Presto's picks--what a sack of....

There are a handful of things that perplex me in college football; actually more than a handful—quite a few. One of these is the fact that the college game lumps sack yardage into the ground game instead of with the air attack. What’s the big deal? Sack yards are yards lost attempting a pass—but not so in the eyes of the NCAA. Against East Carolina Virginia Tech is credited with 33 yards on 31 rushes—but the Hokies lost 19 yards on four sacks; the actual adjusted running game gained 52 yards on 27 carries—a much more accurate take of how effective—or ineffective—the running game was. Counting sacks towards rushing yards also drastically alters a quarterback’s stats as well.


#9 VIRGINIA TECH (1-0) at #2 LSU (1-0)—the early season battle-royale in a dynamic venue--in 1988 after upsetting unbeaten Auburn the Baton Rouge faithful caused such a ruckus the stadium actually registered on the Richter Scale as a a virtual earthquake. At first glance I would have given the Hokies more than an even chance to upend the Tigers (not having a lot of confidence in Les Miles)—but after last week’s performance against East Carolina, one can’t help but have questions. Where’s the running game? Will Sean Glennon settle down? And how spicy will the pregame meal be? Tigers handcuff the Hokies 15-13.


MARYLAND (1-0) at Florida International (0-1)—last year the Terrapins squeaked out a 14-10 win in College Park where they were outgained by an 0-12 team. Not their finest hour. One wonders which defense we'll see-- the lamb that gave up a last-minute scoring drive in the first half-and surrendered big chunks of yardage, or the lion that choked Villanova after intermission (just 28 yards allowed). When you're 0-12 there are plenty of lowlights--the worst moment from FIU's winless 2006? How about that bench-clearing brawl against Miami—making “you don’t come into the OB like that” a catch-phrase for 15 minutes… Well guess who’s coming into the OB Saturday? Terps top the Golden Panthers 30-10.


VIRGINIA (0-1) vs Duke (0-1)—thank goodness for the ACC’s worst team. UVa looked absolutely horrible at Wyoming-and that's being kind. It's akin to Daniel LaRusso getting whaled on by Johnny at the beginning of Karate Kid; his expectations changed from struggling to fit in at a new school to struggling to stay alive. The Cavaliers expectations go from competing for a division title to fighting for bowl eligibility. For Jameel Sewell’s confidence and Al Groh’s future, a victory here is paramount—if they fall this week… do you even want to imagine the possibilities? Cavaliers dispose of the Blue Devils 27-6.


NAVY gets ripped by Rutgers, GEORGETOWN outlasts Lafayette, HOWARD humbles Hampton, JAMES MADISON beats New Hampshire in a Championship-Subdivision Clash not to be forgotten.

(4-2 last week)

College Football Corner--thrills, chills and spills...

Happy post-Labor day (that means no white unless you’re on the road or the Redskins)— now that we’ve put away the grill and our town pools have closed (because you know, it’s never warm on a September weekday)—time to focus on football... VIRGINIA TECH amidst a stadium of teary eyes kicked off its campaign with a 17-7 victory over East Carolina—one can only imagine the challenge of focusing in such a cauldron of emotion—and although the Hokies have moved on, Hokie Nation will still be healing for some time. UPSIDE—the defense held ECU’s offense under four yards per pass attempt while cornerback Victor Harris got the Hokies into the endzone for the first time all day on a 17 yard interception return for a touchdown. DOWNSIDE—offensively the Hokies were handcuffed; Brandon Ore was held to 70 yards on 23 carries while Sean Glennon was sacked four times and intercepted once—and the team also lost a pair of fumbles. Against ECU that’s manageable, against LSU that could be disastrous. MARYLAND suffered a five minute hiccup late in the first half against Villanova: a dropped 50+ yard pass by Isaiah Williams, a very accommodating drive by the defense and a red zone interception thrown by Jordan Steffy turned what could have been a 24-0 lead at intermission into a 10-7 advantage. The Terps played to their own level in the 2nd half, scoring on their first three possessions while forcing a turnover or a three-and out when the Wildcats had the football. UPSIDE—an offensive line that got a solid push the entire evening (4.8 yards per rush, no sacks allowed) and the defense came up huge in the second half (28 yards allowed). DOWNSIDE—the defense looked very ordinary in the first half (allowing an 8 play, 84 yard march just before the break) and the passing game averaged less than ten yards per completion—one wonders how the over-reliance on short-stuff will work against West Virginia. VIRGINIA had its worst fears fulfilled in their 23-3 loss at Wyoming. Oh my—and it wasn’t even that close. At first glance this schedule looked to be rather soft—but with a loss to the Cowboys all of a sudden North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Pittsburgh at home get pushed from potential gimmees to likely disasters. UPSIDE—Duke comes to Charlottesville Saturday. DOWNSIDE—Jameel Sewell did not begin 2007 on a positive note: 11 of 23 for 82 yards passing and five carries for minus six yards; meaning in 28 plays from scrimmage he accounted for 76 total yards. Sewell received little support from his running game— Cedric Pearman gained just 18 yards on 7 tries. Defensively, the Cavaliers were pushed around for 218 yards rushing and 471 total yards by the Wyoming Cowboys—I mean, name one Cowboy of note outside of Fennis Dembo (or Jim Kiick for you baby-boomers). This week's spotlight in Presto's Picks--sacks; more than just an accountant's error...

