College Football Corner + Presto's Picks-- Tricks and treats...

One wrinkle with the Thursday night football game: Friday's Picks column is morphed into a review/preview/don't really know what to do segment... Halloween gives area teams this fall mostly tricks and few treats... with an occasional laxative snuck in as a candy bar and razor blade laced apple. If the season continues the way it has, it will be a challenge to work a thankful angle into things a few weeks from now...

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse continues its Big East meatgrinder with a home date against #5 Cincinnati...



#14 VIRGINIA TECH watched its ACC Coastal hopes take a major setback with a 20-17 loss to North Carolina... weren't the Hokies supposed to rule Thursday Night Football with an Iron Fist(usually holding a smoked turkey leg)? HOKIE HIGHLIGHTS-- the defense held the Tar Heels to -13 yards the first three times they had the ball... Ryan Williams came close to hitting the century mark again-- rushing for 96 yards-- while Tyrod Taylor tallied a pair of touchdowns. HOKIE HUMBLINGS-- ten penalties and two turnovers...the second fumble resulting in UNC's game-winning field goal... the inability to move the chains (6 of 15 on third down) and get off the field (UNC was 10 of 19) was damaging.





VIRGINIA vs Duke...the Hokies loss further opens up the door for the Cavaliers in the Coastal Division. Coach Al Groh's defense will have its hands full with Blue Devils quarterback Thaddeus Lewis--with the exception of last week's loss to Georgia Tech, UVa's defense has been dominant in October...Cavaliers come through, 22-15.




Navy tops Temple... Howard slips to Norfolk State... Georgetown beats Old Dominion...James Madison falls to Delaware... Richmond tames Towson... William & Mary gets by Rhode Island.
Last Week: 4-1.

Overall: 37-15.

Presto's Picks-- VT is must-see TV...

For some reason I enjoy Thursday Night College Football almost as much if not more than the NFL's Monday Night Football... instead of wrapping up a huge weekend of football TNF provides the first entry into several days focused on the gridiron...

VIRGINIA TECH vs North Carolina-- over the years the Hokies have played very well on Thursday (a few heartbreaking losses to BC notwithstanding)...the Tar Heels along with Miami are in contention for my biggest ACC disappointment... Hokies handle the Heels... 29-13.

Redskins Rehash-- so maybe it wasn't the playcalling...

Did anyone expect anything different? Sherman Lewis' play-calling Monday in the Redskins 27-17 loss to Philadelphia wasn't that much better or worse than Jim Zorn's over the first six games... to quote ex-Tampa Bay coach John McKay when asked during one of the many Buccaneer double digit loss seasons-- "what did one think of the team's execution?-- "I'm all for it".

Bounced by big plays-- a 67 yard end around for a touchdown... a 57-yard pass for a score... a tipped pass intercepted for a TD... outside of that the Eagles didn't create much-- unfortunately they didn't have to...as the offense (with the exception of the now-customary end of half hurry up scores we've grown to know and love) sputtered again.

Perhaps they should have double-downed?-- Once again the Skins were held to 17 points--- they met that mark against the Giants and Carolina. In blackjack barring the dealer having a "bust card" showing (2 through 6) I'll hit on 16 but stay on 17. Unfortunately in this game, staying at 17 means 0-3... with the offense getting cleaned out.

Third and no longer-- the Skins converted just 3 of 12 third downs... bringing their total for the season down to a paltry 29.1 percent... ranking 28th in the NFL. During the team's three game slide from pretender to cellar-dweller the offense has moved the chains 7 times in 35 attempts (20%).

Sacking the air out of the offense-- no matter who is calling the plays, it has been proven that Jason Campbell cannot throw to the open man when lying on his back. Six sacks by the Eagle D gives the Burgundy and Gold a total of 23 allowed for the season...third most in the league. And that doesn't count hurries or the gameplanning adjustment from 7 step drops because of the Swiss cheese masquerading as an OL.

Walkin' on a thin line-- Chris Samuels injury has left the team scrambling for OL depth. It's a shame we can't go back in a time machine to 2008 draft day when the following players were available: a pair of tackles in USC's Sam Baker and Virginia Tech's Duane Brown -- both went in the 20's... Baker has started six games for Atlanta (who took him with the REDSKINS first rounder) while Brown has started seven games this fall for Houston. Center Mike Pollak out of Arizona State picked by 28th overall by Indianapolis and converted to guard where he has started 19 games. USC guard Chilo Rachal was taken in round two by San Francisco and has started 16 games for the 49ers.

