Okay I first want to say thank you to anyone who has come to my site, and anyone who has returned here. I urge you to read my previews (below). However, time has been short of late, and I will not have time to write for a few days, maybe a few weeks. I will begin again before the season start, and will spread links around when I do. Oh and here are my projected Coastal Standings:
Virginia Tech: 11-1 (7-1)
Miami: 9-3 (6-2)
Georgia Tech: 10-2 (6-2)
North Carolina: 3-9 (2-6)
Virginia: 6-6 (2-6)
Duke: 0-12 (0-8)
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
ACC Preview (Virginia Tech)
Virginia Tech – Last Year: (10-3, 6-2), Returning Starters: 16 (8 off., 8 def.)
Virginia Tech will be America’s team this year after the horrendous events of April 16th. They are the favorites to win the ACC, and are considered National title contenders. That said, the Hokies do not always play well under pressure. Here’s a little story for you. In 2005, Virginia Tech was undefeated and ranked third in the country behind USC and Texas. College Gameday rolled into town to see Tech play Miami, who was ranked fifth. Tech was hammered, and that was the end of their national championship hopes.
Offense: Virginia Tech was ranked 99th in the country in offense last year. They do, however, return eight starters including All-ACC tailback Branden Ore. Ore rushed for over 1100 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Hokies return four of their top five receivers, including speedster Eddie Royal. The question about Tech’s offense is the offensive line and quarterback Sean Glennon, who had four turnovers in the second half of the Chik-fil-a Bowl. The offensive line must replace two starters, but it should be much better than last year. Ed Wang made the move from tight-end to right tackle, and should start for Tech. Glennon, who appears stronger and more accurate, will start the year, and is unlikely to lose his job. If he comes out as poorly as he ended last year, his likely backup is Ike Whitaker, although true freshman Tyrod Taylor has been taking snaps with the second team offense this week.
Defense: Great. That is the only preview that is needed of Virginia Tech’s defense. Tech returns eight starters from a defense that was number one in the country last year. Not that that stat is new. Tech was number one in the country in 2005, and fourth in 2004. The Hokies have three legitimate candidates to be All-Americans in linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, and cornerback Brandon Flowers. Tech biggest losses from last year were defensive end Nolan Burchette and Rover Aaron Rouse, both of whom were drafted. Orion Martin will likely replace Burchette, while Rouse will be replaced by sophomore Kam Chancellor, who saw time last year as a true freshman at cornerback.
Special Teams: This is the biggest question about Virginia Tech, which is odd considering how solid Tech’s special teams usually are. Kicker Brandon Pace and punter Nick Schmitt are both gone, and they will be replaced by Jud Dunlevy and Brent Bowden respectively. Return man Eddie Royal was first team All-ACC last year, and he can change a game at any time.
Conclusion: The Hokies have a tough game early in the season when they venture to Baton Rouge to play the LSU Tigers (who was recently ranked number two in the coach’s poll). If Tech can win down there, they have a good shot to finish the season undefeated and venture forth to the national championship.
S 1st East Carolina W
S 8th at LSU W
S 15th Ohio W
S 22nd William & Mary W
S 29th North Carolina W
O 6th at Clemson W
O 13th at Duke W
O 25th Boston College W
N 1st at Georgia Tech W
N 10th Florida State L
N 17th Miami W
N 24th at Virginia W
Virginia Tech will be America’s team this year after the horrendous events of April 16th. They are the favorites to win the ACC, and are considered National title contenders. That said, the Hokies do not always play well under pressure. Here’s a little story for you. In 2005, Virginia Tech was undefeated and ranked third in the country behind USC and Texas. College Gameday rolled into town to see Tech play Miami, who was ranked fifth. Tech was hammered, and that was the end of their national championship hopes.
