ESPN College Football

The NCAA has denied Boston College’s appeal for a sixth year of eligibility for wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, who suffered a season-ending left knee injury in the first game of the 2011 season.

“This is very disappointing news,” coach Frank Spaziani said in a prepared statement. “We only want what is best for Ifeanyi, and I felt a sixth year would have benefited him greatly after missing two full seasons with injuries. He is a great young man who will leave Boston College with a degree in hand. We are very grateful for his contributions to our football program, on and off the field, and we hope he is able to continue pursuing his dreams.”

In December, the ACC approved medical hardship waivers for Momah and four of his teammates. Boston College then submitted a request to the NCAA for a sixth year, since Momah did not participate in the 2009 season.

Quiet day out there today ...

• This is why I don't talk about schedules until they are officially released from the ACC: Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech on Labor Day remains a possibility.
• So far, there aren't any plans for Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins to join the track team, but it's something that has benefited both programs in the past.
• The NCAA's rejection of a sixth year of eligibility for receiver Ifeanyi Momah makes no sense.
• Maryland has a new defensive coordinator, and a new scheme for 2012.
• The Hokies have announced three early enrollees.
• Larry Fedora landed his first recruit, and he plucked the quarterback away from ECU.

Thanks as always to the sports information directors throughout the league for this week’s package of notes:

ACC: With Virginia Tech RB David Wilson, North Carolina RB Giovani Bernard, and Miami RB Lamar Miller leading the way, the ACC could set a league record for the most 100-yard rushing games in a single season in its history. Heading into Saturday, ACC runners have reached or surpassed the 100-yard mark in rushing on 47 occasions led by Wilson (9), Bernard (6) and Miller (6). The league mark of 55 100-yard rushing games was set last year. What makes this year’s total even more impressive is the fact that Boston College’s Montel Harris, who personally has 22 career 100-yard games, has contributed just one to the total this season due to an injury which has forced him to miss almost the entire 2011 season.

BOSTON COLLEGE: In BC’s 38-7 home loss to Florida State, a season-high 10 players were sidelined with injuries. In addition to the five players who have suffered season-ending injuries – WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee), DB C.J. Jones (knee), DL Connor Wujciak (shoulder), RB Montel Harris (knee) and DL Kaleb Ramsey (foot) – five veterans have suffered various recent injuries. They include senior OL Nate Richman, redshirt freshman RB Tahj Kimble, sophomore LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, junior DB Jim Noel and sophomore RB Andre Williams.

CLEMSON: The Tigers have defeated Wake Forest 23 of the past 25 meetings in Death Valley and have not lost to Wake Forest at home since 1998. Clemson has a 6-0 record at home this year and an average victory of 41-25. A win Saturday would also give Clemson a 7-0 record at home this year, the program’s first perfect home season since 1990 when Clemson was 6-0 in Death Valley.

DUKE: Duke has played five one-possession games (decided by eight points or less) this season with an average margin of difference of 2.40 points. The five games are tied for the third most in the nation. Duke’s 2.40 average is the sixth lowest nationally among schools that have played at least three one-possession games, with Buffalo ranking first at 1.67 average points in three games.

FLORIDA STATE: In 2011, 15 true freshmen have played, tied for the seventh-most among all FBS teams. The ‘Noles have played 11 redshirt freshmen for a total of 26 freshmen played. That number is tied for third among FBS schools, trailing only Clemson and Indiana, with 29 each. Five FSU true freshmen–-C Austin Barron, RB Devonta Freeman, WR Rashad Greene, OT Bobby Hart, and TE Nick O’Leary – have made starts, along with redshirt freshman QB Clint Trickett. FSU played 12 true freshmen in 2010 and 12 redshirt freshmen for a whopping 40 freshmen who have played to this point over the past two seasons.

GEORGIA TECH: The Jackets have allowed a 100-yard rusher in a game five times this season (all five have been ACC opponents). David Wilson’s rushing total (175 yards) was the most by a Tech opponent since 2009.

MARYLAND: WR Quintin McCree had his second career 100-yard receiving game with 117 yards against Virginia. It was also McCree’s second 100-yard effort in his last three games. WR Kerry Boykins also had the first of his career with 101 yards in Saturday’s Virginia game. McCree and Boykins are just the second Maryland duo in the past 16 years to post 100 receiving yards in the same game. Danny Oquendo (111) and Torrey Smith (115) both went over 100 receiving yards against Boston College on Nov. 29, 2008. Prior to that, the feat hadn’t occurred since 1995.

MIAMI: With his 202-yard performance against Duke on Nov. 5, Jacory Harris remains in second place in Miami’s records book with 8,097 career passing yards, surpassing Gino Torretta and trailing only Ken Dorsey (9,565).

NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina has never had a 1,000-yard runner and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. Last week at NC State, Bernard became the 15th player in UNC history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the first since Jonathan Linton in 1997. Heading into the Virginia Tech game, senior wide receiver Dwight Jones, who has 913 receiving yards, needs 87 yards to become just the second player in UNC history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

NC STATE: Tom O’Brien has won 42 games in BC’s Alumni Stadium, but is looking for his first win there as a visitor.

