a battle for postseason bids involving half of the ACC. Six wins are needed for bowl eligibility, but not all six-win seasons are created equally. Florida State went bowling at 6-6 last year; one would think that a Wake Forest just on the basis of not traveling as well as other schools would need seven wins to continue play during the holidays.

Three schools are 6-4: Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Florida State…each plays just one more ACC game before squaring off against an SEC foe to wrap up the season (Wake meets 5-5 Vanderbilt, Tech takes on 8-2 Georgia, FSU faces 7-3 Florida) so you would have to think Saturday's games are must-win (Yellowjackets with the easiest path as they have a home game against North Carolina). Miami, North Carolina State and Maryland are all 5-5; while the Hurricanes name might get them in with six victories they have the toughest schedule of those on the Bowl bubble (games at 8-2 Virginia Tech and 8-2 Boston College). The Terps task? Back to back road games in a place they’ve never won (Tallahassee) and against a school coming on as of late (NC St. has won four straight).


#10 VIRGINIA TECH vs Miami—for the latter half of the 1990’s this matchup decided the Big East championship, and in 2004 their game decided the ACC title. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, whatever ground the program seemed to be making at the beginning of the season during a 4-1 start has evaporated with four losses in five games—a span in which the usually tough Miami D has coughed up 29 points a game. Coach Randy Shannon’s offense has had problems as well, failing to pass for 100 yards in three of their last four outings (and that’s with sack yardage not counting against the passing total).

Meanwhile, the Hokies are coming off solid efforts against Georgia Tech and Florida State—Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon are both playing well, the defense is making big plays (nine takeaways in their games with the Yellowjackets and Seminoles) and the special teams is on the verge of another big “Beamerball” weekend. HOKIES handle the Hurricanes 32-14.


MARYLAND at Florida State—what has happened to the Seminoles? Coach Bobby Bowden’s program has slowly receded since they won the 1999 National championship—finishing 8-5 and 7-6 the past two seasons…five and six loss seasons-in Tallahassee? What’s doubly distressing this fall is the fact that coach Bobby Bowden shook up his staff in the offseason and 2007 appears to be more of the same.

About the FSU shakeup—former North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato is listed as an “Executive Head Coach/Linebackers”. Thanks to the Redskins I’ve heard of “assistant head” and “associate head” coaches, but never an “executive”—what exactly does that mean? Does he get monogrammed shirts? What’s next, a “judicial” or “legislative” head coach?

What’s the best thing about the Terps this week? No new season-ending injuries to report; the two-deep had more changes than Menudo. Chris Turner comes off a 337 yard passing performance and looks like the Turner of Rutgers/Georgia Tech—four pass plays of 40+ yards in the win over BC …and the Seminoles pass defense ranks 10th in the ACC. Likewise, the Terps secondary will be have their hands full with FSU’s deep passing game. Brace yourself for big plays on both ends of the field. TERPS come up short to the Seminoles 24-20.


NAVY tops Northern Illinois, JMU tames Towson, RICHMOND gets by William & Mary, HOWARD’s defeated by Delaware State.


Last week: 7-2…Season: 54-24.

College Football Corner- Division delineation?

When the ACC expanded to 12 teams a few years ago, the league split its membership into two divisions--Maryland is in the Atlantic while Virginia Tech and Virginia reside in the Coastal.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, how are things shaping up? The Atlantic schools are a cumulative 38-21 with a 21-18 league record while the Coastal Division is 32-29 (18-21 in the ACC). While 1-9 Duke does bring the Coastal down, all six Atlantic teams remain in bowl contention and four have shots at winning league records (Virginia and Virginia Tech are the only Coastal schools with fewer than four ACC losses)-- and the two winners of the ACC Championship game have come from the Atlantic (Florida State in 2005, Wake Forest last year). Add the rebuilding track Miami and North Carolina are both on and it may be advantage-Atlantic for some time.


#11 VIRGINIA TECH exorcised ghosts of years past as coach Frank Beamer finally notches a victory over Bobby Bowden in the Hokies 40-21 triumph over Florida State.
This sets up a November 24th battle with Virginia for the ACC Coastal Division championship regardless of what happens this week against Miami.


UPSIDE—Tyrod Taylor tallies 296 total yards and three touchdowns after Sean Glennon stumbled off the field after taking a shot to the helmet. Taylor stretched the Seminole defense with his arm as well as his feet, averaging over 20 yards per completion. The Hokie defense stepped up in the fourth quarter with an interception return for a TD (one of three takeaways on the day) and a safety.

DOWNSIDE— Branden Ore reverted to his early season-form, gaining just 40 yards on 16 carries. The Hokies were fortunate to avoid losing any of their three fumbles but had an interception returned for a score during the Seminoles rally. Penalties persist as a problem, with the team earning 7 flags for 60 yards.



MARYLAND kept its dimming postseason hopes alive with a 42-35 win over Boston College in final home game for the senior class. What would could have been a disastrous November now has possibilities; if they had lost the all minds in College Park would have been fully fixed on basketball.

UPSIDE— Start with a ground game behind Lance Ball (109 yards and a touchdown) and a patchwork offensive line that battled one of the nations best in stopping the run. Add in a very well-called game by Coach Friedgen (the reverse to Darrius Heyward-Bey was pure genius) that challenged the Eagle secondary deep (4 pass plays of more than 40 yards)…but you need a triggerman like Chris Turner to execute it all and the sophomore did (21-27, 337 yards and 3 touchdowns). Defensively the much-maligned pass rush (last in the ACC entering the game) made life very uncomfortable for BC QB Matt Ryan, notching four sacks while intercepting a pair of passes.

DOWNSIDE— the injuries continue to mount as Keon Lattimore misses his final game at Byrd with a bad hamstring. The Terrapin defense could never find an answer for Eagles tight end Ryan Purvis (10 catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns), although there’s no shame in allowing 421 yards passing to Heisman candidate Matt Ryan. Can’t wait to see this week’s injury report.


VIRGINIA closed the Orange Bowl in classic fashion, shutting out the Hurricanes 48-0 after taking a 14-0 first quarter and 31-0 halftime leads. What’s more a shell of its former self- the decrepit stadium or the underachieving program?

