Does your mascot ride a motorcycle? I didn't think so.
Alright, so there’s been a lull at DraftZoo the past couple of days. I promise it’s for a good reason, and we’ve got quite a surprise coming up for you, but I can’t say anymore than that. Well, other than that the surprise is on par with finding out you’ve got one more Jimmy Dean sausage biscuit left in that box you thought was empty. Okay, I’ve said too much.
Anyway, the 2009 ACC season is shaping up to be another scintillating year full of national title contenders, Heisman Trophies, and big-time bragging rights. Wait, that’s not right. Sorry, I was thinking about another conference. The ACC is the same as always. Probably a little underrated, but not a real threat to take home any crystal footballs. FSU looks like it could get back to the Conference Title Game, but that might have more to do with the fact that Boston College is no longer a threat. And Clemson might just have turned the corner with Dabo Swinney in, and Cullen Harper gone. One thing’s for sure though, Ralph Friedgen is fat. But he’s a good guy.
Atlantic
1. Florida State Seminoles Offense — How much longer until this is officially Jimbo Fisher’s team? I say officially because it already feels like Fisher has put his mark on this team. The offense was much better last year than it’s been in recent seasons, and with Christian Ponder back at QB for his junior season it could become even more efficient. Ponder tossed only 14 TDs and 13 INTs, but Fisher seems very high on him, and he’ll have a lot of help up front. That’s where all five starters return to protect the backfield, and not one of them is a senior. In fact, three are freshman who should be infinitely better with a full season under their belts.
The loss of receivers Gregg Carr and Preston Parker will hurt, but the talent is still there to fill in. Running back Antone Smith is gone as well, but his 60 yards per game weren’t anything amazing. Sophomore Jermaine Thomas should be an upgrade if he can keeps his yards per carry average anywhere near the seven he managed as a freshman.
Defense — The Seminoles might actually have to rely on the offense in 2009, and that’s still not a warm thought even with the potential that group has. Only three starters are back from a unit that finished third in the ACC in total D, and the star power lost is pretty substantial. Defensive End Everette Brown and safety Myron Rolle both left early, and they weren’t the only ones. However, former National Junior College Player of the Year Markus White looks like a decent candidate to step in for Brown. I’m not sure I’ve ever had to write about replacing a Rhodes Scholar, so I don’t know what to expect from the secondary.
At linebacker, Dekoda Watson had fickle thoughts about going pro, but eventually decided to return. And despite missing spring practice with an elbow injury, he should become a leader on this defense. FSU always seems to find a few good linebackers.
2. Clemson Tigers Offense — Let’s run through this right quick. James Davis? Gone. Aaron Kelly (the ACC all-time leader in receptions)? Gone. Cullen Harper? Gone. Now lets flip it around. Willie Korn (an extremely talented QB who might me more consistent and less whiny than Harper)? Here. CJ Spiller (a running back who can flat out fly and could end up being better by himself than he and Davis ever were together)? Here. Jacoby Ford (a receiver who can flat out fly)? Here. So, it’s the same old story for the Tigers — plenty of talent, a chance to win the conference, and a safe bet to come up short… Maybe not this year. Tommy Bowden and his underachieving ways are gone, and in his place steps the excitable and enthusiastic Dabo Swinney. I’m not completely sold that Spiller can carry the load. And Korn will have to fare pretty well to best Cullen Harper’s junior season (it will be easy to best his numbers from last year). And Swinney still hasn’t proven as much as he’s being given credit for.
Still, this team has a great line with five regulars back including Thomas Austin (All-ACC) and Mason Cloy (Freshman All-America). Swinney could be the right guy, but remember what happened to Bill Stewart last year after everyone fell in love with his bowl win over OU.
Defense — Again, the talent is there. And this time, there’s more experience. Eight starters return from a group that ranked second in the ACC in scoring defense. And that includes DE DaQuan Bowers who should realize his immense potential in a big way as a sophomore. He’ll have to be ferocious on the D line to help replace DT Dorrell Scott. The corners could be a real strength here with both Crezdon Butler and Chris Chancellor back for their final years of eligibility. And finally, linebackers Kavell Conner and Brandon Maye could be the next great Tigers at the position as each started at least eight games last year.
3. North Carolina State Wolfpack Offense — Everyone seems content to pencil the Wolfpack in as their ACC sleeper team. I’m just not sure I see it. Sure they won their final four games to reach bowl eligibility after an awful start, but then proceeded to lose a squeaker to Rutgers to finish with, and get ready for this, a losing season. Sure, going 4-1 down the stretch is impressive, but it came after a 2-6 start. All’s not lost, however. Sophomore QB Russell Wilson appears to be the next big thing on the Atlantic Coast, and his 17-1 TD-INT ratio is pretty damn impressive no matter who he played against. Of course, if he falters, Mike Glennon is an ultra-talented passer who would start for a lot of teams around the country.
The rushing game loses Andre Brown, but should be okay as this has recently been a multiple man job in Raleigh. I’m just not completely sold on an offense that finished 7th in the conference in scoring offense and 88th in the country in total O.
Defense — Seven starters are back for a defense that apparently woke up sometime during the November 1st bye week and proceeded to hold Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest to 17 points or fewer. That’s not incredibly impressive against those clubs, but 17 points is 17 points. The problem is that these seven starters were part of a defense that allowed 29.1 ppg in the other ten games and finished dead last in the ACC in scoring defense. Still, DT Alan-Michael Cash and DE Shea McKeen are experienced players up front, and we all know NC St can recruit D linemen. And while the first eight games saw this unit allow 170.1 rushing yards per game, they gave up just 97.6 over their final five.
