Paddyfoot Prepping Kempsville For Playoffs
by Kellen Owings, recruit757
Head Coach Jamaine Paddyfoot (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
After a 6-5 season and their first postseason berth in seven years, the Kempsville Chiefs will look to return to the playoffs under first year Head Coach and former Kempsville assistant Jamaine Paddyfoot. Paddyfoot replaces David Johnson, who stepped down after two years at the school. Paddyfoot inherits a loaded team and bonafide contender led by standout running back and linebacker Travis Hughes.
However, Paddyfoot and his team aren’t going to rest on their laurels, it’s a new season and no playoff spot comes guaranteed. “We’re confident with the group coming back, but myself included, we have to make our own way. We can’t depend on what happened last season. We have other teams (in our district) that didn’t make the playoffs that want a playoff spot, and we have to earn our own. We can’t base it off of last year, and we know we got our work cut out for us,” he said.
The offense will be lead by quarterback Rex Harrison (SR 6-2 210). Harrison transferred in from Tabb High School in York County. After leaving Tabb, he looked to break into the lineup at Oscar Smith, where he had hoped to compete for the starting QB job. That didn’t work out and Harrison’s family ended up settling in the Kempsville school district. Harrison was a second-team All-Bay Rivers District quarterback a year ago after playing well at Nansemond-Suffolk in his first two years of high school ball.
Harrison joins a potent offense featuring running back Travis Hughes (SR 6-1 230), who was the second-leading rusher in South Hampton Roads last year with 1,274 yards gained on the ground. Seniors Mason Thomas (6-0, 195) and Gavin Williams (5-8, 160) provide two good options for Harrison at wide receiver. Kempsville also has two seniors coming off of injury, Jasonte Kimbro (5-11, 165) and Justin Whiteford (5-10, 160) who will see time at receiver. Both can run well and are physical, downfield blockers. Deandre McNair (5-10, 160), who played sparingly last year, figures to have a much bigger role this year. A scat-back type, he’ll help take the load off Hughes and catch balls out of the backfield. Says Coach Paddyfoot, “He’s a guy were gonna get the ball to often.”
Joey Droll (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Joey Droll (6-0, 190) is another interesting prospect on offense. He was the teams’ QB during 7 on 7s and took most of the snaps last year, but is now seeing time at tight end, receiver, and some as QB. “He did a lot for us last year and will continue to do that. He’ll always do what’s best for the team,” Coach Paddyfoot said. “Right now he’s nursing a shoulder injury so he’s taking a lot of tight end reps, when he comes back he’ll get some QB reps as well. We just want to be prepared.” Senior Bryce Barnes, a standout Beach District wrestler, is also getting reps at tight end.
The offensive line is also a strength for the Chiefs, lead by Andrew Hendrix and Greg Maloid. Maloid (SR 6-0, 245), who is going in to his second year as a starter, played well at right tackle last season but will move to the left side this year. Hendrix (SR 6’1, 250) started at center last season, but is a flexible lineman capable of playing anywhere on the O-Line. Juniors Frederick Pauley and Brandon Hubbard move up from JV and will be asked to start and help take the offense to the next level. Aaron Williams and Jesse Litton will also be contributing on the offensive line.
The defense will be a group effort built around Travis Hughes, and Paddyfoot envisions “everyone rallying to the ball and trying to make things happen.” Hughes will be the top playmaker on defense from his middle linebacker position. Gavin Williams will also play both ways and will be the team’s top corner.
Hughes already plans to play linebacker next fall, and his list is getting shorter as he focuses on the season. He has narrowed it down to 5 or 6 teams, including UNC, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and UVA. Gavin Williams is also getting a lot of college interest as well.
Coach Paddyfoot says about his team, “We’re doing well right now, we just want to keep getting better. We have a lot of guys who are going to have a hand in this season, a lot of guys who don’t get noticed but are contributors.” The Chiefs have had some injury problems, so Paddyfoot hopes his guys can stay healthy so he doesn’t have to dig deeper.
Says Paddyfoot, “We hope to do better than last year. We’re going to come out and work hard and take the program to the next level.”
