Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said Wednesday that he doesn't recruit the Tidewater area unless a recruit from there writes and expresses interest in coming to Tallahassee. Saint Bobby might re-evaluate that philosophy in the near future.

Asked if he had ever heard of Marques Hagans prior to last Thursday night's Virginia loss to Colorado State, Bowden admitted he hadn't. Hagans, a redshirt freshman, came off the bench and sparked UVa throughout the game with his running and passing ability.

"Where's he from ... is he from the state of Virginia?" asked Bowden.

When informed that Hagans was Ronald Curry's successor at Hampton High, Bowden responded: "Dadgummit ... they've got more good quarterbacks up there than I've ever heard of. That's where them Vicks came from."

Them Vicks are Michael, now starting for the Atlanta Falcons, and Marcus, a likely redshirt freshman at Virginia Tech. Then there's Curry, who is trying to make an NFL roster, and former UVa QB Aaron Brooks, starter for the New Orleans Saints.

"I saw film on [Hagans]," said Bowden. "I saw all I wanted to see."

Inside stuff

Things you're not supposed to know thanks to our spies around the ACC:

l Arkansas State was on the list of schools that the Jim Thorpe Classic folks handed UVa coach Al Groh to choose from as a possible opponent. Groh, instead, went for the toughest team on the list, Colorado State. Who got more out of their preseason game, UVa, by losing a 35-29 decision against the Rams, or Virginia Tech, which pummeled Arkansas State 63-7?

l Virginia fans were in an uproar when former All-American free safety Anthony Poindexter and quarterback Shawn Moore did not make the 50-player, ACC's 50th Anniversary football team. Since the vote was released in late July, we have learned that Poindexter was the 51st player in the balloting and Moore was in the top 60.

l The Peach Bowl people are a bit miffed at the ACC for continuing to give the Atlanta game the league's No. 3 team. The Gator Bowl gets the No. 2 pick, which has become a laugher in the football world. It's obvious that the Peach has overtaken the Gator in terms of popularity, appeal, payout and other categories. If you're listening John Swofford, it's time for a change.

l When Georgia Tech was searching for a football coach to succeed George O'Leary last December, Tech's athletic director Dave Braine was rebuffed by the school's search committee when he wanted to hire Boston College's Tom O'Brien.

Duke downgrade

When asked about Duke's decision to lightly relax academic eligibility to potential Blue Devil football recruits, Coach Carl Franks tried to explain the action.

"I think this is tremendously important, something I've tried to get accomplished since I got here," said Franks. "People use the term relaxing, but our

requirement is that [recruits] must have the ability to graduate from Duke. Sometimes they put stuff above that, but we are not pulling back at all on the goal of wanting to graduate our players."

Franks said he examined the entrance requirements for Duke's basketball team and used that as a pattern.

"A lot of our alumni thought we were recruiting under the same standards as our basketball team academically and I needed to make sure that they knew that wasn't true," said Franks. "Why can't we recruit on the same standards?"

Franks is right. There is no reason why Duke football shouldn't be given the same breaks as Duke basketball.

"I just know we've won a lot of graduation awards and not a lot of football games," said the frustrated coach, who is trying to break a 23-game losing streak, the longest current streak in the nation.

Turtle soup. Coach Ralph Friedgen is a little concerned heading into the Kickoff Classic against Notre Dame without injured starting running back Bruce Perry and with an inexperienced quarterback (he will choose between Scott McBrien and Chris Kelley by game time).

"What I'm concerned about is the lack of experience playing in a game of this magnitude," said Friedgen. "When you're dealing with two inexperienced positions that handle the ball a lot, that is a big concern of mine."

But Notre Dame lost starting tailback Julius Jones to academics and the Irish' starting QB transferred last spring, so the Golden Domers, coming off a bad season and with a new coaching staff, aren't exactly the Notre Dame of old. Still there's a mystique that follows the program.

"I'm concerned about that, too," said Friedgen. "When I came to Georgia Tech from the NFL, our first game was against Notre Dame. I felt that we had the opportunity to win but in our players minds, I don't think they could see themselves beating Notre Dame at Notre Dame. A year later, we beat them in the Gator Bowl. So, I have spoken with our team about that."

