Tag Archives: Jim Grobe

Way-Too-Early 2013 ACC Football Power Rankings

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An Early Look at 2013 Shows Clemson to Be at the Head of the Class in the ACC

An Early Look at 2013 Shows Clemson to Be at the Head of the Class in the ACC

When we last left our teams, there appeared to be hope on the horizon. Though the 2012 season was a difficult one, the bowls showed some real glimmers of great things to come, as the ACC racked up its first winning postseason record in seven years. Beyond some long-awaited hope for greater success, 2013 also brings some change to these rankings. Syracuse and Pittsburgh will now actually be participating in the conference, after two seasons appearing in the power rankings despite not doing so. And Louisville, our newest pals set to join in 2014, will also be joining the party — meaning 15 teams will be listed for the remainder of this calendar year (and slightly beyond into bowl season 2014). Cheer up! It’s less than 230 days ’till kickoff.

1. Clemson Tigers (Last Year: 2): Tajh Boyd‘s back, and the defense is improving steadily. So even without DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Ellington, this team will still be fine in 2013. In year two under defensive coordinator Brent Venables, expect an even more aggressive front-seven as the coach works on improving linebacker play in particular. That secondary will still get burned, but be certain they’ve also learned some lessons from last year, too.

2. Louisville Cardinals (LY: NR): After the show Teddy Bridgewater put on during the Sugar Bowl this year, the Cardinals are an extremely hot commodity, and are likely to start strong in their final season of Big East football. It’ll be interesting to see how coach Charlie Strong and his team respond to having a target on their backs from week one, when they’ll likely be handed a top-10 ranking to start the year.

3. Florida State Seminoles (LY: 1): They’re losing a lot on the defensive side of the football, along with QB and senior leader, EJ Manuel. But like those old, Bobby Bowden-coached teams of teams of the 90s, this ‘Noles squad has already reloaded. The offense may take a few to warm up, but the defense will still be very much their strength heading into next season.

4. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (LY: 5): After sitting out two straight years of postseason berths, the ‘Canes are really hoping they’re given a break from the NCAA in terms of leniency. With a ton of young talent eager to get a shot at a conference title, and arguably the best QB/RB tandem in the ACC in Stephen Morris and Duke Johnson, Miami could very well be out for blood come opening kickoff this fall.

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ACC Football 2012 Week 13 Lessons: SEC Dominates ACC on Showdown Saturday

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Favored By a Touchdown, the Seminoles Still Proved No Match for the Rival Gators This Weekend

Each Monday morning, we compile our top five takeaways from the weekend’s action. Here’s what we got out of Week 13 of ACC football action:

1. Nothing’s changed: We thought that Clemson and Florida State — the class of the ACC — could come out of this weekend’s matchups with their SEC rivals victorious. We were so very, very wrong. FSU struggled right out the gate, and quarterback EJ Manuel was happy to hand the ball right to Florida several times during the mistake-laden, forgettable contest. Clemson’s high-flying offense — considered among the best in the nation — was held to just 17 points against South Carolina. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest were also thumped by SEC foes, making the ACC 4-0 against its southern brethren on Showdown Saturday. Instead of a perception boost, the weekend provided an even bigger hit for the already-wobbly ACC.

2. Notre Dame‘s never been further away: While the ACC would love to see Notre Dame’s continued success, both before and during their partnership, the Irish’s impending shot at a national title proves how far away they are. There was plenty of talk they could potentially be coaxed into a full-time membership with the ACC, but I doubt that’s likely anymore. In going 12-0 this season, Notre Dame proved they stand apart from the system. They don’t need a conference to compete for championships, and if they end this season with a title in hand, there’s little doubt they’ll remain independent for decades.

3. Realignment holding pattern: There are murmurs that a decision could come this week as to the ACC’s replacement for Maryland. But who will it be, and will there be more than one add? Thoughts of a 16-team superconference (adding Louisville, UConn and Cincinnati) have seemingly been shot down for the time being, but the choice has essentially come down to those three schools. Personally, I’d like to see the league make some calls to a few bigger fish first, but for all I know, they’ve already done this.