UPSIDE—Mikkell Simpson tallied 93 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving with a pair of touchdowns, continuing to fill in adequately for the injured Cedric Peerman. By the way, what is the deal with Cavalier tight ends? Tom Phillips leads UVa in receiving with 4 catches for 77 yards. Defensively, the Cavs hold the Canes to 95 yards rushing while putting plenty of pressure on the pocket; sacking Kyle Wright four times and notching three interceptions.

DOWNSIDE—when a missed 33 yard field goal and 3 penalties is all you can scour from a 48 point win, what is there to do?...Virginia entertains Virginia Tech in less than two weeks.

Presto's Picks...Grand Stage gets final curtain...

The Orange Bowl is closing. For four decades, this was a college and pro football mecca. Now it’s merely a decrepit shell of its former self that is going quietly into the night. From the 1960’s through the 90’s this was the home of a multitude of memorable games—from Joe Namath and the Jets upset in Super Bowl III to Nebraska’s unsuccessful two-point conversion in 1984 (giving birth to the Miami monster), from both Pittsburgh-Dallas Superbowls in the 1970’s to its focal point in college football’s championship picture (the 1985, 87, 90, 91 and 93 winners took NCAA titles)—this was the grand gridiron stage of its time.

The two best games at the “OB”?...
NCAA: November, 1984…Boston College beats the Hurricanes 47-45 on a last second touchdown pass from Doug Flutie to Gerard Phelan (Bernie Kosar would also be overshadowed two years later by John Elway’s 98 yard drive), all but clinching the Heisman Trophy.

NFL: January 1982…San Diego defeats the Dolphins 41-38 in the Divisional Playoffs thanks to 13 catches from Kellen Winslow (the Chargers tight end blocked a field goal and had to be carried off the field after the game)—and who could forget the hook-and-lateral play from Don Strock to Duriel Harris to Tony Nathan?


#11 VIRGINIA TECH vs Florida State—who will start at quarterback, Sean Glennon or Tyrod Taylor? The season-long question of polish versus potential—thank goodness the offensive line is finally coming around: last week against a very good run defense, the Hokies gained a season high 185 yards against Georgia Tech. The Seminoles are coming off a huge upset of #2 Boston College (in Chesnut Hill) and have allowed fewer than 100 yards rushing in five of their nine games this fall (including -27 to Colorado). HOKIES hold on, 27-18.


MARYLAND vs #8 Boston College—one would think the Terps would have to win their final three games to secure a bowl berth—and the combined record of their final three opponents is 18-9… and they don’t start lightly—BC is the highest ranked team in the ACC. The Eagles boast the league’s number one defense against the run- not good news for the suddenly mortal Keon Lattimore (80 yards on 29 carries his last two games). After a spectacular splash Chris Turner has had problems, going from an average of 135 yards passing his first three halves at the helm—but under 90 since—and he’s turned the ball over three times during the losing streak. While the offense will be challenged, the defense will have its hands full trying to contain Heisman candidate Matt Ryan (2848 yards and 21 TD’s passing)—but the sleeper on this Eagle team is runningback Andre Callender (658 yards rushing plus 378 yards receiving and 12 total touchdowns)—as Virginia Tech learned last month. TERPS tumble 35-16.


#21 VIRGINIA at Miami—the “Cardiac Cavaliers” (patent pending) control their own destiny in the ACC Coastal Divison race: a win Saturday or November 24th against Virginia Tech punches UVa’s ticket to Jacksonville for December first’s championship game. Bad news—runningback Cedric Peerman’s done for the year with a foot injury; good news—Mikkell Simpson hasn’t reproduced Peerman’s presence on the ground but has been a very effective receiver out of the backfield (while still running the football decently). The Hurricanes have stumbled as of late (three losses in four games by a combined 12 points)—and Randy Shannon’s program remains a year or two away from making their mark in the ACC.
CAVALIERS close the “OB” in OT, 23-17.


NAVY becomes bowl-eligible by beating North Texas, GEORGETOWN falls to Colgate, HOWARD beats Bethune-Cookman, CATHOLIC falls to Bridgewater State, JAMES MADISON over William & Mary, RICHMOND slips to Delaware.

Last Week: 4-4 Season: 47-22.

College Football Corner--Conspiracy in South Bend?

Congratulations to Navy for ending nearly half a century of frustration in their 46-44 triple overtime triumph over Notre Dame—the Midshipmen have come close more than a few times since 1963, and it was nice to see Paul Johnson’s crew get it done in South Bend. Credit an option offense run to perfection—257 yards on 66 carries keeping the Fighting Irish on their heels—and how about that call in the 3rd OT—a 25 yard pass from Kaipo-Noa Kaheauku-Enhada to Reggie Campbell for the go-ahead score.

But was another reason for Navy’s victory? The Fighting Irish threw the ball only 27 times against a school that allowed 434 passing yards to Delaware the week before. And what was the deal with Notre Dame passing up a 41-yard field goal with under a minute to play? Don’t even talk to me about the fullback dive into the line for the game-tying two point conversion. Just where did Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis earn his reputation in the NFL? New England. Where did Patriots coach Bill Belichick grow up? You guessed it –Annapolis, where his father was a long-time assistant football coach—at NAVY. Conspiracy? I leave you to judge…but if I mysteriously disappear—you know what went down.


MARYLAND’s margin of error got ever so slimmer with a 16-13 loss at North Carolina. After winning six of seven games decided by a touchdown or less last year, the Terps are 1-3 in such games this fall—and on the precipice of postseason elimination. Coach Ralph Friedgen’s team now has to win their final three games (a 6 win team qualifies for a bowl but will likely be left out) against #8 Boston College, Florida State (the school that just ended BC’s unbeaten run) and North Carolina State (Wolfpack have won three straight).


UPSIDE—the defense held the Tar Heels in check all afternoon: 16 points, 259 total yards and 3 turnovers. Linebacker Erin Henderson notched 11 tackles and a fumble recovery while the underrated Dave Philistin added 10 stops. Kevin Barnes remains a ballhawk, tallying his fourth interception of the season. On offense Lance Ball continues to be a force with 69 yards rushing- his 6th straight 50-yard effort despite not getting more than 17 carries in any of those games, while Chris Turner’s impressed me with his downfield emphasis (just 3 passes last Saturday went to his runningbacks).

