This week I've had the pleasure of chatting with the basketball expert from Florida State blog Scalp 'Em, Bill. He did an excellent job answering my questions, which follow below. He also posted my pre-game report, so make sure to head over to Scalp 'Em for that or anything else FSU related.

1. Wednesday’s loss to Duke must have been tough to swallow considering how close the ‘Noles kept the game until very late. Any thoughts on this loss? How will this loss affect FSU for Sunday’s game?

Bill: It was certainly another tough close loss. FSU had its chances after battling back from 17 points down but could not close the deal. With Jason Rich picking up two early fouls, that really threw the game plan off and the team experienced some loss of focus mostly on the defensive end in that first half. It was a much different story in the second. But that is why Duke is Duke. They have experienced this many times and know how to win games at the end. But the one thing about Florida State under Leonard Hamilton is that he has always gotten this team prepared for the next game. With the exception of one game a few years ago coincidently against Wake Forest where the team just fell apart after having several close losses in a row, FSU has picked itself up and has come back out in the next game to give its next opponent a tough battle. I expect that to be the case on Sunday.

2. When I look at FSU’s statistics I see several pretty good players but no one stands out as a superstar. Interestingly enough, four of the five players who average double digits are guards. If you had to pick one (or if you must, two) players who are the team’s “stars” who would they be and why?

Bill: And that’s how Hamilton wants it. He wants that scoring by committee concept. This season is the first season he has really gotten that. With the graduation of Al Thornton it was necessary to have this many players in double figures. Last season we tended to stand around and watch Al take over a game. But to name a star, Jason Rich is the first one I think of. He is a player that is determined to take the ball to the rim and is very hard to stop for any team. The weird thing about Jason is I have never seen a guy work so hard to get to the rim, put the shot up, and then see it trickle or roll off the rim as many times as I have seen Jason’s shots. It’s just bizarre how many times that happens. He would have a much better scoring average by probably four points a game if some of those went down. But the other thing about Jason is because of the short handed front court he has been forced to play power forward on defense. He has taken on that role quite well defending players taller and bigger than he is and done an admirable job of it.

3. The ‘Noles have played three pretty close games in conference so far but have only managed one win. What is the missing key to winning these close games rather than losing them?

Bill: As with just about any game on any team that loses a close game it’s a play here or there at the end that costs you the win. With Clemson it was two miracle shots, one in regulation and one in the first overtime, that prevented the win for FSU. When it got to the second overtime the Seminoles had zilch left in the tank. Toney Douglas played 49 minutes in that game. Jason played 48. They were dogged tired at that point. Against Duke, Kyle Singlar’s three pointer to take the lead back at 57-55 and then later Greg Paulus’ steal and layup giving the Blue Devils a 60-55 lead with 2:29 left really took the wind out of the sails for FSU. But if you ask Hamilton he will tell you the game was lost in the first half when we did not execute certain defensive principles specifically worked on in practice for the Duke game. Getting down by that large of a margin once again expended so much energy getting back into the game that the ‘Noles ran out of gas again helped along by that short bench. But then there was the Georgia Tech game where I feel Hamilton coached one of his better games because he had just learned less than 48 hours earlier that Solomon Alabi was done for the season and Julian Vaughn was out indefinitely. Here again Rich came through at the end recognizing what the defense was giving and put pressure on the defense pulling up and hitting that game winning jumper. So we know they are capable of winning the tight game.

4. Looking again at Sunday’s game where do you see FSU matching up well against Wake? Anything you expect to struggle with?

Bill: Here is where teams have had to deal with FSU. I mentioned Jason at the four spot and what he has had to contend with on defense. The opposite holds true for the opponents. They have had to deal with Jason. A power forward has found it very difficult to contain the guy. And with the four guard lineup that Wake is sure to see I’m not sure the Deacons have enough people with that much foot speed to contain the athletic guards FSU has all the time. At some point they are going to break down the defense. If Isaiah Swann can have one of those games from three point territory that will make guarding against the dribble penetration ability of Rich and Douglas more problematic. Now what worries FSU is Ish Smith. As was the case last year, Hamilton put a lot of focus on stopping Smith. That will be no different this year and with more experience Smith becomes more of a problem. That is helped along with some good young athletic players who can finish plays like Jeff Teague. It did not go unnoticed by the staff that Wake Forest took a ranked Vanderbilt team to the end of the game losing by just three points. Another issue for FSU is that it has not played with the same intensity on the road that it plays with when at home. In addition guarding the perimeter against the three has been a problem for the Seminoles.

5. Put your name on it: What will Sunday’s final score be? What will FSU’s ACC record be this season? Will there be any kind of postseason appearance?

