ESPN College Football

Heather Dinich talks about what Duke needs to do to reach a bowl game in David Cutcliffe's fifth season.

David Cutcliffe knows quarterbacks.

Duke's head coach mentored both the Manning boys, Peyton at Tennessee and Eli at Ole Miss, and said Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is cut from the same cloth.

"He's a little different than the Mannings, but he's got all of those tools, being you start with how you play the game," Cutcliffe said. "And it's not just the physical gifts. He plays the game really well to avoid sacks, pocket movement, awareness of the game, throwing the ball away when you need to and minimizing errors. He does that as well as any I have seen."

Stanford heads to Duke Saturday coming off a 57-3 win over San Jose State. Duke, meanwhile, is trying to pick up the pieces after dropping its opener to Richmond, 23-21. It's the third time in six years Duke has lost to the FCS school. It's also the second straight year the Blue Devils will be hosting a Top-10, nonconference team. Last year they fell to No. 1 Alabama 62-13.

Despite the loss, Cutcliffe said his team had a spirited practice on Sunday and the players took Monday off.

"We're going to prepare and prepare well," Cutcliffe said Monday night. "Unfortunately, we're dealing with a lot of adversity in that regard, but we've never done a poor job preparing. I think we let Alabama beat us twice last year. But we're not going to let that happen again.

"We're already out of the tall growth and have the wind at our backs again and we're going to practice in the morning and practice well."

Naturally, Luck is a major cause for concern. Not just for what he can do with his arm, but also his feet.

"He's certainly a physical specimen," Cutcliffe said. "He's a good, physical runner. I've talked to some people who have not only coached against him, but played against him, and they said when you hit him he's like a rock. He's just a physical guy and that's one of the reasons why he's so difficult to sack.

"As everyone knows, he would have been the first player taken last year. I'm certain he's headed toward that path again."