VIRGINIA: The Cavaliers enter Saturday’s game at Duke tied for third in the ACC in total offense at 427.7 yards per game. UVa is tied for 13th nationally with just eight sacks allowed this season (312 pass attempts). OG Austin Pasztor along with OT Oday Aboushi, OG Luke Bowanko, C Anthony Mihota and OT Morgan Moses have started all nine games this season. The only other ACC teams to start the same offensive line this year are NC State and Virginia Tech. The last time the same five players started an entire season on the offensive line at UVa was 2004. Coincidentally, that was the last time UVa averaged more rushing yards (242.8) per game than this year (190.1).

VIRGINIA TECH: The two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Logan Thomas against Georgia Tech gave him eight for the season, tying the single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a Tech quarterback. In 1999, Michael Vick rushed for eight touchdowns (he had another in the Sugar Bowl, but the NCAA didn’t count bowl statistics then). Thomas finished with 70 yards rushing,

WAKE FOREST: Wake Forest had come away with points on 11 straight trips to the red zone over four games heading into the Notre Dame game. Wake scored touchdowns on each of its first two trips to the red zone against Notre Dame and held a 17-10 halftime lead. But Wake’s string of 13 consecutive scoring trips came to a close when the Deacons failed on both red zone visits in the second half. The drives ended with a Brandon Pendergrass fumble at the Notre Dame nine-yard line and a missed field goal by PK Jimmy Newman.

Here are your injury reports for the schools that reported them in Week 11:

BOSTON COLLEGE

Out

WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee)
DB CJ Jones (knee)
DT Connor Wujciak (shoulder)
RB Montel Harris (knee)
DT Kaleb Ramsey (foot)
LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (leg)
DB Jim Noel (ankle)
LN Nick Clancy (knee)

Questionable

DE Dan Williams (shoulder)
DB Spenser Rositano (leg)

Probable

RB Andre Williams (abdomen)
RB Tahj Kimble (head)

CLEMSON

Out
Joe Gore, DE, Knee
Tony Steward, LB, Knee

Questionable
Spencer Benton, PK, shoulder

Will play
Andre Ellington, RB, ankle

DUKE

Probable

DE Justin Foxx (leg)
CB Zach Greene (leg)
CB Johnny Williams (leg)

Questionable

LB Kelby Brown (leg)

Doubtful

WR Jamison Crowder (leg)

Out

S Lee Butler (leg)
QB Brandon Connette (upper body)
C Brian Moore (upper body)

Out for season

TE Jack Farrell (leg)
DE Kenny Anunike (leg)

FLORIDA STATE

Out

Andrew Datko (shoulder)
Willie Haulstead (head)
Henry Orelus (head)
Darious Cummings (hand)

Out for season

Jacobbi McDaniel (ankle)
Chris Thompson (back)

Probable

David Spurlock (knee)
Rashad Greene (ankle)
Bryan Stork (head)

MIAMI

Out

Luther Robinson-Lower Extremity
Curtis Porter-Upper Extremity
Rashawn Scott-Upper Extremity
Jordan Futch-Upper Extremity

Surgery/Out for season

Marcus Forston-Lower Extremity
Ramon Buchanan-Lower Extremity
Corey White-Lower Extremity
Erik Lichter-Upper Extremity
Blake Ayles-Upper Extremity

NC STATE

Out for season

Jarvis Byrd, CB - Knee
D.J. Green, LB- Foot
Mustafa Greene, HB - Foot
Sterling Lucas, LB - Knee
Jeff Rieskamp, DE- Shoulder

Out for game

Taylor Gentry, FB - Foot
Jake Kahut, DE - Knee
Brandon Pittman, LB- Hamstring

Questionable

R.J. Mattes, OT - Ankle

VIRGINIA

Out
Pablo Alvarez, (upper extremity)
Charlie Richards, (upper extremity)
E.J. Scott, (medical)
Bobby Smith, (lower extremity)
Tyler Smith, (lower extremity)
Matt Snyder, (lower extremity)
Michael Terrell, (lower extremity)
W.J. Williams, (lower extremity)

Probable

Luke Bowanko (upper extremity)
Thompson Brown (medical)
Cam Johnson (lower extremity)
Rodney McLeod (lower extremity)
Colter Phillips (lower extremity)
Draquan Romero (lower extremity)

Here is BC's full injury report for the Thursday night game against Florida State:

OUT

WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee)

DB CJ Jones (knee)

DT Connor Wujciak (shoulder)

RB Montel Harris (knee)

DT Kaleb Ramsey (foot)

OG Nate Richman (head)

RB Tahj Kimble (head)

DOUBTFUL

LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (leg)

QUESTIONABLE

CB Jim Noel (ankle)

RB Andre Williams (abdomen)

Here are the latest injury reports from the schools that reported them:

BOSTON COLLEGE

Out
WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee)
DB CJ Jones (knee)
DT Connor Wujciak (shoulder)
TB Montel Harris (knee)
DT Kaleb Ramsey (foot)
DT Dillon Quinn (shoulder)
OG Nate Richman (back)
LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (leg)
DE Dan Williams (leg)

Doubtful
DT Conor O’Neal (illness)

Questionable
WR Bobby Swigert (shoulder)

CLEMSON

Out
Joe Gore, DE, Knee
Spencer Benton, PK, shoulder
Tony Steward, LB, Knee

Questionable
Andre Ellington, RB, ankle
Note: D.J. Howard will start at running back.