Bill: Hey, I’m a FSU fan!! Of course I’m going to pick the Seminoles. :-) A final score? I would expect a some high score something in the high 70’s or low 80’s. And I would expect it to be only a few points difference, maybe no more than five points. As for a final record and postseason, it is my firm belief that this team has the ability to win every game from here on out. That obviously will not happen. But the potential to win over every remaining opponent is there. It all depends on what FSU shows up. One flaw has been not playing a forty minute game. But when it does the team is tough to beat. For this team to reach the NCAA I think it has to win a minimum of ten games in the conference. With the ACC being somewhat topsy turvy after Duke, UNC, and probably Clemson, it’s anybody’s guess who follows those three. So it’s not out of the question at this point to get those wins. And even then it may not be a guarantee because the team lacks a real good resume in its out of conference schedule. The wins over Minnesota and Florida look good. But opportunities were lost against Butler, Providence, and now what looks to be a surprising Cleveland State team as well as a disappointing loss to USF. FSU fans have seen it before where a 9-7 record still was not good enough in the eyes of the selection committee. The NIT is certainly a realistic possibility for this team should they not reach the NCAA.

Bill obviously did an excellent job with this, so big big thanks to him! Now let's go get a win!

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During football season I did a weekly feature called "5 good questions" featuring a blogger from the opposition. I haven't done it so far this basketball season because many of our non-conference opponents don't have anyone blogging for them, there didn't seem to be too much demand, and frankly I was somewhat lazy about it.

Now that we're getting into the bulk of the ACC schedule I figured it would be fun to bring it back, so this week I asked five questions of Matt from Turtle Waxing. His answers follow below, and you'll find my answers to his questions over on Turtle Waxing.

Although Maryland's record isn't overly impressive so far this season, most of the team's losses have come in games that appear to have been reasonably close. How does this team seem to be responding to those tough losses? Does Saturday's one point loss to Virginia Tech motivate this team or discourage it?

Turtle Waxing: After losing a tough game to BC earlier in the year that they probably should have won if not for the technical foul on Greivis Vasquez the Terps dropped games to Ohio and American at home. I'd say they didn't deal with that loss very well. This isn't the most mentally tough team that Gary Williams has ever had so I don't expect them to turn things around. They may play better if they feel their backs are against the wall but in reality this team is only playing for an NIT birth at this point.

The Terps seem to have some great senior leadership from forward James Gist but also a younger spark with guard Greivis Vasquez. What should Wake fans expect to see out of these two on Tuesday night?

TW: Gist has been a disappointment at times this season. He got stripped in the closing minutes of the Virginia Tech loss and fouled out of both the American and Ohio losses. He isn't consistent enough to provide that reliable scoring threat the team needs which explains the inconsistent 10-7 record. Vasquez had one of his worst games at Maryland the other day. He went 2/14 and was truly awful for most of the afternoon. Given that it is a home game I'd expect those two to play better against Wake.

What are the keys to a Maryland victory?

TW: Hitting shots. Simple enough but it really tells the tail of the season. If they are settling for jump shots that are not going in then it is going to be a long night. The defense has been solid for most of the year but they can't generate offense. If Vasquez and Gist play well early that is a good indicator. Gist especially needs to show an aggressive mindset.

Fan morale seems to be pretty low right now for Maryland. Are the fans really ready to throw in the towel at this point?

TW: I think so. This is probably the least talented team Gary Williams has had in 15 years. The freshmen have offered very little and there are no signs that anyone will improve significantly. I think the NIT is about all this group can hope for now. With bad losses to Ohio and American and the best out of conference win over a struggling Illinois team they are probably out of the running for an NCAA bid already.

Time for some predictions: Final score against Wake and final ACC record. Will there be a post-season appearance?

TW: I think it will be a low scoring game with lots of turnovers. I'd say 71-67 Maryland, but I would not be shocked at all if Wake comes in and steals a road win. This group has already lost 3 games at home and blew their best chance for a road win against a terrible Virginia Tech squad. As for Maryland's record I'd probably put my money on a 5-11 season in the ACC which may get them 10th place. That would leave them with a 15-16 overall record and no NIT bid. The talent just isn't there in this group even in a weak ACC.

Once again big thanks to Matt at Turtle Waxing for taking the time. Hopefully he'll be wrong on that prediction! Head on over there and see my answers to his questions and any other Maryland news that might interest you.

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Chip Malafronte has come through in a big way here at the last minute. Even with his busy schedule in Charlotte, the writer of Runway Ramblings has found time to answer a few questions for the Old Gold & Blog. Make sure to check out Runway Rambling for any UConn news you may be looking for. Now for his Answers:

9-3 and 2nd place in the Big East sound pretty impressive (and surprising) to me as an outsider looking at Connecticut football. How do UConn fans feel about the season to this point?

Chip Malafronte: I think every single UConn fan is probably as surprised as you. Even the most optimistic were thinking 7 wins this season would "maybe" be obtainable, considering the struggles this team has had over the last two seasons. To be 9-3 and tied for first place in the Big East (not second, there's a big, spanking new trophy in the UConn training facility to prove it) was certainly far beyond everyone's expectations.

