Inside Slant

For two-thirds of the teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the season still hasn't begun but the quarterback debates are raging.

It's the biggest issue on the landscape heading into the first full weekend of the 2001 season.

Florida State is starting its least experienced quarterback in Bobby Bowden's 26 years in Tallahassee. Meanwhile, the ACC's most experienced quarterback, North Carolina's Ronald Curry, is struggling to keep his job.

Wake Forest is still undecided about its opening-game starter, and Clemson could play two quarterbacks, Woodrow Dantzler and Willie Simmons.

Virginia already has made a change. Matt Schaub is out. Bryson Spinner is in. The decision is a result of their performances in the Cavaliers' 26-17 loss Saturday at Wisconsin.

"Quarterback is the most critical position on your football team," said Bowden. "That's why it's so important to have that position stable and have good experience there."

The Seminoles, of course, don't have that luxury. Bowden will trot out redshirt freshman Chris Rix as his opening-game starter, and his backup will be true freshman Adrian McPherson. That explains the high level of intrigue surrounding the Seminoles' otherwise ho-hum matchup at Duke.

"As I told our coaches, we're going to have to do our best job of coaching this season," said Bowden. "We've got more questions than we've had in a long, long time."

In some aspects, the same is true for the entire conference.

North Carolina faces a critical game at Maryland with a quarterback controversy swirling. Curry, a senior, played poorly in the Tar Heels' 41-27 loss at Oklahoma. He completed just 5 of 14 passes for 74 yards and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He also fumbled twice in his own territory, leading to two more Sooners scores.

Curry was relieved by redshirt freshman Darian Durant, who threw two second-half touchdowns.

"I can't wait for Maryland," said Durant. "I'm ready to go right now."

Now, just wait a second.

"Ronald Curry's my quarterback, right now," said John Bunting, the Tar Heels' first-year head coach.

At Wake Forest, no one is quite sure who the starting quarterback is at this point. The likely choice appears to be sophomore Anthony Young, who seems better suited to run new coach Jim Grobe's triple-option offense.

Virginia has decided that Spinner is best suited to run the Cavaliers offense, at least for Saturday's home opener against Richmond.

"I don't make the decisions, I just go along with them," said Spinner.

"I was probably going to start him (Spinner) anyway, regardless of the result of the other game," said Al Groh, Virginia's first-year coach.

Things aren't so cloudy at Georgia Tech and North Carolina State, where starters George Godsey and Philip Rivers are entrenched as unquestioned leaders.

Rivers, a sophomore who started every game as a true freshman last season, should be even better this season as he heads into the Wolfpack's opener on Sept. 6, a Thursday night game against Indiana.

Notes, Quotes, Anecdotes

• Virginia's worst fears were realized when the Cavs learned that star tailback Antwoine Womack will undergo surgery on his right ankle. The surgery will occur as soon as the swelling goes down. It might be a season-ending injury for the ACC's leading returning rusher. At the very least, Womack is expected to miss at least seven to nine weeks.
• Heralded freshman receiver Roscoe Crosby will start for Clemson in Saturday's opener against Central Florida. Crosby is a two-sport star whose scholarship is being paid by the Kansas City Royals, who drafted him in the second round (53rd player overall).
• A sign of the times at Florida State is evident from ticket sales. Season tickets still remain for this season, a rarity in the past 15 years of success.

Games of the Week

Central Florida at Clemson, Sept. 1 -- Since schedules are often made out five years in advance, this seemed like a typical opening-game cupcake for the Tigers. Whoops. Central Florida is an up-and-coming Division I-A team. Remember, the Knights won at Alabama last year and nearly beat then-No. 11 Georgia in 1999 before losing 24-23.

Central Florida returns six starters on a defense ranked among the nation's Top 25 last year. Plus quarterback Ryan Schneider, a sophomore, passed for 2,334 yards last year. Clemson's rebuilding defense will get a quick test.

North Carolina at Maryland, Sept. 1 -- This is easily the best conference matchup of the week. It's certainly pivotal for the Tar Heels, who have to travel to Texas next week and must avoid a possible 0-3 start. The big question is whether QB Ronald Curry can bounce back from last week's debacle.

Ralph Friedgen makes his head-coaching debut for Maryland at his alma mater. The Terrapins have a favorable schedule with their first three games at home. This could be a jumpstart to a winning season.

