Search
Categories
Advertise With Us Today

 

Entries in ACC (6)

Saturday
05Dec2009

Who Will Win Today's Big Games?

Cincinnati Bearcats

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

PITTSBURGH -- I haven't had many noon starts on the OGS tour, but I'm not complaining.

After I shoot the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game, I'll hustle back to the hotel for the Florida-Alabama tilt and then of course Texas-Nebraska. Those poor kids from Georgia Tech and Clemson; not many people will be watching that ACC Championship game when it kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

Here are my picks for today's huge matchups:

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh -- The Bearcats surprised many in the season's first half with a defense that hardly resembled one that was starting 10 new players. But the last few games, UC is giving up big plays and many points, so Dion Lewis and the Panthers will definitely make it interesting. But Cincinnati's offense hasn't missed a beat despite the musical quarterbacks, and I don't even think the noise surrounding Brian Kelly's future will be a problem. Cincinnati wins a shootout, 45-37.

Urban Meyer

Florida vs. Alabama -- Two great teams with great defenses tangle for the right to call themselves SEC champions and play for the national title. I see this one looking a lot like the Florida-LSU game in October. Points and big plays will be at a premium. And in such a game that will probably be close after halftime, would you put your crunch-time money on Tim Tebow or the other guy? Florida ends Alabama's dream season ... again, 16-12.

Texas vs. Nebraska -- Many think Nebraska has a chance here, and while I don't totally disagree, the chance is not a good one. Texas hasn't faced a defense like the one it will face today, but the Huskers have little to be excited about on the other side of the ball. They'll certainly slow the Longhorns down, but not enough to beat them. Colt McCoy and Texas have too much firepower. A slowed-down UT offense is better than most at full power. The Longhorns are focused on one of those shiny BCS invitations, and they'll get it with an impressive win, 31-10.

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson -- Each team suffered a disappointing rivalry loss to an almighty SEC team last week, so tonight's game will tell us who can respond better to adversity. Clemson has C.J. Spiller, who can rejoin the list of Heisman candidates with another stellar performance. But Georgia Tech has its impossible-to-stop rushing attack that gives everyone trouble. I have to think preparing for a difficult team will be slightly easier the second time around for the Tigers, who only lost by a field goal at Georgia Tech in Week Two. Clemson wins, 27-23, in an exciting finish that many will turn to after Texas puts the Big 12 title game out of reach in the second half.

Monday
19Oct2009

Caught On Video: VaTech Victim Gets Verbal

Mt. Vernon Way

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

CINCINNATI -- Reviewing some of the material I gathered on gameday in Atlanta Saturday, I couldn't help but laugh at this one video clip.

I was two rows ahead of these two Virginia Tech fans who didn't seem too unruly in the first three quarters. In fact, I didn't hear them at all. Not surprising, considering Georgia Tech seemed in control for much of the game.

Follow | Subscribe | Donate

But midway through the fourth quarter, I just happened to be looking behind me when a Georgia Tech fan did bark in their direction, "Have a fun drive back to Blacksburg," and that really pushed on of these VaTech guy's buttons.

Did the Georgia Tech fan need to say that? Not at all, but this is sports and fans like to jab each other. VaTech guy, however, would not shut up for about 10 minutes. He yelled over a woman holding her bundled-up baby in order to get his shouts heard by the GaTech instigator, then directed some of his vitriol toward a nice guy sitting behind me who was only recommending the VaTech guy relax a little bit. It was late in the game and the home team was wrapping things up, but that didn't stop VaTech guy from declaring that the home fans "don't even know how to watch a football game."

Enjoy the video of the verbal confrontation below, as well as another clip at the very bottom that shows thousands of Georgia Tech fans storming the field after the home team surprised the No. 4 Hokies in Saturday's big ACC tilt. They might not know how to watch a football game, but I give those fans credit for knowing how to celebrate after one.

Friday
16Oct2009

Is Sean Bedford The New Tim Tebow?

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

ATLANTA -- You may remember I had a great conversation this week with Georgia Tech center Sean Bedford. Here are some more great soundbites from the fourth-year junior who, when he's not practicing or spending time with charitable groups, studies for his aerospace engineering and pre-law courses:

Wednesday
14Oct2009

GaTech O-Lineman Offers Recipe For Success vs. VaTech

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

ATLANTA -- Remember Sean Bedford, the Coolest Guy In College Football I spoke to Monday?

Well, one of his boys on the offensive line, Brad Sellers, also is an undersized nice guy who seems to depend heavily on brains and technique. Sure these dudes are gritty, but when you're in the 6-1 or 6-2 range and you weigh between 260 and 270, words like "heart" and "determination" are often used to describe your game. Many BCS squads boast linemen in the neighborhood of 6-5, 310 pounds, but at Georgia Tech, size definitely does not matter.

Want proof? Well, that small-ish line is leading the way for Jonathan Dwyer and a Yellow Jackets rushing attack that averages 277 yards per game, fourth-best in the country. That's right, Tech's average yards-per-game output nearly equals the average weight (281 pounds) of its five starting offensive linemen.

Sellers says it's not a difficult formula to follow: just use good technique and work hard.

Tuesday
13Oct2009

The Coolest Guy In College Football Lives Here

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

ATLANTA -- I'm pretty sure I met the coolest guy in college football Monday, and his name isn't Kirk Herbstreit or Pete Carroll. He's Georgia Tech center Sean Bedford.

He's just your typical fourth-year junior who wasn't heavily recruited, thought about walking on at Notre Dame, then walked on at Tech as a defensive lineman, then was moved to offensive line as a backup, now finds himself starting and still finds time to study for his aerospace engineering and pre-law courses.

He's also active with various charitable groups around town and turns out to be a heck of a nice kid and a great interview to boot.

In the clip below, Bedford talks about intangible qualities like heart and perseverance and how they helped him go from scout-team scrapper to a recent ACC Lineman of the Week honor.