Ball or Nuthin' » Hurricanes

Not A Bad Day For the ACC

T Lamont — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:08:36 +0000

For decades, the Atlantic Coast Conference has been noted as a basketball powerhouse. And over the past five or so years, Saturday mornings in the fall have proven what everyone has said to be correct.

To put it bluntly, ACC teams have been horrible on the gridiron.

There’s always a certain level of strength of schedule-type acceptance when it comes to playing teams in your own conference. Blowing out your conference mates would only damage the nation’s perception of the parity within the group. And there hasn’t been much statistical dominance in the ACC in quite some time. But it hasn’t been because teams haven’t been trying.

It’s been because no teams have been good enough to be dominant.

Sure, Florida State had its moments when it first joined the league. Miami was a big stage team for years. And we’re accustomed to seeing Virginia Tech finagle its way to the Orange Bowl on an annual basis.

But the BCS has to give somebody from just about every conference a chance to shine, right?

Perhaps the truest measure of the ACC’s ability can be seen in its non-conference schedule against the NCAA’s biggest opponents. The nation’s best programs have made a mockery of the conference, coming up with virtually all of wins in the inter-conference showdowns.

And what’s the kicker?

The ACC’s performance has been so bleak that a day like yesterday needs to be celebrated.

Clemson dominated Auburn – and it was domination, indeed. The ACC’s Tigers racked up 624 yards of offense against a program which is usually noted for its tough defense. As dictated by its equal aplomb running (238 yards) and passing (386 yards), Clemson did what it wanted to in a big matchup against a ranked opponent.

Jacory Harris and the Hurricanes got out to the early lead and never looked back against Ohio State.

The very mention of Ohio State and Miami traditionally draws even the casual football fan to the television set. They’ve slipped up a bit in recent years, but the press continues to keep the Buckeyes up on a lofty perch (albeit with an unusually low #17 ranking). The Hurricanes controlled this game behind Lamar Miller 184 yards, and by the defense keeping Ohio State one dimensional (only 35 yards passing).

Finally, nightcap action saw Seminoles of Florida State in a neck-and-neck duel with Oklahoma. Florida State knotted the score at 13 in the fourth quarter, but the Sooners countered with an eight play, 83-yard drive that put the game out of reach for the Seminoles’ low-powered offense. Being ranked #5 in the nation, Florida State certainly can’t be satisfied with moral victories. However, the result of this game remained a far cry from the outcomes of past top notch inter-conference matchups featuring and ACC team. The Seminoles represented themselves respectably, and that was something that the conference sorely needed.

Although the ACC accounted for itself well last night, it was still only one night. There remains an incredibly large amount of the season left for the conference to show its true colors.

Fans of programs in the conference can only hope that those colors look a lot like they did on Saturday night.

Miami, Ohio State Begin Their BCS Marches

T Lamont — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:42:18 +0000

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It’s opening night for the NCAA football season – and while we’ll have to wait until Monday for a real powerhouse match-up – a couple of top-tier teams made some noise as their started their campaigns to BCS success.

The Miami Hurricanes and Ohio State Buckeyes smashed their opponents by a combined score of 90-7, as they got themselves off to a predictably good start in those BCS computers.

The ‘Canes stuck it to the Florida A&M Rattlers tonight, 45-0, with quarterbacking sensation Jacory Harris leading the way. Harris was efficient, completing 12 of his 15 pass attempts for 210 yards and three touchdowns. And, oh yeah, this was all in the first half. The junior sat out the second half, making way for Alonzo Highsmith and Spencer Whipple – the team’s second and third-string quarterbacks.

But the Hurricanes were far from one dimensional. They netted 155 yards on the ground, led by Larry Miller’s 65 yards (and touchdown). The ‘Canes displayed balanced dominance by gaining 22 non-penalty first downs – half of them each by air and ground. And their defense held the Rattlers to 110 net yards.

Jacory was so good that he didn't even break a sweat in the second half against FAMU.

Ohio State’s opening game was just as lopsided. The Buckeyes ran all over the Marshall Thundering Herd, 45-7. And, indeed, it was the running game that allowed OSU to control the game. They outrushed Marshall by the margin of 280-44. Senior Brandon Saine rushed nine times for 103 yards and two TDs. Jamaal Berry also ran for 80 yards on seven carries.

