HokieHaven.com - ACC Power Poll

October 20, 2009

Brian Mohr
HokieHaven.com Publisher

It's a competitive race in the Coastal as there is a three way tie at the top between Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami following the Hokies loss. Boston College is now the team to beat in the Atlantic with a stout victory. Check out the ACC Power Poll after week seven inside.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS
RANK	LW	TEAM
1	2	Miami Hurricanes Miami had no trouble putting away UCF 27-7 Saturday. The Miami defense dominated holding Central Florida to 229-yards. Sean Spence was key in stopping two drives for the Knights with two sacks. Jacory Harris was his usual self-completing a solid 20-of-26 for 293-yards, once again spreading the ball around to nine different receivers. The only issue for the Hurricanes was special teams, which featured a bad snap, a 35-yard return by UCF and a punt return brought back due to penalties. Up next: The Hurricanes (5-1) face Clemson, kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
2	1	Virginia Tech Hokies Virginia Tech's national championship hopes vanished on Saturday night at Georgia Tech. The Hokie defense dominated the first half giving up just 37-yards of offense, but struggled against the option in the second as the Yellow Jackets rolled up 271-yards on the ground, much of it coming from Josh Nesbitt. Tech struggled to execute offensively on three possessions early in the game in Georgia Tech territory, coming up with zero points. Tyrod Taylor was still outstanding though as he efficiently moved the ball down the field completing 10-of-14 for 159-yards and one touchdown. He ran well too rushing for 63-yards and a score. Ryan Williams fought the flu and picked up 100-yards on the ground. Dyrell Roberts was especially impressive on returns getting good field position on a 56 and 30-yarder. Up next: Virginia Tech (5-2) has a bye.
3	3	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Josh Nesbitt dominated the second half to pick up the victory over Virginia Tech. Nesbitt ran for 122-yards and three touchdowns while completing just one pass for 51-yards in the first half. The blocking was outstanding for Nesbitt on the night particularly late in the game to seal the win. While completing just one pass, Demaryius Thomas made the most of it coming down with the 51-yarder. The Georgia Tech defense was solid on the night. Jason Peters made an outstanding individual play deflecting a pass and intercepting it, a key stop early in the game. Derrick Morgan stepped up big as well pulling down one sack in the contest on a huge third down. However, Georgia Tech did struggle at times. Nesbitt had three bad pitches, Georgia Tech was lucky to lose just one of them. The Yellow Jackets passing game was miserable, as Nesbitt threw an interception and a number of passes out of bounds. Also, the kickoff coverage was poor as Dyrell Roberts had two big returns. Up next: Georgia Tech (6-1) heads to Virginia at noon. on Raycom.
4	5	Boston College Eagles Boston College had no trouble putting away Tom O'Brien and NC State. Montel Harris ran wild all over the Wolfpack for 264-yards and five touchdowns, both school records. Over half of his yards, 167 came out of the Bazooka formation, the Eagles version of the wildcat. David Shiniskie recovered from a horrible outing in Blacksburg by completing a respectable 13-of-25 passing for 187-yards and two touchdowns. There were few troubles in this game, but the Eagles have not won a game away from home this season. Boston College needs to prove that they can with a huge road game this week against Notre Dame. Up next: The Eagles (5-2) head to Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.
5	7	Virginia Cavaliers The Cavaliers solid showing in October continued on Saturday as they dispatched Maryland 20-9. Virginia's defense has been dominant in the recent run, not allowing a touchdown in three games including this past week against Maryland. The Cavaliers defense forced four turnovers on the day. Virginia may have found a running back to replace Mikell Simpson in fullback Rashawn Jackson who accounted for 119 total yards, 90 on the ground and a score. It wasn't all perfect though as Virginia's offensive line gave up five sacks in the outing, this was especially the case when utilizing the spread offense. Of concern, starting quarterback Jameel Sewell left the game with an ankle injury, but is expected to be fine for the Georgia Tech game this week. Up next: Virginia (3-3) faces Georgia Tech at noon on Raycom.
