Going Out On A Limb: ACC Edition
By Kyle Kensing
Want some out-there projections for 2012? In the coming days, SaturdayBlitz.com is giving them to you. These are not so much prediction as they are unlikely scenarios
Mike Glennon Emerges as a Heisman Trophy Candidate
This season’s collection of ACC quarterbacks is impressive, but three have garnered the majority of national attention: Florida State’s EJ Manuel, Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas. Mike Glennon was more renowned this off-season for tossing around hot dogs at tailgates.
Better than being known for throwing beer bottles, but I digress.
NC State would need a tremendous team season for Glennon to command the same kind of attention as his ACC counterparts. Furthermore, an ACC representative has not been invited to the Heisman presentation in years, which means the Wolfpack would need to be a BCS bowl team at very least. Well, it just so happens I am keeping an eye on NC State’s conference title hopes.
Glennon is a talented drop dack quarterback, long with a big arm. He will have ample opportunity to put up significant numbers, in part because the experienced Pack defense is as adept at creating turnovers as any unit in the country. Last season, Glennon passed 453 times, almost 50 more than Stanford Heisman finalist Andrew Luck. All that airing it out resulted in 31 touchdowns and more than 3000 yards for Glennon.
Should he improve on his efficiency, somewhere in the 66-68 percent complete range, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Glennon to throw 40 touchdowns and surpass 3500 yards.
Georgia Tech Wins The Coastal Division
The Yellow Jackets intrigue me. Paul Johnson’s triple option offense is a thing of beauty when executed properly, and he has the stable of rushers to do just that. Last season, Tech rattled off 5.7 yards per rushing attempt en route to the nation’s second highest yardage output on the ground. Orwin Smith is something of a secret weapon. He was utilized less than most of the other Jacket ball carriers, but was just under the team lead in yards per attempt at 10.1. Here he is rattling off 95 yards for a score against Kansas:
Defensive coordinator Al Groh is also working with a talented bunch, which includes linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu. The big, physical pass rush presence is among the very best defenders in the conference.
Johnson does have a quarterback controversy at hand. Tevin Washington struggled at times last season, and youngster Vlad Lee has garnered attention in the off-season. However, Johnson’s offense has nurtured rushing quarterbacks who can manage the option’s nuances. Whether it’s Washington or Lee who gets the nod, they have the necessary pieces to thrive. And thrive Tech must in Week 1, when its divisional hopes are immediately at stake in a trip to Virginia Tech.
The Jackets face other conference challenges, like a trip to Clemson. However, Tech’s defense stymied and stifled the Tigers a year ago and has a proven edge against the reigning ACC champion. Should GT find consistency, this is a dangerous bunch.
Florida State Fails to Reach The ACC Championship Game
Full disclosure, Florida State is on my national championship radar. Prominently so. However, any team that fails to live up to expectations repeatedly has to be analyzed with a level of skepticism. FSU must stop losing games it should win, which this season is all of them. But Clemson wasn’t more talented than the Seminoles last season. Virginia’s defense was good, but should not have, for all intents and purpose, shut down FSU’s offense. And Wake Forest…Wake Forest.
Recent Seminole teams have lost perplexing games, especially in conference. The match-up that immediately jumps out at me is FSU’s trip to NC State. Wake bested FSU a season ago by exploiting gaps in the secondary early. Demon Deacon quarterback Tanner Price had a marquee performance, and his hot start was enough for the Deacs to hold off the Seminoles.
Aforementioned Glennon is better than Price, and will test the typically outstanding ‘Nole defense. Conversely FSU’s offense must maintain possession; NCSU is best when forcing turnovers, which it did more than all but one team in the nation a season ago.
FSU also travels to Virginia Tech late in the season, the key match-up in a stretch of three-of-four games away from Doak Campbell Stadium. The Hokies are in the position FSU wants to return to, perpetually atop the conference.
This year’s Seminoles are undoubtedly title contenders, but cannot afford the offense growing stagnant as it did against UVa. and Oklahoma a season ago — and that also means staying healthy. Manuel went out of the latter defeat. And the top echelon ‘Nole defense must play like it at all times, which it failed to do against Clemson and Wake Forest.