Kempsville is poised to get to that level. They field an experienced, talent-laden team that should be at the top of a very strong Beach District. They are a true contender in the region. Who knows? Maybe a playoff rematch against Oscar Smith looms? The Chiefs would love to avenge last season’s playoff loss, and Rex Harrison would love to show Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan what he can do with an explosive offense of his own.
- Kellen Owings
Menchville’s Richardson To Take Official Visits
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Clifton Richardson (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
Clifton Richardson has been touted as one of the jewels in Coach Mike London’s 2011 class at Virginia. When Richardson (QB/FS 6-1 195)committed to Virginia back in March, the buzz was significant. Richardson was one of London’s first blue chip verbals in the 2011 class. At the time, his commitment was a hot topic and has since been clarified as a soft verbal.
In recruiting parlance, a soft verbal is hardly a commitment. In fact, a verbal commitment isn’t truly a commitment but it is a non-binding agreement between the college program and the player. A soft verbal means, “I really like you and I plan on coming there, but I might change my mind.”
In other words, Virginia plans on having Clifton Richardson as part of their 2011 class. Clifton Richardson plans to be there, most likely.
That being said, he’s still going to see what else is out there. We caught up to Richardson last night at the Grassfield scrimmage, and he’s still looking around.
“I’m going to make my final decision soon. I’m going to take some official visits and make my decision after that.” Richardson then went on to list the schools he plans to visit. “Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, UVA and probably South Florida. I like Virginia because of the coaching staff. They’re going to turn that program around,” said Richardson. Clearly, he’s impressed with Coach London and his efforts to rebuild the Cavalier Football program.
West Virginia also has his eye. “I like Chris Beatty. He’s a great running back coach.” Richardson would obviously fit the mold as a speedy slot receiver or running back in the Mountaineer program.
”With Tennessee, I just met the new coach a few months ago. Coach Chaney’s a good guy.” Playing in the SEC and joining Ocean Lakes wide receiver Justin Hunter at Tennessee would be appealing to Richardson. Tennessee has a bit of rebuilding to do as well, but unlike Virginia, Tennessee hasn’t suffered losing seasons and may make a quicker recovery in spite of playing tougher competition.
Richardson went on to speak positively about Coach Tom Brattan at Maryland and Coach Skip Holtz at South Florida. “I’m going plan to visit them too. I’m going to try to take all my visits and make my decision in the fall.”
While Virginia is still a strong possibility for Richardson, he’s definitely going to look around and be sure of his decision.
Academically, Richardson still has some work to do. He has to take a few more classes that will help him with his core GPA and he plans to take the SAT in September. From there he’ll know where he stands with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Richardson remains confident about qualifying and is determined to stay focused on the field and off the field. “I had a rough night tonight, but I’m going to work that out and cut out the mistakes.” Richardson fumbled the ball a few times while at quarterback Monday night.
His Menchville team will need the best Clifton Richardson they can get on Friday nights. His college choices are looking forward to a focused and ready Clifton Richardson on Saturday afternoons. That will come soon enough.
Travis Hughes Down to Top Five (Plus)
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Kempsville's Travis Hughes (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Travis Hughes of Kempsville is one of the region’s top prospects. You can look at the schools that are courting him and tell the college coaches think he’s special. Hughes rushed for 1343 yards and 12 TDs in his junior season as the Chiefs primary running back. It’s not his offensive skills that are getting him recruited. At 6-1 220, Hughes is a quick, yet punishing linebacker. Hughes led the Chiefs to the playoffs last year. This year with a new head coach in Jamaine Paddyfoot, the Chiefs look to repeat the feat and send several of their seniors off to college.
We caught up to Travis this week to get an update on his recruitment.
Hughes has his priorities set and has offers from over 20 schools. He has his choice of going as far away as Oregon or USC, or he could stay in state and play for any school he wants. Who are his favorites? “Right now my favorites are North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Clemson and LSU. The leader right now is North Carolina. Coach Butch Davis is putting a great program together. From what I’m seeing, with the current schedule and the schedule in the years to come, with the players they’re attracting and the fan support they have there, they want a national championship and they want it bad. They’re trying to build it back up and it’s looking good at North Carolina right now,” said the Kempsville senior.
