The Roanoke Times' annual college football preview guide

COLLEGE FOOTBALLCOLLEGE FOOTBALL

2 0 1 1

S U N D A Y, A U G U S T 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

The new signal-caller for

Virginia Tech, Logan Thomas,

didn’t always see himself under

center for the Hokies.

Accidental quarterback

NFL can wait for Cavs’ MinnifieldThe All-ACC cornerback could

have opted to turn pro, but

instead will keep defending

the pass for Virginia.

PAGE 9

New generation of coaches enters ACCSeveral programs have made

changes at the top — all hoping

to challenge the success of

Frank Beamer and the Hokies.

PAGE 7

The priority at VMI? Uh, winningIt has been 30 years since the

Keydets last enjoyed a winning

season. This is the year, the

team says, that finally changes.

PAGE 11

inside

Accidental quarterback

THE

2 THE ROANOKE TIMES Sunday, August 28, 2011

Boston CollegeCOACH: Frank Spaziani (16-11 in two years)

2010 RECORD: 7-6, 4-4

2010 BOWL: Lost to Nevada 20-13 in Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

STARTERS RETURNING: 7 on offense, 7 on defense

KEY PLAYERS: QB Chase Rettig, RB Montel Harris, WR Bobby Swigert, LB Luke Kuechly, CB Donnie Fletcher, P Ryan Quigley

KEY LOSSES: OT Anthony Castonzo, OG Thomas Claiborne, LB Mark Herzlich

RB MONTEL HARRIS ON THE OFFENSE UNDER NEW COORDINATOR KEVIN ROGERS: “It’s going to look a little different. We’re going to have more playmakers on the field at one time. We’re going to spread it out a little bit more instead of all in the box. We’re going to let the ball fly a little bit, mix it up and have the defense on their heels.”

FRANK SPAZIANI ON HIS DEFENSE: “We have guys to replace on the defensive line, which is going to be an issue. We have some young guys, and the defensive line is very difficult for young people to excel [at]. So we may have to play a little different.”

ClemsonCOACH: Dabo Swinney (19-15 in three years)

2010 RECORD: 6-7, 4-4

2010 BOWL: Lost to South Florida 31-26 in Meineke Car Care Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: RB Andre Ellington, QB Tajh Boyd, TE Dwayne Allen, DT Brandon Thompson, P Dawson Zimmerman

KEY LOSSES: QB Kyle Parker, RB Jamie Harper, OT Chris Hairston, DE Da’Quan Bowers, DT Jarvis Jenkins, FS DeAndre McDaniel

DABO SWINNEY ON REPLACING ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR DA’QUAN BOWERS: “Malliciah Goodman, fortunately, is a guy that’s played a lot of football for us as a freshman and sophomore. It’s his time to be the next great player. It’s hard to say he’s going to be Da’Quan Bowers, but we hope that we’ll have a collection of guys step up to replace that kind of production.”

C DALTON FREEMAN ON QB TAJH BOYD: “This [spread] offense is going to really fit him. It’s going to give him the chance to run the ball every now and then. It’s going to give him a chance to throw the deep ball — he’s got a strong arm — but also make those quick throws. It’s really going to give him a chance to show his versatility.”

DukeCOACH: David Cutcliffe (12-24 in three years, 56-53 in 10 years overall)

2010 RECORD: 3-9, 1-7

2010 BOWL: None


KEY PLAYERS: QB Sean Renfree, WR Conner Vernon, RB Desmond Scott, TE Cooper Helfet, PK Will Snyderwine

KEY LOSSES: C Bryan Morgan, LB Abraham Kromah

S MATT DANIELS ON THE SWITCH TO A 4-2-5 DEFENSE: “We’re going to be sending different blitzes, stunts and zone coverages at these new quarterbacks in the ACC. If we make a mistake defensively, we’re going to be making it with a full head of steam, coming at the quarterback.”

DAVID CUTCLIFFE ON PLAYING BOTH QB SEAN RENFREE AND QB BRANDON CONNETTE: “You’ve got to prepare for a couple, three offenses. That’s a pretty good tool for us when we’re not always on the upper end of a physical matchup. That gives [defenses] a lot less preparation against a certain offense that Renfree’s involved in because they have to commit practice time to stopping something else.”

Florida StateCOACH: Jimbo Fisher (10-4 in one year)

2010 RECORD: 10-4, 6-2

2010 BOWL: Beat South Carolina 26-17 in Chick-fil-A Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: QB E.J. Manuel, OT Andrew Datko, DE Brandon Jenkins, CB-RS Greg Reid, CB Xavier Rhodes, PK Dustin Hopkins

KEY LOSSES: QB Christian Ponder, OG Rodney Hudson, C Ryan McMahon, DE Markus White

DE BRANDON JENKINS ON TRYING TO BECOME ACC CHAMPS: “We’ve been having a lot of talks about leadership this year. In the ACC championship game last year, when we fell in the hole a little bit we didn’t have no leaders to step up a little bit, to speak to the team, to say the right things to lead us to win the game. So this year, we’re working on a lot of leadership things.”

JIMBO FISHER ON HIS SQUAD: “We’re experienced, but we’re young. I think we’re only starting five seniors. We’ve got a group of guys that have played a lot of football, are very experienced and have been very productive but at the same time have a lot of time left.”

Georgia TechCOACH: Paul Johnson (26-14 in three years, 133-53 in 14 years overall)

2010 RECORD: 6-7, 4-4

2010 BOWL: Lost to Air Force 14-7 in Independence Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: RB Roddy Jones, QB Tevin Washington, OG Omoregie Uzzi, LB Julian Burnett

KEY LOSSES: QB Josh Nesbitt, RB Anthony Allen, C Sean Bedford

PAUL JOHNSON ON THE TEAM FOLLOWING UP ITS 2009 ACC TITLE WITH A SUBPAR YEAR: “It was kind of ‘been there, done that’ a little bit — ‘It’s easy to make it happen.’ It kind of got away from us, and we didn’t do a good job of getting them redirected and refocused. Sometimes you’ve got to get hit in the head with it before you understand. We got hit in the head a few times.”

RB RODDY JONES ON LAST YEAR’S OFFENSE: “We had a lot of penalties in the red zone that put us behind the chains. Second-and-longs, third-and-longs — our offense doesn’t do well in those situations just because of the way it’s built. Fumbles, turnovers was another big thing that hurt us, especially in the red zone. It’s something we’ve been working very hard to correct.”

ACC TEAM PREVIEWS

MarylandCOACH: Randy Edsall (first year, 74-70 in 12 years overall)

2010 RECORD: 9-4, 5-3

2010 BOWL: Beat East Carolina 51-20 in Military Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: QB Danny O’Brien, WR-RS Tony Logan, DT Joe Vellano, LB Kenny Tate

KEY LOSSES: WR Torrey Smith, RB Da’Rel Scott, OG Paul Pinegar, LB Alex Wujciak

RANDY EDSALL ON SEEKING SUCCESS IN HIS FIRST YEAR AT MARYLAND: “We’re going to compete for a league championship this year. That’s the whole mind-set. We want to go and win our division and be able to compete for an ACC championship and get to a BCS bowl. If I have any other sights other than that, then I’m cheating these kids.”

QB DANNY O’BRIEN ON LOSING TORREY SMITH TO THE NFL: “You can’t replace a guy like Torrey Smith. He was the complete receiver. But we have guys that have made big plays in big games. I think we’re going to be able to spread the ball around to a lot of very talented guys.”

MiamiCOACH: Al Golden (first year, 27-34 in five years overall)

2010 RECORD: 7-6, 5-3

2010 BOWL: Lost to Notre Dame 33-17 in Sun Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: QB Jacory Harris, QB Stephen Morris, OT Brandon Washington, C Tyler Horn, LB Sean Spence, S Ray-Ray Armstrong

KEY LOSSES: WR Leonard Hankerson, RB Damien Berry, OT Orlando Franklin, DE Allen Bailey, CB Brandon Harris, P-PK Matt Bosher

LB SEAN SPENCE ON LAST YEAR’S PROBLEMS: “On the defensive side of the ball, blown assignments, missed tackles, not creating enough turnovers, not running to the ball like they should be. On the offensive side, we had too many turnovers, dumb penalties — holding penalties, offside penalties. Things like that really hindered us.”

C TYLER HORN ON AL GOLDEN’S IMPACT: “The attitude of the team is a complete 180 from what it was last year. Last year we went 7-6. You can’t do that at the University of Miami. Making sure that you get your job done, that it’s on you to make your block or catch the football and no one else’s fault, that’s really been instilled into our program.”

North CarolinaCOACH: Everett Withers (interim coach this year)

2010 RECORD: 8-5, 4-4

2010 BOWL: Beat Tennessee 30-27 in 2 OT in Music City Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: WR Dwight Jones, QB Bryn Renner, OG Jonathan Cooper, DE Quinton Coples, DT Tydreke Powell, PK Casey Barth

KEY LOSSES: QB T.J. Yates, TB Johnny White, LB Bruce Carter, LB Quan Sturdivant, S Da’Norris Searcy

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ART KAUFMAN ON HIS UNIT: “We’ve got some holes to fill at linebacker and holes to fill in the secondary. Fortunately for us, up front, all the guys that played last year are back. Our front four’s got to do what they’re capable of.”

KAUFMAN ON QB BRYN RENNER: “If he weren’t playing quarterback, I’d want him on my side playing linebacker because of his athletic skills, his toughness, his size, his competitiveness. He’s got some savvy.”

N.C. StateCOACH: Tom O’Brien (25-25 in four years, 100-70 in 13 years overall)

2010 RECORD: 9-4, 5-3

2010 BOWL: Beat West Virginia 23-7 in Champs Sports Bowl


KEY PLAYERS: QB Mike Glennon, TE George Bryan, FB Taylor Gentry, LB Terrell Manning

KEY LOSSES: QB Russell Wilson, WR Owen Spencer, OT Jake Vermiglio, LB Nate Irving

TOM O’BRIEN ON WHETHER HE MIGHT END UP REGRETTING MAKING QB MIKE GLENNON THE STARTER AND LETTING RUSSELL WILSON TRANSFER TO WISCONSIN: “It’s a team game. It’s not about one guy. We are confident with the football team we have coming in, with the decision we made. Certainly we wish Russell the best. I hope he wins the Big Ten championship. We’re going to be fine moving forward with Mike Glennon. He had a great spring.”

O’BRIEN ON AUDIE COLE SUCCEEDING NATE IRVING AT MLB: “We’ll be able to take a step forward with Audie in the middle because he’s a smart player. He’s a three-year player now, which we haven’t had on defense since we’ve been here. They’re going to be able to push the envelope a little more.”

Wake ForestCOACH: Jim Grobe (62-60 in 10 years, 95-93-1 in 16 years overall)

2010 RECORD: 3-9, 1-7

2010 BOWL: None


KEY PLAYERS: QB Tanner Price, RB Josh Harris, LB Kyle Wilber

KEY LOSSES: WR Devon Brown, LB Hunter Haynes

OG JOE LOONEY ON WAKE BEING A CONSENSUS PICK FOR LAST IN ITS DIVISION: “It’s going to be motivation for us to come into each game and show everybody that we’re here to play. A lot of people don’t see the heart that our football team has. The thought of losing is just hateful right now in our locker room.”

JIM GROBE ON SPRING PRACTICE: “There was a lot of rock ’em, sock ’em stuff going on in the spring. The defense kind of stepped up and looked like some of our old defenses. Tanner Price makes you feel like there’s more of a veteran guy out on the field now. When he comes out to practice, you can tell this guy’s grown up a lot.”

— Mark Berman

STAFF ACC PREDICTIONS

Mark Berman

College football writer

COASTAL

1. Virginia Tech2. Miami3. North Carolina4. Georgia Tech5. Virginia 6. Duke

ATLANTIC

1. Florida State2. Maryland3. Clemson4. N.C. State5. Boston College6. Wake Forest

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

FSU over Virginia Tech

Doug Doughty

Virginia football writer

COASTAL

1. Virginia Tech2. North Carolina3. Miami4. Georgia Tech5. Virginia6. Duke

ATLANTIC

1. Florida State2. N.C. State3. Clemson4. Maryland5. Boston College6. Wake Forest

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP


Randy King

Virginia Tech football writer

COASTAL

1. Virginia Tech2. Georgia Tech3. North Carolina4. Miami5. Duke6. Virginia

ATLANTIC

1. Florida State2. N.C. State3. Clemson4. Maryland5. Boston College6. Wake Forest

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP


Aaron McFarling

Columnist

COASTAL

1. Virginia Tech2. Miami3. North Carolina4. Virginia5. Georgia Tech6. Duke

ATLANTIC

1. Florida State2. Clemson3. Maryland4. N.C. State5. Boston College6. Wake Forest

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Virginia Tech over FSU

Keep up with the latest football news on The Insiders blog at roanoke.com/sports.

ON THE COVERVirginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas

Photo by Kyle Green, The Roanoke Times

SMALLER IMAGES, FROM TOP

Virginia’s Chase Minnifield

Photo by The Roanoke Times

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher

Photo courtesy of Florida State

VMI quarterback Eric Kordenbrock

Photo courtesy of VMI

CONTACT THE ROANOKE TIMES

SPORTS DEPARTMENT

[email protected]

(540) 981-3222

(540) 981-3392 FAX

Steve Hemphill, sports editor

[email protected] 981-3128619 WARWICK STREET, ROANOKE • 343-1751 • MON–FRI 9–4

WWW.THEPICTUREFRAMEOUTLET.COM

Full Custom Framing ServicesSupplying Retailers & Distributors Since 1981

WE HAVE ALL YOUR FAVORITE COLLEGE & PRO TEAMS

We also carry framed pictures, framed mirrors & ready-made frames

America’s largest wholesale manufacturer & distributor 35,000 square foot warehouse!

Lane Stadium - Day Game. We also carry Lane Stadium- Night Game at Sunset

We show all the exclusive football games

you can’t see anywhere else!

We show all the exclusive football games

you can’t see anywhere else!

3424 Orange Ave NE, Roanoke VA 540.982.3828Tue-Thur 11am-12am • Fri Sat 11am-2am • Sun 11am 12am

Every Tuesday night at 6:30 Free Dance Lessons w/DJ “Doc” Adams

Buy One, Get One Appetizer on GAME DAY

Sunday BEVERAGE SPECIALS!

Live Music at 9:00 pm9/09- Untax’d Whiskey9/10- SuperHold

Buy One Entree, Get One FREE

Expires August 31st

Golf Mart 540-362-9442 • 5327 Williamson Road

Season End Tent &Sidewalk SALE!Clubs, Balls, Gloves & Bags

Best Deals of the Year!Some Limitations apply

Special!Brand Name

Golf Balls

2Doz. for 20$

THE ROANOKE TIMES 3Sunday, August 28, 2011

Advocates of the Bowl Championship Series like to say that the BCS title game is preferable to a playoff system because it has turned the entire regular season into a playoff.

Unfortunately for ACC fans, their league in recent years has often been knocked out of that playoff by Halloween.

The ACC has now gone 10 straight seasons without putting a team in the BCS title game.

“They need a team to step up — that big-time victory that propels the conference into the per-ception of being a powerhouse that deserves to play for the national championship,” ESPN analyst Craig James said. “The conference is underappreciated, … and a lot of that comes down to the fact that when they do get to the national stage, they don’t win.”

Each of the five other major conferences has been represented in the BCS title game multiple times in the past 10 seasons, although the Big East has not been back since Miami jumped to

the ACC.The ACC has not

had a team play for the BCS crown since the 2000 season, when Oklahoma beat Florida State in January 2001. That capped a string of three straight appearances in the BCS title game for the Seminoles, who beat then-Big East member Virginia

Tech for the national crown in January 2000.In only three of the past 10 seasons has the

ACC entered November with one or two of its teams still dreaming of making the big game. The most recent time was in 2007, when Boston College was No. 2 in the Associated Press poll before suffering two November losses.

“If you’re going to be seriously considered as one of the stronger leagues in the country, you need to have a national championship-type team — or one that’s at least running for it all the way through the season,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said.

ACC not measuring up

It’s not like the ACC lacks talent. The ACC had 15 players among the first 60 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft — more than any other league. In the past six drafts, the ACC ranks second among leagues in first-round picks (37) and total picks (214).

But that has not translated into prestigious wins.

“As a football player, you have to expect to win,” James said. “The difference between the SEC and the other five conferences is that con-ference. When they go play someone outside the SEC, they expect to win. I think when these other conferences play a big-time opponent, … they’re hoping to win.”

The ACC hoped expansion would make it one of the nation’s best leagues. Virginia Tech and former national champ Miami came aboard for the 2004 season, with fellow Big East refu-gee Boston College making the leap the follow-ing year.

But the ACC is 2-11 in BCS bowls since the BCS system debuted in the 1998 season. No ACC team has ever been picked as an at-large team to a BCS bowl.

Florida State used to be the flagship program of the ACC. But FSU did not reach double-digits in wins in any of the final six seasons of the Bobby Bowden coaching era.

Miami has never even won the Coastal Divi-sion since joining the ACC.

“The fact that those two have been down has really hurt the conference,” ESPN analyst Danny Kanell said.

Virginia Tech has won four league titles since joining the ACC. But during that stretch, Tech has hurt itself with early-season losses to nonleague foes Southern Cal, Louisiana State, East Carolina, Alabama, Boise State and James Madison.

Only once in the past 10 seasons has an ACC team finished in the top five of the final BCS standings, which determine which teams meet in the BCS title game.

In 2007, the Hokies rose three spots to No. 3 in the final BCS standings with an 11-2 mark. Advancing to the title game were No. 1 Ohio State with an 11-1 mark and No. 2 Louisiana State with an 11-2 record that included a September rout of the Hokies.

LSU won that BCS title game. In fact, the Southeastern Conference has won the past five BCS title games.

“They get the benefit of the doubt because everybody says it’s the top conference,” Kanell said. “If Alabama or LSU loses a game this year, they’ll still get a shot at the national title. Vir-ginia Tech, if they lose a game, they’re pretty much done.”

The ACC doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt because it struggles in marquee games.

The ACC has lost 32 straight games to non-league foes ranked in the top five of the AP poll, a streak that began with FSU’s loss to Oklahoma in the BCS title game in January 2001 and has continued with 31 losses during the past 10 sea-sons.

Defining day

Only once in the past 10 seasons has a team finished with a perfect ACC record — last year’s Virginia Tech squad. But the Hokies were out of the BCS title chase before league play even began, thanks to early losses to Boise State and JMU.

The ACC’s reputation was in shreds last Sep-

tember. Two days after North Carolina lost to LSU, Virginia Tech fell to Boise State on Sept. 6. On Sept. 11, the ACC became a laughingstock when the Hokies lost to Division I-AA JMU; Florida State was squashed at Oklahoma; Miami lost at Ohio State; Virginia lost at Southern Cal; and Georgia Tech lost at Kansas. A week later, Clemson lost at Auburn and Duke was ham-mered by Alabama.

“When you play a BCS conference school, you’ve got to win. That’s what we haven’t done,” North Carolina State coach Tom O’Brien said. “Whether it be us as coaches or the players or whatever, … we haven’t gotten the job done to get to the [BCS title] game.”

No wonder Sports Illustrated, The Sport-ing News and Athlon have rated the ACC only the No. 5 conference in the land entering this season.

This year, the ACC’s defining day will occur Sept. 17. That’s when Miami hosts Ohio State; Clemson hosts Auburn; Maryland hosts West Virginia; Georgia Tech hosts Kansas; and in one of the most compelling games of the season, No. 6 FSU hosts No. 1 Oklahoma.

“These teams need to make a statement,” James said.

A Florida State win over the Sooners would make FSU a strong contender for the national crown. But Kanell expects the Sooners to win that game.

“The Seminoles are a year away from devel-oping into that national title contender,” Kanell said.

But even if FSU loses, Kanell figures the ACC will still have one contender for the BCS title game — Virginia Tech.

“You look at their nonconference schedule, which is not so tough this year, and they could be a dark-horse national title contender,” Kanell said. “Maybe this is the year they get to fill that empty trophy case.”

