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Wild about Woody
By Tim Peeler, Special to CNNSI.com The push is on at Clemson to get Woodrow Dantzler mentioned as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Saturday's performance against Virginia, in front of a sellout crowd and a network audience, was a good showcase of his obvious talents. Late in the game, Danztler went on a 75-yard scamper for a touchdown, then added a 45-yard run. He finished the day with 220 yards rushing, a school record for a quarterback. He now leads the ACC with 123.8 yards rushing per game, as well as his conference-leading pass efficiency rating of 166. Both are among the top 15 in the nation. Shouldn't that be enough to get a mention with Drew Brees, Chris Weinke and other Heisman hopefuls? "I don't know," said Dantzler, a part-time starter behind the oft-injured Brandon Streeter last year. "I don't know." However, what everyone should know by know is that Dantzler has a shot at becoming the first quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history to gain 1,000 yards rushing and 2,000 yards passing. He has 495 rushing yards and 691 passing yards in four games this season. The only player ever to come close to pulling off the 2,000-1,000 feat was Brian Mitchell of Louisiana-Lafayette -- he rushed for 1,311 yards and passed for 1,966 in 1989. Dantzler doesn't want to get caught up in the Heisman hype. He is constantly criticizing his own performance, while always trumpeting the play of his offensive line and his supporting cast. He didn't want to participate in any kind of school-sponsored Heisman promotion unless members of the offensive line were included. "They are the main stake in this offense," Dantzler said. "Everything starts up front, with their line calls and blocking schemes. Receivers and quarterbacks and running backs handle the ball a lot and they are going to get the publicity in the papers. But you never hear about the offensive line. "They work just as hard as anybody else. As a matter of fact, I believe they work harder. I felt they deserved something." Tigers head coach Tommy Bowden is one of Dantzler's biggest supporters and would like to see the junior quarterback get as much national attention as some players who have lesser statistics. "Compared to Michael Vick, [Dantzler's stats] are more impressive," Bowden said. "Whether everyone who has similar stats should be considered for the Heisman, I don't know. But I think he is as deserving as any of the other guys. They just all had a year head start on him."
Selective memoryThe last impression is always brightest, but this one is bad even for 70-year-old Bobby Bowden, who sounded concerned about his team' s Thursday night visit to Maryland. "It's always been a struggle up there," Bowden said. The Seminoles are 10-0 against the Terps, with an average margin of victory of 35.6 points. Once, only once, have the Seminoles failed to beat Maryland by fewer than 29 points. That came in a 24-10 win at Byrd Stadium in 1998, FSU's last trip to College Park.
Polley's homecomingFor Florida State linebacker Tommy Polley, there is always a dream sequence. The Seminole's big play defender told the Tallahassee Democrat that he always tries to dream about what he will do in an upcoming game.He did it before the Florida game last year and he dreamed about blocking kicks in the Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. Last week, before the top-ranked Seminoles whipped Louisville 31-0, Polley dreamed he would intercept a pass for a touchdown, something he had never done in his FSU career. Polley caught a floater by backup Dave Ragone and returned it four yards for a touchdown, showing the quickness and agility some thought he might lose after suffering a severe knee injury against Virginia Tech. Even though Bowden thought Polley might not be available for the Seminoles' first game, the linebacker has been in on almost every snap, amazing his coach. This week, Polley dreams of doing the same thing again in front of a hometown crowd when the Baltimore native and his team play at Maryland Thursday night. "I dreamed I'm going to score in front of my family and friends," said Polley, who has traded his teammates for some 80 tickets to the game. "I feel like I'm going to have a great game because they run the ball, and that's what I like."
K-Rob exciting, unpredictableN.C. State sophomore wideout Koren Robinson leads the nation in receiving yards per game at 124.5 and kickoff return yardage at 37.2 yards per return. But there were times in the spring when the young receiver led the Wolfpack coaching staff in nothing but headaches.He had, shall we say, a difficult time adjusting to first-year coach Chuck Amato's style of intense training. The coach rode him hard and criticized him publicly, but on a team that lacked much receiving depth, Robinson knew his job was safe. Still, Amato spent the spring and summer ragging on the talented receiver's work ethic, discipline and attitude. The Wolfpack coaching staff still thinks Robinson has a way to go in the areas of focus and concentration, but how can they not be pleased after watching him catch three second-half touchdown passes against Georgia Tech? "He's about 100 percent better than when I got here," N.C. State offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "But he still has a couple hundred percent to go. He's still got to step up." There's no doubting K-Rob's big-play abilities, however. He leads the ACC in receptions per game (6.75 catches), receiving yards per game (124.5 yards), scoring (10.5 points), all-purpose yardage (189.5 yards) and kickoff return yards (37.2 yards). He already has seven touchdown receptions this year. No one else in the conference has more than two.
Burns-ing the defenseGeorgia Tech got a much-needed boost to its rushing game when sophomore Joe Burns rushed for 100 yards against N.C. State last Thursday. They will need a similar injection this weekend against North Carolina, which is 12th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 75.2 yards per game on the ground. Jacket coach George O'Leary credits the return of senior linebacker Brandon Spoon, who was out most of last year with a ruptured biceps muscle in his right arm. "North Carolina is playing the run extremely well, and you can see the experience they have in their front seven," O' Leary said. "Getting Brandon Spoon back has been a big plus for them." Burns, out most of last year after breaking his ankle in the second game of the season, was the Jackets' leading rusher as a freshman in 1998 and will look to spice up the Yellow Jacket running game again, as he did with a 31-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of last Thursday's game.
500 in a rowClemson sports information director emeritus Bob Bradley, a fixture around ACC athletics for 45 years, will attend his 500th consecutive Tigers game this weekend at Duke. His streak began on Oct. 20, 1955, and will continue as long as the affable Bradley can make it to the game.While this streak continues, Bradley is ready for another to end. This week, he will have his 108th and final radiation treatment since 1997 to eliminate bone cancer. Tim Peeler covers the ACC for the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record. Check back every Wednesday afternoon for his latest CNNSI.com insider.
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