Wake Forest fans and players were hoping to play a "bigger" opponent in their bowl game this year, and for us UConn doesn't exactly fit that description. I'm guessing UConn may have similar feelings though, so what is the perspective of the team and its fans going into the MCCB?

CM: I don't think UConn fans were particularly choosy about who the opponent would be for this bowl. The fact that the teams played each other last season may have made Wake less desirable. But the Demon Deacons ascension in the ACC the last two seasons certainly has UConn people excited.

Having two strong running backs (Andre Dixon and Donald Brown) has certainly been big for UConn this season, but Wake has prided itself on it's ability to stuff the run. How do you see this matchup playing out? What about UConn's passing game?

CM: UConn's running game has certainly been the main offensive weapon, with Dixon and Brown bringing different styles to the table. The biggest difference between this season's team and last season has been the play of Juco transfer quarterback Tyler Lorenzen. While the numbers may not jump off the stat page, he rarely makes mistakes (13 touchdowns, five interceptions) and can also make plays with his feet. Perhaps the one troubling aspect in the passing game has been inconsistency from the Husky wide receivers, who tend to drop too many passes.

Wake's running game has improved throughout the year, so much so that Josh Adams has been named ACC Rookie of the Year. Will UConn's run defense be up to the task? The UConn secondary also has 22 interceptions this year. What's been the key to creating those big plays?

CM: UConn's run defense has been quite impressive over the last few seasons. Aside from the West Virginia game this season, which was as disastrous as it could have been, UConn has contained some of the top backs in the Big East like Ray Rice of Rutgers and even Steve Slaton of WVU. Experience has been the biggest key to the secondary. All of the starters are back, but guys like safety Robert Vaughn (six picks) have benefitted from having a year under his belt. UConn's young linebackers Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson, both freshmen All-Americas, have also helped in pass coverage and have five interceptions between them.

Put your name on it: what's the final score going to be on Saturday? What would a win mean for UConn? A loss?

CM: I expect a close game, not sure if UConn has enough to stop Wake though. I'll give the Huskies the benefit of the doubt and predict a 21-17 victory. A win will certainly be a nice feather in their cap, giving the program two bowl wins in just six years as a full-fledged Division I-A program. A loss certainly wouldn't spoil what's been a tremendous year.

Once again, big thanks to Chip and Runway Ramblings. Now it's time for the Deacs to take care of business.

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I got to work a bit quicker this week and actually have the interview done on Thursday, which is definitely a better time for it. Big thanks to Steven at Section Six for letting me pester him with my questions. I've also answered some questions for him, which can be found here. Enjoy!

1. What's gotten into the Wolfpack? After losing 5 of your first 6 (most of them not close, and with the only win against a D1AA team) you've run off 5 straight wins. What changed?

Section Six: The biggest thing is we've stopped being our own worst enemy. We averaged nearly four turnovers per game over those first six, and to make matters worse, we weren't forcing any turnovers either. That's changed drastically over the last month; we're +4 over the course of the winning streak versus -17 through the first six games. The last week excepted, we have avoided the game-crippling mistakes that killed us early on.

The defense, especially the defensive line, has played much better after being routinely dominated early in the season.

Special teams have been reliable as well--the kick coverage has been good and place kicker Steven Hauschka has been nothing short of fantastic.

2. I don't see an offensive player on the roster with dominant statistics, so who's carrying the load? On defense?

SS: Jamelle Eugene has done a great job stepping in for the injured Andre Brown and Toney Baker; in addition to carrying the ball 20+ times every week, he's catching plenty of passes as well. He's much more of a dual threat than either Brown or Baker, which has

been a plus. The concern regarding Eugene coming into the season was fumbles, but that hasn't been a problem at all. We're also asking Daniel Evans to do a lot; he has thrown 40+ passes in each game during the winning streak.

DaJuan Morgan (safety) leads the defense in tackles and interceptions.

3. I believe injuries have made this season more difficult than expected. Who's been hurt and how has it affected the team?

SS:Where to begin? The injuries have hit everywhere. Toney Baker injured his knee in the first game of the year and Andre Brown went down against FSU. Tight end Anthony Hill suffered a season-ender before the season started and he was going to be a major contributor. Defensive tackle DeMario Pressley was hurt during the first part of the season and missed a few games,though he seems fine now.

A few offensive linemen have been in and out of the lineup. Safety Javon Walker, one of the Pack's most promising young players, went down against Miami. Quarterback Harrison Beck missed several games and lost his job to Evans as a result. Receiver John

Dunlap missed a game with an ankle injury. It goes on and on. Oh, and the long snapper, can't forget the long snapper. He's out for the year.

4. What area of this game do you feel most confident about (I'm guessing you expect to throw all over us, but I'll let you say it)? Where do you expect to struggle against Wake?