I'm not saying the Skins erred by taking three receivers in the second round, but instead of my award-snubbed "Tracking the Triumvirate Feature" any of these players could be helping keep Jason Campbell upright.

What's a Haynesworth?-- three tackles, an assist and a sack for the 100 million dollar man... and the pass rush as a whole notched three sacks (including one from Reed Doughty on a safety-blitz) while the run-stoppers held the Eagles to 55 yards on 26 carries if one takes away the DeSean Jackson end-around. But as we've learned, the defense isn't the problem.

Tracking the Triumvirate-- a breakthrough week for the firm of Thomas, Kelly & Davis... Fred Davis emerging with a season high 8 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown; Devin Thomas added 3 grabs for 45 yards and a score. This brings the trio's total to 29 catches and 294 yards for two touchdowns... prorating to 66-672 and 5 TD's. Still, wouldn't you rather have Chilo Rachal?



High risk, low returns-- what is going on with the Skins punt returns? Antwan Randle El and Santana Moss combined for 10 yards on three attempts against the Eagles... and the lack of yardage on punt returns has been an issue all season. Randle El ranks 25th in the league while the Skins as a team rate 29th. Combine that with the second lowest net-punting unit-- and it's like paying interest on a credit card: you don't notice it, but over the span of sixty minutes the Skins are slowly leaking yards and field position.

College Football Corner...

Quick thoughts on the weekends action as we gear up towards tonight's Redskins-Eagles clash...:

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse improves to 3-4 with a 28-14 rout of Akron (hey, don't laugh--SU lost to the Zips last year)... the Greg Paulus mini-era continues (12-17-105 yards passing but no interceptions) while Delonte Carter (170 yards rushing) shines again. Now if the Orange can go out and beat a Big East foe... their final five games (all conference opponents) have a combined 25-11 record.

MARYLAND was officially placed on life-support with a 17-13 loss at Duke. Now all the Terps have to do to qualify for postseason play is win their last four games; Virginia Tech (Hokies have resided in the top twenty for the whole season), Florida State (Terps have never won in Tallahassee) and Boston College (Eagles currently lead the rugby scrum of an Atlantic Division). Terrapin Triumphs-- Davin Meggett gave the team a shot in the arm by turning a Chries Turner pass into a 67 yard scamper for a touchdown...the defense held the Blue Devils to 23 yards rushing (36 on 26 carries before sacks are taken into account)... the team went 55 minutes without a turnover, no small feat... and only committed three penalties. Terrapin Troubles-- unfortunately both turnovers came in the fourth quarter and snuffed out any chances for a comeback win... the D allowed 371 yards passing and only was able to sack Thaddeus Lewis twice. And the running game has become an afterthought: Caleb Porzell gained just 28 yards on 15 carries.




VIRGINIA saw its October surge come to a standstill in the rain...a 34-9 thumping by Georgia Tech that accentuated the Yellowjackets' credibility and UVa's fallibility...well, there's always November--where they went 0-4 last year. Cavalier Congrats-- just one turnover in the rain-- and Jameel Sewell went another game completing more than 50% of his passes while not throwing an interception. Cavalier Catastrophes-- GT had the ball for 41 minutes... while UVa converted 2 of 11 third downs, the Yellowjackets moved the chains on 8 of 17 tries.

Presto's Picks-- fighting the midseason blahs...

Mid-October (halfway through moving month) is usually a time of early conference matchups that might not be steeped in the tradition of Ohio State-Michigan or Alabama-Auburn, but still pit ranked opponents against one another. Believe it or not though- the only matchup of top twenty teams is #10 TCU against 16th rated BYU. Meanwhile, there are a few intriguing games involving ranked schools against opponents "on the cusp" of the national polls... from top ranked Alabama taking on a Tennessee (3-3) in transition to third rated Texas meeting a Missouri that's dropped two straight after a 4-0 start. My sleeper game of the week? Thirteenth ranked Penn State at 5-2 Michigan (Nittany Lions notoriously play poorly in Ann Arbor).


Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse's road to redemption continues with a clash against Akron... nicknamed the Zips--I can only imagine from Stride-Rite's brand of sneaker in the late 70's and early 80's... a pre-Nike dark ages that was also populated by the likes of Etonic and Jox. After beating Orange last year there's no chance of these Zips sneaking up on SU this fall--besides, a loss means basketball season officially begins.