DUKE

Probable
WR Brandon Braxton (head)
S Matt Daniels (leg)
OG Dave Harding (leg)
QB Sean Renfree (leg)

Questionable
DE Justin Foxx (leg)

Doubtful
CB Johnny Williams (leg)

Out
S Lee Butler (leg)
QB Brandon Connette

Out for season
TE Jack Farrell (leg)
DE Kenny Anunike (leg)

FLORIDA STATE

Out
Andrew Datko (shoulder)
David Spurlock (knee)
Henry Orelus (head)
Moses McCray (knee)
Darious Cummings (hand)
Willie Haulstead (head)
Josh Gehres (knee)

Doubtful
Rashad Greene (ankle)

Out for season
Jacobbi McDaniel (ankle)
Chris Thompson (back)

GEORGIA TECH

Out
Jay Finch, C
Tyler Morgan, LS

Out for season
Fred Holton, S
Jimmie Kitchen, DL
Lance Richardson, S

MARYLAND

Out for season
WR Tyrek Cheeseboro
OL Andrew Gonnella
DB Avery Graham
LB Garrett Lederman
DB Matt Robinson
DL Isaiah Ross
TE Dave Stinebaugh
LB Kenny Tate

Out
WR Kevin Dorsey
OL Justin Gilbert
DB Jeremiah Johnson;

Doubtful
DL Justin Anderson

Questionable WR/PR Tony Logan
DL Andre Monroe

Probable
OL Max Garcia

NORTH CAROLINA

Out
Casey Barth, PK Thigh
Sean Fitzpatrick, TE Concussion
Kiaro Holts, OT Wrist
Matt Merletti, FS Knee
Devon Ramsay, FB Knee
Reggie Wilkins, WR Ankle

Questionable
Curtis Byrd, RB Knee
T.J. Leifheit, OT Ankle

Probable
Cam Holland, OC Back
Dwight Jones, WR Thigh
Kevin Reddick, LB Chest

NC STATE

Out for season
Jarvis Byrd, CB - knee
Mustafa Greene, HB - foot
Sterling Lucas, LB - knee

Out
Brandon Pittman, LB - leg
Taylor Gentry, FB - foot
Jake Kahut, DE - knee
Jeff Rieskamp, DE - shoulder
Thomas Teal, DT - foot

VIRGINIA TECH

Out for season
Kwamaine Battle (knee)
Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (foot)
Antoine Hopkins (knee)
Dyrell Roberts (arm)
E.L. Smiling (wrist)
Bruce Taylor (foot)

Out
Mark Shuman (knee/ankle)
Alonzo Tweedy (ankle)

BOSTON COLLEGE

Out
WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee)
DB CJ Jones (knee)
DT Connor Wujciak (shoulder)
TB Montel Harris (knee)
DL Kaleb Ramsey (foot)
RB Tahj Kimble (head)
DT Dillon Quinn (shoulder)

Probable
OG Nate Richman (back)

CLEMSON

Out
Joe Gore, DE, Knee
Spencer Benton, PK, shoulder
Tony Steward, LB, Knee

DUKE

Probable
WR Brandon Braxton (head)
S August Campbell (leg)

Questionable
C Dave Harding (leg)
C Brian Moore (arm)
WR Donovan Varner (leg)
CB Johnny Williams (leg)

Out
S Lee Butler (leg)
QB Brandon Connette (upper body)

Out for season
TE Jack Farrell (leg)
DE Kenny Anunike (leg)

FLORIDA STATE

Out
OT Andrew Datko (shoulder)
OG David Spurlock (knee)
OG Henry Orelus (head)
WR Willie Haulstead (head)
WR Josh Gehres (knee)
DT Darious Cummings (hand)
DT Moses McCray (knee)

Questionable
WR Rashad Greene (ankle)

Out for season
DT Jacobbi McDaniel (ankle)
RB Chris Thompson (back)

GEORGIA TECH

Probable
Jeremiah Attaochu, LB

Out

Tyler Morgan, LS

Out for the season

Fred Holton, S
Jimmie Kitchen, DL
Lance Richardson, S

MARYLAND

Out for the season
WR Tyrek Cheeseboro
OL Andrew Gonnella
DB Avery Graham
LB Garrett Lederman
DB Matt Robinson
DL Isaiah Ross
TE Dave Stinebaugh

