In my first preview, I predicted Boston College would go 4-8 or 5-7 and Syracuse would go 5-7 or 6-6. Now, moving south in the Atlantic Division, let's take a look at Maryland and Wake Forest.
Maryland
Last year: Maryland went 4-8 and 2-6 in the conference, which placed it fifth in the Atlantic Division. The Terrapins were ravaged with injuries at the quarterback spot. Senior C.J. Brown went down with a torn knee ligament in fall practice. True freshman Perry Hills then went down Oct. 20. Next was Devin Burns in the same game. Caleb Rowe met his demise Oct. 27. Maryland ended up with a freshman linebacker at the quarterback spot, Shawn Petty, after that. He started the final four games, all losses for the Terrapins. Maryland started out the year 4-2, with a one-point win over William & Mary, but solid victories over Temple, Virginia, and Wake Forest. None of those teams ended with winning records, however. Maryland lost its final six games. Three of those losses were by a touchdown or less. With the inconsistency under center, it should come as no surprise then that the Terrapins ranked dead last in the country in total yards. The problems weren't just in the passing game. No Maryland running back cracked 400 yards -- Brandon Ross (390) and Wes Brown (382) came closest. By far, the best part of Maryland's offense was the breakout of freshman star Stefon Diggs. The receiver caught 54 passes for 848 yards and six touchdowns. He also scored twice on kick returns (one was to begin the game vs. Virginia). The Maryland defense was solid, ranking 21st in the country.
Offense: Brown is back at quarterback for the Terrapins. It's been two years so we need a refresher course on the senior. Two seasons ago, he put pressure on former Maryland QB Danny O'Brien, so much so that O'Brien ended up transferring to Wisconsin. Brown played a decent amount that season, completing
49.4 percent of his passes for 842 yards, seven touchdowns and six picks. His biggest threat, however, was on the ground. He ran for 574 yards on 7.3 yards per carry. He broke the single-game QB rushing record at Maryland with 162 yards against Clemson. Brown should be able to run offensive coordinator Mike Locksley's zone-read offense pretty well. Ross will be the starting running back. His 390 yards last year came in only six games. At receiver, Diggs will lead the corps and New Mexico transfer Deon Long is also expected to start. The Terrapins must find a way to replace All-ACC tight end Matt Furstenburg, who is now with the Ravens. Overall, the offensive line is expected to be the weakest link of the Terrapins offense.
Defense: Maryland returns just five starters to a unit that was the high point of last season. Big losses include defensive linemen Joe Vellano (tied for team lead in sacks with six) and A.J. Francis, and linebackers Demetrius Hartsfield, who tied for the team lead in tackles with 78 and had 3.5 sacks, and Darin Drakeford, who also had six sacks. Linebacker Cole Farrand is likely to be the leader of the 'D.' He had 78 tackles last season.
Special teams note: Diggs averaged 28.5 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return last season. The Terps also return their field goal kickers, kickoff man, and punter. This should be one of the stronger units on the team.
Schedule, notes, outlook: Florida International, Old Dominion, at Connecticut, West Virginia (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore), at Florida State, Virginia, at Wake Forest, Clemson, Syracuse, at Virginia Tech, Boston College, at N.C. State. This is Maryland's last year in the ACC. Third-year coach Randy Edsall has suffered through two- and four-victory seasons so far in College Park. Some of the issues his first two years weren't necessarily his problems, especially the injuries last year. This could be a make or break year for him. If he doesn't show improvement, he might not be around for the Terrapins' entrance into the Big Ten. Edsall got it done in his third year at UConn, getting to 6-6 after going a combined 5-17 in his first two seasons with the Huskies. With fewer injuries this season, the Terrapins should be close to bowl eligibility. The first three games are all winnable, and if the Terps get them all, they would only need three more somewhere along the way to get to six wins. Brown and Diggs are viable forces on offense. If Brown develops a strong passing game, the offense will be much upgraded. The defense will struggle early. Special teams could win the team some games.
Win loss prediction: 5-7 or 6-6
Wake Forest
Last season: Wake Forest went 5-7 and 3-5 in the conference, putting them fourth in the Atlantic. The Demon Deacons started the season 3-1, with a tight win over Liberty, a surprise upset of North Carolina, a 52-0 loss at the hands of Florida State, and a shootout win over Army. The Deacons went 2-6 the rest of the way, defeating Virginia and Boston College. The Deacons' last four losses -- to Clemson, N.C. State, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt -- were embarrassing. They lost those games by an average margin of 33 points. Wake Forest was terrible on offense. The Deacons were 113th in the country in rushing offense, 114th in scoring offense, and 117th in total offense. Josh Harris and Deandre Martin ran for nearly 1,100 yards combined and 11 touchdowns. Tanner Price completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 2,300 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven picks. A bright spot was receiver Michael Campanaro, who caught 79 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns, all in 10 games (he was injured for two).The defense was terrible, too, giving up more than 425 yards in seven contests.
