College Top 25 Capsules: Defense shines as Heels beat No. 14 Hokies, 20-17

BLACKSBURG, Va. — North Carolina’s defense is as good as advertised. T.J. Yates, Shaun Draughn and the offense are improving, too.

Casey Barth kicked a 21-yard field goal on the final play and the Tar Heels’ defense, ranked seventh in the nation, stopped No. 14 Virginia Tech all night long in a 20-17 victory on Thursday night.

One week after blowing an 18-point lead in a 30-27 home loss against Florida State that had them reeling, the Tar Heels put their troubles in the past and handed the Hokies their second loss in a row. Twelve days earlier, Tech was in the national championship hunt.

"I’ve never really had this feeling before," Yates said after making several key completions. "Kicking it at the last second? It just sends chills down your spine."

The Tar Heels (5-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) got their first conference win after forcing a fumble by Ryan Williams at his own 24 with 2:02 left and running out the clock.

Barth’s field goal, his second in the final 3 minutes, just made it official.

"We knew we had to get back to the drawing board," Draughn said after running for 77 yards. "To come back and play the way we did definitely speaks volumes about out team."

The reverse may be true of the Hokies (5-3, 3-2), who until losing to No. 11 Georgia Tech 12 days ago were in the thick of the national championship picture and feeling good.

Now, with their slim ACC championship game chances probably also squandered?

"I think the motivation is to come out here so you don’t feel like this again," linebacker Cody Grimm said, dismissing a 10-win season as a motivator. "Ten wins is one thing, but I don’t want to feel like this any more and the only way to do that is to win."

No one felt worse than Williams, who started the night averaging 119 rushing yards, gained 96 and was hoping to lead the team down the field to a win until he lost the ball.

"As of right now, there probably isn’t really anything they can say to lift me up because regardless of what anybody says, personally I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today," Williams said. "It was on the line, it was in my hands and I fumbled."

The loss was the Hokies’ first in six ACC games against the Tar Heels.

Tydreke Powell caused Williams to fumble for just the second time this season — the first was on a muffed punt in the opener — and Deunta Williams recovered, setting the Tar Heels up at the Hokies 24. After six carries by Ryan Houston, Barth’s chip shot won it.

Yates, who was knocked out of the Tar Heels 20-17 loss to the Hokies last season, finished 18-for-28 for just 131 yards. He was sacked twice, both in the first quarter.

He hit Jheranie Boyd from 13 yards in the first half for the game’s first points, and Greg Little from 15 yards as the Tar Heels answered immediately after the Hokies tied it.

Yates did make one big mistake, throwing a dump pass that Rashad Carmichael intercepted at the North Carolina 11, setting up the second of Tyrod Taylor’s two touchdown runs. That gave the Hokies a 17-14 lead with 11:51 left, but Yates engineered a 16-play, 78-yard drive to a tying field goal and then the defense, fittingly, made a big play to get the win.

"I thought it was his best performance," Tar Heels coach Butch Davis said of Yates.

The Hokies finished with just 256 yards and 11 first downs.

They finally came to life with their first possession of the third quarter, and a huge play by Taylor early in the drive saved it. Facing a third-and-17 from his 11, Taylor dodged pressure and rifled a 22-yard pass to Dyrell Roberts for the first down.

Taylor followed with passes of 16 yards to Danny Coale and 15 to Xavier Boyce, Williams ran for 22 to the Tar Heels’ 14 and Virginia Tech needed seven plays to punch it in.

Taylor did that on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to tie it at 7.

The Hokies other scoring drives covered 35 yards to a field goal and 5 yards to a TD.

Taylor was 11 for 23 for 161 yards, was sacked three times and rushed numerous other times, causing him to throw the ball away. He ran the ball nine times for minus 8 yards.

The Tar Heels had done virtually nothing on offense until midway through the second quarter. On a drive that covered 84 yards in 13 plays, Yates hit Greg Little for 17 yards, Little ran for 23 around the right side to the Hokies 16 on a third-and-3 and Yates hit Boyd for 13 yards in the right corner to make it 7-0 just 2:44 before halftime.

The Hokies gained 45 yards on the first two plays of the game and seemed primed for another big Thursday night. But Jarrett Boykin fumbled after a 20-yard reception on the second play and Kendrick Burney recovered for North Carolina at its 27. The Hokies also drove to the Tar Heels 38, 34, 37 and 35, 40 before halftime and had nothing to show for it.

Features

Georgia looking for respect against No. 1 Gators

ATHENS, Ga. — When Aron White was being recruited by Georgia, he had a perception of the program that was shared by many.

"I viewed Georgia as one of those top teams," said White, a third-year sophomore who plays tight end for the Bulldogs. "They were always in the chase if not right there winning it."

