ACC Coastal Division Preview
July 30th 2008 - Written by: Scott Swinney
Once again, the Coastal Division appears to be the weaker of the two divisions within the ACC which sets up nicely for some of the up-and-coming programs such as North Carolina and Miami; however, until someone knocks Virginia Tech from their perch, they’re still the pick to win the Coastal. The real question… which team from this division will be opportunistic and grab the second spot behind the Hokies.
1- Virginia Tech: Sure, the Hokies lost lots of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball and it will be hard to replace guys such as Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall, but the Hokies always seem to find a way to plug holes with speed on the defensive side. With only four returning starters on defense, the Hokies will rely on Orion Martin, Cam Martin and Kam Chancellor to provide leadership to an otherwise inexperienced unit.
Offensively, the Hokies were hit with the loss of their top RB and top four WR’s, which produced some pretty intense battles during spring practice. It appears that Ike Whitaker will join Zach Luckett as the starting WR’s, but who will get them the ball. QB’s Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon both nursed injuries in the spring which has pushed the competition in to August. Glennon is a much more accurate passer completing over 60% with 12 TD’s last season while Taylor is the Hokies top returning rusher. This should be an intense battle and it will be interesting to see who takes the first snap at ECU on 8/30.
The losses will be tough for VaTech to overcome but if you look at the strength of their Offensive Line and Special Teams and couple that with a “been there, done that” attitude, you have to make the Hokies the choice for the top spot in the Coastal.
2- North Carolina: The Tar Heels are receiving a great deal of pre-season hype for a team that won only 4 games last year, but you can bet your last dollar that Butch Davis will have this team much improved heading in to the 2008 season. The Heels were forced to throw some young players on the field last year in an attempt to improve the team speed, so they took some lumps early but were competitive in all but two games last season. Look for that experience and 16 returning starters to enable the Tar Heels to present a formidable challenge to VaTech this year.
Offensively, the numbers weren’t that impressive last year with the Heels ranking 105th in total offense and 107th in rushing, but the late position change by Greg Little to RB from WR saw him eclipse the 100 yard mark in two of the last three games. Look for Little to become the Tar Heels first 1000 yard rusher since Jonathan Linton in 1997. QB T. J. Yates will have plenty of weapons to throw to with his top five receivers from last year returning to Chapel Hill. That group will be led by Hakeem Nicks (958 yards and 5 TD’s) and explosive playmaker Brandon Tate (479 yards and 5 TD’s). Tate should also provide some highlights on Special Teams where he accounted for over 1200 yards and 1 TD as a returner. The Offensive line returns four starters from last year and should be one of the top units in the ACC.
Defensively, the Tar Heels lost two of their top playmakers in Kentwan Balmer and Hillee Taylor but return 9 starters from a unit that was ranked 35th in total defense last season. Look for DT’s Marvin Austin and Aleric Mullins to do a great job of clogging up the middle; however, question marks exist at the DE spot. If UNC can find a pass rusher off the end, then the front seven should be very strong. The secondary is lead by last years ACC Defensive Newcomer of the Year, Deunta Williams, and is a unit that provides speed and hard hitting.
The schedule is very favorable for the Heels and the 9/20 game vs. Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill could go a long way in deciding who represents the Coastal division in Tampa.
3- Miami: Losing season’s aren’t the norm for the Hurricanes and last year’s 5-7 record in Coach Randy Shannon’s first season was a disappointment considering they returned 16 starters from Larry Coker’s last squad. Don’t look for the Canes to experience too many losing seasons in the near future, as Shannon and Ace recruiter Michael Barrow have done an outstanding job bringing in talent. The Canes defense lost five starters from a front seven that was ranked #33 last season. Look for LB Arthur Brown to step in and get immediate playing time at LB.
The Canes Offense was anemic at best ranking 110th last season and they will have to improve greatly on last year’s output or the Canes will find themselves staring at another 5 or 6 win season. The positive is that last year’s top two RB’s (Graig Cooper, 682 yards and 4 TD’s and Javarris James, 582 yards and 4 TD’s) return, but question marks at QB will make it tough on the ground game unless one of the young signal callers competing for the job shows the ability to get the ball to playmaker Sam Shields in the open field.