Offense: Virginia Tech was ranked 99th in the country in offense last year. They do, however, return eight starters including All-ACC tailback Branden Ore. Ore rushed for over 1100 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Hokies return four of their top five receivers, including speedster Eddie Royal. The question about Tech’s offense is the offensive line and quarterback Sean Glennon, who had four turnovers in the second half of the Chik-fil-a Bowl. The offensive line must replace two starters, but it should be much better than last year. Ed Wang made the move from tight-end to right tackle, and should start for Tech. Glennon, who appears stronger and more accurate, will start the year, and is unlikely to lose his job. If he comes out as poorly as he ended last year, his likely backup is Ike Whitaker, although true freshman Tyrod Taylor has been taking snaps with the second team offense this week.
Defense: Great. That is the only preview that is needed of Virginia Tech’s defense. Tech returns eight starters from a defense that was number one in the country last year. Not that that stat is new. Tech was number one in the country in 2005, and fourth in 2004. The Hokies have three legitimate candidates to be All-Americans in linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, and cornerback Brandon Flowers. Tech biggest losses from last year were defensive end Nolan Burchette and Rover Aaron Rouse, both of whom were drafted. Orion Martin will likely replace Burchette, while Rouse will be replaced by sophomore Kam Chancellor, who saw time last year as a true freshman at cornerback.
Special Teams: This is the biggest question about Virginia Tech, which is odd considering how solid Tech’s special teams usually are. Kicker Brandon Pace and punter Nick Schmitt are both gone, and they will be replaced by Jud Dunlevy and Brent Bowden respectively. Return man Eddie Royal was first team All-ACC last year, and he can change a game at any time.
Conclusion: The Hokies have a tough game early in the season when they venture to Baton Rouge to play the LSU Tigers (who was recently ranked number two in the coach’s poll). If Tech can win down there, they have a good shot to finish the season undefeated and venture forth to the national championship.
S 1st East Carolina W
S 8th at LSU W
S 15th Ohio W
S 22nd William & Mary W
S 29th North Carolina W
O 6th at Clemson W
O 13th at Duke W
O 25th Boston College W
N 1st at Georgia Tech W
N 10th Florida State L
N 17th Miami W
N 24th at Virginia W
Friday, August 3, 2007
ACC Preview (Virginia)
Virginia – Last year (5-7, 4-4), Returning Starters: 18 (8 off., 10 def.)
Virginia Achieved just five wins last year, and one of those was an overtime game against Wyoming in which Wyoming missed an extra-point that would have sent the game to double overtime. The ‘cavs beat winless Duke, three win North Carolina and three win NC State. The lone bright spot was beating Miami, although Miami only managed seven wins last year.
Offense: UVA returns eight starters on offense, but should have one more. Wide Receiver Kevin Ogletree was hurt earlier this year and is out for the season. Ogletree had 300 more yards receiving than Virginia’s second leading receiver, and no one else on the roster is very experienced. A year ago, UVA was forced to move fullback Jason Snelling to tail back, but this year, they should have no such problems. Either Cedric Peerman or redshirt-freshman Keith Payne will start at tailback this year, and either will likely be a step up from last year. Keith Payne is a mammoth to be in the backfield, but don’t question his athleticism. If you are reading this, then you are probably a big enough college football fan to know who Percy Harvin is (#1 recruit in the country in the class of 2006). If not, Harvin is a WR who plays for Florida, and played a lot last year as a true freshman on a team that won the national championship. He is an athletic freak who can fly down the field. In the Virginia state championship game during both Harvin’s and Payne’s senior season, Payne covered Harvin, and shut him down. Back to UVA. UVa returns all five offensive linemen, as well as its tight end. UVA returns quarterback Jameel Sewell, who is a dual threat player.
Defense: The Cavaliers return all but one of their starters from a defense that gave up less that 18 ppg., and ranked third in pass defense and fourth in total defense. Marcus Hamilton is the only starter that needs to be replaced, and look for either Mike Brown of Vic Hall to replace him. Hall, who won two state championships (and played in another) at quarterback, is listed at 5’9”, but, having stood next to him, I can say that Vic is closer to 5’6”, which could hold him back.