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich Here's a recap of the scrimmages that happened this weekend, with the help of the sports information directors, and the local newspapers that covered them: BOSTON COLLEGE As if things couldn't get worse for coach Frank Spaziani's quarterback situation in his first year, leading candidate Dave Shinskie was injured in Sunday's scrimmage. It might be a bruised rib. Here's how the rest of the team fared without him: All four quarterbacks played and redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle went 8-for-16 for 84 yards. Junior Codi Boek threw for 74 yards on a 6-for-12 day while freshmen Michael Marscovetra and Shinskie both had three completions. Junior Jordon McMichael and sophomore Colin Larmond Jr. both had three receptions for 18 and 33 yards, respectively. Sophomore Montel Harris was the leading rusher with 46 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Senior Steve Aponavicius went 2-for-4 in his field goal attempts, hitting from 42 yards both times. A 44-yard attempt went awry following a bad snap and his 37-yard try was blocked by sophomore Isaac Johnson. Redshirt freshman Alexander DiSanzo shined on defense with seven tackles, a forced a fumble and an interception. Senior Roderick Rollins and freshman Luke Kuechly both had a team-high nine tackles. DUKE Quarterbacks Thaddeus Lewis, Sean Renfree and Sean Schroeder combined to complete 25 of 39 passes for 240 yards. Renfree threw for a team-high 93 yards by hitting on 11 of 18 throws while Lewis was 7-of-12 for 86 yards. Freshman running back Desmond Scott led all receivers with six catches for 39 yards while rookie wideout Conner Vernon had three grabs for 42 yards. Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Jones picked up a scrimmage-best 49 yards on just three rushing attempts. Defensively, sophomore safety Matt Daniels caused and recovered one fumble while redshirt sophomore cornerback Colin Jones registered one interception. Junior kicker Will Snyderwine booted a 27-yard field goal and successfully converted his lone PAT attempt. FLORIDA STATE Quarterback Christian Ponder had another good day, but with no interceptions, did the defense? Ponder wasn't thrilled with the results and said it might have been because guys were too eager to end their two-a-days. Jimbo Fisher said overall it was far too inconsistent. To read the Noles' entire practice report, click here. MARYLAND The Terps' scrimmage was a mixture of good and bad, and it was the latter that kept coach Ralph Friedgen going. There was one player, though, who made a name for himself in Friedgen's book -- redshirt freshman running back Gary Douglas. Douglas rushed 17 times for a scrimmage-high 122 yards, including four runs of 15 or more yards. He didn't score a touchdown but almost single-handedly led the offense down the field for a score on one drive, accounting for 72 of the 80 yards. Quarterback Chris Turner completed 13 of 20 passes for 113 yards. Backup Jamarr Robinson didn't fare quite as well as he had in previous scrimmages, hitting on just 5 of 14 passes for 59 yards, though he did direct two scoring drives. Mike Barbour looked sharp early, capping off two drives with field goals. The redshirt freshman, who had a leg up on the No. 1 place-kicker job, hit from 30 and 36 yards out. "Barbour started off pretty good, and then he missed his last three," Friedge
n said. "He kind of looked like he had solidified the job and then he opens it up again." Defensive back Eric Franklin, a true freshman, made a scrimmage-best eight tackles and picked off Turner on the sixth possession. MIAMI The Canes wrapped up their final two-a-day of fall camp on Sunday, and coach Randy Shannon said everything -- that's right, everything -- is still up for grabs. Jorge Milian of the Palm Beach Post had a couple of notes for you off Sunday's practice. Morning Practice Highlights -- (pads) Joe Joseph and Marcus Robinson each had a sack in 11-on-11 drills. Randy Phillips (INT, pass break-up) and DeMarcus Van Dyke (two pass break-ups) stood out in the secondary. Lee Chambers and Damien Berry each broke off a couple runs of 15+ yards. Javarris James caught several passes in both 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 sessions Afternoon Practice Highlights -- (shells) Sam Shields (red zone), Chavez Grant (7-on-7) and C.J. Holton (11-on-11) all recorded interceptions. Grant returned his for a touchdown while Holton caught his off a tipped pass. A.J. Highsmith connected with Tommy Streeter (11-on-11) and LaRon Byrd (7-on-7) for significant yardage. Damien Berry took a short pass in the flat from Taylor Cook for a long gain. Other highlights include a near interception by Randy Phillips, a pass break-up by Ramon Buchanan and a sack by Micanor Regis. Red zone touchdowns included Jacory Harris to Richard Gordon and Taylor Cook to Jimmy Graham. VIRGINIA TECH So ... add Ryan Williams to the list of VT running backs who are banged up. Williams sprained his ankle, and Josh Oglesby has "the worst infection" coach Billy Hite has ever seen on a foot. Also, the coaches want to redshirt Logan Thomas, and Kenny Lewis Jr.'s recovery has been delayed. Not a lot of happy news coming out of Blacksburg these days. To read Virginia Tech's entire scrimmage report, click here. Tyrod Taylor completed 8 of 11 passes for 78 yards. Xavier Boyce led all receivers with two catches for 47 yards. Freshman running back Tony Gregory rushed 18 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Williams rushed just five times for 22 yards before spraining his ankle and sitting out the rest of the scrimmage. He did score on a 4-yard run and he returned several punts. Matt Waldron was 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts. (31, 32, 43, 30) Defensive tackle Cordarrow Thompson led the defense with seven tackles, four for a loss, and one sack.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Just because it's not September doesn't mean there's not football being played on Saturdays. Here's a look at what's on tap this weekend in the ACC:

BOSTON COLLEGE: Third scrimmage on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Closed to the public.
Storyline: After two scrimmages, the Eagles' picture at quarterback is still as clear as mud. Dave Shinskie is in the lead but has yet to lock up the job. The defense has played well, though, and that's sure to be a trademark of Frank Spaziani-coached teams.

DUKE: Scrimmage at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Open to public.
Storyline: David Cutcliffe is still looking for consistency after Swine flu-like symptoms swept through the team and knocked out anywhere from two to five players for each practice. They're close to having everybody back now, so the Blue Devils should be able to develop some continuity.

FLORIDA STATE: Scrimmage on Saturday. Closed to media and public.
Storyline: Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews is still looking for more of everything -- including toughness -- from a young group that has at least a dozen freshmen or sophomores.

MARYLAND: Scrimmage at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Not open to general public.
Storyline: The Terps are still looking for improvement on the offensive line, and hope to see more from the running game. They'll try to solidify the first and second teamers and set the depth chart so they can break into scout teams soon and give the offense some different defensive looks.

MIAMI: Scrimmage on Saturday. Closed to the public.
Storyline: The Canes are still trying to build depth across the board and will take a close look at their second- and third-string players, particularly at backup quarterback, where freshman A.J. Highsmith has kept the competition interesting.

NORTH CAROLINA: Scrimmage on Saturday. No stats.
Storyline: Same as it's been all summer -- the Tar Heels are still looking for improvement from their receivers and trying to rebuild their offensive line. Because of the lack of bodies on the offensive line, the Heels have been so limited this will be their first scrimmage.