Offense: Eight starters return on offense, including Price, Harris, Martin, and Campanaro. The offense is getting re-tooled and will return to more of a run-based scheme after passing more than usual the past couple seasons. Wake has been at its best under coach Jim Grobe when it ran the ball a lot. The offensive line is a concern but the run-based look should help, because the line won't be tasked with protecting Price as often, a big problem for the offense last season. Wake will need a second receiver to break through and help out Campanaro. Candidates are Sherman Ragland III (23 catches for 247 yards last season) and Brandon Terry (15 receptions for 290 yards last season).
Defense: The defense returns eight starters as well. The leader is two-time All-ACC senior defensive lineman Nikita Whitlock, who recorded 55 tackles, 5.5 for loss last season. Whitlock is less than six-feet tall and 250 pounds, but uses great technique to take advantage of rival offensive linemen. Wake fills out its D-line in its 3-4 scheme with two more seniors, Kristopher Redding (30 tackles, 3.5 for loss) and Zach Thompson (52 tackles, 5.5 for loss). Senior Justin Jackson is the key to the linebacking corps -- he finished 2012 with 81 tackles and four sacks. The secondary must improve after a dismal 2012 in which it gave up 40 more yards per game than in 2011. Something that should help is junior Merrill Noel is healthy after only eight starts last season.
Special teams note: Wake must get better on return defense. The Deacons allowed four touchdowns last season on returns.
Schedule, notes, outlook: Presbyterian, at Boston College, Louisiana-Monroe, at Army, at Clemson, N.C. State, Maryland, at Miami, at Syracuse, Florida State, Duke, at Vanderbilt. Wake Forest was once the ultimate underdog story. It is the smallest school playing Division I football but won an ACC title in 2006 and won 28 games from 2006-08. The Demon Deacons have now experienced four straight losing seasons, however. No doubt Grobe is hoping returning the offense to a more run-oriented scheme will help bolster the team. A favorable early schedule should help, too. Wake has a real shot at going 4-0. If it can do that, bowling becomes that much easier as the Deacons could probably beat Duke and Maryland at home to reach six wins. If the Deacons go 3-1 or worse in their first four games, going bowling will be difficult. I think Wake has a chance to sneak up on some teams and win a lot of games. Grobe's teams are usually disciplined and overachieve and last season was probably a rarity. Given the toughness of their last eight games, however, I am going to peg Wake Forest right where I pegged Maryland and Syracuse. Each one of those three teams plays one of the other teams at home and another on the road. Those three games will determine how the middle of the Atlantic shakes out.
Win-loss prediction: 5-7 or 6-6
Maryland
Last year: Maryland went 4-8 and 2-6 in the conference, which placed it fifth in the Atlantic Division. The Terrapins were ravaged with injuries at the quarterback spot. Senior C.J. Brown went down with a torn knee ligament in fall practice. True freshman Perry Hills then went down Oct. 20. Next was Devin Burns in the same game. Caleb Rowe met his demise Oct. 27. Maryland ended up with a freshman linebacker at the quarterback spot, Shawn Petty, after that. He started the final four games, all losses for the Terrapins. Maryland started out the year 4-2, with a one-point win over William & Mary, but solid victories over Temple, Virginia, and Wake Forest. None of those teams ended with winning records, however. Maryland lost its final six games. Three of those losses were by a touchdown or less. With the inconsistency under center, it should come as no surprise then that the Terrapins ranked dead last in the country in total yards. The problems weren't just in the passing game. No Maryland running back cracked 400 yards -- Brandon Ross (390) and Wes Brown (382) came closest. By far, the best part of Maryland's offense was the breakout of freshman star Stefon Diggs. The receiver caught 54 passes for 848 yards and six touchdowns. He also scored twice on kick returns (one was to begin the game vs. Virginia). The Maryland defense was solid, ranking 21st in the country.
Offense: Brown is back at quarterback for the Terrapins. It's been two years so we need a refresher course on the senior. Two seasons ago, he put pressure on former Maryland QB Danny O'Brien, so much so that O'Brien ended up transferring to Wisconsin. Brown played a decent amount that season, completing
Defense: Maryland returns just five starters to a unit that was the high point of last season. Big losses include defensive linemen Joe Vellano (tied for team lead in sacks with six) and A.J. Francis, and linebackers Demetrius Hartsfield, who tied for the team lead in tackles with 78 and had 3.5 sacks, and Darin Drakeford, who also had six sacks. Linebacker Cole Farrand is likely to be the leader of the 'D.' He had 78 tackles last season.