Presto's Picks: serving cupcakes by the dozen...

College football’s first weekend gives fans one matchup involving ranked teams (take #15 Cal over 12th ranked Tennesee Saturday night) and a plethora of mismatches and legalized muggings. Michigan-Appalachian State? Bring it on. Oklahoma-North Texas? Hold on, isn’t Oklahoma technically “North Texas”? Washington-Syracuse? (HEY—that’s my alma mater--- and despite a downward spiral since Donovan McNabb’s departure, they can’t much worse… or can they?) These early season tests are a necessary evil of college football; with no “preseason” like the NFL, the college game has these matchups providing seasoning for the major powers—and cash guarantees for the small-conference schools. I’m fine with a school scheduling one sacrificial lamb, but with 12 games now the norm there seems to be quite a bit of schedulepadding: one year Penn State played 3 MAC schools (was JoePa trying to qualify for the Motor City Bowl?). Well, even 73-10 beats an extra round of “Who’s Now” on Sportscenter-- MARYLAND vs Villanova-- the Wildcats play a similar style as West Virginia--on both sides of the ball—making this a nice “pop-quiz” in preparation for their September 15th matchup with the Mountaineers. These two schools haven't met since the 1980 season; unless you count the 1985 Southeast Regional Semifinals (Rollie Massimino's Wildcats upset Len Bias and company 46-43 en route to their National Title)... thank goodness there's a play-clock at Byrd Stadium. TERPS play the four-corners, 29-13. VIRGINIA TECH vs East Carolina--have you ever eaten a Turkey Leg at Lane Stadium? First, the thing could feed a family of four--it's roughly the size of your head, making the "dining experience" somewhat of a logistical nightmare. Second, it actually takes longer than the actual game to consume--like weeding a garden, the more you do, the more you realize you need to do. Anyways, the only time ECU should be favored in football is on Halloween--it is crazy down there. HOKIES roast the Pirates…Arrr 46-6. VIRGINIA at Wyoming-- Laramee, Wyoming stands 7,200 feet above sea level. Ouch. This would be a potential trap game if the Cowboys nearly upset the Cavaliers in Charlottesville last year (a lackluster 13-12 overtime victory thanks to a missed extra point)—coach Al Groh’s club has a perfect on-ramp schedule that doesn’t get rough until mid-October. CAVALIERS outlast the Cowboys 18-17, kicking six field goals from 50+ yards out thanks to the thin Rocky mountain air.

Elsewhere: NAVY torches Temple, GEORGETOWN stops Stonybrook, HOWARD humbles Hampton, JAMES MADISON falls to North Carolina.

The WNBA does it right!

