ACC keys to success in bowl season

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, December 11, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Atlantic Coast Conference leads the nation in bowl-eligible teams this college football season, sending 10 schools to postseason play. If the ACC wants to build up some credibility, its teams need to be successful in these bowl games. Here is one key for each of the 10 teams to win their bowl.

Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati) – Control the ball. Both teams bring stout defenses to Miami, so the one that can produce long, point-producing drives will win. This includes avoiding turnovers in your own half of the field.

Georgia Tech (Chick-fil-A Bowl vs. LSU) – Pressure the quarterback. LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee struggled in the regular season, throwing 16 interceptions to only 14 touchdowns. Expect to see freshman Jordan Jefferson get some minutes for the Tigers as well.

Clemson (Gator Bowl vs. Nebraska) – Stick to the run. The strength of Clemson’s offense is C.J. Spiller and James Davis. Newly minted head coach Dabo Swinney will be wise not to venture very far away from those two against an improving Nebraska team that’s won five of its last six games.

Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Wisconsin) – Don’t turn the ball over. Turnovers have killed Florida State all season and cost the Seminoles a shot at the ACC championship, with the seven turnovers against Wake Forest and the goal-line fumble versus Georgia Tech serving as the biggest mistakes.

North Carolina (Meineke Care Care Bowl vs. West Virginia) – Stay disciplined on defense. With Pat White running the show and Noel Devine a likely candidate to break long runs at any moment, North Carolina must play disciplined, assignment football on defense or it'll get burned for big plays.

Miami (Emerald Bowl vs. California) – Make Cal beat them through the air. Jahvid Best ran for 1,394 yards and 13 touchdowns and will continue to be the focus on Cal’s offense. Miami must be physical up front and use its speed to slow down Best.

Boston College (Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt) – Establish the run. Despite being a great running team all season, Boston College managed only 45 yards on the ground in the ACC championship game.

Maryland (Humanitarian Bowl vs. Nevada) – Be focused. Maryland has been a Jekyll-and-Hyde team all season. Playing a mid-afternoon bowl game in Boise, Idaho, isn’t exactly a dream scenario for anyone. If the Terrapins are focused, they should win. If not, it could be ugly.

Wake Forest (Eagle Bank Bowl vs. Navy) – Throw it to the correct team. When these teams met earlier this season, Riley Skinner chucked four interceptions.

North Carolina State (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Rutgers) – Keep the momentum rolling. Whatever buttons Tom O’Brien was pushing to close out the season were working, so don’t change anything. In other words, let QB Russell Wilson make plays.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ACC.
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