Special Teams: Virginia returns kicker Chris Gould, but that could be a bad thing as he made just 11 of 18 field goals last year. Ryan Weigand returns at punter. Look for Chris Dalton to return kicks, and Mike Brown to return punts.
Conclusion: If UVA can improve on offense, they will be better this year. The ‘cavs will go to a bowl game this year, but it will be in December, not January.
S 1st at Wyoming W
S 8th Duke W
S 15th at North Carolina L
S 22nd Georgia Tech L
S 29th Pittsburgh W
O 6th at Middle Tennessee W
O 13th Connecticut W
O 20th at Maryland L
O 27th at NC State W
N 3rd Wake Forest L
N 10th at Miami L
N 24th Virginia Tech L
Virginia Achieved just five wins last year, and one of those was an overtime game against Wyoming in which Wyoming missed an extra-point that would have sent the game to double overtime. The ‘cavs beat winless Duke, three win North Carolina and three win NC State. The lone bright spot was beating Miami, although Miami only managed seven wins last year.
Offense: UVA returns eight starters on offense, but should have one more. Wide Receiver Kevin Ogletree was hurt earlier this year and is out for the season. Ogletree had 300 more yards receiving than Virginia’s second leading receiver, and no one else on the roster is very experienced. A year ago, UVA was forced to move fullback Jason Snelling to tail back, but this year, they should have no such problems. Either Cedric Peerman or redshirt-freshman Keith Payne will start at tailback this year, and either will likely be a step up from last year. Keith Payne is a mammoth to be in the backfield, but don’t question his athleticism. If you are reading this, then you are probably a big enough college football fan to know who Percy Harvin is (#1 recruit in the country in the class of 2006). If not, Harvin is a WR who plays for Florida, and played a lot last year as a true freshman on a team that won the national championship. He is an athletic freak who can fly down the field. In the Virginia state championship game during both Harvin’s and Payne’s senior season, Payne covered Harvin, and shut him down. Back to UVA. UVa returns all five offensive linemen, as well as its tight end. UVA returns quarterback Jameel Sewell, who is a dual threat player.
Defense: The Cavaliers return all but one of their starters from a defense that gave up less that 18 ppg., and ranked third in pass defense and fourth in total defense. Marcus Hamilton is the only starter that needs to be replaced, and look for either Mike Brown of Vic Hall to replace him. Hall, who won two state championships (and played in another) at quarterback, is listed at 5’9”, but, having stood next to him, I can say that Vic is closer to 5’6”, which could hold him back.
Special Teams: Virginia returns kicker Chris Gould, but that could be a bad thing as he made just 11 of 18 field goals last year. Ryan Weigand returns at punter. Look for Chris Dalton to return kicks, and Mike Brown to return punts.
Conclusion: If UVA can improve on offense, they will be better this year. The ‘cavs will go to a bowl game this year, but it will be in December, not January.
S 1st at Wyoming W
S 8th Duke W
S 15th at North Carolina L
S 22nd Georgia Tech L
S 29th Pittsburgh W
O 6th at Middle Tennessee W
O 13th Connecticut W
O 20th at Maryland L
O 27th at NC State W
N 3rd Wake Forest L
N 10th at Miami L
N 24th Virginia Tech L
Thursday, August 2, 2007
ACC Preview (North Carolina)
North Carolina – Last year: (3-9, 2-6), Returning Starters: 10 (5 off., 5 def.)
North Carolina won just three games last year, and they weren’t against good teams. The Tar Heels squeaked by 1-AA Furman 45-42, beat three win NC State 23-9, and beat winless Duke by one, and Duke missed an extra-point that would have tied the game. Carolina went out and got a new head coach in Butch Davis, who is a good coach and an excellent recruiter.
Offense: North Carolina returns both Joe Dailey and Cam Sexton at the quarterback position, but UNC would likely be better served if those two players did not see the field this year. Dailey threw seven touchdowns and ten picks, whereas Sexton had four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Dailey will play WR this year, and Sexton will have to fight for playing time this year as redshirt freshmen T.J. Yates and B.J. Phillips are in the hunt for the starting job. Also, incoming freshman Mike Paulus might push for playing time (yes, the brother of the Duke point guard). UNC has plenty of talent at WR, but Carolina will likely have to start a freshman at tailback if senior Barrington Edwards’ suspension does not end before the season starts.
