ACC Football Weekend Recap: Sept. 20
The performance of the week undoubtedly goes to Florida State, who went on the road to No. 7 BYU and
absolutely manhandled them 54-28.
It was a much needed boost for the ACC considering their recent history against stronger out-of-conference opponents.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Virginia Tech also gave the league some good press, beating No. 19 Nebraska at Lane Stadium 16-15 on a TD pass with 21 seconds left. Also, North Carolina took care of business against East Carolina.
It wasn't all good news though with Maryland losing to subpar MTSU, Virginia dropping one to Southern Miss and Duke getting waxed by No. 22 Kansas.
No. 20 Miami 33, No. 14 GT 17
Jacory Harris lit up the Tech defense to the tune of 280 yards and three TD's, while the defense put the clamps on Nesbitt and company.
For the second week in a row, the Hurricanes took down a ranked opponent. After showing out against Florida State, many were wondering if Harris really had "it" or if the Seminoles' secondary was just that bad. The utter domination he displayed now has those same critics pondering "Harris for Heisman."
The win puts Miami in the driver's seat for a trip to Tampa.
No. 24 UNC 31, ECU 17
The Tar Heels overcame a sluggish start to put the Pirates away behind 227 yards and two TD's from QB T.J. Yates.
The Carolina defense held the ECU offense in check most of the game, and limited them to only 55 yards rushing and three second half points.
A definite bright spot for the offense was the play of the receivers. Coming into the season that was the biggest question mark on offense. But freshman Erik Highsmith had six catches for 113 yards and a score.
Clemson 25, BC 7
The Tigers walked away with a "W" in what turned out to be the longest, and possibly the nastiest, game in school history. C.J. Spiller tallied over 200 all-purpose yards, including a 77-yard punt return for a TD.
But the star of the game was Clemson kicker Richard Jackson, who finished 6-for-6 on field goals, including a 52-yarder in the rain.
Freshman QB Kyle Parker had an off day, and needs to get things in line quick with No. 15 TCU coming to town next Saturday.
No. 22 Kansas 44, Duke 16
Hopes were high for Cutcliffe's crew, and after the first quarter ended tied 7-7, it seemed as if Duke might give the Jayhawks a scare.
But Todd Reesing and company turned things on from that point, outscoring the Blue Devils 34-9 to walk away with this one.
There is a silver lining: this years Duke offense rolled up almost 400 yards against a normally tight Jayhawk defense.
MTSU 32, Maryland 31
I won't use this space to knock the Terrapins. Instead, let's give credit where credit is due—MTSU came to play and did their job. They went yard for yard, and point for point with Maryland the whole game and topped it off with a 19-yard field goal with no time left to grab the win.
It's going to be a long season for the Terps. After a blowout loss to Cal, they narrowly escaped against James Madison and now have 2 losses—all before ACC play has even started.
No. 13 VT 16, No. 19 Nebraska 15
Tyrod Taylor must have a thing for the dramatic. Down by five with a minute to play, Taylor connected with Danny Coale down the sideline for an 80-yard completion.
Three plays later, he scrambled for what seemed like an eternity and found Dyrell Roberts for a game-winning TD, giving the Hokies a one-point win over No. 19 Nebraska and keeping hopes a alive for a top-10 finish.
Southern Miss 37, Virginia 34
Al Groh was a happy camper heading into the fourth quarter, with the Cavaliers up by 10 and headed towards win number one on the year.
But a late rally, capped off by a 57-yard TD run by Tory Harrison, rained on that parade. Virginia finally showed some life offensively, led by QB Jameel Sewell who passed for over 300 yards and two TD's.
Things won't get much easier next week with a trip to North Carolina.
NC State 45, Gardner-Webb 14
Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson finally showed the potential that had many calling him the best QB in the ACC this year, passing for 345 yards and four TD's. He set a new NCAA record for most consecutive passes without an INT at 329.
They also got 77 yards and two TD's out of running back Toney Baker.
After opening the season with a loss to Baylor, and needing a last minute TD to beat Stanford, Wake Forest got things rolling early against Elon.
QB Riley Skinner tossed for almost 300 yards and three TD's as the Deacs took down an over matched Elon squad 35-7.
The timing couldn't be better for Skinner to get things on track. He'll need it against the secondary of Boston College next week.
Florida State 54, No. 7 BYU 28
Ok, so I thought the Seminoles might keep it close—say within 10 points. But a 26-point victory? AT No. 7 BYU? Didn't see that coming.
The defense forced three interceptions from BYU QB Max Hall and QB Christian Ponder was laser accurate, going 21-for-26 for 195 yards and two TD's. He also tacked on 77 yards rushing and a TD.