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ACC Football 2012 Power Rankings: Week 10

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Florida State Ran Away From Duke Early on Saturday, and Now Control the Atlantic Division Race

Does anyone want to win the ACC‘s Coastal division? From the looks of it, no, though the only team that’s even looks remotely ready to do so is unfortunately ineligible for the postseason. In the meantime, the conference’s top two get further from the rest, while everyone else just continues to crash into each other. But let’s get more specific. What have we truly learned over this past weekend, and how do the ACC’s teams currently shake out?

1. Florida State Seminoles (8-1) (5-1) (LW: 1): Some felt that the 27-point spread between Duke and FSU was a bit of an exaggeration. Yet, it appeared as if the ‘Noles took it as a challenge in their 48-7 victory. Though it wasn’t all hearts and rainbows — Florida State committed four turnovers — the team still ran rings around the Blue Devils, locking up the contest by halftime. Beyond the lingering issues with fumbles, this Seminoles team appears to be clicking once again as it heads for the stretch run.

2. Clemson Tigers (7-1) (4-1) (LW: 2): Prior to kickoff last Thursday, there was concern with regards to the Clemson secondary, along with Sammy Watkins, who was slated not to start the game against Wake Forest. What happened instead was a clinic on everything fantastic about the Tigers offense. From the first snap, Clemson was a flurry of pure speed, connecting on long passes at will, and simply over-matching the Deacons’ secondary. The Clemson defense, too, looked like it had stepped up its game, sacking QB Tanner Price five times, while getting consistent pressure on him all night.

3. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-3) (3-2) (LW: 5): After a hot start gave the Heels a 25-7 lead early, the team suddenly found itself down 35-25 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. And that’s when Giovani Bernard came alive. In the final 15 minutes, the Carolina back amassed 182 all-purpose yards and the game-winning score to give his team an eight-point victory. Obviously, the trouble with UNC’s recent gameplan is that it relies far too much on Bernard. But as long as it works — as it did here — you’ll see no complaints from this end.

4. NC State Wolfpack (5-3) (2-2) (LW: 3): What’s more crushing? Losing to your rival for the first time since 2006, or giving up your inside track at the Atlantic division title? Though those burns will likely sting with equal intensity for the Wolfpack, they must rebound quickly if they hope to stick around the divisional race. Should they win out, while FSU loses again, they’ll still find themselves in Charlotte for the title game. But they have to cut down on the dropped passes and fix mental errors in order to pull it off.

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ACC Football Goat of the Week, Week 9: NC State Wolfpack Wide Receivers

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After Dropping Six Passes on Saturday, NC State’s Receivers are the ACC Goats of the Week for Week 9

No one enjoys piling on when things go wrong. But nonetheless, we’ve got to call out the ACC players who were counter-productive in helping their teams grab a victory this weekend. On the bright side for them, they can always get off this list next week. And for their sake, let’s hope they do.

ACC Goat of the Week, Week 9: NC State Wolfpack Wide Receivers

Considering the day Wolfpack quarterback Mike Glennon had (467 yards, five touchdowns), you’d think his receivers were actually on-point all day. But State’s receivers dropped six passes in total on Saturday, all of which you can see complied at SB Natoin’s Backing the Pack. While it’s tough to truly quantify the importance of each (in some cases, drives resulted in touchdowns anyway), it’s worth calling out Bryan Underwood and Rashard Smith in particular. Underwood’s two drops took an otherwise outstanding day (118 yards, two receiving TDs) and sullied it. For Smith, his drop ended up being a tipped-ball interception, plus he also fumbled in the game as well. If the Wolfpack want to win games like this one, it takes focus on everyone’s part. The drops must be diminished going forward.