Defense: The Tar Heels’ defense is fairly young. They are likely to start two freshmen, three sophomores, a junior, and five seniors. Middle-linebacker Durell Mapp returns, and was the Tar Heels leading tackler last year. If the Tar Heels hope to improve from last year, they will have to improve on their 30.5 ppg given up, and 172.8 ypg given up on the game. Incoming freshman Marvin Austin, the top defensive tackle prospect in the country in the class of 2007 should help with those atrocious numbers.
Special Teams: It’s hard to do much better kicking field goals than Connor Barth did last year, as he was a solid 10-10 last year. Senior John Choate will kick, and Brandon Tate returns as to return both punts and kicks.
Conclusion: UNC has a tough schedule this year, having to travel to East Carolina (who beat NC State and UVA last year), to South Florida, and, although they play South Carolina at home, South Carolina is better than North Carolina. North Carolina is going to resurface as a solid college football program, but it won’t be this year. Once Davis has had a chance to get his recruits trained and on the field, Carolina could be a force in the Coastal.
S 1st James Madison W
S 8th at East Carolina L
S 15th Virginia W
S 22nd at South Florida L
S 29th at Virginia Tech L
O 6th Miami L
O 13th South Carolina L
O 27th at Wake Forest L
N 3rd Maryland L
N 10th at NC State L
N 17th at Georgia Tech L
N 24th Duke W
North Carolina won just three games last year, and they weren’t against good teams. The Tar Heels squeaked by 1-AA Furman 45-42, beat three win NC State 23-9, and beat winless Duke by one, and Duke missed an extra-point that would have tied the game. Carolina went out and got a new head coach in Butch Davis, who is a good coach and an excellent recruiter.
Offense: North Carolina returns both Joe Dailey and Cam Sexton at the quarterback position, but UNC would likely be better served if those two players did not see the field this year. Dailey threw seven touchdowns and ten picks, whereas Sexton had four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Dailey will play WR this year, and Sexton will have to fight for playing time this year as redshirt freshmen T.J. Yates and B.J. Phillips are in the hunt for the starting job. Also, incoming freshman Mike Paulus might push for playing time (yes, the brother of the Duke point guard). UNC has plenty of talent at WR, but Carolina will likely have to start a freshman at tailback if senior Barrington Edwards’ suspension does not end before the season starts.
Defense: The Tar Heels’ defense is fairly young. They are likely to start two freshmen, three sophomores, a junior, and five seniors. Middle-linebacker Durell Mapp returns, and was the Tar Heels leading tackler last year. If the Tar Heels hope to improve from last year, they will have to improve on their 30.5 ppg given up, and 172.8 ypg given up on the game. Incoming freshman Marvin Austin, the top defensive tackle prospect in the country in the class of 2007 should help with those atrocious numbers.
Special Teams: It’s hard to do much better kicking field goals than Connor Barth did last year, as he was a solid 10-10 last year. Senior John Choate will kick, and Brandon Tate returns as to return both punts and kicks.
Conclusion: UNC has a tough schedule this year, having to travel to East Carolina (who beat NC State and UVA last year), to South Florida, and, although they play South Carolina at home, South Carolina is better than North Carolina. North Carolina is going to resurface as a solid college football program, but it won’t be this year. Once Davis has had a chance to get his recruits trained and on the field, Carolina could be a force in the Coastal.
S 1st James Madison W
S 8th at East Carolina L
S 15th Virginia W
S 22nd at South Florida L
S 29th at Virginia Tech L
O 6th Miami L
O 13th South Carolina L
O 27th at Wake Forest L
N 3rd Maryland L
N 10th at NC State L
N 17th at Georgia Tech L
N 24th Duke W
ACC Preview (Miami)
Miami – Last Year: (7-6, 3-5), Returning Starters: 16 (9 off., 7 def.)
