2009 ACC Football thread vol. Watch what you say

[put em up]

TY5

 

[runshouse23]

Originally Posted by Big J 33

Can't wait... FSU gets Miami first game of the year... I'll be in attendance

It's my first time going to the game. Gotta make the drive from Miami. Is it your first time? If not, how is the atmosphere for the game? I get my ticketsmailed at the end of August. I'm excited about this game more than my actual b-day lol.

 

[fear the ibis]

Game day is going to be crazy. I'll be there too. I was there in '07. Best feeling ever after Kirby Freeman led that comeback drive, we won, and allthe Miami fans stayed and celebrated in Doak while all the Noles filed out of the stadium.

One of my fav memories ever.

 

[runshouse23]

I can't wait for the game. except im not sitting in the Miami section. im sitting exactly across them on the opposite side of the stadium.
Tickets came out cheaper and they were lower too. I plan on being up there the whole weekend since i have a lot of friends that go to FSU

Sept. 7th = Hurricanes victory!

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

July 27, 2009
[h1]Notebook: Herzlich illness hits Eagles hard[/h1]
Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Football
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The text message arrived on each Boston College player's cell phone during a break from classes that had caused students to scatter across the country.
Check your e-mail for an important message about Mark Herzlich.

His teammates assumed they'd get an update about how the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year had received one more accolade. They instead learned that the star linebacker had been diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Boston College coach Frank Spaziani knows not much is expected from his team this season.[/td] [/tr][/table] "You read it and think, 'Wow,' " Boston College center Matt Tennant said Monday at the ACC Media Days gathering at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center. "You couldn't believe it. It's so surprising to have something like that affect a guy like that."
Herzlich's situation represented the most serious setback in a turbulent offseason for the two-time defending Atlantic Division champions.

Boston College's upperclassmen have grown accustomed to dealing with offseason adversity. Two years ago, they went through a coaching change when conference rival North Carolina State hired away Tom O'Brien. Last year, the Eagles fielded questions all summer about how they were ever going to replace star quarterback Matt Ryan.

But nothing could have prepared them for this.

"It's been tough," Boston College defensive end Jim Ramella said. "Honestly, it's just like one thing after the other. When's it going to stop?"

They endured another coaching change when Jeff Jagodzinski got fired after seeking NFL opportunities. Presumed starting quarterback Dominique Davis decided to transfer after being suspended for academic reasons. And in the most stunning news of all, their top overall player was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

"It's about going into life," said Boston College coach Frank Spaziani, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Jagodzinski's ouster. "I'd like to think I do more than draw Xs and Os. I'm a teacher. That's why these mothers gave us their babies. We want to win games with them - we want to do that - but we're also developing young men. These problems we have are minimal compared to what they're going to face."

The Eagles have proved they know how to deal with adversity.

They won a division title two years ago in their first season without O'Brien. Picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic last season, they instead overcame a season-ending injury to quarterback Chris Crane and won a second consecutive title. Boston College's offensive line annually ranks among the conference's best even though the Eagles have gone through four offensive line coaches in Tennant's five-year career.

"We have the hard-nosed, blue-collar mentality that we get from the city of Boston," Tennant said. "You may not think we're that good. That's fine. We'll just go down there and play the game."

Boston College once again must buck conventional wisdom. In the preseason media poll released Monday, the two-time defending Atlantic Division champions are picked to finish last.

"I halfheartedly said, 'I wondered why you picked us so high,' " Spaziani quipped.

The Eagles have learned to take those preseason predictions with a grain of salt. They already have grown accustomed to overcoming expectations.

They figured out how to replace O'Brien. They found a way to cope without Ryan. But finding a way to thrive without Herzlich may be the toughest challenge yet.

Then again, perhaps they'll have Herzlich on their side after all. Herzlich won't play this season, but he remains on campus taking classes. His teammates are planning a "Lift for Life" event in which players perform strength and conditioning drills to help fund research into rare diseases (donations can be made at www.upliftingathletes.org). The Eagles expect Herzlich to show up at practice and roam the sideline during home games.