Just because Carolina is hot, doesn’t mean the other schools don’t have a chance. Hughes finds plenty to like in the other schools he’s considering. “Virginia Tech is one of those schools where you can be a home town hero. Coach Beamer is an awesome coach and it’s a stable place to go. If you go there, you know you’re gonna get coached up real well. Bud Foster is one of the best in the game. He’s an awesome person to be around. He’s great character-wise and he’ll take your game to the next level. So Virginia Tech is there too,” said Hughes.
With all of the talk of defense and Bud Foster, it seems obvious that Travis is planning for a college career on the defensive side of the ball. “I’m definitely planning on being a defensive player; linebacker primarily,” Hughes confirmed for us.
Maryland holds a special place in Hughes heart and has an inside track on his recruitment. Travis’ older brother Trenton is a senior and plays defensive back for the Terps. “I’m so comfortable with the coaching staff and the facilities at Maryland. Of any college, I have the best feel for Maryland. I’ve been there so many times. I know the ins and outs of Maryland. I know if I go there, there will be little transition. My brother’s there and I know a lot of the players so there wouldn’t be much of a transition for me.”
LSU is an intriguing possibility for Hughes. The Bayou Bengals recruited wideout Justin Hunter from last year’s Ocean Lakes team and had a commitment from Hunter only to see Tennessee snatch him away in the week before National Signing Day. Head Coach Les Miles and the Tigers are trying their hand in Virginia Beach again with the recruitment of Travis Hughes. “LSU fits in because they’ve put me at number one on their board. You can go on their depth chart and see what they’re missing. LSU is going to contend for a national championship every year. SEC Football is for real. LSU is already established. They have their National Championship and they’re trying to get more rings. LSU is more business. I would go out there and get stuff done. Coach John Chavis is recruiting me there and he’s an awesome guy.”
Hughes may take all five official visits before announcing a decision. He’s made a number of unofficial visits to schools that are easy to get to, so Virginia Tech, Maryland and UNC might not get an official visit from him. That factor leaves the door open for other schools on his list. “I’m going to try to make as many official visits as possible. It’s going to be a little tight because it’s going to be in the middle of the season,” said Hughes.
Hughes mentioned that Tennessee and even USC could get a visit from him, and schools like Clemson and LSU could count on a visit since they’re too far to travel for an unofficial stop. Travis plans to make his announcement in the fall. With official visits to make and a season to play, it looks like that decision would come no sooner than October.
- Andy Hilton
Maryland In Transition With Coaching & Recruitment?
by Jay Parchman, recruit757
Maryland Head Coach Ralph Friedgen (AP Photo)
Ralph Friedgen soon begins his tenth season as the head coach in College Park, Maryland. He entered with a bang going 31-8 in his first three seasons. Since then, however, a cumulative 35-38 record has followed in years four through nine. The bottom was reached last season at 2-10.
Joker Phillips (Kentucky) and Jimbo Fisher (Florida State) each begin the first season as a head coach after serving multiple seasons as an assistant with the designated tag of “coach in waiting”. James Franklin has been granted that same title with 2011 expected to be the last season for Friedgen. Many Maryland fans, however, are growing impatient with the direction of the program.
Examining impact to the recruiting efforts in The 757 is not easy to determine. Three local quality local players were inked for the 2007 class. Each remains at Maryland: Running Back Haroon Brown of Phoebus, O-Lineman Maurice Hampton of Phoebus and Defensive Back Trenton Hughes of Kempsville.
However since then, Maryland’s recruiting success and efforts are hard to pinpoint. The Terps offered scholarships to at least eight local players for the 2008 class and did land a big time prospect at WR with Kerry Boykins of Oscar Smith, but they were shut out locally in the 2009 class from their six offers that can be accounted for. Maryland’s recruiting efforts in The 757 were nearly fruitless for the 2010 class, but they did land one key player in Mario Rowson, a DB prospect from the talent laden Lake Taylor program.
The recruiting surge of new Virginia coach Mike London and staff seems to have impacted the Terps this year. Of the present six offers, two have already committed to play for the Cavaliers – Clifton Richardson and Caleb Taylor. Another, Daquan Romero of Phoebus, states he’ll play for North Carolina.