MARYLAND at Duke-- with coach Ralph Friedgen's crew 2-5 this game in Durham represents a must-win; especially with Virginia Tech, Florida State and Boston College on the Terps' November slate. They've been waiting to play the Blue Devils since the ACC went to divisional play in 2005... unfortunately this is not the Duke opponents have grown to know, love and rout. Thaddeus Lewis (an enviable 12-2 TD-INT ratio) can air it out like many of the quarterbacks who have hurt the Terps this fall...and one wonders when the turnovers (a league high 20 through 7 games) will subside. Terrapins tumble, 29-28.


VIRGINIA vs #11 Georgia Tech-- a fight for first in the ACC Coastal? Take that, Hokies and Hurricanes! The Yellowjackets ran for over 300 yards in last week's win over Virginia Tech... but UVa's three-man front is better suited to defend Josh Nesbitt and the triple option. Add into the equation that Georgia Tech isn't exactly stopping people this fall...and "October Surprise II--this time it's Personal!" plays for another weekend. Cavaliers come through 27-20...and propose to have all of their 2010 games moved to October.


VIRGINIA TECH takes the week off...NAVY tops Wake Forest...HOWARD slips to North Carolina A&T... William & Mary tops James Madison.


Last Week: 5-1. Overall Season: 33-14.

ProFile... calling plays or playing calls...

While the watching and waiting surrounding the status of coach Jim Zorn's troubled tenure continues... a quick look around the league...



It's a shame Denver's 6-0. Seriously... to rally past the Patriots in CBS's #1 game and then outscore San Diego on MNF---WEARING THOSE UNIFORMS? Why couldn't they have gone back to the "Orange Crush" unis worn in the later part of their AFL tenure? My rankings of classic AFL unis during their 50th anniversary celebration:

1--New England... Pat Patriot rules!


2--Buffalo... it took me about 5-10 years to get used to the red helmet switch...

3--San Diego... can it be a classic look when they've already went back to it? Make the numbers on helmets a permanent move and we're talking second place!


4--Kansas City... with the exception of the lame name "Texans"... what kept Oakland from being called the "Californians" or Denver from being the "Coloradans"? The fact that the current NFL team has the same stupid nickname is Exhibit A in the case for the league not being perfect.

5--Oakland... it takes a sharp set of eyes to pick out the silver numbers on road jerseys... clearly the best thing about the Raiders in the last 7 years.



6--Tennessee... Titans should giftwrap the name Oilers and hand delivered to Houston pronto-- though not the 60's unis but the Luv Ya Blue Logo (white helmet, red derrick)...

7--New York Jets... was anyone creeped out when the Jets dressed as the Titans took on the Titans dressed as the Oilers? Even though it was worn from 1978 to 96, I wish they went with the gang-green helmet for old time's sake.

8--Denver... brown with vertically striped socks... the only getup worse than Maroon and Black.



Road from Jacksonville to LA being paved as we speak-- California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger signs a bill allowing construction of a 75,000 seat stadium in Los Angeles.
Enjoy the Jacksonville Jaguars while you can... and be prepared for some divisional shifting...
my proposal has the Jaguars going to the NFC West...St Louis moves to the South and Carolina (with two NFC teams bracketing it in Atlanta and Washington) moves to the AFC South.


The new Skins situation-- best of luck calling plays with an offense you've only known for two weeks, Sherman Lewis... couldn't the brain trust have waited until the bye week?

Redskins Rehash... the Maroon & Black Mile...

Another week, another disturbing loss to a winless team where the Redskins popgun offense was unable to take advantage of opportunities... and a defense bent and bent and bent until they couldn't hold off the opponent any longer. A 14-6 game without a touchdown by either team-- and a 2-4 mark that has the Redskins on the threshold of a nightmare.


A new sheriff in town-- Sunday night the buzz was that recently added to the kitchen Sherman Lewis would be calling the plays...and Monday it became official. After being in town less than two weeks, the not completely familiar with the players or system retiree is being given the keys. This space will not make light of Lewis' bingo escapades... but I'm sure it took him at least a month to settle into Meals on Wheels. Lewis was a longtime offensive coordinator in Green Bay- yet rode shotgun as then-coach Mike Holmgren made most of (if not all of) the tactical choices. I've always been wary of offensive coordinators assisting offensive coaches... they don't have much autonomy and impact (see Sherman Smith, Don Breaux, whoever was OC during Spurrier's tenure) at all... and Lewis was an "executive VP" for a big chunk of his career. Can he help turn around an offense ranking 29th in scoring? And does this mean the endgame for im Zorn's twenty month regime?