A very unfavorable schedule with early games at Florida and Texas A&M will let Shannon and staff know where they are in a hurry. Look for the Canes to show great improvement but closing games on the road at GT and NC State may see the U fighting for bowl eligibility if they don’t pull an upset or two early.
4- Virginia: The fourth spot in this division could go to any of the remaining teams but the Cavaliers get the nod based on their performance on the field last season. There was nothing pretty about their play last year with 6 of their wins coming by one TD or less. However, there is something to be said for winning close games.
Key losses, such as DE Chris Long and OG Brandon Albert to the NFL, along with six players (including starting QB Jameel Sewell) dismissed due to off season infractions, leave the Cavs somewhat shorthanded going in to 2008. They return leading rusher Mikell Simpson (570 yards and 8 TD’s) and a strong group of WR’s, but with Sewell’s dismissal this unit could be hard-pressed to improve on last year’s 101st ranking in total offense. Look for heralded Sophomore Peter Lalich to win the starting QB job.
Defensively, the Cavs will be hard-pressed to replace “Mr. Everything”, Chris Long, but a unit that returns seven starters will pose problems for the opposition. Look for the linebacker corps, led by Clint Sintim and Jon Cooper, to be the strength of this Defense.
Don’t look for the Cavaliers to duplicate last season’s nine wins as this year’s schedule is brutal. Scott Stadium should be rocking for an early season matchup with USC but the Trojans will have them heading for the gates by halftime. The closing 6 games include trips to Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech with home games vs. Coastal rivals UNC and Miami along with Atlantic division power Clemson. Look for the Cavaliers to be competitive but the losses from the 2007 campaign will be too much for them to overcome and they’ll be home in December.
5- Georgia Tech: There are lots of question marks surrounding the Georgia Tech football program starting with new HC Paul Johnson. The ground oriented attack that Johnson has had so much success with at Georgia Southern and Navy was implemented this spring.
To be sure, Johnson would have loved seeing Tashard Choice in the backfield this year, unfortunately, he will be left with a very inexperienced offensive backfield. Also gone from last year is starting QB Taylor Bennett but that shouldn’t be much of a loss since his style of play wouldn’t have been a fit for Johnson’s offense... The entire backfield will be new with sophomore QB Josh Nesbitt winning the job in the spring, but they will run behind a strong experienced Offensive Line anchored by Andrew Gardner and Dan Voss.
Defensively, the Jackets not only lost 7 starters but Johnson decided against retaining the services of DC Jon Tenuta. All-ACC DT Vance Walker heads up a defensive line that should be the strength of this otherwise youthful GT defense.
How the Tech players will adapt to Jonson’s tactics will be a key but until he can get his type of player in place, I can’t see the Jackets being a strong contender this season. Look for the Jackets to surprise some people with their new style of play but the overall talent level isn’t there to compete in the ACC at this time. Paul Johnson has been successful at every stop he’s made and given time he will do the same thing at GT.
6- Duke: The Blue Devils dismissed HC Ted Roof at the end of last season and brought in Tennessee OC David Cutcliffe in hopes that he can work some of the magic he performed at Mississippi where he led the Rebels to a 10 win season. Only problem… there are no Eli Manning’s on the current Blue Devil roster.
Offensively, the Devils are led by QB Thaddeus Lewis who showed a great deal of promise last season when he threw for 2400 yards and 21 TD’s. Enron Riley (830 yards and 9 TD’s) returns as Lewis’s favorite target and should provide the deep threat to open up the running game for Re’quan Boyette.
Last season, the Devils ranked 92nd overall, but with the return of three starters on the defensive line and considering the experience in the secondary, Duke should improve on last year’s effort.
Overall, the road is a tough one for Cutcliffe but three winnable games at home start the season and could provide the Devils with the confidence to win their first conference game since 2004.
[ Back ]