SS:I always assume that we'll struggle to run the ball regardless of the opponent. We'll throw the ball effectively if Evans gets good protection, but am I confident about that? No.

5. Are you bold enough to predict the score? If you are let's hear it. Otherwise, how much fun was it to beat Carolina last weekend? (You're welcome to answer both)

SS: I'll say NC State wins 28-24.

Beating Carolina was all kinds of satisfying, but you're plenty familiar with beating the Heels these days, so I don't have to tell you that.

Although I'm pretty confident his prediction will be wrong, compliments are deserved for being the first to actually answer the question in several weeks. Thanks again, Steven! Make sure to stop by Section Six to check out his NC State blog.

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The guys over at Danny Ford is God were kind enough to answer some questions on short notice today. Even though that doesn't make me like them enough to hope they win Saturday, it gives them at least a little good will.

I also answered some questions for them, which you can find here.

1. I haven't heard his name much, but Cullen Harper has apparently put up some very impressive numbers this season. 23 touchdowns to 4 interceptions is tough to argue with. Is Harper really that good, or is the real star someone else? If so, who is it?

Danny Ford is God: Cullen has really been a godsend and almost a call back to Charlie Whitehurst's non-senior years with his ability to win games. He's a huge step up from last year's field general, Will Proctor, who was simply terrible. Perhaps the main reason for his lofty numbers is the system to which he's attached. We don't try and put the game on his shoulders. Our OC mainly gives him short 6 and 7 yard passes, screens, and dump outs to our speed guys as opposed to long risky tosses downfield. Clearly, he is indeed a pretty good fit for the offense we run however he tends to get pressured (not his fault) and make bad decisions. He also has a brief history of hanging out receivers to dry, resulting in our guys catching the ball getting blasted (Jacoby Ford against VT and Maryland, Tyler Grisham against Duke of all teams). We also have some of the better receivers in the ACC in Rendrick Taylor, Tyler Grisham, and Aaron Kelly. Losing Jacoby Ford is a huge loss but those guys have filled the gap very nicely.

2. Clemson is in the top 3 in the ACC in almost every stat category and has an impressive margin of victory in almost every win, yet the two losses to GT and VT were both pretty ugly. From what I can see there's a bit of Jekyll and Hyde going on here. What factors contribute to the huge difference between performances in wins and losses?

DFIG: That is a result of having an offensive coordinator and head coach like we do. Rob Spence tries to force schemes to work and doesn't make correct adjustments until after everyone in attendance has picked up on the fact that "Hey, that play isn't working." Bubble screens, swing passes, screen passes, etc just don't work against teams that do their homework and play more physically and with more intensity than us. This also helps buttress the old Clemson adage that "It depends on which Clemson team shows up." Some games we just come out and fall flat on our face. Other games we woodshed teams. We can't find a happy medium.

3. What aspects of the game do you expect Clemson to dominate this week, and where do you expect to struggle?

DFIG: We think our defense, kick off return team, and passing game will be great against the Deacs. Our disadvantage is still special teams.

4. Death Valley is known for the home field advantage it provides. For a noon game in the cold, how much home field advantage do you really have?

DFIG: Well, a noon game is terrible for us. Nobody likes to wake up early and rush to the stadium because the traffic situation is simple awful. People flood the gates just minutes before kickoff. We do expect your team to have trouble with noise and communication because our stadium is pretty loud. Our fans realize that this game is a must-win if we want to have a shot at the division next week versus Boston College, and have been talking a lot this week about how loud the stadium needs to be, so we don't think this game will so much resemble the normal nooner. Probably won't be that loud at the beginning of the game. We really wish this was a later game, but of course we sold out to the man and
put our game on early on ESPN 2, thus the noon kickoff.

5. I try to make everyone do it, but some shy away: predict the final score. If you won't do that, tell me how you think Clemson will finish out and where you expect to be going in the post season.

DFIG: We can't give you a final score quite yet as we haven't put our heads together and posted our weekly preview, feel free to link to it when we post it tomorrow. One thing is for sure; Clemson's destiny is solely in their own hands. If we beat Wake and BC, we're a lock for Jacksonville. If we flounder, I could really see us lose all three of our next games (Wake, BC, South Carolina) and going to another crappy bowl game that nobody watches. If we get to the ACCCG and lose, I see the Chik-Fil-A bowl being a good possibility.

Thanks again to the guys for taking the time to answer my questions. Make sure to head over there any time you need some good Clemson analysis, or some fun analysis of their opponents' mascots.

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I've had the privilege of trading questions with Rob Mahini, writer of The Good Ol' Blog for The Sabre. His answers to my questions follow, and be sure to head over to his excellent blog to read my answers to his questions.

1. Chris Long is pretty much the best player ever, right? We've all heard that, so what I want to know is who's play might surprise us this weekend and why. If you want to brag on Chris a little, I'm okay with that too.

