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2008 ACC Fearless Predictions

CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Dec 4, 2008

Preview and Predictions for all the 2008 ACC Games

ACC
Atlantic Boston Coll | ClemsonFlorida St | Maryland | NC State | Wake Forest
Coastal Duke | Georgia Tech | Miami | North Carolina | Virginia | Virginia Tech

ACC Fearless Predictions Aug. 30 | Sept. 6 | Sept. 13 | Sept. 20
- Sept. 27 | Oct. 4 | Oct. 11 | Oct. 18 | Oct. 25 | Nov. 1 | Nov. 8 | Nov. 15 
- Nov. 22 | Nov. 29

How are the picks so far? SU: 62-33 ... ATS: 37-43-1

Virginia Tech (8-4) vs. Boston College (9-3)

Dec. 6, 1:00 p.m. ET, ABC

Maybe inviting those interlopers from the Big East into the ACC a few years back wasn’t such a great idea after all. Over the last two years, not a single original member has played in the league championship game.

When the dust finally settled on an incredibly competitive ACC race, a couple of familiar faces, Boston College and Virginia Tech, were left standing from the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions, respectively. The schools squared off in last year’s league title game, and will be meeting for the fourth time in the last two seasons. Playing in a conference that saw its divisions go to tiebreakers and not be decided until last weekend, both the Eagles and the Hokies have been in playoff mode for the past month.

National Rankings
Boston Coll. Virginia Tech
Total Offense
94th 319.33 ypg 103rd  301.33 ypg
Total Defense
8th  276.67 ypg 6th  274.50 ypg
Scoring Offense
53rd  26.67 ppg 92nd  21.58 ppg
Scoring Defense
14th  17.58 ppg 16th  17.92 ppg
Run Offense
 56h  151.17 ypg 40th  169.42 ypg
Run Defense
7th  87.33 ypg 19th  112.17 ypg
Pass Offense
99th 168.17 ypg 110th  131.92 ypg
Pass Defense
35th  189.33 ypg 6th  162.33 ypg
Turnover Margin
24th  0.58 20th  0.83
Boston Coll
at Kent St W 21-0
Ga Tech L 19-16
UCF W 34-7
Rhode Isl. W 42-0
at NC State W 38-31
Va Tech W 28-23
at N Car. L 45-24
Clemson L 27-21
Notre Dame W 17-0
at Fla St W 27-17
at W Forest W 24-21
Maryland W 28-21
Virginia Tech
East Carolina L 27-22
Furman W 24-7
Ga Tech W 20-17
at N Car W 20-17
at Nebraska W 35-30
West Kent W 27-13
at Bos Coll L 28-23
at Florida St L 30-20
Maryland W 23-13
at Miami L 16-14
Duke W 14-3
Virginia W 17-14
Position Ratings
relative to each other
BC 5 highest
1 lowest
VT
2 Quarterbacks 3
3 RBs 4
3 Receivers 2.5
4 O Line 3
5 D Line 4
4.5 Linebackers 4.5
3.5 Secondary 4.5
4 Spec Teams 3
4 Coaching 4.5

At one time or another, 10 of the ACC’s 12 members were in the hunt for a championship. North Carolina and Wake Forest were trendy. Maryland and Georgia Tech had their chances. Florida State and Miami were never far from the action. But Boston College and Virginia Tech? The Eagles and Hokies had every reason not to be in this position this year. BC was attempting to move forward without its entire 2007 backfield, including Matt Ryan. Surely, head coach Jeff Jagodzinski would get exposed without his franchise quarterback and security blanket, right? Uh-uh. Instead, the Eagles rallied like a thoroughbred around the final turn, winning their last four games to zip past the rest of the field. Coach Jags’ second team has no stars, relying on a blue-collar, turnover-happy defense and a couple of true freshmen to carry the running load. Oh, and when senior QB Chris Crane broke his collarbone two weeks ago, redshirt freshman Dominique Davis stepped in and kept the offense afloat.          

Although it’s a win away from another BCS bowl game, this has been anything but a vintage Tech team in Blacksburg. The Hokies lost the opener to East Carolina, were forced to scrap a plan to redshirt QB Tyrod Taylor, and lost three of four games down the stretch, including one to Boston College. Yet, they’re back on the doorstep of a third ACC championship since joining the league in 2004. A ton of credit goes to Frank Beamer, defensive coordinator Bud Foster, and the rest of a staff that milked eight wins from an average collection of talent, and pushed the right buttons in a bunch of nail-biters. If Beamer and Co. can get this team, with the nation’s 103rd-ranked offense, to the Orange Bowl, they ought to start building the statues outside the stadium on Sunday morning.    

Five years ago, Boston College and Virginia Tech weren’t even in the ACC. Today, they’re the standards in their respective divisions. Had the league known then what it knows now, it might not have been so hospitable.