Over the past few seasons, that impression has changed a bit. The Southeastern Conference is ruled by defending national champion Florida, Alabama and LSU. Georgia has slipped to that next tier of teams, and there seems to be more concern between the hedges about being usurped by up-and-coming Tennessee and its brash new coach, Lane Kiffin, than catching up with the Big Three anytime soon.

Being the fourth-best team in perhaps the nation’s best conference is nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s a little tough to stomach in these parts. After all, this is the team that reached the SEC championship game three times in coach Mark Richt’s first five seasons, winning two of them.

The Bulldogs haven’t played for the title since 2005. This season, they’re just trying to keep their head above .500 heading into Saturday’s game against top-ranked Florida.

Georgia (4-3, 3-2 SEC) could be headed to its worst season of the Richt era without a major turnaround in the final month of the season.

"No one was looking forward to this," safety Bryan Evans said. "No one was expecting it."

An upset over Florida would go a long way toward turning around the image of the program. Don’t think the Bulldogs haven’t considered the possibilities, though the Gators are a 15-point favorite to extend their domination of this bitter rivalry with a 17th win in the last 20 meetings.

"Even if both teams were unranked, it would always be a big game," Georgia quarterback Joe Cox said. "But now, with us being unranked and playing the No. 1 team in the country, it could change our season. We want to use this game as a great opportunity to turn our season around. That’s what we’re going for."

Florida coach Urban Meyer can’t understand how a team with Georgia’s talent — the Bulldogs perennially sign some of the nation’s highest-ranked recruiting classes — has already lost three games.

"I don’t get it. I don’t see it. I’m watching the film and all of a sudden the score is 45-19 and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. I just watched this game. Where did they score?"’ Meyer said, referring to Georgia’s blowout loss at Tennessee three weeks ago.

Much of the blame for Georgia’s slide has fallen on the defense, and it’s hard to argue with the numbers. The Bulldogs rank 10th in the SEC and 70th nationally in yards allowed (365.6 per game), and they haven’t done very well against either the run (54th in the nation) or the pass (90th).

No one is under more heat than defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, whose unit has surrendered at least 30 points a staggering 14 times in his four-plus seasons on the job.

Meyer finds those numbers hard to believe.

"I see a bunch of great players. They are well-schemed," the Florida coach said. "I think it’s elsewhere that things are happening."

He’s right to a degree. There are other problems, most notably a running game that ranks last in the SEC and 103rd nationally with a dismal 108-yard average. That’s rather hard to take at a school such as Georgia, which has produced a string of dazzling tailbacks from Herschel Walker to Knowshon Moreno.

The most hideous number of all is the turnover ratio. The Bulldogs have lost eight fumbles and thrown nine interceptions, but the defense has come up with only one fumble and five interceptions. At minus-11, the Bulldogs trail every team in the nation but one in that crucial category.

To recap: Georgia is struggling to run, having trouble stopping the run, and keeps coming up on the short end of turnovers. Not exactly a winning formula. Not exactly what one would expect from a supposedly powerhouse program.

Of course, the Bulldogs can take a major step in the right direction with a win Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

"We can put ourselves back in a situation where people view us a top team, a force to be reckoned with," White said. "We wear this ‘G’ with pride. We’re not just playing for us. We’re playing for everybody who ever wore the ‘G."’

-- Paul Newberry

No. 5 Cincinnati determined to stay in hunt

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — First-year Syracuse coach Doug Marrone hoped Cincinnati would be undefeated when it came to town. He has his wish.

The fifth-ranked Bearcats (7-0, 3-0 Big East) visit the Carrier Dome on Saturday, fully intent on leaving with their unblemished record intact.

Heck, they can’t wait to play in a venue that can be deafening — depending on the score, of course.

"I’ve never been to New York before," wideout D.J. Woods said. "Last year, I got to go to Hawaii for a free trip and to Miami for a free trip, so now I’m traveling to New York. I’ve been around the world, it feels like, so I’m excited."

Cincinnati is off to its best start since 1954, when it won its first eight games, and is on track to for its second straight Big East title. Syracuse (3-4, 0-2) is 1-13 against ranked teams since the start of the 2005 season and has three conference wins in the past four years.

If something is going to give, it would appear to be the Orange.

Syracuse’s players don’t think so.

"I really like our chances," tight end Mike Owen said. "We’re coming in probably more relaxed than ever. People aren’t really giving us a chance. They’ve got an explosive offense. We’ve got to control the clock, we’ve got to run the ball like we did last week. We’ve just got to come out here and play our game, come out with a win. That would help turn this program around."

Syracuse has been tested often this season. Its schedule ranks as the 14th-toughest nationally, and the Orange already have played three teams from the Big Ten and two of the Big East’s more formidable foes in West Virginia and South Florida.

