Hades may not have frozen in 2001, but there had to be a
temperature drop when Florida State finished second in the Atlantic Coast
Conference in football.
Having the Seminoles finish first in the league seemed as sure as death and
taxes since Bobby Bowden and FSU joined the conference in 1992. They had won the
title outright or shared it from ‘92 through 2000, going 70-2 in conference
play during that span.
But when North Carolina defeated FSU 41-9 Sept. 22, 2001, the other teams
around the league knew life had changed in the ACC, at least for one year.
“It was embarrassing,” said Alonzo Jackson, a senior defensive end.
N.C. State proved the theory of FSU’s demise when the Wolfpack went to
Tallahassee and did what no league team had done since FSU joined the ACC --
beat the Seminoles on their field.
“We overlooked some people and underestimated some teams,” said
quarterback Chris Rix, voted the ACC’s rookie of the year in 2001.
So does this mean the domination has ended for good? The Seminoles answer
that question with a resounding no.
“Teams should be (scared of us),” Rix said, “especially this year. Last
year, like coach Bowden said, was the year to get us. We’re not focused on
last season. It’s in the back of our minds, but it’s behind us.
“It’s buried, and we’re focusing on this season. It can’t be
expressed through words what you can learn by going through (last season).
You’ve just got to keep it inside you, and keep it as fuel for motivation for
this year.”
The Seminoles have more than motivation on their side. Bowden returns 17
starters from a year ago, including the entire offensive line.
That should be enough to propel FSU back to the top of the ACC. And if the
Seminoles take over first again, then which team will lead the way in the battle
for second?
N.C. State has been the pick for many people in the preseason. Led by veteran
quarterback Philip Rivers and former FSU assistant Chuck Amato, the Wolfpack has
been on the rise for the past two seasons.
The Pack doesn’t lack for confidence or an ability to score with Rivers
running the show. Amato provides a push from the sidelines.
“Coach (Amato) is so intense,” Rivers said. “A walk-through is intense,
and your mind is always focused. He’s really team-oriented, no individuals,
but he lets you go out there and play. There aren’t very many stipulations as
far as playing the game.
“You play to win and do whatever you’ve got to do to win. And that’s
the way we’ve been. We’re kind of on the edge. We’ve won seven games two
years in a row, and, it’s nothing to be satisfied about, but it is something
to build on.”
The Wolfpack returns six starters on offense and six on defense.
Maryland made the biggest splash of anyone in 2001, winning the conference
with a 10-1 regular-season record and going on to play Florida in the Orange
Bowl.
ACC player of the year E.J. Henderson and ACC offensive player of the year
Bruce Perry return to lead this team in 2002. Second-year coach Ralph Friedgen
turned down a chance to coach in the National Football League to return.
The biggest question mark for this team will be replacing quarterback Shaun
Hill. If the Terps can do that, they may contend for the title again.
Georgia Tech should have one of the strongest defenses in the league and the
country, returning nine starters on that side of the ball. The list of returning
players includes defensive end Greg Gathers, who led the ACC in quarterback
sacks in 2001.
But the Yellow Jackets are also undergoing a coaching transition. Former
Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Chan Gailey took the job after George O’Leary
left. How well the new staff bonds with the returning players may determine the
Yellow Jackets’ fate.
Clemson has as much tradition as any school in the ACC, so it was fitting the
Tigers ran what looked similar to the old single-wing offense a year ago. Woody
Dantzler captured the nation’s attention with his ability to run and throw
from the quarterback position.
The Tigers’ offense wasn’t enough to make them solid contenders, however.
Clemson finished seventh in the league in total defense.
The defense should be improved with eight starters returning. The question is
what will the offense look like with no Dantzler and only four starters
returning. Willie Simmons, who is more of a drop-back passer, will play
quarterback.
“There’s still going to be some misdirection, some opportunities for the
quarterback to keep it,” Coach Tommy Bowden said. “We’re not going to
totally eliminate that part of the package, but (Simmons) isn’t going to rush
for 1,000 yards. Then again, I don’t want to become so much of a drop-back
team that you put a bulls-eye on the quarterback.”
North Carolina must replace eight starters on defense, creating a lot of
uncertainty around the Tar Heels’ fate. UNC does return most of its offense,
including quarterback Darian Durant.
Durant set numerous school records while splitting time with Virginia native
Ronald Curry a year ago. Then Durant surprised everyone by threatening to
transfer during the off-season. He changed his mind and returned, but his
indecision cost him his status as the certain starter.
So Durant is locked in a competition with Florida transfer C.J. Stephens to
become the first-team QB.
What the Tar Heels will not be able to do is replace All-America defensive
end Julius Peppers and fellow first-round draft choice Ryan Sims at defensive
tackle with equally experienced people.
