Thursday, October 27, 2005
@%$!*^$&%^#!
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Wherein SMQ laments his submission to that classic, dreaded entry: "The computer ate my blog post!"...
Oh the humanity, the cliche! SMQ is not what you would call diligent, and often dawdles over longer posts longer than necessary. But despite his time-consuming efforts, expensive machines at his disposal have not often been on his side; the "Thursday Morning Quarterback" submission has been technologically submarined into "Friday Morning Quarterback" for the second straight week, which is ridiculous almost to the point of incompetence. It's not his fault, but if he were somehow being paid to run this blog, SMQ's sorry ass would be fired and on the cold, hard, dark streets. Of course, he would have also applied by now for a computer upgrade to avoid these snafus.
Anyway, the weekly primer is still on the burner for reheating and consumption tomorrow. In the meantime, SMQ offers his thoughts on tonight's ACC throwdown/showdown in Blacksburg, which was his Game of the Century of the Week:
What's at Stake: For Boston College, potentially the future of the program, to an extent. This is one of the biggest games in B.C. history, not because the Eagles haven't played and beaten top teams before (Miami in '84, Notre Dame in '93, Virginia Tech on a couple occasions over the last five years), but because a win here, with all relevant eyes scrutinizing on national TV, would seem to signify their permanent arrival among the cream of the ACC. Virginia Tech, by contrast, is merely concerned with keeping national title hopes alive.
Boston College Wants: To keep the Hokies' defense off-balance B.C. does everything pretty well, and few offenses spread the ball around better (two good young running backs, L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callendar, with over 400 yards apiece, and eight different receivers with double-digit catches, led by more or less the go-to-guy, Will Blackmon). Control the clock. Put the game on the defense, and don't put it in bad spots. Stuff the run and get pressure on Marcus Vick with stud pass rusher Matthias Kiwanuka. Probably will need a big play from a turnover or special teams, where Kiwanuka excels as a kick blocker and Blackmon as a return man. The lower the score, and the less V-Tech has the ball, the better.
Virginia Tech Wants: Like B.C., to establish balance, beginning with the running game, and not force Vick to have to scramble for big runs every other possession to move the chains. The offense works better when the play-action gives Vick time to sit in the pocket and get the ball downfield with his arm. Tech too wants to put the game on its defense and make a big play there or on special teams, but is more likely to win without such fortune as long as Vick doesn't toss up three straight picks like he did when the running game wasn't working in the third quarter against Maryland. That won¹t fly here; B.C. will capitalize.
The Pick: Two very similar teams who want to grind it first, mix it up later and then pound it into an old school win. Ought to be a slugfest, very much like B.C.'s early loss to Florida State and V-Tech's win by attrition over Maryland. The outcomes should be similar, too, to both of those games: the Eagles are tough, but not quite talented enough to overcome the disparity against a top opponent, and Tech is content to wear teams down before delivering the late knockout blow.
 VIRGINIA TECH 27, BOSTON COLLEGE 16
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10:18 AM
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WELCOME...
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And don't let the name fool ya - second guessing the phenomenal athletic feats and split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress is for every day of the week.
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How much football does he watch? Dude's got insights on -everybody-, and by everybody, I mean everybody. Throw in some of the best writing in the blogosphere, and we're talking about a daily must-read.
- Burnt Orange Nation
SMQ starts to sound more and more like the Gregg Easterbrook of our ideal memories every day - whip-smart, systematic, omnivorous in his intellectual tastes and yet unafraid of the cheap joke.
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Just another hack writer who hasn't done one lick of research...
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...the pride of Southern Mississippi ever since Brett Favre turned into an ESPN soap opera, has the sort of prose knack that can keep you riveted to a preview about any one of D-IA's scrubbier members ... should be given gifts.
- MGoBlog
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e-mail Sunday Morning Quarterback at sundaymorningqb@yahoo.com
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PREVIOUSLY FROM SMQ:
2006 Preview
Anatomy of an Underdog
BlogPoll: 1-10/11-25/Roundtable
The ACC
The Big Ten
The Big XII
The Sun Belt
Running Departments
The Rap Sheet
July 29/Aug. 1/Aug. 9/Aug. 16/Aug.19/Aug. 25/Sept. 28/Oct. 4/Oct. 5/Oct. 18/Oct. 26/Nov. 2/Nov. 7/Nov. 8/Nov. 28/Dec. 2/Dec. 8/ Dec. 11/Dec. 18/Dec. 21/Feb. 6/Feb. 10/April 7/April 14/April 21/April 29/May 6/May 12/May 19/May 26/June 2/June 10/June 16/June 24/June 30/July 8/Aug. 4
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SMQ-APPROVED
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PAGES
News from the Big Guys
ESPN/ College Football News Wire
Sports Illustrated
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USA Today
Opinion: Columnists and bloggers
Around the Oval (Ohio State)
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The Blue-Gray Sky (Notre Dame)
Block U (Utah)
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Bruins Nation (UCLA)
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The Corporate Headquarters of the San Antonio Gunslingers
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Heisman Pundit
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Journalism is for Rock Stars (Alabama)
Mark May Be Wrong
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The 614 (Ohio State)
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The Sporting Gnomes (Clemson)
Tiger Pundit (Clemson)
We Must Ignite This Couch (West Virginia)
The Wizard of Odds
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The Blog Poll
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WANNA DO SOME RESEARCH? NERD! HERE'S SOME QUICK REFERENCES:
College Football Data Warehouse
College Football Research Center
College Football News
cfbstats.com
Football Commentary
THE STANDINGS
THE POLLS
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Passing
Receiving
All-Purpose
Scoring
Tackles
Sacks
Interceptions
Tackles For Loss
Field Goals
Punting
Kickoff Returns
Punt Returns
TEAM STATISTICS
Rushing Offense
Passing Offense
Total Offense
Scoring Offense
Rushing Defense
Passing Defense
Total Defense
Scoring Defense
Turnover Margin
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Past Seasons
2005
Thursday Morning Quarterback
Sept. 29/Oct. 6/Oct. 20/Oct. 27/Nov. 3/Nov. 10/Nov. 17/Nov. 24/Dec. 1
Sunday Morning Quarterback
Oct. 2/Oct. 23/Oct. 30/Nov. 6/Nov. 13/Nov. 27
Stat Relevance Watch
Part One/Part Two/Part Three
SMQ Bowl Blitz
New Orleans/GMAC/Las Vegas/Poinsettia/Motor City
SMQ's [Hurricane-Abbreviated] 2005 Preview
Top 25 Countdown/Methodology
All-America Team
ACC
BIG EAST
BIG TEN
BIG XII
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