But good news might still be on the way. The Terrapins have made the trimmed list of five of Travis Hughes (6-1 220), LB prospect from Kempsville. The #1-rated Southside player according to the Virginian-Pilot, Demetrious Nicholson of Bayside, includes the Terps on his long list of suitors. The Terrapins have been recruiting Quinta Funderburk, the long, tall, WR prospect from Oscar Smith. Maryland did not appear on Funderburk’s recent final five.
All of the above players are blue chip caliber recruits and are among the most notable. Maryland is most certainly recruting the area more deeply than it appears.
The Terps are looking to tap the Lake Taylor talent pool again as Maryland Offensive Line Coach Tom Brattan is calling on the Norfolk School to land WR/DB Deandre Moore (6-1 185). It’s still too early in the recruiting season to call Moore’s recruitment, but Maryland is definitely in the mix.
With quite a bit to go, Maryland has their opportunities to make a large dent in the local 2011 class as they did with the 2007 group. A winning season would certainly help. Maryland draws a favorable schedule from the Coastal Division of the ACC. They play Virginia, Duke and Miami from that side of the ledger which is certainly more favorable than drawing three Top 25 teams in Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
With the right bounces, a bowl season could be in reach. That kind of achievement would certainly be favorable for the Terps’ recruiting efforts.
It would also help Coach Ralph Friedgen keep his job.
- Jay Parchman
Half Back: Lake Taylor Returns 50% of a Winning Squad
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Coach Hank Sawyer (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
How’s this for a track record? District Champs for seven out of the last eight years and eight out of the last ten. That’s Lake Taylor Football. For Coach Hank Sawyer, there is no choice but to keep moving forward.
Lake Taylor has lost in the Division 5 Eastern Region Final to eventual State Champion Phoebus for two years in a row. Last year’s loss was a heartbreaker, 20-19. That was the closest game the Phantoms played all year in an undefeated season where their margin of victory was 27 points over their 15 wins. 2007 and 2008 were one loss seasons for the Titans. They just need to get over the playoff hump. Phoebus may likely stand in their way again at the end of this season.
The Titans lose two BCS level commits from the 2009 team. DB Mario Rowson has gone on to play at Maryland and LB Travis Williams is now a Miami Hurricane. Coach Hank Sawyer has seen some talent come through his program. What’s the prognosis this year?
“Offensively we lost five starters, we have six coming back on offense. We have a running back coming back in Derrion Walton (5-6 170), he had 2400 all-purpose yards last year. He had 1457 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s All-District, All-Region and All-State so we’re going to put the ball in his hands a lot,” said the coach.
“We have a very experienced offensive line. Four of those five guys are back this year. They’re all benching over 300 pounds so we’re real happy about that. Datrelle Anderson (SR 5-11 180) is back at Tight End; he’s a real good tight end for us. Mekel Watson (JR 5-11 170) and Donovan Powell are battling at Quarterback, we’re expecting good things out of them. We just hope the defense will set us up. Defensively we have six starters coming back. Linebacker Torrein Edwards and Lineman Taylor Darby (SR 6-1 285) will be keys. Darby is the strongest lineman I’ve ever coached. He benches about 450. Jamel Spellman is returning at defensive tackle. Deandre Moore (SR 6-1 185) is going to play both ways for us. He’s a great receiver and a shutdown corner. Those guys can make it happen for us,” said Coach Sawyer.
Taylor Darby (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Elder “Budd” Hudson was also mentioned by Coach Sawyer as a key contributor on the line for the Titans. “Budd’s going to be big time for us. Budd’s one of those 300 bench guys on the offensive line. We’ll turn to him and Tevin Fitchett. It’s always good to get those guys involved.”
In past years BCS programs such as Miami, Florida and Maryland have recruited kids out of Lake Taylor. In fact,the ACC and Big East schools are well aware of what Lake Taylor could offer. With Rowson and Williams gone, are those schools still stopping by? “For (the BCS) schools, they’ll say that Taylor Darby isn’t tall enough at nose guard. Deandre Moore is going to be as good as Rowson. Maryland’s very interested in him,” said the coach.