Out
DL Justin Anderson
WR Kevin Dorsey
OL Justin Gilbert
LB Shaquan Virgil

Doubtful
LB Demetrius Hartsfield
LB Kenny Tate

Questionable
DL Andre Monroe

Probable
OL Pete White

MIAMI

Out
Luther Robinson - Lower Extremity
Shayon Green - Lower Extremity
Curtis Porter - Upper Extremity
Rashawn Scott - Upper Extremity

Surgery/Out for the season
Marcus Forston - Lower Extremity
Ramon Buchanan - Lower Extremity
Cory White - Lower Extremity
Erik Lichter - Upper Extremity
Blake Ayles - Upper Extremity

NORTH CAROLINA

Out
Casey Barth, PK Thigh
Curtis Byrd, FB Knee
Kiaro Holts, OT Wrist
Devon Ramsay, FB Knee

Questionable
T.J. Leifheit, OT Ankle

Probable
Giovani Bernard, TB Hip
A.J. Blue, TB Ankle
Erik Highsmith, WR Ankle
Cam Holland, C Back
Jonathan Smith, S Ankle

NC STATE

Out for the season
Jarvis Byrd, CB - knee
Mustafa Greene, HB - foot
Sterling Lucas, LB - knee

Out
Taylor Gentry, FB - foot
Jake Kahut, DE - knee
Jeff Rieskamp, DE - shoulder
Thomas Teal, DT - foot
Curtis Underwood, HB - foot

Questionable
D.J. Green, LB - abdomen
J.R. Sweezy, DT - foot

VIRGINIA

Out
Pablo Alvarez (upper extremity)
Diamonte Bailey (lower extremity)
Darius Lee (upper extremity)
Charlie Richards (upper extremity)
E.J. Scott (medical)
Bobby Smith (lower extremity)
Tyler Smith (lower extremity)
Matt Snyder (lower extremity)
Joseph Williams (lower extremity)

Doubtful
Tim Cwalina (lower extremity)
Michael Terrell (lower extremity)

Questionable
Brian Oden (lower extremity)

Probable
Luke Bowanko (lower extremity)
Henry Coley (lower extremity)
Cam Johnson (lower extremity)
Jake McGee (lower extremity)
Clifton Richardson (lower extremity)
Michael Rocco (trunk)

VIRGINIA TECH

Out for the Season
Kwamaine Battle (knee)
Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (foot)
Antoine Hopkins (knee)
Dyrell Roberts (arm)
E.L. Smiling (wrist)

Out
Eric Martin (shoulder)
Mark Shuman (knee/ankle)
David Wang (foot)

Doubtful
Jayron Hosley (hamstring)

WAKE FOREST

Probable
RB Josh Harris (leg)
TE Andrew Parker (ankle)
DT Tristan Dorty (ankle)
C Garrick Williams (ankle)
NT Duke Mosby (illness)

Out
NT Ramon Booi (knee)
DT John Gallagher (back)

Out for the season
OT Dylan Heartsil (back)
CB Dominique Tate (knee)
LB Kyle Jarrett (hip)

BOSTON COLLEGE

Record: 1-5, 0-3 ACC

It’s been a woeful first half of the season for the Eagles, who lost the ACC’s returning leading rusher, Montel Harris, for the first three games with a knee injury; one of their top receivers, Ifeanyi Momah, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game. It only got worse this past week when Harris and defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey were deemed out for the season with injuries. First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers also took a leave of absence in mid-September, and coach Frank Spaziani has said there has been a leadership problem, which stems in part from injuries and a lack of upperclassmen. The problems run deeper than that, though, as attendance is down and fan frustration is up. Athletic director Gene DeFilippo has said Spaziani’s job is safe for this year, and turnover at the head position has been a problem for a program that has had three different coaches in the past five seasons. It’s no wonder the Eagles have struggled on the field. BC got off to a poor start when it lost the season opener to Northwestern and the Wildcats’ backup quarterback, and it snowballed into an 0-3 start. Statistically, BC has been one of the worst teams in the country. The Eagles are last in the ACC in total offense, scoring offense and total defense. Their lone win came against Massachusetts. It’s not going to get any easier in the second half of the season. The Eagles have a bye week before facing a stretch that includes four of the final six games on the road. So far, all signs point to BC having its worst season since 1998.

Offensive MVP: Quarterback Chase Rettig: He is No. 10 in the ACC in passing average per game with 196.8 yards, and he has six touchdowns and five interceptions. He has completed 53.4 percent of his passes for 1,181 yards.

Defensive MVP: Linebacker Luke Kuechly: He’s still an All-American and one of the best linebackers in the country. He leads the nation in tackles with 99 and 16.5 per game.

