THE ACC WEEK 2 WRAP-UP. VTECH SHOWS UP BIG AGAINST A BIG 10 POWER HOUSE

    Last saturday was a great day for the football teams of the ACC. The conference went 11-0 in outer conference games and the one conference game the panthers of Pitt dominated Boston College. Cavaliers of Virginia were able to bounce back from their opening day lost mainly due to lack of offense to run over the Spiders of Richmond 45-13 scoring one or more touchdowns each quarter. UVAs quarterback duo of Matt Johns and Greyson Lambert lead two scoring drives for the Cavaliers which was a major improvement from their first outer conference game against #7 UCLA. The Cavaliers defense remained stout by forcing seven turnovers from the spiders offense including one of the turnovers being a 22-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Cavaliers will open their ACC play tomorrow hosting newly added #21 ranked Louisville.  
    The Florida State Seminoles continued their domination with a second outer conference game smashing the Citadel 37-12 keeping the Seminoles atop of the national polls at #1 and #1 in the ACC. Florida St. finished 2-0 in outer conference play starting off with a close victory against Oklahoma St. and of course beating The Citadel, but will begin their ACC play against Clemson on September 20th. Clemson came out strong against South Carolina St. last saturday beating them 73-3 which to me suppose to happen especially against a team that doesn't present a threat. The big question will be can they maintain that same fire against the #1 team in the country next saturday. Clemson couldn't escape Athens with a victory against the Bulldogs and definitely will be challenged on the road in Tallahasee. 
    The Hurricanes bounced back just as Clemson did after their opening lost to ACC newcomer Louisville by defeating Florida A&M 41-7. Miami continued their offensive troubles by only converting 2 out of 10 third down conversions and 3 turnovers by the offense. Even though they steam rolled the Rattlers that doesn't look good for the Hurricanes offense as a unit. Syracuse held on to beat a good Villanova team which in the eyes of some are on the level of North Dakota St. and Eastern Washington. Villanova who the week before losing to Syracuse demolished the Fordham Rams 50-6 which were ranked #10 in the FCS coaches poll should give Syracuse a sense of accomplishment with beating a solid team. 
    Georgia Tech was pushed to limit for a second week. In their opener the Yellow Jackets barely escaped with a victory against Tulane and at the half versus Wafford they were only up 10-9 but was able to pull away in the second half. Duke started off their season with two victories against easy opponents in Elon and Troy. The big question will be how will they fair against ACC competition after playing teams that they should beat at least on paper. The Tarheels are 2-0 after two weeks of play but just the majority of the teams across the nation they also played against non competitive schools to begin their season. Their two victories came against Liberty and San Diego State. The Pittsburgh Panthers took their show on the road to Boston College and defeated them convincingly 30-20 with smart field play by running the ball 51 times eating up clock and testing the Eagles defense which couldn't stop James Connor. 
   NOW!!!!! for my ACC team of the week award goes to the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies took their show on the road to Columbus, Ohio against the than ranked #8 Buckeyes. The Hokies in the eyes of all analyst were underdogs and wasn't suppose to beat the Buckeyes gave reporters a different perspective after saturday nights victory. Virginia Tech than un-ranked wanted the world to see that they should be in the top 10 after holding off the Buckeyes. I know analyst thoughts were that Ohio St. didn't have their top quarterback at the helm, however you recruit players that can step up when someone takes a fall. I could imagine Buckeye stadium in dead silence after the clock read 00:00 at the end of the game and Tech were the victors. The Hokies scored one or more touchdowns in each quarter against Ohio St. except for the third quarter where they couldn't score but made up for it in the fourth quarter scoring 14 points. Great job Hokies from a Cavalier and it was great to see the final score in your favor.        That's my week 2 wrap-up I am looking forward to seeing how week 3 unravels as some of the teams start their inner conference play. Stay tuned and continue to read my blogs as I cover all aspects of sports. #theACCDN

TAVONS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS WITH THE NEW PLAYOFF SYSTEM.....

      It's finally here and it's about time!!!!! Years have gone by and numerous sports reporters and college football players both former and current including myself have wanted a playoff system for college football. The former way of crowning a national champion was flawed and too easy especially if you had a powder puff schedule and finished undefeated year after year. I have always been a supporter of the underdog and the past few years some teams have emerged as giants and have shook the polls. I believe adding the college football playoff system will allow those underdog teams with great records to be seen on a larger stage. One of those teams in my eyes will be North Dakota State. I am glad that we can say good bye to the normal top 5 teams being the front runners and receiving bids to all of the BCS bowls. I definitely believe adding more games to a 10 game schedule is perfect. The College football season is too short with such a huge build up for the season to kick off. I wonder if former players were given a survey asking if they would prefer a playoff system would they say yes? I wonder that because with adding a playoff system it could potential help some of the players stock before entering the draft instead of relying solely on their pro days.