In fact, Deandre Moore is getting interest from Maryland, Penn State and North Carolina. Taylor Darby’s getting interest from William & Mary, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Darby has a 3.2 GPA in his core classes and scored a 990 on the SAT. Darby camped recently at William & Mary.
I asked Coach Sawyer to give me his expectations for the season.
“We’re expecting big things out of our guys. Half of our offense and half of our defense is returning so we’ll shake it up and see. All of our competition is going to come after us because we’ve won our district five years in a row. We’ve won it eight out of the eleven years that I’ve been a head coach. They all think they can beat us. You can’t talk this game. You have to play it. We feel good and we’re going to shake it up and see what happens.”
- Andy Hilton
Connor Mewbourne – FC’s Lineman BCS Bound?
Connor Mewbourne (Photo: Andy Hilton)
Connor Mewbourne is on track to be one of the most highly recruited linemen since Brandon Noble graduated from First Colonial in 1992 and went on to play for Penn State, the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. Mewbourne (OG 6-4 270) is readying for a senior year that could vault his Patriot team back into the playoffs for the first time in ten years.
For those that don’t remember, First Colonial’s last trip to the playoffs was in 2000 when they finished the regular season 8-2, but couldn’t get past the Bayside Marlins. They lost the regular season game 18-9 and lost the playoff opener (which was then the regional semi-final) by a score of 27-0 to Bayside. None of the current Patriots have played post-season High School Football. Mewbourne and the 2010 FC squad want to change that.
Along with prepping for his senior season, Connor Mewbourne has been busy with colleges visiting. The evaluation period for college coaches just ended and Mewbourne has seen more than his share of colleges come calling. I was able to ask him about the colleges that have visited and who he’s most interested in.
“I really like Duke right now and Stanford sent me an invite to their camp (this summer) which I plan on going out for. I’m planning on going to Senior camps this summer at Connecticut, Maryland and Duke,” said Connor. “Tennessee came in to see me. I want to try to camp at Ohio State, I’m going to try to plan that out. It’s going to be a bit of a long shot.”
Mewbourne went on to explain that with the exception of Stanford, he’d kind of like to stay close to home. ACC schools are holding most of his interest. “I’d like to stay close to home, but then I’ve got Stanford (on my list). That’s all about grades. I have a 3.3 GPA with a class load that’s heavy in AP classes.”
Mewbourne doesn’t have any official offers yet, but with his size, skill and grades, he has the look of a player that would make a fine fit at Duke, Stanford, UVA or Georgia Tech. Don’t look for an early commitment from Connor. He’ll take a trip to Stanford and perhaps even Ohio State. From there it will be a decision between staying close to home or going to a “dream school” further away. Either way, it seems that First Colonial’s star lineman could be BCS bound to a school with high academics.
College List Gets Crowded For Bayside’s Nicholson
Demetrious “Tra” (Trey) Nicholson has been a hot commodity for a couple of years now. At least since his sophomore year, Nicholson has been on the radar of many colleges and has been explosive on the camp and combine circuit. Tra’s high GPA hasn’t hurt him either.
It’s open season in the football recruiting business, and schools have been blazing a path to Darnell Moore’s door. The Bayside Head Coach has hosted school after school after school in the past couple of weeks since the Evaluation Period opened on April 15. Colleges have until May 31 to visit prospective recruits to check out their academics and their athletic ability. Nicholson has been getting lots of attention. He’s a star at wide receiver and cornerback for the Marlins. After the team’s Beach District Championship and narrow loss to Woodside in the Eastern Region Semifinal last year, Bayside’s sure to get even more attention in 2010.
Tra Nicholson is virtually the only big name Class of 2011 recruit on a Bayside roster loaded with talent. Bayside has been visited by coaches from Stanford, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland, UConn, UNC and even smaller, local schools like ODU, William and Mary and Christopher Newport over the past two weeks. That list isn’t even all inclusive. Nicholson’s offer list is quite long as well. In addition to the schools listed above, Nicholson has been offered by Clemson, Boston College, West Virginia, Duke, East Carolina, Louisville, North Carolina State and Rutgers. Tra hasn’t narrowed his list down yet and the offer list is sure to grow.