"Whatever his physical status will allow, we want him [around] as much as possible," Spaziani said. "I know he wants to be around, and it would be great for us."

ACC Preseason Media Polls

Atlantic Division

1. Florida State (56 first-place votes): 479
2. Clemson (14): 387
3. N.C. State (10): 364
4. Wake Forest (7): 295
5. Maryland: 157
6. Boston College: 145

Coastal Division

1. Virginia Tech (7: 512
2. Georgia Tech (9): 415
3. North Carolina: 350
4. Miami: 282
5. Virginia: 148
6. Duke: 120

ACC Championship Game Winner

Virginia Tech: 69
Florida State and Georgia Tech: 7
Clemson and N.C. State: 2

Preseason ACC player of the year

Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech: 39
C.J. Spiller, Clemson: 28
Russell Wilson, N.C. State: 16
Christian Ponder, Florida State; Vic Hall, Virginia; Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech; Riley Skinner, Wake Forest: 1
SPAZIANI'S JOURNEY
Spaziani considers himself the answer to a Joe Paterno-related trivia question.
"I'm the last guy he ever recruited as an assistant," said Spaziani, a former Penn State quarterback and linebacker.

That fact reveals just how circuitous a path Spaziani took to his first head coaching job. Spaziani, 62, spent nearly 40 years working as an assistant coach. After working as Virginia's defensive coordinator from 1985-90, he even moved to the Canadian Football League.

Spaziani spent two seasons as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' defensive coordinator and had the same title with the Calgary Stampeders for three more years. He jokingly refers to his time in Canada as his stint in the Witness Protection Program, but the move actually helped make him better prepared for the 21st-century version of college football.

"Lo and behold, the Canadian offenses, because of the nature of the football, were exactly what came down here," Spaziani said. "The spread, the one-back, no backs. Throwing the ball. I got seven years ahead of the curve."

BEAMER HAPPY FOR VICK
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was happy to hear NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to reinstate former Hokies quarterback Michael Vick.

Vick, who recently finished an 18-month prison sentence for running a dogfighting ring, can take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and also can play in the final two preseason games for whatever team signs him. He could be eligible to participate in regular-season games by the week of Oct. 18.

"He's making every effort to get his life back right and make good decisions," Beamer said. "I'm firmly pulling for him. I think he's going to have a great story."

Beamer said he spoke with Vick less than two weeks ago.

"He had a lot. He lost a lot," Beamer said. "Now through hard work, dedication and making good decisions, he's going to get back on his feet. There's a lesson for a lot of young kids there that you've got to make decisions and make the right decisions and be with the right people to get your life successful.

"I think he can affect a lot of young people by how he comes back, gets it going and gets things back right."

MAKING THE MOST OF A CHALLENGE
Most observers see Miami's early season schedule as a major test. Miami coach Randy Shannon prefers to see it as a major opportunity.

Miami travels to Florida State, plays host to Georgia Tech, visits Virginia Tech and plays host to Oklahoma in its first four games. Perhaps no team in the country has a tougher stretch to open the season.

"You'll know you're where you're at after the first four games," Shannon said. "You'll have a chance to be in the top 10 or you won't be. You take it more as a challenge, more of [discovering] where you want to be as a football team instead of saying, 'It's going to be tough,' or, 'How are we going to win these games?' We take it more as, 'Hey, we need to see where we're at as a football team.' We're still young, but these guys have played in some games. Let's see what we can do and build on that."

Shannon also noted that it's easier to pull an upset early in the season.

"Early in the season, everybody plays differently," Shannon said. "If you're not careful, you can sneak up on somebody, nothing against Michigan, but like Appalachian State did [in 2007]. If you play a team early, you have a good chance of beating teams. When teams get in a groove and get in a rhythm and they get on a roll, it's pretty hard."
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Paul Johnson expects his Yellow Jackets to be better with a year of experience running his offense behind them.[/td] [/tr][/table]SECOND TIME AROUND
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is amused by the notion that LSU's 38-3 destruction of the Yellow Jackets in the Chick-fil-A Bowl suddenly means that teams have figured out how to stop his option attack.
"LSU beats us, so therefore the offense is null and void," Johnson said.