Rob Mahini: Long might be having the single most impressive defensive season I've ever seen at Virginia. And he's certainly one of the best -- if not the best -- player on the defensive side of the ball in college football right now. If he doesn't get invited to New York City in a few months, it'll show how disrespected both the ACC and defensive players are by the national media. (By the way, don't hold your breath on him getting invited to New York).

Setting Long aside, who I think has something to prove this weekend after last week's performance by the defense, I have a feeling that one of Virginia's running backs will have a breakout game. I think the team got away from the running game to its detriment last week, so the coaching staff likely will try and establish the run throughout.

2. How resilient of a team is UVa coming off a loss like last week? I recognize the team is banged up, but after the loss against Wyoming you came back to win 7 in a row...is another win streak in the cards?

RM: Man, I hope so. This is a very resiliant team with a number of leaders that won't allow a "let down" to happen. And even in the State game, the Hoos admirably battled back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, the difference between now and Wyoming is the other thing you brought up -- injuries. There's only so much bouncing back a team can do when it's lost the effectiveness of so many weapons. I'm hopeful that home field advantage helps a lot here.

3. What do you think UVa's biggest advantage is against Wake? Biggest disadvantage?

RM: Well, I guess I've already mentioned it -- home field. It's no secret that the Hoos play their best games at Scott (and their worst games on the road). Though Virginia has beaten back the road monkey a bit (with wins at MTSU, Carolina and Maryland), the loss last week was a painful reminder that the road is often unkind to the Hoos. So, having this game at Scott Stadium creates that comfort level -- as well as the crowd-fueled energy boost -- that could be the difference. I do know that without the crowd noise Virginia might have lost the UConn game, after which the Husky players noted that the noise disrupted their communication in the final drive that included a botched snap and a turnover-causing-sack.

Biggest disadvantage is our secondary against Wake's passing game. If NC State's once-benched-quarterback and buried-in-the-roster receiver can torch the defense for -- what was it? -- 1000 yards and ten touchdowns or something, then it's not hard to find the weak link in the chain.

4. What Wake player or players scare you the most?

RM: Whoever is throwing the ball -- be it your starting quarterback, a second-string wideout, a waterboy, Jim Grobe. The Hoos have made an art form out of making quarterbacks look like Heisman quality players. So, I think that Riley Skinner is probably liking his chops watching the game tape of how NC State's Daniel Evans played last week.

5. Time for the fun part...what's the final score going to be? And, out of curiosity, how will UVa finish against Miami and VT?

RM: I reveal my final score prediction on game day -- tradition, I guess (to the extent that a one-year old blog can have tradition). Check the Good Ol' Blog on Saturday morning for that. Generally, I think that Virginia will have a very tough time winning these next three games given the opponents and the injuries. The fact that the Hoos don't get a bye week until before the last game of the season is really starting to take effect. But, whenever I start getting down on this team, they surprise me.

Big thanks again to Rob for sharing his thoughts and his time with us! Don't forget to check out the Good Ol' Blog for more on the Hoos.

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Although it's coming a little late this week, I've once again had the opportunity to ask a few questions with someone writing about the opponent, this week with TH from CarolinaMarch:

1. I'll be honest, I've yet to see UNC play a football game this season. If I had been watching, which player or players would I be most worried about being beat by this weekend?

TH: Connor Barth. Yeah, it may seem silly to worry about the kicker, but Barth had a rare missed field goal and a botched XP snap in his last game against SC. Connor Barth will be angry, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry. Barth Smash!

2. After the big win over Miami, the loss to South Carolina was probably tough to take. How will the bye week affect the team's momentum, and will it make a difference against Wake?

TH: I'm not sure it was that tough to take. In a game no one thought the Heels had any chance in, they dominated the Gamecocks throughout the second half and a couple of opportunities to walk away with the game.

UNC made it through the most brutal part of their schedule with an upset over the Hurricanes and no loss by more than seven points. They were 3-3 coming off byes under Bunting, including wins over FSU in '01 and undefeated Miami in '04. They're a resilient team.

[editors note: my bad for not thinking that South Carolina thing all the way through]

3. Where do the Tar Heels match up best against Wake? Where are they most likely to struggle?

TH: UNC's defense has gotten faster and smarter of late, with good secondary coverage disrupting a lot of opposing quarterbacks. I think they'll be able to handle the option. You guys do still run the option, right?

4. What must Carolina do to win this game?

TH: Not turn the ball over and to not have the defense come out sluggish. UNC's defense has had to dig itself out of quite a few holes this season after slow starts and bad turnovers on the offensive end. It's hard to win these games when the other team has the clock on their side.

5. Put your stamp on it: when all is said and done on Saturday, what will the final score be?

UNC 20, Wake Forest 17. The Deacons struggled with last year's squad, and this year's team hasn't really shown much improvement. And I'm
enternally optimistic.