Where does he see himself going to college? It’s tough to say at this point but one thing is sure, Tra Nicholson will have his pick of schools. ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 10… local?
In other Bayside news, it looks like 2010 Class running back Lamar Jordan (5-8 190) could be headed to Division III. Ferrum College has offered Jordan and it appears he will enroll there for the fall. Jordan lead the Bayside Marlins with 1190 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 2009. He was also an All-Beach District and All-Tidewater selection at running back. If the commitment holds, Ferrum has a steal in Jordan.
More Spring Games on Saturday
More of the Mid-Atlantic’s college football programs break out the pigskin for their annual Spring Games this weekend. The slate of scrimmages include Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Marshall and Navy.
Old Dominion holds the only Spring Game in The 757 this weekend and this will be the Monarchs’ first at the newly renovated Foreman Field. UVA’s traveling road show a few weeks ago should have given ODU a blueprint for a spring event at the stadium. It will be interesting to see if Old Dominion can recreate a game day type atmosphere with their Spring Game. The day starts at 11:30 a.m. with fan activities, the structured scrimmage starts at 1 p.m.
Virginia Tech holds what may be the most anticipated Spring Game for the area. The Hokies have a number of question marks on defense and it will be interesting to see what Coach Bud Foster’s early answers are for next year’s team. The festivities in Blacksburg start at 11:30 a.m. with the Spring Game starting at 2 p.m.
In College Park, the Maryland Terrapins host Maryland Day this Saturday. The Red-White game takes place on campus at Byrd Stadium. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and is the culmination of a day long series of events. Maryland Day goes far beyond athletics and includes events relateds to many of the academic programs at the university.
At Marshall, Herd fans welcome new coach Doc Holliday with the Big Green Scholarship dinner tonight and a day full of events on Saturday. Marshall will have a season ticket seating event at Noon, tailgating starts at 1 p.m. and the Green & White game kicks off at 4. Since Coach Holliday will have installed some new schemes, the Thundering Herd should have some new looks to show off.
The earliest of events this weekend is tonight’s Navy Blue-Gold game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game starts at 7 p.m. so if you’re planning to go, you should have left the area already!
Admission to all of these events are free and many of them have autograph sessions and lots of other events for the kids. Don’t expect packed stadiums, but the events are a great way to experience something close to game day atmosphere more than four months before the season starts.
We’ll get you coverage of the ODU Spring Game including lots of photos tomorrow.
Maryland Schedules Irish; Leverages Ticket Sales
The Maryland Terrapins announced an “almost home” date with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame yesterday and also announced a season ticket sales driver attached to the game.
The matchup between Notre Dame and Maryland will take place on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at FedEx Field in Washington, DC. It’s almost a home game for the Terps. It’s the second time in history that the two teams will face each other and for the first time, Maryland will play a game at FedEx Field. The first time the Terps played the Irish was in 2002, Coach Ralph Friedgen’s second season at Maryland. The game was played in East Rutherford, NJ and the the #21 ranked Terrapins fell 22-0.
The game is due to be televised in prime time on NBC as part of Notre Dame’s package with the network. Because Notre Dame negotiated the venue and set up the game, Notre Dame is offically the home team for the contest. Maryland still has seven home games on the schedule for 2011, so Terps fans will only have four true road games next season.
Holding the game at FedEx Field fits Notre Dame’s M.O. of scheduling “nationally” by playing neutral sites games in different parts of the country, thereby keeping up their “national profile”. It doesn’t hurt that the game looks winnable for the Irish, especially considering that new coach Mike Kelly will be in his second year with the program.
The scheduling of the game is a win for the Maryland program as well. The game against Notre Dame gives them a national television audience and a game against a high profile team. It’s a little out of Maryland’s comfort zone, since Maryland typically schedules regional rivals like Navy and West Virginia out-of-conference, along with a game against a lesser team such as Morgan State, who is on the Terps’ schedule in 2010.
The ticket sales angle is also a positive for the Maryland program. In order to leverage higher season ticket sales for 2010 and 2011, Maryland is tying priority seating for the Notre Dame game into the purchase of season ticket packages for the next two seasons. Smart programs do this to increase sales and attendance. That’s nothing new.