NC STATE: Situational scrimmage on Sunday. No stats. Closed to the public and media.
Storyline: The Pack is trying to replace four players in the secondary, and while frontrunners have emerged, it's still a group loaded with youth and inexperience. This will be more of a dress-rehearsal with an emphasis on situations like third downs and two-minute drills.

VIRGINIA: Scrimmage on Saturday. Closed. No stats.
Storyline: This will be the scrimmage that will help coach Al Groh and his staff really start to decide the starting lineup, as they'll review the film on Sunday and try to make some decisions.

VIRGINIA TECH: Scrimmage on Saturday. Practice will be from 2-4:15 in Lane Stadium (scrimmage will probably start around 2:30). Fans can sit on the west side only and aren't allowed to video tape.
Storyline: First, the Hokies need to keep the rest of their running backs healthy after injuries to Darren Evans and Josh Oglesby. The Hokies still aren't set on their starting receivers, and probably won't know until after next Wednesday, but this is another good audition.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Thanks for the questions, everyone, here's your weekly Mailblog:

Evan in Atlanta, Ga. writes: Hey Heather, do you know what games you'll be visiting this season? Like to see you come to Atlanta for homecoming, because if I remember right you've been good luck when you show up (weren't you at the FSU and Miami game last year?).

HD: Yep. Every Georgia Tech game I was at last year they won -- except for one. The Virginia Tech game. Which games I go to depends on how the season unfolds, so I don't know until the week of where I'm headed. It's more fun that way (and much tougher to get a hotel room). But I'm sure at some point I'll see the Jackets. Last year, I saw 11 of the 12 teams play live, only missing NC State. I'm making up for that this year by starting out in Raleigh on Thursday night. Speaking of that game ...

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Matt in Lynchburg, Va., writes: Hey HD, the ACC plays 7 against the SEC this season...and the first one is NC State vs. South Carolina. How do they match up? Seems like a win would be a big first step for the Pack.

HD: That's going to be a close game because the teams are so similar, starting with how thin they are in the secondary. Here's a mini scouting report on South Carolina: There's nobody remotely ready to play quarterback behind Stephen Garcia, and they don't have any proven big-time threats at receiver or running back. Still there's a lot of good young talent in the program. They'll be strong at linebacker, good at defensive end. They'll look like an SEC defense, but will have to start one or two true freshmen in the secondary. Like NC State, they can't afford for anyone to get hurt. They were terrible at pass protecting last year, gave up a lot of sacks, and didn't run the ball well. Their defense will have to be the rock for them.

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Evan King in Okeechobee, Fla. writes: Do you think FSU could be a 2010 BCS contender with all the young talent on this years team?

HD: Yes, but only if the intangibles are there -- staff continuity, no off-field distractions, no me-first, no NFL attitudes, and the work ethic to maximize their talent and potential.

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CJ Fitz in College Park, Md., writes: Hey HD, heard you were in the area. Great post on Tate, any chance you can give me a little bit more of an insider on the team... how the o-line did in your opinion and how the defense is coming along under coach brown?

HD: Yes, I was, CJ, and while I'd like to say I saw anything worth reporting, the practice was closed to the media. Having talked to the players and coaches, though, the o-line is still a work in progress and a concern, and the defense is definitely ahead of the offense at this point. I think the hire of Don Brown will be an upgrade, and the scheme will baffle some ACC offenses.

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Bob K in Atlanta writes: Heather, who is the most under-rated player in the ACC? Obviously someone who didn't make your top 30 list.

HD: Well, my first instinct is to say Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, because from a national perspective, he doesn't get the credit he deserves. He was, however, on my Top 30 list. So, I'll go with Chris DeGeare, an offensive lineman at Wake Forest. He was academically ineligible last year, but should be the anchor of that line this fall. You could also look at BC's roster for some underrated players. Safety Wes Davis, or receiver Rich Gunnell come to mind.

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Anthony Burke in Orlando, Fla. writes: What is the likelihood that the ACC will be represented in the National Title? I have it that it will be Florida vs. someone from the ACC and Florida getting upset. I am a Miami fan and I believe they will comeout of September and October smelling like Rose's because they are a better team than last year. The toughest team they will play will be Georgia Tech and they can win that game. I believe that The U is back, and I think this team will prove me right, because they have reminenses of the young canes team back in 2000. Go Canes

HD: This year? I'd say pretty slim. Why? Because I don't think Virginia Tech is going to beat Alabama, and I don't think they'll escape the ACC undefeated. And right now, the way everything is set up, the Hokies are the ACC's best hope -- even without Darren Evans. Now, if your Canes start off 4-0, then Florida better look out.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Around the league we go ...