Here are your weekly injury reports, from the ACC schools that reported them:

BOSTON COLLEGE

OUT
WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee)
DB CJ Jones (knee)
DL Connor Wujciak (shoulder)
TB Montel Harris (knee)
DL Kaleb Ramsey (foot)

DOUBTFUL
RB Andre Williams (leg)

QUESTIONABLE
OG Nate Richman (back)
OG Ian White (foot)

CLEMSON

OUT
DE Joe Gore (knee)
PK Spencer Benton (shoulder)

PROBABLE
RB Andre Ellington (hamstring)
RB D.J. Howard (hamstring)
RB Mansa Joseph (hamstring)

FLORIDA STATE

OUT
Willie Haulstead (head)
Henry Orelus (head)
Josh Gehres (knee)
Darious Cummings (hand)
Jarred Haggins (hand)

QUESTIONABLE
Nick Moody (leg)
Garrett Faircloth (head)
Andrew Datko (shoulder)

GEORGIA TECH

OUT FOR SEASON
S Fred Holton
DL Jimmie Kitchen

OUT
LB Brandon Watts

QUESTIONABLE
LB Jeremiah Attaochu
LB Daniel Drummond

MARYLAND

OUT FOR SEASON
DB Matt Robinson
TE Dave Stinebaugh

OUT FOR GAME
DL Justin Anderson
LB Darin Drakeford
OL Justin Gilbert
LB Garrett Lederman
DL Andre Monroe
DL Isaiah Ross
LB Shaquan Virgil

DOUBTFUL LB Kenny Tate

PROBABLE PK Nick Ferrara
TE Matt Furstenburg

MIAMI

OUT
Luther Robinson (lower extremity)
Jalen Grimble (lower extremity)
Thurston Armbrister (upper extremity)

SURGERY/OUT FOR SEASON
Marcus Forston (lower extremity)
Ramon Buchanan (lower extremity)
Corey White (lower extremity)
Curtis Porter (upper extremity)
Eric Lichter (upper extremity)
Blake Ayles (upper extremity)

NORTH CAROLINA

OUT

PK Casey Barth (thigh)
OT Kiaro Holts (wrist)
FB Devon Ramsay (knee)

DOUBTFUL

WR Josh Adams (illness)
RB Matt Kolojejchick (thigh)
LB Norkeithus Otis (foot)

QUESTIONABLE

RB AJ Blue (ankle)
C Cam Holland (back)
OT TJ Leifheit (ankle)
LB Ebele Okakpu (ankle)
LB Kevin Reddick (ankle)
CB Terry Shankle (knee)
SS Jonathan Smith (ankle)

VIRGINIA TECH

OUT FOR SEASON
Kwamaine Battle (knee)
Antoine Hopkins (knee)
Dyrell Roberts (arm)

OUT
Eric Martin (shoulder)
David Wang (foot)

Here are the injury reports for Week 5 from the ACC schools that reported them:

BOSTON COLLEGE

OUT
WR Ifeanyi Momah (knee)
DB CJ Jones (knee)
DL Connor Wujciak (shoulder)

DOUBTFUL
OG Nate Richman (back)

QUESTIONABLE
DT Kaleb Ramsey (foot)
LB Nick Clancy (shoulder)

CLEMSON

Out
Mansa Joseph, RB, Special Teams, hamstring

Probable
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, hamstring
Dawson Zimmerman, P, knee
D.J. Howard, RB, hamstring
David Smith, OG, shoulder

DUKE

CB Ross Cockrell (leg) – Probable
K Will Snyderwine (foot) – Probable
CB Johnny Williams (leg) – Probable
RB Desmond Scott (leg) – Questionable
RB Josh Snead (foot) – Questionable
QB Brandon Connette (upper body) – OUT
S Lee Butler (leg) – OUT
C Brian Moore (arm) – OUT
DE Kenny Anunike (leg) – OUT FOR SEASON
TE Jack Farrell (leg) – OUT FOR SEASON

GEORGIA TECH
OUT
Morgan Bailey, r-Fr., OL

PROBABLE
Preston Lyons, Sr., BB

OUT FOR YEAR
Fred Holton, So., S
Jimmie Kitchen, r-Fr., DL

MIAMI

Out:
Luther Robinson—Lower Extremity
Jalen Grimble—Lower Extremity
Thurston Armbrister—Upper Extremity

Surgery/Out for the season:
Corey White—Lower Extremity
Curtis Porter—Upper Extremity

NORTH CAROLINA

Out
Casey Barth, PK Thigh
Kiaro Holts, OT Wrist
Devon Ramsay, FB Knee

Doubtful
Josh Adams, WR Illness
Matt Kolojejchick, RB Thigh
Jonathan Smith, SS Ankle

Questionable
TJ Leifheit, OT Ankle
Ebele Okakpu, LB Ankle
Terry Shankle, CB Knee

Probable
Erik Highsmith, WR Ankle
Jabari Price, CB Finger

NC STATE

OUT FOR SEASON
Jarvis Byrd, CB - knee
Sterling Lucas, LB - knee

OUT
A.J. Ferguson, DT - knee
Mustafa Greene, HB - foot
Terrell Manning, LB - knee
Quintin Payton, WR - ankle
Jeff Rieskamp, DE - shoulder
Brian Slay, DT - ankle
Thomas Teal, DT - foot
Curtis Underwood, HB - knee
Andrew Wallace, OG - knee

QUESTIONABLE
J.R. Sweezy, DT - foot

VIRGINIA TECH

Out for season:
Kwamaine Battle (knee)
Dyrell Roberts (arm)

Out
Eric Martin (AC joint)
David Wang (foot)

Last year it was receiver Colin Larmond Jr. who suffered a season-ending knee injury before the season even began.

