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Wake Forest (6-2) at Virginia
(7-2)
12:00 PM GamePlan
Why to Watch: If you’re
looking for the improbable, but
possible, ACC Championship
matchup, this is it. After
rolling through seven straight
opponents, Virginia finally
stumbled in a loss to underdog
North Carolina State in the kind
of tight game they’ve thrived in
throughout the year. Wake,
meanwhile, is on a roll, winning
six in a row and showing the
same kind of difficult offense
and stingy defense that made it
ACC champion a year ago. A loss
would be particularly damning
for the Deacons, who trail
Boston College by a game in the
Atlantic standings and have
already lost to the Eagles, but
UVA doesn’t want to fall a game
behind Virginia Tech in the
standings, although the teams do
meet later this year.
Why Wake Forest Might Win:
Virginia might get timely
offense, but it doesn’t exactly
score in bunches. That’s good
news for the Deacons, who play
solid D in all phases, allowing
a respectable 22.9 points a
game. The Wake offense remains a
mystery to some defenses with
its multiple formations and
constant misdirection. It helps
to have some good people
operating the thing, and that’s
where Josh Adams and Riley
Skinner come in as two of the
ACC’s best unsung playmakers.
Adams has gained 353 yards and
scored four times in the past
three games, while Skinner was
12-of-15 last week against North
Carolina, makes great decisions
and operates the attack with
confidence and aplomb. Wake also
has a great weapon in the return
game in Kevin Marion, who leads
the nation bringing back kicks
(33.9 yard average) and has
averaged a ridiculous 76.8
yards/return in the past two
games.
Why Virginia Might Win:
The Demon Deacons play good
defense, but the Cavaliers play
really good defense, allowing
just 19.6 points per game.
Virginia begins everything on
that side of the ball, led by a
defensive front that should be
able to generate consistent
pressure on Skinner. Yes, the
Cavs surrendered 29 points to
North Carolina State, but that
was the high-water mark for
opposing offenses this year and
a likely aberration. Virginia’s
offense has relied recently on
sophomore back Mikell Simpson,
who had his second straight
strong game against the Wolfpack,
rushing for 81 yards and a
score. QB Jameel Sewell threw
for a career-high 260 yards
against NC State and two
touchdowns, proving he can be
dangerous with his arm, as well
as his legs when healthy.
Who to Watch: Before this
season, Virginia defensive end
Chris Long was known primarily
as Howie’s son and a promising
playmaker, referenced in
television commercials, but
hardly on the radar screens of
too many fans. He’s sure
well-known now ranking third in
the nation with 11 sacks, all of
them solo jobs. The 6-4,
284-pound senior has a sack in
all but one of the Cavaliers’
games this year and has three
multiple-sack games. He’s
climbing up draft boards and
figures to be a top ten NFL pick
next April.
What Will Happen: Virginia
is at home and has a tough
defense, but Wake’s superior
balance will prevail in a tough
win that’ll take all sixty
minutes to get.
CFN Prediction:
Wake
Forest 20 … Virginia 17
... Line: Wake Forest -1
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 4
Clemson (6-2) at Duke (1-7)
12:00 PM GamePlan
Why to Watch: After
suffering a pair of early
October setbacks, the Tigers
have corrected their troubles
and appear primed to make a
solid run at a strong conclusion
to the season. An ACC Atlantic
title is still not out of the
question with games left with
Boston College and Wake Forest.
For now, the Tigers concern
themselves with Duke and keeping
an offense rolling that has put
up 100 points in the past two
weeks. The Blue Devils,
meanwhile, fought well for the
first half against Florida State
last week and continue to give
superior opposition trouble for
much of the game. While this
might appear to be an ugly
matchup, so did the 2004 game in
Durham when Duke Stunned the
Tigers 16-13 for one of just two
wins on the year.
Why Clemson Might Win:
After struggling offensively in
losses to Virginia Tech and
Georgia Tech, the Tiger attack
appears to have it together
again. It helps to be able to
hang 70 on Central Michigan, but
last week’s 30-point outburst
against Maryland was more
indicative that the Tigers may
have it going again. Good news
came in the form of 129 yards
from James Davis, who had
struggled somewhat in the
previous three games. The
Clemson defense is also
well-suited to stop Duke’s
pass-heavy offense, allowing the
third-fewest air yards per game
in the nation.