• Georgia Tech cornerback Mario Butler takes pride in his toughness, and the coaches have noticed.
• Maryland's boosters have ponied-up the cash so the Terps don't have to take the bus.
• At BC, it's no surprise the defense is still ahead of the offense. Fumbles, sacks, drops, you name it. For some, it looks like question marks. For others, it's simply an opportunity.
• Clemson first-year defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has been around the block at a few programs, but the Tigers' defensive line is one of the deepest he's ever seen.
• Miami's defensive ends took another step back with the news that Eric Moncur went to Philly to be examined for pain near his groin. The good news, though, is that Graig Cooper is out of his boot, and Manny Navarro has an interesting update on the infamous Bryce Brown.
• Al Groh hasn't ruled out the possibility of getting Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell on the field together at the same time this fall, but he's not exactly talking about it, either.
• Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams is getting more reps now that Josh Oglesby and Darren Evans are hurt.
• Wake Forest tight end Ben Wooster would like be a little more involved in the passing game, and he's not afraid to try a little osmosis on his roommate to help his cause.
• FSU's defensive line was a little bit undersized last year, but they've added some bulk.
• One of the big questions facing Duke is how the Blue Devils will replace star receiver Eron Riley, but as a group, they could have it covered.

Ivan Maisel and Heather Dinich preview the 2009 ACC season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Here are five things that will play a role in the ACC's conference race this fall:

1. Virginia Tech's backfield. How the Hokies recover from the season-ending injury to star tailback Darren Evans will go a long way in determining their fate on the national stage, and it starts in the season opener against Alabama. They've got reasons for hope in Josh Oglesby, David Wilson and Ryan Williams, but for the most part, their talent is unproven. Until Tyrod Taylor and the receivers show the passing game is a dependable option, it's going to be up to the young backs to make the difference.

2. Health of starting quarterbacks. Tyrod Taylor. Josh Nesbitt. Chris Turner. Jacory Harris. Christian Ponder. Russell Wilson. Riley Skinner. They're all backed up by players who have yet to take a collegiate snap. NC State's situation should improve with Mike Glennon, and expectations are high for E.J. Manuel at FSU, but some teams -- like Maryland and Wake Forest -- would experience a significant drop-off if their starter went down.

3. Georgia Tech's defensive line. It's the biggest question the Jackets are facing this fall, as they have to replace three of their four starters up front who combined for 87 career starts. Those within the program seem confident the previous backup experience of the new starters will help make for a smooth transition. With a league-high 19 starters returning, it's the only unknown for these Coastal Division contenders.

4. Coach/coordinator changes. The entire package at Clemson is worth watching, as Dabo Swinney was promoted from wide receivers coach and Billy Napier, at 30 years old, is now the offensive coordinator. At Boston College, first-year coach Frank Spaziani has his hands full, and introduced first-year offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill to a team that lacks a starting quarterback. At Maryland, Don Brown's defense is sure to throw several ACC offenses off-kilter, and there's a buzz around Miami's offense that has been lacking now that Mark Whipple has arrived. And the Canes will have their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons with John Lovett. Virginia will unveil a spread offense under first-year coordinator Gregg Brandon.

5. New faces at receiver. The ACC has something it's been missing, and that's quarterbacks with experience. Problem is, many of them don't know who they're going to be throwing to. Virginia lost all of its top receivers, and so did NC State. Maryland said farewell to Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Clemson to Aaron Kelly. Duke lost Eron Riley and Wake lost D.J. Boldin. The list goes on. Beyond Clemson's Jacoby Ford and Georgia Tech's Demaryius Thomas, the ACC is lacking many proven receivers. Several schools -- like Miami -- have a long list to choose from, but who will separate himself?

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

The ACC was well-represented with nine players and more than half its schools on the list of 62 candidates for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the nation's best defensive player.

Players may be added or removed during the season. After the first four games of the season, the FWAA will revise the list and at that time school sports information directors may submit names for players not on the list to the FWAA and their conference's FWAA All-America Committee representative.

Each week during the 2009 season, the FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. If the selected player is not on the watch list, he automatically will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 18 or 19. For the entire release, click here.