Miami struggled last year, winning just seven games. The sole reason Miami made Sportscenter a lot last year is because of an embarrassing fight with FIU. Miami was crushed by Louisville early in the season, and lost four ACC games in a row towards the end of the season.
Offense: Miami returns nine starters from its offense last year. The Hurricanes offense last year was middle of the pack in the ACC, finishing eighth in scoring (19.6), sixth in rushing (116), a good third in passing (197.5), and sixth in total offense at 313.5 yards per game. Miami will likely have another quarterback battle between Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman. Freeman is a dual threat, while Wright is more pro-style. Neither had overly impressive stats, as they combined for 2500 yards and 15 touchdowns, but also 15 interceptions. Miami lost top receiver TE Greg Olsen, but returns Lance Leggett and Sam Shields. The Hurricanes also return top rusher Javarris James, who rushed for over 800 yards as a freshman last year.
Defense: The ‘canes almost always have a good defense, and this will be a special one. Miami returns three starters from the secondary, as well as DE Calais Campbell, a player who will be a top 15 draft pick whenever he decides to leave college. Miami does have to find two new starters at linebacker, but with the talent that Miami always has, there shouldn’t be a huge drop off in play. The loss of Brandon Merriweather will hurt, but should be eased by the talent and speed the Hurricanes have in the secondary.
Special Teams: Miami needs a new kicker and punter. Matt Bosher should kick, while Daren Daly should punt. Returns should be handled by Bruce Johnson.
Conclusion: Newly hired head coach Randy Shannon was the Hurricanes defensive coordinator, replacing him is Tim Walton. If any Miami quarterback can pick up his play, the Hurricanes are likely to rebound from last year.
S 1st Marshall W
S 8th at Oklahoma L
S 15th Florida International W
S 20th Texas A&M W
S 29th Duke W
O 6th at North Carolina W
O 13th Georgia Tech W
O 20th at Florida State W
N 3rd NC State W
N 10th Virginia W
N 17th at Virginia Tech L
N 24th at Boston College L
Miami struggled last year, winning just seven games. The sole reason Miami made Sportscenter a lot last year is because of an embarrassing fight with FIU. Miami was crushed by Louisville early in the season, and lost four ACC games in a row towards the end of the season.
Offense: Miami returns nine starters from its offense last year. The Hurricanes offense last year was middle of the pack in the ACC, finishing eighth in scoring (19.6), sixth in rushing (116), a good third in passing (197.5), and sixth in total offense at 313.5 yards per game. Miami will likely have another quarterback battle between Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman. Freeman is a dual threat, while Wright is more pro-style. Neither had overly impressive stats, as they combined for 2500 yards and 15 touchdowns, but also 15 interceptions. Miami lost top receiver TE Greg Olsen, but returns Lance Leggett and Sam Shields. The Hurricanes also return top rusher Javarris James, who rushed for over 800 yards as a freshman last year.
Defense: The ‘canes almost always have a good defense, and this will be a special one. Miami returns three starters from the secondary, as well as DE Calais Campbell, a player who will be a top 15 draft pick whenever he decides to leave college. Miami does have to find two new starters at linebacker, but with the talent that Miami always has, there shouldn’t be a huge drop off in play. The loss of Brandon Merriweather will hurt, but should be eased by the talent and speed the Hurricanes have in the secondary.
Special Teams: Miami needs a new kicker and punter. Matt Bosher should kick, while Daren Daly should punt. Returns should be handled by Bruce Johnson.
Conclusion: Newly hired head coach Randy Shannon was the Hurricanes defensive coordinator, replacing him is Tim Walton. If any Miami quarterback can pick up his play, the Hurricanes are likely to rebound from last year.
S 1st Marshall W
S 8th at Oklahoma L
S 15th Florida International W
S 20th Texas A&M W
S 29th Duke W
O 6th at North Carolina W
O 13th Georgia Tech W
O 20th at Florida State W
N 3rd NC State W
N 10th Virginia W
N 17th at Virginia Tech L
N 24th at Boston College L
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
ACC Preview (Georgia Tech)
Georgia Tech – Last Year (9-5, 7-1), Returning Starters: 15 (7 off., 8 def.)