Johnson also disagrees with the idea that Georgia Tech's foes will have a better idea of how to handle the option now that they've had a year to watch the Yellow Jackets operate this scheme.

He instead believes Georgia Tech will operation the option attack more effectively this season. Georgia Tech went 9-4, ranked fourth in the nation in rushing and led the ACC in total offense last season even though the Yellow Jackets "weren't very good" on offense, at least in Johnson's estimation.

"I promise you we're better than we were a year ago," Johnson said. "Will that equate to winning more games. I don't know? That's why you play. Will we score more? I don't know. You could get guys hurt. You could turn the ball over. A lot of things could happen. We're better on offense right now than we were any time a year ago, because we've done it. [We have] experience."

If Georgia Tech wasn't very good on offense last year, what would Johnson define as a good season in that regard?

"If you go back and you look through the years at our stats in points and numbers, we need to score more than 30 points a game and we need to [gain] more than 400 yards of offense," Johnson said. "That would be pretty good."

SIMPSON SEEKS REDEMPTION
Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer is the reigning ACC player of the year and the preseason choice to win the honor again this season. Clemson's C.J. Spiller is being billed as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Virginia Tech's Darren Evans was the Orange Bowl's most outstanding player.

But perhaps no running back in the ACC offers more intrigue than Virginia's Mikell Simpson.

Simpson was one of the conference's hottest running backs late in the 2007 season - when he replaced an injured Cedric Peerman and rushed for 580 yards and eight touchdowns in the final six games of the year. He followed that up by gaining just 262 yards last year before a shoulder injury caused him to miss the last nine games of the season.

After gaining five yards per carry in 2007, Simpson mustered just three yards per attempt last year. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Virginia slipped to 5-7 last year after going 9-4 in 2007.

"That's probably one of [our] bigger questions," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Will we have the Mikell Simpson who did such a terrific job for us in the second half of '07?"

Groh can't explain the reversal of fortune, but he remains optimistic Simpson can regain his 2007 form. Groh cited the example of Peerman, whose career also featured some ups and downs.

"He lost his way along there somehow, but the same thing happened to Cedric a couple of years before," Groh said. "He got back on track with it, so we're hoping for the same [with Simpson]."
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]N.C. State fans may not see Russell Wilson after this season thanks to his baseball prospects.[/td] [/tr][/table]WILSON'S SWAN SONG?
N.C. State fans have reason to feel optimistic after watching All-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson lead the Wolfpack on a four-game winning streak to end the 2008 regular season.
Now here's some bad news. Even though Wilson is only a redshirt sophomore, there's a chance he might not play for the Wolfpack beyond this season.

North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien noted that possibility Monday. Wilson, who stars in baseball as well as football, is on track to graduate in May. The star quarterback conceivably could leave school to begin a pro baseball career if he gets drafted next summer.

"Because of his accelerated graduation and [that] his draft date comes next year, I think that's when he can make a decision if he's going to play baseball or not," O'Brien said. "He loves football. He loves football now because football [season's] here. He might like baseball more in the spring. That's just the way his mind is and the way he works things.

"I think he has some family situations. His father's had some health issues and things like that. He may be like somebody who goes out a year early in the draft in football because of family situations. If baseball's his way he has to go to help his family and do what's best for him, certainly we'll support him. We'd love to have him, but he came in with a plan. He's going to graduate in three years. He's got the baseball side and football side, and he likes whatever he's doing that minute."

SWINNEY'S BIG CHANCE
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney admits that he can do his job a bit differently now that the word "interim" has been removed from his title.

Swinney was promoted from receivers coach after Tommy Bowden's midseason departure. Clemson officials announced Swinney as the permanent coach only after the Tigers trounced South Carolina 31-14 in their regular-season finale.

