Conference Calls: Polishing an ACC Performance

Senior offensive tackle Will Barker can't protect this house all by himself. With an O-line roster comprising a lot of freshmen and sophomore players, there isn't any obvious candidate to stand up and start contributing. Worse still, the light at the end of the tunnel is dwindling: incoming offensive lineman Morgan Moses, a huge recruiting get for UVa, didn't qualify to attend this season and is spending a year in prep school -- a year that might prompt him to reconsider his commitment if Virginia fans get their wish and toss coach Al Groh.

This is one reason that a quarterback-committee scheme never made any sense for Virginia: What's the use in prepping a quarterback for next season if Groh isn't going to have a job there? Sewell looks good under pretty-much-constant pressure, his opponents admire the way he plays, and he finds the rare holes that his offensive line provides. At 0-3, Groh is looking at a third-and-long situation: He needs to come up with some victories and get another set of downs -- another season to coach, if you follow me. His best bet is to double down on Sewell and think about some miracle growth for his O-line -- not rugby punts or next year's star.

#13 Virginia Tech vs #19 Nebraska: As a Big XII fan, I will tell you that the emergence of Nebraska after years spent in rebuilding is both welcome and worrisome. There is possibly no state more dedicated to football than lonely ol' Nebraska; when Memorial Stadium is filled to capacity, it's the third largest city in the state, after Omaha and Lincoln. But this 16-15 loss to the Hokies reveals that whatever the Huskers have regained in recent seasons, the team still lacks the mental edge to win against ranked opponents. Make no mistake, neither team played good football. But this was Nebraska's game to lose in the fourth quarter, when the team drove to first-and-goal from the 6 yard line, only to give away 30 yards in sloppy penalties and finally punt into the end zone. The Hokie offense generated only a fraction of the yardage it gained in an out-sized win against Marshall last week, but it also managed to avoid any turnovers. Virginia Tech will need to do better than not lose in next week's game against #9 Miami (FL).

Maryland vs Middle Tennessee State: Four turnovers will do it every time. By the numbers, Maryland played better football against Midd-Tenn, generating greater total offensive yards, incurring fewer penalties, and converting more than twice as many times on third down. But two fumbles from Maryland rusher Da'Rel Scott led the Blue Raiders to two scores for a 13-7 lead by halftime. Then it was up to the quarterbacks: Backup QB Jamarr Robinson fumbled and quarterback Chris Turner threw an interception. That so many people contributed to the team's loss underscores the game's good play: Maryland looked like they were in control. But they should have looked angry in this grudge-match at home against Middle Tennessee, who stunned them on the road last year.

Duke vs #22 Kansas: Crucial three-point contributions! Kansas scoring leader Todd Ressing was 28/41 from the line! Yet since this big college rivalry game was played out on a football field, the lopsided 44-16 loss hardly merits any exclamations. It's possibly impressive how dominant Jayhawks quarterback Ressing was in this game, maybe. He probably didn't expect to throw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns when his opponent held the ball for more time during the game, especially after Duke came out strong, scoring on two plays during their first possession. Duke's defense never matched the offensive gusto, though. In true Kansas fashion, lead rusher Toben Opurum matched Reesing's effort with a solid performance in the low post, grinding out 70 yards and two touchdowns.

How did #2 Texas do? So glad you asked. Longhorns fans have a lot to think about over the next week: The team looked less than perfect against a tough but appropriately underrated opponent on Saturday, and getting to the title requires nothing less than perfection. (Fortunately, the #1 Gators only eeked out their win against the Rocky Top-happy upstarts from Tennessee.) Texas Tech is a perennial Big XII spoiler who, of course, upset Texas last year after a grueling schedule of games on the road against top-ranked opponents. No doubt, this year the Red Raiders put in a good, even typical performance marked by negative rushing yards and an astronomical passing game. But Tech also returns with a weaker team that's prone to make mistakes: the boys from Lubbock set back their cause with more than 100 yards lost to penalties. If quarterback Colt McCoy is going to make a run for both the Heisman and the national title -- and he shouldn't settle for less -- then he is going to need to stop throwing INTs and lead the offense to scores early. Nevertheless, Texas comes away with the win and the revenge. Plus Jordan Shipley didn't get impaled, which is a good thing.