None of those teams quite measures up to the Bearcats. They rank second in the country in scoring (40.7) and passing efficiency (163.89), seventh in total offense (458.57 yards per game), and have the fewest turnovers in the nation with four, all interceptions.

Cincinnati is the only team in the country that has not lost a fumble.

"That’s impressive," Marrone said.

Cincinnati is expected to start backup Zach Collaros at quarterback for the second straight week while starter Tony Pike recovers from surgery to repair a protective plate in his non-passing arm. The stakes are high again for the Bearcats — they must win to stay in the debate about national title contenders.

The forced change at the high-profile position hasn’t had much of an effect so far.

"They pretty much feel that whoever’s back there (at quarterback) is going to get it done," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said. "So I don’t know that it’s much of an issue with us."

It sure doesn’t seem so. When Pike damaged the plate in his forearm two weeks ago at South Florida, Collaros came in and ran for a pair of touchdowns as the Bearcats pulled away in the second half for a 34-17 win.

A week ago, in his first collegiate start, Collaros was 15 of 17 for 253 yards in a 41-10 home victory over struggling Louisville.

"I definitely had some butterflies," Collaros said. "Being out there, you just get into a different mode. It felt good."

Syracuse is coming off an important home victory over Akron that was keyed by Delone Carter’s 170 yards rushing, and the Orange defense made life miserable for another quarterback who was making his second collegiate start. They sacked Andrew Nicely five times and held the Zips to zero yards rushing, Syracuse’s best performance against the run in 18 years.

Like everybody else who’s played the Bearcats, the Orange will have their hands full with wideout Mardy Gilyard. He’s caught eight scoring passes this year, is averaging 14.3 yards per reception and 96 yards receiving per game. Gilyard and needs one touchdown catch to set a school record with 23.

"They’ve got a lot of speed, a lot of athleticism," Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus said. "They make plays all over the place."

Syracuse will counter with its own star wideout, Mike Williams, who’s averaging 118.7 receiving yards per game and has scored six times. He returns after a one-game suspension for violating team policy.

Syracuse enters the game ranked sixth nationally against the run (83.42 ypg), but 115th in pass defense (271 ypg).

Those numbers don’t matter to Kelly.

"You still have to connect," he said. "One of the fears you always have as a coach is that you know all those things, but you’ve still got to catch it and throw it and you’ve still got to make those plays."

-- John Kekis

Broncos’ Moore shrugs off praise for season

BOISE, Idaho — Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore will take substance over style any day, a fine philosophy to live by since playing in this college football outpost doesn’t bring the kind of attention heaped on quarterbacks at the nation’s marquee schools.

That could soon change for Moore. At the season’s midway point, his statistics are good enough to match or best most of his peers.

He is not a flashy scrambler, doesn’t have a cannon for an arm and is not a vocal or animated leader. But his ability to make good decisions, spread the ball to all his receivers and outwit opposing defenses are the biggest reasons the sixth-ranked Broncos are undefeated and making a case for another BCS bid.

Through seven games, Moore leads the nation with 21 touchdown passes and has just two interceptions. He’s the nation’s most efficient passer with a rating of 172.15 and has completed 68 percent of his throws for 1,627 yards. His 69 percent career mark is second only to Texas’ Colt McCoy among active quarterbacks.

With a modesty he’s shown since becoming the Broncos’ starter as a redshirt freshman last season, Moore shrugs off the growing praise for his achievements on the field and the simmering chatter that his name be added to Heisman debates.

"Some people want to throw a name to this team, and if it’s mine, that’s exciting for the program," Moore said. "But I’ve got enough to deal with week in and week out. If I get caught up in myself, then it takes away from something else."

For now, that something else is helping Boise State remain undefeated.

They’re 7-0 headed into Saturday’s matchup with San Jose State (1-5, 0-2 Western Athletic) and in position to win their second straight conference title.

Last year, Moore guided the Broncos to a 12-0 regular-season record, with the only loss coming in the Poinsettia Bowl against TCU, the team that leapfrogged Boise State in the BCS standings this week.

But don’t blame Moore for the Broncos slight dip in the BCS rankings.

Last week, he threw five TDs in a 54-9 victory at Hawaii, putting together his best game of the season and helping unleash an offense that had sputtered in the red zone the last two games against lesser opponents like UC Davis and Tulsa.

Against the Warriors, Moore was 18 of 30 for 223 yards, hitting nine different receivers — including his younger brother Kirby — and managing to sidestep the rush just enough to avoid getting sacked, the fourth game without being sacked this season.

It was the kind of smart, mistake-free performance Broncos coach Chris Petersen has come to expect since making Moore the first freshman to start a season opener in school history.