ACC needs to win the big oneBy Mark Berman

[email protected] 981-3125

The league has gone 10 straight seasons since putting a team in the BCS title game and has developed a reputation for struggling in marquee games.

The Roanoke Times | File 2005

A case reserved for a national championship trophy sits empty at Virginia Tech. The ACC hasn’t had a team play for a BCS title since January 2001.

LONG DROUGHTThe ACC has been absent from the BCS title game the past 10 seasons.

2001: Miami (Big East) 37, Nebraska (Big 12) 14

2002: Ohio State (Big Ten) 31,Miami (Big East) 24, 2 OT

2003: LSU (SEC) 21, Oklahoma (Big 12) 14

2004: Southern Cal (Pac-10) 55,Oklahoma (Big 12) 19

2005: Texas 41 (Big 12),Southern Cal (Pac-10) 38

2006: Florida (SEC) 41, Ohio State (Big Ten) 14

2007: LSU (SEC) 38, Ohio State (Big Ten) 24

2008: Florida (SEC) 24, Oklahoma (Big 12) 14

2009: Alabama (SEC) 37, Texas (Big 12) 21

2010: Auburn (SEC) 22, Oregon (Pac-10) 19

HOKIES IN THE TITLE GAMEVirginia Tech played for the BCS crown on Jan. 4, 2000, when Michael Vick was quarterback. The Hokies lost to Florida State 46-29.

LOOKING UPThe highest-ranked ACC team in the final BCS standings the past 10 regular seasons:

2001: No. 10 Maryland

2002: No. 14 Florida State

2003: No. 7 Florida State

2004: No. 8 Virginia Tech

2005: No. 8 Miami (VT No. 10, champ FSU No. 22)

2006: No. 14 Wake Forest


2008: No. 14 Georgia Tech (champ VT No. 19)

2009: No. 9 Georgia Tech


DAMAGING LOSSESLosses that ended the BCS title game dreams of ACC teams in recent years (rankings from AP poll).

2001:Sept. 22: No. 6 FSU loses to unranked UNC 41-9

2002:Sept. 26: No. 4 FSU loses to unranked Louisville 26-20, OT

2003:Nov. 8: No. 3 FSU loses to unranked Clemson 26-10

2004:Oct. 16: No. 6 UVa loses to No. 7 FSU 36-3

Oct. 30: No. 4 Miami loses to unranked UNC 31-28

Oct. 30: No. 5 FSU loses to unranked Maryland 20-17

2005:Oct. 15: No. 4 FSU loses to unranked UVa 26-21

Nov. 5: No. 3 Va. Tech loses to No. 19 Miami 27-7

Nov. 19: No. 3 Miami loses to unranked Ga. Tech 14-10

2006:Sept. 16: No. 9 FSU loses to unranked Clemson 27-20

2007:Oct. 25: No. 8 Va. Tech loses to No. 2 BC 14-10

Nov. 3: No. 2 BC loses to unranked FSU 27-17

2008:Aug. 30: No. 9 Clemson loses to No. 24 Alabama 34-10

2009:Oct. 17: No. 4 Va. Tech loses to No. 19 Ga. Tech 28-23

2010:Sept. 6: No. 10 Va. Tech loses to No. 3 Boise St. 33-30

TOP 5 WOESThe ACC is 0-31 against top-5 nonconference foes in the past 10 seasons (including bowls).

2001: 0-5 (FSU lost to Miami and Florida; Md. lost to Florida; UNC lost to Okla. and Texas)

2002: 0-4 (FSU lost to Miami and Georgia; GT lost to Georgia.; UNC lost to Texas)

2003: 0-3 (FSU lost to Miami; GT lost to Georgia; N.C. St. lost to Ohio St.)

2004: 0-2 (Va. Tech lost to Southern Cal and Auburn)

2005: 0-1 (FSU lost to Penn State)

2006: 0-4 (FSU lost to Florida; GT lost to N. Dame; Md. lost to WVU; Wake lost to Louisville)

2007: 0-3 (Md. lost to WVU; Miami lost to Okla.; Va. Tech lost to LSU)

2008: 0-3 (FSU and Miami lost to Florida; UVa lost to Southern Cal)

2009: 0-2 (FSU lost to Florida; Va. Tech lost to Alabama)

2010: 0-4 (Duke lost to Alabama; Miami lost to Ohio St.; Va. Tech lost to Boise St. and Stanford)


VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES SCHEDULE

vs. Appalachian State . . . . . Sept . 3, 12:30 p .m ., WDBJ

SERIES: Tech leads 3-0 LAST MEETING: Tech 34-0 (1982)

APPALACHIAN STATE 2010 RECORD: 10-3

MOUNTAINEERS COACH: Jerry Moore (226-127-2, 22 seasons at Applachian State, five at Texas Tech, two at North Texas)

at East Carolina . . . . . . . . . . Sept . 10, 3:30 p .m ., CSN


EAST CAROLINA 2010 RECORD: 6-7 (5-3 C-USA)

PIRATES COACH: Ruffin McNeill (7-7, one season at ECU)

vs. Arkansas State . . . . . . . . . Sept . 17, 4 p .m ., CSN


ARKANSAS STATE 2010 RECORD: 4-8 (4-4 Sun Belt)

RED WOLVES COACH: Hugh Freeze (20-5, first year at ASU, two at Lambuth)

at Marshall . . . . . Sept . 24, 3:30 p .m ., CBS Sports Network


MARSHALL 2010 RECORD: 5-7 (4-4 CUSA)

THUNDERING HERD COACH: Doc Holliday (5-7, one season)

vs. Clemson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct . 1, TBA

SERIES: Clemson leads 17-12-1 LAST MEETING: Tech 41-23 (2007)

CLEMSON 2010 RECORD: 6-7 (4-4 ACC)

TIGERS COACH: Dabo Swinney (19-15, three seasons at Clemson)

vs. Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct . 8, TBA

SERIES: Miami leads 17-11 LAST MEETING: Tech 31-17 (2010)

MIAMI 2010 RECORD: 7-6 (5-3 ACC)

HURRICANES COACH: Al Golden (27-34, first season at Miami, five at Temple)

at Wake Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct . 15, TBA SERIES: Tech leads 23-11-1 LAST MEETING: Tech 52-21 (2010)

WAKE FOREST 2010 RECORD: 3-9 (1-7 ACC)

DEMON DEACONS COACH: Jim Grobe (95-93-1, 10 seasons at Wake, six at Ohio)

vs. Boston College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct . 22, TBA SERIES: Tech leads 13-6 LAST MEETING: Tech 19-0 (2010)

BOSTON COLLEGE 2010 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4 ACC)

EAGLES COACH: Frank Spaziani (16-11, two seasons at BC)

at Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oct . 29, TBA


DUKE 2010 RECORD: 3-9 (1-7 ACC)

BLUE DEVILS COACH: David Cutcliffe (56-53, three seasons at Duke, seven at Ole Miss)

at Georgia Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov . 10, 8 p .m ., ESPN

SERIES: Virginia Tech leads 5-3 LAST MEETING: VT 28-21 (2010)

GEORGIA TECH 2010 RECORD: 6-7 (3-5 ACC)

YELLOW JACKETS COACH: Paul Johnson (133-53, three seasons at GT, six at Navy, five at Georgia Southern)

vs. North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . Nov . 17, 8 p .m ., ESPN

SERIES: Tech leads 17-10-6 LAST MEETING: Tech 26-10 (2010)

NORTH CAROLINA 2010 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4 ACC)

TAR HEELS COACH: Everett Withers (first-year head coach)

at Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov . 26, TBA

SERIES: Tech leads 50-37-5 LAST MEETING: Tech 37-7 (2010)

VIRGINIA 2010 RECORD: 4-8 (1-7 ACC)

CAVALIERS COACH: Mike London (28-13, one year at UVa, two at Richmond)

2010 RESULTS11-3 overall, 8-0 ACC

(home team in bold)

SEPT. 6: Boise State 33,Virginia Tech 30 (at FedEx Field)

SEPT. 11: James Madison 21, Virginia Tech 16

SEPT. 18: Virginia Tech 49, East Carolina 27

SEPT. 25: Virginia Tech 19,Boston College 0

OCT. 2: Virginia Tech 41,N.C. State 30

OCT. 9: Virginia Tech 45, Central Michigan 21

OCT. 16: Virginia Tech 52, Wake Forest 21

OCT. 23: Virginia Tech 44, Duke 7

NOV. 4: Virginia Tech 28, Georgia Tech 21

NOV. 13: Virginia Tech 26, North Carolina 10

NOV. 20: Virginia Tech 31, Miami 17

NOV. 27: Virginia Tech 37, Virginia 7

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Virginia Tech 44, FSU 33

ORANGE BOWL

Stanford 40, Virginia Tech 12

All this talk about Virginia Tech and the SEC?

Shut up, everybody. It’s not happen-ing.

As long as Frank Beamer and Tech’s football program continue to prosper, the chances of the Hokies bolting the friendly ACC for the SEC are preposter-ous.

In its seven years in the ACC, Tech has owned the league, winning 46 of 56 regular-season league games and captur-ing four conference titles.

And the Hokies have a strong chance of running through the league again this season. Two of Tech’s three primary challengers in the Coastal Division — Miami and North Carolina — are under NCAA investigation, and a third, Geor-gia Tech, was recently sanctioned by the NCAA.

While resurgent Florida State rates as the preseason pick to win the league, the Hokies should coast through the Coastal and catch the Seminoles in the Dec. 3 ACC title game in Charlotte, N.C., which ranks as a quasi-Tech home game. Ask the ’Noles. They lost 44-33 last year to the Hokies in front of 72,379 fans at Bank of America Stadium, the majority of whom were wearing Chicago maroon and burnt orange.

Of course, that’s not the only reason this season could be special in Blacks-burg. Despite losing record-setting quar-terback Tyrod Taylor, the Hokies should be plenty loaded to tackle an advanta-geous schedule in which they figure to be favored in each of their 12 regular-season games.

Of course, winning them all might not be enough for Tech to slide in the back door to the BCS title game in New Orleans. Because of its weak nonconfer-ence schedule and the ACC’s slipshod national reputation, even an unbeaten Tech club would require a lot of help to climb high enough in the polls to set up a second chance at playing for a national title.

So what, the Hokies say. They’re aim-ing high.

“The way I look at it, that’s got to be your goal. And it is our goal,” Beamer said. “And it all starts with trying to win your division, then win the ACC. And if

you do, you’re going to be in a position to win the national championship or at least go to the Orange Bowl.”

Offense

A Tech offense that averaged 33.9 points and 402.3 yards per game last fall lost Tay-lor to graduation, plus a pair of running backs, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, who bolted for the NFL a year early.

Much-heralded redshirt sophomore Logan Thomas replaces Taylor as the trig-german. The 6-foot-6, 254-pound man-child has a big-time throwing arm and, unlike Taylor, will do most of his work from the pocket. Thomas has impressed all with his savvy and his leadership thus far.

“I think the best indication for Logan was when he came in the Miami game last year, third-and-16, and he throws a bullet down the middle of the field,” Beamer said. “He comes in cold. That says, ‘Hey, this guy answers the bell.’ He looks forward to that.

“Logan is going to be fine. Having peo-ple around him where he doesn’t have to carry the load … just give them the ball and let them do their thing.”

Junior speedster David Wilson, a high-light ready to happen every time he touches the ball, will take over the bulk of the run-ning chores behind an experienced offen-sive line that includes four senior starters.

Despite being only a part-time per-former the past two seasons, Wilson has amassed 2,096 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns. The Danville flash has averaged 9.3 yards every time he’s touched the ball in college.

With Williams and Evans gone, it’s Wil-son’s show now.

“I don’t have any doubt that I can help my team perform and get the victories that we need,” Wilson said. “I’ve been working with all my effort to be that back. I know I can be an every-down back. I’m excited.”

Wilson then smiled. He figures to be smiling a lot this fall. His teammates expect a huge breakout season from No. 4.

“It’s hard telling how many yards this guy will run for this season,” senior free safety Eddie Whitley said. “I see him every day in practice. It’s unreal what he can do. I think we have the most freakish athlete ever at running back.”

On the periphery, Beamer said a wide-out corps that includes seniors Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale, plus 6-foot-4 junior Marcus Davis, could be the best receiving cast in his 25 years in Blacksburg.

Defense

Coordinator Bud Foster is used to field-ing defenses that annually rank among the nation’s best. That didn’t happen last sea-son and he was not amused.

After finishing in the country’s top 12 in total defense for six consecutive years, Tech was 52nd last season (361.5 yards per game). Only the 2003 unit that permitted an average of 367.5 yards ranked worse in Foster’s 16 years as coordinator. The Hok-ies yielded 155 rushing yards per game, the most ever by a Foster-led defense.

“The eye is back on the defense again,” said Whitley, the only senior starter on this year’s No. 1 unit. “Defense wins champion-ships. We know that around here, believe me.”

Despite plugging in six new starters, Foster said he hopes for a much more pro-ductive campaign for his crowd this time around.

“I think in order for us to be one of those elite teams that we want to be, we’ve got to

be a dominating defense,” Foster said. “We had a stretch run of that, but I think I like the athletic ability of these kids and I like their demeanor. As we grow and develop, we can push to be one of those units. Will that be this year? I don’t know.”

Junior All-American cornerback Jay-ron Hosley is the biggest name on a unit that hopes to cut down the long plays that burned it way too often a year ago. Many of those plays were the result of loose play by the whip and rover spots. Foster said Jeron Gouveia-Winslow has improved dramati-cally at the whip, while Antone Exum will be a first-year starter at strong safety.

Tech’s line appears solid at tackle, where brothers Antoine and Derrick Hop-kins will man the fort. A pair of explosive redshirt sophomores, James Gayle and J.R. Collins have the ability to create havoc off the edge.

Second-team All-ACC performer Bruce Taylor, whose 91 tackles led the squad, returns at the mike linebacker spot. Tariq Edwards and improving Telvion Clark each will see a lot of action at the linebacker spot.

Finding quality depth, especially at tack-le and in the secondary, is the defense’s big-gest issue heading into the season.

“We don’t want to be a bend and break defense,” line coach Charley Wiles said. “We want to be a defense that stops people and gets off the field and turns the ball over, makes plays. So we were disappointed that we gave up that much rushing yardage.”

Special teams

After losing a pair of All-ACC perform-ers in place-kicker Chris Hazley and punter Brian Saunders, one of the big questions heading into preseason was who was going to boot the football.

Redshirt sophomore Cody Journell of Giles High School, one of the few kickers ever to land a scholarship out of high school with Tech, will succeed Hazley. Senior Justin Myer, who will handle Tech’s kick-off chores for a fourth straight year, has a power-filled leg but lacks Journell’s con-sistency. Should Tech need a 50-yard-plus field goal at some point this season, Myer could be called from the bullpen. He drilled a 52-yarder with plenty of room to spare in Tech’s first preseason scrimmage.

“Cody’s kicking extremely well and he’s been very consistent,” Beamer said. “Myer has a load of potential and one of the stron-gest legs you’ll ever see.”

Redshirt junior Scott Demler will be Tech’s punter. Demler won the starting job late in preseason with his consistency, plus got a boost when Beamer decided that wild-card candidate Coale could have too much on his plate trying to handle his start-ing flanker spot and punting in games.

“I think if we can have another guy [Demler] doing that rather than a guy [Coale] who is running around all day long, and then you need a crucial punt in the fourth quarter you want a fresh leg kicking it,” Beamer noted. “If we can get this done this way, I think it’s best for our football team.

“Plus, with Demler at punter, we’d always feel confident we have a great back-up in Danny.”

In the return game, Tech has two of the most dangerous threats in the nation in Wilson and Hosley. Wilson contributed game-changing kickoff returns for touch-downs against North Carolina State and Georgia Tech last season. Hosley, mean-while, has taken a punt for a TD in each of the past two seasons.

Hokies ready for another strong season in ACCBy Randy King

randy .king@roanoke .com 981-3126

Virginia Tech has won 46 of 56 regular-season league games and captured four conference titles.

SAM DEAN | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech junior running back David Wilson is a highlight ready to happen every time he touches the ball.

KYLE GREEN | The Roanoke Times

Redshirt freshman Daniel Dyer (41), of Salem, got a lot of reps at tailback in the spring. He could see time on special-teams duty.

OffenseSPLIT END81 JarrettBoykin 6-2 218 Sr.18 D.J.Coles 6-3 224 Jr.FLANKER19 DannyCoale 6-0 200 r-Sr.7 MarcusDavis 6-4 228 r-Jr.LEFT TACKLE72 AndrewLanier 6-5 306 r-Sr.54 NickBecton 6-6 326 r-Jr.LEFT GUARD75 GregNosal 6-6 297 r-Sr.59 CourtneyPrince 6-3 282 r-Jr.CENTER74 AndrewMiller 6-4 290 r-So.79 CalebFarris 6-3 309 r-Fr.RIGHT GUARD68 JaymesBrooks 6-2 307 r-Sr.76 DavidWang 6-1 300 r-So.RIGHT TACKLE62 BlakeDeChristopher 6-5 311 r-Sr.67 MichaelVia 6-7 292 r-Jr.TIGHT END33 ChrisDrager 6-4 264 r-Sr.80 GeorgeGeorge 6-4 265 r-Jr.QUARTERBACK3 LoganThomas 6-6 254 r-So.6 MarkLeal 6-0 209 r-Fr.TAILBACK4 DavidWilson 5-10 205 Jr.2 JoshOglesby 5-11 218 r-Sr.FULLBACK45 JoeyPhilips 5-11 221 r-Jr.25 MartinScales 5-11 207 r-Jr.

DefenseDEFENSIVE END99 JamesGayle 6-4 257 r-So.66 TyrelWilson 6-1 219 r-So.DEFENSIVE TACKLE98 DerrickHopkins 6-1 306 r-Jr.92 LutherMaddy 6-1 283 Fr.DEFENSIVE TACKLE56 AntoineHopkins 6-1 306 Jr.96 CoreyMarshallDEFENSIVE END42 J.R.Collins 6-4 240 r-So.95 ZackMcCray 6-4 254 r-Fr.WHIP LINEBACKER43 JeronGouveia-Winslow 6-2 250 r-Jr.28 AlonzoTweedy 6-2 189 r-Jr.MIKE LINEBACKER51 BruceTaylor 6-2 243 r-Jr.52 BarquellRivers 6-0 250 r-Sr.BACKER LINEBACKER24 TariqEdwards 6-2 231 r-So.57 TelvionClark 6-1 228 r-So.CORNERBACK17 KyleFuller 6-0 187 So.9 CrisHill 5-11 180 r-Sr.FREE SAFETY1 AntoneExum 6-0 220 r-So.26 JamesHopper 5-9 180 r-So.ROVER15 EddieWhitley 6-1 200 Sr.23 BoyeAromire 6-0 201 r-So.CORNERBACK20 JayronHosley 5-10 171 Jr.8 DetrickBonner 6-0 189 r-Fr.

Special teamsFIELD GOALS89 CodyJournell 5-11 178 r-So.KICKOFFS48 JustinMyer 6-1 220 r-Sr.PUNTER29 ScottDemler 5-11 194 r-Jr.

RADIO AFFILIATES IN THE AREARoanokeWSNV(93.5FM),BlacksburgWBRW(105.3FM),CliftonForgeWXCF(1230AM/103.9FM),GalaxWWWJ(1360AM),MarionWOLD(102.5FM),MartinsvilleWMVA(1450AM),WythevilleWXBX(95.3FM)


There was no way out of it. But Cliff Thomas occasionally tried anyway.

He’d settle into his easy chair after a long day of work, open the newspaper and start to unwind. Invariably, that’s when the voice of his 3-year-old grandson, Logan, would pipe up.

“Papa?” Logan would say. “You ready to go outside and play now?”

“Not now, Logan,” Cliff would say. “I don’t have my shoes.”