DOWNSIDE—Keon Lattimore had his roughest day of the season, gaining just 29 yards on 13 carries. The Terps committed 9 penalties and turned the ball over twice (once during a return of a Tar Heel fumble) while a hobbled offensive line remains a mess medically.



VIRGINIA’s dream season continues as Sam Swank misses a last-second field goal in the Cavaliers’ 17-16 win over Wake Forest. Six of the Cavaliers’ eight wins this fall have come by less than a touchdown—the last four by a combined six points. Coach Al Groh’s team needs just a win over Virginia Tech November 24th to clinch a trip to the ACC Championship game.

UPSIDE—Jameel Sewell threw for 225 yards while adding 47 yards rushing—despite minimal support from his running game. Mikkell Simpson continues to shine in relief of the injured Cedric Peerman, tallying 112 combined yards and a touchdown. The defense held the Demon Deacons to 2.8 yards a carry and under ten yards per completion—and when Wake was in the red zone, the Cavaliers held firm—forcing three field goals of under 32 yards.

DOWNSIDE—the Cavaliers running game, a strength all season, gained just 3.3 yards per carry—and that was with Jameel Sewell’s scrambles factored in. One also has to wonder how long the good fortune will stay in Charlottesville—they visit Miami Saturday.

Presto's Picks--Losing your shirt...

Now there’s a game-replica jersey I’d want to buy. Virginia Tech routed Georgia Tech 27-3 thanks to 296 yards passing from Sean Glennon. The junior threw two touchdown passes while running for a third wearing a makeshift jersey provided by the home team after his top went missing earlier in the day…this uniform had Glennon’s name written in magic marker on the back. Coming soon to a Target near you!

UPSIDE— Glennon fired 40 and 71 yard touchdown strikes, stretching the field for a running game finally falling into place. Branden Ore continued his resurgence, tallying 86 yards rushing while Jahre Cheeseman adds 84 on the ground. The defense, after giving up two late scores to Boston College the week before, held the Yellowjackets in check and out of the endzone all evening. Five interceptions—two by Victor Harris—was the exclamation point in a bounce-back victory.

DOWNSIDE---Ten penalties and a fumble keep this from a perfect week—oh, and can we get better security on equipment matters?


MARYLAND at North Carolina—I’m waiting for coach Ralph Friedgen to go to a four man front—on offense. Yes, things are getting that bad in the trenches- and although everyone has injuries, this year’s team is decimated up front (if only Jared Gaither and Donald Woods had stayed in College Park). UNC is an extremely young team, with a freshman starting quarterback in TJ Yates (3rd in the ACC in passing efficiency) and the primary running chores shared by freshmen Johnny White and Anthony Elzy. The Tar Heels might be 2-6, but this is a team that has gotten quite a bit better as the season’s progressed; four of their six defeats have come by a touchdown or less and their last four losses are to teams currently in the Top 25.

The Terps are reaching a point of no return; the team has to win three of their final four games to wrap up a bowl berth (6-6 qualifies but won’t get it done with enough other “name” ACC schools that travel well likely to land around there). After back to back 17 point efforts, the offense looks to break out against a Tar Heel defense rated 9th in the ACC—and next to last in defensive passer rating. Terps tame the Tar Heels 17-13.


VIRGINIA vs #21 Wake Forest—so much for my “Cardiac Cavaliers” t-shirts I was considering mass-producing. Both teams bring 4-1 ACC records to Charlottesville Saturday—the Demon Deacons defeat coming to #2 Boston College in September, the Cavaliers loss coming to sub-500 North Carolina State last weekend.

Runningback Cedric Peerman appears to be on the shelf longer than expected; he’s doubtful for Saturday and some reports have him missing the rest of the regular season. Good thing Mikkail Simpson has filled in ably the last two weeks.

Wake Forest provides an interesting matchup; the Demon Deacon misdirection is a mess to defend (as Maryland learned earlier this year)--Chris Long’s speed might work against in him his pursuit of quarterback Riley Skinner. UVa’s defense will have to contend with emerging freshman Josh Adams (4th in the ACC in rushing). Cavaliers crumble 21-19.


NAVY notches its first win over Notre Dame since the 1960’s, GEORGETOWN nips Marist, HOWARD over South Carolina State, CATHOLIC tops Guilford, JAMES MADISON falls to Delaware, RICHMOND over Villanova.

Presto's Picks--Sunday and Friday aren't all right...

Primetime football is what every school strives for… you know you’ve arrived as a program when your 8pm kickoffs outnumber the 12 noon starts (or 3:45 ESPN-360’s)…and although it took a while to get accustomed to, Thursday Night Football has taken a special spot on the college calendar. Fast-forward to 2007, with games on every single blasted night at times-- and a regular schedule on Fridays and Sundays—hello?

First, Friday--I have trouble taking that evening’s spotlight away from the high school games (not that I want ESPN to broadcast a “game of the week”)…Secondly, Sunday--despite the obvious fact that it’s right in the middle of the NFL schedule, it’s well after the weekly polls and BCS standings have been released. What makes Thursday special, for now, is that there’s a limited supply of prime-time games and making Fridays and Sundays regular primetime showcases will only cheapen that as a “special” prime-time event…at least until they have a regular game on Tuesdays and Wednesdays…


#11 VIRGINIA TECH at Georgia Tech—for the second straight week the Hokies face a top-notch run defense (allowing 2.5 yards per rush); the Yellowjackets also provide a relentless pass rush (second in the ACC with 28 sacks). Not ideal if you’re a Virginia Tech team with a banged up quarterback (Tyrod Taylor still a question mark) and a running game spinning its wheels…although Branden Ore is fresh off his best game of the season (97 yards against Boston College’s #1 in the nation run defense).

The Hokies will be hard-pressed to contain Yellowjacket runningback and the ACC’s leading rusher Tashard Choice, but if the senior falters freshman sparkplug Jonathan Dwyer (5.9 yards a carry) can make defenders miss just as easily. Georgia Tech’s shown little ability to go to the air this fall (last in the league in passing efficiency)—and with the Hokie defense able to apply pressure (29 sacks), this could turn into a defensive slug-fest. HOKIES nip the Yellowjackets 18-13, scoring on a blocked punt with 34 seconds remaining.

