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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
ACC Spring Ball: Five burning questions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here are my five burning questions about the ACC as we head into Spring practice. What are yours?
1. Can Clemson find some Hogs? With running backs James Davis (1,064 yards) and C.J. Spiller (768 yards) both coming back along with quarterback Cullen Harper (27 TD) and receiver Aaron Kelly (88 catches), the Tigers should have the best offense in the ACC. But the Tigers have to replace both offensive tackles and one of the guards in order for these talented people to do their thing.
2. How long will it take for Georgia Tech to find a quarterback? Josh Nesbitt, the sophomore from Greene County, and Auburn transfer Calvin Booker both have a lot of talent. But the learning curve in Paul Johnson’s offense is really steep. The decision making and execution in this offense is more precise than anything these two guys have ever seen. Chances are that neither will win the job outright during spring practice and that the competition will continue into August.
3. Will David Cutcliffe have an immediate impact at Duke? Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis has started for two seasons and in 2007 threw for 2,430 yards and 21 touchdowns. But now Lewis is going to get a crash course on how to REALLY play quarterback from Cutcliffe, who begins with seven starters back on offense and 10 on defense. Cutcliffe has already put his offensive linemen on a diet in order to be leaner and quicker. It usually takes a quarterback an entire season just to grasp Cutcliffe’s system. It will be interesting to see if Lewis is a quick study.
4. Can Christian Ponder beat out Drew Weatherford?: I have it on pretty good authority that Jimbo Fisher, Florida State’s offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting, is intrigued by what Ponder, a redshirt sophomore, can do. Ponder only played in one game last season (a 40-21 loss to Virginia Tech), where he made some big plays but also made a bunch of mistakes. The competition between Ponder and senior Drew Weatherford (2,049 yards, 9 TD in 2007) will be interesting.
5. Is Robert Marve the answer at Miami? For a place known as Quarterback U., there hasn’t been a lot of good play at the position lately. Marve will get a chance to change that his spring. As a high school senior in 2006 he was Mr. Florida Football but a traffic accident and the resulting surgeries kept him off the field as a true freshman in 2007. Coach Randy Shannon says he won’t name a starting quarterback until this summer after his highly rated recruiting class arrives in Coral Gables. If Miami is going to be relevant again, somebody has to step up and play quarterback at a high level.
ACC SPRING PRACTICE STARTING DATES
Boston College (March 25)
Clemson (March 8)
Duke (March 20)
Florida State (March 18)
Georgia Tech (March 24)
Maryland (March 25)
Miami (started Tuesday)
North Carolina (March 3)
N.C. State (March 18)
Virginia (March 21)
Virginia Tech (March 26)
Wake Forest (March 26)
