Tag Archives: Florida International

ACC 2013 Spring Football Preview: Miami Hurricanes

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Duke Johnson is One of 20 Starters Returning From Last Year's Hurricanes Team

Duke Johnson is One of 20 Starters Returning From Last Year’s Hurricanes Team

As the ACC‘s spring practices get under way, we’ll be previewing the big storylines for each of the league’s 14 (15, in this case) teams. Check back on weekdays for what to look out for during your school’s spring practices and spring game.

Team: Miami Hurricanes

Spring Practice Start Date: March 2

Spring Game Date: April 13

The ‘Canes offseason has been a mess of rumors; from Al Golden leaving the team, to the botched NCAA investigation and then the “lack of institutional control” verdict passed down. But on the field, things are actually looking up quite a bit for Miami. Should they be able to compete in this year’s postseason (I say it’s likely), they’re one of several contenders for the Coastal division crown, sporting some of the conference’s youngest offensive stars. And after robbing one of Florida State‘s top coaches (new offensive coordinator James Coley) and scoring another highly regarded recruiting class, suddenly things are appearing sunny again in South Florida.

In 2012, Miami’s offense fluctuated between awful and amazing with regularity, at times struggling to top 20 points, and at others, looking like a runaway freight train (scored 40 or more on five separate instances). So the goal this spring while installing James Coley’s new offense is to harness the latter energy even more often. With playmakers like QB Stephen Morris and halfback/returner Duke Johnson (darkhorse for conference player of the year), that doesn’t seem too hard on paper, and no doubt returning all 11 offensive starters is set to pay huge dividends. Though Coley’s value is mainly on the recruiting trail, his move within the state was actually about play-calling. Not handling those duties up in Tallahassee is what drove Coley to look elsewhere, and now he’ll look to re-harness what made him such a hot commodity after a stint as FIU‘s head play-caller. Coley relies on speed and a balanced attack — both of which Miami’s well-suited to handle, meaning we’re in for an up-tempo spring, the likes of which should please everyone at the U.

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Ranking the Best ACC Football Matchups of 2013: #90-81

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Florida State vs. Boston College Was Ugly in 2012, Will It Be a Repeat in 2013?

Florida State vs. Boston College Was Ugly in 2012, Will It Be a Repeat in 2013?

The 2013 ACC football schedule has officially been released, meaning we finally have some clarity as to whom the conference’s 14 teams will face-off with from week-to-week next season. So with that in mind, we thought it would be an entertaining undertaking to rank all 112 ACC football games for 2013 because, well… it’s the offseason.

Today, we take a quick glance at numbers 90 through 81; the first group in our countdown made up entirely of FBS opponents. Just one conference game in this collection, and it’s only there because of how lopsided the result’s likely to be.

#90: Central Michigan Chippewas at NC State Wolfpack (Saturday, September 28)

#89: Ball State Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers (Saturday, October 5)

#88: Marshall Thundering Herd at Virginia Tech Hokies (Saturday, September 21

#87: Army Black Knights at Boston College Eagles (Saturday, October 5)

#86: Virginia Tech Hokies at East Carolina Pirates (Saturday, September 14)

#85: Florida International Golden Panthers at Maryland Terrapins (Saturday, August 31)

#84: Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders at North Carolina Tar Heels (Saturday, September 7)

#83: Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Army Black Knights (Saturday, September 21)

#82: Troy Trojans at Duke Blue Devils (Saturday, September 28)

#81: Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles (Saturday, September 28)

Some additional notes on today’s list:

  • The 10 games appear on six different dates, with none appearing after October 5
  • Breakdown of non-conference opponent leagues: Conference USA (4), FBS Independent (2), MAC (2), Sun Belt (1)
  • Breakdown of non-conference opponent home states: New York (2), Alabama (1), Florida (1), Indiana (1), Michigan (1), North Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), West Virginia (1)
  • Public vs. private universities: Seven public, two service academies

Previously: #112-101, #100-91

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Stanford 50, Duke 13: Blue Devils Crushed By Cardinal Passing Attack, Defense

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Duke’s Offense Stood on the Sidelines for Most of Saturday Night’s Game Against Stanford — Both Literally and Figuratively

Sitting just five rows back from the Duke bench, there was a buzz about the team and a sense of hope on the sidelines. After last week’s big victory over Florida International, it appeared that David Cutcliffe’s program had finally turned the corner. But just one minute and seven seconds after kickoff, it was blatantly obvious nothing had changed for the Blue Devils.

Saying Stanford dominated this game would be an understatement. The early punt-return touchdown was a deflating blow for Duke, one that would set the tone for the rout. Quarterback Sean Renfree, who had an average game according to the box score (28/40, 200 yards), was the focal point of a listless offensive attack based solely on swing passes, and was also responsible for two of the team’s four turnovers. The running game was virtually non-existent, notching just 27 yards on the night — mostly attributable to playing from behind for 59 of the game’s 60 minutes. Most of all, the defense was simply out-manned. Just one week removed from a frustrating debut against San Jose State, Cardinal QB Josh Nunes completed long bombs at will, and finished up with 275 yards passing and three TDs. Duke failed to ever get significant pressure on the Stanford passer, and their receivers were regularly three or four steps ahead of the Blue Devil defenders. The only saving grace for Duke was its red zone defense, which managed to force four field goals in the first half and keep the deficit to “just” 20 points in the first half.