Here are the ACC's representatives:

• Morgan Burnett, safety, Georgia Tech
• Kam Chancellor, safety, Virginia Tech
• Ras-I Dowling, cornerback, Virginia
• Vince Oghobaase, defensive tackle, Duke
• Boo Robinson, nose guard, Wake Forest
• Quan Sturdivant, linebacker, North Carolina
• Deunta Williams, safety, North Carolina
• Alex Wujciak, linebacker, Maryland
• Willie Young, defensive end, NC State

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

The writers and bloggers at ESPN.com picked our villains this week, and we asked you for yours. Here were a couple of suggestions in my mailbag:

Greg Bowyer in Roanoke, VA wrote: Virginia Tech All-Time Villain; Marcus Vick MV2 cost the Hokies a shot at the national title when he was kicked off the team prior to the 2006 season. All four of his would-be passing targets are representing themselves very well in NFL camps: Eddie Royal in Denver, Justin Harper in Baltimore, Josh Morgan for the 49ers, and David Clowney for the New York Jets. Nonetheless, VT went 10-2 with an inexperienced Sean Glennon under center AND the number one ranked defense in the nation.

Brian A in Baltimore, MD wrote: I'd like to submit Reggie Ball as a villian for Georgia Tech. Four year starter, got worse each year, never beat Georgia - usually with baffling performances in those losses (remember the spike? the throw away pass on fourth down?). I may be the only Tech grad who actually likes Reggie - he threw a great deep ball (although he had to be outside of the pocket and usually targeting CJ). Chan Gailey is also a villain.

Adam Wimpee in Tallahassee, FL wrote: Couple ideas for FSU's Villains. Current: The Deamon Deac's lost a lot recently to them, Tim Tebow no FSU likes him, respect and kind feelings are two different things. Urban Mayer for getting UF tied and possibly this season passing FSU in National Championships not to mention the bad losses to him since 05.Past: Kickers vs. Miami not much needed to be said, Steve Spurrier cocky and not above taking a cheap shot at His rival when something goes wrong "Free State". Past and Current: Nothing tops the arrogance and sheer hubris of Miami and Florida fans which all of the above have contributed to creating.

Julius Lai in Arlington, VA wrote: HD - love the blog. Couldn't get this comment to work on the 'ACC Villains' post, but wanted to share :I don't know about Spurrier as a Duke "villain". He was successful with us, left on good terms to pursue bigger and better things, and remained friendly enough to keep a Duke football helmet in his UF office and vote Duke #25 in every preseason coaches poll for a while. Doesn't sound very villainous to me?An alternative "all-time" pick could be USC for beating Duke in the 1939 Rose Bowl, scoring the only points given up by previously-undefeated Duke all season. Or perhaps Oregon State for beating Duke (again, previously-undefeated) in the only Rose Bowl ever played outside Pasedena in 1943.Keep up the great work!

Thanks again for all your suggestions!
hd

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Records were made to be broken, and the ACC has a few worth keeping an eye on this fall. I surveyed each school's sports information director and the ACC to find out what records were in danger of being broken this fall. Here are the results:

ACC RECORDS AT STAKE

1. Former FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford's mark for most consecutive passes without an interception (270). NC State's Russell Wilson currently stands at 249.

2. Virginia's Matt Schaub had a career completion percentage record of .670. Wake's Riley Skinner is a shade better at .673 and could finish the year with the record.

3. C.J. Spiller stands a good chance of breaking the conference career mark for all-purpose yardage (rushing, receiving, kickoff and punt returns). Spiller currently has 4,908 all-purpose yards and needs 921 yards for the record. Leon Johnson of North Carolina holds the record with 5,828 yards. Spiller had 1,770 yards this past season.

SCHOOL RECORDS AT STAKE

CLEMSON

Spiller has 87 career receptions and needs 19 to break the record for running backs of 105 by Travis Zachery (1998-01). He has 917 career reception yards and needs 141 to break Zachery's record of 1,057. He also has 1,297 career kickoff return yards and needs 256 to break Derrick Hamilton's record of 1,552.

Crezdon Butler has 196 career interception return yards and needs 80 to break Rex Varn's standard of 275 set between 1976-79.

DUKE

Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is 2,879 passing yards, 314 attempts, 227 completions and eight touchdowns away from Duke's career records held by Ben Bennett.

MARYLAND

Torrey Smith has a chance at the school's career kickoff return yards mark. He had the ACC single-season record with 1,089 last year. The school mark is 1,520 career yards by Keeta Covington (1983-86).