The calendar is cruel. Oktoberfest technically begins in September, the NHL begins in October and the World Series could last into November if necessary. The Super Bowl is even now played in February-- and while that will take some getting used to, it's not difficult to adapt. While football is king, baseball doesn't have a handle on the long-term and hockey just needs the revenue (Oktoberfest can be explained by the fact that David Hasselhoff is big over there), there are a few leagues ignoring the sanctity of the sports calendar. The PGA is holding its "playoff", known as the Fed Ex Cup, just as the football season is kicking off. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't golf already hold its "playoff"-- the four majors? Tiger's the player of the year regardless of how well he fares in the Fed Ex because of the PGA Championship and runnerup finishes in the US and Masters. Will any casual fan take their eyes off the start of the NFL season to follow this "playoff"? Major League Soccer is a league looking to build its profile-- and you can't fault their effort. The MLS schedule kicks off in March and ends in November. Way too long. Pro soccer should be played between Memorial Day and Labor Day, building tension towards lightning-quick playoffs (aggregate goals? pu-leeze) that end before the NFL season gets in gear. Wouldn't it be great to have an MLS "final four" during Labor Day weekend? Instead, MLS decides its title during the pro football & basketball, college football & basketball and hockey seasons. That's one way the WNBA has it right. Womens pro basketball tips off in late May--when most NBA cities are eliminated from the playoffs and a few small-market baseball teams are done for the year as well. The league just wrapped up it's regular season and will be done within the next month, so its championship series doesn't get completely overshadowed. If only other leagues could learn from the WNBA-- what did I just say?

Hokie hope, Cavalier confidence...

The ACC enters it's third season of divisional play with everyone chasing Virginia Tech. The Hokies boast five players on the preseason all conference team and return 16 starters; runningback Brandon Ore finished runnerup in ACC preseason Player of the Year balloting. One concern for coach Frank Beamer, believe it or not, is the Hokies kicking game. He has a new punter, kicker and longsnapper this year--although kickoff specialist Jared Develli returns. An early trip to top-ten LSU will be an early indicator of how good this team will be--and unfortunately it's in Baton Rouge at night. After that, the Hokies face one tough test (Clemson in Death Valley October 6th) until a late-season gauntlet that starts with back-to-back Thursday night games against Boston College and Georgia Tech before consecutive home games against Florida State and Miami. A backloaded schedule that could either propel or sink Virginia Tech's hopes. Virginia also benefits from a schedule that doesn't get rough until after Columbus day; September tests against Georgia Tech (Yellowjackets less with the absence of Calvin Johnson) and Pitt (Panthers less with the presence of Dave Wannstedt) are the only challenges until Al Groh's team stops by College Park October 20th. It will be interesting to see what the offseason accomplished for quarterback Jameel Sewell-- will he be that much better than the raw talent we saw in 2006, or have defensive coordinators after extensive film sessions broken down the sophomore's weaknesses? And can redshirt freshman runningback Keith Payne be this year's Sewell? Year seven will be pivotal for coach Al Groh and staff-- with 17 of 22 starters returning and a conference slate that is rather kind--no Boston College, Clemson or Florida State plus September games against North Carolina and Duke (combined 3-21 last year). As highly regarded as the past few recruiting classes have been, the Cavaliers own just 28 wins over the last four years (8th best in the ACC-and worst among schools not in the state of North Carolina).

Tiger's trail...and triumph...

Thoughts while putting the 2007 majors to sleep... Nice to see someone on the tour other than Phil Mickelson has children-- baby Sam in red on a Sunday, no less. Took me back to 1986 when Jack Nicklaus' son was his caddy at the Masters- if Tiger's daughter caddies for him in 2028 that will be something. It's rather fitting 18 majors is the standard set by Nicklaus... isn't it? Tiger needs 5 to catch and 6 to pass Jack; only five other players in the modern era (beginning in the 50's when the PGA Championship went to stroke play) have as many as 6 major titles. While Gary Player and Arnold Palmer were Nicklaus' early rivals, Lee Trevino was the mid-career foil and Tom Watson played the role of Jack's sunset challenger, only Nick Faldo could be called a contemporary of Tiger Woods (Faldo put the green jacket on Tiger in 1997). The question arises--is Woods' dominance due to an abscence of rivals or is Tiger's abscence of rivals due to his dominance? So when does he get it done? I see, barring injury, Tiger winning at least 9 more majors during his career to finish at 22--beginning with twice next year, once in '09, twice in '10...setting up a 35 year old Woods going for-and getting-number 19 in the 2011 Masters. Lost in the shuffle...another charge comes up short for Ernie Els. Unfortunately for the "Big Easy", his career will be a series of "what-ifs": one win in eleven top five Grand Slam finishes from 2000 to 2004. Els remains stuck at three Majors, no mean feat--but think--if he had tured just two or three of those near-misses into victories, Tiger has his rival. Meanwhile, the implosion of Sergio Garcia continues--the "best player never to win a Major" was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard Saturday, making his 2007 a career lowlight: missed cuts at the Masters and US Open, a slow melting in a British Open he led for 3+ days, and another Sunday skipped because of a silly error. Luckily for Garcia, he's only 27 and has plenty of time to mature. Makes one appreciate a young Tiger all these years later.