Short yardage ... Remember Bobby Blizzard, the main target of Ronald Curry at Hampton? The same Blizzard who committed to UVa at the same time as Curry? Blizzard went on to Kentucky but is now projected as one of UNC's top receivers this season. ...Georgia Tech, one of two ACC schools that experienced a decline in football attendance in 2001 (Duke was the other), is in the midst of a two-year, $70 million stadium expansion that will boost capacity by 9,000 seats to 55,000 for next year's opener against Auburn.

The picks ... Last week: 3-1. This week: Florida State 46, Virginia 23; LSU 27, Virginia Tech 24; Wake Forest 30, N. Illinois 27; East Carolina 41, Duke 26; Georgia 21, Clemson 13; North Carolina 33, Miami (Ohio) 10; Georgia Tech 23, Vandy 17; N.C. State 48, ETSU 10; Maryland 29, Notre Dame 24.

"I've always had a lot of interests," said Virginia's freshman left tackle. "Taking on new challenges definitely helps the mind."

Last Thursday, Ferguson took on one of his biggest challenges - starting and playing every offensive snap in his first collegiate game. It's something few players could handle, physically or mentally, at his age. But like in most of his other endeavors, he excelled.

"I was really impressed. He had a lot of poise and confidence. He played well," said sophomore guard Elton Brown, who knows a thing or two about precocious line play.

Last year, Brown became the first true freshman to start on the offensive line for the Cavaliers in 28 years. But he was eased into the equation, beginning his career on special teams, then moving into a reserve role before starting the final four games.

Ferguson's transition was much more abrupt. He played all 76 offensive snaps with no relief against Colorado State. And unlike the 6-foot-6, 324-pound Brown, he could not rely on size and power to make his job easier.

At 6-5 and 265 pounds, Ferguson is small for a college tackle. So he had to rely on his other gifts, including an 87-inch wingspan, to fend off the Rams' defensive ends and blitzing linebackers. He gave up no sacks and helped clear holes for Virginia's running game, which produced 221 yards.

"He's a hard worker, he's pretty fast and he's quick," said senior tackle Mike Mullins. "He did really well for us. He didn't play like a freshman."

Said UVa coach Al Groh: "I thought Ferguson was really excellent, all things considered. He played every play in the game, which is pretty remarkable. Even more remarkable is to do it at left tackle."

Still, Groh wasn't surprised, he says, because of Ferguson's track record of success in other areas. Not only is he an accomplished saxophone player, he earned a black belt in karate four years ago.

"Here are things you might say are off the beaten path of activities," Groh said. "But his involvement in those activities showed he is willing to take on new things with the expectation that even though it's new and different, I'll get this figured out. I'll do all right. I'll do well at them.

"I'm sure when he took up the saxophone, he blew a few sour notes. … I'm sure when he started at karate, he probably got flipped a few times. But instead of saying, 'I can't do this. This is dumb,' he kept on with it. So I felt like that same mentality and same personal confidence and I-can-get-this-done attitude would serve him well in this trying circumstance."

Ferguson says his karate background also helps him in blocking since both involve leverage, hand placement and discipline. There is less overlap in music and football, but creativity can't hurt when it comes to dealing with defenses.

Ferguson lists John Coltrane and Kenny G as two of his biggest musical influences, though they are on opposite ends of the saxophone spectrum. "I have an appreciation for different styles," he said.

On the football field, Ferguson's style is aggressive but cerebral. An honor-roll student at Freeport (N.Y.) High School who plans on studying pre-law at UVa, he absorbed the offensive playbook and blocking schemes. He made few assignment errors against the Rams, who tried to confuse the Cavalier linemen with stunts and blitzes.

"He's smart. He's really picked things up quickly," Brown said. "When he gets a little more weight on him, he's going to be a dangerous player."

Ferguson, also a youth minister at his church, says he will get bigger with time. For now, his primary interest is doing well Saturday at No. 5 Florida State – another big challenge, to say the least.

"He had a pretty decent night [last] Thursday. There's still plenty of tests coming," Groh said. "He understands he'll hit a few sour notes playing this piece, too. He also knows: I'll get it. I'll get it."

Note. UVa junior Kevin Bailey was named one of 32 finalists for the Rimington Award, which goes to the nation's top center.