Honorable Mention:

Caleb Rowe, QB/Maryland (23/42 passing, 240 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT)

Jim Grobe, Head Coach/Wake Forest: “I don’t know that we didn’t respect (Clemson’s speed). I think we didn’t realize how fast those guys were.” (gameplan failure)

Duke defense (48 points, 560 yards allowed — despite four FSU turnovers)

Tevin Washington, QB/Georgia Tech (1/5 passing, 9 yards, 1 INT, 10 rushing yards)

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Wake Forest Football: Demon Deacons Continue to Struggle Without Key Playmakers

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Key Injuries to Players Such as Michael Campanaro Have Prevented Wake Forest From Living Up to Its Potential

I’d embed the video if it were possible, but over on ESPN’s ACC blog, Heather Dinich posted a quick piece on Wake Forest‘s issues as a result of key players missing time. Most notably, she cites the absences of Merrill Noel, Michael Campanaro and Nikita Whitlock as the primary concerns, while also noting that QB Tanner Price (their other big playmaker) has managed to play in every game. There’s also the matter of off-the-field issues, which left the team short-handed in its matchup with Maryland nearly two weeks ago. Heather believes this team can make it to the postseason with everyone healthy, but are we already too far gone for that?

I actually believe that may be the case, and it’s the reason why I left Wake out of the blog’s most recent postseason projections, too. Coming into the season, I felt that the Deacs would record sure losses in the following games: Florida State, Clemson, NC State, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. Thus far, they’re 0-1 in those games, so with four “sure losses” still to go, they already have three on the board. Obviously I can’t predict the future, but the odds aren’t great to get to six wins. It also assumes they win both of their other two games (Virginia and Boston College) when Price has literally no one to throw to. The junior QB’s passing numbers are down across the board since Campanaro’s injury versus Duke, so until he gets back, the offense will likely continue to struggle.

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ACC Football 2012 Week 2 Lessons: Pitt’s Season Is Imploding On Itself

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After Two Miserable Losses, Pittsburgh Is Obviously in For a Rough 2012

Each Monday morning, we compile our top five takeaways from the weekend’s action. Here’s what we got out of Week 2 of ACC football action:

1. Pittsburgh is done: Back-to-back ghastly performances by the Panthers have the fan base and program reeling as they stare at impending doom. Everything we thought we knew about this team — solid rushing attack, talented defense — were patently false. Now we’re waiting for the bottom to fall out.

2. Duke is still very much a work in progress: We discussed the Blue Devils’ issues from Saturday ad nauseum in our recap, but it’s worth repeating here as well. Despite all the progress coach David Cutcliffe has made, that team’s absolute ceiling is 6-6, with four wins far more likely.

3. Syracuse‘s offense can hang with nearly anyone: They scored 41 points in a loss to Northwestern. Another 29 in a loss to USC that, quite frankly, was about as impressive a showing as you may see against the Trojans during the regular season. There’s obviously more work to be done on defense, and they’ll have to learn how to run the ball with consistency, but this team will put up points all year.

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ACC 2012 Season Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

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After a Disappointing Second Half of 2011, Wake Forest Looks to Rebound While Also Replacing Their Top Passing Target

Team: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2011 W-L: 6-7 (5-3)

Head Coach: Jim Grobe (68-67; 12th season)

Returning Starters: 11 (4 Offense, 7 Defense)

Little was expected of Wake Forest in 2011, yet they managed to start off 4-1, including a big (customary) upset of Florida State early on. And if it weren’t for a late field goal by Clemson in November, we would have seen that Demon Deacons team play for the ACC championship. Seriously. So while the 6-7 record appears paltry and non-descript, trust us, a lot went on down in Winston-Salem last season. Despite the fact that they lost two of their three best players from last year’s team, there’s a good chance Jim Grobe’s squad still has some magic left for this season, too.

Through five games last year, the Wake offense was a delight to watch. The Tanner Price-to-Chris Givens connection was running on all cylinders, and averaging well over 30 points per game, racking up three big league wins in the process. And yet, it all seemed to fall apart after running back Josh Harris‘s injury against the Seminoles. While replacement Brandon Pendergrass was serviceable enough and continued to move the team’s ground game along, he didn’t scare defenses all that much. With defenders more focused in on the pass, Price now had less lanes to throw into, and less time to get rid of the ball. Still, he threw for 60-percent accuracy and 20 touchdown passes, along with over 3,000 yards and zero picks. In his 13 games as a starter last year, Price threw for 200 yards in nine of them, and over 250 in six. Accurate and methodical, he was the picture of poise for a team that needed a leader on the field.

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