College Football Corner--Playoff possibilities...

Ohio State and Boston College both won key conference contests last weekend, while LSU stands strong at #3. The race for 1st or 2nd in the BCS continues—with one-loss Oregon and Oklahoma hoping for upsets while unbeatens Arizona State and Kansas looking for respect. There’s nothing quite like a two-team playoff with each school getting a month off…but enough about what’s wrong with college football’s postseason-- what’s the solution?

Glad you asked. An eight team tournament with BCS conference winners (six automatics) plus two wildcards advancing—and the at-large teams can include Mountain West, WAC, MAC, Conference USA and Sun Belt schools. This would
teams that win their league or near-misses (Michigan last year) as well as small schools having excellent years (Boise State in ’06). The first round would be played on a mid-December Saturday Mid-December (with noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm kickoffs) with winners advancing to New Year’s Day semifinal games…the title game would be played on the second Saturday of the new year. So obvious it won’t happen anytime soon—in fact, I’d settle for a four-team playoff.

MARYLAND against a talented Clemson squad (ranked as high as #12 this year) had a window of opportunity in the first quarter—up 3-0 and in Tiger Territory after a Cullen Harper fumble. But Chris Turner had problems hanging onto the football—fumbling at the Clemson 27—and the Tigers responded with four straight scoring drives to end the first half…ballgame.

UPSIDE—the Terps tallied a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to make this one respectable; Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball combined for 104 yards on 26 carries behind a patchwork offensive line… Chris Turner took his first major lumps as a starter (a lost fumble plus an interception) but finished strong (9-10, 127 yards in the fourth quarter)—and the sophomore is only going to get better.

DOWNSIDE—dropped passes on offense, missed tackles on defense. After gaining 72 yards in the first quarter, Maryland was held to 77 combined yards in the second and third periods. After converting three third downs on its first possession, the attack didn’t move the chains on third down again until the fourth quarter. The Terrapin defense had problems wrapping up James Davis and CJ Spiller—allowing each to reach the century mark (4th time for that tandem)—and surrendering 249 yards rushing. The offensive line remains a band-aid with duct tape and superglue.


VIRGINIA’s run as ACC Cinderella came to an end Saturday with a 29-24 loss to North Carolina State—this time it was the Cavaliers giving up a 4th quarter touchdown. So much for having the Coastal Division Title within their sights after Virginia Tech’s loss to Boston College (UVa doesn’t play the #2 Eagles this year)…must send myself a memo to cancel production of “Cardiac Cavalier” T-shirts.

UPSIDE—there’s no chance the Cavs will overlook their final three opponents: #24 Wake Forest, Miami (legacy factor) and 11th rated Virginia Tech. Mikkail Simpson wasn’t as explosive as he was against Maryland but still tallied 116 total yards and two touchdowns—he’ll be a nice fit within this offense for some time.

DOWNSIDE—offensively, Jameel Sewell threw two interceptions and had to leave the game with leg cramps in the 4th quarter, cramping the Cavaliers’ hopes for a rally. The defense allowed a season-high 347 yards and three touchdowns passing to Wolfpack quarterback Daniel Evans and a season-high 112 yards rushing for Jamelle Eugene. The most frustrating aspect of Saturday’s loss was here was a streaking Cavalier team on the cusp of the national spotlight with a chance to move into the top ten—and they lost to an opponent that had yet to win in ACC play. Talk about a major window of opportunity missed.

Presto's Picks: V not for Victory, but Victimized...

There’s no way 8th ranked Virginia Tech should have grabbed a 10 point lead after three quarters against #2 Boston College (holding the Eagles to 141 total yards); and there’s no way the Hokies should have allowed two BC touchdowns in the game’s final three minutes. But the biggest surprise for me was the fact a team known for excellent special teams execution was out-executed on an onside kick that set up the game-winning score.

UPSIDE—Branden Ore had his best outing of the season, notching 97 yards rushing against a defense ranked #1 in the ACC against the run. The defense played the game of their lives, sacking Matt Ryan three times and holding the Eagle running game in check (under four yards a carry for their tailbacks)—unfortunately they couldn’t hang on to several interception opportunities.

DOWNSIDE—the defense coughed up 176 yards in the fourth quarter, including scoring drives of 92 and 66 yards. Sean Glennon had a lukewarm game--60 percent passing but under ten yards per completion—filling in for Tyrod Taylor; the freshman should be ready to play against Georgia Tech next week. Up ten with three minutes to play, on Thursday night at Lane Stadium—those are games contenders win- and pretenders lose. For the first eight weeks I’ve wondered what the Hokies are this year; and there’s nothing wrong with being a middle of the road team in the ACC. Unfortunately this unit doesn’t have the magic of the 2004 title team.


MARYLAND vs Clemson—tough times in College Park for Ralph Friedgen and company. Not only have the Terrapins watched double digit leads evaporate in each of their last four games, the team has been ransacked by a multitude of injuries—defensive lineman Mack Frost and guard Jaimie Thomas the latest to go down for the season. Losing Thomas is what will really hurt this team—they’re down to five veteran linemen and may have to burn a few redshirt years for true freshmen on that track. Bad news for a Terrapin running game that’s been the club’s strength and Clemson’s weakness (Terps boast the ACC’s #2 ground attack—Tigers are 10th in the league against the run).

Clemson boasts their thunder and lightning backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller again this fall (although Spiller is not nearly as effective as he was in 2006—3.9 yards a carry this season as opposed to 7.8 last year), but it’s a much more balanced attack thanks to the emergence of quarterback Cullen Harper. The junior leads the ACC in passing efficiency and coach Tommy Bowden has adjusted his offense thusly, going from a 70-30 run pass mix to nearly 50-50 through seven games.

Can the Terps generate a pass rush (they’re second to last in sacks with 11)? Can Chris Turner return to the Turner from the Georgia Tech game (255 yards passing with three passes of 40+ yards) as opposed to the Virginia contest (under ten yards per completion and a sack for a safety)? And who will go down to injury this week? Strange thing, each year Clemson boasts one of the most talented teams in the ACC, yet always finds a way to lose a game or two they should—and I think one of those games is Saturday. TERPS top the Tigers 23-20.