Why Duke Might Win: The
Blue Devils are struggling this
year, but Lewis is their
ultimate weapon and would be the
reason why anybody would give
Duke a chance to win this. Lewis
has had some big games this
year, throwing four touchdown
passes twice and three on
another occasion. When Duke is
piling up the points, he is the
main reason why. His main
targets, Jomar Wright and Eron
Riley aren’t consistent
gamebreakers, but they’re
reliable. Duke is improving
against the run, in large part
because of linebacker Vincent
Rey and a decent line that's
better than the stats.
Who to Watch: It may be
too much to assign the lion’s
share of the blame for a pair of
mid-season losses to a
first-year starting QB, but
Cullen Harper’s play against
Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech
wasn’t stellar. He completed
55-of-105 passes in the two
games (52.4%) and threw three
interceptions and just two
touchdown passes. And then he
played like the best quarterback
in America, completing 40-of-48
(83.3%) passes with seven scores
and one pick. If he keeps
throwing this well, the pressure
is off the running game, and
Clemson’s offense becomes
unstoppable..
What Will Happen: Clemson
has it rolling again, and Duke
won’t have any hope of keeping
up the pace.
CFN Prediction:
Clemson
38 … Duke 10...
Line: Clemson -16
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 2
North Carolina State (3-5) at
Miami (5-3)
12:00 PM ESPNU
Why to Watch: Suddenly,
this shapes up to be one of the
weekend’s most interesting ACC
games, even if it’s off the
beaten path a bit. The Wolfpack
has won two in a row highlighted
by a shocking win over Virginia,
and now, Tom O’Brien’s team,
after a brutal start, is
actually in the bowl hunt.
Miami, meanwhile, returns after
a week off to take advantage of
momentum gathered after a
come-from-behind win over
Florida State in Tallahassee.
There are no ACC title
implications here, just a couple
of teams that have been playing
fairly good football of late and
would like to keep it going.
Why North Carolina State
Might Win: The Wolfpack
offense has come alive of late
and was particularly effective
last week against Virginia with
a balanced attack. Despite
reeling from injuries in the
backfield, State has gotten a
boost from sophomore Jamelle
Eugene, who rushed for 112 yards
against the Wahoos, two weeks
after he put up 101 against
Florida State. Defensively,
State has been stout against the
pass and should be able to put
heat on Miami QB Kyle Wright (if
he plays) with a front seven
that has averaged six sacks a
game the past two weeks. The
Pack’s run defense has also
improved thanks in part to some
changes in the secondary that
helped the tackling problem that
was a big problem over the first
half of the year.
Why Miami Might Win: The
Hurricanes would have entered
their week off on a three-game
losing skid had they not rallied
at FSU. Now, they must hope
Wright’s ankle injury, which
prohibited him from practicing
last week but should be healed
by Saturday, does not recur.
Miami can run the football well
with Graig Cooper and Javarris
James, but it needs balance, and
Wright has proved he can provide
that at various times. Miami’s
defense has been stout for much
of the year, putting good
pressure on opposing
quarterbacks and containing the
run. And the team’s plus-two
turnover margin has been a
positive factor.
Who to Watch: The changes
in the secondary have been
helpful for NC State’s woeful
defense, but Daniel Evans’
improvement has been just as
important. He threw three
interceptions three weeks ago in
the loss to FSU, but has been a
different, more efficient player
since. In the past two games, he
has thrown six TD passes and
just one pick while piling up
682 yards. Evans is still prone
to misfiring on certain plays,
but he has become more reliable,
and the Wolfpack offense has
thrived with his emergence with
63 points in the two victories.
What Will Happen: NC
State is on a mini-roll, but
it’s not ready to beat the
Hurricanes in Miami. Expect
Wright to have success throwing
downfield, and the stingy ‘Cane
defense to disrupt the
Wolfpack’s offensive momentum.
CFN Prediction: Miami 27
… NC
State 16...
Line: Miami -13.5
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 2.5 |