Last week it was receiver Ifeanyi Momah, whose season was cut short when he tore his left ACL against Northwestern. The Eagles' offense continues to take hits. Momah had a great start and had led the team with eight catches for 171 yards before he went down.

A high standard has already been set by Momah, but coach Frank Spaziani said he is confident in Johnathan Coleman, Momah’s replacement for the trip to Central Florida this weekend. Coleman played in 12 games last year and had 14 catches for 260 yards.

“We love Johnathan,” Spaziani said. “He's a big, athletic receiver, he can run, he can catch. He was sort of a developmental kid when we first got him because of his background, which I don't need to go into here and those things. But he's got the athletic talent. We would have hoped that he would have broken through last year, but he's made tremendous strides this preseason, and really has improved.

“Once again, you know, one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity,” Spaziani said. “So we expect Johnathan to go in there and perform like his God-given talents.”

It wasn’t a stellar debut for the ACC in Week 1, nor were my picks anything to brag about. I went 7-4 in the opening week with erroneous picks for Boston College, Wake Forest, Duke and Miami. The first three, I still argue, should have won their respective games. Miami was a gamble, I admit, but the Terps deserve credit for that win.

This week holds some gambles as well.

Upsets, anyone?

Central Florida 31, Boston College 20: UCF has a talented, athletic quarterback in Jeff Godfrey, and the Knights will cause the Eagles’ defense some problems. UCF allowed Charleston Southern to gain more than seven yards on only three of its 11 drives last week. BC’s offense took another hit when receiver Ifeanyi Momah suffered a season-ending injury.

Wake Forest 28, NC State 24: The Deacs likely would have hung onto their 15-point lead over Syracuse last weekend had quarterback Tanner Price not been injured in the fourth quarter. He is expected to play on Saturday, and will be the difference along with running back Josh Harris.

Clemson 42, Wofford 17: Wofford will control the football with the triple option, but they won’t be able to stop Clemson. The Tigers failed to convert on their first nine chances on third down against Troy, but will continue the success they had in the second half against Wofford.

Florida State 52, Charleston Southern 0: The Seminoles will get their first back-to-back shutouts during their time in the ACC. FSU held Louisiana-Monroe to 191 yards of total offense and the Noles had 10.5 tackles for loss.

Stanford 41, Duke 21. Stanford wins easily, but Duke will score some points. It’s one thing to come across the country to play a bowl game, it’s another to do it in a weekend. Still, the Blue Devils will be overmatched and won’t be able to slow down quarterback Andrew Luck.

Middle Tennessee 28, Georgia Tech 27: The Blue Raiders are well-versed in defending the triple option, and they’re coming off an impressive performance in a near-win over Purdue. Middle Tennessee led at Purdue until the Boilermakers hit a 35-yard TD pass with 49 seconds left last week.

North Carolina 28, Rutgers 3: Quarterback Bryn Renner will shine again, and the Tar Heels’ defense will stifle the Scarlet Knights. Interim coach Everett Withers praised the Knights’ offensive line, but his is better and UNC will win the game up front.

Virginia 34, Indiana 24: Statistically, Virginia is one of the best teams in the country now. The Hoosiers will have a tough time stopping Kevin Parks and the Cavaliers’ running game, and Virginia will be able to control the ball just like Ball State did in a 27-20 win over IU last weekend.

Virginia Tech 48, East Carolina 17: The Hokies will control the ball and go up and down the field. They’re good enough defensively that they won’t allow ECU a chance to be a real threat. This will be the toughest nonconference test of the season for the Hokies and they will pass -- and run, and pass, and run some more.

It was a busy weekend in the ACC. Here's a look back at the highlights from the scrimmages, according to the sports information departments of the teams that provided reports:

BOSTON COLLEGE

Coach Frank Spaziani told reporters after the 70-minute scrimmage that there were some good things, but "it's like a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces in the box; they're not connected yet."

Offensive highlights:

• Quarterback Chase Rettig completed 12 of 19 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. “I think Chase showed the progress he's been making,” Spaziani said. “The obvious things were fine; there were some subtle things he needs to work on.”
• Rettig connected on passes of 10 yards six times, including a 30-yard pass to Colin Larmond, Jr., a 24-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field to receiver Bobby Swigert and a 3-yard touchdown pass to senior captain Ifeanyi Momah.
• Larmond (3 receptions for 53 yards), Swigert (3-for-33), junior receiver Donte Elliott (3-for-37) and redshirt freshman tight end Jarrett Darmstatter (3-for-16) led a total of 12 receivers that registered at least one reception each.
• Rettig and fellow quarterbacks Mike Marscovetra and Dave Shinskie combined for four touchdowns as Marscovetra went 6-for-9 for 30 yards and a touchdown pass of five yards to junior receiver Hampton Hughes and Shinskie connected on 4-of-5 passes for 38 yards and a touchdown to sophomore tight end Mike Naples.
• Tailback Rolandan Finch carried the ball 10 times for a total of 30 yards to lead all running backs while sophomore Andre Williams broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run during red zone drills. Williams finished with five attempts for 21 yards and redshirt freshman Tahj Kimble accounted for 20 yards on five carries.