The schedule looks fairly easy the next two games for Florida State. They get a USF team that lost QB Matt Grothe for the year at home and follow that up with a trip to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College.
Things we learned this weekend
• Jacory Harris is the real freakin' deal.
After leading the Hurricanes to a victory over rival Florida State, Harris torched Georgia Tech for 270 yards and three TD's, completing 80 percent of his passes (20-for-25).
If Miami can pull off wins against Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, don't be surprised to hear "Harris for Heisman" talk.
As a matter of fact, if they start 4-0, the Hurricanes have a real shot at a trip to the BCS Title game.
• The Clemson defense is SICK.
Boston College came in leading the conference in scoring at 44 points per game, and rolling up an average of 400 yards. But they managed a measly seven points and 54 yards of total offense.
The defensive end combo of Da'Quan Bowers and Ricky Sapp is almost unstoppable, and it doesn't get an easier behind them with linebackers Brandon Maye and Kavell Conner playing lights out.
The only downside to the game was the 25-7 final, which should have been at least 41-7. The offense constantly sputtered behind freshman QB Kyle Parker.
• Clemson kicker Richard Jackson is really, really good. He converted all six of his field goal attempts in the Tigers' 25-7 win against Boston College.
The most impressive thing I've seen was his 53-yard field goal against Georgia Tech the week before, which could have easily been good from 60-plus. On the year he is 8-for-8 on PAT's and 11-for-13 on FG's.
His two misses could be attributed to opening game jitters. Amazingly he is 2-for-2 on FG's of 50 yards are more.
• Florida State is officially bi-polar. How does a team change so much from week to week?
After a stellar game against Miami, they needed two scores in the final moments to beat Jacksonville State. Then they go on the road and destroy a very good seventh ranked BYU team.
QB Christian Ponder didn't pass for a ton of yards, but he was productive with the pass and the run. The Seminole defense managed to force three interceptions out of Cougar QB Max Hall, who only had thrown three total coming in.
• Maryland looks BAD. With talent like Chris Turner at QB and Da'Rel Scott at RB, there is no reason they should need overtime to beat James Madison and lose to MTSU the next week.
• Two ACC coaches could be out in a hurry. One of them is the head man of the aforementioned Terrapins squad, Ralph Friedgen.
The other is Virginia coach Al Groh, who has seen his Cavalier team start 0-3, low-lighted by a loss to William and Mary to start the season.
• It looks like a four-horse race in the ACC this year.
Coastal: Miami is head and shoulders above the crowd, but next week's game against Virginia Tech will be the real test. The winner of this one will end up in the ACC Championship Game.
Atlantic: Maryland, Boston College, and Wake Forest look bad. The jury is still out on NC State.
It's looking more and more like Clemson and Florida State will battle for a trip to Tampa. Their showdown in Death Valley Nov. 7 could be the deciding game, considering both squads have one ACC loss (both against the Coastal Division).
• What has happened to Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer? After a breakout year and ACC Player of the Year selection in 2008, he was being touted as a Heisman dark horse coming into 2009.
Their win against Jacksonville State saw him put up a modest 95 yards, but against Clemson and Miami he combined for a paltry 73 yards and 0 TD's. In fact, he's actually third on the team in rushing behind QB Josh Nesbitt and fellow RB Anthony Allen.
By the Numbers
5—Number of ways Clemson specialist C.J. Spiller has scored a TD (Rushing, Passing, Receiving, Punt Return, Kick Return), which is a school record
5—Wins in eight tries against Top 10 opponents for Florida State
5—Number of total TD passes for Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt in his three-year career
8—Number of offensive possessions Florida State has scored on
10—Number of Georgia Tech players to rush for 2,000 yards in their career. RB Jonathan Dwyer became the 10th.
15—Number of times Clemson's Spiller has scored a TD of 50 yards or more, a Clemson record
19—Points scored by Clemson K Richard Jackson against Boston College
21—Seconds left on the clock when Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor hit Dyrell Roberts for the game-winning TD against No. 19 Nebraska
49—Number of consecutive PAT's made by Miami K Matt Bosher
54—Total Yards allowed by Clemson against Boston College in a 25-7 win
58—Wins this decade by Wake Forest, the winningest in school history
291—Number of all-purpose yards needed by Clemson's Spiller to set the ACC career record
329—Number of consecutive passes NC State QB Russell Wilson has thrown without an interception, a new NCAA record
350—Number of career completions for North Carolina QB T.J. Yates, good for third in school history
656—Yards passed for by Miami QB Jacory Harris, a new Miami high for consecutive games
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