Quarterback Chris Turner can get to No. 2 on most of the career lists, but would have a struggle getting past Scott Milanovich. He needs 2,827 for the career passing yards mark.

MIAMI
Javarris James is currently eighth all-time in rushing attempts. With 73 attempts this season, he would move into sole possession of third place behind Ottis Anderson (691) and James Jackson (541).

Both James (1,670) and Graig Cooper (1,523) have a chance to move into the all-time top 10 in rushing yards (Alonzo Highsmith is currently 10th with 1,914 career yards). If Cooper runs for more than 1,000 yards this season, he would rank in the top 4 in UM history.

UM's Current Top 5 Career Rushing Leaders
1. Ottis Anderson 3,331
2. Edgerrin James 2,960
3. James Jackson 2,953
4. Clinton Portis 2,523
5. Danyell Ferguson 2,214

Jason Fox has started 36 games in his career. He could tie William Joseph for a UM-record 50 career starts if the Canes play in the ACC Championship game and a bowl game and Fox starts all 14 games. (Ed Reed is second on the list with 48 career starts).

Matt Bosher is seventh all-time in consecutive PATs (40) and 10th in both field goals (18) and points scored by a kicker (94).

WAKE FOREST

Skinner will need to complete 27 passes, attempt 282, throw for 1,416 yards and throw 11 touchdown passes in order to set school records. Through his first three years, Skinner has averaged 213 completions, 316 attempts, 2,200 yards and 10.3 touchdowns per season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

More than half of the teams in the ACC held scrimmages this past weekend, and no, I didn't forget about them. Instead of giving you the entire practice reports, though, I decided to highlight a few scrimmage stars for each team. (Virginia also scrimmaged on Saturday but it was closed and they do not release stats.)

In some cases, like at Maryland and Boston College, the defense looked much sharper than the offense. At others, like Wake Forest, the offense lived up to the preseason expectations. And Virginia Tech looked good on special teams. The teams that have veteran quarterbacks took advantage of them, while others -- like Clemson and BC -- struggled. Here are a few of the top performers from Saturday:

MARYLAND
The defense had 12 sacks including two each by Derek Drummond and Obum Akinyili. Drummond, who is expected to be a key player at one of the end positions, also had the first scoring play of the day, sacking Jamarr Robinson in the end zone for a safety on the third series, which began at the 5-yard line.

BOSTON COLLEGE
The defense stole the show, and cornerback Isaac Johnson led the way with five tackles. Redshirt freshman defensive end Max Holloway had two quarterback sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown.

WAKE FOREST
The Deacs might have lost their leading receiver, but there are plenty of young players eager to take over, as 13 players caught at least one pass. Chris Givens finished with four catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Terence Davis led the receiving corps with six catches for 75 yards, including a gain of 25 yards. Riley Skinner completed 12 of 16 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

CLEMSON
Defensive ends Da'Quan Bowers and Ricky Sapp combined for five quarterback sacks. Malliciah Goodman, a freshman, also had a pair of sacks in the scrimmage that was played with no tackling the quarterback, so it was much easier to record sacks. Brandon Maye led the defense in tackles with seven, while Marcus Gilchrist had two tackles for loss and a 60 yard fumble return.

DUKE
The quarterbacks shone in the 60-play scrimmage with backup Sean Renfree completing 11-of-18 passes for 120 yards and 1 touchdown. Can't wait to see him play. Veteran Thaddeus Lewis completed 9-of-18 for 96 yards and an interception.

VIRGINIA TECH
Not a bad day for Beamerball. Matt Waldron made all four of his field-goal attempts, 42, 25, 46 and 25 yards, and Ryan Williams returned a punt for a touchdown. Lyndell Gibson intercepted a pass to go with five tackle. Logan Thomas completed 6-of-14 for 128 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

FLORIDA STATE
Christian Ponder put up some no-nonsense numbers, completing 15 of 20 attempts for 287 yards and four touchdowns. Jarmon Fortson made three receptions for 106 yards, while Rod Owens added three for 84, including a touchdown. Markus White led the defense with six tackles.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Duke senior Thaddeus Lewis, Wake Forest senior Riley Skinner, NC State sophomore Russell Wilson and UNC junior T.J. Yates were among the 38 players named to the 2009 Manning Award watch list on Monday.

While the preseason watch list includes just 38 quarterbacks, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible for the honor. Additional quarterbacks may be added to the watch list after the start of the season. Ten finalists will be determined by a selected panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Monday, Nov. 30. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 14.