Defensive highlights:

• Linebacker Nick Clancy and defensive back Sean Sylvia led the team with four tackles each.
• Sophomore linebacker Jake Sinkovec had one interception and one fumble recovery.

CLEMSON

Quarterback Tajh Boyd had an impressive performance, as he completed 10 of 12 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown to highlight the new offense in Clemson’s 75-play scrimmage in Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning.

Offensive highlights:

• Boyd completed each of his final eight passes to six different receivers. He threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to receiver DeAndre Hopkins, then connected on a 3-yard score to Dwayne Allen in a goal-line situation.
• Allen had three receptions for 66 yards, including a diving catch over the middle for 14 yards and a first down. Brandon Ford had three receptions for 37 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass from Cole Stoudt.
• Stoudt was 4-of-14 passing, but threw for 71 yards and two touchdowns, one to Ford and one to Bryce McNeal (23 yards).
• Rod McDowell was the leading rusher with four carries for 68 yards, including a 39-yarder on his first carry of the day. Andre Ellington had five rushes for 41 yards and added two receptions, while freshman Mike Bellamy had five carries for 40 yards.

Defensive highlights:

• The first-team defense did not allow a scoring drive.
• Martin Jenkins led the team with seven tackles, including a tackle for loss.
• Corico Hawkins had five tackles and a fumble recovery, while freshman defensive end Corey Crawford had five stops, including a sack.

Special teams highlights:

• Clemson’s three kickers, Chandler Catanzaro, Ammon Lakip and Brian Symmes were a combined 16-of-16 on the day in field goal attempts and extra points against a live rush.

Notable:

• Three Tigers missed the scrimmage because they were going through graduation exercises across the street from Memorial Stadium in Littlejohn Coliseum. Starting offensive tackle Landon Walker, starting safety Rashard Hall and reserve defensive end Kourtnei Brown all graduated from Clemson on Saturday. It was especially noteworthy for Hall, who has been at Clemson just three years. He joins Nick Eason (now in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals) as the only scholarship football players to graduate with two years of athletic eligibility remaining.
• Four players missed the scrimmage due to injury. Those players were defensive back Xavier Brewer (sprained foot), defensive back Garry Peters (bruised calf), Andre Branch (head injury), DeShawn Williams (sprained ankle).

GEORGIA TECH

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson had mixed reviews after the Yellow Jackets' first scrimmage, which ran 90 minutes inside Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday morning.

"It was like a lot of first scrimmages, there were way too many balls on the ground and way too many penalties," Johnson said. "But we hit some big plays. When you play against each other there's positives and negatives on both sides. It's a starting place and we'll look at it and try to make some improvements."

Offensive highlights:

• While no official statistics were kept, quarterback Tevin Washington passed for well over 100 yards, including a 63-yarder to senior A-back Roddy Jones. Redshirt freshman quarterback Synjyn Days threw the only touchdown of the day, to true freshman Jeff Greene.
• Greene ran with the first unit Saturday as most of the veterans -- junior Stephen Hill, senior Tyler Melton, sophomore Jeremy Moore and junior Daniel McKayhan -- all sat out with injuries.
• Washington scored the only other touchdown Saturday on a 1-yard QB keeper.

Defensive highlights:

• Defensive end Emmanuel Dieke had a sack, true freshman Jamal Golden intercepted a Vad Lee pass, and Steven Sylvester and Isaiah Johnson both recovered fumbles.

Special teams highlights:

• Sophomore Justin Moore booted a 45-yard field goal on his only attempt.
• David Scully's 52-yard attempt was long enough, but just wide left.

MIAMI

The most important news out of Miami's first scrimmage was that quarterbacks Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris combined for five touchdown passes and only one interception. That sounds like improvement. Miami's quarterbacks combined for 407 passing yards on 38-of-52 passing for six touchdowns and only one interception.

Offensive highlights:

• Receiver Tommy Streeter had the best offensive day for the Canes, catching five passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came from Harris.
• Lamar Miller had runs of 16 and 31 yards on the opening drive.

Defensive highlights:

• Senior defensive back JoJo Nicolas led all defenders with eight tackles (six solo), with two tackles for loss.
• Ramon Buchanan and freshman Gionni Paul and each had six total tackles, with Paul also recording a tackle for loss.
• The defense totaled eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a total loss of 29 yards

VIRGINIA TECH

The Hokies' offense was the highlight, but what does that mean for the defense? Coach Frank Beamer pointed out that there were some long plays allowed, as the offense racked up 398 yards of total offense in the 78-play scrimmage at Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The touchdowns came against Tech's second- or third-team defense, though, so the jury is still out.