Thanks to TH for the friendly banter, its nice to get a more light-hearted approach to these type of things. And please make sure to check out his blog, CarolianaMarch.com

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Time for another installment of the ever popular (or at least popular the one other time it happened) interview with our opponent. This week I had the privilege of talking with Mike James, writer of The BirdDog Navy Sports Blog, which you should be sure to check out for some excellent and interesting writing about Navy sports. His answers to my questions follow:

1. What Navy player or players has/have been most exciting to watch so far this season? What might we expect to see from him/them this weekend?

Mike James: Because of the nature of the triple option, there's a different person getting the ball every week. Most defenses focus on taking away one particular element of the option, leaving the other two free to make plays. The most consistent performer each week has been our quarterback, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. He's had 4 100-yard rushing games already this season. He had 117 yards in the first half against Ball State before leaving the game with an injury. He isn't the shiftiest runner, but he's a long strider with ridiculous speed. He is also a better passer than most people expect from a Navy quarterback.

Navy rotates several players in at the other skill positions. At fullback, Adam Ballard is a bruiser while Eric Kettani is faster. Both will play. The slotbacks in this offense are required to be a receiver as much as a running back, and they've each taken turns having big games this year. Reggie Campbell scored three touchdowns at Pittsburgh. Shun White had 100 rushing yards against Temple. Both Campbell and Zerbin Singleton are tied for the team lead in receptions. At Navy, it's about the position more than the player. It all depends on what the defense decides to take away. That is, unless you're Pitt. They didn't take away much of anything.

For those who appreciate that sort of thing, our center, Antron Harper, is a real bowling ball.

2. Navy's run game has been predictably solid this year, but Wake's run defense has also been very good. How do you expect this match-up play out on Saturday?

MJ: I am very impressed with Wake Forest's run defense. Watching the game against Florida State, it looked to me like the Seminoles gave up even trying to run on Wake's defense. That made all the difference, because it put pressure on an unpolished Xavier Lee to carry his team. Defending normal running games is a lot different than defending the triple option, though. A lot of the things that defenses do to stop the run-- being aggressive, anticipating, etc.-- can get them in trouble against the option if they don't do it carefully. The important thing is to play under control and mind your assignments. Of course, I doubt that playing disciplined football is a problem for a Jim Grobe team.

The Navy offense has been on fire all year with the exception of the Rutgers game. Rutgers doesn't have a particularly big defense, but they are very fast. They were able to use their speed not only to pursue from sideline to sideline, but to get penetration against the Navy offensive line. Athletically, I think that the Wake Forest defense is very similar to Rutgers and could present a lot of the same problems.

3. Where do you see Navy matching up best against the Deacons, and where do you expect to see the most problems?

MJ: Navy's best matchup-- and this is admittedly a stretch-- might be the offensive line vs. the Wake defensive line. Wake has a very talented d-line, but it's also fairly young on the interior. Younger players have the most trouble defending the option because they usually aren't as prepared for the speed and technique of the offense. If Navy can establish the fullback and wear the defense down up the middle, they'll have a chance. Defensive ends are marginalized against this offense because they often become the quarterback's read key.

Wake's best matchup is pretty much their whole offense vs. the Navy defense. Navy's defense isn't very good. To give you an idea of the problem that Navy has this week, just look at the Air Force game. Air Force is coached by former Grobe assistant Troy Calhoun, and they run an offense that is very similar to Wake's. They are run-oriented and make extensive use of misdirection and play-action. They don't have even half the athletes that Wake Forest has, yet they still put up 470 yards of offense on Navy. Our coach has described the Wake offense as "Air Force on warp speed."

Navy doesn't tackle well, which means that Josh Adams should have a field day. Navy only has 3 sacks this year, which means that Riley Skinner will have plenty of time to throw. Navy tries to limit the big play by employing a soft zone coverage scheme, which means that there should be plenty of room for Wake's excellent TEs to make plays underneath. Navy has also lost two safeties and a middle linebacker to injury. Wake's offense probably can't wait to take the field.

4. At 4-2, Navy is looking pretty good this season and has an identical record to the Deacons, however most everyone says that Wake will be Navy's toughest test so far this season. How confident are you in the Mids' ability to win this weekend? What are the keys for Navy if they are to win this game?

MJ: Navy can win this game, but it will take either a performance that the defense hasn't shown so far, or a little help from the Deacs. And by that, I mean turnovers. Navy was 1-2 in its first 3 games, and is 3-0 since. The difference has been turnovers; Navy had 7 in the first 3 games, and 1 in the last 3. Navy's offense has had to score on almost every drive in order to keep pace with the points that the defense has been giving up, and the turnovers made that impossible. I think that Navy will score, but scoring on every drive, which is fine against Air Force, is just too much to ask against the Wake defense. Since Navy hasn't really stopped anyone all year, that means that Wake will need to make some mistakes.

