ACC in the Top 25
The Hokies dropped just their second September game since falling to Syracuse
in 1996, and as a result they have dropped in the rankings of every major poll.
Clemson is now the highest ranked team in the conference, and strangely enough,
Virginia Tech is ranked higher than Georgia Tech in two of the polls.
| ACC in the Top 25 |
|||
Team |
Coaches’ Poll |
A.P. Poll |
Harris Poll |
Clemson |
15 | 15 | 15 |
Florida State |
16 | 17 | 17 |
Georgia Tech |
20 | 18 | 20 |
Virginia Tech |
18 | 21 | 19 |
Boston College |
NR | 25 | 25 |
The Clemson Tigers are the #15 team in the country, according to all three
major polls. Clemson rolled over Louisiana Tech on Saturday 51-0, and the Tigers
appear to be the best team in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Their main
competition at this point, Florida State, was off on Saturday.
Georgia Tech knocked off the Hokies 38-27 in Blacksburg, and led 38-13 at one
point during the game. Despite the win in Lane Stadium, the Yellow Jackets are
two spots behind the Hokies in the Coaches’ Poll and one spot behind them in
the Harris Poll. The A.P. Poll makes the most sense, ranking GT three spots
ahead of Virginia Tech.
Boston College squared off against Division 1-AA Maine on Saturday and came
away with a lackluster 22-0 victory. They will take this coming Saturday off as
they prepare for a visit from Virginia Tech on Thursday, October 12. Boston
College is still alive in the ACC race, but they aren’t expected to compete
with Florida State and Clemson over the course of the season.
But none of those teams are at the top of the ACC standings. The unranked and
unbeaten Wake Forest Demon Deacons have that honor. Jim Grobe’s team has
started the season 5-0 and has a 1-0 record in conference play. NC State is only
2-2 overall, but they are 1-0 in the ACC, which puts them at the top of the
Atlantic Division with Wake Forest.
We’ll have our ACC Capsule later today, showing the ACC standings and looking
ahead to the week’s games, which include Florida State at NC State Thursday
night on ESPN.
Updated Statistics
Not many people expected Virginia Tech to have the #4 offense in the ACC at
this point in the season. But that is where the Hokies rank, as they are
averaging 347.6 yards per game. They trail only Clemson, Boston College and
Miami in total offense.
Another interesting stat is that Virginia Tech is #2 in the ACC in passing
offense. The Hokies are averaging 244.2 passing yards per game, which is just
two yards behind Boston College, the conference leader. The third place team in
the conference, Clemson is averaging just 206.5 passing yards per game.
The biggest disappointment this season has been Virginia Tech’s rushing
offense. The Hokies are averaging just 103.4 yards per game, which is 10th in
the ACC. Tech is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Those stats include Branden
Ore, who is second in the ACC in rushing at 91.6 yards per game. He also
averages 5.3 yards per carry, which shows that the rest of the team is extremely
ineffective at running the football. The Hokies have given up nine sacks for 87
yards, which also enters into the rushing stats.
Virginia Tech’s passing defense still ranks very highly, but the Hokies’
rushing defense has taken a huge hit. They are giving up an average of 103.6
yards per game on the ground, which ranks eighth in the ACC. Georgia Tech
tailback Tashard Choice, who is averaging 72.8 yards per game on the ground,
racked up 105 yards against the Hokies.
Virginia Tech’s passing defense still ranks very highly. The Hokies are
first in the ACC, allowing 140.2 yards per game through the air. They are way
ahead of the rest of the conference, with UVA in second place allowing 163.8
yards per game.
In total defense, Virginia Tech is allowing 243.8 yards per game. That is
second behind Clemson. Boston College, Virginia Tech’s next opponent is #2 in
the ACC in total offense, so we should see a good matchup in Chestnut Hill. On
the other hand, the Hokies are fourth in total offense while BC is 11th in total
defense, so that matchup favors the Hokies.
Sean Glennon dropped to #2 in the ACC in passing efficiency. Glennon threw
for a lot of yards Saturday but only completed 51% of his passes, thanks in part
to a few drops by Tech’s tight ends and receivers. For the season, Glennon is
78-of-136 (57.4%) for 1,116 yards. He has eight touchdown passes and just three
interceptions.
Injury Update
At this point, it appears that Virginia Tech is healthier right now than they
have been at any point this season, although an injury report from the Georgia
Tech game has not been released.
Obviously, George Bell is still out with a knee injury. He rested his knee
for the second consecutive week in the days leading up to the Georgia Tech game
in hopes that it would respond. He has yet to make a decision regarding his
future at Virginia Tech.
The injury that had the most impact on the game Saturday was Brett Warren’s
ankle injury. The backup mike linebacker was one of the key components of
Virginia Tech’s punt protection team. His injury forced Frank Beamer to plug
Demetrius Taylor onto the punt protection team, and it was Taylor who allowed
the punt block against Georgia Tech.
David Clowney played a lot against Georgia Tech, despite undergoing an
emergency appendectomy just a few days before the Cincinnati game. With a bye
week coming before the Boston College game, he should be fine for the remainder
of the season.
Chris Ellis injured his shoulder in the UNC game, and it has limited his play
ever since. He was suspended for the Georgia Tech game, and by the time the BC
game rolls around on October 12, he should be fine. At that point, he will have
not played in a game since September 23rd.
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