Glennon learning from the best

Nathan Warters and Andy Bitter
Published: July 20, 2008

GREENSBORO, Ga. — Virginia Tech senior quarterback Sean Glennon can add a couple more names to his impressive list of superstar advisers.

Glennon took a call last season from New England Patriots three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady, who called to compliment the Hokies senior on his play in the season-opening win against East Carolina.

Well, Glennon spent some time with two more Super Bowl winning quarterbacks this summer: Brothers Peyton and Eli Manning.

Glennon worked as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy July 10-13 at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

“We have a good time when we’re down there,” said Glennon, who worked as a counselor at the Manning camp last season. “Every night, we have somewhere to go. We eat. We go out and socialize and have a drink or two. They’re really good about acting like normal guys.”

Glennon said there was a question-and-answer session where the counselors could pick the Mannings’ brains.

“We asked them how they work out, how they study film, what it takes to make it at the next level,” Glennon said. “We were asking them everything, and I gained a lot from that.”

Streakin’ Deacons

Wake Forest All-America cornerback Alphonso Smith was a die-hard Florida State fan growing up. This season, the senior from Pahokee, Fla., has a chance to end his career with an unlikely streak against the once-powerful Seminoles.

The Demon Deacons have won two straight against FSU, including a 30-0 drubbing in Tallahassee two seasons ago. A third straight win would be a nice capper for Smith, who played on the same Pahokee High School team as FSU starting running back Antone Smith.

“That’d be great because I can mess with Antone a little bit,” Alphonso Smith said. “It’s going to be really hard because Florida State is going to bring it. I know we’re going to bring it.”

The Seminoles will be without 10 players from their two-deep when they face Wake Forest on Sept. 20. FSU suspended the players for last year’s Music City Bowl and the first three games of 2008 for their involvement in an academic scandal.

“We’re really just approaching it like we would if all these guys were playing with us,” FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford said. “Florida State has built its legacy on being able to plug guys in.

“Just because we’re missing a so-called starter, that doesn’t mean the backup can’t come in and do just as good a job or better. It’s a good opportunity for young guys to come in and play. They’re going to be hungry, and I expect them to take full advantage of it.”

A running start

New Duke coach David Cutcliffe could only get through half of the team’s first offseason workout before he’d seen enough.

“The first day he got there, he called us fat and out of shape,” wide receiver Eron Riley recalled. “He’s really big on conditioning. Finishing is a big thing for us. We were in a lot of games until late and then started to fall off.”

The Blue Devils went 1-11 last year, including 0-8 in the ACC, but they stayed close in a number of games. They trailed by a touchdown or less in the fourth quarter of five games last season, losing all of them.

Cutcliffe has vowed to change that. The former Tennessee offensive coordinator had made conditioning a priority for his Blue Devils, who return 19 starters from last year, tying North Carolina for most in the conference.

Riley’s least favorite exercise is running 110’s across the length of the field.

“We run them at like 11 o’clock,” he said. “It’s so humid outside, it’s so hot. I hate it. But I know they’re good for us, so I do them.

“Looking back now, I feel like we were out of shape (last year). I’m not going to say it was the want-to. The want-to is there. It’s just that we were getting tired.”