Midseason Reports
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Big East
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Big 12
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Big Ten
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Pac 10
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SEC
Non-BCS Conferences To Come Friday
- CFN Midseason All-America Teams
2008 |
2007 |
2006
Atlantic
Boston Coll |
Clemson | Florida
St |
Maryland |
NC State |
Wake Forest
Coastal
Duke |
Georgia Tech |
Miami |
North Carolina |
Virginia |
Virginia Tech
Offensive Player of the Midseason
Jonathan Dwyer, RB Georgia Tech
Defensive Player of the Midseason
Orion Martin, DE Virginia Tech
Ten best ACC players of the first half
1. Jonathan Dwyer, RB Georgia Tech
2. Brandon Tate, WR North Carolina
3. Orion Martin, DE Virginia Tech
4. Everette Brown, DE Florida State
5. Vance Walker, DT Georgia Tech
6. Alphonso Smith, CB Wake Forest
7. Eron Riley, WR Duke
8. Derek Nicholson, LB Florida State
9. Antone Smith, RB Florida State
10. C.J. Spiller, RB Clemson
Biggest Surprise – Georgia Tech
The offense was undergoing a complete facelift. The defense
suffered major losses. This was supposed to be an unequivocal
rebuilding year on The Flats. Instead, Georgia Tech is on the
brink of the Top 25 and a legitimate contender in the ACC. Paul
Johnson’s option has been digested faster than anyone could have
hoped, and defensive coordinator Dave Wommack has made everyone
forget Jon Tenuta. The Yellow Jackets have beaten Boston College
and Mississippi State, and are a three-point loss in Blacksburg
from being the league’s only unbeaten team.
Biggest Disappointment – Clemson
This is the year Tommy Bowden finally maximizes all of the
talent he attracts to Clemson. Yeah, right. Bowden never even
made it through the season. The Tigers wasted little time
getting exposed, squandering their No. 9 ranking with an opening
day collapse against Alabama. Maybe worse, they dropped a home
game to an average Maryland team that’s lost to Middle Tennessee
State and Virginia. Unless Clemson can author a miracle
second-half rally and win the ACC championship, 2008 will be
remembered as a lost opportunity and a colossal disappointment
in Death Valley.
The ACC Champion will be ... Georgia Tech
It hasn’t always been pretty, but with the Virginia Tech game
out of the way and with a win over Clemson, things shape up for
the Yellow Jackets to go on a run to bring Paul Johnson the ACC
title in his first season. The schedule is hardly easy, but
Virginia, Florida State and Miami all have to come to Atlanta
while the one conference road game is at North Carolina. With
that said, flip a coin and Boston College, Florida State or
Virginia Tech could just as easily finish as the champion..
Best Game of the First Half
Florida State 41 … Miami 39
In a wild game, Florida State appeared to be on its way to an
easy win with a 24-0 first half helped by two of Antone Smith’s
four rushing touchdowns and a 15-yard Greg Carr scoring grab.
Midway through the third quarter it was 31-10 on Smith’s third
scoring run, and then things got weird. Miami scored 12 points
in just over two minutes on a field goal, a blown punt snap for
a safety, and a 51-yard Travis Benjamin touchdown catch on a
halfback option pass from Graig Cooper. Off a bad pass from
Christian Ponder, Sean Spence took an interception seven yards
for a Miami score to get within five, and Matt Bosher made it
34-32 with a 24-yard field goal. FSU finally pulled away with a
20-yard Smith touchdown run with less than four minutes to play.
Miami scored with 14 seconds to play, but couldn’t get the
onside kick. In the driving rain, there were seven turnovers and
22 penalties between the two teams. Florida State didn’t punt.
Worst Game of the First Half
Miami 52 ... Charleston Southern 7
Miami had no problem blowing away CSU as QB Jacory Harris ran
for a 30-yard score and threw for another as part of a 21-0
first quarter. Graig Cooper put the game well out of reach with
a 14-yard touchdown dash and a 66-yard punt return for a score
for a 35-0 lead before Tribble Reese threw a two-yard touchdown
pass for the only CSU points. Miami allowed just 126 yards of
offense.
Coach of the Midseason – Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson
Johnson stepped into a new situation and proved with
a little bit of tweaking and a lot of faith in a few young
players he could produce a winner right away. The program is on
the rise even though the offense is far from polished. It helps
to have an NFL defensive line to work with, but give Johnson
credit for turning the program from good to potentially great
despite not having his pieces in place quite yet.
Player who'll step up in the second half – Miami QB
Robert Marve … or Jacory Harris
There’s
something special about Marve that isn’t evident from his
numbers and has yet to fully reach the surface. Just a freshman,
he plays with the swagger and confidence that’s been lacking in
Miami for a number of years. If the program is patient, he has
the physical ability and the intangibles to eventually be
exactly what the ‘Canes need under center. With a second-half
schedule that isn’t overwhelming, Marve will get a chance to use
his final six games as a springboard to 2009 … if Harris doesn’t
take over. Harris brings more mobility and could be the better
option for right now, but Marve is the star to build the future
around.