"I'm going to sleep a bit before that first game. That's one thing I'll do differently," Swinney quipped. "It's just a whole different deal. You do the best you can in certain situations that come your way in life. That's really what that was about.

"You try to make the circumstances work for you and not against you. There were a lot of dynamics involved in that whole process. I just feel more complete now, but it was an invaluable experience, the whole process you go though on a week-to-week basis, just little things like sitting down with the media and things like that."

Swinney admitted he was unsure about his chances of keeping the job beyond the 2008 season, though he was too preoccupied to think much about it. He didn't start feeling confident until the closing minutes of the South Carolina game.

"When all 85,000 people were chanting my name with about two minutes to go in Death Valley is when I started saying, 'You know, I might have a shot,' " Swinney said. "Until then, it was one of those things. Obviously you think about wanting to be a head coach and you hope it comes out, but I was more interested in trying to do a good job and trying to be professional."

PAYING IT FORWARD
Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said the tips he received from George O'Leary while working on Georgia Tech's staff helped prepare him for his head coaching career.

Now he's passing those same lessons on to offensive coordinator James Franklin, who has been announced as Friedgen's eventual successor.

"When I brought James back to be the assistant head coach, I was trying to groom him for that position anyway," Friedgen said. "One of the things I told him when I brought him back was I was going to take him into the inner sanctum. ? George O'Leary did that for me, and it was a tremendous help for me. There's a lot of decisions you have to make [as a head coach] where there are no right answers."

Friedgen said many of those lessons involve off-field demands such as fundraising.

"We have to run a gala and a golf tournament every year just for football," Friedgen said. "Running that gala is about the same preparation as it is to game plan. How you run this. How you set that up. There are a lot of things I've had to learn. Plus you have to go out and get sponsorships? and you still have to recruit."

NORTH CAROLINA-LSU? North Carolina coach Butch Davis wouldn't confirm an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report that the Tar Heels and LSU are on the verge of agreeing to play each other in a 2010 season opener at the Georgia Dome, but he couldn't hide his excitement about the possibility of such a matchup.

"It's certainly something we'd like to do," Davis said. "I think it's a real plus for any program. I think [Virginia Tech coach] Frank Beamer would tell you the opportunity to play Alabama is a great way to start the season. I was fortunate enough to be at Miami when in 1999? we got a chance to open the season against Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic, and it was a great experience. If that opportunity comes up, we'd certainly like that."

EARLY SIGNING PERIOD UNLIKELY
The ACC's push for an early signing date hasn't gained much traction across the nation.

Two years ago, the ACC recommended setting an early signing period on the third week of December. ACC commissioner John Swofford acknowledged Sunday that other conferences hadn't exactly warmed up to the idea.

Davis, a proponent for an early signing period, admitted Monday that the movement has lost momentum.

"There are more conferences that are against it than there are for it," Davis said. "I understand. If I was the head coach in Wyoming or the head coach maybe in Kansas, and there's only seven kids in your state and you need the extra six, seven or eight weeks to go to Dallas, to go to Houston, to go to Chicago, to go to St. Louis, you might not be in favor of it. There are a lot of people worrying about whose ox is getting gored."

 

[gunna get it]

North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien noted that possibilityMonday. Wilson, who stars in baseball as well as football, is on track to graduate in May. The star quarterback conceivably could leave school to begin a probaseball career if he gets drafted next summer.

"Because of his accelerated graduation and [that] his draft date comes next year, I think that's when he can make a decision if he's going to play baseball or not," O'Brien said. "He loves football. He loves football now because football [season's] here. He might like baseball more in the spring. That's just the way his mind is and the way he works things.

"I think he has some family situations. His father's had some health issues and things like that. He may be like somebody who goes out a year early in the draft in football because of family situations. If baseball's his way he has to go to help his family and do what's best for him, certainly we'll support him. We'd love to have him, but he came in with a plan. He's going to graduate in three years. He's got the baseball side and football side, and he likes whatever he's doing that minute."

Damn he grindin'
2 sports and gonna walk early.