Last season, the lefty threw for 3,486 yards and 25 TDs and was WAC Freshman of the Year. If there is a lasting stain on the season, though, it may have been Moore’s interception in the final minutes of that 17-16 loss to TCU in the season finale.

So this season, Moore decided to focus even more on the mental and fundamental aspect of his game, vowing to make fewer mistakes and off-target throws.

In many ways, the extra attention to detail has paid dividends for a quarterback Petersen acknowledges is the sometimes one step ahead of the coaches on the field and in the film room.

"Its interesting from the sideline, because when I think he missed something or could have gone somewhere else with a throw, you put the tape on and you see why he did what he did. And coach is wrong again," said Petersen, who helps keep Moore focused on football by limiting his media access to once every other week.

"That is probably the most impressive thing about him, the way he continues to play at a pretty high level."

Moore, who threw for 4,269 yards and 67 touchdowns as a high school senior in his father’s pass-happy, spread offense at Prosser, Wash., doesn’t get to air it out like he once did because the Broncos have such a potent running game. Led by the tandem of Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin, the Broncos are averaging 192 yards a game on the ground and 5 yards per carry.

With that kind of rushing attack, Moore has had just three games this season with 30 or more passing attempts. So far, he’s managed to make the most of his chances by focusing even more on improving his practice and game prep habits.

"All off season we were focusing on being more efficient, being more accurate with the ball and making better decisions," Moore said. "And I think that definitely translates to the games, working on details a little more."

-- Todd Dvorak

Banged up No. 7 Iowa turns to freshman RB Wegher

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Last October, Brandon Wegher was starring for Bishop Heelan High in Sioux City, Iowa, and dreaming of leading the Crusaders to the state title game.

On Saturday, he’ll be the starting tailback for No. 7 Iowa (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten), which still has dreams of playing in the BCS national title game in Pasadena, Calif.

No pressure, kid.

Wegher, who split carries with fellow freshman Adam Robinson for most of the season, is now Iowa’s No. 1 back. Robinson sprained his ankle in last week’s win at Michigan State and will likely be sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season, leaving Wegher to carry the load.

Asked if Wegher was ready for the 20 to 25 carries he might get starting with Saturday’s game against Indiana (4-4, 1-3), Ferentz tried his hand at gallows humor.

"We’ll find out. He’s the next guy in," Ferentz said.

And perhaps, the last guy in.

Wegher has rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns this season and is the only running back with more than 10 carries left for the Hawkeyes, who’ve reeled off the best start in school history despite significant turmoil in the backfield.

The woes started in January, when Shonn Greene announced his intentions to enter the NFL Draft just moments after leading the Hawkeyes to a win over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

It was a big blow, but the thinking was that the Hawkeyes would be OK without him. They returned a standout offensive line and promising sophomore back Jewel Hampton, who rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns spelling Greene in 2008.

Hampton never made it to this year’s opener, felled by a knee injury that sidelined him for the season. He was joined on the sidelines by redshirt freshman Jeff Brinson, who hasn’t played all season and likely won’t because of an undisclosed injury.

Iowa turned to unheralded junior Paki O’Meara for the season opener, but that lasted about a half. O’Meara was ineffective and has rarely played since.

The Hawkeyes eventually settled on Robinson and Wegher. Though neither was spectacular, Robinson and Wegher solidified Iowa’s backfield and gave the Hawkeyes just enough pop in the run game to keep defenses honest.

Robinson slowly emerged as Iowa’s No. 1 back, with career highs of 27 carries and 109 yards against Michigan State. His injury leaves the backfield as just Wegher, O’Meara and freshman Brad Rogers, whom the Iowa coaching staff had planned to redshirt.

"We are running out of bodies. In the backfield it’s not a real crowded room right now," Ferentz said.

Though Iowa isn’t sure how Wegher will perform in the top spot, they’ve been excited about his potential even before he set foot on campus.

Wegher was one of the Hawkeyes’ most ballyhooed recruits in recent memory, having rushed for 3,238 yards and 54 touchdowns in his senior year of high school.

Though he wasn’t expected to play right away, he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in his backfield debut against Iowa State. He’s been up and down ever since, with just 30 yards on six attempts against the Spartans.

But Ferentz has said all year that Iowa’s youngsters have played a major role in the winning streak and he believes Wegher can continue that trend.

"I’m really impressed with him and based on the limited exposure we have had so far, my guess is he’ll rise to the challenge," Ferentz said. "He’s that kind of football player. Very tough-minded."

-- Luke Meredith

Oregon QB Masoli keeps his head down, goes to work

EUGENE, Ore. — Through it all this season, Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has put his head down and gone to work.