Georgia Tech had one of its better years last year, despite losing three in a row to end the season. However, all three loses were to teams who finished the season ranked (Georgia, Wake Forest, and West Virginia).
Offense: Reggie Ball had a good TD-int. ratio at 20:14. However, he completed a horrendous 44.4 percent of his passes. When throwing to all-world Calvin Johnson and solid receiver James Johnson, that poor of a completion percentage in inexcusable. He was academically ineligible for the Gator Bowl against West Virginia, and this year’s likely starter Taylor Bennett responded with 19-29 for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, which had many fans wondering why he had not seen the field earlier. Bennett will likely be more consistent through the air this year, but it is true that when Reggie Ball was on, he was very good. GT returns ACC leading rusher in Tashard Choice, who rushed for 1473 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. The Yellow Jackets will have to replace their best player this year as Calvin Johnson decided to opt out of his senior year and take his talents to the NFL. However, James Johnson, who had 39 catches for 608 yards and 7 touchdowns last year, is talented and experienced enough to slightly ease the exit of Calvin Johnson.
Defense: Jon Tenuta’s defense is usually very good, and this year will be no exception. The only green starter this will be strong side linebacker Anthony Barnes, who is extremely talented. Philip Wheeler is a very good linebacker, and Strong Safety Jamal Lewis was All-ACC last year.
Special Teams: Durant Brooks is the best punter in the ACC and Travis Bell returns at kicker, and although he had a rough season a year ago, he was All-ACC two years ago. Look for Andrew Smith to return punts, and Jamaal Evans to return kicks.
Conclusion: Georgia Tech won the Coastal Division last year, and could win it again as they host Virginia Tech. There are no clear loses on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule.
S 1st at Notre Dame W
S 8th Samford W
S 15th Boston College W
S 22nd at Virginia W
S 29th Clemson W
O 6th at Maryland W
O 13th at Miami L
O 20th Army W
N 1st Virginia Tech L
N 10th at Duke W
N 17th North Carolina W
N 24th Georgia W
Georgia Tech had one of its better years last year, despite losing three in a row to end the season. However, all three loses were to teams who finished the season ranked (Georgia, Wake Forest, and West Virginia).
Offense: Reggie Ball had a good TD-int. ratio at 20:14. However, he completed a horrendous 44.4 percent of his passes. When throwing to all-world Calvin Johnson and solid receiver James Johnson, that poor of a completion percentage in inexcusable. He was academically ineligible for the Gator Bowl against West Virginia, and this year’s likely starter Taylor Bennett responded with 19-29 for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, which had many fans wondering why he had not seen the field earlier. Bennett will likely be more consistent through the air this year, but it is true that when Reggie Ball was on, he was very good. GT returns ACC leading rusher in Tashard Choice, who rushed for 1473 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. The Yellow Jackets will have to replace their best player this year as Calvin Johnson decided to opt out of his senior year and take his talents to the NFL. However, James Johnson, who had 39 catches for 608 yards and 7 touchdowns last year, is talented and experienced enough to slightly ease the exit of Calvin Johnson.
Defense: Jon Tenuta’s defense is usually very good, and this year will be no exception. The only green starter this will be strong side linebacker Anthony Barnes, who is extremely talented. Philip Wheeler is a very good linebacker, and Strong Safety Jamal Lewis was All-ACC last year.
Special Teams: Durant Brooks is the best punter in the ACC and Travis Bell returns at kicker, and although he had a rough season a year ago, he was All-ACC two years ago. Look for Andrew Smith to return punts, and Jamaal Evans to return kicks.
Conclusion: Georgia Tech won the Coastal Division last year, and could win it again as they host Virginia Tech. There are no clear loses on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule.