Little Logan would point next to the door. Sure enough, he’d already brought his grandfather’s shoes out of the bedroom and placed them next to the door.

“What about the ball?” Cliff would say.

Lined up against the walls, all of them: basketballs, baseballs, foot-balls.

Some 17 years later, Cliff Thomas chuckles at the memory.

“He would remove all obstacles,” he says.

Yes, Logan Thomas has known what he’s wanted — and how to get it — from an early age. Which might explain how, as a redshirt sopho-more, he’s about to enter the 2011 season as the face of the Virginia Tech football team.

Only it doesn’t. You see, lost in all the excitement about his height (6 feet 6 inches), his weight (260 pounds), his arm strength, his accuracy and his poise is a simple but undeniable fact.

Logan Thomas never planned to be the face of anything.

He didn’t even want to be a quar-terback.

With grace and class

For a boy who grew up in Lynch-burg without his biological father around, Thomas says he enjoyed a charmed — if unconventional — childhood.

His mother, Kim Thomas Tarazo-na, worked two jobs, so Logan spent most of his early years around his grandparents Cliff and Shirl. When he was about 6, he moved in with his cousin, Zack McCray, and his uncle and aunt, Charles and Dina McCray.

“If anybody knows my family, any of them are mom and dad to you,” Logan says. “I could have my grandma and grandpa as mom and dad, Zack’s parents as mom and dad, my parents as mom and dad. Seri-ously, if we all lived in one house, we’d have no problem.”

Early on, Logan developed a very close relationship with his grandfa-

ther. They’d play in the side yard of Cliff and Shirl’s Lynchburg home almost every day. Wiffle ball, hoops, football — whatever was in season.

“He enjoyed the receiving,” Cliff says. “He didn’t just want it in the gut. He wanted the ones where he could jump and catch it.”

Logan’s athletic gifts were appar-ent immediately. His first love was basketball, and his grandmother still marvels at how he could drain shot after shot, even as a toddler. He was a head taller than all the other kids in school — and faster than them, too.

Logan was reluctant at first when he joined the Timberlake Lions sandlot football team at age 9. But two weeks into it, he was not only loving football, he was dominating as a running back.

Through it all, Logan gained a reputation as a humble, well-adjusted kid. He rarely misbehaved at home. He played sports with a combination of grace and class that has become increasingly rare with athletes of his ability.

Logan has no doubt where that comes from: his grandfather.

“I think we’re both pretty laid-back kind of guys,” Cliff says “We don’t have a lot to say, but hopefully when we say something, it means something. And he doesn’t get over-ly excited about stuff. He just sort of takes it and deals with it and doesn’t get all hyper.”

That mentality would come in handy soon enough.

The ‘right kind’ for QB

Virginia Tech’s recruitment of Logan Thomas is a two-part story. First, the coaches had to get him on campus. Then they had to convince him that his best position was quar-terback.

To a young Thomas, those two actions were mutually exclusive.

“In the recruiting process, I was like, ‘Any school who offers me to be a quarterback, I’m not going there,’ ” says Thomas, who was ranked as the No. 3 tight end prospect in the nation by Scout.com. “ ‘I don’t want to play quarterback. I want to play tight end or receiver.’ ”

He easily could have fooled fans

of Brookville High School. Logan took over as the Bees QB as a junior and piled up more than 1,500 yards of total offense at the position. As a senior, he amassed more than 2,300 total yards while leading his team to the Group AA Division 3 title game.

Still, he played QB not out of love, but for the team.

“I never had the want-to,” he says. “I always wanted to catch the ball and run the ball. I guess at that point in time, I didn’t want to have all the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

Zack McCray — now a redshirt freshman defensive end for the Hok-ies — laughs when he thinks back to his cousin’s reluctance.

“I think Logan was the only one thinking he wasn’t going to play quarterback in college,” McCray says. “I knew he was going to play quarterback eventually. My dad and everybody else did, too.”

The Tech coaches weren’t so sure. They recruited him as an H-back. But then one night, Frank Beamer went to a Brookville game with assistant Bryan Stinespring and saw Thomas in action.

“I remember talking coming home, ‘I think this guy can be a quar-terback,’ ” Beamer says. “The way he takes control, the way he throws the football and so forth. When he got here, we looked at him more.

“He’s the right kind of guy, too,” Beamer added. “Just like Tyrod [Taylor] is the right kind of guy to lead your football team, Logan’s the right kind of guy to lead your foot-ball team.”

Part of that, at least in this case, means being an agreeable sort.

‘Bait-and-switch’

Logan Thomas doesn’t use the phrase “bait-and-switch” to describe his conversion to quarter-back, but he doesn’t deny it, either.

“When you look at it that way, it kind of was,” he says with a laugh.

It’s all good now. But it wasn’t so great the day before his first fall practice two years ago, when the coaches told him they wanted to try him at QB.

“I was like, ‘What?’ ” Logan recalls. “But they said they just

needed help at the quarterback posi-tion at the time, so they were going to put me there and try me out for a couple weeks. If they thought I was good enough, they would leave me there.”

And if he’d said no?“He’d have been a tight end,”

Tech quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain says. “We didn’t say, ‘Logan, play quarterback.’ We said, ‘This is what we think. How do you feel about it?’ He said, ‘Coach, I’d be glad to do it.’ ”

Because that’s what he always says.

“It all goes back to being laid-back,” Logan says. “You can’t get upset, because that’s not going to do anything. Just eat it and take it as it goes.”

It went well. Very well. In his brief trial at the position, Logan showed off a tight spiral, a rocket arm and a good feel for the pocket. After about two weeks, the coaches called him into their office and laid out a proposal.

“We brought him in and said, ‘All right, Logan. This is what we think,’ ” O’Cain said. “ ‘We think you’ve got a bright future. But you’ve got a lot of work to do.’ ”

Logan knew what that meant: the dreaded redshirt. O’Cain wasn’t sure how that proposal would be received by such a highly regarded recruit, especially one who expect-ed to make an immediate impact at another position.

“But he says OK,” O’Cain says. “Now in our me-me society, I want to play as early as I can, that’s unusu-al. And not only are you redshirting, but you’re going to sit behind Tyrod a second year, so you’re going two years basically without playing. And he agrees to do that. So that tells you a lot about the type of young man he is.”

And the next two years told O’Cain even more.

He wants the ball in his hands

The 2009 season could not have gone more slowly for Logan Thom-as.

“You’ve been playing since you were 9 years old, you don’t know anything else,” he says. “You’ve

never sat before. It was definitely different, but a good experience to go through.”

Last year as Taylor’s backup, Thomas got in seven games — mostly in mop-up duty. He com-pleted 12 of 26 passes for 107 yards, no touchdowns and no intercep-tions. His one shining moment came at Miami, when he subbed for a banged-up Taylor for one play. On third-and-16, he whizzed a 24-yard completion over the middle to Danny Coale.

“I caught that ball, and I think my immediate reaction was: Wow,” Coale says. “I got hit pretty hard, but it wasn’t because of the hit. It was because he stepped in there cold, poised as ever, and just deliv-ered a strike. It was one of the bet-ter balls I’ve seen.

“He wants those situations. I know already he wants the situa-tions, third-and-long, third-and-short, whatever it may be. He wants the ball in his hands.”

Praise like that has become com-monplace now, both inside and outside the program. Last spring, several members of the national media compared Thomas to last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Cam Newton.

“Some of that stuff ’s just funny to me,” Logan says. “It’s very amus-ing. Of course, you hear some stuff and you take it as an honor, like the Cam Newton thing. He won a national championship and he won a Heisman. Of course you want that for yourself. But you can’t even look at it like that. You’ve just got to look at it, take a step at a time and a game at a time, and whatever happens, happens. If it’s to be, awesome. And if it’s not? Find a way to get to that point.”

That’s the moral of the story, really. Logan Thomas found a way to get to this point, even if he didn’t know where he was going.

He’s happy at QB now, excited.So is the tightknit family. Sev-

enteen years after climbing out of easy chairs and quelling Logan’s thirst for competition, they could not be prouder.

Or clearer on the expectations.“I told him, ‘If you get a big head,

I’m going to pop you a good one,’ ” Shirl Thomas says with a chuckle. “ ‘And if I die and go to heaven before you get to go to the big time, I’m going to ask the Lord to give me a window so I can watch you. And you do something stupid, I’m going to fly down and pop you upside the head.’ ”

Logan’s response? You guessed it.

“Yes, ma’am.”

By Aaron [email protected]

981-3124

Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas has always liked sports, but he never envisioned himself at the helm of a Top 25 college football team. Today, though, he just says he’s ready to play.

KYLE GREEN | The Roanoke Times

The accidental quarterback

“Just like Tyrod [Taylor] is the right kind of guy to lead your football team, Logan’s the right kind of guy to lead your football team.” — Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech coach


BLACKSBURG — For a program that so values stability, Virginia Tech made significant coaching changes this offseason.

In came youngsters Shane Beamer (asso-ciate head coach/running backs coach) and Cornell Brown (outside linebackers coach/assistant defensive ends coach). Out went vet-eran assistants Billy Hite and Jim Cavanaugh,

to administrative roles.Head coach Frank Beamer

orchestrated the overhaul pri-marily to beef up recruiting. The changes will have a long-term effect, the success or failure of which we won’t know for years.

The move that will affect the Hokies the most right now? Quar-terbacks coach Mike O’Cain tak-ing over the play-calling — and not

because the Hokies plan to change their M.O.“The average person sitting in the stands,”

O’Cain said, “I don’t think will see a bit of dif-ference between our offense last year and our offense this year.”

Maybe not, but they’ll notice the new quar-terback. And despite all the legitimate opti-mism about Logan Thomas, despite all the strides he’s made already, the reality is this: His need for effective coaching only gets greater from here.

And O’Cain is exactly the man to provide it to him.

Thomas has never suffered through adver-sity on the football field. Not major adversity, anyway. He won league titles in sandlot ball. He won in middle school. He won in high school.

It’s fair to wonder how he’ll handle that first high-profile slip.

“I think he’ll handle it fine, because of his personality,” O’Cain said. “He’s not an up-and-down person in his life. He’s even-keel. He gets excited when things go good and he’s down a little when things are bad, but it’s not up here and down here.”

You know who else that quote describes? O’Cain himself. The 56-year-old South Carolin-ian has a calmness about him that almost belies his profession.

For Thomas, that’s the perfect voice to have in his ear, because it’ll sound a lot like the ones he grew up with. Gentle. Caring. Instructive.

“Logan wouldn’t take to a lot of people hol-lering at him,” said Cliff Thomas, the quar-terback’s grandfather. “That would turn him off, I’d imagine. I think O’Cain is a lot more deliberate. If he’s got something to say, he prob-ably doesn’t holler at him. I haven’t seen him in action, but I’d imagine he doesn’t holler at

him. He talks to him intelligently, and Logan responds that way.”

You can believe Beamer when he says the switch in play-callers had nothing to do with any dissatisfaction with Bryan Stinespring’s performance in that same role. Instead, it’s a matter of having the right personalities match up. It’s having one directive sent to Thomas instead of two or three.

“He knows what I see, and I know what he sees,” Thomas said. “We’re on the same level on that aspect. I don’t want to make it sound bad, but he reminds me a lot of my grandfather in that aspect — just how laid-back he is and how he teaches by talking to you and not yell-ing at you.

“It’s real easy to get along with a guy that will pull you over, put you underneath an arm, point out there and show you what he’s look-ing at — and what I need to be looking at — to make you better.”

Of course, O’Cain still would be coaching Thomas even if he weren’t calling the plays. But this way, the messages are never mixed. The coach who evaluates the play is the same one who ordered it.

Based on what he’s seen thus far, O’Cain doesn’t expect Thomas to screw up many of them.

“Even in games in a mop-up-role year, he went out and he did what he was supposed to do,” O’Cain said. “The balls weren’t all over the place. He didn’t misread the signals. He didn’t get the snap counts screwed up. He went out and managed the game, so I have no reason to believe that he won’t be good.”

If he is, the Hokies will be, too. O’Cain will deserve a good chunk of the credit.

And so will Beamer, who had the foresight to pair two like-minded people, even at the expense of continuity.

Hokies’ new QB will have a steady voice in his ear

The Roanoke Times | File October

Quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain has a strong relationship with Hokies starter Logan Thomas.

Last season was hardly a stellar year for the ACC. The

conference finished 9-14 against members of the other

five BCS conferences, with a losing record against all of

them but the Big East. The ACC also went 0-2 against

Notre Dame. The ACC was 4-5 in bowls. Conference

champ Virginia Tech began the season with a loss to

Boise State and ended it with a loss to Stanford in the

Orange Bowl — and suffered a humbling loss to James

Madison in between. A good showing this year in these

10 games would help the ACC’s quest for respect.

10 GAMES TO WATCH

SEPT. 10

Stanford at DukeThe Blue Devils get a close-up look at the likely No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Quarterback Andrew Luck (above), who looked so good against the Hokies in the Orange Bowl, and the No. 7 Cardinal are hoping to be as formidable as they were last year even though Jim Harbaugh has left to coach in the NFL. The 3:30 p.m. game will air on ESPNU.

SEPT. 17

Oklahoma at Florida StateThe national title hopes of the top-ranked Sooners and the No. 6 Seminoles will rise or fall on the outcome of one of the marquee nonconference games of the college football season. Quarterback Landry Jones (above) and receiver Ryan Broyles are back from an OU team that squashed FSU 47-17 last fall. The prime-time game will air on ESPN or WSET.

SEPT. 17

Ohio State at MiamiJim Tressel and Randy Shannon coached in last year’s meeting, which the Buckeyes won 36-21. This time, interim coach Luke Fickel will steer the No. 18 Buckeyes, and Al Golden will coach the Hurricanes. The prime-time game will air on ESPN or WSET.

SEPT. 17

Auburn at ClemsonCam Newton and Auburn won last year’s meeting 27-24 in overtime en route to winning the national title. Newton is now in the NFL, but No. 23 Auburn does return running back Michael Dyer. Clemson has lost the past 14 meetings. The game will air at noon on WSET.

SEPT. 17

West Virginia at MarylandThe No. 24 Mountaineers are the preseason favorite to win the Big East. They beat the Terrapins 31-17 last fall for their fifth straight win in the series. Both teams have new coaches — WVU’s Dana Holgorsen (above) and Maryland’s Randy Edsall — and impressive quarterbacks — WVU’s Geno Smith and Maryland’s Danny O’Brien. The noon game will air on one of the ESPN channels.

NOV. 12

Notre Dame vs. MarylandOne week after visiting Wake Forest, the No. 16 Fighting Irish will take on the Terrapins at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. It will be the teams’ first meeting in nine years. Receiver Michael Floyd (above) will pose plenty of trouble for the Maryland secondary. The 7:30 p.m. game will air on WSLS.

NOV. 19

Boston College at Notre DameNotre Dame beat BC 31-13 last year for its second straight win in the series. The Eagles boast two of the ACC’s best players, running back Montel Harris and linebacker Luke Kuechly. The 4 p.m. game will air on WSLS.

NOV. 26

Clemson at South CarolinaThe 12th-ranked Gamecocks beat the Tigers 29-7 last year for their second straight win in the series. The Clemson defense could have a rough time against quarterback Stephen Garcia, running back Marcus Lattimore and receiver Alshon Jeffery.

NOV. 26

Florida State at FloridaThe No. 22 Gators and their new coach, Will Muschamp, will try to contain quarterback E.J. Manuel (above) and the Seminoles. Gator fans hope QB John Brantley improves under new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. FSU won last year’s meeting 31-7, snapping a six-game skid in the series.

NOV. 26

Georgia at Georgia TechThe No. 19 Bulldogs have beaten the Yellow Jackets nine times in the past 10 years, including a 42-34 win last season. Pulaski County and Virginia Tech graduate Todd Grantham is back for another year as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator, while Aaron Murray (above) is the Bulldogs’ QB.

— Mark Berman


Since joining the ACC, Virginia Tech has been the league’s dominant football program.

But some formidable coaches are determined to dethrone the king of the conference.

Jimbo Fisher made a big splash last season, steering Florida State to the Atlantic Division title in his first year as head coach. The Seminoles are expected to be even better this season.

And now Tech’s Frank Beamer has two new ACC coaching rivals who could be long-term threats.

Miami and Maryland have hired proven winners in hopes of improv-ing their programs. Al Golden, who managed to succeed at Temple, has taken over the Hurricanes. Mary-land turned to Randy Edsall, who guided Connecticut from the Foot-ball Championship Subdivision to the Fiesta Bowl.

“I have a tremendous amount of confidence in my abilities,” Edsall said.

Their sights are set on the Hokies, who captured the ACC title last year for the fourth time in seven seasons.

“We have to get back to the point where we can beat them both at home and on the road and do it on a pretty consistent basis,” Golden said. “Clearly, we’re not there and we have a long way to go before we can start to proclaim that.”

Fisher making his mark

It didn’t take long for Fisher to end Florida State’s slide into mediocrity.

Once a national heavyweight, the Seminoles finished just 7-6 in three of legendary coach Bobby Bowden’s final four seasons at the helm.

But in Fisher’s first season as coach after being promoted from offensive coordinator, the Seminoles went 10-4. It was their first season with double-digit wins since 2004.

“He did a great job getting those guys ready to play,” said ESPN analyst Danny Kanell, an FSU quarterback in the 1990s. “He brought in more of a disciplined style of football.”

Kanell also credited Fisher’s defensive coordinator. Under Mark Stoops, the defense improved greatly last season.

The Seminoles advanced to the ACC title game for the first time since 2005 but lost to the Hokies

44-33.In the ACC’s preseason media

poll, the Seminoles have been picked to beat the Hokies in this year’s title game.

“It’s great to be there,” Fisher said of being picked to win the confer-ence.

“If you’re going to be good, you have to expect to be good. You have to understand [how] to be good, and you have to embrace it. And that’s why you come to Florida State. And that’s why I want to be there.”

Fisher said sixth-ranked Florida State is “very capable” of winning the league crown this year.

“We were a couple drives away from that last year,” Fisher said. “It’s our goal.

“We want to be a state champion. We want to be the Atlantic Division champion. We want to be the ACC champion, be in a BCS bowl and, hopefully, a national championship.”

FSU was indeed the “champion” of Florida last year, sweeping Miami and Florida for the first time since 1999.

Quarterback E.J. Manuel said he has no doubt that Fisher can lead the team to an ACC championship.

“He’s one of those guys, he walks into a room and you’re like, ‘OK, I’m going to listen to this guy,’ ” Manuel said.

New boss at ‘The U’

Randy Shannon was shown the door at Miami after going 28-22 in four seasons. The firing came before the team’s loss to Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl, a defeat that left Miami with a 7-6 mark.

“We had [nine] guys invited to the [NFL] combine, and we went 7-6. That don’t add up,” linebacker Sean Spence said.

Last year was the fourth time in five years that Miami finished 7-6 or worse, including the final season of the Larry Coker era.

The Hurricanes, once a national heavyweight, have never won the Coastal Division.

Golden’s task could get much tougher if Miami is hit with harsh sanctions as a result of an NCAA investigation into improper benefits that some athletes allegedly received before Golden’s arrival.

Before the NCAA probe was made public this month, Golden said he has a “good blueprint” for success from his five years at Temple, where he took over a winless team and revived

the moribund program.The Owls won eight games in 2009

and nine games last season. Those were the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1978-79 and its first back-to-back bowl bids ever. The 2009 team advanced to a bowl for the first time in 30 years.

“If you can win at Temple, you can win anywhere,” Kanell said. “You plug in a guy like him, with the enthu-siasm and the charisma, and you put him around the talent that he’s got at Miami and I would see a pretty quick turnaround.”

Golden doesn’t consider UM to be an easier job than his last one.

“Whether you’re going from zero wins to [eventually] nine wins and trying to go to a bowl or you start at seven wins and you’re trying to win a national championship or an ACC championship or a Coastal Division, it’s all the same,” he said. “The chal-lenge is just as great [at UM] because the expectations are higher.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do.”The Hurricanes were plagued by

turnovers and penalties last season.“Those are easy to eliminate, and

he’s going to eliminate those,” Kanell said. “That’s every coach’s dream, is ‘Give me a program where I’ve already got talent there, I just need to mold it.’ ”

Miami tied for 117th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in fewest penalties, averaging 8.2 per game.