The loss to Boise State, the suspension of pal LeGarrette Blount, the boos, an injury, the Ducks’ return to the rankings. Masoli has seen it all in the season’s first seven games.

And on Saturday night he’ll see USC.

As usual, Masoli isn’t ruffled by the Halloween clash between the No. 10 Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-10) and the fourth-ranked Trojans (6-1, 3-1) at Autzen Stadium.

"There’s a lot of headlines for this game and a lot of things to be looking at, but a lot of that stuff has nothing to do with the actual football game," he said.

Masoli’s stats don’t put him atop the league’s statistical categories. He’s passed for 905 yards and five touchdowns, with just two interceptions. Known more for his scrambling ability, he’s rushed for 272 yards and seven TDS.

But coach Chip Kelly said that intangibles make Masoli a success.

"I think first and foremost Jeremiah is just a winner. His record, I think he’s only lost three games once in the Coliseum last year at ‘SC and then on the road at Boise State and on the road at Cal last year, but besides that he’s won every game," Kelly said.

Masoli is 9-2 as a starter in Pac-10 games, and he’s 5-0 at Autzen.

The junior college transfer was Oregon’s fifth-string quarterback heading into fall camp last season. But injuries and inexperience bumped him up the ladder, and he went on to start 10 games for the Ducks.

He capped his Pac-10 debut season with four touchdowns — one in the air and three on the ground — in Oregon’s 42-31 victory over Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl.

He was hailed as one of the nation’s best returning quarterbacks for his junior year this season. But he and the Ducks got off to a rocky start with a humbling 19-8 loss on the blue turf at Boise State in front of a national television audience.

It went from bad to worse after the game when Blount punched Broncos defensive end Byron Hout. The next day Blount — the Ducks’ top returning running back — was suspended for the season.

The Ducks rebounded with a 38-36 victory over Purdue, then beat then-No. 18 Utah 31-24 to snap the Utes’ 16-game winning streak. But Masoli completed just four of 16 passes for 95 yards.

Despite the victory — and Oregon’s return to the rankings — Masoli was roundly criticized by Ducks fans on Internet message boards and on sports radio shows. Detractors called for his benching in favor of backup Nate Costa, who is more of a traditional passing quarterback.

Masoli admitted later that there was no way he could avoid hearing all the haters. So he came back the next week and threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns in Oregon’s 42-3 upset of then-No. 6 California.

The next game Masoli was challenged again, injuring his knee in the first half of the Ducks’ 52-6 victory over Washington State. He sat out of Oregon’s next game, a 24-10 victory at UCLA, before resting over a bye week.

Masoli returned last Saturday for a 43-19 victory at Washington. He passed for 157 yards and a touchdown, and ran for two more scores, but said afterward he was only about "70 to 75 percent." He said this week at practice he felt fine.

Plus, there was nothing that was going to keep him away from Southern California.

"Definitely a little more heightened," Masoli said about the emotion surrounding the game. "We’re not doing nothing too different, but it is ‘SC week and that is a big game this week, a lot of things on the line. We understand that and we’re a mature team and all we have to do is go in and execute."

The Ducks remain the only undefeated team in the Pac-10, and a win on Saturday could point the way to the conference championship.

USC coach Pete Carroll said Masoli is different from the quarterbacks the Trojans have faced because of his size — he’s a compact 5-foot-11 and 214 solid pounds. Probably the closest has been Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

"They both run tough, and they are hard to tackle and effective. They are not the guys that you are going to see dropping back and living in the pocket throwing the football," Carroll said.

-- Anne M. Peterson

Tech’s option is nothing new for Vandy’s Johnson

ATLANTA — Bobby Johnson may know more about Paul Johnson’s spread option offense than any other head coach in the nation.

That could be bad news for Paul Johnson and No. 11 Georgia Tech — but only if Bobby Johnson has enough time to pass his knowledge to his Vanderbilt players.

The former Southern Conference coaching rivals will meet for the ninth time when Georgia Tech plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday night. Georgia Tech (7-1) brings a five-game winning streak into Nashville, while Vanderbilt (2-6) has lost four straight.

An equalizer could be Bobby Johnson’s familiarity with the Georgia Tech offense, but he says one week may not be enough time for his players to learn how to defend the spread option, including the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option plays with quarterback Josh Nesbitt, running backs Jonathan Dwyer and Anthony Allen and leading receiver Demaryius Thomas.

"I have a pretty good knowledge of what he does, but for me to get that over to our players is the trick," said Bobby Johnson, who said defensive coordinator Bruce Fowler "has been working against that offense for years and years."

"There are all kinds of things that we could dream up, but you can’t get them taught that quickly," Johnson said.

Paul Johnson and Bobby Johnson were annual opponents when the two battled for Southern Conference bragging rights at Georgia Southern and Furman, respectively.