S 1st at Notre Dame W
S 8th Samford W
S 15th Boston College W
S 22nd at Virginia W
S 29th Clemson W
O 6th at Maryland W
O 13th at Miami L
O 20th Army W
N 1st Virginia Tech L
N 10th at Duke W
N 17th North Carolina W
N 24th Georgia W
ACC Preview (Duke)
Duke – Last Year: (0-12, 0-8), Returning Starters: 16 (11 off., 5 def.)
Duke won four games in 2003, two in 2004, one in 2005, and none in 2006. In 2006, Duke scored less than 15 points per game, and gave up over 33. The do return all eleven starters from an offense that was last in the league in scoring, tenth in rushing, and eleventh in total offense. Duke was fifth in passing offense last year, which was good for Duke.
Offense: Duke’s lone bright spot offensively last year was Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Although he completed only 53 percent of his passes, and threw 16 interceptions as opposed to just 11 touchdowns, it was clear that he has talent. Duke returns its top five rushers, who rushed for over 1100 (4.06 ypc.) yards and nine touchdowns. The Devils also return just about everyone who caught a pass last year, as well as all five offensive linemen. That said, they were so bad last year, they will still be bad this year.
Defense: Duke was last in the conference in scoring, pass, and total defense, and second to last in rush defense. They lose six starters from that defense, but they will have a difficulty getting worse, although the pass defense will likely be worse. Duke’s best player a year ago was CB John Talley, and now that he is gone, Duke is unlikely to have any strength on defense.
Special Teams: Duke does return kicker Joe Surgan and punter Kevin Jones. Unfortunately, Joe Surgan was 3-10 on Field Goals last year. Return man Jabari Marshall did average 25.1 yards on kick returns, which is good.
Conclusion: Duke was bad last year, and they are going to be bad this year. Two years ago, Wake Forest in the cellar of the Atlantic, but last year the rose to the top. Duke is not going to do that.
S 1st Connecticut L
S 8th at Virginia L
S 15th at Northwestern L
S 22nd at Navy L
S 29th at Miami L
O 6th Wake Forest L
O 13th Virginia Tech L
O 27th at Florida State L
N 3rd Clemson L
N 10th Georgia Tech L
N 17th at Notre Dame L
N 24th at North Carolina L
Duke won four games in 2003, two in 2004, one in 2005, and none in 2006. In 2006, Duke scored less than 15 points per game, and gave up over 33. The do return all eleven starters from an offense that was last in the league in scoring, tenth in rushing, and eleventh in total offense. Duke was fifth in passing offense last year, which was good for Duke.
Offense: Duke’s lone bright spot offensively last year was Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Although he completed only 53 percent of his passes, and threw 16 interceptions as opposed to just 11 touchdowns, it was clear that he has talent. Duke returns its top five rushers, who rushed for over 1100 (4.06 ypc.) yards and nine touchdowns. The Devils also return just about everyone who caught a pass last year, as well as all five offensive linemen. That said, they were so bad last year, they will still be bad this year.
Defense: Duke was last in the conference in scoring, pass, and total defense, and second to last in rush defense. They lose six starters from that defense, but they will have a difficulty getting worse, although the pass defense will likely be worse. Duke’s best player a year ago was CB John Talley, and now that he is gone, Duke is unlikely to have any strength on defense.
Special Teams: Duke does return kicker Joe Surgan and punter Kevin Jones. Unfortunately, Joe Surgan was 3-10 on Field Goals last year. Return man Jabari Marshall did average 25.1 yards on kick returns, which is good.
Conclusion: Duke was bad last year, and they are going to be bad this year. Two years ago, Wake Forest in the cellar of the Atlantic, but last year the rose to the top. Duke is not going to do that.
S 1st Connecticut L
S 8th at Virginia L
S 15th at Northwestern L
S 22nd at Navy L
S 29th at Miami L
O 6th Wake Forest L
O 13th Virginia Tech L
O 27th at Florida State L
N 3rd Clemson L
N 10th Georgia Tech L
N 17th at Notre Dame L
N 24th at North Carolina L
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