“Our team understands that when Temple won nine games in a row and went to the first bowl game in 30 years, they also jumped 80 spots in [fewest] penalties,” said Golden, a former Virginia defensive coordina-tor. “There’s a correlation between eliminating the things that cause teams to lose and winning. I’m try-ing to teach these guys that.”

ESPN analyst Craig James said Golden, 42, was a good choice for the Miami job.

“You can tell if they know how to coach,” James said. “[Notre Dame’s] Brian Kelly’s a great example of that. I think Al Golden’s in that mode, where you win wherever you are. You know how to win and you get it done.”

Confident coach

Edsall, who was 74-70 in 12 years with UConn, isn’t lacking in con-fidence as he takes the Terrapins’ reins.

UConn was still an FCS team

when Edsall took over the Huskies for the 1999 season. The team began playing Big East football in 2004. Last season, the Huskies won the Big East title before losing to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve won,” said Edsall, 53. “I won as an assistant at Syracuse. I won when I was an assis-tant at Boston College. What we did down at Jacksonville [where he was a Jaguars assistant] was unprecedent-ed. Georgia Tech, for the one year I was there as defensive coordinator, we tied for an ACC championship. … What we did at Connecticut kind of says it all there as a head coach.

“Believe me, I have a tremendous amount of confidence in knowing … [that] what I want to accomplish at the University of Maryland can get done.”

Maryland, though, is considered to be more of a basketball school than a football school. The Terrapins have never won the Atlantic Division.

“I don’t ever get caught up in that ‘You’re a basketball school,’ ” Edsall said. “I just came from probably the biggest basketball school, when you talk about men’s and women’s, but we were very, very successful.”

Maryland went 9-4 last season. The Terrapins return quarterback Danny O’Brien, the 2010 ACC rookie of the year.

ESPN’s James said Maryland made a “brilliant hire” in choosing Edsall.

“Look at what he did with far less talent than he’s going to have at Maryland,” James said. “And with that QB, O’Brien, watch out. Danny O’Brien throws as good a ball as any quarterback in America. He’s one of the most underrated, quiet talents in college football. The guy is a special player — and Randy does wonders with quarterbacks who do not have Danny O’Brien’s ability.”

O’Brien said Edsall is a “no-non-sense guy” who impressed the Ter-rapins by telling them “he’s here to win championships.”

“The goal is ‘ACC title or bust,’ ” O’Brien said. “Anything short of that is a failure as a season for us.”

But the ACC’s best program is not in College Park or Tallahassee or Miami but in Blacksburg.

“The standard-bearer I would say right now in the league is Virginia Tech,” Edsall said. “That’s where we’ve got to get to. That’s where everybody in this league’s really got to shoot for.”

New coaches set their sights on the Hokies

By Mark [email protected]

981-3125

Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and new hires at Miami and Maryland are looking to claim the ACC crown.

Jimbo Fisher Florida StateAGE: 45

RESUME: Atlantic Division champ FSU went 10-4, 6-2 last season in Fisher’s first year as head coach.

2009 SEASON: The Seminoles were 7-6 in Bobby Bowden’s final year as coach. It was the Seminoles’ third 7-6 season in Bowden’s final four years.

Al Golden MiamiAGE: 42

RESUME: 27-34 in five years at Temple; steered Owls to first back-to-back winning seasons since 1978-79.

LAST SEASON: Hurricanes were 7-6 in Randy Shannon’s final year as coach. It was the third time in Shannon’s four years they were 7-6 or worse.

Randy Edsall MarylandAGE: 53

RESUME: 74-70 in 12 years at Connecticut; Huskies won Big East title last year.

LAST SEASON: Terrapins were 9-4 in Ralph Friedgen’s final year as coach. It was just the third winning season in Friedgen’s final seven years.

Courtesy M

aryland

Courtesy M

iami

Courtesy Florid

a State

You know about the Hokies and Cavaliers, but here are some others to keep your eyes on.

Quinton Coples North Carolina senior defensive end

2010: All-ACC first team at defensive tackle (moving back to end this season); 59 tackles, 10 sacks, 15 1⁄2 tackles for loss, 12 QB hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.UNC DEFENSIVE TACKLE

TYDREKE POWELL SAYS: “He plays with passion every down. He never gives up. He’s going to be a great force to be reckoned with. It’s going to be real interesting to see him out there [at DE] again. He’s more free out there.”

Montel Harris

Boston College senior running back

2010: All-ACC first team; ran for 1,243 yards and eight TDs on 269 carries; led ACC with average of 103.6 rushing yards; had 18 catches for 112 yards and one TD; improved career total to 3,600 yards rushing.

HARRIS SAYS: “Knowing how to pick the battles and when to go down, how to approach a certain defender, is how I’ve been able to be so durable and not get hurt as much. If I was going through the hole and [saw] a linebacker right in front of me … I would try to maneuver, try to get around him and lessen the blow. If I’m going to get tackled, I’m trying to fall forward, finish the run. If you can’t win a one-on-one battle, you shouldn’t be playing running back.”

Luke Kuechly

Boston College junior linebacker

2010: First team All-America; All-ACC; led Football Bowl Subdivision in tackles (183) and solo tackles (110); had 10 tackles for loss, 1 1⁄2 sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three pass breakups.

KUECHLY SAYS: “Coaches are smart. They do a great job for us of breaking down teams, laying out tendencies, describing what they’re going to do in certain situations. So when you’re in that situation and they come out in a set, you’re thinking, ‘All right, this is what it’s going to be.’ And then from there you’ve just got to play football. Just let my mind go and just react.”

E.J. Manuel Florida State junior quarterback

2010: Completed 65 of 93 passes for 861 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions; ran for 170 yards and one TD on 41 carries; started in a win over Clemson and in an ACC title-game loss to Virginia Tech; entered in relief in second quarter of bowl win over South Carolina.

MANUEL SAYS: “I throw the ball a lot better, a lot more accurate. I take my time. I don’t rush anymore. I know my reads. I know coverages and all that kind of stuff. I think I’m going to be a different player.”

Danny O’Brien Maryland sophomore quarterback

2010: ACC rookie of the year; freshman All-American; completed 192 of 337 passes for 2,438 yards and 22 TDs with eight interceptions; ranked fourth in the ACC in passing efficiency.

O’BRIEN SAYS: “I’ve improved in every aspect of being a quarterback. I’ve really focused on getting better at footwork, maintaining the film dedication I’ve had that’s really gotten me where I am. I’ll be a little bit more poised out there. A year under my belt is big.”

— Mark Berman

2011 ACC PLAYERS TO WATCH


VIRGINIA CAVALIERSSCHEDULE

vs. William and Mary . . . . .Sept .3, .6 .p m , .ESPN3 com

SERIES: UVa .leads .26-6-1 . LAST MEETING: W&M .26-14 .(2009)

WILLIAM AND MARY 2010 RECORD: .8-4 .(6-2 .CAA)

TRIBE COACH: .Jimmye .Laycock .(208-145-2, .31 .seasons)

at Indiana . . . . . . . . . . .Sept .10, .7 .p m , .Big .Ten .Network

SERIES: .UVa .leads .1-0 . LAST MEETING: .UVa .44-7 .(2009)

INDIANA 2010 RECORD: 5-7 .(1-7 .Big .Ten)

HOOSIERS COACH: .Kevin .Wilson .(first-year .head .coach)

at North Carolina . . . . . . . .Sept .17, .3:30 .p m , .ESPNU

SERIES: .UNC .leads .57-54-4 . LAST MEETING: .UNC .44-10 .(2010)

NORTH CAROLINA 2010 RECORD: .8-5 .(4-4 .ACC)

TAR HEEL COACH: Everett .Withers .(first-year .head .coach) .

vs. Southern Mississippi . . . . . . . . .Sept .24, .TBA

SERIES: .So .Miss .leads .1-0 . LAST MEETING: .So .Miss .37-34 .(2009)

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 2010 RECORD: 8-5 .(5-3 .C-USA)

GOLDEN EAGLE COACH: .Larry .Fedora .(22-17, .three .seasons)

vs. Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct .1, .TBA .

SERIES: .first .meeting . IDAHO 2010 RECORD: .6-7 .(3-5 .WAC)

VANDALS COACH: Robb .Akey .(17-33, .four .seasons)

vs. Georgia Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct .15, .TBA

SERIES: Tied .16-16-1 . LAST MEETING: GT .33-21 .(2010)

GEORGIA TECH 2010 RECORD: 6-7 .(4-4 .ACC)

YELLOW JACKETS COACH: .Paul .Johnson .(133-53, .three .seasons .at .GT, .six .at .Navy, .five .seasons .at .Georgia .Southern)

vs. N.C. State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct .22, .TBA

SERIES: N C .State .leads .33-21-1 . LAST MEETING: .State .29-24 .(2007)

N.C. STATE 2010 RECORD: .9-4 .(5-3 .ACC) .

WOLFPACK COACH: .Tom .O’Brien .(100-70, .four .seasons .at .N C .State, .eight .at .Boston .College)

at Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct .27, .8 .p m .SERIES: .Miami .leads .5-3 . LAST MEETING: UVa .24-19 .(2010)

MIAMI 2010 RECORD: .7-6 .(5-3 .ACC) .

HURRICANES COACH: .Al .Golden .(27-34, .first .season .at .Miami, .five .at .Temple)

at Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov .5, .TBA .

SERIES: Maryland .leads .42-31-2 . LAST MEETING: Maryland .42-23 .(2010)

MARYLAND 2010 RECORD: .9-4 .(5-3 .ACC)

TERRAPINS COACH: Randy .Edsall .(74-70, .first .season .at .UM, .12 .at .UConn)

Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov .12, .TBA

SERIES: UVa .leads .32-30 . LAST MEETING: .Duke .55-48 .(2010)

DUKE 2010 RECORD: .3-9 .(1-7 .ACC)

BLUE DEVILS COACH: .David .Cutcliffe .(56-53, .three .seasons .at .Duke, .seven .at .Ole .Miss)

at Florida State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov .19, .TBA

SERIES: FSU .leads .14-2 . LAST MEETING: FSU .34-14 .(2010)

FLORIDA STATE 2010 RECORD: .10-4 .(6-3 .ACC)

SEMINOLES COACH: Jimbo .Fisher .(10-4, .one .season .at .FSU)

Virginia Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov .26, .TBA

SERIES: Tech .leads .50-37-5 . LAST MEETING: Tech .37-7 .(2010)

VIRGINIA TECH 2010 RECORD: .11-3 .(8-0 .ACC)

HOKIES COACH: Frank .Beamer .(240-118-4, .24 .seasons .at .Tech, .six .at .Murray .State)

To listen to Virginia coach Mike Lon-don at the ACC Football Kickoff, you’d have thought he was Charlie Sheen.

At least for a while, every other word out of London’s mouth was “winning.”

“There’s been enough losing around here for a while that we’ve got to change the thought process,” said London, who is entering his second season as the Cava-liers’ head coach.

“The only way you develop an atti-tude of winning is [by] winning games. We need to start talking about winning, once again, at Virginia. That’s a mind-set that’s been missing for a while.”

A 4-8 record in 2010 saddled the Cava-liers with their third losing season in a row. That hadn’t happened in Charlottes-ville since 1980-82.

At one time, UVa had one of college football’s most downtrodden programs, but there was a revival under George Welsh, whose teams won at least seven games in 13 straight seasons between 1987 and 1999.

That streak, which may not have received sufficient attention at the time, ended when Virginia dropped a 37-14 decision to Georgia in the 2000 Oahu Bowl and finished 6-6.

That .500 season, considered a dis-appointment at the time, would be wel-comed by a 2011 UVa squad that knows six wins would make it bowl-eligible.

“I don’t think you’ve really experi-enced college football unless you’ve gone to a bowl,” said fifth-year wide receiver Kris Burd, who was redshirted when the Cavaliers played in the 2007 Gator Bowl, their most recent postseason trip.

The Cavaliers, who were 3-9 under coach Al Groh in 2009, showed improve-ment in several areas last year and could have come close to a break-even season if they had been able to hold on to leads.

Virginia lost three straight games in November despite leading in the second half of each game. For all the attention given to UVa’s spotty quarterback play, the Cavaliers’ defense was just as culpa-ble, giving up 33 or more points in six of the final nine games.

Defensive coordinator Jim Reid said his research shows that opponents aver-aged slightly under 3 yards on 413 of their 480 rushing plays. On the other 67, they averaged 21.6 yards per play.

“So, when we broke down, we broke down dramatically,” Reid said. “Gener-ally, what we’re looking for is to be more consistent.”

The Cavaliers’ marquee player last year was cornerback Ras-I Dowling, chosen by New England with the first pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. However, Dowling was dogged by injuries and played in only five games for UVa, two as a starter.

Virginia returns nine players on defense who started at least nine games and a 10th who had six starts.

“I believe you’ll see a little more risk-taking,” Reid said. “I’m not sure that sim-plifying things is the answer with this crowd. You’re not at Virginia because you’re simple.

“Talking to the players, I’ve got to make

it more challenging for them. We made some drastic, dramatic mistakes being very, very simple. We’re going to continue to add to the defensive schemes.”

Virginia’s defensive yield last year, 396.1 yards per game, was its highest in eight seasons and represented more than a 10 percent increase over the Cavaliers’ final season with Groh.

On the other hand, UVa’s total offense improved by more than 50 percent, from 269.6 yards per game in 2009 to 404.8 last year.

The Cavaliers attempted 443 passes on 862 offensive plays last year, roughly a 50-50 split that could be altered with the departure of Marc Verica, one of four quarterbacks in school history with more than 800 career attempts.

Virginia also lost power back Keith Payne, who had a conference-high 16 touchdowns and led the ACC in scoring, but starting tailback Perry Jones returns and will run behind an offensive line that boasts four returning starters, All-ACC candidates such as tackle Morgan Moses and guard Austin Pasztor and maybe as much depth as UVa has had.

There is more depth at wide receiver this year with the return of Tim Smith, sidelined by season-ending ankle surgery following the second game of the 2010 season, and the addition of top recruits

Darius Jennings and Dominique Terrell.In the weeks leading up to the Cava-

liers’ Sept. 3 opener with visiting William and Mary, sophomore Michael Rocco was getting more repetitions than UVa’s other three scholarship quarterbacks. Rocco attempted 25 passes over six games as a true freshman in 2010,

“From the beginning, what I noticed in Mike was an ability to take a large amount of information in the classroom and proc-ess it,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “On game day, something’s going to happen to a quarterback and you’re not going to be able to explain it.”

David Watford, who was playing quar-terback for Hampton High School at this time a year ago, enrolled at Virginia in January and went through spring ball. Halfway through August, London indicat-ed that Watford’s “reps” would increase as the staff tried to determine whether he was ready to play this season or was best served by redshirting.

Clearly, some improvement would result from Virginia simply reducing its penalties. The Cavaliers were the third-most heavily penalized team in the FBS (Division I-A) last year and set school records for penalties (98) and penalty yardage (880) in a season.

One of the bright spots in London’s first season was special teams, and returnees include punter Jimmy Howell, place-kick-er Rob Randolph and fifth-year specialist Chris Hinkebein, who handles kickoff and long field-goal attempts. The Cavaliers ran back two kickoffs for touchdowns, got a rushing touchdown from Randolph, and also saw Howell and holder Jacob Hodges throw touchdown passes.

Yet, as wide receiver Burd said of his own team-high 58 receptions: “At the end of the day, we were still 4-8.”

It all comes back to Charlie Sheen’s buzzword: winning.

“Personal goals are fine,” London said, “but if a guy’s talking about anything less than winning, then he’s setting himself up for failure.”

After 3 losing seasons, winning is everything for UVa

By Doug Doughtydoug doughty@roanoke com .

981-3129

Nothing less will do for coach Mike London, who’s out to change the mindset in Charlottesville.

ERIC BRADY | The Roanoke Times

Virginia’s second-year head coach, Mike London, says the Cavaliers, who went 4-8 last season, need to develop a winning attitude.

2010 RESULTS4-8 overall, 1-7 ACC (home team in bold)

SEPT. 4: .Virginia 34, .Richmond .13

SEPT. 11: Southern Cal 17, .Virginia .14

SEPT. 25: .Virginia 48, .VMI .7

OCT. 2: .Florida .State .34, .Virginia 14

OCT. 9: Georgia Tech 33, .Virginia .21

OCT. 16: .North .Carolina .44, .Virginia 10

OCT. 23: Virginia 48,Eastern .Michigan .21

OCT. 30: .Virginia 24,Miami .19

NOV. 6: .Duke 55, .Virginia .48

NOV. 13: .Maryland .42, .Virginia 23

NOV. 20: Boston College 17, .Virginia .13

NOV. 27: Virginia Tech 37, .Virginia .7


Michael Rocco has been getting more reps than UVa’s other scholarship quarterbacks.


“I don’t think you’ve really experienced college football unless you’ve gone to a bowl,” says receiver Kris Burd, being dragged down in the Cavaliers’ 24-19 win over Miami last year.

Keep .up .with .the .latest .Virginia .football .news .throughout .the .season .on .The .Insiders .blog .at .roanoke.com/sports

OffenseWIDE RECEIVER18 KrisBurd 5-11 195 Sr.14 MattSnyder 6-4 205 Sr.WIDE RECEIVER20 TimSmith 6-0 185 So.85 BobbySmith 6-5 205 So.LEFT TACKLE72 OdayAboushi 6-6 295 Jr.67 LandonBradley 6-7 280 Sr.LEFT GUARD63 AustinPasztor 6-7 320 Sr.61 CodyWallace 6-4 275 r-Fr.CENTER68 AnthonyMihota 6-4 280 Sr.66 JohnMaghamez 6-3 275 Jr.RIGHT GUARD70 LukeBowanko 6-6 285 So.78 MorganMoses 6-6 350 So.RIGHT TACKLE78 MorganMoses 6-6 350 So.67 LandonBradley 6-7 280 Sr.TIGHT END89 ColterPhillips 6-6 250 Jr.88 PaulFreedman 6-5 255 Jr.QUARTERBACK15 RossMetheny 6-2 200 So.16 MichaelRocco 6-3 210 So.TAILBACK33 PerryJones 5-8 185 Jr.25 KevinParks 5-8 1953 r-Fr.FULLBACK36 MaxMilien 6-0 215 Sr.32 RyanCobb 6-1 2203 r-Fr.

DefenseDEFENSIVE END90 JakeSnyder 6-4 255 So.99 BrentUrban 6-7 290 So.DEFENSIVE TACKLE94 MattConrath 6-7 270 Sr.93 WillHill 6-4 265 Jr.DEFENSIVE TACKLE96 NickJenkins 6-3 275 Sr.93 WillHill 6-4 265 Jr.DEFENSIVE END56 CamJohnson 6-4 265 Sr.47 BillSchautz 6-4 250 Jr.SAM LINEBACKER52 AaronTaliaferro 6-2 225 Sr.39 TuckerWindle 6-3 225 Jr.MIDDLE LINEBACKER53 SteveGreer 6-2 230 Jr.40 HenryColey 6-2 235 r-Fr.WILL LINEBACKER9 LaRoyReynolds 6-2 220 Jr.30 DaquanRomero 6-1 212 Fr.CORNERBACK27 RijoWalker 5-10 185 So.23 DomJoseph 6-1 195 Sr.FREE SAFETY7 CoreyMosley 5-10 205 Sr.41 PabloAlvarez 6-3 185 r-Fr.STRONG SAFETY4 RodneyMcLeod 5-10 180 Sr.37 LoVantéBattle 5-10 200 Jr.CORNERBACK13 ChaseMinnifield 6-0 185 Sr.22 DrequanHoskey 6-0 163 r-Fr.