Players to Watch

• Florida State QB Chris Rix: He will be the first opening-game freshman starter for Florida State in coach Bobby Bowden's 26 years. Rix has not looked particularly sharp in three scrimmages, and it will be interesting to find out how he performs in a road setting, albeit against downtrodden Duke.
• Clemson QB Woodrow Dantzler: He is being pushed for the Heisman Trophy, but he'll open his campaign against a Central Florida defense with some quality athletes. The Tigers are looking to spread the ball around to four receivers, particularly newcomer Roscoe Crosby.
• Georgia Tech WR Kelly Campbell: If he thought Syracuse defenders gave him a cushion, just wait until he faces The Citadel's defense. This is a great game for Campbell to have a 200-plus yard receiving effort. With Navy up next week, the Yellow Jackets should cruise into their Sept. 15 showdown with Florida State.

INJURY IMPACT: In addition to losing three receivers for the season (Anquan Boldin, Robert Morgan, Willie Reid), Florida State will be without DT Chris Woods, a possible starter, out with an ankle injury. In absence of wideout weaponry, expect the Seminoles to turn to a running game against the Blue Devils and future opponents this season. ... Virginia TB Antwoine Womack is expected to be sidelined for at least 7-9 weeks with an ankle injury. He will be replaced by Arlen Harris, a junior who played in only four games last year because of his own injury problems.

Clemson

To help improve unity in the secondary, Clemson starting cornerback Brian Mance has organized a Thursday night gathering of his fellow defensive backs.

It's a bonding session designed to build friendships and chemistry, something Mance sees as vital to helping the Tigers defense transform from a liability into a strength this season.

"It all started when Chuck (Hafley, a safety) graduated a few weeks ago and we all went to his place to celebrate with him," said Mance. "Since then, we've gotten together as a group on Thursday nights.

"We'll meet at one of the guys' apartments, eat together, and either watch TV or play cards. It relaxes us and gets our mind off football."

Mance figures the closer the group becomes, the harder it will be to play poorly, saying, "It will hurt us even more to let each other down on the field."

Duke

Two years ago at this time, D. Bryant had flunked out of Duke and was working in Detroit for an auto-parts manufacturer for Ford products.

"My teammates were throwing footballs and I was throwing car doors. It killed me, watching football games," he said.

Saturday, he begins the season as the Blue Devils' unquestioned starting quarterback. Bryant, a junior, had been dismissed from Duke after his freshman year. Duke students who fail are required to drop out two semesters and get a job.

"I knew I wasn't cut out for that," Bryant said. "It was hard labor the whole time. It was a humbling experience and maturing experience."

"This is where I wanted to be," Bryant said.

Florida State

As if the team's injury problems aren't bad enough, a new problem hit the Seminoles on Tuesday.

The family of Devaughn Darling, the freshman linebacker who died Feb. 26 in an offseason workout, has retained a prominent lawyer and informed the school of its intentions to file a negligence lawsuit.

In a letter sent Aug. 8, attorney Willie E. Gary, a famed trial lawyer from Stuart, Fla., whose firm has a history of winning large judgments in personal-family injury cases, has alleged that Darling "experienced exhaustion, dizziness and other signs of extreme fatigue that were ignored by trainers and coaches" during the ill-fated workout.

An autopsy revealed that Devaughn Darling had the sickle cell trait, which has been known in rare cases to trigger heart failure under heavy stress. His twin brother, Devard Darling, has the same trait.

Devard Darling has since enrolled at Washington State but has not been cleared to play football. Florida State's medical staff did not clear him, prompting Devard to seek another team. Tennessee was his first choice, but the Vols turned him down, citing the same concerns Florida State had.

The letter of intent is mandated by Florida law to proceed with any formal filing of a lawsuit against a state agency. It's still uncertain if the family will go ahead with the lawsuit or seek an out-of-court settlement.

"It's my position that we have no liability. Period," said Richard McFarlain, general counsel for Florida State. "If they want to sit down and talk, we're always willing to sit down and talk. I can do that until hell freezes over. But if we have to litigate, we'll litigate."

Georgia Tech

After setting a school receiving record and being named the most valuable player of the Kickoff Classic, Kelly Campbell was surprised by his lack of attention.

