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.