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ACC Notebook: Tar Heels rooting for a Hurricanes victory
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Published: November 13, 2008
■ Miami will have about 125 newfound fans, all of them in Chapel Hill, when it plays Virginia Tech tonight.
North Carolina's chances of winning the ACC's Coastal Division title hinge on Virginia Tech's losing at least once in the next three weeks.
The Tar Heels, both players and coaches, are hoping that the Hurricanes will help them out.
"I'm going to be watching that game just cheering on Miami," tailback Ryan Houston said. "Mike Ingersoll (a reserve offensive tackle) said in the locker room that he wanted to take practice off and go to Miami and be the scout team for them and help them win the game."
Quarterback Cameron Sexton said he planned to pop popcorn and settle in front of a television to watch. "I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but we'll be pulling for Miami," Sexton said.
■ Virginia Tech might have quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon ready for tonight's game at Miami. Both players are healing from sprained ankles, but Glennon is further along and played last week against Maryland.
"He's not full speed by any stretch of the imagination, but he's back to being able to practice," quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain said of Glennon.
Taylor's situation is less certain.
"I think there's a chance (Taylor could play), yeah," O'Cain said. "He's better. It's just limited work. If he doesn't have (his quickness) then he's not where he needs to be."
■ Florida State will wear all-black uniforms for only the third time in Saturday's home game against Boston College. Coach Bobby Bowden said that the uniforms are a marketing ploy: "Really, we're doing it for Nike. Nike wants us to do it."
■ Clemson has a long, hard road ahead to become bowl eligible, but interim Coach Dabo Swinney is undaunted.
Swinney is confident that his team can win its last three games against Duke, Virginia and South Carolina to finish bowl eligible at 7-5.
"That's just my nature," Swinney said of his optimism. "I've never been a half-empty kind of guy. Ever. Never will be. My nature is to fight to the very end. And I think we have a lot of football players on this team that have that same mindset."
■ Al Groh will return as Virginia's coach next season, and Randy Shannon has put himself in position for a contract extension at Miami.
Atheltics Director Craig Littlepage of Virginia said this week that Groh will be back for a ninth season at his alma mater. Groh is No. 2 in coaching wins at Virginia, behind George Welsh.
Kirby Hocutt, Miami's AD, said that he and Shannon haven't discussed a contract extension but that he is satisfied with the progress of the program. Shannon is in the second year of a four-year contract.
"I couldn't be more pleased," Hocutt said. "When you look at the progress that has been made on this team the future is bright. Randy has a plan. He's not sitting back there and acting off the cuff. I can see the ‘Canes back on top of the college football world."
■ Boston College needs to win at Florida State and Wake Forest and at home against Maryland to reach the ACC title game in Tampa next month.
"We have to go out and get this one in Tallahassee, and that's a tall order," Coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "It's the same thing (with FSU): speed. It doesn't change."
■ FSU will have three players back who were suspended for last week's win over Clemson -- Bert Reed, Jarmon Fortson and Nigel Carr. Coach Bobby Bowden did not cite a reason for the suspensions.
"They are not doing what they are supposed to do," Bowden said. "It's a good lesson for them: ‘Hey son, we're not depending on you. If you are going to do these things, you're going to pay the price but our team is going to go forward with or without you.'"
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