From Syracuse defenders, that is.

"We figured they were going to double-cover me with the safety," said Campbell, who caught 10 passes for 193 yards, including a 72-yarder, as Tech beat Syracuse 13-7. "But I guess the (Syracuse) coach just wanted to continue to get beat down the field.

"So we just had to continue to take what they gave us."

Campbell, expected to be the top receiver in the ACC this season, set a Kickoff Classic record for most receptions, breaking a three-way tie that included former Florida State star Peter Warrick. He needs 17 more receptions to pass Harvey Middleton as the school's career leader.

Maryland

The Terrapins plan to hand the ball to a guy who never even carried it once last season.

Bruce Perry, a sophomore who redshirted last season, has become the featured tailback in new coach Ralph Friedgen's offense. But senior Marc Riley and freshman Jason Crawford also could play in Saturday's opener against North Carolina.

"We're not going to be like it has been here in the past, where we only have one guy," said Friedgen.

Perry, who played high school football in Philadelphia, played in seven games of the Terrapins' 1999 season and had 30 carries for 195 yards. He's the fireplug-size back (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) that Friedgen prefers in his spread offense.

North Carolina

Ronald Curry understands why there has been a rain of criticism on him. His error-prone performance led to the Tar Heels' blowout loss at Oklahoma.

"For me, it was like quicksand. It started bad and I kept sinking. I didn't play well," said Curry, who added that he understands why backup Darian Durant has become a possible replacement. "He did enough to get a shot."

Durant passed for 7,200 yards and 69 touchdowns as a high school player in Florence, S.C. He suffered a broken leg in the fourth game of his senior season.

"I'm a little surprised Ronald did not play as well, but a lot of us didn't play very well at the beginning," said Tar Heels coach John Bunting. "I'm hopeful this coming week he'll be what he's been in the past -- better. Right now Ronald is my quarterback. I said that (Saturday night), and he still is my quarterback."

North Carolina State

A winning season and bowl trip suddenly has raised expectations among the Wolfpack faithful, who are snatching game tickets at record pace.

"Our fans already have their reservations for the Rose Bowl," joked second-year coach Chuck Amato. "The reality of our situation is that last year wasn't a one-year fix."

Six of last year's victories came in fourth-quarter rallies. Three came in overtime. The charmed season led to an 8-4 record and a trip to the Micronpc.Com Bowl.

Amato, a Florida State assistant for 18 years, knows the Wolfpack still has a ways to go to improve its team speed, strength and depth. His defense, despite losing only four starters, is still considered a weak link that must make significant strides this season.

"We still have to become a more disciplined football team," said Amato, whose team will be the last in the ACC to open the season, waiting until Sept. 6 (Indiana). "We can't make mental mistakes. Our players have to trust one another on the field."

Virginia

Al Groh may have escaped the pressure-cooker of media attention when he left New York, but the former Jets head coach hasn't found a long honeymoon at Virginia.

He's already drawn fire from fans and national commentators who have screamed about his decision not to go for two points following a touchdown, which could have cut a 16-point deficit in half Saturday against Wisconsin. Instead, Groh sent in the kicking team and the Cavaliers trailed by nine -- the same margin by which they lost (26-17) to the Badgers.

Beano Cook, ranting on ESPN radio, said, "You wonder what Thomas Jefferson is thinking. He must be going nuts."

Said Groh: "There are charts and a lot of people live by those charts, but you have to feel the game and I was trying to feel the game. I was trying to win the game, not tie the game, and I didn't have a very strong conviction that overtime was a good situation for us."

When told what Cook said, Groh responded: "Boy, I'm really ... flattered. I guess that's because neither Pitt nor Notre Dame was playing, so he (Cook) had to do something with his Saturday afternoon."

Wake Forest

The Deacons were waiting until later in the week before naming a quarterback starter. The choice is between junior James MacPherson and sophomore Anthony Young, but first-year coach Jim Grobe has yet to tip his hand, saying both are capable or starting.

MacPherson started the last three games last season, and Young started five. But no matter who starts, the Deacons have a tall order Saturday when they play at East Carolina.

"They may play both, but I'm telling you right now that Stevie Wonder could watch that film and know it's going to be Anthony Young," said East Carolina coach Steve Logan. "That cat can play."

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