The last ACC quarterback to win this award? BC's Matt Ryan, of course.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

They're the teams, players, coaches, officials, stadiums, cities -- whoever or whatever -- that, as my colleague Ivan Maisel puts it, "done you wrong." They're the ACC's villains, and each program has one. (Some more than others.) Question is, who do you think is your school's villain? Who are you holding your grudges against? Drop me a note in my mailbag and let me know who the bad guys are. We'll call 'em out on Tuesday.

Here are my picks:

BOSTON COLLEGE
Current villain: Jeff Jagodzinski. He abandoned his team for a job he never got. Jagodzinski took the Eagles to back-to-back ACC title games before putting his own interests ahead of the team and got fired for interviewing with the Jets when athletic director Gene DeFilippo specifically asked him not to.
All-time villain: Notre Dame. Nothing gets the Eagles going like the "other" big-time Catholic institution. It wasn't until 1975 that the two programs started playing each other and the series is dead even at 9-9. The Eagles have won six straight in the series and seven of the last eight, but will always be considered the little brother.

CLEMSON
Current villain: Boston College. The Eagles beat Clemson three straight years from 2005-2007, and if each time that loss kept the Tigers out of the ACC title game. Imagine how different things might be if it weren't for the Eagles.
All-time villain: City of Atlanta. The Tigers are 2-5 in the Georgia Dome, including a painful overtime loss to Auburn in the 2007 Peach Bowl, and nobody will forget the 2008 disaster against Alabama. Over the past 15 years, Clemson is 4-9 in Atlanta. The Tigers haven't scored a touchdown at Georgia Tech in either of the past two games. They lost 10-9 in '05, and 13-3 in '07, and play there again this year. Yikes. Clemson's all-time record at Tech is 13-41-2, which is a 25 percent winning percentage.

DUKE
Current villain: Duke basketball. The shadow it casts is bigger than the state of North Carolina. While Duke football has mucked its way through two decades of losing, Mike Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to three national championships, 24 NCAA tournament bids, and 92 weeks ranked No. 1 in the country. Meanwhile, Duke football is stuck on No. 1 ACC win.
All-time villain: Steve Spurrier. He left. Spurrier has been the only coach at Duke to have a winning record since Bill Murrary's tenure from 1951-65. Overall, in the history of the program, Duke has only had five coaches with winning records who stuck around more than two seasons. Spurrier was the last, with a 20-13-1 record. Duke might not be Duke had he stayed.

FLORIDA STATE
Current villain: Learning specialist Brenda Monk. The woman at the heart of the online music course cheating scandal, who, according to the St. Pete Times admitted she "made a "mistake" in asking one player to key-in test answers for another. Let's face it: All of the advisors and instructors involved in the scandal could play a role in Bobby Bowden losing as many as 14 wins, and for that, we deem them villains.
All-time villain: Goalposts. Wide right, anyone? The Noles missed field goals in the waning seconds of all three Miami games in 1991, 1992 and 2000, but the 17-16 loss to the Canes in Tallahassee in 1991 was the most devastating. FSU had been ranked No. 1 all season, was 10-0, and were leading most of the game. It was the third one-point loss to Miami for Bowden, and his sixth defeat in seven years to the Canes.

GEORGIA TECH
Current villain: The officials in last year's Virginia Tech game. Talk to any of the Jackets and it still strikes a nerve to talk about the costly helmet-to-helmet call with the game tied at 17 in the fourth quarter. To top it off, one play later Michael Johnson was charged with a facemask. And it was. But the first call was questionable, and it sustained a Virginia Tech drive that, in retrospect, went a long way in determining the tiebreaker for the ACC Coastal Division last year.
All-time villain: Bear Bryant. Georgia Tech left the SEC in 1964, but some grudges never die. Bobby Dodd and Bryant began a long feud in 1961 after Georgia Tech's Chick Graning was running down field on punt coverage when he saw the fair catch signal and let down his guard. Alabama's Darwin Holt just kept coming, and shattered Graning's jaw with his forearm. The coaches stopped talking for years and the series was later discontinued.

MARYLAND
Current villain: Unranked teams. The Middle Tennessee's. The Virginia's. They're the unpredictable yet predictable disasters that leave Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen baffled. Top 25 teams, though, are no problem. Bring on Cal any day. Just leave Delaware at home.
All-time villain: Penn State. It's the one school Terps fans seem to have an inferiority complex about, and it could have something to do with the Nits' 1-35-1 edge in the series. It also might have a little something to do with the fact that assistant coach Larry Johnson has made the state of Maryland his second home when it comes to recruiting, and many of the state's best players often make their way North.