5. When all is said and done, what will the final score be on Saturday? Looking forward, how do you expect Navy to finish out the season?

MJ: I apologize in advance for the wishy-washy answer, but I really hate predictions. I will say that I expect this to be a high-scoring game. As for the rest of the season, Navy is capable of beating everyone on the schedule with this offense. With this defense, they could lose to anyone, too. Assuming we get a little of both the rest of a way, that means 7-5 or 8-4 with a trip to San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl. Some Rubio's fish tacos and a trip to the zoo would make for a great Christmas vacation.

Although he deserves a little bit of a hard time for skipping out on the score prediction, I definitely appreciate the great effort from Mike. Enjoy, and make sure to go check out the BirdDog as well.

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So after a true formal Q&A failed, Jerry Scott over at Tomahawk Nation went ahead and asked one basic question: " Is this the same Wake Forest Squad that hammered our asses at home (30-0) last season?" You can check out my full response over there.

Now Jerry thought it would be nice to give me hard time for my prediction that we'd lose 20-24, so I'm going to take this opportunity to defend myself. Let me be very clear. . .Wake CAN win this game tonight, we absolutely can. We are talented enough to play these guys very well and leave Groves with a win. I will be at there cheering like crazy with a completely reasonable hope of winning. Nonetheless, as my reply to Jerry said, I have yet to see Wake put everything together this season and play to their potential for more than 17 minutes plus overtime against Maryland. I don't think that will cut it tonight.

I didn't think it was fair to make a score prediction based solely on a hope that we live up to potential tonight. If we play like we've played all year-playing well for a couple of minutes here and there, then quickly unraveling-20-24 is what I think will happen.

After last year's schalacking, the FSU guys are looking for anything to latch on to that proves to them we can't do it again this year. Well, we can. Will we? Probably not, but we're capable.

All that being said, I enjoyed the friendly banter with Jerry and wish he and Tomahawk Nation all the best.

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Due to some unfortunate miscommunication, Myself and the guys over at Tomahawk Nation have been unable to get a Q&A together for this week's game. I'm not sure what the Navy blog/sports writing scene looks like, but hopefully I can have another one or two of these in the next couple of weeks. They have been talking about us a little bit over at Tomahawk Nation (and more about Xavier Lee missing practice) so I encourage you to go check them out.

Also, I hope to have a little bit of a game preview up later tonight.

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David Dohrmann, Duke football columnist for Scout.com, graciously agreed to subject himself to five questions with the OGB. David's answers to my most pressing questions:

1. I think it’s safe to say that Duke fans have been reasonably impressed by the Blue Devils' offensive effort the last few weeks, and particularly with the play of Thaddeus Lewis. Is he as talented as his recent performances suggest, or is he just a flash in the pan?

David Dohrmann: Thad Lewis is absolutely the real deal. He was thrown into the fire last season as a true freshman. The Duke coaching staff was hoping to redshirt Lewis in 2006, but with the suspension of then starter Zach Asack and the struggles of former QB turned LB Marcus Jones, Lewis was easily the best option. He definitely had some growing pains last season. He looked great at times (like the Duke-Wake game last season, his first career start) and bad at others (Virginia and Virginia Tech). Still, he ended the season with the 4th most passing yards by a freshman in ACC history. Considering how bad the Duke offensive line performed a season ago, that is quite an accomplishment.
This season, the offense as a whole struggled out of the gate. The offensive line was not giving Lewis any time to throw, hence he was having to throw a lot of balls away and could not get into any sort of rhythm. You have to remember, Duke changed offensive coordinators from last year (actually it’s the 4th year in a row we’ve changed OCs) so there seemed to be an adjustment period getting used to new OC Peter Vaas. Vaas’ last coaching position was leading Brady Quinn to all-American honors at Notre Dame. In game 3 against Northwestern, things just started to click for Lewis. He was making his reads quickly and delivering the ball on target. This has continued for the past 3 ball games. After game two, his QB efficiency rating was 75. It is now 149. He’s been the ACC’s best QB over the last three weeks and given the wide receivers Duke has, there is no reason to think it won’t continue. He is a natural leader and for the first time in 9 years, Duke fans are actually excited when the offense comes on the field. Duke finally has a QB that can play at the high-BCS level. Now if Duke can get the defense to do the same, they are going to really surprise some people.

2. I know Duke fans see the Blue Devils as a team making great improving strides. Nonetheless, these strides are yet to manifest themselves in too many wins. Looking past this year, what kind of time frame would you put on becoming what you would consider to be a respectable team in the ACC?