Special teamsFIELD GOALS3 RobertRandolph 5-10 165 Sr.KICKOFFS11 ChrisHinkebein 6-1 195 Sr.PUNTER8 JimmyHowell 6-6 240 Sr.

RADIO AFFILIATES IN THE AREARoanokeWVMP(101.5FM),BlacksburgWZFM(101.3FM),CovingtonWIQO(100.9FM),MartinsvilleWHEE(1370AM)


Wide receiver Matt Snyder is expected to get plenty of playing time for the Cavaliers this season.


CHARLOTTESVILLE — We could talk about offense. We could talk about defense. We could talk about wins, losses, quarterbacks and goals.

But in looking at Virginia’s 2011 football season, why don’t we start by addressing the thing that mat-ters most?

The Cavs need to clean it up.Sure, we talked about that last

year. But guess what? It didn’t get better — the number of penalties actually got worse as the year pro-gressed — so we need to talk about

it again. UVa was a sloppy,

penalty-riddled mess in Mike London’s first season as coach. The Cavaliers ranked No. 5 in the nation in flags per game (8.17). In penalty yards per game, only Baylor and

Troy had a sorrier average than UVa’s 73.33.

“That’s a huge problem,” soph-omore defensive end Jake Snyder said. “A lot of it’s definitely mental. If you look back at it, there’s a lot of offsides, a lot of false starts, little things we can change.”

To London’s credit, he’s pub-licly identified reduction of pen-alties as one of his biggest keys to this season. Yes, it’s even bigger than the quarterback. After all, it doesn’t matter who’s throwing the completions if they’re getting called back.

The correlation between infractions and results has been clearly established in Charlottes-ville. The Cavs averaged a whop-ping 81.6 penalty yards in their eight losses last season. In their four wins? Just 56.8.

That’s still too many — the Cavs averaged 54.9 overall in Al Groh’s final season — but it’s sig-nificantly better.

The assumption that flags would be reduced as players got more familiar with a new system didn’t hold. The Cavs were penal-ized more in November than they were in October. They were flagged more in October than they were in September.

Part of that can be attributed to a step up in competition as the year progressed. But there’s a more basic problem than that.

Too often, the Cavs were just lax on the details.

“The first thing is technique,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “We had a lot of holding pen-alties on offense. The first thing you have to look at, is, ‘Was their hand placement correct? Did they move their feet wrong?’

“A lot of times, it’s that guys aren’t moving their feet. Most of the time, their hands are outside. So it’s discipline.”

And discipline is a reflection of coaching. Undisciplined play infuriates coaches — particularly those coaches who used to be cops.

So London & Co. have tried to beef up the orderliness of all facets of the program.

“A lot of that comes through-out the year, training all summer in our conditioning program,” Snyder said. “We really focus on discipline. Coach [Evan] Marcus has done a great job of instilling that in us. The little things matter. Hold each other accountable. If you see somebody mess up, don’t just let it go. Make them go back and do it again.

“That’s a thing we’ve been doing all summer, and I think that’s going to carry over.”

The Cavs hope so. Their goal is to streamline the message, lay out what’s acceptable and what isn’t. They figure they’re in a better position to do that here in Year 2.

“We all know there’s a tremen-dous amount of things that can be accomplished with continuity,” London said. “And I think going into our second year, we’ve expe-rienced that and now we’ll have an opportunity to capitalize on it.”

Talent-wise, this looks like it could be another long season in Charlottesville, but there are some positive signs. Recruiting’s gotten better. Some bridges to alienated alumni and high school coaches have been repaired.

The Cavs probably won’t fin-ish in the Top 25 poll this year. But if they can finish among the top 25 teams in fewest penalties, that would be a sign of meaningful progress.

Hey, UVa: This isnot flag football

As the son of a former NFL player, he had the con-nections. As the University of Virginia’s lone first-team All-ACC selection, he had the validation. As a December graduate, he had the degree.

If Chase Minnifield had turned pro after the 2010 season, who could have blamed him?

A teammate and fellow 2007 signee, Zane Parr, had few of Minnifield’s credentials. He made himself avail-able for the 2011 NFL Draft and wasn’t selected.

Maybe he was just tired of going to school.Chase Minnifield doesn’t get tired. “We’d have to pick him up every night and put him

in bed,” said Frank Minnifield, who spent 10 years in the NFL and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. “He was reading or doing his math and he probably was way ahead of where he needed to be.

“He’d be kicking and screaming and telling me, ‘Daddy, I’m not done yet.’ ”

They talk all the time, so you know that Frank was involved in his son’s decision to come back for his final season of eli-gibility at Virginia.

“I think we all just felt like pro foot-ball can wait,” Frank said. “It’s your last year of college football, when you could be the face of a program. That is a very special situation. Why pass up the opportunity to pursue a dream?”

That wasn’t his only dream.“It’s tough when your dream is to go

to the NFL and ‘here it is, right here,’ ” said Chase, a 6-foot, 185-pound corner-back. “Second round, late second round, third round. You can go. My mama said, ‘You can be a first round pick.’ I believe I can be a first round pick, too, and can solidify it this season.

“That’s what my goal is. That’s what I want to be. I don’t want to settle for less than I think I can be.”

Minnifield’s decision came so quickly — weeks before the Jan. 15 deadline — that one might assume his return was a foregone conclusion. Not so. The Minnifields were on top of the NFL labor issues that eventually resulted in a 136-day lockout.

“We talked about it all the time,” Chase said. “My dad played during the last lockout. He didn’t think it was ever going to end.”

So, while his would-be fellow rookies stayed at home, Minnifield stayed in Charlot-

tesville and worked out. And worked out. And worked out.

“I work out like three or four times a day,” he said. “Sunday nights, I have a wolfpack group for anybody on the team that wants to work out. We do things like run the stadium steps, run around the city, push cars, things like that.

“The numbers [of participants] fluctuate. Dom Joseph never missed one. Rodney McLeod got con-sistent toward the end. We had a lot of one-timers. Some guys, after they’ve come once, they’re a little timid about coming back. Tra [Nicholson] came to all three of them.”

Demetrious Nicholson was the showpiece of a 2011 Virginia recruiting class that was ranked among the top 25 in the country. Since opening day, he has been No. 1 at the cornerback spot opposite Minnifield.

“Tra’s my man,” Minnifield said. “Every weekend, he asks me, ‘When are you working out? Where are you working out?’ I try to break him. He stays standing. He likes to learn; that’s what I really like about him. He’s listening. He understands. He’s already a gifted player. If he can stand in there with me, he’ll be fine. Not a lot of people work out with me.”

Some people were surprised when teammates did not select him as one of the co-captains. The truth be known, coach Mike London was surprised. But, it’s not hard to see how Minnifield might come on a little strong.

“If somebody shows him the way to do something, he’s going to overdo it,” Frank Minnifield said, “but, if they were truly trying to put somebody on the field to make decisions for the whole team, then obviously Chase is the person to do that.

“I was never a captain either. When I was coaching Chase coming up, I would never let him be captain. I would tell him, ‘Hey, man, know what? That takes way too much time from your preparation for the game.’ ”

Some might describe Chase as a “piece of work.” So is Frank, an undrafted free agent from Louisville who was named to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1980s. He started a home-building company in 1993 and was the first black person named to the Lexington, Ky., Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

On its sports website last year, UVa showed film of a golf match between Frank and Chase that was marked by constant one-upmanship.

“He just loves competition, whether it’s in the class-room or anywhere,” Frank said. “When he was young, we would drive long distances and we wouldn’t be in the car for two seconds before he would figure out some game for us to play — license plates, the color of the cars, telephone poles, whoever saw a McDon-ald’s first.”

Maybe that’s a father speaking, but Frank is the first person to question the value of interceptions, even though his son had six “picks” last year and has 10 for his career. The school record is 17.

“I think the interception is the only measuring stick that the public has,” Frank Minnifield said, “but the true measure of a cornerback is how many touch-downs he gives up and whether or not that touchdown is given up when his team needs a stop.”

Whether or not Chase has become the “face” of the program is open to debate. Minnifield and fifth-year wide receiver Kris Burd are pictured on the front of UVa’s 2011 fact book, once known as a media guide. They were also the two Virginia player representatives at the ACC Football Kickoff in Pinehurst, N.C.

“I don’t say this because he’s my son,” Frank Min-nifield said, “but I bet you he’s never been in trouble his whole life. He’s never done mischievous things. He’s never treated people in a hateful way.”

As a player, though, Chase will have no harsher critic than his dad.

“In the National Football League, they know how to evaluate players,” the elder Minnifield said. “They know the risk in selecting a kid that didn’t come into his own until last year and has really only had one good year. They weren’t going to take him real, real high. Ain’t no way in the world that was going to happen.”

Minnifield’s returnBy Doug Doughty

[email protected] 981-3129

UVa’s Chase Minnifield passed up a chance to

enter the NFL and chose to come back for his senior season with the Cavaliers.


University of Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield (13) had six interceptions for the Cavaliers last season.


Southern Virginia must replace its quarterback, its leading rusher and the player with the most tackles in school history.

Nevertheless, DeLane Fitzgerald is optimistic about his third season as the coach of the Knights.

“We are much more mature than we’ve been in years past,” he said. “We got much faster on defense and we’re much more explosive on offense.

“I’m so excited about this fall I can hardly contain myself.”

SVU was 4-7 last fall, its third straight losing season.

Quarterback Zach Garner, who threw for 1,504 yards and 17 touch-downs last fall, has left the team. The 25-year-old Garner, who had two sea-sons of eligibility left, said he wanted to focus on other parts of his busy life, such as his new role as president of SVU’s student government; the job he shares with his wife as the head resident advisers of the women’s dorm; academics; church work; and a spot on SVU’s revived golf team.

The new starter will be sopho-more Mitch Stevenson, who com-pleted 11 of 31 passes for 175 yards and three TDs with one interception last season. He also hit .325 for the SVU baseball team in the spring.

“He’s got a live arm and is very, very accurate,” Fitzgerald said.

Twenty-two players from last year’s team have left for their Mor-mon missions, including Steven Scott, who rushed for a team-high 536 yards.

Fitzgerald has brought in three transfers to boost the ground game — Terry Eytcheson from NAIA member Minot (N.D.) State and junior-college transfers Tod Workman and Jerry Washington.

“We’re better than we’ve ever been at the tailback position, deeper than we’ve ever been,” Fitzgerald said.

SVU has also added receiver Cam-eron Williams from NAIA member Benedictine (Kan.) and tight end Jeff Waldron, a junior-college transfer.

Fitzgerald has scrapped the no-huddle approach he adopted last year. He does hope to run a lot of plays, though.

The defense lost linebacker Matt Mellor, who had a school-record 269 tackles in his career, to graduation. But linebacker Tommy Davidson returns after recording 86 tackles last fall. And linebacker Dakoda Winsor is one of four players back from their missions.

Fitzgerald said last year’s defen-sive coordinator, Don McCaulley, has retired. He was replaced by Joe Mitskas, who was the defensive chief under Guilford’s former head coach.

SVU, which is exploring a move from the NAIA to NCAA Division III, will again face a mix of NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and club teams.

The schedule does not include four teams that played the Knights last year — Wesley and Concord, both of whom thrashed the Knights; Bridgewater, which beat SVU by nine points; and Ferrum, which lost to SVU.

George Mason’s club team is back on the schedule after a one-year absence.

SVU’s schedule once again includes Radford’s club team.

NAIA member Edward Waters (Fla.) is back on the schedule after a three-year absence.

New to the schedule are two NAIA schools — Pikeville (Ky.) and football newcomer Ave Maria, a Flor-ida school founded by former Detroit Tigers owner Tom Monaghan.

SVU coachfaces teamrebuildingchallenges


981-3125

Southern Virginia University, 4-7 last fall in its third straight losing season, has to refill some key positions.

SCHEDULEAug. 27 Ky. Christian 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 at Pikeville 6 p.m.

Sept. 10 Lindsey Wilson 1 p.m.

Sept. 17 Radford 7 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Guilford 1 p.m.

Oct. 15 Brevard 4 p.m.

Oct. 22 at N.N. Apprentice 1 p.m.

Oct. 29 at George Mason 3 p.m.

Nov. 5 at Webber Int. 1 p.m.

Nov. 12 Edward Waters 1 p.m.

Nov. 19 Ave Maria 1 p.m.

Home games at Parry McCluer HS.

FERRUM PANTHERS

COACHDave Harper (first season)

LAST SEASON

4-6, 4-3 USA South

SCHEDULE

Saturday at Emory & Henry 1 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Hampden-Sydney 1 p.m.

Sept. 24 Bridgewater 2 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Maryville 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 8 at N.C. Wesleyan 1 p.m.

Oct. 15 Methodist 1 p.m.

Oct. 22 Greensboro 1 p.m.

Oct. 29 at Shenandoah 7 p.m.

Nov. 5 Chris. Newport 1 p.m.

Nov. 12 Averett 1 p.m.

HOW FERRUM STACKS UP

USA South preseason coaches poll(First-place votes in parentheses and total points)

1. C. Newport (5) 47

2. N.C. Wesleyan (3) 44

3. Ferrum 34

4. Shenandoah 29

5. Averett 26

6. Maryville 21

7. Methodist 15

8. Greensboro 8

FERRUM — Dave Harper has spent all but one of the past 27 sea-sons at Ferrum, either as a player or an assistant coach.

Now he has a chance to make an even bigger impact. This will be his first season as the Panthers’ head coach.

He was promoted from offensive coordinator in December to succeed Dave Davis, who retired after 17 sea-sons at the helm.

“He’s the same old Coach Harper — still fiery, still pushing us,” quar-terback Marcus Mayo said.

Harper, who was a two-time Divi-sion III All-American linebacker, is trying to inspire enthusiasm in his team.

“I hope … they’ll get excited more during the games,” said Harper, 44. “They’ll get to see my excitement and enthusiasm for the game.

“They just didn’t have a lot of emotion [before], for whatever rea-son. I think you’ve got to have emo-tion.”

Harper also has been preaching togetherness in an attempt to instill team pride.

“This team has gotten really, really close from when he took over,” safety Tae Motley said.

Ferrum was 4-6, 4-3 in the USA South last fall. It was the team’s fourth nonwinning season in the past five years.

After tying for third last year, Fer-rum has been picked to again finish third in the USA South preseason coaches poll.

Mayo, who was the USA South offensive player of the year, is one of seven returning starters on the team’s option offense. The Rock-bridge County graduate ran for a team-high 422 yards and completed 80 of 148 passes for 1,378 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions last fall.

“I’m definitely looking to improve my accuracy, my decision-making, my footwork,” Mayo said.

Mayo, a senior, will again do extra duty returning punts. He returned three of them for TDs last year.

Harper hired Ralph Isernia to suc-ceed him as offensive coordinator. Isernia was the offensive chief at Divi-sion II member Charleston (W.Va.) under that school’s former coach.

Mayo said Ferrum will employ a shotgun offense most of the time. He is familiar with that set from his years at Rockbridge County.

“I finally got used to being under center, and now I’m back to the gun,” Mayo said with a smile. “It allows you to see the field better.

“We have dynamic athletes, and

moving to the shotgun just makes our athletes have more space to work.”

Harper said halfback Roger Smith, who ran for 337 yards, did not return to the team. Dominique Lesine will likely replace him. Tae Gilbert, a Franklin County graduate who ran for 466 yards at Division II Concord last year, will also see action.

The other starting halfback, Ste-ven Harris (295 yards), is back. But Ferrum must replace fullback Quin-tel Banks and All-USA South tight end Vince Munch.

Motley, an All-USA South pick, is one of seven starters back on defense. But Ferrum will miss defen-sive linemen Willie Taylor, Zack

Leonard and John Branch.The defense will be using other

sets in addition to its 4-2-5 scheme.“We’re going to be a little bit more

aggressive on defense,” Harper said. “My background is 4-3 and the 50 defense, so we’ll kind of meld those two together along with [the 4-2-5].

“We lost a lot of defensive line-men. Now you’ve got to find four? If you find three good defensive line-men, you can run a 50.”

Perhaps the greatest loss will be punter T.J. Grzesikowski, a second-team All-American last year.

Southern Virginia, which beat Ferrum last year, is off the schedule. But Ferrum has added Hampden-Sydney, which made the Division III playoffs last season.

Reigniting the passion at Ferrum


981-3125

New head coach Dave Harper, a longtime member of the Panthers staff, wants to see more excitement on the field.

Photos by KYLE GREEN | The Roanoke Times

Ferrum’s new head coach, Dave Harper, was promoted from offensive coordinator in December.

Quarterback Marcus Mayo (24) fakes a handoff on a bootleg during practice. He said the Panthers will employ a shotgun offense most of the time this year.

VIRGINIA SCHOOLSAVERETT

OG Dustin Russell (Alleghany)

BRIDGEWATER

OT Kyle Keister (Cave Spring)

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT

FB Miles Ailstock (Christiansburg)

EMORY & HENRY

OG Justin Farmer (Giles)

P T.J. Frazier (William Byrd)

WR Adrian Jordan (Covington)

FB Zack Santolla (Lord Botetourt)

WR DaVon Ross (James River)

FERRUM

QB Marcus Mayo (Rockbridge County)

JAMES MADISON

DE Tyler Snow (William Byrd)

LIBERTY

OG Aaron Lundy (Chilhowie)

TE Tommy Shaver (Bath County)

LB Nick Sigmon (Northside)

NORFOLK STATE

LB Hasan Craig (Franklin County)

WR Victor Hairston (Martinsville)

RANDOLPH-MACON

CB Brandon Harrison (Jefferson Forest)

DE Patrick Moses (Roanoke Catholic)

PK Josh Storm (Jefferson Forest)

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

FB Thomas Canady (Jefferson Forest)

UVA WISE

FS Marcus Bratton (William Fleming)

LB Derek Comer (Liberty)

LB Amondre Johnson (William Fleming)

VIRGINIA TECH

PK Cody Journell (Giles)

C Andrew Miller (Bassett)

VMI

WR Tracy Hairston (Martinsville)

WASHINGTON & LEE

OG John Fitzgibbons (Martinsville)

LB Jesse Jenkins (W. Fleming)

WILLIAM & MARY

FB John Ribble (Salem)

OUTSIDE VIRGINIAOthers of note from Timesland who are likely starters:

BUCKNELL

DB Derrick Palmer (William Byrd)

CONCORD

P Brad Cox (Christiansburg)

LB Joe Greenway (Hidden Valley)

DT Josh Miller (Pulaski County)

GLENVILLE STATE

RB Joe Mesadieu (Patrick Henry)

MARSHALL

OT Corey Tenney (Craig County)

MASSACHUSETTS

LB Tyler Holmes (Blacksburg)

NAVY

WR Matt Aiken (Hidden Valley)

SHEPHERD

P Troy McNeill (Lord Botetourt)

Players from Timesland high schools who will likely be college starters this season.

NAMES OF NOTE

STATE COLLEGE STANDOUTSNon-Timesland players at state colleges to watch for

QB Mike Brown, Liberty: Two-time Big South player of year (pictured).

WR Tre Gray, Richmond: All-CAA last year.

RB Jonathan Grimes, W&M: All-CAA last year.

QB Travis Lane, Hampden-Sydney: All-ODAC last year.

LB Stephon Robertson, JMU: 2010 CAA defensive rookie of year.The Roanoke Times | File April

Virginia Tech place-kicker Cody Journell played at Giles.


LEXINGTON — A small table in Washington and Lee coach Frank Miriello’s office displays footballs, rings and photos commemorating the Generals’ 2006 and 2010 ODAC titles.

He might need to get a bigger table.

“BTB” is one of the mottoes at W&L practices this year — as in back-to-back.

The Generals have been picked to repeat as ODAC champs in the league coaches’ preseason poll. They return eight starters on offense and nine on defense from a team that went 8-3 (6-0 ODAC) last season.

“I see guys that have ‘BTB’ on their mind,” Miriello said. “I can see it in their eyes.

“They’ve been through this cham-pionship season, so they know what a championship means and feels like. So I expect them to show up week in and week out and do exactly what they did the last six, seven weeks of the season.”