MIAMI
Current villain: Georgia Tech. If the Jackets beat Miami this year, they will have beaten the Canes five straight years. Miami owns a 4-10 all-time record against Georgia Tech, and now that Paul Johnson has arrived with his triple option offense, it seems as if this series has gotten even more difficult for the Canes.
All-time villain: Terry Porter, the Big 12 official who threw the awful pass interference flag in the Fiesta Bowl that allowed Ohio State to beat the Canes for the 2002 national title. Ohio State won 31-24 in double overtime.

NORTH CAROLINA
Current villain: Virginia. Most recently, the Tar Heels lost 16-13 last year in a critical Coastal Division game, but the bigger picture is even worse. UNC is just 3-10 against the Wahoos since 1996, and that year, UNC was 8-1 and needed only wins against UVa and Duke to go to the Fiesta Bowl. The Heels were ahead 17-3 with 10 minutes remaining, but wound up losing 20-17 with help from a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown.
All-time villain: Bobby Bowden. The Heels have won just one game against FSU in the 16-game series, a 41-9 win in 2001. The two programs haven't played each other since 2004, but the Noles return to the schedule this fall when UNC hosts its first Thursday night game on Oct. 22. UNC has been outscored 489-184 in the series.

NC STATE
Current villain: The trainer's room. At times over the past two seasons it seemed like the list of injured starters was lengthier than the two-deep depth chart. Quarterback Russell Wilson, linebacker Nate Irving, and receiver Donald Bowens are only a few of the key players whose injuries couldn't be overcome in Tom O'Brien's first two seasons.
All-time villain: North Carolina. They're close. It's a rival. And the Wolfpack is trailing 29-63-6 in the series, including a 5-11 record since 1993. The two schools have played each other every year since 1953, when the ACC was formed. But the series started in 1894, and because the schools are only abo
ut 25 miles apart, it's a natural rivalry. From 1943-1964, all but one of the 18 games were played in Chapel Hill. Once the Wolfpack moved to Carter-Finely in 1966, it became a home-and-home series.

VIRGINIA
Current villain: Frank Beamer. The Commonwealth Cup overfloweth in Beamer's favor. The end-of-the year in-state rivalry has gone in the Hokies' favor for the past decade. Virginia has lost five straight to Beamer, and only once since 1998.
All-time villain: Scott Sisson. Virginia was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history, and the moment was fleeting. Sisson's 37-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining beat Virginia on its homecoming. Georgia Tech went on to win out and earn a share of the national title, while Virginia one just one more game all season and finished 8-4.

VIRGINIA TECH
Current villain: Offense. The Hokies haven't fared better than 99th nationally in the past three seasons, and offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring has shouldered the brunt of the criticism for it. And yes, it does make a difference. In 1999, when the Hokies played for the national title, they finished the season ninth in total offense with 451.82 yards per game.
All-time villain: Peter Warrick. The Florida State superstar had been suspended earlier during the season after he was arrested for shoplifting at Dillard's. While that decision probably cost him the Heisman, it didn't cost him the MVP of the 2000 Sugar Bowl. He caught six passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns, leading all receivers in yardage and scores in a 46-29 win over the Hokies. Warrick also had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown and a two-point conversion, accounting for 20 of the Seminoles' 46 points. Warrick's 20 points were a Sugar Bowl record for most points scored by an individual player.

WAKE FOREST
Current villain: Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm. Wake Forest kept Brohm in check during the first half of the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl, but Brohm orchestrated two game-winning drives in the fourth quarter that gave the Cardinals the 24-13 win. Brohm finished 24-for-34 and was named the game's MVP.
All-time villain: Tobacco Road. That's right, Wake has a losing record in each series against Duke, UNC and NC State. Overall, the Demon Deacons are 181-103-10 against its in-state ACC opponents. And, since you're curious, Duke leads the overall series 53-34-2.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

The ACC had seven players named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list for the award given to college football's defensive player of the year. There were 55 players on the list.

Duke defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase and North Carolina's Marvin Austin were among the 10 defensive tackles on the list. Also from the ACC is Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett, North Carolina linebacker Quan Sturdivant, Virginia Tech defensive end Jason Worilds, Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak and NC State defensive end Willie Young.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced on Nov. 4 and three finalists for the award will be announced Nov. 23. The winner of the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show which will be held on Dec. 10, 2009. The formal presentation of this award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club.