 

[downtown43]

Originally Posted by JordanPP30

Terps.

Dont know how to predict our upcoming season before I attend some camp scrimmages and see how well our Offensive line and pretty much a new defensive squad adjusts to finally starting and being on the big stage.

Meggett and Scott will be a DISGUSTING backfield.. with the addition of the strong FB Brown.

our backfield is sick, but we lost our o-line. unless the new guys step up in a big way, i don't think we'll be a better rushing team thanlast year. everybody watch out for Bruce Campbell this year though... he is the next freak athlete from Maryland

8. Bruce Campbell, Maryland, OT: The Terps have been good for a few workout warriors, and the 6-6, 306-pound Campbell is a supersized version. Maryland strength coach Dwight Galt calls him "one of a kind." Campbell certainly has the bloodlines. His father, Bruce, starred for the Providence College hoops team in the '70s before he was drafted by the Nets.

Earlier this month, Campbell bench-pressed 490 pounds, which is impressive, especially considering the length of his arms. He also ran a 4.82 40. "Bruce looks like a Greek God," Galt says. "He almost looks like a bodybuilder. He's the offensive line version of Vernon Davis."

SO hyped for the season opener at Cal

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Each football offseason seems to bring about tales of some mythical occurrence, whether it be a true freshman that's turned heads in 7-on-7 or a weight-lifting record shattered with a Herculean effort. For the UNC program, that topic of conversation has revolved around linebacker Zach Brown's 4.26 40.

While that time may be impossible for most to believe, the entire North Carolina football squad was in attendance during the Tar Heels' strength and conditioning timing day back in the spring. Starting quarterback T.J. Yates was standing beside the assistant coach in charge of timing the 40-yard dashes.

"The first time he ran it, nobody believed it," Yates told reporters during Sunday's ACC Football Kickoff at Grandover Resort. "We were like, 'Does that really say a 4.28?' And then he got all of the coaches to come down and time him, and then he ran like a 4.26. Our whole team was out here, and all of the coaches, and everybody just erupted. Everybody was in disbelief… That's insane."

Defensive end E.J. Wilson had just finished his 40-yard dash less than 10 minutes earlier, putting down an impressive 4.73 of his own.

"The first time he ran, we were like, 'Yeah, Zach's kind of moving fast,'" Wilson said. "But we didn't expect a 4.2. Then we saw the clock. Then all of the coaches had their own clock and everybody had 4.2 except for one coach, and he had a 4.3 flat."

Six stopwatches were present for Brown's second attempt. Adding even more humor to the time is the fact that his form was not boasting of perfection.

"He could still critique his 40 time," Yates said. "He kind of started off to the left a little bit and then he straightened it back up. He could definitely get it down a little bit more… He's just raw power and speed."

Not bad for a 6-foot-2 sophomore linebacker that checks in at 230 pounds and benches 380 pounds. Wilson indicated that Brown is also one of the strongest pound-for-pound athletes in the program, prompting this comment from the fifth-year senior - "He's just a freak of nature."

Brown also dominated an offseason training competition, winning an estimated 10 different events that ranged from sprinting to dragging sleds 100 yards.

Granted, the Tar Heels were timed on a Mondo track surface, which is estimated to be worth five-hundredths of a second to one-tenth of a second faster than other surfaces, but Brown's speed in conjunction with that of fellow starting linebackers Bruce Carter (4.46) and Quan Sturdivant (4.43) has the makings of what ESPN tabbed as "arguably the fastest linebacking trio in the country."

"I haven't seen a group of linebackers this fast since I've really been following college football," Wilson said. "All of our linebackers run a 4.4 and one of them runs a 4.2? That's unheard of."

that kid (Zach Brown) is insane.. i saw him in HS. dude is big and fast as HELL.

he's one of the dumbest people i've ever met though

 

[lifelessons]

i'm trying to figure out where the ACC office is in Greensboro....i bet i've passed it plenty of times...I actually I know i have i just can'tthink of where its at

 

[JND1]

Now here's some bad news. Even though Wilson is only a redshirt sophomore, there's a chance he might not play for the Wolfpack beyond this season.