The Generals said they are just as hungry for success as they were last year.

“One of your fears going into training camp after a season like last year is, ‘Is the team going to rest on their laurels?’ ” said senior quarter-back Charlie Westfal, an All-ODAC second-team pick who threw for 818 yards last fall. “We’re confident in our ability, but it’s not to the point where we’re kind of slacking off.

“We definitely have a great chance to [repeat].”

W&L, which lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, is ranked 19th in The Sporting News’ preseason Division III Top 25.

Miriello said he told the players that “preseason rankings don’t mean at thing.”

“We want another ring, so let’s all focus on that,” Miriello said he told his team.

The Generals ranked fifth in Divi-sion III in rushing offense (359.5 ypg) with their triple-option offense last

season.Three of the top four rushers

return: All-ODAC running back Luke Heinsohn, who ran for 1,321 yards; slotback Brett Murray, an All-ODAC second-team pick who ran for 738 yards; and Westfal, who ran for 523 yards.

W&L must replace slotback Har-rison Hudson (792 rushing yards), an All-ODAC pick who did not return to school after being charged with marijuana distribution. Tate Bloom-

er and Russell Stewart are battling to replace him.

“We’ve got some younger kids to handle that position,” Miriello said. “Our offensive line looks awesome. So it’s about the offensive line, and it’s about Charlie making decisions and about putting athletes at the edge that can run and are athletic. We’ve got those guys there. So I think the offense is going to stay where they’re at or even get a little better.”

But ODAC coaches hope to have a better handle this year on how to defend the Generals’ scheme.

“They were doing some things that are hard to prepare for because you don’t see it week to week,” Hampden-Sydney coach Marty Favret said. “I would be surprised if everyone in the league hadn’t spent at least some W&L time in the spring and in the summer.”

The W&L defense includes strong safety Jake Pelton, who has been named a preseason All-American by The Sporting News. He had five interceptions last year.

W&L had the best pass defense in the league last year but ranked fourth in scoring defense (24.8 ppg) and fifth in rushing defense (168.5 ypg).

“We’re going to have to step up. We’re going to have to stop the run,” Pelton said. “The [W&L] offense … I don’t know if they’ll be able to put up as many points, so that’s where the defense has to come in. We gave up too many points last year. Last year was more of a bend-don’t-break defense. We can’t settle for that. We have to be more of a stone wall.

“Our defense this year is a lot fast-er, so I think we’ll have 11 guys to the ball every play.”

Stephen Peck and Aaron DiGre-gorio have moved from linebacker to defensive end in an effort to improve the defensive line.

“We were majorly undersized last year, and now we’re not,” Miriello said.

Pressure on W&L team to win ODAC again


981-3125

The Generals have been picked to repeat as ODAC champions in the league coaches’ preseason poll.

REBECCA BARNETT | The Roanoke Times

Washington and Lee quarterback Charlie Westfal threw for 818 yards and ran for 523 in the Generals’ triple-option offense last season.

WASHINGTON AND LEE GENERALS

COACHFrank Miriello (82-77-1, 16 seasons)

LAST SEASON

8-3, 6-0 ODAC

SCHEDULE

Saturday Franklin & Marshall 1 p.m.

Sept. 10 Sewanee 1 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Centre 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 Alma 1 p.m.

Oct. 1 Guilford 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Emory & Henry 1 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Randolph-Macon 1 p.m.

Oct. 22 Bridgewater 1 p.m.

Oct. 28 Catholic 7 p.m.

Nov. 5 at Hampden-Sydney 1 p.m.

HOW W&L STACKS UP

ODAC preseason coaches poll(First-place votes in parentheses and total points)

1. Washington and Lee (5) 35

2. Hampden-Sydney (1) 31

3. Bridgewater (1) 25

4. Randolph-Macon 21

5. Emory & Henry 15

6. Catholic 14

7. Guilford 6

Keep up with the latest college football news at roanoke.com/sports.

LEXINGTON — August was full of heat and hope for the VMI football team.

“Nobody’s ready for what we’re about to do,” said sophomore quarter-back Eric Kordenbrock.

The thing is, Kordenbrock isn’t for sure the Keydets’ No. 1 quarterback this season. He and Adam Morgan are competing for the spot, with an out-side shot for A.J. Augustine.

The Keydets, who went 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the Big South last season, haven’t had a winning season since 1981. Coach Sparky Woods took over in 2008.

“We need to win something,” Woods said. “We came here, we said we wanted to be more competitive in the conference. We got to where we weren’t getting beaten so bad, to where we win a couple. Now we need to win.”

Woods installed a 3-4 defense two years ago and last year switched from his predecessor Jim Reid’s triple-option offense to the pro-style attack.

The Keydets threw 20 intercep-tions and just 12 passing touchdowns and fumbled 16 times, losing the ball seven times, last season with Cam Jones getting most of the snaps at quarterback.

Kordenbrock completed 67 of 134 pass attempts for 723 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. Morgan went 35 of 76 for 370 yards, four scores and four inter-ceptions.

“It was never that we weren’t good enough, it was always that we didn’t know what we were doing,” Korden-brock said.

Linebacker A.J. Gross can under-stand that.

“The first year we changed our defense we struggled,” Gross said. “I’m expecting them [the offense] to be a little better, have less turnovers.”

Gross and Byron Allen, who is mov-ing up from strong safety to outside linebacker, were named to the pre-season All-Big South team.

But the Keydets’ defense lost its veteran front line of Josh Wine, Ben Brandt and D’Amiso Alexander to graduation.

Emilio Calvin, a 2009 All-Big South pick, returns to outside linebacker after missing much of last season with a knee injury.

Free safety Trae Watkins and cor-

ner Greg Walker also return to the defense, which ranked third in the Big South in rushing defense (139.7 ypg) last season and fifth in pass defense (223 ypg).

“I’m very optimistic. Our defense is going to bring it,” said TJ Talley, who was last year’s leading receiver. “We’ve just got to make sure we put points on the board ... and not beat ourselves.

“And where we get the opportunity, make big plays.”

Talley will move to tailback, along with last year’s leading rusher, Chaz Jones.

“He’s our Reggie Bush; he’ll be run-ning and catching passes,” Morgan said of Talley.

Chaz Jones ran for 513 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Talley had 35 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns. He said he put on an extra five pounds, bumping up from 210 to 215, for his new role.

“I feel good; I feel fast,” Talley said. “I don’t feel heavy at all. I’ll be a run-ning back who catches a lot of passes.”

The biggest change for Talley has been his blocking assignment.

“The hardest part about being a running back in the pro-style offense is you’re the last line of defense [for the

quarterback] against the blitz,” Talley said. “You have to be a smart player in the backfield.”

One reason Talley can move to the backfield is that the Keydets are impressed with their receiving corps, including returners Tracy Hairston and Stefawn Ross and freshman Dex-ter Bridge.

“Everybody knows what they’re doing,” Kordenbrock said. “Tracy Hairston is unbelievable. Dexter [Bridge] is awesome. And TJ Talley’s at tailback.

“We’re going to put a lot of points

on the board.”But the key to the pro-style offense

is the quarterback. Whether it’s Mor-gan or Kordenbrock or both, the Key-dets’ quarterback will have to read the defense and call the appropriate play at the line of scrimmage.

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Mor-gan said. “Coach Woods believes in our abilities as both a player and a decision-maker. He says ‘I’m relying on you.’ ”

It’s no coincidence Woods has put himself in charge of the quarterbacks.

The Keydets, Woods said, lucked

into getting the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Kordenbrock. He’d planned to go to Akron, but the Zips fired their coach. VMI stepped in and picked him up.

“I’m confident he’ll be the right guy for us; I’m not sure if he’s the right guy yet,” Woods said, pointing to the added experience of Morgan and even Augustine.

“Are we good enough to win? Can we not force that ball?” Woods asked. “They have to tell everybody what to do before and during the play. ...

“We need to score some points and not turn the ball over.”

Keydets are talking like winners

By Katrina [email protected]

981-3127

Though it’s been 30 years since VMI has had a winning season, players are optimistic that this is the year of the turnaround.

Photos courtesy of VMI

Big-play performer Tracy Hairston (4), of Martinsville, is back to lead the Keydets’ receiving corps this season.

VMI KEYDETSCOACH

Sparky Woods, fourth season (9-24 VMI, 72-70-5 all time)

LAST SEASON

3-8, 2-4 Big South

STARTERS RETURNING/LOST

15 return: 8 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams

9 lost: 3 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams

SCHEDULE

Sept. 3 Delaware 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 10 William and Mary 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Richmond 6 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Akron 2 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Co. Carolina 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 Charleston So. 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 22 Stony Brook 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 29 at The Citadel 1 p.m.

Nov. 5 at Liberty 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 12 at Presbyterian 1 p.m.

Nov. 19 Gardner-Webb 1:30 p.m.

HOW VMI STACKS UP

Big South preseason coaches poll

1. Liberty

2. Stony Brook

3. Coastal Carolina

T-4. Charleston Southern

T-4. Gardner-Webb

6. VMI

7. Presbyterian

NOTE: Presbyterian is not yet eligible for the championship.“Nobody’s ready for what we’re about to do,” quarterback Eric Kordenbrock says.


(Times TBA unless noted.)

AIR FORCESept. 3 South Dakota, 2 p.m.Sept. 10 TCU, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Tennessee St., 3 p.m.Oct. 1 at Navy, NoonOct. 8 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 13 San Diego St., 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Boise St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at New Mexico, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 Army, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 Wyoming, 2 p.m.Nov. 19 UNLV, 6 p.m.Nov. 26 at Colorado St., 6 p.m.

AKRONSept. 3 at Ohio St., NoonSept. 10 Temple, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 at CincinnatiSept. 24 VMI, 2 p.m.Oct. 1 at E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Oct. 8 FIU, 2 p.m.Oct. 22 Ohio, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Cent. Michigan, NoonNov. 3 at Miami (Ohio), 7:30 p.m.Nov. 12 Kent St., 2 p.m.Nov. 19 at Buffalo, NoonNov. 25 at W. Michigan

ALABAMASept. 3 Kent St., 12:20 p.m.Sept. 10 at Penn St., 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 North Texas, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 24 ArkansasOct. 1 at FloridaOct. 8 VanderbiltOct. 15 at MississippiOct. 22 TennesseeNov. 5 LSUNov. 12 at Mississippi St.Nov. 19 Georgia SouthernNov. 26 at Auburn

ARIZONASept. 3 N. ArizonaSept. 8 at Oklahoma St., 8 p.m.Sept. 17 Stanford, 10:45 p.m.Sept. 24 Oregon, 10:15 p.m.Oct. 1 at Southern CalOct. 8 at Oregon St.Oct. 20 UCLA, 9 p.m.Oct. 29 at WashingtonNov. 5 UtahNov. 12 at ColoradoNov. 19 at Arizona St.Nov. 26 Louisiana-Lafayette

ARIZONA ST.Sept. 1 UC Davis, 10 p.m.Sept. 9 Missouri, 10:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Illinois, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Southern Cal, 10:15 p.m.Oct. 1 Oregon St.Oct. 8 at UtahOct. 15 at OregonOct. 29 ColoradoNov. 5 at UCLANov. 12 at Washington St.Nov. 19 ArizonaNov. 25 California, 10:15 p.m.

ARKANSASSept. 3 Missouri St., 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at New Mexico, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Troy, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at AlabamaOct. 1 at Texas A&MOct. 8 AuburnOct. 22 at MississippiOct. 29 at VanderbiltNov. 5 South CarolinaNov. 12 TennesseeNov. 19 Mississippi St.Nov. 25 at LSU, 2:30 p.m.

ARKANSAS ST.Sept. 3 at Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Memphis, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m.Sept. 24 Cent. Arkansas, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 at W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Oct. 8 at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.Oct. 18 FIU, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 North TexasNov. 5 at FAUNov. 12 Louisiana-LafayetteNov. 19 at Middle TennesseeDec. 3 Troy

ARMYSept. 3 at N. Illinois, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 San Diego St., NoonSept. 17 Northwestern, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Ball St., 2 p.m.Oct. 1 Tulane, NoonOct. 8 at Miami (Ohio), 1 p.m.Oct. 22 at VanderbiltOct. 29 Fordham, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 Rutgers, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Temple, 1 p.m.Dec. 10 Navy, 2:30 p.m.

AUBURNSept. 3 Utah St., NoonSept. 10 Mississippi St., 12:20 p.m.Sept. 17 at Clemson, NoonSept. 24 FAUOct. 1 at South CarolinaOct. 8 at ArkansasOct. 15 FloridaOct. 22 at LSU, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 MississippiNov. 12 at GeorgiaNov. 19 SamfordNov. 26 Alabama

BYUSept. 3 at Mississippi, 4:45 p.m.Sept. 10 at Texas, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Utah, 9:15 p.m.Sept. 23 UCF, 8 p.m.Sept. 30 Utah St., 8 p.m.Oct. 8 San Jose St.Oct. 15 at Oregon St.Oct. 22 Idaho St., 3 p.m.Oct. 28 at TCU, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 IdahoNov. 19 New Mexico St.Dec. 3 at Hawaii, 7:30 p.m.

BALL ST.Sept. 3 Indiana, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at South FloridaSept. 17 Buffalo, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Army, 2 p.m.Oct. 1 at OklahomaOct. 8 Temple, 2 p.m.Oct. 15 at Ohio, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Cent. Michigan, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at W. Michigan, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 at E. Michigan, NoonNov. 15 at N. Illinois, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 Toledo, 2 p.m.

BAYLORSept. 2 TCU, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 Stephen F. Austin, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Rice, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Kansas St.Oct. 8 Iowa St.Oct. 15 at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Oklahoma St.Nov. 5 MissouriNov. 12 at KansasNov. 19 OklahomaNov. 26 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.Dec. 3 Texas

BOISE ST.Sept. 3 at Georgia, 8 p.m.Sept. 16 at Toledo, 8 p.m.Sept. 24 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Nevada, 2:30 p.m.Oct. 7 at Fresno St., 9 p.m.Oct. 15 at Colorado St., 6 p.m.Oct. 22 Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at UNLV, 10:30 p.m.Nov. 12 TCU, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at San Diego St., 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Wyoming, 2 p.m.Dec. 3 New Mexico, 6 p.m.

BOSTON COLLEGESept. 3 Northwestern, NoonSept. 10 at UCF, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 Duke, 12:30 p.m.Sept. 24 UMassOct. 1 Wake ForestOct. 8 at ClemsonOct. 22 at Virginia TechOct. 29 at MarylandNov. 3 Florida St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 N.C. StateNov. 19 at Notre Dame, 4 p.m.Nov. 25 at Miami, 3:30 p.m.

BOWLING GREENSept. 1 at Idaho, 9 p.m.Sept. 10 Morgan St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 WyomingSept. 24 at Miami (Ohio), 1 p.m.Oct. 1 at West VirginiaOct. 8 at W. Michigan, 2 p.m.Oct. 15 Toledo, NoonOct. 22 Temple, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Kent St., 1 p.m.Nov. 8 N. Illinois, 8 p.m.Nov. 16 Ohio, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at Buffalo

BUFFALOSept. 3 at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 Stony Brook, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 at Ball St., 7 p.m.Sept. 24 UConn, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 at TennesseeOct. 8 Ohio, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at Temple, 1 p.m.Oct. 22 N. Illinois, NoonOct. 29 at Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 at E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Nov. 19 Akron, NoonNov. 25 Bowling Green

CALIFORNIASept. 3 Fresno St., 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at ColoradoSept. 17 PresbyterianSept. 24 at WashingtonOct. 6 at Oregon, 9 p.m.Oct. 13 Southern Cal, 9 p.m.Oct. 22 UtahOct. 29 at UCLANov. 5 Washington St.Nov. 12 Oregon St.Nov. 19 at StanfordNov. 25 at Arizona St., 10:15 p.m.

CENT. MICHIGANSept. 1 SC State, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Kentucky, NoonSept. 17 at W. Michigan, NoonSept. 24 at Michigan St.Oct. 1 N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at N.C. StateOct. 15 E. Michigan, 3 p.m.Oct. 22 at Ball St., 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at Akron, NoonNov. 4 at Kent St., 6 p.m.Nov. 10 Ohio, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 18 Toledo, 8 p.m.

CINCINNATISept. 3 Austin Peay, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 AkronSept. 22 N.C. State, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 at Miami (Ohio), 1 p.m.Oct. 15 LouisvilleOct. 22 at South FloridaNov. 5 at PittsburghNov. 12 West VirginiaNov. 19 at RutgersNov. 26 at SyracuseDec. 3 UConn

CLEMSONSept. 3 Troy, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Wofford, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Auburn, NoonSept. 24 Florida St.Oct. 1 at Virginia TechOct. 8 Boston CollegeOct. 15 at MarylandOct. 22 North CarolinaOct. 29 at Georgia TechNov. 12 Wake ForestNov. 19 at N.C. StateNov. 26 at South Carolina

COLORADOSept. 3 at Hawaii, 10:15 p.m.Sept. 10 CaliforniaSept. 17 Colorado St., 1:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Ohio St.Oct. 1 Washington St.Oct. 8 at StanfordOct. 15 at WashingtonOct. 22 OregonOct. 29 at Arizona St.Nov. 4 Southern Cal, 9 p.m.Nov. 12 ArizonaNov. 19 at UCLANov. 25 at Utah, 3:30 p.m.

COLORADO ST.Sept. 3 at New Mexico, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 N. Colorado, 2 p.m.Sept. 17 at Colorado, 1:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Utah St., 8 p.m.Oct. 1 San Jose St., 4 p.m.Oct. 15 Boise St., 6 p.m.Oct. 22 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at UNLV, 6 p.m.Nov. 12 San Diego St., 6 p.m.Nov. 19 at TCU, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 Air Force, 6 p.m.Dec. 3 Wyoming, 2 p.m.

DUKESept. 3 Richmond, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Stanford, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Boston Coll., 12:30 p.m.Sept. 24 TulaneOct. 1 at FIU, 6 p.m.Oct. 15 Florida St.Oct. 22 Wake ForestOct. 29 Virginia TechNov. 5 at MiamiNov. 12 at VirginiaNov. 19 Georgia TechNov. 26 at North Carolina

E. MICHIGANSept. 3 Howard, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Alabama St., 1 p.m.Sept. 17 at Michigan, NoonSept. 24 at Penn St.Oct. 1 Akron, 1 p.m.Oct. 8 at Toledo, 3 p.m.Oct. 15 at Cent. Michigan, 3 p.m.Oct. 22 W. Michigan, 1 p.m.Nov. 5 Ball St., NoonNov. 12 Buffalo, 1 p.m.Nov. 19 at Kent St., 1 p.m.Nov. 25 at N. Illinois

EAST CAROLINASept. 3 South Carolina, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Virginia TechSept. 24 UABOct. 1 North Carolina, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at Houston, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Memphis, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 at Navy, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 TulaneNov. 5 Southern Miss., 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 UCFNov. 26 at Marshall

FAUSept. 3 at Florida, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Michigan St., NoonSept. 24 at AuburnOct. 1 at Louisiana-LafayetteOct. 8 at North Texas, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 15 W. KentuckyOct. 22 Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.Nov. 5 Arkansas St.Nov. 12 at FIUNov. 19 at TroyNov. 26 UABDec. 3 Louisiana-Monroe

FIUSept. 1 North Texas, 7 p.m.Sept. 9 at Louisville, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 UCF, 6 p.m.Sept. 24 Louisiana-LafayetteOct. 1 Duke, 6 p.m.Oct. 8 at Akron, 2 p.m.Oct. 18 at Arkansas St., 8 p.m.Oct. 25 Troy, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 FAUNov. 19 at Louisiana-MonroeNov. 26 at Middle Tennessee

FLORIDASept. 3 FAU, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 UAB, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at KentuckyOct. 1 AlabamaOct. 8 at LSU, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at AuburnOct. 29 at Georgia, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 VanderbiltNov. 12 at South CarolinaNov. 19 FurmanNov. 26 Florida St.

