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Virginia (8-2) at Miami (5-4)
7:15 EST, ESPN2
Why to Watch: The way
Miami has been playing at home,
it’s probably not such a bad
thing that this will be its
final game at the Orange Bowl
after 71 seasons and more than
400 games. The Hurricanes have
lost two straight at the OB for
the first time in a decade,
including last week’s horror
show to then 3-5 NC State. In
that overtime loss, Cane QB
Kirby Freeman completed just
1-of-14 passes, prompting Randy
Shannon to name Kyle Wright his
starter for this week, even
though the senior has a tender
ankle and knee. With road trips
to Virginia Tech and Boston
College still left, Miami better
hold serve if it plans to take
part in the bowl season.
Virginia continues to be the
surprise of the ACC in 2007,
winning a slew of nail-biters
and holding a half-game edge on
Virginia Tech in the Coastal
Division. With last week’s
17-16 escape of Wake Forest, the
Cardiac Cavs became the first
team in college football history
to win five games in a season by
two points or less, the sign of
a team that’s disciplined, hard
working, and resilient. No
matter what happens in Miami
this Saturday night, the
division is likely to boil down
to the Nov. 24 visit from the
Hokies.
Why Virginia might win:
The Cavaliers aren’t sensational
in any one area, but they’ve had
a habit all year of keeping
games close with the defense,
and then pulling them out in the
final quarter. Virginia has
learned how to win games, a
trick that’s been eluding
Miami. The Hurricanes are
spotty on offense, getting no
support from the ACC’s worst
passing attack. Wright will
play, but he’s still not 100%,
real bad news with ends Chris
Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald
determined to hunt him down.
Why Miami might win:
While it may not be vintage
Canes, the defense is still
pretty stout, holding opponents
to less than 20 points a game
since getting ambushed by
Oklahoma on Sept. 8. Virginia
features a vanilla offense
that’s 10th in the
league in scoring and 101st
nationally in total offense.
With Jameel Sewell at the helm
and Mikell Simpson carrying the
load in the backfield, there’s
no one in the Cavalier attack
that’ll keep Miami defensive
coordinator Tim Walton from
getting sleep this week. While
Virginia has been perfect in
Charlottesville, away from home,
there’s been no such magic,
losing at Wyoming and NC State,
and barely getting past North
Carolina and Middle Tennessee.
Who to watch: Virginia
isn’t going to accomplish much
on the perimeter, so it’ll be up
to the Miami defense to be stout
in the middle of the field and
in run defense. One defender
that’s been really coming on
lately is LB Colin McCarthy,
who’s had 22 tackles, five
tackles for loss, a sack, and a
touchdown over the last two
games. Wearing No. 44 and
making plays all over the field,
it’s no wonder the sophomore is
drawing some early comparisons
to former Hurricane great, Dan
Morgan.
What Will Happen: With
its back against the wall, Miami
has stepped up twice this season
in prove-it games, beating Texas
A&M in September and Florida
State last month. With a slew
of dignitaries in attendance,
the Hurricanes will come through
one more time, saying goodbye to
the Orange Bowl with a
hard-fought victory.
CFN Prediction:
Miami
23 … Virginia 17
... Line: Miami -3.5
Must See Rating: (5
Seinfeld: Season 9 - 1 Bee
Movie) ... 3
Boston College (8-1) at Maryland
(4-5)
8:00 EST, ABC
Why to Watch: Just
because its spotless season and
national title run were ended by
Florida State last Saturday
night doesn’t mean Boston
College will be dusting off the
golf clubs anytime soon. The
Eagles still have plenty to play
for, including an ACC title
that’s up for grabs with five
programs still solidly in the
mix. Their Atlantic Division
lead over Clemson and Wake
Forest has been trimmed to just
a half game, making every game
this month a must-win if the
program is to play in its
first-ever BCS bowl game. Just
a month ago, Maryland was a
trendy choice to make some noise
in the conference after beating
Rutgers and Georgia Tech in
back-to-back weekends. That,
however, was before the Terps
would lose three straight games,
plummeting into the Atlantic
Division cellar. With road
games at Florida State and an
improving NC State still to
come, Maryland needs to somehow
muster up an upset in order to
have any hope of playing a 13th
game.
Why Boston College might win:
While it hasn’t looked that way
the last two weeks, the Eagles
are close to a complete team,
which plays solid defense,
creates turnovers, and has a
game-changer in QB Matt Ryan.
Fueled by the nation’s No. 1 run
defense, they’ll have no
problems stuffing a Maryland
offense that’s reliant on the
ground attack, and has been held
to just 48 points over the last
three games. The Terrapin
offensive line is one of the
least effective in the country,
which Boston College will
exploit with blitzes and
pressure around the corner with
ends Alex Albright and Nick
Larkin.
Why Maryland might win:
The lone constant for the
Terrapins has been the defense,
which has survived countless
three-and-outs from the offense,
keeping the program in almost
every game. Boston College has
Ryan, but not much else on
offense that’ll frighten a very
fast Maryland defense. For all
the hype that the Eagle offense
gets, it’s only scored more than
30 points twice in the last
seven games, and that was
against Bowling Green and Army.
The Terp D will keep things cozy
long enough for QB Chris Turner
to take advantage of a soft BC
secondary, hooking up with WR
Darrius Heyward-Bey on a couple
of long gainers.
Who to watch: Boston
College LBs Jolonn Dunbar and
Tyrone Pruitt are questionable
with injured ankles, putting
added pressure on Mark Herzlich
to make plays in run defense
from the weakside. The
sophomore has been a revelation
in his debut season as a
starter, posting 60 tackles and
a team-high 7.5 tackles for
loss. Herzlich will get plenty
of chances to pad his numbers
against a Maryland team that’ll
try to establish the run with
Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore.
What Will Happen:
Bruised, both physically and
mentally, Maryland is in no
position to get in the way of a
Boston College team that’s
looking to regroup and get back
on the path to an ACC title.
Ryan will play his best game in
three weeks, throwing for a
couple of scores in a
double-digit win for the Eagles.
CFN Prediction:
Boston
College 27 … Maryland 16
...
Line: Boston College -5.5
Must See Rating: (5
Seinfeld: Season 9 - 1 Bee
Movie) ... 3
ACC Week
11 Predictions, Part 2 |