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Has David Cutcliffe Finally Turned Duke Football Around?

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Duke Cruised to a Victory Over FIU Last Week; Can They Do the Same On the Road Against Stanford This Saturday?

If you consult Saturday’s 46-26 drubbing of Florida International, then, yes. Worried about a quick and aggressive defense on the FIU side, pundits seemed to believe Duke was bound to struggle. Instead, a huge second quarter virtually put the game away before halftime, and the Blue Devils coasted to a big victory in their opener. So while they’re not out of the woods yet, one of the team’s more impressive showings in a decade all traces back to their coach’s emphasis on culture change:

“Guys that have invested a lot in our program,” Cutcliffe told the Durham Herald-Sun afterward. “From the beginning of their careers, they have truly bought into our way of doing things. The demands that we have. The discipline on and off the field. They’ve done a great job of indoctrinating those aspects into our team.”

But now, if they’ve truly turned it around, they’ll need to refocus quickly on their next opponent. The Stanford Cardinal, who went 11-2 last season, will be awaiting Duke over in Palo Alto, Calif. However, they’re not the same team that beat the Blue Devils 44-14 last season, either. With first-overall pick Andrew Luck gone, the Cardinal figured they’d have to regroup a bit. After last week’s meek 20-17 effort over San Jose State, suddenly there’s some cause for alarm. Could Duke score a huge non-conference victory over a top-25 team this weekend?

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ACC Football 2012 Previews & Predictions: Week 1 (Part Two)

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Can Chase Rettig Repeat Last Year’s Performance and Bring BC Their Second Win Over Miami In As Many Games?

This is Part Two of this week’s Previews & Predictions feature. Also check out Part One.

Miami Hurricanes at Boston College Eagles: One of two league games on the schedule this week is actually a repeat of each of these team’s final games of 2011. Both were in better shape then, and come into 2012 trying to answer some major questions. Miami replaces nearly their entire starting lineup (on both sides) from last year, while BC tries to get past a rash of preseason injuries. I’m giving the edge to the Eagles, however, due to their experience and (surprisingly) QB Chase Rettig, who may be reborn with a new O-coordinator this season. Prepare for a rough season, Miami. Prediction: Boston College 20, Miami 16

Murray State Racers at Florida State Seminoles: I honestly feel bad for the Racers here, because they were actually a pretty good team last year. They scored 37 points per game, and threw for 308 yards per game, and had an all-around fun time. Unfortunately, that’s all going to end against Florida State this Saturday. The ‘Noles appear to be on a mission, and with the opining masses starting to include them in the National Championship conversation, it’s getting harder to see how anyone could get in this team’s way. Expect the starters out by halftime. Prediction: Florida St. 51, Murray St. 10

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ACC 2012 Scheduling Outlook: Duke Blue Devils

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Head Coach David Cutcliffe Leads Duke Into the ACC's Toughest League Schedule in 2012

With all of the insanity going on over in the Big East, we wanted to give a breakdown of each of the ACC‘s schedules — how the teams stack up, and some thoughts on overall difficulty. If these change at all, we’ll also be sure to update them on a rolling basis. All information is up-to-date as of publishing, based on the latest from FBSchedules.com.

Today’s breakdown: Duke Blue Devils

For the 2012 season, Duke plays about as manageable a schedule as possible when you’re a Blue Devils team that hasn’t reached a bowl game since 1994. With an eye on six wins, the team’s non-conference features three highly winnable games, along with their own gig as Stanford‘s sacrificial lamb. Among their other non-ACC matchups, Duke gets three home games — versus Memphis, Florida International and NC Central. All are highly winnable, and all will be imperative to the Blue Devils’ six-win goal. Of course, no FCS squad should be counted out completely for Duke. See last year’s Richmond debacle as exhibit-A. Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson, though.

Lucky for Duke they scheduled as they did in non-conference play however, because they arguably face the toughest collection of conference opponents any ACC opponent is stuck with. Of the nine bowl-eligible league teams in 2011, Duke faces eight of them, only missing out on NC State. While they do get rivals North Carolina and Virginia at home, both are programs that seem to have continued pulling in talent on this year’s recruiting front and thus, are unlikely to drop off from solid 2011 campaigns. To make matters worse, the Blue Devils will get the demoralizing experiences of hosting Clemson’s frightening offense at home, along with both Florida State and Virginia Tech on the road. Even if Duke is improved in 2012, it’s uncertain as this juncture whether their W-L will indicate as much.

Previously: Boston College, Clemson