#21 VIRGINIA vs North Carolina State—talk about an embarrassment of riches. Mikkell Simpson’s 119 yards rushing and 152 yards receiving against Maryland elicited a “WOW!” followed by a “where’s he been?”—once Cedric Peerman and Andrew Pearman return to full strength, runningback in Charlottesville will be as stacked as any position since since Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan earned Best Supporting Actor nominations for The Godfather.

Three games stand between the Cavaliers and a potential showdown with Virginia Tech for the ACC Coastal Division—and the Wolfpack are the lightest test. Tom O’Brien’s team has bad losses to Central Florida (in Raleigh!) and at Clemson (608 yards allowed); they’re 11th in the league in offense and last defensively. CAVALIERS crush NC State 45-13.


NAVY over Delaware, GEORGETOWN slips at Lehigh, HOWARD falls to Norfolk State, JAMES MADISON over RICHMOND.

Season: 40-14 (3-2 last week)

Presto's Picks...Bloated Bowl Bonanza...

It’s a shame college football’s Division I-A has to be called the “Bowl Subdivision Series”—primarily because that means the bowl system still exists. The dinosaur should have been put out of it’s misery sometime in the mid-90’s…and unfortunately we have a glut of postseason games that nobody cares about leading up to one game that means everything-several days after the last burst of games sap most fans’ enthusiasm for college football. I’m not saying get rid of all of the bowls, but must we see a proliferation of 6-6 and 7-5 teams playing in December? I wouldn’t mind 20 bowls, but isn’t 30+ a little excessive? There are only 119 Bowl Subdivision Schools—where’s the reward for a good season if over 50% of the schools get such rewards?

While there’s no chance of bowl reduction, it would be nice to seed the top four schools and have them play on New Years Day—with the Championship Game a week or so later… you’re only extending a school’s season one game and only interfering with semester break—sometime in the future I’ll unveil what a DI-A playoff format should look like.

#8 VIRGINIA TECH vs #2 Boston College—the Hokies have owned Thursday nights – but one of the few blemishes on Frank Beamer’s 14-3 weeknight record came last year in Chesnut Hill… a 22-3 loss where the Hokies were held to 21 yards in the first half. Fast-forward to 2007 where the Virginia Tech offensive line is in dire straits, the running game ranks 90th in the nation, and BC leads the country in stopping the run (allowing just 1.8 yards a carry). It’s going to be another bumpy ride for Brandon Ore—especially with quarterback Tyrod Taylor and his injured ankle a question mark. If the freshman can’t go, it’s back to Sean Glennon—who was benched after a rough outing against then-#2 LSU…the symmetry is perfect.

Meanwhile, the Hokies face an offensive juggernaut: the Eagles average 35 points a game behind a balanced attack. Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Ryan averages 300+ yards passing per game and owns a 17-6 TD-INT ratio, while Andre Callender (627 yards rushing at a 4.9 average with 8 touchdowns) is quietly killing teams gearing up to stop the pass. Don’t be surprised if Virginia Tech holds BC in check; the team ranks 2nd in defensive passing efficiency.

HOKIES humbled 26-13.

College Football Corner: Cardiac transfusion...

Last year Maryland became the midseason darlings of the ACC by winning five straight games by a combined 13 points; this year the fantastic finishes belong to Virginia—the "Cardiac Cavaliers" have won their last three games by a combined four points. Saturday the annual “Border War” saw UVa win in College Park for the first time since 1999 in—you guessed it—another last-second thriller.


VIRGINIA’s glass half-full--the Cavaliers marched 90 yards on 15 plays over 7 and a half mintutes for the gamewinning touchdown—and understudy Mikkell Simpson stole the spotlight by rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns while adding 13 catches for 152 yards. Simpson was pressed into action due to a banged up backfield (Cedric Peerman and Andrew Pearman sat with injuries) and got better as the game progressed, gaining 92 yards on the Cavs game-winning 90 yard march. Punter Chris Gould pinned the Terrapins twice in the second quarter with punts deep into the redzone. Jameel Sewell was sacked three times but avoided several almost-sacks more than a few times. Defensively, linebacker Jon Copper (12 tackles) and lineman Chris Long (10 tackles, two sacks and a safety) both contributed to shutting Maryland down after letting the Terps get out to a 14-3 first half lead.

MARYLAND’s glass half-empty—the Terps wasted a double digit lead for the fourth straight game and this time it cost them. A banged up offensive line got more mangled (guard Jaime Thomas out for the season with a broken leg), leaving 5 regulars from the start of the season. Coach Friedgen now has to decide which true freshmen’s redshirt seasons are disposable—he needs bodies up front. While one can’t fault the defense for not recognizing Mikkell Simpson entering the game (he had just 6 offensive touches for 22 yards entering the game)—they couldn’t stop him on the final drive when it counted.


VIRGINIA TECH had the weekend off-- the 8th ranked Hokies host #2 Boston College Thursday in a matchup of division leaders (UVa’s tied for the Coastal lead with Va Tech). After an early season where Virginia Tech was either quite a bit better than opposition (Ohio, William and Mary) or not up to the level of (LSU), the Hokies have five games left in the schedule to determine their destiny-and the Eagles behind Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Ryan will provide an incredible challenge.

Don’t think the Eagles are one-dimensional: Andre Callender averages just under 90 yards a game and five yards per carry. That translates to a big problem for a Hokie defense banged up bigtime--linebacker Vince Hall won’t return from his wrist injury in time; his absence more pronounced as fellow LB Cam Martin is sidelined with mononucleosis. Still to be determined: will quarterback Tyrod Taylor be at full-strength or will the Hokies rely on Sean Glennon?

College Football Corner: One-sided rivalry?

Maryland-Virginia…always an interesting ACC affair, this used to be the northern rivalry in the league (with South Carolina-Clemson, UNC-NC St, Wake-Duke the other original “rivals”)—my how things have changed recently. First, Maryland and Virginia are in different divisions. And second, there’s a new school in the league much closer to Charlottesville than College Park—Virginia Tech has effectively replaced UVa as their main opponent on the field and in the recruiting battles.

Still, the Terrapin faithful view Virginia as their major football ACC rival—kind of like how the Redskin fans view the Cowboys, the feelings aren’t returned in full. But what are Terp fans to do? The next-nearest state school playing D-IA football is… West Virginia? Penn State? Rutgers? Navy plays D-I, but the two schools meet sporadically if ever on the gridiron.