FLORIDA ST.Sept. 3 Louisiana-Monroe, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Charleston Southern, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 OklahomaSept. 24 at ClemsonOct. 8 at Wake ForestOct. 15 at DukeOct. 22 MarylandOct. 29 N.C. StateNov. 3 at Boston College, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 MiamiNov. 19 VirginiaNov. 26 at Florida

FRESNO ST.Sept. 3 at California, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Nebraska, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 North Dakota, 10 p.m.Sept. 24 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Oct. 1 Mississippi, 9:15 p.m.Oct. 7 Boise St., 9 p.m.Oct. 15 Utah St., 10 p.m.Oct. 22 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 5 Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at Hawaii, 11 p.m.Nov. 26 San Jose St., 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at San Diego St., 8 p.m.

GEORGIASept. 3 Boise St., 8 p.m.Sept. 10 South Carolina, 4:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Coastal Carolina, 1 p.m.Sept. 24 at MississippiOct. 1 Mississippi St.Oct. 8 at TennesseeOct. 15 at VanderbiltOct. 29 Florida, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 New Mexico St.Nov. 12 AuburnNov. 19 KentuckyNov. 26 at Georgia Tech

GEORGIA TECHSept. 1 W. Carolina, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at Middle Tennessee, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 Kansas, 12:30 p.m.Sept. 24 North CarolinaOct. 1 at N.C. StateOct. 8 MarylandOct. 15 at VirginiaOct. 22 at MiamiOct. 29 ClemsonNov. 10 Virginia Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at DukeNov. 26 Georgia

HAMPTON Sept. 3 Alabama A&M, 5 p.m.Sep. 8 Florida A&M, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Old Dominion, 6 p.m.Sep. 24 at Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m.Oct. 8 Princeton, 1 p.m.Oct. 15 at Norfolk St., 4 p.m.Oct. 22 NC Central, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at Savannah St., 2 p.m.Nov. 5 Howard, 1 p.m.Nov. 12 Delaware St., 1 p.m.Nov. 19 at Morgan St., 1 p.m.

HAWAIISept. 3 Colorado, 10:15 p.m.Sept. 10 at Washington, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at UNLV, 10 p.m.Sept. 24 UC Davis, MidOct. 1 at Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.Oct. 14 at San Jose St., 9 p.m.Oct. 22 New Mexico St., MidOct. 29 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Nov. 5 Utah St., MidNov. 12 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 19 Fresno St., 11 p.m.Nov. 26 Tulane, 11 p.m.Dec. 3 BYU, 7:30 p.m.

HOUSTONSept. 3 UCLA, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at North Texas, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Georgia St., 8 p.m.Sept. 29 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 East Carolina, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Marshall, 4:30 p.m.Oct. 27 Rice, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at UAB, 7 p.m.Nov. 10 at Tulane, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 SMUNov. 25 at Tulsa, Noon

IDAHOSept. 1 Bowling Green, 9 p.m.Sept. 10 North Dakota, 5 p.m.Sept. 17 at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Fresno St., 5 p.m.Oct. 1 at VirginiaOct. 8 Louisiana Tech, 5 p.m.Oct. 15 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Hawaii, 5 p.m.Nov. 5 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at BYUNov. 19 Utah St., 5 p.m.Dec. 3 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.

ILLINOISSept. 3 Arkansas St., 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 S. Dakota St., NoonSept. 17 Arizona St., 7 p.m.Sept. 24 W. MichiganOct. 1 Northwestern, NoonOct. 8 at IndianaOct. 15 Ohio St.Oct. 22 at Purdue, NoonOct. 29 at Penn St.Nov. 12 MichiganNov. 19 WisconsinNov. 26 at Minnesota

INDIANASept. 3 at Ball St., 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Virginia, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 SC State, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at North Texas, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 Penn St.Oct. 8 IllinoisOct. 15 at Wisconsin, NoonOct. 22 at Iowa, NoonOct. 29 Northwestern, NoonNov. 5 at Ohio St.Nov. 19 at Michigan St.Nov. 26 Purdue

IOWASept. 3 Tennessee Tech, NoonSept. 10 at Iowa St., NoonSept. 17 Pittsburgh, NoonSept. 24 Louisiana-MonroeOct. 8 at Penn St.Oct. 15 Northwestern, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Indiana, NoonOct. 29 at MinnesotaNov. 5 MichiganNov. 12 Michigan St.Nov. 19 at PurdueNov. 25 at Nebraska, Noon

IOWA ST.Sept. 3 N. Iowa, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Iowa, NoonSept. 16 at UConn, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 TexasOct. 8 at BaylorOct. 15 at MissouriOct. 22 Texas A&MOct. 29 at Texas TechNov. 5 KansasNov. 18 Oklahoma St., 9 p.m.Nov. 26 at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at Kansas St., 12:30 p.m.

JAMES MADISONSept. 3 at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 CCSU, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 at Liberty, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 at William and Mary, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 Richmond, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 8 Maine, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 Villanova, 1:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Old Dominion, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at New Hampshire, NoonNov. 12 Rhode Island, 3 p.m.Nov. 19 at UMass, 1 p.m.

KANSASSept. 3 McNeese St., 7 p.m.Sept. 10 N. Illinois, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Texas TechOct. 8 at Oklahoma St.Oct. 15 OklahomaOct. 22 Kansas St.Oct. 29 at TexasNov. 5 at Iowa St.Nov. 12 BaylorNov. 19 at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 Missouri, Noon

KANSAS ST.Sept. 3 E. Kentucky, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Kent St., 7 p.m.Sept. 24 at MiamiOct. 1 BaylorOct. 8 MissouriOct. 15 at Texas TechOct. 22 at KansasOct. 29 OklahomaNov. 5 at Oklahoma St.Nov. 12 Texas A&MNov. 19 at TexasDec. 3 Iowa St., 12:30 p.m.

KENT ST.Sept. 3 at Alabama, 12:20 p.m.Sept. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at Kansas St., 7 p.m.Sept. 24 South Alabama, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Ohio, 2 p.m.Oct. 8 at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Bowling Green, 1 p.m.Nov. 4 Cent. Michigan, 6 p.m.Nov. 12 at Akron, 2 p.m.Nov. 19 E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Nov. 25 at Temple

KENTUCKYSept. 1 at W. Kentucky, 9:15 p.m.Sept. 10 Cent. Michigan, NoonSept. 17 Louisville, 6 p.m.Sept. 24 FloridaOct. 1 at LSU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at South CarolinaOct. 22 Jacksonville St.Oct. 29 Mississippi St.Nov. 5 MississippiNov. 12 at VanderbiltNov. 19 at GeorgiaNov. 26 Tennessee

LIBERTYSept. 3 at NC State, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 Robert Morris, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 James Madison, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 at Lehigh, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Kentucky Wesleyan, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 at Gardner-Webb, 6 p.m.Oct. 15 Coastal Carolina, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Charleston So., 1:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Presbyterian, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 VMI, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Stony Brook, 1 p.m.

LSUSept. 3 at Oregon, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 Northwestern St., 8 p.m.Sept. 15 at Mississippi St., 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at West VirginiaOct. 1 Kentucky, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Florida, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at TennesseeOct. 22 Auburn, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at AlabamaNov. 12 W. Kentucky, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at MississippiNov. 25 Arkansas, 2:30 p.m.

LOUISIANA TECHSept. 3 at Southern Miss., 10 p.m.Sept. 10 Cent. Arkansas, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Houston, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 at Mississippi St.Oct. 1 Hawaii, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Oct. 22 at Utah St., 3 p.m.Oct. 29 San Jose St., 4 p.m.Nov. 5 at Fresno St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at MississippiNov. 19 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 26 New Mexico St., 4 p.m.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTESept. 3 at Oklahoma St.Sept. 10 at Kent St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Nicholls St.Sept. 24 at FIUOct. 1 FAUOct. 8 TroyOct. 15 North Texas, 5 p.m.Oct. 22 at W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Oct. 29 at M. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Louisiana-MonroeNov. 12 at Arkansas St.Nov. 26 at Arizona

LOUISIANA-MONROESept. 3 at Florida St., 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Grambling St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at TCU, 2 p.m.Sept. 24 at IowaOct. 8 Arkansas St., 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at TroyOct. 22 at North Texas, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 W. Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Louisiana-LafayetteNov. 12 Middle TennesseeNov. 19 FIUDec. 3 at FAU

LOUISVILLESept. 1 Murray St., 6 p.m.Sept. 9 FIU, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at Kentucky, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 MarshallOct. 8 at North CarolinaOct. 15 at CincinnatiOct. 21 Rutgers, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 SyracuseNov. 5 at West VirginiaNov. 12 PittsburghNov. 19 at UConnNov. 25 at South Florida

MARSHALLSept. 4 at West Virginia, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Southern Miss., 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Ohio, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at LouisvilleOct. 8 at UCF, 4 p.m.Oct. 15 RiceOct. 22 at Houston, 4:30 p.m.Oct. 29 UAB, NoonNov. 12 at TulsaNov. 17 at Memphis, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 East Carolina

MARYLANDSept. 5 Miami, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 West Virginia, NoonSept. 24 TempleOct. 1 TowsonOct. 8 at Georgia TechOct. 15 ClemsonOct. 22 at Florida St.Oct. 29 Boston CollegeNov. 5 VirginiaNov. 12 at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Wake ForestNov. 26 at N.C. State

MEMPHISSept. 1 Mississippi St., 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Arkansas St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Austin Peay, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 SMU, NoonOct. 1 at Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 at Rice, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 15 East Carolina, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at UCF, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 UAB, 4:15 p.m.Nov. 17 Marshall, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at Southern Miss., 4 p.m.

MIAMISept. 5 at Maryland, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 Ohio St.Sept. 24 Kansas St.Oct. 1 Bethune-CookmanOct. 8 at Virginia TechOct. 15 at North CarolinaOct. 22 Georgia TechOct. 27 Virginia, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 DukeNov. 12 at Florida St.Nov. 19 at South FloridaNov. 25 Boston College, 3:30 p.m.

MIAMI (OHIO)Sept. 3 at Missouri, NoonSept. 17 at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Bowling Green, 1 p.m.Oct. 1 Cincinnati, 1 p.m.Oct. 8 Army, 1 p.m.Oct. 15 at Kent St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Toledo, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 3 Akron, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 9 at Temple, 8 p.m.Nov. 16 W. Michigan, 8 p.m.Nov. 22 at Ohio, 7 p.m.

MICHIGANSept. 3 W. Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 E. Michigan, NoonSept. 24 San Diego St.Oct. 1 MinnesotaOct. 8 at Northwestern, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Michigan St.Oct. 29 Purdue, NoonNov. 5 at IowaNov. 12 at IllinoisNov. 19 NebraskaNov. 26 Ohio St.

MICHIGAN ST.Sept. 2 Youngstown St., 7:30 p.m.Sept. 10 FAU, NoonSept. 17 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Cent. MichiganOct. 1 at Ohio St.Oct. 15 MichiganOct. 22 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at NebraskaNov. 5 MinnesotaNov. 12 at IowaNov. 19 IndianaNov. 26 at Northwestern

MIDDLE TENNESSEESept. 3 at Purdue, NoonSept. 10 Georgia Tech, 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at Troy, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Memphis, 7 p.m.Oct. 6 W. Kentucky, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at FAU, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 La.-Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at TennesseeNov. 12 at Louisiana-MonroeNov. 19 Arkansas St.Nov. 26 FIUDec. 3 at North Texas, 4 p.m.

MINNESOTASept. 3 at Southern Cal, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 New Mexico St., 3 p.m.Sept. 17 Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 N. Dakota St., 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at MichiganOct. 8 at PurdueOct. 22 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 IowaNov. 5 at Michigan St.Nov. 12 WisconsinNov. 19 at NorthwesternNov. 26 Illinois

MISSISSIPPISept. 3 BYU, 4:45 p.m.Sept. 10 S. Illinois, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 at Vanderbilt, 12:20 p.m.Sept. 24 GeorgiaOct. 1 at Fresno St., 9:15 p.m.Oct. 15 AlabamaOct. 22 ArkansasOct. 29 at AuburnNov. 5 at KentuckyNov. 12 Louisiana TechNov. 19 LSUNov. 26 at Mississippi St.

MISSISSIPPI ST.Sept. 1 at Memphis, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Auburn, 12:20 p.m.Sept. 15 LSU, 8 p.m.Sept. 24 Louisiana TechOct. 1 at GeorgiaOct. 8 at UAB, NoonOct. 15 South CarolinaOct. 29 at KentuckyNov. 5 UT-MartinNov. 12 AlabamaNov. 19 at ArkansasNov. 26 Mississippi

MISSOURISept. 3 Miami (Ohio), NoonSept. 9 at Arizona St., 10:30 p.m.Sept. 17 W. IllinoisSept. 24 at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at Kansas St.Oct. 15 Iowa St.Oct. 22 Oklahoma St.Oct. 29 at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at BaylorNov. 12 TexasNov. 19 Texas TechNov. 26 at Kansas, Noon

N. ILLINOISSept. 3 Army, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Kansas, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Cent. Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 8 Kent St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 W. Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Buffalo, NoonNov. 1 at Toledo, 7 p.m.Nov. 8 at Bowling Green, 8 p.m.Nov. 15 Ball St., 8 p.m.Nov. 25 E. Michigan

N.C. STATESept. 3 Liberty, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 South Alabama, 6 p.m.Sept. 22 at Cincinnati, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Georgia TechOct. 8 Cent. MichiganOct. 22 at VirginiaOct. 29 at Florida St.Nov. 5 North CarolinaNov. 12 at Boston CollegeNov. 19 ClemsonNov. 26 Maryland

NAVYSept. 3 Delaware, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at W. Kentucky, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at South Carolina, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 Air Force, NoonOct. 8 Southern Miss., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at RutgersOct. 22 East Carolina, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Troy, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 at SMUNov. 19 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Dec. 10 at Army, 2:30 p.m.

NEBRASKASept. 3 Chattanooga, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Fresno St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Washington, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Wyoming, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Ohio St., 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Michigan St.Nov. 5 NorthwesternNov. 12 at Penn St.Nov. 19 at MichiganNov. 25 Iowa, Noon

NEVADASept. 10 at Oregon, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Sept. 24 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Boise St., 2:30 p.m.Oct. 8 UNLV, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 15 New Mexico, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 22 Fresno St., 4:05 p.m.Oct. 29 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 Hawaii, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 19 Louisiana Tech, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 26 at Utah St., 3 p.m.Dec. 3 Idaho, 4:05 p.m.

NEW MEXICOSept. 3 Colorado St., 6 p.m.Sept. 10 Arkansas, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Sam Houston St., 6 p.m.Oct. 1 New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 22 at TCU, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 Air Force, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 at San Diego St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 UNLV, 10 p.m.Nov. 19 at Wyoming, 2 p.m.Dec. 3 at Boise St., 6 p.m.

NEW MEXICO ST.Sept. 3 Ohio, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Minnesota, 3 p.m.Sept. 17 UTEP, 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Oct. 1 at New Mexico, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 Idaho, 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Hawaii, MidOct. 29 Nevada, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at GeorgiaNov. 12 Fresno St., 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at BYUNov. 26 at Louisiana Tech, 4 p.m.Dec. 3 Utah St., 8 p.m.

NORFOLK ST. Sept. 3 Virginia St., 6 p.m.Sept. 10 at West VirginiaSept. 17 at Howard, 1 p.m.Sept. 24 at Charleston So., 1:30 p.m.Oct. 1 S.C. State, 4 p.m.Oct. 8 at Delaware St., 1 p.m.Oct. 15 Hampton, 4 p.m.Oct. 22 Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m.Oct. 29 NC A&T, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 at Savannah St., 5 p.m.Nov. 12 at Morgan St., 1 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINASept. 3 James Madison, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Rutgers, 12:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Virginia, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Georgia TechOct. 1 at East Carolina, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 LouisvilleOct. 15 MiamiOct. 22 at ClemsonOct. 29 Wake ForestNov. 5 at N.C. StateNov. 17 at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Duke

NORTH TEXASSept. 1 at FIU, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Houston, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at Alabama, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Indiana, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Tulsa, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 FAU, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at La.-Lafayette, 5 p.m.Oct. 22 Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 at Arkansas St.Nov. 12 at TroyNov. 19 W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Dec. 3 Middle Tennessee, 4 p.m.

NORTHWESTERNSept. 3 at Boston College, NoonSept. 10 E. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Army, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Illinois, NoonOct. 8 Michigan, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Iowa, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Penn St., 7 p.m.Oct. 29 at Indiana, NoonNov. 5 at NebraskaNov. 12 RiceNov. 19 MinnesotaNov. 26 Michigan St.

NOTRE DAMESept. 3 South Florida, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at Michigan, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 Michigan St., 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at PittsburghOct. 1 at Purdue, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Southern Cal, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Navy, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Wake ForestNov. 12 Maryland, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 19 Boston College, 4 p.m.Nov. 26 at Stanford, 8 p.m.

OHIOSept. 3 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Sept. 10 Gardner-Webb, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Marshall, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 at RutgersOct. 1 Kent St., 2 p.m.Oct. 8 at Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 Ball St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Akron, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 2 Temple, 8 p.m.Nov. 10 at Cent. Michigan, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 16 at Bowling Green, 8 p.m.Nov. 22 Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.

OHIO ST.Sept. 3 Akron, NoonSept. 10 Toledo, NoonSept. 17 at MiamiSept. 24 ColoradoOct. 1 Michigan St.Oct. 8 at Nebraska, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at IllinoisOct. 29 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 IndianaNov. 12 at PurdueNov. 19 Penn St.Nov. 26 at Michigan

OKLAHOMASept. 3 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 at Florida St.Sept. 24 Missouri, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Ball St.Oct. 8 at Texas, NoonOct. 15 at KansasOct. 22 Texas TechOct. 29 at Kansas St.Nov. 5 Texas A&MNov. 19 at BaylorNov. 26 Iowa St., 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at Oklahoma St.

OKLAHOMA ST.Sept. 3 Louisiana-LafayetteSept. 8 Arizona, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 at Tulsa, 10 p.m.Sept. 24 at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 KansasOct. 15 at TexasOct. 22 at MissouriOct. 29 BaylorNov. 5 Kansas St.Nov. 12 at Texas TechNov. 18 at Iowa St., 9 p.m.Dec. 3 Oklahoma

OLD DOMINION Sept. 3 Campbell, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 at Georgia St., NoonSept. 17 Hampton, 6 p.m.Sept. 24 at Delaware, NoonOct. 1 UMass, 6 p.m.Oct. 8 at Rhode Island, 1 p.m.Oct. 15 Towson, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at VillanovaOct. 29 James Madison, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Richmond, NoonNov. 12 at William & Mary

OREGONSept. 3 LSU, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 Nevada, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Missouri St., 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Arizona, 10:15 p.m.Oct. 6 California, 9 p.m.Oct. 15 Arizona St.Oct. 22 at ColoradoOct. 29 Washington St.Nov. 5 at WashingtonNov. 12 at StanfordNov. 19 Southern Cal, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Oregon St.