Each coach took bigger jobs in 2002. Paul Johnson, who was at Georgia Southern from 1997-2001 and won national championships in 1999 and 2000, was hired by Navy. Bobby Johnson, who was the head coach at Furman from 1994-2001, was hired by Vanderbilt.

Paul Johnson is 6-2 against Bobby Johnson, including 4-2 at Georgia Southern. The coaching rivalry continued with Navy’s wins over Vanderbilt in 2003 and ‘04.

"I’ve got a lot of respect for Bobby Johnson," said Paul Johnson, who is 16-5 in his second season in Atlanta. "He and I go back a ways. They’re going to have a good idea of what we’re doing and they always have a good plan against us."

The two coaches agree that knowledge of the offense does not provide any secrets to stopping the attack.

"We’ve been around long enough and Bobby understands, he’s a good coach, there is no magic blueprint to stop it," Paul Johnson said. "There is no way you line up. You just have to make plays. You have to beat blocks and make plays just like against any other offense. There have been times they’ve done a great job of it and times we’ve scored on them."

Vanderbilt has not scored more than 10 points in any of its five SEC games — all losses — but it ranks a respectable 23rd in the nation with its average of 17.8 points allowed. The Commodores are coming off a 14-10 loss at South Carolina.

Georgia Tech is averaging 32.6 points, leads the nation in time of possession and ranks second with 292 yards rushing per game. The Yellow Jackets had 71 rushing attempts and held the ball almost 43 minutes in last week’s 34-9 win at Virginia.

Bobby Johnson said the offense creates one-on-one matchups. One breakdown on defense leads to big plays for Georgia Tech.

"The problem is that no matter how much I know or our coaches know, you’ve got to get it taught to the players," Bobby Johnson said. "It’s something they don’t see very often.

"You just have to be as simple as possible for your players so they can at least try to execute and maybe have a surprise look here and there just to slow them down a little bit. Other than that, it’s just beating blocks and making tackles."

Paul Johnson says he becomes frustrated with the predictable criticisms of the offense. When he was hired by Georgia Tech, he heard the scheme wouldn’t work in a major conference. Then the talk was opposing teams would adjust in the second season.

He says every loss, however rare, prompts critics to say, "‘Here’s the blueprint. It’s over now. That’s the way you stop the offense. It’s dead now.’

"And you don’t hear that with other offenses," he said.

Paul Johnson doesn’t have to worry about hearing that criticism from this week’s opposing coach.

"There is no key," said Bobby Johnson, when asked about stopping the spread option. "If there were a key, someone would have it. Nobody has figured it out and there is no way to figure it out."

-- Charles Odum

Gibson glad he stayed at Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two years ago, Thaddeus Gibson was close to leaving the Ohio State football team because he felt he was a forgotten man.

Now he’s one of the best defensive linemen in the Big Ten and part of a front wall that is the strength of the No. 17 Buckeyes.

"I just appreciate those guys sticking with me," he said of the coaching staff and his teammates. "Being young and anxious to play, coming from a high school where you were the all-star guy, coming here and not having the opportunity was just hard for me."

Gibson, now a junior starting defense end for the Buckeyes, was an acclaimed linebacker recruit out of Euclid High School in suburban Cleveland. He was known for his pass rush, with 10 sacks and 24 hurries as a senior. He also played basketball.

When he came to Ohio State, he was shifted to defensive line and found that he was behind several quality players. He redshirted his first year, then played special teams and seldom got in on defense.

"Sometimes you want it too fast, you want to come in and be the man," teammate and fellow lineman Doug Worthington said. "I just had to let him know that you’ve got a couple of guys in front of you that are pretty good in Vernon Gholston and all the other defensive linemen, like Jay Richardson. You’ve got to take your time and just go out and prepare."

Gibson still wasn’t sure it was worth the wait.

Coach Jim Tressel knew that Gibson was unhappy, but didn’t think he’d return home.

"No. He didn’t have a car, I don’t think. (It’s) a long walk to Euclid," Tressel cracked earlier this week. "And kids don’t hitchhike anymore."

Ohio State’s coaches talked to him, including defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. Along with his friends, they finally persuaded Gibson to stick it out and wait for his turn.

Tressel said Gibson learned a valuable lesson.

"Patience. That’s a great thing for anyone to learn in whatever they’re involved in," he said. "Whether they’re at Ohio State, New Mexico State, Minnesota, wherever they are, (young players) have been recruited (and) they’ve been given the impression that their services are sorely needed and the world’s going to be wonderful if they’ll just come here. Well, the world isn’t wonderful anywhere to everyone’s liking and it’s maybe a lot more difficult. You get surprised a little bit and disappointed and impatient."