There’s a lot to like about a team that really seemed to turn it on in crunch time, but what happens if they struggle out of the gate again against South Carolina and Pittsburgh and at Boston College and Florida State. This year the schedule only gets tougher on the tail end.
4. Boston College Eagles Offense — This is a team I’ve learned not to count out. There’s some sort of special magic surrounding the Eagles, and though I’d like to call this a cellar year for BC, I’m just too smart to fall into that trap. Coach Jeff Jagodzinski is gone, and new head man Frank Spaziani would have never rised to the top spot if it weren’t for Jag’s weird exit. And the QB situation could be at an all time low with the unimpressive Dominique Davis at the helm. For all his erraticism and pea-shooter accuracy, Davis did pilot the winning TD drive over Wake to clinch the division title.
Of course that may not matter considering that outside of the Matt Ryan years, the Eagles have historically been the most successful with a dominating ground game. Sophomore Montel Harris broke a school freshman record when he ran for 900 yards in 2008, so that seems settled. He beat out some pretty decent backs for the honor. And all-ACC OT Anthony Costanzo is back as well. It won’t always be pretty, but these guys do find a way to win. Since 2004 they’ve never had less than nine victories in a season.
Defense — Unfortunately for the Eagles, even as anemic as the offense could be, the defensive side of the ball could be where the trouble really starts. All-everything LB Mark Herzlich recently discovered he has cancer, and while I wish him a speedy and full recovery, he could end up missing the entire season. And if his absence wasn’t bad enough, BJ Raji and Ron Brace are gone at DT. The two giants helped BC rank fifth nationally in total defense last year. There’s not much else to say. The front seven is painfully undersized, and without Herzlich, they could be under-talented as well. It will take a hell of an effort from former DC Spaziani to keep this unit playing at a division title caliber level.
5. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Offense — It can’t get much worse, right? The Deacons finished 10th in the ACC in scoring offense and 9th in total offense, passing offense, and rushing offense. That’s not a sunny situation. But it could be worse. Riley Skinner is back and primed to finally have that great season everyone’s been predicting for him for so long. He’s a senior now, and that could provide the motivation he needs to get over the hump and lead an offense that actually has some pop. Josh Adams is back as well after a subpar sophomore season that followed his ACC Newcomer of the Year season. If he can’t regain form Kevin Harris, who rushed for 136 yards in the EagleBank Bowl (wow that’s an awful name), should be able to bull his way through ACC defenses.
The O line could be one of Jim Grobe’s best if they can finally stay healthy. There’s really not an option for the nine returning starters on offense in 2009. It’s either become effective or go home before the bowls start because the defense, a perennial strength, could be in for a down year.
Defense — There may not be a defense this side of USC that lost as much productivity as the Deacons did after the 2008 season. Alphonso Smith, and his ACC career interception record, is off to the NFL. Aaron Curry, the best defensive player in the 2009 NFL Draft, is headed for the professional ranks as well. And fellow NFL-ers Stanley Arnoux and Chip Vaughn might have been the best Wake players at their positions in the school’s history. That doesn’t leave a lot of talented experience on the field for 2009.
There are a couple of bright spots, however. Brandon Ghee has started 21 games at corner, and he’s at least bigger than Smith. Ghee’s got a good chance to make the all-conference first team. And Boo Robinson, whom I wrote a hilarious article about, is back to eat up space at DT. Robinson could end up as the best DT in the league, and will at least make things easier on the green linebackers early on.
6. Maryland Terrapins Offense — I don’t know what happened here. Ralph Friedgen was the pre-Mark Mangino. He was the guy who opened the Krispy Kreme door for Charlie Weis. And I know Sylvester Croom owes him some Weight Watchers points. But after all of his early success and conference crown, the Terps have been inexplicably average. In the last five seasons, Maryland has a 33-28 record with zero division titles and three losing years. What happened, Ralph?
It’s probably the inconsistent QB play to start. Chris Turner finally won the QB job in 2008, and did a decent job finishing third in the league in passing yards per game. But his most athletic target, Darrius Heyward Bey, is off to die a slow death in Al Davis’ backyard. And the running game was a nice surprise with junior Da’Rel Scott rushing for 1133 yards, but he won’t have any room without a vertical threat. Maybe sophomore Torrey Wilson can help fill that void after setting the ACC single season kick return yardage record. And the kicker, they’ll all be playing behind a line that returns only two starters. The loss of guard Jaimie Thomas is a big one.
Defense — There may not have been a more underrated player in the country last year than LB Dave Philistin. First of all, he’s a great guy (as evidenced by this interview). But he was more than that on the football field. He was a linebacker that had played seven different positions, all four in the 3-4, and all three in the 4-3. You can’t just replace a guy like that. And then there’s the loss of his fellow backer, Moise Fokou.
New DC Don Brown does inherit one hell of a player, however, in sophomore Alex Wujciak. Wujciak was the tackler every Marlyand teammate named as the next Terp to watch out for in the NFL. He earned all-ACC honors in 2008 with 133 tackles and 8.5 for a loss. Brown will have to lean heavily on the Terps’ new leader, and Wujciak will have to lean heavily on himself without one of my favorite players from last year, Kevin Barnes, in the secondary.