What’s the future of this rivalry? As this is the automatic inter-divisional game for both schools they’ll be playing annually for some time; I see a different rivalry taking form—one of added Maryland recruiting interest in the Tidewater area. The past few years coach Ralph Friedgen’s staff has looked towards getting quality players from the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area ; the ramifications of Saturday night’s game won’t be felt as much on Sunday and Monday as in February on signing day.


VIRGINIA at MARYLAND—while Virginia Tech rests up for next Thursday's matchup with #2 Boston College, the I-495/I-66/VA-29 battle takes center stage with the two schools a combined 10-3. Somehow, some way the Cavaliers have won six straight since looking really bad against Wyoming. And some way, somehow the Terps have bounced back from blowing a 21 point second half lead at Wake Forest. This game has ACC implications as well—UVa currently leads the Coastal Division while Maryland still is in Atlantic Division contention.

Question is-how effectively will the Cavaliers move the football with Cedric Peerman sitting out again this week? In his absence they’ve been forced to make due with the tandem of Andrew Pearman and Keith Payne, and while the duo’s played well—the firm of Pearman and Payne can’t match what Peerman did all by himself.

Maryland’s big injury involves outside linebacker Erin Henderson; a bad knee has kept the junior on the sidelines since the Rutgers game. I was surprised the Terps were able to play as well as they did against Georgia Tech minus their sparkplug; they’ll need Henderson to contain Cavaliers quarterback Jameel Sewell-a phenomenal pass-run combo.

The Terps will go with Chris Turner at QB (Jordan Steffy still not medically cleared after his concussion September 29th)—the sophomore has played very well since stepping into the lineup, taking chances that stretch the defense for runningbacks Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore. Maryland has to protect Turner from the ACC’s best pass rusher Chris Long (8 sacks), a major challenge behind a banged up offensive line. Defensively they have to focus on getting off the field better on third down (the team’s had problems this fall, especially on 3rd and 10 or longer).

Home field advantage is huge in this series: Maryland’s victory in Charlottesville last year was their first since 1990 while Virginia hasn’t won in College Park since 1999.
TERPS top the CAVALIERS 27-24.

Elsewhere: NAVY falls to Wake Forest, HOWARD rips North Carolina A&T, GEORGETOWN falls to Bucknell, JAMES MADISON over RICHMOND.

Last week: 6-0…Overall: 37-12…

College Football Corner--Here comes the BCS!

Ohio State #1…alright, no big shocker there…but #2—South Florida! Hello? What a shock to the system—but that’s what this college football season has been in a nutshell. The big surprise is that for all of the upsets over the last three weeks (four unbeatens or top ten teams falling each week) the Buckeyes are just the third team to become #1 this year (LSU taking over for USC September 30th). That brings us to the beginning of the BCS where it doesn’t matter as much who’s number one, but who isn’t number three. Boston College fans can complain all they want about how they might be better than South Florida, but until they play someone better than UMass or Bowling Green, I’m not listening (don’t even suggest 1-6 Notre Dame as a real team this fall)…get ready for two months of jockeying before they announce the two schools playing for the national championship.

#12 VIRGINIA TECH lost quarterback Tyrod Taylor with a sprained ankle but won its game at Duke 43-14 after taking a 34-7 halftime lead. Now the Hokies prepare for a late season stretch that includes back to back Thursday night games against #2 Boston College and always-tough Georgia Tech.

UPSIDE— Sean Glennon—benched after the LSU loss for Tyrod Taylor at quarterback—came off the bench to throw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, turning a six point second quarter advantage into a 21 point rout at intermission. Eddie Royal entered the game with 9 catches for 60 yards; the senior special teams standout grabbed 6 passes for 90 yards and a score Saturday. The defense also responded well in the absence of injured linebacker Vince Hall.

DOWNSIDE— The running game continues to simply not exist—Branden Ore was held to 37 yards on 17 carries…and one has to think he’ll have less running room against the conference’s elite over the final five games. And wow--Fourteen penalties. That won’t hurt you against the likes of Duke, but just try that against BC next week.


VIRGINIA handed Connecticut its first loss of the season thanks to a 19 yard field goal by Chris Gould with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter…credit this victory to a Cavalier defense that notched four sacks and limited Tyler Lorenzen to just over 10 yards per completion while stuffing the Huskies running game (2.4 yards a carry).

UPSIDE— Nice outing by linebacker John Copper; the junior from Roanoke tallied 8 tackles, one sack and one pass breakup in the win. Another monster defensive stat: Virginia’s defense allowed Huskies just one third down conversion in 13 tries. Although the offense wasn’t as effective in weeks past, when it mattered in the 4th quarter they were able to drive 79 yards in 11 plays for the gamewinning field goal (the other two drives were for 59 and 65 yards).

DOWNSIDE— minus Cedric Peerman the running game had some problems behind Andrew Pearman and Keith Payne (the duo combining for 3.4 yards a carry)—Jameel Sewell actually led the Cavs in rushing…and without his major ground weapon the sophomore tossed a pair of interceptions.

MARYLAND prepared for Saturday's matchup with Virginia; enjoying their bye week and getting healthy for the Cavaliers. Linebacker Erin Henderson's knee renders the junior questionable while quarterback Jordan Steffy might miss the next month with a concussion.

Presto's Picks: A gram of apple vs a pound of orange?

There are a handful of differences between how college and pro football records are kept. I’ve previously tackled the sacks counting as rushing yards; the fact the NFL and NCAA use completely different passer ratings also drives me nuts. Both take different formulas to assess the efficiency of a quarterback with markedly different scales: in the pros an average rating is in the 70’s and 100+ is excellent, in college ball 100 is average and 160+ ratings have been obtained. For those who follow and cover both levels it would be nice to have uniformity—there’s a big enough difference between the two; with different rating systems its like we’re comparing apples using the metric system and oranges using old English measurements.