Gibson channeled his disappointment into hard work. He became a starter a year ago and is currently the Big Ten’s co-defensive player of the week after recording a career-high three sacks in last Saturday’s 38-7 win over Minnesota.

"We tease Thad all the time about how he was sitting on the stairs saying, ‘I’m out of here,’ and a couple older guys put their arm around him and said, ‘Yeah, I was on the same stairs and you’ll be fine,"’ Tressel said.

Worthington, who also once had doubts about his future at Ohio State, looks at Gibson and is pleased by the transformation.

"Thad had a lot of down time and lot of time when he didn’t know where he was going in his career. I’ve seen his athletic ability and how hard he worked. All of it is paying off," Worthington said. "Now he’s as happy as ever. It just took a little bit of guidance and a little bit of help. I was glad to be there, because there were a lot of guys there for me."

Heading into Saturday’s game against 40-point underdog New Mexico State, Gibson has 9.5 tackles for minus yardage, four sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

In his soft, low voice, he knows that his turnaround started when he began listening to his teammates and coaches two years ago.

"I look back on it and Im thankful for that happening to me because I think it made me a better person today," he said. "And a better player."

-- Rusty Miller

Vols Kiffin takes on the coach he’s long admired

COLUMBIA, S.C. — He grew up far away from the Southeastern Conference, but Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin still scanned the dial on Saturday, looking for Steve Spurrier swaggering down the sidelines.

He loved how those Florida teams in the 1990s came on the field looking like they were going to win, then usually crushed their opponents. And he liked the coach in his visor, so confident he could tweak his opponents with a devastatingly on-point joke.

"It’s his personality, and it’s how he walks on the sideline. It’s how those great offenses and all those great receivers and quarterbacks. They had a confidence about them," Kiffin said Tuesday.

Now, Kiffin gets to take on the coach he watched so closely. Spurrier’s No. 21 Gamecocks head to Tennessee on Saturday in a game critical to the Vols’ bowl hopes and South Carolina’s goal of becoming a yearly SEC East contender.

The 34-year-old Tennessee coach stormed into the SEC, picking fights and speaking his mind since taking over in December. He’s been reprimanded twice by the SEC for hinting Florida coach Urban Meyer was cheating in recruiting and, a week ago, suggesting referees might throw a "magical flag" on his team if they tried to get any more yards before a failed field goal attempt to beat then-No. 1 Alabama.

Spurrier was the first SEC coach Kiffin took on. The South Carolina coach suggested Kiffin started recruiting before he passed a necessary test. Kiffin fired back that he passed the test online, missing just one question, and challenged Spurrier to release his score.

The Vols also hired away South Carolina quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator David Reaves, who is Kiffin’s brother-in-law. Reaves immediately began calling some of the recruits he had secured for the Gamecocks.

Spurrier hasn’t said much this week about the new kid on the SEC block. "That’s for all you media people to comment on that. I’m trying to worry about my own team here," said Spurrier, who in the past hasn’t stayed away from praising SEC colleagues like the Crimson Tide’s Nick Saban or Kentucky’s Rich Brooks.

Perhaps the ‘ol ball coach said all he needed to several months ago at the SEC spring meetings, when Kiffin complained thatSpurrier didn’t apologize for suggesting he cheated by starting to recruit early.

Spurrier caught the Tennessee coach waiting for an elevator, pointed at him, turned to several nearby reporters and told Kiffin he didn’t accuse him of cheating. Kiffin mumbled as Spurrier kept talking. The elevator arrived and Spurrier’s twang could still be heard as the doors shut.

Twenty seasons ago, Spurrier was the brash newcomer on the SEC sidelines when he took over at his alma mater Florida. He was older than Kiffin — 45 when he started coaching the Gators — and had six years of head coaching experience at Duke and in the USFL.

Spurrier also had a more successful start. Kiffin is 1-3 in the conference, while Spurrier’s first Florida team would have won the league title had it not been on probation, and he didn’t lose his third SEC game until early in his third season with the Gators. He would go on to six league titles with the Gators — seven if you’re Spurrier and count the probation year.

Kiffin watched those teams intently, first as a three-sport high school star in Minnesota and later as a quarterback at Fresno State.

"When I was growing up, he was probably the one guy that I looked at," Kiffin said. "To me, when you watched his teams play and the intensity and the swagger and they way that they walked, I think that they represented him because he was so confident in the way he came across."

Spurrier also spoke his mind. But the biting comments didn’t start coming until after he started winning titles.

Kiffin’s heard most of them, like Spurrier’s jab, "You can’t spell Citrus without U-T," pointing out how frequently the Vols had to settle for a second-tier bowl because his Florida teams were in the Sugar Bowl. Or telling a reporter who asked if Florida could be Georgia, "Is Ray Goff still the coach there?" Spurrier was 6-0 against Goff’s teams.