6	6	Duke Blue Devils The Blue Devils had a bye this past week, but return to action against Maryland. Thaddeus Lewis appears to be the clear starter now as he was sharing time with Sean Renfree. Expect a lot of passing as Maryland struggled to stop Wake Forest's attack a few weeks back. The Blue Devils have been trying to utilize tight end Brett Huffman more in recent weeks and it should be expected they will this week as well. The defense has given up the big play on a consistent basis, but they are playing well enough to win. Up next: Duke (3-3) hosts Maryland at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN360.com.
7	11	Clemson Tigers The Tigers obliterated Wake Forest on Saturday 38-3. Clemson's struggling redzone offense had no problems on Saturday scoring four touchdowns on five attempts, getting a field goal on the other. Kyle Parker has been inconsistent, but he was solid on Saturday completing 10-of-17 for 132-yards and no interceptions. C.J. Spiller impressed with 106-yards on nine carries including a 66-yard touchdown. Clemson's defense impressed with good pressure on Riley Skinner sacking him five times and intercepting him twice. The real issue for the Tigers on Saturday was the offensive line, which did give up four sacks in the contest. Up next: Clemson (3-3) heads to Miami for a 3:30 kickoff on ABC.
8	4	Wake Forest Demon Deacons Wake Forest got rolled by Clemson on Saturday and much of the trouble was on the pass protection. Riley Skinner was running for his life as he was sacked five times in the loss and hit a number of other times. The Demon Deacons need Skinner to be productive and he wasn't on Saturday as Wake only threw for 97-yards in the whole game. About the only highlight of the game was the play of punter Shane Popham who averaged 36.9-yards on nine punts. Wake Forest did a solid job on return coverage only allowing five-yards agaist Spiller and the Tigers. Up next: The Demon Deacons (4-3) visit Navy at 3:30 p.m. on CBSCS.
9	8	North Carolina Tar Heels The Tar Heels are coming off a bye and need to see significant improvement to make a push for bowl eligibility. The offense has struggled to run the ball so far this season. In two conference games they are averaging 28-yards per contest. T.J. Yates has struggled as well throwing for only 161-yards a game. The offense will need to get it going against Christian Ponder and Florida State on Thursday to stay in the game. North Carolina's defense has been solid allowing just two opponents to pass 100-yards rushing on the day. Robert Quinn has dominated with seven sacks so far this season. Up next: The Tar Heels (4-2) face Florida State on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.
10	9	Florida State Seminoles The bye week has quieted the critics a bit in Tallahassee. Quarterback Christian Ponder has been outstanding and following the offensive outburst against Georgia Tech, the offense should be keyed in for Thursday's game. Much of the focus over the bye week is on the defense, which has struggled immensely this season. The Seminoles have struggled to find a pass rush and that may lead to some of the younger talent getting more time in the coming weeks. Up next: Florida State (2-4) heads to North Carolina on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. to on ESPN.
11	10	North Carolina State Wolfpack The bye couldn't come at a better time for the Wolfpack who have numerous problems. They have struggled against the pass and this past week against the run as Montel Harris rolled up 264-yards on the ground and had particular problems against the Eagles wildcat. NC State's special teams struggled as well allowing a huge 42-yard kick return following a score. Russell Wilson played well rushing for a score and throwing for another, but is far from the player that hadn't thrown an interception as he threw another and lost a fumble in the loss. Up next: The Wolfpack (3-4) have a bye.
12	12	Maryland Terrapins The Terrapins season appears to be nearly lost and that is affecting every player on the team including quarterback Chris Turner who may be sharing time with backups Jamarr Robinson and Danny O'Brien in the future. Maryland struggled to hang on to the ball giving up four turnovers in the loss. The offense struggled to mount a significant attack only going for 284-yards and were forced to kick field goals instead of get touchdowns. Nick Ferrara missed two key field goals in the second half that would have potentially put Maryland ahead. Although, Maryland's defense was solid holding Virginia to just 63-yards on the ground while getting five sacks. Up next: Maryland (2-5) heads to Duke at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN360.com.