#12 VIRGINIA TECH at Duke—Hokies wrap up their pre-gauntlet stretch with a trip to Durham—the fun begins October 25th in prime time against Boston College—and the coach’s goal is to always play up the opposition, but give Frank Beamer a little more leeway. The Blue Devils despite a 1-5 start have been much more competitive this fall—Thaddeus Lewis is becoming the quarterback nobody in the ACC wants to face. The Hokie offensive line should get healthy against the Duke front line—a lack of consistency has hampered the running game all year. Still, even the Hokies at halfspeed is better than the Blue Devils…and did we mention Beamerball is back with a bang? HOKIES outscore the Blue Devils 45-17, taking a punt or kickoff back for the second straight week.

MARYLAND—“open” has the toughest strength of schedule, week in and week out, matched only by “idle” or “bye”. Good time for the Terrapins to heal up—at 4-2 the team begins a rough march through the ACC, starting with next week’s border war with Virginia. Linebacker Erin Henderson’s knee leaves him questionable for the Cavalier contest; Jordan Steffy’s concussion might sideline the quarterback a month. With Chris Turner ably filling in the last few weeks, it’s much more imperative Henderson comes back sooner rather than later (the junior averages 11 tackles a game and is a constant force from the weakside).

VIRGINIA vs UConn—the Cavaliers have been a tough team to figure: a light early schedule had several thinking of a 5-1 start, a bad loss at Wyoming had fingers on the panic button and a comeback win over Georgia Tech brought back believers to the bandwagon—before last week’s struggle against Middle Tennessee. Cedric Peerman’s ankle is a major concern—if the main component of UVa’s offense can’t play, can Andrew Pearman and Keith Payne contribute another solid effort (the pair combined for 115 yards and 2 scores against MTSU)? How good is UConn you ask? Huskies are 5-0 but have wins over Duke, Maine, Temple, Pitt and Akron…a rather Rutgeresque feel (Scarlet Knights began with Navy, Norfolk State and Buffalo before losing to Maryland)…CAVALIERS hush the Huskies 22-13.

Elsewhere— HOWARD loses to Morgan State, GEORGETOWN falls to Fordham, JAMES MADISON rips Rhode Island, RICHMOND stops Stonybrook.

Last week: 6-2…Season: 31-12…

College Football Corner--Pretenders and Contenders Upended...

It wasn’t seven of 13 unbeatens going down, but the first week of October saw four of the nation’s top nine teams fall—and we almost had California taking over the #1 spot. What a finish to LSU-Florida… Les Miles, you’ve won me over as a coach—okay? Sorry, Wisconsin fans, you’ve dodged enough bullets from UNLV and the Citadel—the Badgers are on track to 9-3 or 8-4. And how does USC lose to STANFORD--did all the smack-talk by Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh in the offseason pay off?

There’s a very interesting underbelly of unbeatens in the rankings this week—while the world has gotten used to #5 South Florida, if the 14-15-16 lineup of Arizona State, Cincinnati and Hawaii doesn’t stun you—Kansas at #20 will.


VIRGINIA TECH saw the return of Beamerball, quite literally-scoring touchdowns on kickoff, punt and interception returns in their 41-23 win at Clemson. One way to make Death Valley a non-factor is to take a 17-0 first quarter lead.

UPSIDE—Beyond the big plays, the knowledge that the Hokies can create points on special teams takes extra attention from opposing coaches that chews up practice time each week that could be spent gameplanning offensively or defensively. Tyrod Taylor proves to be Tech’s biggest ground threat (15 carries for 118 yards) and tossed a touchdown pass in the victory. The defense kept Clemson out of the endzone for over three quarters.

DOWNSIDE— Let’s just write off this year for Brandon Ore, okay? The sophomore finished with 35 yards on 23 carries against the Tigers, and has been limited to 3.3 yards a carry this fall…the offense in general continues to underwhelm-just 221 total yards (183 from the feet and arm of Tyrod Taylor).


MARYLAND escaped with a 28-26 win over Georgia Tech when Travis Bell’s 52 yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 54 seconds left in the fourth quarter; the Terps almost coughing up a two touchdown lead for the second time in three weeks. With Andrew Crummey’s broken leg ending the guard’s senior season and linebacker Rick Costa’s year in doubt after a neck injury, the bye week couldn’t come at a more convenient time.

UPSIDE—WOW…Chris Turner’s addition to the passing game has been phenomenal- the sophomore is taking chances and succeeding downfield-3 pass plays of 40 yards or more. Lance Ball gained 86 tough yards against a defense ranked with the best against the run (allowing under two yards per carry). Linebacker David Phillistin responded to the absence of Erin Henderson; the MLB tallied 21 tackles—most by a Terrapin in nine seasons.

DOWNSIDE— this team needs to get healthy, period. Maryland had just one possession last longer than five plays--while Maryland was able to strike quickly (their three touchdown drives were 3, 4 and 5 plays long) before intermission, the Terps were dominated after halftime—outgained 262 to 98 (the Yellowjackets racked up 484 total yards). Pass protection was a problem behind a patchwork line, as Chris Turner was sacked four times.


VIRGINIA lost leading rusher Cedric Peerman to injury but held on to nip Middle Tennessee 23-21 on a Chris Gould 34 yard field goal with eight seconds remaining in Murfreesboro. One week after posting a classic smackdown of Pitt, the Cavaliers appeared to take a step back towards their inconsistent play of their first three wins (by a combined 18 points). Up next--unbeaten but lightly regarded Connecticut—question is will UVa play to the Huskies record or their reputation?

UPSIDE— Must be the name; Andrew Pearman stepped in ably for Cedric Peerman, notching 101 yards from scrimmage and scoring two touchdowns. Tight end Tom Santi continues to be Jameel Sewell’s top target, posting five catches for 82 yards. The defense tightened up in the second half, allowing just 67 yards after intermission.

DOWNSIDE— Talk about all or nothing; the Cavs either scored or went three and out in the first half. The second half saw UVa sputter after getting the ball on the MTSU 27—(losing seven yards on three plays and punting) while another possession saw Sewell get intercepted from his own 10 (setting up the Blue Raiders’ final touchdown of the day).

Presto's Picks: Upsets lead to upstarts...

The byproduct of last weekend’s “shocking Saturday” where 7 unbeatens lost is a rather difficult to identify top10—okay, so USC and LSU are atop the rankings…but South Florida and Kentucky? Other surprise unbeatens include the likes of Hawaii and Cincinnati (last competitve when Sandy Koufax was there). Last year at this time there really weren't any surprise teams--Oregon was 11th (after being 21st in the preseason) representing the biggest jump for an unbeaten team (Boise State had just cracked the top 20 that week).