"He’s hilarious. I think he always has been," Kiffin said. "I think the way that he acts is great for football, and it’s great for the league, but that’s just my opinion."

-- Jeffrey Collins

McCarthy keeps making big plays for Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Safety Kyle McCarthy has gone from dependable to indispensable for Notre Dame.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound team captain is leading the Fighting Irish in tackles with 59 and is third in the nation with five interceptions. Not bad for a guy who worked his way up from a player whose biggest contribution as a freshman was being quarterback for the scout team before the Navy game.

McCarthy not only has become the steadiest player on a shaky defense, but he has consistently made big plays for the 25th-ranked Irish (5-2).

Against Michigan State, McCarthy sealed the victory with an interception at the 4-yard line with 57 seconds left. He hit Washington receiver D’Andre Goodwin so hard at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-19 on the final play in overtime that he jarred the ball loose, knocked Goodwin’s helmet off and ended the game. Last week against Boston College he had two second-half interceptions.

"He’s made game-changing plays, seal-the-victory type of plays," coach Charlie Weis said. "You can’t give him enough credit for that."

McCarthy is moving from strong safety to free safety against Washington State (1-6) this week as Notre Dame tries to stabilize a secondary that keeps giving up big passing plays.

Defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta said McCarthy’s intelligence and anticipation are key.

"He’s very aware of what’s going on. He’s almost in their huddle a lot of times," he said.

McCarthy is an even-keeled player. He didn’t get upset after he was flooded with phone calls from friends asking what happened after an ESPN announcer incorrectly blamed him for a blown coverage that led to a Purdue touchdown earlier this season.

"We’re a team, and I’m the leader of the defense, so obviously I take full responsibility for that play," he said. "Getting called out on national TV, it’s not really cool, but I guess it comes with playing football at Notre Dame."

McCarthy graduated with a degree in finance last spring. He’s taking graduate classes in environmental crisis, human anthropology and piano. Asked about his piano playing, McCarthy replied: "I have no previous expertise in the area. However, not that I need help, but I feel the female population might like that out of me."

McCarthy is more likely to be playing in the NFL than a recital hall. Weis said McCarthy is always one of the first players pro scouts ask about.

"How many tackles do you see the guy miss? He’s always making a play. You can’t put a value on that," Weis said.

Weis said it’s gratifying to see McCarthy doing so well because he works so hard.

McCarthy, whose grandfather, Jack Mayo, was captain of the 1947 Irish baseball team, grew up dreaming of playing for the Irish, saying he was "brainwashed" early growing up in Youngstown, Ohio.

"Just being an Irish Catholic kid, last name McCarthy, I didn’t really have a chance," he said.

He attended his first Notre Dame game as a 7-year-old in 1994, a heartbreaking loss when Michigan won on a 42-yard field goal with 2 seconds left. As a high school senior, McCarthy wasn’t offered a scholarship by Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham. After Willingham was fired, Weis gave McCarthy a chance.

He played mostly special teams as a sophomore. As a junior, he started getting on the field as a backup, even starting against Navy. As a full-time starter last season, he finished with 110 tackles, a record for an Irish defensive back.

"He’s a perfect example of really what college football used to be," Weis said. "You come in, you pay your dues, and you just keep on working your butt off and then eventually you get your opportunity to get on the field and you make the most of it."

McCarthy takes pride in that.

"I just took it one day at a time. I didn’t try to think too far ahead. I just tried to take it a practice at a time, work hard in the weight room and the classroom. I had to work for everything I’ve got here," he said. "I feel like I did it the right way."

-- Tom Coyne

ND’s Allen, Parris will be game-time decisions

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame tailback Armando Allen Jr. and receiver Robby Parris might not play against Washington State on Saturday because of injuries.

Coach Charlie Weis said Thursday there are several injured players for the 25th-ranked Fighting Irish (5-2) who will be game-time decisions. Weis said he wants to do everything he can to beat Washington State (1-6) in San Antonio, but several players need time to heal.

Parris aggravated his injured right leg last week against Boston College. Allen has been bothered by a right ankle he sprained a month ago.

More injuries for Miami: Moncur, Armstrong out

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Running back Javarris James, defensive end Eric Moncur and safety Ray Ray Armstrong all have been ruled out of No. 18 Miami’s game at Wake Forest on Saturday.

The school listed all three injuries as "lower extremity." It’s more of the same for Miami, which has not had its first-string defense together for any game this season.

Matt Bosher — who will handle kickoffs, in addition to placekicking and punting — is listed as probable because of an undisclosed illness. The school also confirmed that linebacker Sean Spence (knee) has been ruled out for the week.