OREGON ST.Sept. 3 Sacramento St.Sept. 10 at Wisconsin, NoonSept. 24 UCLAOct. 1 at Arizona St.Oct. 8 ArizonaOct. 15 BYUOct. 22 at Washington St.Oct. 29 at UtahNov. 5 StanfordNov. 12 at CaliforniaNov. 19 WashingtonNov. 26 at Oregon

PENN ST.Sept. 3 Indiana St., NoonSept. 10 Alabama, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Temple, NoonSept. 24 E. MichiganOct. 1 at IndianaOct. 8 IowaOct. 15 Purdue, NoonOct. 22 at Northwestern, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 IllinoisNov. 12 NebraskaNov. 19 at Ohio St.Nov. 26 at Wisconsin

PITTSBURGHSept. 3 Buffalo, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 Maine, 1 p.m.Sept. 17 at Iowa, NoonSept. 24 Notre DameSept. 29 South Florida, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at RutgersOct. 15 UtahOct. 26 UConn, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 CincinnatiNov. 12 at LouisvilleNov. 25 at West VirginiaDec. 3 Syracuse

PURDUESept. 3 Middle Tennessee, NoonSept. 10 at Rice, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 SE Missouri, NoonOct. 1 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 MinnesotaOct. 15 at Penn St., NoonOct. 22 Illinois, NoonOct. 29 at Michigan, NoonNov. 5 at WisconsinNov. 12 Ohio St.Nov. 19 IowaNov. 26 at Indiana

RICESept. 3 at Texas, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Purdue, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Baylor, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Southern Miss., 7:30 p.m.Oct. 8 Memphis, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at MarshallOct. 22 TulsaOct. 27 at Houston, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 UTEPNov. 12 at NorthwesternNov. 19 Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 at SMU

RICHMOND Sept. 3 at Duke, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Wagner, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 VMI, 6 p.m.Sept. 24 New Hampshire, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at James Madison, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at Towson, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Maine, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 UMass, 1 p.m.Nov. 5 at Old Dominion, NoonNov. 12 at Delaware, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 William and Mary, Noon

RUTGERSSept. 1 NC Central, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at North Carolina, 12:30 p.m.Sept. 24 OhioOct. 1 at SyracuseOct. 8 PittsburghOct. 15 NavyOct. 21 at Louisville, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 West VirginiaNov. 5 South FloridaNov. 12 at Army, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 CincinnatiNov. 26 at UConn

SMUSept. 4 at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 10 UTEPSept. 17 Northwestern St., 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at Memphis, NoonSept. 30 at TCU, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 UCFOct. 22 at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Tulsa, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Tulane, 3 p.m.Nov. 12 NavyNov. 19 at HoustonNov. 26 Rice

SAN DIEGO ST.Sept. 3 Cal Poly, 10 p.m.Sept. 10 at Army, NoonSept. 17 Washington St., 6:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at MichiganOct. 8 TCU, 10:30 p.m.Oct. 13 at Air Force, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Wyoming, 10 p.m.Nov. 5 New Mexico, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at Colorado St., 6 p.m.Nov. 19 Boise St., 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at UNLV, 10 p.m.Dec. 3 Fresno St., 8 p.m.

SAN JOSE ST.Sept. 3 at Stanford, 5 p.m.Sept. 10 at UCLA, 10 p.m.Sept. 17 Nevada, 4 p.m.Sept. 24 New Mexico St., 4 p.m.Oct. 1 at Colorado St., 4 p.m.Oct. 8 at BYUOct. 14 Hawaii, 9 p.m.Oct. 29 at Louisiana Tech, 4 p.m.Nov. 5 Idaho, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at Utah St., 3 p.m.Nov. 19 Navy, 4 p.m.Nov. 26 at Fresno St., 8 p.m.

SOUTH CAROLINASept. 3 at East Carolina, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Georgia, 4:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Navy, 6 p.m.Sept. 24 VanderbiltOct. 1 AuburnOct. 8 KentuckyOct. 15 at Mississippi St.Oct. 29 at TennesseeNov. 5 at ArkansasNov. 12 FloridaNov. 19 The Citadel, NoonNov. 26 Clemson

SOUTH FLORIDASept. 3 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Ball St.Sept. 17 Florida A&MSept. 24 UTEPSept. 29 at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at UConnOct. 22 CincinnatiNov. 5 at RutgersNov. 11 at Syracuse, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 MiamiNov. 25 LouisvilleDec. 1 West Virginia, 8 p.m.

SOUTHERN CALSept. 3 Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Utah, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Syracuse, 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at Arizona St., 10:15 p.m.Oct. 1 ArizonaOct. 13 at California, 9 p.m.Oct. 22 at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Stanford, 8 p.m.Nov. 4 at Colorado, 9 p.m.Nov. 12 Washington, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Oregon, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 UCLA, 10 p.m.

SOUTHERN MISS.Sept. 3 Louisiana Tech, 10 p.m.Sept. 10 at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 SE Louisiana, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 at VirginiaOct. 1 Rice, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at Navy, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 SMU, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at East Carolina, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 UCF, 8 p.m.Nov. 17 at UAB, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Memphis, 4 p.m.

STANFORDSept. 3 San Jose St., 5 p.m.Sept. 10 at Duke, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Arizona, 10:45 p.m.Oct. 1 UCLAOct. 8 ColoradoOct. 15 at Washington St.Oct. 22 Washington, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Southern Cal, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Oregon St.Nov. 12 OregonNov. 19 CaliforniaNov. 26 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.

SYRACUSESept. 1 Wake Forest, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 Rhode IslandSept. 17 at Southern Cal, 8 p.m.Sept. 24 ToledoOct. 1 RutgersOct. 8 at Tulane, 8 p.m.Oct. 21 West Virginia, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at LouisvilleNov. 5 at UConnNov. 11 South Florida, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 CincinnatiDec. 3 at Pittsburgh

TCUSept. 2 at Baylor, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Louisiana-Monroe, 2 p.m.Sept. 24 Portland St., 7 p.m.Sept. 30 SMU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at San Diego St., 10:30 p.m.Oct. 22 New Mexico, 2 p.m.Oct. 28 BYU, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Wyoming, 2 p.m.Nov. 12 at Boise St., 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 Colorado St., 3:30 p.m.Dec. 3 UNLV, 2:30 p.m.

TEMPLESept. 1 Villanova, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Akron, 6 p.m.Sept. 17 Penn St., NoonSept. 24 at MarylandOct. 1 Toledo, NoonOct. 8 at Ball St., 2 p.m.Oct. 15 Buffalo, 1 p.m.Oct. 22 at Bowling Green, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 2 at Ohio, 8 p.m.Nov. 9 Miami (Ohio), 8 p.m.Nov. 19 Army, 1 p.m.Nov. 25 Kent St.

TENNESSEESept. 3 Montana, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Florida, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 BuffaloOct. 8 GeorgiaOct. 15 LSUOct. 22 at AlabamaOct. 29 South CarolinaNov. 5 Middle TennesseeNov. 12 at ArkansasNov. 19 VanderbiltNov. 26 at Kentucky

TEXASSept. 3 Rice, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 BYU, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at UCLA, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Iowa St.Oct. 8 Oklahoma, NoonOct. 15 Oklahoma St.Oct. 29 KansasNov. 5 Texas TechNov. 12 at MissouriNov. 19 Kansas St.Nov. 24 at Texas A&M, 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at Baylor

TEXAS A&MSept. 4 SMU, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Idaho, 7 p.m.Sept. 24 Oklahoma St., 7 p.m.Oct. 1 ArkansasOct. 8 at Texas TechOct. 15 Baylor, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Iowa St.Oct. 29 Missouri, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at OklahomaNov. 12 at Kansas St.Nov. 19 Kansas, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 24 Texas, 8 p.m.

TEXAS TECHSept. 3 Texas St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at New Mexico, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Nevada, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at KansasOct. 8 Texas A&MOct. 15 Kansas St.Oct. 22 at OklahomaOct. 29 Iowa St.Nov. 5 at TexasNov. 12 Oklahoma St.Nov. 19 at MissouriNov. 26 at Baylor, 3:30 p.m.

TOLEDOSept. 1 New Hampshire, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 at Ohio St., NoonSept. 16 Boise St., 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at SyracuseOct. 1 at Temple, NoonOct. 8 E. Michigan, 3 p.m.Oct. 15 at Bowling Green, NoonOct. 22 Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.Nov. 1 N. Illinois, 7 p.m.Nov. 8 W. Michigan, 8 p.m.Nov. 18 at Cent. Michigan, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at Ball St., 2 p.m.

TROYSept. 3 at Clemson, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 24 M. Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 UABOct. 8 at Louisiana-LafayetteOct. 15 Louisiana-MonroeOct. 25 at FIU, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Navy, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 North TexasNov. 19 FAUNov. 26 at W. Kentucky, 1 p.m.Dec. 3 at Arkansas St.

TULANESept. 3 SE Louisiana, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Tulsa, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at UAB, 4 p.m.Sept. 24 at DukeOct. 1 at Army, NoonOct. 8 Syracuse, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 UTEP, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Memphis, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at East CarolinaNov. 5 at SMU, 3 p.m.Nov. 10 Houston, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at Rice, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 at Hawaii, 11 p.m.

TULSASept. 3 at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Oklahoma St., 10 p.m.Sept. 24 at Boise St., 8 p.m.Oct. 1 North Texas, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 UAB, 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at RiceOct. 29 SMU, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 3 at UCF, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 MarshallNov. 19 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 Houston, Noon

UABSept. 10 at Florida, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Tulane, 4 p.m.Sept. 24 at East CarolinaOct. 1 at TroyOct. 8 Mississippi St., NoonOct. 15 at Tulsa, 8 p.m.Oct. 20 UCF, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Marshall, NoonNov. 5 Houston, 7 p.m.Nov. 12 at Memphis, 4:15 p.m.Nov. 17 Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at FAU

UCFSept. 3 Charleston Southern, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Boston College, 8 p.m.Sept. 17 at FIU, 6 p.m.Sept. 23 at BYU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Marshall, 4 p.m.Oct. 15 at SMUOct. 20 at UAB, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Memphis, 4 p.m.Nov. 3 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at East CarolinaNov. 25 UTEP, 7 p.m.

UCLASept. 3 at Houston, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 San Jose St., 10 p.m.Sept. 17 Texas, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 at Oregon St.Oct. 1 at StanfordOct. 8 Washington St.Oct. 20 at Arizona, 9 p.m.Oct. 29 CaliforniaNov. 5 Arizona St.Nov. 12 at UtahNov. 19 ColoradoNov. 26 at Southern Cal, 10 p.m.

UCONNSept. 1 Fordham, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 16 Iowa St., 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at Buffalo, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 W. MichiganOct. 8 at West VirginiaOct. 15 South FloridaOct. 26 at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 SyracuseNov. 19 LouisvilleNov. 26 RutgersDec. 3 at Cincinnati

UNLVSept. 1 at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Washington St.Sept. 17 Hawaii, 10 p.m.Sept. 24 S. Utah, 9 p.m.Oct. 8 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 15 at Wyoming, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 Colorado St., 6 p.m.Nov. 5 Boise St., 10:30 p.m.Nov. 12 at New Mexico, 10 p.m.Nov. 19 at Air Force, 6 p.m.Nov. 26 San Diego St., 10 p.m.Dec. 3 at TCU, 2:30 p.m.

UTEPSept. 3 Stony Brook, 9 p.m.Sept. 10 at SMUSept. 17 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Sept. 24 at South FloridaSept. 29 Houston, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Colorado St., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at RiceNov. 12 East Carolina, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at UCF, 7 p.m.

UTAHSept. 1 Montana St., 8 p.m.Sept. 10 at Southern Cal, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at BYU, 9:15 p.m.Oct. 1 WashingtonOct. 8 Arizona St.Oct. 15 at PittsburghOct. 22 at CaliforniaOct. 29 Oregon St.Nov. 5 at ArizonaNov. 12 UCLANov. 19 at Washington St.Nov. 25 Colorado, 3:30 p.m.

UTAH ST.Sept. 3 at Auburn, NoonSept. 10 Weber St., 8 p.m.Sept. 24 Colorado St., 8 p.m.Sept. 30 at BYU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Wyoming, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Fresno St., 10 p.m.Oct. 22 Louisiana Tech, 3 p.m.Nov. 5 at Hawaii, MidNov. 12 San Jose St., 3 p.m.Nov. 19 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Nov. 26 Nevada, 3 p.m.Dec. 3 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.

VANDERBILTSept. 3 Elon, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 10 UConn, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Mississippi, 12:20 p.m.Sept. 24 at South CarolinaOct. 8 at AlabamaOct. 15 GeorgiaOct. 22 ArmyOct. 29 ArkansasNov. 5 at FloridaNov. 12 KentuckyNov. 19 at TennesseeNov. 26 at Wake Forest

VIRGINIASept. 3 William and Mary, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 at Indiana, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 Southern Miss.Oct. 1 IdahoOct. 15 Georgia TechOct. 22 N.C. StateOct. 27 at Miami, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at MarylandNov. 12 DukeNov. 19 at Florida St.Nov. 26 Virginia Tech

VIRGINIA TECHSept. 3 Appalachian St., 12:30 p.m.Sept. 10 at East CarolinaSept. 17 Arkansas St., 4 p.m.Sept. 24 at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 ClemsonOct. 8 MiamiOct. 15 at Wake ForestOct. 22 Boston CollegeOct. 29 at DukeNov. 10 at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 17 North Carolina, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at Virginia

W. KENTUCKYSept. 1 Kentucky, 9:15 p.m.Sept. 10 Navy, 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Indiana St., 7 p.m.Oct. 1 Arkansas St., 4 p.m.Oct. 6 at M.Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at FAUOct. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette, 4 p.m.Oct. 29 at La.-Monroe, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 FIU, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at LSU, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at North Texas, 4 p.m.Nov. 26 Troy, 1 p.m.

W. MICHIGANSept. 3 at Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Nicholls St., 7 p.m.Sept. 17 Cent. Michigan, NoonSept. 24 at IllinoisOct. 1 at UConnOct. 8 Bowling Green, 2 p.m.Oct. 15 at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Oct. 29 Ball St., 2 p.m.Nov. 8 at Toledo, 8 p.m.Nov. 16 at Miami (Ohio), 8 p.m.Nov. 25 Akron

WAKE FORESTSept. 1 at Syracuse, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 N.C. State, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 Gardner-Webb, 6:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Boston CollegeOct. 8 Florida St.Oct. 15 Virginia TechOct. 22 at DukeOct. 29 at North CarolinaNov. 5 Notre DameNov. 12 at ClemsonNov. 19 MarylandNov. 26 Vanderbilt

WASHINGTONSept. 3 E. Washington, 7 p.m.Sept. 10 Hawaii, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 17 at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 CaliforniaOct. 1 at UtahOct. 15 ColoradoOct. 22 at Stanford, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 ArizonaNov. 5 OregonNov. 12 at Southern Cal, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Oregon St.Nov. 26 Washington St.

WASHINGTON ST.Sept. 3 Idaho St., 5 p.m.Sept. 10 UNLVSept. 17 at San Diego St., 6:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at ColoradoOct. 8 at UCLAOct. 15 StanfordOct. 22 Oregon St.Oct. 29 at OregonNov. 5 at CaliforniaNov. 12 Arizona St.Nov. 19 UtahNov. 26 at Washington

WEST VIRGINIASept. 4 Marshall, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 10 Norfolk St.Sept. 17 at Maryland, NoonSept. 24 LSUOct. 1 Bowling GreenOct. 8 UConnOct. 21 at Syracuse, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at RutgersNov. 5 LouisvilleNov. 12 at CincinnatiNov. 25 PittsburghDec. 1 at South Florida, 8 p.m.

WILLIAM AND MARYSept. 3 at Virginia, 6 p.m.Sept. 10 at VMI, 1:30 p.m.Sept. 17 New HavenSept. 24 James Madison, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at VillanovaOct. 8 at Delaware, 6 p.m.Oct. 15 New Hampshire, NoonOct. 22 Towson, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Rhode Island, 1 p.m.Nov. 12 Old DominionNov. 19 at Richmond, Noon

WISCONSINSept. 1 UNLV, 8 p.m.Sept. 10 Oregon St., NoonSept. 17 at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Sept. 24 South DakotaOct. 1 Nebraska, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 Indiana, NoonOct. 22 at Michigan St., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Ohio St., 8 p.m.Nov. 5 PurdueNov. 12 at MinnesotaNov. 19 at IllinoisNov. 26 Penn St.

WYOMINGSept. 3 Weber St., 9 p.m.Sept. 10 Texas St., 6 p.m.Sept. 17 at Bowling GreenSept. 24 Nebraska, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at Utah St., 8 p.m.Oct. 15 UNLV, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at San Diego St., 10 p.m.Nov. 5 TCU, 2 p.m.Nov. 12 at Air Force, 2 p.m.Nov. 19 New Mexico, 2 p.m.Nov. 26 at Boise St., 2 p.m.Dec. 3 at Colorado St., 2 p.m.

NATIONAL SCHEDULES

2011-12 BOWL SCHEDULEGILDAN NEW MEXICOMWC vs. Pac-12 University Stadium , AlbuquerqueDec. 17, 2 p.m. ESPN

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWLMAC vs. WAC Bronco Stadium , Boise, IdahoDec. 17, 5:30 p.m. ESPN

R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANSC-USA vs. Sun Belt Louisiana Superdome , New OrleansDec. 17, 9 p.m. ESPN

BEEF ‘O’ BRADY’S ST. PETERSBURGBig East vs. C-USA Tropicana Field , St. Petersburg, Fla.Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ESPN

S.D. COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIAMWC vs. WAC Qualcomm Stadium, San DiegoDec. 21, 8 p.m. ESPN

MAACO LAS VEGASMWC vs. Pac-12 Sam Boyd Stadium , Las VegasDec. 22, 8 p.m. ESPN

SHERATON HAWAIIC-USA vs. WAC Aloha Stadium, HonoluluDec. 24, 8 p.m. ESPN

ADVOCARE V100 INDEPENDENCEACC vs. MWC Independence Stadium , Shreveport, La.Dec. 26, 5 p.m. ESPN2

LITTLE CAESARSBig Ten vs. MAC Ford Field, DetroitDec. 27, 4:30 p.m. ESPN

BELKACC vs. Big East Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ESPN

MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMANACC vs. Navy RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m. ESPN

BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION HOLIDAYBig 12 vs. Pac-12 Qualcomm Stadium, San DiegoDec. 28, 8 p.m. ESPN

CHAMPS SPORTSACC vs. Big East Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla.Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. ESPN

VALERO ALAMOBig 12 vs. Pac-12 Alamodome , San AntonioDec. 29, 9 p.m. ESPN

BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCESBYU vs. C-USA Gerald J. Ford Stadium, DallasDec. 30, Noon ESPN

NEW ERA PINSTRIPEBig 12 vs. Big East Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.Dec. 30, 3:20 p.m. ESPN

FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITYACC vs. SEC LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m. ESPN

INSIGHTBig Ten vs. Big 12 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.Dec. 30, 10 p.m. ESPN

MEINEKE CAR CARE OF TEXASBig Ten vs. Big 12 Reliant Stadium, HoustonDec. 31, Noon ESPN

HYUNDAI SUNACC vs. Pac-12 Sun Bowl, El Paso, TexasDec. 31, 2 p.m. WDBJ

AUTOZONE LIBERTYC-USA vs. SEC Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tenn.Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. WSET

KRAFT FIGHT HUNGERArmy vs. Pac-12 AT&T Park, San FranciscoDec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ESPN

CHICK-FIL-AACC vs. SEC Georgia Dome, AtlantaDec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ESPN

TICKETCITYBig Ten vs. C-USA Cotton Bowl, DallasJan. 2, Noon ESPNU

OUTBACKBig Ten vs. SEC Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.Jan. 2, 1 p.m. WSET

CAPITAL ONEBig Ten vs. SEC Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla.Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ESPN

GATOR BOWLBig Ten vs. SEC EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ESPN2

ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIOBCS vs. BCS Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.Jan. 2, 5 p.m. ESPN

TOSTITOS FIESTABCS vs. BCS U. of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. ESPN

ALLSTATE SUGARBCS vs. BCS Louisiana Superdome, New OrleansJan. 3, 8:30 p.m. ESPN

DISCOVER ORANGEBCS vs. BCS Sun Life Stadium, MiamiJan. 4, 8:30 p.m. ESPN

AT&T COTTONBig 12 vs. SEC Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TexasJan. 6, 8 p.m. WFXR

BBVA COMPASS BOWLBig East vs. SEC Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala.Jan. 7, 1 p.m. ESPN

GODADDY.COMMAC vs. Sun Belt Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.Jan. 8, 9 p.m. ESPN

ALLSTATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMELouisiana Superdome, New OrleansJan. 9, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

The Roanoke Times' annual college football preview guide

Documents

Transcript of The Roanoke Times' annual college football preview guide