   NOWWWWWWW (DRUM ROLL PLEASE) my predictions for the rest of the college season. Week 1 has gone as planned and  everyone that was ranked in the top 10 has started off undefeated. Jameis Winston and the current NCAA football champions opened their season with the unranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. Florida St. was able to hold off the Cowboys surge to win 37-31 to remain at the top of the rankings. Alabama who remains at #2 didn't look to well with their opening against West Virginia in the after A.J. McCarron era. West Virginia aided in Alabamas victory with numerous mistakes and not finishing drives in the red zone with touch downs. So I will apologize for not jumping on the Roll Tide bandwagon. Even though the Ducks have lost a huge part of their offense with Thomas I still believe the Ducks will pose a threat to the top two teams and make them play perfect or near perfect each week. I believe that everyone is sleeping on the Michigan State Spartans and they will climb up the ladder but will not have enough fire to take it to the Big Show in January. I know you're patiently waiting for my pick and here it goes. I pick the ACC to remain at the top one more year with the Florida St. Seminoles but it will be another hard fought victory for the Seminoles against the Ducks of Oregon. #theACCDN

AUGUST 30TH IS APPROACHING AND HOOVILLE WILL BE ROCKING ONCE AGAIN!!!

  It never gets old to me as a former Virginia Cavalier football player or as a athlete period when this time of year approaches. August 30th will kick off the Cavaliers 125th season and it will kick off with a BANG!!!! The Cavaliers will open their season at Scott Stadium versus #7 UCLA a very quality opponent. Some may wonder what's Coach London's strategy with adding another ranked Pac-12 team to the schedule for a third consecutive season especially coming off another losing season?

   UCLA coming off of a 10-3 season and a huge Sun Bowl victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies will start this season with a #7 ranking. The Bruins will have their top gun back at the quarterback position in Brett Hundley who finished with over 3,000 yards passing and 24 touchdowns and a completion percentage over 67%. The Bruins lost a top target for Hundley in Shaquelle Evans but return two other top targets in Devin Fuller and Jordan Payton. The Bruins will also get help from their very talented back field which helped the Bruins offense last season with Jordan James and Paul Perkins. With Hundleys arm a  talented receiving core and running back tandem this may be a rough day for the Cavaliers. The Bruins are looking to start this season off strong and finish as the Pac-12 champions. 

   My Virginia Cavaliers had a rough season last year finishing 2-10 with nine straight losses to end the season definitely raised a few eye brows for fans. The Cavaliers returned 16 starters and will be looking for those starters to ignite a strong season for the Hoos to get them back to winning. The Cavaliers offense was very dismal last season but do have a bright spot with returning their first 1,000 yard rusher in over a decade in Kevin parks and Taquan Mizzell will assist with electrifying the offense. The Cavaliers will be starting a new quarterback in Greyson Lambert but will have returning vets in Keeon Johnson and Darius Jennings at the wide receiver position to help Greyson. Defensively the Cavaliers return nine starters and will have a huge task in containing Hundley and the Bruins offense. Season after season I stay true Navy Blue and Orange and as a former Cavalier I yell out WAHOOWA AND GO HOOS GO!! The Hoos will have their hands full and if they can walk away with a victory it will be the start of a great season for London and his Cavaliers and finishing with a winning season would take some pressure off of Coach London. Make sure you tune in saturday August 30th at noon on ESPN as the HOOS face off against the 7th rank UCLA Bruins. 

70 MPH PITCH, 13 YEARS OLD, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED COVER AND A GIRL!!!!!

   Most 13 year old children are enjoying their summers by going on vacations, going swimming , playing with their friends and dreading the idea of starting school in a few weeks. Mo'ne Davis had other plans this summer. She decided to play little league baseball but probably didn't think what she loves to do would put her in the national spotlight. A very athletic young lady who was first spotted at the age of 7 by little league coach Bandura playing football with the little boys while cleaning the baseball field. After inviting her to his basketball practice and noticing her eye for detail while watching the older boys run drills he knew she was very athletic. Davis has been pitching for Bandura since he discovered her and noticed that Davis had a knack for throwing strikes at an early age which was a definite plus. As Mo'ne got older her skill set got better. At the age of 13 she can pitch a fast ball, a change up and continues to practice throwing the breaking ball. Mo'ne has gotten to the point where she can see her mistakes, fix them and continue throwing strikes because of her keen eye to detail. 