Swapping Horses midstream-- after a scoreless first half, coach Jim Zorn replaced Jason Campbell with Todd Collins at quarterback... and wound up with mixed results. Despite a 42 yard pass on his first possession... Collins was only able to generate a pair of field goals (one on the heels of the big pass, another after a 78 yard scamper by Clinton Portis) and had a better passer rating than Campbell, but #17 gets the start Monday night against Philadelphia.

Third and Forever-- the offense converted just 2 of 14 third downs... and didn't move the chains on third down after halftime. The breakdown: 4 of 9 passing for 48 yards (and one conversion)...2 sacks and two fumbles...plus a two yard gain by Clinton Portis (on 3rd and 1 in the second quarter). A bigger problem facing the Skins was how many yards they had to gain to move the chains... an average of 4 and a half yards in the first half-- and 9+ yards after intermission.

What's a Haynesworth-- three tackles, two assists and half of a sack... but the image of the Skins 100 million dollar man is the defensive lineman running to the locker room before the game ended.

Tracking the Triumvirate-- 2008's second rounders added to their 2009 reception total... Fred Davis' 12 yard catch giving the group 18 for the season--just three shy of last year's total. Currently the firm of Thomas, Davis & Kelly is on a pace for 48 receptions and 384 yards. Much like the corner combo of Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall-- when mixed together they make one adequate player.


Sending out an SOS-- the Redskins strength of schedule will get a major boost over the next two months...: the team's 2-4 start is even more precarious when one looks at whom they've played. Their first six opponents? A combined 8-27...3-26 when you take the NY Giantsout of the equation... with all three of those wins coming against the Skins. The next six weeks? Unbeatens Denver and New Orleans...not a team with a losing record and a combined 24-7. Brace yourselves...

College Football Corner... that's the Big 12?!?

Last year in this space I argued that the Big 12 was the equal of the SEC... and the case could have been easily made that Texas had as good a season as Florida, especially with the depth in the league last year. Not so this fall-- not by far. First, Oklahoma's freefall minus its reigning Heisman quarterback (two shoulder injuries and the movie "The Proposal") robs the league of a preseason national contender. Their showcase midseason game with Texas? An offensive nightmare that saw the Longhorns underwhelm everyone in a 16-13 clock-killing exercise. The other contenders? Texas Tech and Oklahoma State both lost September tilts to Houston (Texas A&M and Missouri both dropped their first two league tilts... Nebraska's a year away while two teams with outside shots at great years have been upset along the way (then-#5 Oklahoma State fell to Houston in September while previously unbeaten Kansas fell to 1-4 Colorado last Saturday). So now there's Texas and a team TBA in the title game... this is Division I Football? Not intramurals, but not on par with the SEC.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse had the weekend off and prepares for Akron. Will they stay with Greg Paulus at quarterback...or make the transition to freshman Ryan Nassib? The Zips are the best possible opponent for Nassib to get his feet wet against-- and he didn't play that poorly against West Virginia...I wonder if Nassib has Jon Scheyer's contact information.

MARYLAND and VIRGINIA continue to move in opposite directions; the Cavaliers into the Coastal Division lead and postseason possibilities...the Terrapins away from the football and an Atlantic Division that's any one's for the taking. Cavalier Congrats-- they kicked away from Torrey Smith... and kickoff returns were never a factor. Rashawn Jackson played well in the absence of Mikell Simpson (90 yards and the game-clinching touchdown). Cavalier Catastrophes-- it took over a half for the offense to heat up...and Jameel Sewell's injury takes the quarterback situation back a year; if he can't go they go back to Marc Verica...a year older and wiser-- but not faster. Terrapin Triumphs-- the pass rush tallied a season high five sacks... Terrapin Troubles-- four fumbles (two lost in UVa territory) and two interceptions (one run back for the Cavs go-ahead score)... a defense that posted just one takeaway in the rain... Nick Ferrara missed a pair of fourth quarter field goals-- although he was kicking into the wind both times. Next up: UVa hosts #11 Georgia Tech--12 noon start; Md at Duke Saturday--1:30 kickoff.

#4 VIRGINIA TECH saw its National Championship hopes dashed in the Atlanta night... slipping to 19th rated Georgia Tech 28-23. Barring a miracle run by the Yellowjackets, the ACC has taken itself out of the BCS title game race once again before Halloween. Hokie Highlights-- another fine offensive outing...with Tyrod Taylor completing 10 of 14 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown while running for 63 more and a score... Ryan Williams continued his century streak with 100 yards rushing-- the highlight a 66 yard scamper for a score. Hokie Humblings-- 309 yards rushing allowed? To a team that completed just one pass? VT gave up 272 of those after halftime--how un-Hokiesque. Minus three yards on punt returns? Beamerball, anyone? Next up: Thursday October 29th against North Carolina.