DD: The pressure is on Ted Roof right now. He was originally given 5 years to turn the program around, but the winless 2006 season might have caused the timetable to accelerate. Duke needs to win more games this year. Despite the 1-4 record, this is definitely possible. Duke could very easily be 3-2 or even 4-1 right now. The Devils let the opener get away from them in the second half, but consider all of the games since. They missed 3 field goals and fumbled the ball away inside the red-zone line in a 12 point loss to Virginia. They beat Nortwestern. They blew a double-digit 4th quarter lead against Navy, which included a fumble inside the Navy 10, a missed FG, and a 80-yard TD called back because of penalty all in the 4th quarter. Last week against Miami, they were on the Miami 35 with 3 minutes remaining down by 3. Duke is right there, now they need to execute in crunch time. In the past few seasons, Duke has been in a few games, but getting their doors blown off the rest of the time. This year, Duke has been in every contest in the second half, even the UConn game. They need to learn to execute in crunch time. There is tangible progress. The Wake Forest game will be a measuring stick for how the program is coming.

3. Turning our focus to this weekend, where do you believe Duke matches up best against the Deacs? Where do you expect to struggle the most?

DD: Wake is going to have a tough time covering the Duke wide receivers. Alphonso Smith is a good player, but Duke’s receivers are big, strong guys that are as good or better than anything Wake has seen this year. Plus, Thad Lewis can really throw the ball. Expect Duke to go after the Wake safeties. Now that Ghee and Gattis are gone, Duke will surely test the new guys.
On defense, the Duke defensive line is quite talented. Wake will find that Duke will be quite tough to block up front. Vince Oghobaase is one of the most talented players in the conference and he’s starting to play like it. DE Pat Bailey is light for a defensive end, but he has great speed on the edge and holds up quite well at the point of attack. CB Leon Wright is developing into a good cover corner that is excellent in run support on the outside.
However, if Duke was great in all phases of the game, they would not be 1-4. Offensively, Duke will need to find a way to block Jeremy Thompson. They have not fared well in pass protection this year. Chris Long (UVA) absolutely destroyed the Duke OL. UConn was also in the backfield all day. I thought they might have had some of their protection issues figured out, but they gave up 9 sacks to Miami in the last game. This is one of the key battles of the game. When Duke is able to give Lewis time, he will pick defenses apart.
Defensively, Duke has defended the run OK this year, but has been eaten alive with the short passing game. Teams are completing 67% of their passes against the Duke defense this year. I think the reasons are part schematic and part personnel. Duke is giving up a high completion percentage, but is not giving up the long ball. Also, the Devils are playing their 3 best linebackers, unfortunately two of them are strictly middle linebackers. The conference’s leading tackler is sophomore Vincent Rey. He’s a 255 hulk in the middle. Of course the name every associates with Duke defense is Mike Tauiliili. He’s a high-energy guy that is small and slow. Both players can be exposed in coverage, which is part of the reason Duke is last in pass efficiency defense.
The biggest difference between the two teams right now is in the kicking game. Wake has Sam Swank a reliable kicker with a great leg. Duke has player X kicking for us this weekend. Our strong legged kicker, Joe Surgan, has the yips and has already missed two extra points this year. Things are so bad, Duke had open tryouts for the kick position last week. Backup punter Nick Maggio is kicking extra points right now, but lack of consistent placekicking has basically taken the field goal out of play. Duke is basically forced to try for touchdowns every time.

4. Clearly Wake needs a win this weekend to get our record back above .500 and make it clear that we aren’t going to let ourselves fall back into the cellar of the ACC. What would a win this weekend mean for Duke?

DD: A win for Duke would mean confidence in themselves and in the staff. The last 4 weeks, Duke has been right in ball games, but only once has been able to come out with a win. They always seem to find new and inventive ways to lose. I firmly believe that Duke’s talent level is overall far ahead of where it has been the last few seasons and is on par with Wake. All the recruiting ranking over the past 4-5 years bear this out. They now need to gain that same confidence that Jim Grobe and his staff has instilled in his players. Wake, however, is strong where it counts (offensive line) and usually out-executes their opponents. Duke is almost the exact opposite. Offensive line might be the biggest weakness and they always seem to make the one killer mistake that lets the opponent wriggle of the hook. That is the biggest difference in the programs at this point.

5. Finally, go ahead and make your prediction now: What will the final score be on Saturday, and what will Duke’s record be at the end of the season?

DD: Unlike the last two games in Durham, Wake will not come in here and roll. The Duke offense is primed for another big day and will score enough points to stay in the game. If your coaches watch game film (and I know they do), they will dink and dunk Duke to death with the short passing game. This game will be close into the 4th quarter, but Duke will make a killer mistake and Wake will take full advantage of it and come away with a 7-point win.
As for the season, Duke will win 2 more games despite the difficult schedule ahead. People thought that Duke’s early season schedule would [allow] the Devils to ease into the meat of the schedule later on. As of right now, Duke’s 4 losses have comes to teams whose combined record is 16-4. So much for the light early season schedule. Still, Duke can score points. That gives them a shot in just about every game.

Huge thanks to David for subjecting himself to these questions and putting some considerable effort into his thorough responses. His columns from The Devils Den can be found here.

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