   70 mph and two shut outs later Davis and the Taney little league team has found themselves in the little league world series title run. Davis first shut out which propelled her and her team to the tournament run came in Williamsport, PA. with a 4-0 win. After her second pitching shut out Davis began to get national attention at an alarming rate. She has been watched by celebrities Lil Wayne, Kevin Durant, Coach Auriemma and Adam Jones to name a few. Being 13 years old, very athletic, pitches a 70 mph fast ball and a female playing in an all boy sport what does that get you? How about the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, the only little league world series player to grace the cover of the magazine, people from all backgrounds and both genders wanting her autograph and over 35,000 people to see her game yesterday versus a good Las Vegas, Nevada team. 

  Mo'ne Davis has began to change the course of history with out probably knowing it. She has made it very clear that females can play with the boys,  she has boost the self esteem of women and girls world wide and across all races. Mo'ne has brought major publicity to the Little League World series and network ratings has soared to incredible highs since throwing her two shut outs. What's Mo'ne Davis's ultimate goal? Davis likes playing baseball but wants to play for the UCONN Huskies women's basketball team and wants to make it to the WNBA. I definitely applaud her talent and abilities and wish her the best in the future. Let Mo'ne Davis's stardom be a jump start to other female athletes that are questioning their abilities. To those that are in her corner please continue to be a support system for her especially once the bright lights of hollywood start to dim and the cameras walk away. Mo'ne if you read this blog continue to be a great and humble young lady and never give up on your dream. #DARETOBEGREAT!  

MY DMV SPOTLIGHT, MR. TINO ELLIS DEMATHA HIGH SCHOOL. TAKING OFF!!!!!!

  
  Here we go Here we gooooooo! I first would like to apologize for being out of commission since my last posting and truly appreciate everyone that has read my blogs and that continue to read them. I have my next DMV SPOT LIGHTTTTTTTTTTT and he's a talented rising junior. 
  Next up we have a sensational young man that as a sophomore help his Dematha Catholic High School football team win the 2013 WCAC title. I got the opportunity to sit down and interview my next DMV spot light athlete and it was a great interview. 

TAVON: Hello, before we get into the interview I would like for you to introduce yourself to everyone.

TE: Hello everyone My name is Tino Ellis.

TAVON: Thanks for sitting down with me Tino and doing this interview. 

TE: Not a problem at all and thank you for reaching out to me to do this interview I really appreciate it.

TAVON: The pleasure is all mines. Let's jump right into it and let everyone know a little more about Tino Ellis. What school do you attend? What grade are you going to? and what's your favorite sport?

TE: I attend DeMatha Catholic High School, I am a rising junior and of course my favorite sport is football. 

TAVON: Exactly I figured football would be your favorite sport and that's great a rising junior. So as a sophomore you got the opportunity to play on the varsity level in a tough league for a great program. Did your team finish strong in 2013?

TE: Yes as a sophomore I was running with the big dogs lol. It was a great opportunity for me as a sophomore to play on that level at such a great school and it showed that my hard work wasn't overlooked. The 2013 season finished great, we won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title. 

TAVON: WOW! that's an awesome accolade to add to your resume as an athlete to be a sophomore football player at Dematha and to win a championship. What position do you play and why that great position? 

TE: Yes definitely a great accolade to have as a sophomore in such a great league. I am a wide receiver at Dematha and I picked the wide receiver position because I knew I had the skill set to play the position. 

TAVON: That's great I almost dropped a tear lol. I played wide receiver in college at UVA and with the New York JETS. Not to mention the wide receiver position is the best position on the field but don't tell your Quarterback that lol. I know that you're a rising junior and with having a championship under your belt as a sophomore I know you have turned a few heads in college. What schools have expressed interest in you?

TE: LOL! I saw that you were a receiver as well and I'll make sure I don't tell my quarterback what you said so I can continue to get the ball thrown my way. Currently as a prospect I have Georgia, Penn st., Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Maryland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Virginia, Hawaii, Tennessee, Oregon, UCLA, Rutgers, Nebraska and Mississippi State. My top five schools in no particular order are Notre Dame, Maryland, Virginia Tech, USC AND Georgia.

TAVON: That's a very impressive list Tino but I have to talk to you one to one about your top 5 list. We got to get Vtech off of there and add Virginia lol I'm just saying. I am proud of you myself and very happy that such prestigious schools have shown interest in you already. Great job and keep it up. I have three more questions and we will be done.

TE: I knew you would say something about Virginia Tech being on my top 5 and not Virginia lol. I will keep working hard to increase my list by the end of my junior year. Keep the questions coming I am enjoying this.

TAVON: What is your ultimate goal in life?

TE: My ultimate goal in life is to be able to look at my past and be proud of myself for what I have done on and off the field.

TAVON: That's an adult answer for a young man. Most young men in your position would say make it to the NFL but you didn't you chose self reflection. Your mom and dad have the making of a wise man on their hands. If you had to the opportunity to work with anyone to enhance your football skills who would it be?