Presto's Picks-- do not pass go...

McDonald's is holding it's annual "Monopoly" Contest-- and as I enjoy many a large orange juice (occasionally supplemented by an Egg McMuffin and Hash Browns) I'm sucked into the thrill of mixing and matching properties. As the area schools move around the board of their season each has a different portfolio: Maryland has had to mortgage a few of its properties and is having trouble building houses on Ventnor Avenue... Virginia looked bankrupt in the early going but the St. Charles Place block is paying dividends... while Virginia Tech has three railroads... plus houses ranging from Tennessee to Illinois Ave. The best news for all three schools: it's early enough in the game to erase first-month mistakes... but it's getting to a point in the game where your properties are just about set--for better or for worse. Just don't land on Chance.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse has the week off... and prepares for Akron in its final non-conference affair of the year (it's no walkover--SU lost to the Zips last year). Meanwhile, college basketball practice begins in earnest across the country this weekend with Midnight Madness-- and thank goodness, because most schools begin play by November 15th. November 15th? I love college basketball more than most, but can't we finish Closing Month on the college gridiron before focusing on the hardwood?

MARYLAND vs VIRGINIA-- two teams teetering between upside and uncertainty... both the Terps and Cavaliers are within a whisker of leading their division yet they both have losing records overall. Can a Terrapin defense that's allowing 36 points a game contain a hitting his stride Jameel Sewell? Will Chris Turner and the offense avoid turnovers and drive-killing penalties that have hurt them all fall? Most importantly, can UVa continue an October roll that defies all explanation from anybody who's seen this team play in any other month the past year and a half? Cavaliers have the calendar on their side and conquer in College Park, 23-21.





#4 VIRGINIA TECH at #19 Georgia Tech-- a fight for first place in the Coastal Division pits the Hokies against the Yellowjackets option offense... meaning discipline will reign supreme as GT quarterback Josh Nesbitt (843 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, 503 yards and 6 scores rushing) will try to use their speed and pursuit against them. Midway through moving month does Frank Beamer's bunch have the ability to stay among the national contenders? Hokies turn a blocked kick into a 19-17 victory.


Navy over SMU, Georgetown falls to Colgate... Richmond over Maine... James Madison slips to Villanova.


Last Week: 8-0. Overall: 28-13.

Redskins Rehash-- buzzards circling...

After a week off, the sky is falling mode returns to Ashburn. A come-from-ahead 20-17 loss to Carolina drops the Skins into last place of the NFC East and into the first place where change is expected.

How do you blow a 17-2 lead? Allowing a monster kickoff return wasn't helpful, but the Redskins had 20 plays from scrimmage after they got the ball back with a 17-9 lead. Eight runs netted 20 yards while twelve pass plays yielded 59 more. The inability to generate big plays (only one play was longer than ten yards) ground the team to a halt.

Campbell's Completions-- 17 of 23 sounds pretty good at first glance, but realize that 145 yards means less than 9 yards per completion... meaning this team is not stretching the field one iota. Santana Moss was the only receiver to average more than 10 yards a catch Sunday-- and that was with a long of 23...you take that away and his average drops to 7.

Let's not calculate their Sagarin rating-- the Panthers were the fifth straight opponent to enter their game with the Skins winless (yes, I'm calling the 0-0 Giants from the opener winless). Their combined record? 7-17, and the Skins wins came against teams a combined 0-10.

A lot on the line-- Chris Samuels leaving with a stinger midway through the game severely handcuffed the offense, as musical chairs on the line continues. Mike Williams and Chad Rhinehart, now is the time to prove yourselves. (By the way, very good article in the Washington Times by Ryan O'Halloran documenting the team's lack of replenishing their front five).

What's a Haynesworth-- the 100 million dollar man tallied two tackles and an assist while forcing a first quarter fumble... unfortunately the image of #92 is of an out of shape waste of cap space.

No Thunder, thus minimal Lightning-- no catches for Chris Cooley and Santana Moss tallied 4 receptions for 44 yards. Cooley was brought in quite a bit to help out when tackle Chris Samuels went down...making one wonder why if they needed a tight end to help with blocking, why not go two-tight and have Davis/Yoder blocking while Cooley runs his patterns?

Tracking the Triumvirate-- the firm of Thomas, Kelly & Davis had its biggest day of the season, tallying 7 catches for 50 yards... pushing the prorated total to 54 (!) for 422 yards. Watch out, Joiner-Jefferson-Winslow!