Good looks on those articles...keep em' comin'.

 

[pharelfor3]

Damn 4.2 for a LB. i gotta see when he gets to the NFL combine and it drops to 4.7

 

[juicy j 32]

Lifelessons- They had the ACC media day stuff at the Grandover resort right off I-40/85.

At the end of last year I talked to Josh Adams, a freshman receiver for UNC that enrolled early, about ZB's 4.26 forty time. He said it was insane. No onereally believed the first time that got clocked so he went back and did it again and ran even faster! That would have been ridiculous to witness.

 

[wraith aka invincible]

Originally Posted by PharelFor3

Damn 4.2 for a LB. i gotta see when he gets to the NFL combine and it drops to 4.7

had to have been hand timed
he's prolly in the 4.59 range

butch stay pulling hargrave players

 

[gunna get it]

is he a back up? I dont remember him at all from last yr

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Can he play football?

@ his testing #'s though.

Jeez.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

I can'r wait to see a HEALTHY Tavares Pressley this year

(Juco RB who tore his ACL in summer workouts last year)

 

[lowslows]

GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The 2008 Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and four members of thedefending champion Virginia Tech Hokies were among the 24 players named to the preseason All-ACC football team Monday. Media members attending the 2009 ACCFootball Kickoff at the Grandover Resort cast 44 ballots for the teams. Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer, who is seeking to become the league'sfirst two-time Player of the Year since 1992 and '93, led all candidates with 41 votes. Dwyer averaged 107 rushing yards per game as the Yellow Jacketsquickly adapted to coach Paul Johnson's spread option offense last season. C.J. Spiller of Clemson appears twice on the chart. He's Dwyer'srunning mate in the backfield and the media's choice at specialist. In 2008, he placed 14[sup]th[/sup] nationally in kickoff-return average at 27 yards anattempt. N.C. State's Russell Wilson, who threw 249 consecutive passes without an interception over his final nine games as a redshirt freshman a year agoand became the first freshman in league history to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a quarterback, was the top vote-getter among signal callers. Three playerstopped the defensive honorees with 34 votes apiece: Duke defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase, widely considered among the best five players nationally at hisposition; Florida State linebacker Dekoda Watson; and Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett, a second-team All-American according to three sources last season.Virginia Tech led the way with four selections: tight end Greg Boone; defensive end Jason Worilds, who made 18.5 tackles for loss in 2008; safety KamChancellor; and offensive guard Sergio Render. Three teams had three selections.

? North Carolina was represented by linebacker Quan Sturdivant, whose 87 unassisted tackles ledthe nation last year; tackle Marvin Austin; and cornerback Kendric Burney.

? Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who made 39 of his team's 74 pass receptionson the season, joined Dwyer and Burnett among the Jackets' honorees.

? Clemson got two of its three appearances from Spiller. Wide receiver Jacoby Ford provided theother.

In all, 17 players who earned first or second-team or Honorable Mention All-ACC honors in 2008were chosen for the 2009 pre-season team including 2009 first-team honorees Wilson, Dwyer, Spiller (as specialist), Florida State guard Rodney Hudson andMaryland punter Travis Baltz.

Nine members of the 2009 preseason team earned second team All-ACC honors last year includingSpiller (as a running back), Worilds, Burnett, Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo, Virginia Tech offensive guard Sergio Render, Miami placekickerMatt Bosher (who actually earned 2[sup]nd[/sup]-team ALL-ACC as a punter and placekicker), Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak, Virginia cornerback Ras-I-Dowlingand North Carolina cornerback Kendric Burney.

he 2008 honorable mention All-ACC selections were Duke's Oghobaase, Boston College centerMatt Tennant and NC State defensive end Willie Young.