Players to watch: The most intriguing battle of the afternoon will be between the freshmen backs, Boston College’s Montel Harris and Virginia Tech’s Darren Evans. Each school’s leading rusher, they’ve got to be successful if their team is to have any chance of keeping drives going. Harris will be running against the league’s No. 2 run defense and will get little help from Davis through the air. Evans will be running against the league’s top-rated run defense and will get little help from Tyrod Taylor or Sean Glennon. If either back gets regular daylight, an unlikely occurrence, it’ll give a huge advantage to his team.

When Davis drops back to pass, he better know where No. 1 is at all times. Virginia Tech CB Victor Harris is an unabashed thief and one of the best defensive playmakers in the country. This type of stage was made for him. He’s an outstanding cover corner with 15 career picks and four defensive touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Boston College passing game, junior Stephan Virgil offers little comfort on the other side. He’s got four picks and great ball skills, which is yet another reason why the Eagles must get something out of the running game.

The headliner on defense for Boston College is LB Mark Herzlich, the heart and soul of the unit. He was excelling before injuries hit the D, but has been playing possessed since Brian Toal was lost for the year with an injury. Not only is Herzlich fifth nationally in solo tackles, but he’s matched Harris’ six interceptions and two returns for touchdowns. A complete football player with a non-stop motor, he’ll never be far from the ball.     

Boston College will win if... it continues to create a slew of turnovers. Only one team in the country has more takeaways than the Eagles, a key reason why they’re playing a bonus game. They’ve got to manufacture points and give the offense a short field, especially with a novice behind center. Boston College failed to pick off a pass just twice all season. It lost both times. In a game that’ll be dominated by the defenses and special teams, turnover margin will be even more critical than ever.  

Virginia Tech will win if... someone other than the offense gets in the end zone. To put it bluntly, the Hokies offense is awful. Sure, they can win a 12-9 game, but they’d be a whole lot safer if Harris produces a pick six, Dyrell Roberts returns a kick for a touchdown, or the special teams hosts a block party. The first time these two schools met on Oct. 18, there were three non-offensive touchdowns, two from the Hokies and one from the Eagles. Tech needs to be plus-one in this category again on Saturday.  

What will happen: It’s a toss-up. The only certainties in a game between two evenly matched schools are that it’ll be physical, fueled by defense and special teams, and generally unappealing on offense. Whoever can run—and protect—the ball will be dodging a barrage of oranges at the end of regulation. In a game of this magnitude, the edge goes to the program with the better staff, more experienced quarterback, and sharpest kicker. In all three cases, that’s Virginia Tech, which will survive on the strength of Dustin Keys’ leg and a timely non-offensive touchdown.    
Line: Boston College -1 ... CFN Prediction: Virginia Tech 23 ... Boston College 20


2007 ACC Championship
Virginia Tech 30 ... Boston College 16
Tied at 16 midway through the fourth quarter, Eddie Royal caught a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Hokies the lead for good. The Tech defense held on with an interception on fourth down deep in its own territory, and a 40-yard interception return for a score from Xavier Adibi with 11 seconds to play. In a strange first half, BC got on the board first as Jamie Silva snatched the ball and took it for a 51-yard score. A Matt Ryan 14-yard touchdown run gave the Eagles a second quarter lead, but the extra point was blocked and returned for a two-point conversion to spark a run of 23 unanswered points. Sean Glennon threw three touchdowns passes to three different receivers.
Player of the game: Virginia Tech QB Sean Glennon completed 18 of 27 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Virginia Tech - Passing: Sean Glennon, 18-27, 174 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Branden Ore, 19-55. Receiving: Josh Morgan, 8-55, 1 TD
Boston College - Passing: Matt Ryan, 33-52, 305 yds, 2 INT
Rushing:
Andre Callender, 15-51. Receiving: Andre Callender, 13-92

2006 ACC Championship
Wake Forest 9 ... Georgia Tech 6

On a sloppy field with the two teams combining for 548 yards of offense, Wake Forest's Sam Swank hit three field goals, including a 22-yard shot with 2:55 to play, Tech went three-and-out, and the Demon Deacon offense was able to run out the clock thanks to a 19-yard Willie Idlette end around run. Georgia Tech only managed two Travis Bell field goals from 21 and 34 yards out and hung on to the ball for just 3:54 in the fourth quarter. Calvin Johnson, in a losing cause, caught eight passes for 117 yards.
Player of the game ... Wake Forest LB Jon Abbate made 15 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 9-29, 129 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Tashard Choice, 21-100  Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 8-117
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 14-25, 201 yds
Rushing: Kenneth Moore, 16-39  Receiving: Nate Morton, 4-40

  




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