Special circumstances...

Maryland was outgained by all but two opponents in 2006, finished with an equal number of points for and against and had a minus-5 turnover ratio. How did this team win 9 games last fall and stay in ACC contention through the final Saturday in November? Stellar Special Teams. Maryland went on a five-game winning streak to go from Conference contender to pretender-- the five wins coming by a combined 13 points. Each week coordinator Ray Rychleski's unit played a crucial role--from Dan Ennis's 31 yard field goal at the gun against Clemson to recovering a muffed punt at Virginia to Jeremy Navarre's block of a Florida State field goal attempt. I thought Rychleski deserved consideration for the Frank Broyles Award (annually goes to the top coordinator in Division I-A). This year's kicking game will have quite a different look--Ennis graduates after connecting on 20 of 25 field goal attempts; Juniors Obie Egekeze and Chris Roberts shared the kickoff duties last fall--one must emerge as Coach Ralph Friedgen's go-to-guy. Punter Adam Podlesh departs as well; whoever gets the job, whether it's Roberts or Freshman Travis Baltz they'll be hard-pressed to match the 43.6 yards per kick of 2006.

Coach Rychleski has a fun fall in store.

Secondary shift a primary concern...

Lost in Maryland's 9-4 season was a defense that played well enough to win but was kicked around statiscitally: the Terps placed near the bottom of the ACC in most defensive categories last year--8th against the pass and 10th against the run, overall and in scoring.

This year's unit returns six starters, including preseason all-ACC linebacker Erin Henderson. While the rest of the front seven will have a different look with three new starters, all eyes are on a revamped secondary.

Not only did Maryland lose starters Josh Wilson and Marcus Wimbush, but cornerback Isaiah Gardner is coming off shoulder surgery that robbed him of spring practice and Christian Varner is making the shift from free to strong safety. Entering camp, J.J. Justice takes Varner's place at free safety (the senior tied for the team lead with two interceptions last year) while Kevin Barnes is the early favorite at the other cornerback position: Barnes and Justice's development hinges on how quickly Gardner completes his recovery and how smoothly Varner adjusts to a different position.

Hold the line--depth doesn't always come on time...

Maryland begins preseason preparations in earnest with the intriguing storyline of a quarterback quandry-- the Steffy/Portis propostion the perfect play between polish and potential. Whoever emerges as the starter will need an offensive line to pick up where it left off in 2006 (2nd in the ACC in sacks allowed with 19 and the springboard to the double trouble tailback tandem of Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore). During his press conference during media day, coach Ralph Friedgen addressed his offensive line as an area of concern-- the team has seven players he feels comfortable with, and an injury to one of his three tackles could create a difficult situation in camp.

Gone to the NFL are mammoth tackles Stephon Heyer and Jared Gaither--and the 6-6 and 6-9 bookends will not be easily replaced. Dane Randolph started four games last year at right tackle while Scott Burley begins camp as the starter on the left side--Burley's not a given by any stretch of the imagination as the senior's career consists of just nine games played. The interior will be the unit's source of strength and experience in August: preseason All-ACC guard Andrew Crummey and center Edwin Williams combined for 25 starts last year while Jaimie Thomas started the final three games of 2006.

Quarterback competition highlights Terps camp.

What a difference a year makes. Last August the Maryland football team was taking a long, hard look at itself-trying to find a way out of back to back losing seasons. This month practice kicks off with the Terrapins trying to build on a 9-4 campaign.

All eyes will be on who takes over for Sam Hollenbach at quarterback; Jordan Steffy's thrown five passes since 2004-and his one quarter of action last fall saw him toss an interception, lose a fumble and his shoe. The junior will have competition from sophomore Josh Portis-- the transfer from Florida sat out 2006 and has tremendous upside. The question facing coach Ralph Friedgen and his staff-- potential over polish? With a September that features West Virginia dropping by College Park followed as well as back-to-back road games against Wake Forest and Rutgers, this sooner this team knows who QB-1 is, the better.