TE: Thank you Tavon for the compliment and that's what I truly believe. The one person that I would love to work with to help improve my skills as a wide receiver would  be Michael Irvin.

TAVON: That's a very great pick to work with my one person would of been Jerry Rice and still is my pick lol. My last question for you to close out your interview is what are some encouraging words for the younger kids that are inspiring to do what you're doing?

TE: Yes Jerry Rice is a great pick to learn from as well. My encouraging words for the younger generation would whatever sport that you play get whatever you can out of it and don't let the sport use you because it's not going to last forever. Also give 100% in whatever you do. 

TAVON: There you have it straight from Mr. Tino Ellis's mouth. Again thank you Tino for sitting down with me to do this interview and make sure everyone checks it out at formernyjet18.blogsport.com. If you would like to see this young man in action go to 
www.hudl.com/athlete/2906406/highlights/145003565

GOING HOME AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS CAREER, AND A CITY THAT WILL FLOURISH ECONOMICALLY

    Disney couldn't of written a story like this and made it dramatic enough for the public and believable at the same time. The majority thought it would happen and some thought he would stay at Miami to continue the championship runs. Since Lebron left Cleveland the Cavaliers haven't seen many good days or playoffs. Cleveland has the talent but not that one player to spark a flame under their young players feet to start a surge in the NBA. The question that critics may have is how will Cleveland welcome Lebron back after being blacked listed from the state because of him leaving the way he did?   

   Lebron coming back to Cleveland has more importance than just a basketball hero coming back home or a championship. Lebrons presences could uplift Cleveland's economy with businesses flourishing again as it did before he left the Cavaliers. Critics will always have negative things to say about Lebron but him coming back was to give back to his city where he grew up and that took care of him and shaped him to be who he is today. Most athletes play their specific sport for the money and fame but in this instance I believe he made this move to give Cleveland and the people of Cleveland hope that you can be great and love where you come from. All athletes play the game to win and to say I am the best and he has done that and has proven that. In the words of Jay-z all you can do as a basketball fan is "either love him or leave him alone" because at the end of the day the ink has dried and he's headed back to where he started. GAME ON!

A ROAD WELL TRAVELED, SOUR ENDING BUT STILL A GIANT AMONGST THE REST!!

     A road battled tested and the Wahoos proved to be the right opponent for the Commodores from Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt took the first game of the series putting their foot down to let everyone that selected the highly ranked Cavaliers to win the CWS hands down with no problem that they are here to prove them WRONG. If you followed the Cavaliers regular season and post season you saw a resilient team that when their backs are against the wall they will claw back and show their teeth. Going into the second game I knew the Hoos would come ready to play and would not walk away without a fight and fight they did. The Cavaliers were down 2-1 going into the sixth inning of game 2 only to show their fight and drive and turned that 2-1 lead by the Commodores to a 6-2 lead at the end of the seventh inning for themselves. The Cavaliers bats woke up against a strong pitcher in Tyler Beede to tie the series up 1-1 forcing a final deciding game 3 for a National Championship. If the Cavaliers win game 3 it would be the first National Championship for an ACC team since 1955 when Wake Forest won it. If Vanderbilt wins it will be the SEC's fourth in six years and their first National Championship in any sport.

   The College World Series game 3, for all the marbles, glory and to say my school is the best school in the game of baseball. Game 3 of the CWS started with a error by the Cavaliers catcher  Robbie Coman trying to throw Bryan Reynolds out at second  which sailed into the out field allowing Swanson stealing from second to third to go home giving the Commodores a 1-0 lead after the first inning. After some questionable play by the Cavaliers they were able to wake their bats up in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game up 2-2 against Carson Fulmer who proved to be a challenge for the Hoos through five innings. Game 3 entered the top of eighth inning still tied and everyone on the edge of their seats including myself as I watched chanting LETS GO HOOS! LETS GO HOOS! wearing my Virginia Football hat proud of my colors. As I watched Norwood walk to the plate I kept saying lets get out this inning and start that spark again and bring the ship back to Charlottesville. Nick Howard pitched a 97mph fast ball and Norwood swung and BOOM! sent the pitch into the left field dugout to give Vanderbilt a 3-2 lead and a huge momentum swing in this tough game. That homerun hit by Norwood was only the 25th homerun hit in four years at TD Ameritrade park. The Cavaliers couldn't bounce back from that homerun and the Commodores took game 3 by one point crowning them the best college baseball team. As a Cavalier myself I am very proud of the baseball team and what they accomplished this long season. I know second place isn't where any team wants to be because we are taught as athletes winning is the only thing and no one remembers second place. However, I think the UVA team made a strong statement that we are a team to watch and will continue to make imprints in college baseball for years to come. So with that said I will start the chant now for next years season U-V-A GO HOOS GOOOOOO!