The ACC looking for answers

By Brandon Rink
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

70-33.

2-13.

2-6.

That’s the Orange Bowl final West Virginia dealt Clemson Wednesday night, ACC record in BCS games now and conference mark in 2011-12 bowl games.

Even after an ACC title season, Clemson fans, quite understandably, are back on that ever-so-familiar ledge – armed with torches and pitchforks, searching for directions to Tigers defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s residence.

While ACC fans, just shake their head, and maybe even chuckle a bit at just how bad it’s become.

The ACC couldn’t do this – grabbing two BCS bids for the first time ever, and completely embarrassing the conference (obviously, Clemson more than Virginia Tech, but Hokie special teams…oof…that WAS a touchdown catch for Danny Coale though, refs).

Where is the ACC as a football conference? Nowhere near where it should be. Not even close.

Pathetic – Georgia Tech coughing up the lead to Utah in the Sun Bowl or Virginia’s matador defense against Auburn or Missouri drilling UNC or Wake Forest struggling again to a mediocre SEC team.

And the worst of all, Clemson getting obliterated by a solid, but not outstanding West Virginia team with the nation’s attention as the only game on.

They made a 9-3 West Virginia team look like a national-title contender – allowing the most points scored in bowl history (70, breaking Baylor’s record set last week), BCS record for passing touchdowns by one player (6, Geno Smith) and shattering basically every Orange Bowl offensive record (not exaggerating either, it was so sad it was funny each time the pressbox announcer had a new record to declare at Sun Life Wednesday).

WVU wide receivers ran free – whether on long pass plays or simple jet sweeps that accounted for a number of those touchdowns.

Clemson had no answer defensively, after a full month of preparation…absolutely no answers for the West Virginia attack.

Inexcusable.

The suddenness of the WVU domination was the stunning part – Clemson up 17-14 after one quarter – Smith touchdown pass putting the Mountaineers on top, crushing Andre Ellington goal-line fumble and resulting 99-yard fumble return for touchdown, Smith touchdown run, Tigers’ fumble and interception both resulting in easy West Virginia scores in the final 2:05 for the 49-20 halftime score.

West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin said it best on the 99-yard touchdown: “Man, I think that took the heart right out of them…It was a great play and we needed that. It took the life right out of them.”

Swinney on the importance of the sequence: “That was a big, big play because now all of a sudden it was 28-17, and again, all of a sudden we continued to have another turnover here and there.

“It just snowballed quickly.”

“Snowballed” just seems to understate what just happened in South Florida – it was unlike anything I’ve seen on that scale – though eerily similar on a smaller level to the 37-13 loss at NC State earlier this season (that without Sammy Watkins and left tackle Phillip Price).

It was clear on the other side – Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen used the national stage to make a declaration.

“Our guys felt like they weren’t getting much credit,” Holgorsen said. “And they wanted to make a statement in this game. Clemson is a good team, but we got the momentum, and it made us tough to catch.”

And it wouldn’t surprise me if Holgorsen didn’t enjoy twisting the knife in an ACC team, after reportedly, both the SEC and ACC shot down the Mountaineers’ maneuvers to leave the Big East for them.

Really, the Orange Bowl showed exactly what’s wrong with ACC football this round of expansion – opting for TV markets instead of trying to bring in actually good, up-and-coming football programs. 70-33 – that’s what you might’ve got, ACC, on your side in a bowl one day.

Swinney was asked the inevitable question on the ACC’s struggles in BCS games postgame.

“I’m just focused on Clemson…I’m not really concerned with anybody else,” Swinney said. “But very disappointing from that standpoint in how we played and represented our conference.”

Unfortunately, talk is cheap on the front of improving football in this conference, and the ACC will continue its march in football obscurity with its current plan – winning significant games few and far between and embarrassing itself on the national stage like this far too frequently.

Photo Gallery