Best performance so far – North Carolina’s Cam Sexton
prepared in the offseason as if he was going to be the team’s
starting quarterback. He wasn’t. However, he got his chance
after T.J. Yates was injured and Mike Paulus was ineffective,
and made the most of it. With the Heels trailing in Miami on
Sept. 27, he was summoned from the bench and promptly went
11-of-19 for 242 yards and two fourth quarter touchdowns,
including the game-winner in the final minute. Sexton rescued
Carolina in a hostile environment, keeping it alive in the ACC
Coastal race.
Top Freshman – Virginia Tech RB Darren Evans
Evans has answered the call for a Hokie running game that lost
Branden Ore before the season began and has struggled with
injuries to its veterans. In his second year on campus, the 6-0,
210-pounder has emerged as Tech’s workhorse, steadily earning
more reps and a bigger role with each passing week. Not a
game-breaker, he craves contact and will wear down opposing
defenses. At the halfway point, Evans has rushed 98 times for
415 yards and eight touchdowns.
Coach who needs to have a big second half – Miami’s Randy
Shannon
Now that Tommy Bowden is no longer working in the league, the
coach with the greatest sense of urgency has to be Shannon.
While only in his second season, an 8-10 start is hardly the way
to build a support base at an institution with such high
expectations. The ‘Canes peaked in the Sept. 20 rout of Texas
A&M, but have skidded since, losing to Florida State and North
Carolina, and barely getting past UCF. As good as Shannon has
done at recruiting, he’ll need a strong finish, or else the
pressure to win big in 2009 will be oppressive.
Player who needs to have a big second half – Virginia
Tech QB Tyrod Taylor
Although the Hokies are hotter than any team in the ACC, they
need Taylor to keep growing in order to remain the league
favorite. Now that he’s provided a spark on offense and helped
save the season after Sean Glennon was ineffective, he needs to
do more in the passing game. Virginia Tech is near the bottom of
the country in passing offense, and has thrown just two
touchdown passes all year. That’s fine against Furman and
Western Kentucky, but it won’t be nearly enough in huge
second-half trips to Boston College and Florida State.
Best remaining conference game – Virginia Tech at Florida
State, Oct. 25
Could this be a preview of the ACC Championship game in
December? It might be, especially if the Seminoles hold serve at
home. Both teams will be scrapping for a division title, and the
coaching match up between Bobby Bowden and Frank Beamer will be
worth the price of admission on its own. Each defense is
littered with future NFL players, so points and first downs will
come at a premium. It’s only a hunch, but with both schools
being well-coached on special teams, the kicking games could be
the difference in an evenly-matched game.
Team Mid-Season MVPs & Predictions
Boston College – LB Brian Toal
predicted wins: Clemson, Notre Dame, Maryland
predicted losses: at North Carolina, at Florida State, at Wake
Forest
predicted record: 8-4
Clemson – RB C.J. Spiller
predicted wins: Duke
predicted losses: at Boston College, Georgia Tech, at Virginia,
at Florida State, South Carolina
predicted record: 4-8
Duke – WR Eron Riley
predicted wins: NC State
predicted losses: at Vanderbilt, at Wake Forest, at Clemson, at
Virginia Tech, North Carolina
predicted record: 4-8
Florida State
– LB Derek Nicholson
predicted wins: at NC State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Boston
College, at Maryland
predicted losses: at Georgia Tech, Florida
predicted record: 9-3
Georgia Tech – RB Jonathan Dwyer
predicted wins: at Clemson, at North Carolina, Virginia, Florida
State, Miami
predicted losses: at Georgia
predicted record: 9-3
Maryland – RB Da’Rel Scott
predicted wins: NC State,
predicted losses: at Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Florida
State, at Boston College
predicted record: 6-6
Miami – RB Graig Cooper
predicted wins: at NC State
predicted losses: Wake Forest, at Virginia, Virginia Tech, at
Georgia Tech
predicted record: 5-7
North Carolina – WR Brandon Tate
predicted wins: Boston College, at Maryland, NC State, at Duke
predicted losses: Georgia Tech
predicted record: 9-3
NC State – LB Ray Michel
predicted wins: None
predicted losses: Florida State, at Maryland, at Duke, Wake
Forest, at North Carolina, Miami
predicted record: 2-10
Virginia – LB Clint Sintim
predicted wins: Miami, Clemson
predicted losses: at Georgia Tech, at Wake Forest, at Virginia
Tech
predicted record: 6-6
Virginia Tech – DE Orion Martin
predicted wins: Maryland, at Miami, Duke, Virginia
predicted losses: at Florida State
predicted record: 9-3
Wake Forest – CB Alphonso Smith
predicted wins: at Miami, Duke, Virginia, at NC State, Boston
College, Vanderbilt
predicted losses: None
predicted record: 10-2
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