CRUCIAL CLEMSON VICTORY!

Ask and you shall receive. Well, I asked for a victory in Death Valley and I received one. Although things did not look promising after the first half where the Terps looked left for dead going into halftime down 17-6. The defense allowed close to 200 yards rushing and Spiller and Davis looked "un-tackle-able".

Things turned around though, was it a pep talk by the coach at the half? Was it a veteran leader stepping up and getting his team riled up? Or perhaps it was the realization that there was still a chance to steal a game on the road and set the tempo for the ACC season.

Heyward-Bey ripped off a 76 yard sprint to shift the momentum and countless receivers contributed with 6 different guys getting into the action. One interesting thing to note, Heyward-Bey did not account for a reception in the game.

What exactly happened to the Clemson offense in the 2nd half? They had zero points and did not pose much of a threat after halftime. I know for one thing for sure though, the Terp's d showed some heart and passion. Personally, I love the linebacking group that lines up every game. The secondary has it's moments as well.

Who deserves the gameball for this game? Well I think it has to be split between Chris Turner for showing poise and accuracy and also the defense for stepping up to the challenege in the second half and slowing down a dyanic running duo.

Now let's carry on this momentum to an inferior team, the Wahoos of Virginia or whatever they call themselves these days.

Fast Start in the ACC is CRUCIAL

So here we are, the start of the ACC season for the Terps and what should we expect? Well for one, a lot of balance. The preseason favorite, Clemson was ranked #9 in the preseason polls and was just as quickly knocked out of the rankings by 'Bama. Other perennial teams like Virignia Tech, Florida State and Miami aren't going to scare anyone this season. Wake Forest looks like the strongest of the bunch at this point.

So what does this all mean? Well a FAST start in the ACC is CRUCIAL. Convienantly enough the Terps ACC season starts with the orange and purple of Clemson in Death Valley, the preseason favorite. So what better way to prevent the 1-4 ACC start of last season rearing its ugly head once again this season than to defeat Clemson in Death Valley.

The key to the game will be to slow down the combo of Spiller and Davis, while getting Green and Scott rolling for the Terps.

In my opinion, The Terps ACC schedule is pretty friendly outside of the Thursday night clash in Blacksburg against the Hokies of VT. The ACC is definitely up for the grabs and if the offense that appears against CAL and Eastern Michigan appears more than the offense that was present for Delaware and Middle Tennessee State, then the Terps should do just fine. However, if it doesn't it could be a long season.

Once again, a fast start is crucial especially against preseason favorite Clemson.

-Steak

Lots of Terp Goodness

Lots of Terps Goodness of news and notes and predictions has come through with the ACC Blog on ESPN.Com. One of our favorite writers and ACC beat reporters, Heather Dinich has recently updated her blog with a rankings of the hardest schedules and games to watch in the ACC. Some of the highlights below:

ACC's Hardest Schedules:

1. Georgia Tech -- Paul Johnson has back-to-back road games in the ACC against Boston College and Virginia Tech in the first three weeks, plus road trips to Clemson, UNC and rival Georgia. Yikes. The only breaks are the fact Wake and Maryland aren't on there. And Duke is.

7. Maryland -- The Terps get road trips to Clemson and Virginia Tech, plus a tough nonconference home game against Cal and a visit from Wake Forest. By the time these guys play Duke again, the Blue Devils just might win.

12. North Carolina -- The Tar Heels don't play Clemson, Wake Forest or Florida State -- three of the top teams in the Atlantic Division. And they've got Virginia Tech early (Sept. 20). If there was ever a year for Butch Davis to take advantage of his schedule and a watered-down division, this would be it.

Top 10 Games To Watch:

5. Maryland at Clemson, Sept. 27: Ralph Friedgen loves playing in Death Valley, and the Terps have a team that could surprise a few people, the Tigers included. The addition of first-year offensive coordinator James Franklin, backup quarterback Josh Portis, and a veteran offensive line make Maryland a dark horse.

You can read the full posts and Heather's preseason predictions here.


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