I can recall two ridiculous upside-down seasons--1984 and 1990; both years saw multiple number ones going down multiple times before a Holiday Bowl champ (BYU) and a five-downs against Missouri survivor (Colorado) take national championships. A South Florida-Hawaii National Title game? Stranger things have happened.

#15 VIRGINIA TECH at 22nd ranked Clemson—Coach Tommy Bowden’s Tigers always seem to win one game a year they should lose and lose one game a year they should win; thus Saturday’s 13-3 loss to Georgia Tech was no surprise—what’s caught me offguard is the play of quarterback Cullen Harper: the junior is completing over 60 percent of his passes and boasts a 12-to-1 touchdown/interception ratio. Question for the offense--when will this line come together--or will they in 2007? HOKIES tumble to the Tigers 19-10.

MARYLAND vs Georgia Tech—a month ago I was buying Yellowjacket stock by the truckload (my they looked good against Notre Dame-little did we know..) and then they lose a game they should have (BC is by far the best in the league) before dropping a game they shouldn’t have (Virginia when the Cavaliers looked consistently uneven). I instantly sell all my GT shares and then they upset #13 Clemson? Welcome to the topsy-turvy ACC. Maryland might be minus quarterback Jordan Steffy (concussion) Saturday; what concerns me more is the potential absence of linebacker Erin Henderson-the junior paces the team with 11 tackles a game, and the Terps need his constant presence if they want to deny Georgia Tech tailback Tashard Choice (3rd in the ACC in rushing). TERRAPINS triumph 27-17.


VIRGINIA at Middle Tennessee—I have been to Mufreesboro and they have the tastiest appetizer – fried dill pickle chips with ranch dressing (although I think they put ranch dressing in their oatmeal down there)…much better than it sounds; the Cavaliers are much better than they initially sounded—and Jameel Sewell appears to be past his early-season growing pains. Most importantly, Cedric Peerman is available for 20-30 carries a game. CAVALIERS conquer 31-16.

Elsewhere—NAVY prevails at Pitt, HOWARD gets by Cheyney State, GEORGETOWN slips to Penn, JAMES MADISON crushes Northeastern, RICHMOND torches Towson.

College Football Corner--Pac Ten Pounces, Big Twelve tumbles...

What an exciting weekend on the gridiron—7 of the nation’s top 13 teams lost. My big winners—the Pac Ten and ACC: what a fantastic fourth quarter between Cal and Oregon—I had completely blown off watching my alma mater (Syracuse lost at Miami of Ohio). A colossal upset by Maryland and a legalized smackdown by Virginia made losing their second-to-last unbeaten team Clemson (Tigers tumbled to back-from-the –dead Georgia Tech) bearable. The biggest loser was the Big 12—defense definitely optional in that league. Way to go #7 Texas—41 points allowed to Kansas State. Awesome, 3rd ranked Oklahoma—coughing up 17 fourth quarter points to Colorado. And those are the only two schools in that league worth mentioning (spare me Nebraska talk-the Cornhuskers were ripped for 40 points by Ball State not too long ago). Another loser-the Big East. Not only did Rutgers fall at home, but #5 West Virginia slipped at South Florida—taking more juice away from whatever buzz the conference had generated over the last year. VIRGINIA TECH is thankful the ACC doesn’t award style points; the Hokies held off a late North Carolina rally to top the Tar Heels 17-10. The Blacksburg faithful is still awaiting the arrival of Beamer Ball—and while defense and special teams have both played well this fall (the sole reason they’re 4-1 instead of 2-3) the offense needs to be spoonfed opportunities. UPSIDE—Brandon Ore put up his biggest game of the season—93 yards and a touchdown—amidst an offensive line still attempting to find itself (see below). Nice play-call on the first play of scrimmage deciding to give Eddie Royal the ball; his 53 yard run jumpstarted a Hokies touchdown drive that put Tech ahead to stay. The defense came up big again, forcing two turnovers—one of which set up Virginia Tech’s other TD. DOWNSIDE— Behind a hodgepodge offensive line is no place to learn Division I-A quarterbacking: Tyrod Taylor continues to experience growing pains, with more of an emphasis on the pain as opposed to growth—a total of 77 yards gained on 30 plays from scrimmage. Taylor’s yards- per-completion was under seven and the freshman was sacked four times…and outside of the team’s first possession, the Hokies longest drive was 30 yards. Nine penalties also have to be a concern for coach Beamer. MARYLAND made a major statement for the ACC by upsetting 10th ranked Rutgers… with a backup quarterback, no less. Nice bounceback effort by the Terps—and a nice job by the coaching staff in giving Chris Turner the environment to succeed. UPSIDE—That was Turner? The redshirt sophomore looked nothing like the player picked off twice in the Terps’ opener against Villanova (14 of 20 for 149 yards and no INTs). The ground attack provided a strong offensive base again with Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball making a case for the best backfield tandem (214 combined yards and 3 touchdowns) in the ACC—it was also nice to see Darrius Heyward-Bey and LaQuan Williams stretch the field in the passing game for what seems to be the first time this fall. DOWNSIDE— The defense allowed 310 yards passing; up 14-3 late in the first half, the Terps allowed two touchdowns in the final minute of the second quarter. Obi Egekeze missed three field goals—but honestly, when you beat a top ten team on the road, the downside is merely window dressing. VIRGINIA’s rise from the ashes of their loss at Wyoming is one of the ACC’s biggest stories of September; the Cavaliers come through with their most complete victory of the season by posting 27 first quarter points in their 44-14 rout of Pitt…and how about that onside kick to start the game! UPSIDE—Jameel Sewell looks more and more like the phenom who wowed us with possibilities late last season (169 yards and 3 touchdowns passing plus 64 yards rushing)… although Cedric Peerman was held to under 100 yards (87 on 24 tries) the Cavaliers’ meal ticket scored two touchdowns and led the squad with four catches. DOWNSIDE— tough to find anything wrong with what the Cavaliers accomplished Saturday, unless you look at how the offense failed to pick up a first down in three 3rd quarter drives—but that was with UVa leading 30-7… no reason to be nervous.