ACC Out-of-Conference Schedule Peaks and Valleys
There are different philosophies to OOC scheduling. Some programs like to challenge themselves, figuring that a vigorous schedule will have them ready for the postseason. Other programs would prefer to schedule OOC as lightly as possible, hoping for easier wins and easier bowl qualification or perhaps even a shot at an undefeated season.
Today we’re going to look at the ACC. Each team plays a varied and somewhat unbalanced conference schedule of five games in division and three games against teams from the other division. Beyond that, everyone schedules four games out-of-conference.
Boston College takes an easier road in 2010. They open at home against Weber State and Kent State, get Notre Dame at home on October 2 and they finish their season on November 27 on the road at Syracuse. The first two games should be easy wins, Notre Dame is a rivalry game that could be far more interesting this year with new Notre Dame coach Mike Kelly at the helm for the Irish. Syracuse could be a win for the Eagles, but it’s not a gimme game.
Clemson has a mixed bag of OOC games. They start off with home games against North Texas and Presbyterian, then go on the road at Auburn. The Tiger-Tiger game will be a stiff test for Clemson. After their ACC games, Clemson closes out with in-state rival South Carolina.
Florida State scheduled quite a mix of teams this year. They have a warm up against Samford, then they dive head first into competitive games against Oklahoma and BYU. Florida State closes the season against Florida on November 27. It sure beats opening the season against the Gators.
Maryland has a Labor Day opener against Navy, then folow that up with games against Morgan State, West Virginia and FIU. The Terps play all of their OOC games right out of the gate.
NC State opens somewhat softly with OOC games against Western Carolina and UCF. The Wolfpack then get a Thursday night ESPN game against Cincinnati and play in-state rival ECU midseason on October 16.
Closing out the Atlantic Division, Wake Forest opens with Presbyterian on September 2. The Deacons go to Stanford on September 18, host Navy on October 9 and close out the season at Vanderbilt on November 27. Wake typically schedules games against higher academic schools and this year’s schedule doesn’t disappoint.
Moving on to the Coastal Division, Duke opens with Elon, then hosts Alabama on September 18. Duke has also scheduled the east coast Service Academies. They’ll host Army on September 25 and go to Annapolis on October 30.
Georgia Tech opens softly with South Carolina State, travels to Kansas on September 11, hosts Middle Tennessee on October 16 then finishes out the season with their traditional game against Georgia.
Miami gets Florida A&M on Thursday, September 2 to open the season. They then travel to Ohio State for a barnburner on September 11. The Hurricanes have a bye week, but go right back on the road for a Thursday night game at Pitt on September 23. After those ambitious games, the Canes have their ACC schedule then close out against USF, who could be a surprise in 2010 under new Head Coach Skip Holtz.
UNC gets LSU right off the bat. They follow that with a game at Rutgers on September 25 and then host East Carolina the following week. The Tarheels finish their OOC schedule with a home game against William and Mary on October 30. Since William and Mary shocked Duke last year, don’t expect the Heels to let down that week.
UVA has an intriguing opener against Richmond. The Cavaliers opened against Richmond last year and were stunned in that game, which very likely contributed to the demise of former Head Coach Al Groh. UVA hired Coach Mike London away from Richmond and he gets to coach his first game against old pal and protege Latrell Scott. UVA then has a game at USC in the second week of the season, plays VMI after a bye week, and takes on Eastern Michigan on October 23. Their bye week would have served them better after the VMI game and before the USC game, but you can’t have everything!
Virginia Tech starts the season on Labor Day Monday in prime time against Boise State at FedEx Field in Washington, DC. Both teams should be ranked in the Top 10 to start the season, so that game should draw a lot of attention. The Hokies then follow that game with an in-state meeting against JMU. In the very next week the Hokies host East Carolina and play their final OOC game against Central Michigan on October 9.
Each team schedules with different strategy in mind. No one has set up a murderous OOC schedule, but there certainly are some spicy out-of-conference games for ACC teams. Take a look at the attached video for the conference’s PR piece regarding this year’s scheduling.