"I thought it was a good first scrimmage -- better than most," Beamer said, according to the team's scrimmage report. "You take into consideration that you're trying to get everyone some work, people who don't know quite what they're doing, and that makes things a little ragged. I thought overall, though, it was a sharp scrimmage. The quarterbacks made some nice plays and Wilson got a couple of long plays against the defense, and we need to see what's going on there. Overall, the effort was good and the play was good."

Offensive highlights:

• Backup quarterback Mark Leal led the quarterbacks with 116 yards passing, completing 6 of 13. He also threw an interception. Beamer said Leal is No. 2 on the depth chart behind Logan Thomas. Ju-Ju Clayton, who has dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart, completed 6 of 10 for 51 yards, while starter Thomas completed 4 of 8 for 79 yards, with an interception, in limited action.
• Tailback David Wilson scored against the Hokies' second-team defense on a 22-yard run. Wilson led all rushers with 57 yards on five carries. Freshman Michael Holmes added 54 yards rushing on a game-high 11 carries.

Defensive highlights:

• Freshman tackle Luther Maddy led the team with eight tackles, including two for a loss, and a sack. Freshman Michael Cole added six tackles, while Telvion Clark and Jack Tyler each finished with four.
• Barquell Rivers had three tackles and an interception.
• Jayron Hosley and freshman Ronny Vandyke also had interceptions. Hosley intercepted a Logan Thomas pass, while Vandyke intercepted a Trey Gresh attempt.

Special teams highlights:

• The kickers connected on 5-of-6 attempts. Cody Journell hit from 35, 22 and 35 yards, while Justin Myer drilled a 52-yarder and a 28-yarder. "Cody's kicking extremely well," Beamer said. "Myer has a load of potential, and he needs to win some of the kicking contests during the week. That shows consistency, and that's where he is right now. Cody is usually winning it or right in the running at the end."

Defensive back Donnie Fletcher, linebacker Luke Kuechly, wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah and offensive guard Nathan Richman were elected captains of the 2011 team. Fletcher, Momah and Richman will lead the team as seniors. Kuechly will lead the team as a junior. The votes from his peers speak volumes about how much respect Kuechly's teammates have for him.

2010 overall record: 7-6

2010 conference record: 4-4

Returning starters

Offense: 7, defense: 7, punter/kicker: 2

Top returners

LB Luke Kuechly, P Ryan Quigley, CB Donnie Fletcher, QB Chase Rettig, TB Montel Harris, WR Bobby Swigert, WR Ifeanyi Momah, TE Chris Pantale, DE Max Holloway, DT Kaleb Ramsey

Key losses

LT Anthony Castonzo, LB Mark Herzlich, DT Damik Scafe, RG Thomas Claiborne, RT Rich Lapham, CB DeLeon Gause

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Harris* (1,243 yards)

Passing: Rettig* (1,238 yds)

Receiving: Swigert* (504 yds)

Tackles: Kuechly* (183)

Sacks: Holloway* (4)

Interceptions: Fletcher* (5)

Spring answers

1. Starting offensive line has been rebuilt. Mark Spinney returns at center, the projected starting guards are Nathan Richman and Ian White, who started three games as a freshman, and the tackles are Emmett Cleary and John Wetzel. It’s a veteran group of starters, which is important considering the losses of three starters, including Castonzo, who had a league-high 54 starts and is a likely first-round draft pick.

2. The offensive depth and experience has improved. The Eagles return their leading rusher, passer and receiver from a year ago. They enter the fall set at every starting position on offense, and 10 of the 13 receivers who caught a pass last year return. Coach Frank Spaziani said everyone got better this spring, including Rettig, who was forced to play as a true freshman last year.

3. Two spring enrollees could contribute immediately. Four-star cornerback Al Louis-Jean really turned some heads this spring as a backup to Fletcher, and was ranked the No. 9 cornerback in the nation in his recruiting class by ESPN Recruiting. True freshman Mehdi Abdesmad also had a good spring and could see playing time at defensive end behind Holloway.

Fall questions

1. How much better is Rettig in the new system? There’s no doubt that Rettig will be better in his second season as a starter, but how will the sophomore adjust to the new scheme under first-year coordinator Kevin Rogers? Spaziani has said that the offense won’t look dramatically different, but there is new terminology involved and there will be some wrinkles.

2. Will the Eagles develop depth up front? The No. 2 offensive line is comprised entirely of redshirt freshmen: i.e. no experience. The defensive line will be young, and so will its backups. This summer will be critical for getting the linemen more reps and finding rotations the staff is comfortable with.

3. What is this team’s offensive identity? This spring wasn’t a good indicator of what BC’s offense will look like, as star tailback Montel Harris was held out of the scrimmages for precautionary reasons, and his backup, Andre Williams, was nursing a shoulder injury. The Eagles also hope to get receiver Colin Larmond Jr. back this summer from a knee injury he sustained before last season, and BC will be under the direction of a new offensive coordinator.