OFFENSE
[table][tr][td]
Pos
[/td] [td]
Name
[/td] [td]
School
[/td] [td]
#
[/td] [td]
In 2008 unless otherwise noted
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
QB
[/td] [td]
Russell Wilson
[/td] [td]
NC State
[/td] [td]
31
[/td] [td]
2008 1st-team All-ACC, ACC Rookie of the Yr
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
RB
[/td] [td]
Jonathan Dwyer
[/td] [td]
Georgia Tech
[/td] [td]
41
[/td] [td]
2008 ACC Player of the Year,

2009 Pre-Season Player of the Year
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
RB
[/td] [td]
C.J. Spiller
[/td] [td]
Clemson
[/td] [td]
38
[/td] [td]
Needs 921 all-purpose yards for ACC record
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
WR
[/td] [td]
Demaryius Thomas
[/td] [td]
Georgia Tech
[/td] [td]
15
[/td] [td]
Had more than half of Tech's catches
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
WR
[/td] [td]
Jacoby Ford
[/td] [td]
Clemson
[/td] [td]
31
[/td] [td]
2[sup]nd[/sup] among active ACC players in yds, catches
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
TE
[/td] [td]
Greg Boone
[/td] [td]
Virginia Tech
[/td] [td]
32
[/td] [td]
22 catches for 278 yards
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
OT
[/td] [td]
Jason Fox
[/td] [td]
Miami
[/td] [td]
32
[/td] [td]
Graded out at 97% for the year
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
OT
[/td] [td]
Anthony Castonzo
[/td] [td]
Boston College
[/td] [td]
26
[/td] [td]
2008 second?team All-ACC
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
OG
[/td] [td]
Sergio Render
[/td] [td]
Virginia Tech
[/td] [td]
25
[/td] [td]
2008 second-team All-ACC, 40 career starts
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
OG
[/td] [td]
Rodney Hudson
[/td] [td]
Florida State
[/td] [td]
32
[/td] [td]
Named to 2009 Lombardi Trophy watch list
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
C
[/td] [td]
Matt Tennant
[/td] [td]
Boston College
[/td] [td]
23
[/td] [td]
On 2009 watch list for Rimington Trophy
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
PK
[/td] [td]
Matt Bosher
[/td] [td]
Miami
[/td] [td]
34
[/td] [td]
Made 18-of-20 FGAs; 2008 2[sup]nd[/sup] Team All-ACC
[/td] [/tr][/table]


DEFENSE
[table][tr][td]
Pos
[/td] [td]
Name
[/td] [td]
School
[/td] [td]
#
[/td] [td]
In 2008 unless otherwise noted
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
DE
[/td] [td]
Jason Worilds
[/td] [td]
Virgina Tech
[/td] [td]
25
[/td] [td]
Recorded 18.5 tackles for loss, 2008 2[sup]nd[/sup]-team All-ACC
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
DE
[/td] [td]
Willie Young
[/td] [td]
NC State
[/td] [td]
21
[/td] [td]
Credited with 65 QB pressures in his career
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
DT
[/td] [td]
Vince Oghobaase
[/td] [td]
Duke
[/td] [td]
34
[/td] [td]
Lott Trophy finalist has started 36 straight games
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
DT
[/td] [td]
Marvin Austin
[/td] [td]
North Carolina
[/td] [td]
25
[/td] [td]
Interception return for a TD and blocked PAT
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
LB
[/td] [td]
Dekoda Watson
[/td] [td]
Florida State
[/td] [td]
34
[/td] [td]
28 tackles in final four regular-season games
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
LB
[/td] [td]
Quan Sturdivant
[/td] [td]
North Carolina
[/td] [td]
28
[/td] [td]
Led the nation in unassisted tackles (87)
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
LB
[/td] [td]
Alex Wujciak
[/td] [td]
Maryland
[/td] [td]
18
[/td] [td]
13[sup]th[/sup] nationally in total tackles (10.2 per game)
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
CB
[/td] [td]
Ras-I Dowling
[/td] [td]
Virginia
[/td] [td]
21
[/td] [td]
T-11 nationally in passes defended per game (1.27)
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
CB
[/td] [td]
Kendric Burney
[/td] [td]
North Carolina
[/td] [td]
13
[/td] [td]
Credited with 78 tackles
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
S
[/td] [td]
Morgan Burnett
[/td] [td]
Georgia Tech
[/td] [td]
34
[/td] [td]
Preseason All-American by 3 sources
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
S
[/td] [td]
Kam Chancellor
[/td] [td]
Virginia Tech
[/td] [td]
31
[/td] [td]
2 fumble recoveries, 2 INT
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
P
[/td] [td]
Travis Baltz
[/td] [td]
Maryland
[/td] [td]
20
[/td] [td]
Led ACC in punting average (41.1)
[/td] [/tr][/table]