The media picked Wake Forest seventh as much out of habit as for any other
reason. But these may not be the Deacons of old. Wake returns 16 starters from a
6-5 team that showed great progress under Coach Jim Grobe, who is entering his
second season in Winston-Salem.
“As soon as you hear ‘Wake Forest,’” Grobe said, “your first
thought is Ivy League: nice little sweet boys that might have the chance to play
a little football once in a while. I’d like to get to the point that when
people play us, they’ll know we play tough, hard-nosed football.
“More importantly than just winning, I’d like to get to the point where
every Saturday, when we play people, they know they’re going to face a tough,
hard-nosed, physical football team. And when the game’s over, they might beat
us, but I hope they go back to the locker room and say, ‘Wow, we’re glad
that one’s over with.’ That’s the attitude we’d like to have.”
Virginia has been picked eighth as much for last year’s 5-7 record as any
other reason. But the Cavaliers could easily be this year’s surprise team.
Coach Al Groh, in his second season at his alma mater, has 13 starters
returning and one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. This team showed
flashes of outstanding play in 2001.
And there is nothing like experience.
“We have a full year with this coaching staff under our belts,”
linebacker Angelo Crowell said. “We come into this training camp knowing what
the coaches expect, and that was open last year. We know the system, and all we
need to do is go out and execute. They’ll be doing a lot less coaching this
year, and the talent will be able to come out.”
If there is one sure thing in the ACC, it is Duke as the last-place team in
football. The Blue Devils haven’t won a football game in two years and are
3-30 under Coach Carl Franks.
“Some people ask, ‘Winning one game, will you consider that a successful
season?’” Duke running back Chris Douglas said. “I don’t think any
respectable athlete in any sport would say, ‘Hey we’ve won one game; we’re
happy.’
“We definitely want that first win, but we don’t want to stop there.”
CHARLOTTESVILLE - If it's aThursday during football season, then Colorado
State must be playing.
The Rams played three Thursday night games last season, all on ESPN2 or
ESPN. They played twice on Thursday nights in 2000 and thrice in 1999. No
wonder Virginia's players - at least the veterans - feel unusually familiar
with a team whose home is two time zones away.
"We got to see a quarter of their games last year," junior
fullback Kase Luzar said, "so we know what they're about. We know their
style."
The Rams play a physical brand of football and excel on special teams, a
combination that's led to unprecedented success during coach Sonny Lubick's
tenure in Fort Collins. Colorado State has won at least seven games in each of
the past eight seasons. Three times during that span the Rams have won 10 or
more games.
"What jumps out at you is how hard they play and how they don't quit
until the play's over," Cavaliers quarterback Matt Schaub said.
U.Va. and Colorado State will meet for the first time - on Thursday night,
naturally - in the Jim Thorpe Classic at Scott Stadium. When the matchup was
announced last winter, Al Groh, the Cavaliers' second-year coach, wasn't sure
how his players would react. Most of them, after all, don't follow the
Mountain West Conference closely.
"The immediate response I got from the players when the game was
scheduled made it clear to me that, at least among the older players, I
wouldn't have to do too much introduction of the opponent," Groh said.
"It kind of surprised me, frankly, how many of them were familiar with
them. A number of them came up and said, 'Coach, I'm glad we're playing a good
team.'"
Count senior linebacker Merrill Robertson among that group.
"We want competition," said Robertson, an L.C. Bird High
graduate. "That's part of the game. That's why we picked up some of these
games: Colorado State, South Carolina, Penn State. We want to play the
best."
Groh expects to use about 10 true freshmen Thursday night. Nine days later,
the Cavaliers play at Florida State, an experience few teams savor. Then comes
a Sept. 7 date with Lou Holtz's Gamecocks at Scott Stadium.
"Do I have to teach Billy McMullen what this level of competition is
all about?" Groh said. "Certainly not. Angelo Crowell? Certainly
not. But there's a lot of players who are bringing talent onto this team and
can help us win once we get that talent ready to play. They have to be exposed
to what real college football is about. And playing Colorado State, Florida
State and South Carolina, I think they'll get a pretty good idea how good you
have to be to really compete at the highest level."
After U.Va. was chosen as host of the Jim Thorpe Classic, Groh said, the
"sponsors of the game provided us with a list of teams. We weren't going
to pick the opponent, but we could kind of rank in order who we would like to
play. This is the team that we most preferred to play, because they were the
best team on the list."
Colorado State, 7-5 last season, returned 15 starters and is expected to
battle Brigham Young for the Mountain West title. Virginia, 5-7 last season,
has only eight seniors and is projected to finish near hapless Duke in the ACC
standings. The addition of Colorado State to the Wahoos' schedule means they
could well start 0-3.
Groh seems unfazed by that possibility. He picked the Rams, he said,
because he believed "the challenge of playing a team that's picked to win
their conference would be invigorating for our players, and . . . in terms of
exposing this young team to the type of competition that we have to be up to
competing against, I thought this would be the best lesson for us."