Special teams note: Diggs averaged 28.5 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return last season. The Terps also return their field goal kickers, kickoff man, and punter. This should be one of the stronger units on the team.
Schedule, notes, outlook: Florida International, Old Dominion, at Connecticut, West Virginia (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore), at Florida State, Virginia, at Wake Forest, Clemson, Syracuse, at Virginia Tech, Boston College, at N.C. State. This is Maryland's last year in the ACC. Third-year coach Randy Edsall has suffered through two- and four-victory seasons so far in College Park. Some of the issues his first two years weren't necessarily his problems, especially the injuries last year. This could be a make or break year for him. If he doesn't show improvement, he might not be around for the Terrapins' entrance into the Big Ten. Edsall got it done in his third year at UConn, getting to 6-6 after going a combined 5-17 in his first two seasons with the Huskies. With fewer injuries this season, the Terrapins should be close to bowl eligibility. The first three games are all winnable, and if the Terps get them all, they would only need three more somewhere along the way to get to six wins. Brown and Diggs are viable forces on offense. If Brown develops a strong passing game, the offense will be much upgraded. The defense will struggle early. Special teams could win the team some games.
Win loss prediction: 5-7 or 6-6
Wake Forest
Last season: Wake Forest went 5-7 and 3-5 in the conference, putting them fourth in the Atlantic. The Demon Deacons started the season 3-1, with a tight win over Liberty, a surprise upset of North Carolina, a 52-0 loss at the hands of Florida State, and a shootout win over Army. The Deacons went 2-6 the rest of the way, defeating Virginia and Boston College. The Deacons' last four losses -- to Clemson, N.C. State, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt -- were embarrassing. They lost those games by an average margin of 33 points. Wake Forest was terrible on offense. The Deacons were 113th in the country in rushing offense, 114th in scoring offense, and 117th in total offense. Josh Harris and Deandre Martin ran for nearly 1,100 yards combined and 11 touchdowns. Tanner Price completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 2,300 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven picks. A bright spot was receiver Michael Campanaro, who caught 79 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns, all in 10 games (he was injured for two).The defense was terrible, too, giving up more than 425 yards in seven contests.
Offense: Eight starters return on offense, including Price, Harris, Martin, and Campanaro. The offense is getting re-tooled and will return to more of a run-based scheme after passing more than usual the past couple seasons. Wake has been at its best under coach Jim Grobe when it ran the ball a lot. The offensive line is a concern but the run-based look should help, because the line won't be tasked with protecting Price as often, a big problem for the offense last season. Wake will need a second receiver to break through and help out Campanaro. Candidates are Sherman Ragland III (23 catches for 247 yards last season) and Brandon Terry (15 receptions for 290 yards last season).
Defense: The defense returns eight starters as well. The leader is two-time All-ACC senior defensive lineman Nikita Whitlock, who recorded 55 tackles, 5.5 for loss last season. Whitlock is less than six-feet tall and 250 pounds, but uses great technique to take advantage of rival offensive linemen. Wake fills out its D-line in its 3-4 scheme with two more seniors, Kristopher Redding (30 tackles, 3.5 for loss) and Zach Thompson (52 tackles, 5.5 for loss). Senior Justin Jackson is the key to the linebacking corps -- he finished 2012 with 81 tackles and four sacks. The secondary must improve after a dismal 2012 in which it gave up 40 more yards per game than in 2011. Something that should help is junior Merrill Noel is healthy after only eight starts last season.
Special teams note: Wake must get better on return defense. The Deacons allowed four touchdowns last season on returns.
Schedule, notes, outlook: Presbyterian, at Boston College, Louisiana-Monroe, at Army, at Clemson, N.C. State, Maryland, at Miami, at Syracuse, Florida State, Duke, at Vanderbilt. Wake Forest was once the ultimate underdog story. It is the smallest school playing Division I football but won an ACC title in 2006 and won 28 games from 2006-08. The Demon Deacons have now experienced four straight losing seasons, however. No doubt Grobe is hoping returning the offense to a more run-oriented scheme will help bolster the team. A favorable early schedule should help, too. Wake has a real shot at going 4-0. If it can do that, bowling becomes that much easier as the Deacons could probably beat Duke and Maryland at home to reach six wins. If the Deacons go 3-1 or worse in their first four games, going bowling will be difficult. I think Wake has a chance to sneak up on some teams and win a lot of games. Grobe's teams are usually disciplined and overachieve and last season was probably a rarity. Given the toughness of their last eight games, however, I am going to peg Wake Forest right where I pegged Maryland and Syracuse. Each one of those three teams plays one of the other teams at home and another on the road. Those three games will determine how the middle of the Atlantic shakes out.
Win-loss prediction: 5-7 or 6-6
Comments
Post a Comment