Not to be outdone, Heisman Trophy candidate Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three scores. Pryor was certainly getting everyone involved, as nine different receivers caught passes in the game. Of his 25 tries, Pryor connected on 17 of them.

After this week’s impressive tune-ups, the teams will have much tougher opponents next week – - namely, each other. With Miami being ranked #13, the game is more important to their BCS hopes than it would be to #2-ranked Ohio State. However, with the season still in its infancy in Week 2 - and with conferences games yet to be played - there’s plenty of time left to recover from a blemish.

Just as long as it disappears from our thoughts and minds by the close of the season.

As well as the formulas in those pesky computers.

Clemson Beats Miami in OT, 40-37

T Lamont — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:11:49 +0000

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The topsy-turvy roller coaster that is the ACC continued to stay true to its reputation.

The 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes were defeated by the Clemson Tigers in overtime, 40-37. Clemson QB Kyle Parker was 25 of 37 for 326 yards and 3 TD’s – including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford in overtime to give the Tigers the win. But running back C.J. Spiller provided to be Clemson’s meal ticket. His dominanace kept the Tigers in this contest against a heavily favored Miami team. Spiller contributed the following:

- 81 yards rushing on 14 carries

- 90-yard kickoff return for a TD

- 104 yards receiving, including a 56-yard TD reception

- 310 total all-purpose yards

The game saw 10 lead changes and 2 ties. The most significant tie occurring when Clemson tied the game at 34 on a 43-yard field goal by kicker Richard Jackson with under a minute on the game clock. This sent the game into overtime. The Hurricanes converted a field goal on their first OT possession, setting the stage for Clemson’s game-winning touchdown connection.

The victory placed the Tigers at 3-2 in conference play, and in firm position to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division. The Hurricanes fell to 2-2, behind Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Virginia in the ACC Coastal Division.

Hokies: ACC’s Top Dog After Smacking the Hurricanes

T Lamont — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:33:14 +0000

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With two high-scoring wins against solid ACC foes, “The U” looked like it had its swagger back. That is, until they swam into Blacksburg on Saturday afternoon.

On a rainy, soggy gameday, the Virginia Tech Hokies destroyed the Miami Hurricanes, 31-7.

As uninviting as Blacksburg seems, and as boring as their gameplan is…when matched up against a lackluster set of teams in the ACC, the Hokies (3-1 overall, 1-0 ACC) have not been thoroughly tested in the last few years. Miami had hopes of being that team, but they got blindsided before they even got off the team bus.

The home team jumped out to a three touchdown lead, highlighting all aspects of their team in the process. The first TD was set up by a Jacory Harris fumble that was forced by a swarming Virginia Tech blitz. The Hokies recovered and after a few running plays, they were in the end zone. Virginia Tech scored got their second score on a 48-yard play-action pass connection between Tyrod Taylor and Jarrett Boykin. The first half scoring was rounded out when the Hokie special teams blocked a Miami punt, then picked it up and advanced it for the third touchdown to put the team from Blacksburg ahead 21-0.

Ryan Williams provided some tough ground work for the Virginia Tech offense.

Virginia Tech continued to exhibit their persistence to run the ball. They racked up 272 rushing yards, and used their ground game to control the clock and the tempo of the contest. Ryan Williams was once again the workhorse gaining over 150 yards, proving to be the most impactful player on the field in the game.

But with the way that Miami has played in its first two games, the most impressive part of the Hokies’ game was their ability to frustrate sophomore Jacory Harris. Harris has appeared very poised in his first couple of games this season. But today, the Virginia tech defense was able to get to him early and often. Overall, the Hurricane offense was only able to muster up slightly more than 200 yards.

This game’s outcome once again leaves the gang from Blacksburg seemingly the best overall team in the ACC. And this win will only give them more confidence as they march through the remainder of their conference play.

The Hurricanes (2-1 overall, 2-1 ACC) will have no time to lick their wounds. Their next opponent is Oklahoma – who may have Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford back in its lineup – on next Saturday.