What the ACC is Saying |
Special to TigerNet from the Seneca Daily Journal/Clemson Messenger
* Quotes and comments by the players who attended last weekend's ACC Football Kickoff Conference at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center in Greensboro, N.C. What torch? Virginia Tech's Vincent Fuller isn't so much worried about carrying the ACC torch when the Hokies open up the season against defending Associated Press national champion Southern Cal as he is on just playing the Trojans. "To worry about representing the Atlantic Coast Conference is a little too much. You first have to focus on representing yourself as a player, then representing your team and then the university," he said. "We're focusing on representing Virginia Tech first and foremost against USC. "After that we will worry about what kind of effect that has within the conference." Don't ask him to predict the season. Can the Tigers take a punch? "I guess you have to be prepared for anything," said Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst when asked if the Tigers can handle an early season defeat. "It is something you want to avoid, but we have done it before so I guess we could do it again." "We might lose to a team below us, but beat a team ahead of us," said Clemson All-ACC linebacker Leroy Hill. "You never know what is going to happen. You can't predict a season." With Miami now in the ACC, who does Florida State consider to be its second rival in the ACC? "I guess it has to be N.C. State or Georgia Tech," said Florida State wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe. Who is Georgia Tech's biggest rival? "It is definitely Clemson," said Georgia Tech's James Butler. "It always seems like our games are close. They are always tough. It's a good series. Their fans in Death Valley are wild, and they're always so loud." Why doesn't Maryland's All-ACC corner Domonique Foxworth get invited to campus parties? "I like to play scrabble," he said. "I'm very good at it. I don't lose to often." Who hates the fact Clemson and North Carolina will not play this year? "I hate it," said North Carolina quarterback and South Carolina native Darian Durant. "I love playing Clemson. I played against a lot of their players in high school and I know a lot of them personally. "It is tough for me that Clemson is not on our schedule." Welcome to the ACC. "The ACC was fine before they came in," said Virginia defensive end Chris Canty about Miami and Virginia Tech. "They will find out how good of an overall conference this is." It isn't a two-team conference. "Clemson is a good football team, and so is Maryland, Virginia and N.C. State," said Miami quarterback Brock Berlin. "I don't think we or Florida State think just winning that first game means we have already won the conference. With Whitehurst up at Clemson they can beat anybody. The ACC is a great league. No team can be put out of (the championship race).” Will Vandervort is the Sports Editor for the Seneca Daily Journal/Clemson Messenger.
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