Specialist: C.J.Spiller, Clemson

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

[table][tr][td]
CB
[/td] [td]
Ras-I Dowling
[/td] [td]
Virginia
[/td] [td]
21
[/td] [td]
T-11 nationally in passes defended per game (1.27)
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
CB
[/td] [td]
Kendric Burney
[/td] [td]
North Carolina
[/td] [td]
13
[/td] [td]
Credited with 78 tackles
[/td] [/tr][/table]

 

[lowslows]

[table][tr][td]
LB
[/td] [td]
Alex Wujciak
[/td] [td]
Maryland
[/td] [td]
18
[/td] [td]
13[sup]th[/sup] nationally in total tackles (10.2 per
[/td] [/tr][/table]
Maryland guys?
Never heard of em...I have a hard time believing hes better than spence tho

 

[gunna get it]

ACC has THE worst WRs in the country

I didnt even see Ga Tech play every game and I saw D. Thomas drop at least 12 passes .

 

[jordanpp30]

Originally Posted by lowslows

[table][tr][td]
LB
[/td] [td]
Alex Wujciak
[/td] [td]
Maryland
[/td] [td]
18
[/td] [td]
13[sup]th[/sup] nationally in total tackles (10.2 per
[/td] [/tr][/table]
Maryland guys?
Never heard of em...I have a hard time believing hes better than spence tho

Wujciak was all over the field last year, straight hitting dudes.

 

[lifelessons]

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

ACC has THE worst WRs in the country

I didnt even see Ga Tech play every game and I saw D. Thomas drop at least 12 passes .

except Miami....our rotation is nice....

 

[big j 33]

Originally Posted by RunsHouse23

Originally Posted by Big J 33

Can't wait... FSU gets Miami first game of the year... I'll be in attendance

It's my first time going to the game. Gotta make the drive from Miami. Is it your first time? If not, how is the atmosphere for the game? I get my tickets mailed at the end of August. I'm excited about this game more than my actual b-day lol.

I was there for the 07 game... sucked

It's a real exciting atmosphere, just be careful about being too obnoxious and loud. Two yearsago there were probably 4 or 5 fights that needed to be broken up by security just in my section. Granted I was in the FSU student section and it was Miamifans who were rubbing in the victory, but still..

 

[fear the ibis]

The drunk FSU fans are horrible. Only place I've been with worse fans is Byrd stadium in MD when some old white dude tried to fight me. For GT fans thegame is just a social event. Half of them are on their blackberries whole game.

 

[lowslows]

Originally Posted by JordanPP30

Originally Posted by lowslows

[table][tr][td]
LB
[/td] [td]
Alex Wujciak
[/td] [td]
Maryland
[/td] [td]
18
[/td] [td]
13[sup]th[/sup] nationally in total tackles (10.2 per
[/td] [/tr][/table]
Maryland guys?
Never heard of em...I have a hard time believing hes better than spence tho

Wujciak was all over the field last year, straight hitting dudes.

My bad then

I live in PG but i dont pay Maryland football any attention
I will have to look at them a lil this season

 

[gunna get it]

Originally Posted by LifeLessons

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

ACC has THE worst WRs in the country

I didnt even see Ga Tech play every game and I saw D. Thomas drop at least 12 passes .

except Miami....our rotation is nice....

***Donald Faison Clueless Laugh***