ACCeptionally Average: Week 2 ACC College Football Recap
Terms like 'black eye' are being thrown around to describe what happened to the ACC this weekend.
I'll be a little more honest and call it what it was: an ass-kicking.
The ACC had five non-conference games of note this weekend, posting a 1-4 mark. Now, in all honesty, I consider it 2-3, with one team earning a moral victory.
Virginia, projected to finish last in the ACC, went on the road as 21-point underdogs to an overpowering USC team and nearly won (they lost 17-14). Kudos, Coach London.
The 2010 season was supposed to be a statement one. The conference came in with five teams ranked in the Top 25, and two from the Coastal (Virginia Tech and Miami) were expected to battle it out for ACC supremacy and a shot at National Title contention.
How the mighty have fallen.
In the latest Top 25 Polls, Miami is the only team left. If Clemson can beat #15 Auburn next week, they're in and Miami is guaranteed to stay, they're on a bye next weekend. They need a few teams to step up BIG time.
ACC Football Week 2: Things We Learned
1 of 13- Clemson backup QB Tajh Boyd can lay the wood. In the vid to the left, he levels a Presbyterian LB after an INT.
- Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are nowhere NEAR as good as advertised.
- Miami, on the other hand, might be. IF and only IF QB Jacory Harris can quit shooting himself in the foot.
- Miami's return guys are legit.
- Georgia Tech's unstoppable offense is, well, stoppable.
- Virginia and Maryland may be better than expected.
- Duke and Wake Forest either have REALLY good offenses or REALLY bad defenses.
- Duke QB Sean Renfree is the real deal.
- So is Wake QB Tanner Price.
- NC State can win with their defense.
ACColades: Week 2
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- Virginia - Coach London and crew went out West to take on USC and its high-octane offense. They played their heart out and fell just short 17-14, to a team that was favored by over 20.
- Wake Forest/Duke Game - If you didn't catch the first ACC game of the season, you missed out big time. They went back and forth non-stop, making for easily one of the most entertaining games of the day.
- Clemson and Maryland - In a day of piss-poor performances, it was at least entertaining to see the teams combine for 120 points against their respective opponents.
- NC State Defense. They forced five turnovers, barely escaping a comeback by UCF.
- Daniel Barnes, Clemson RB - The grad student who earned a scholarship rushed 11 times for 79 yards and had a receiving TD in Clemsons 58-21 win. Yeah I know, it was Presbyterian, but he deserves a shout out.
- Audie Cole, LB NC State - The Junior had 12 tackles, a sack and an INT in the Wolfpack's close win at UCF.
Wake Forest 54, Duke 48
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Wake Forest 54, Duke 48
I don't think anyone could have asked for a more exciting ACC opener. These two came in with the top two offenses in the conference and they didn't disappoint.
They combined for 102 points and nearly 1,000 yards in total offense. Before you go jumping on one of these guys as the next ACC champ, keep in mind they have NO defense.
Duke QB Sean Renfree looked great again, going for 358 yards and 4 TD's. He had 3 INT's but he has his receivers to thank on a couple of those.
RB Desmond Scott blew up for 122 yards on just 11 rushes. That has to be the most positive sign of all for the Blue Devils, who came into 2010 with a questionable run game at best.
Wake used their rushing attack early and often to keep this close, but when starter Ted Stachitas went out with an injury, Tanner Price came in and showed out.
He finished the day accounting for 4 TD's, 3 passing and 1 rushing and had 246 yards of total offense.
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Kansas 28, Georgia Tech 25
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Kansas 28, Georgia Tech 25
The Achilles heel of the Yellow Jackets was exposed by Kansas. After their first game of the year, everyone including myself thought they were fine. Same old Paul Johnson team, insert different players.
But the holes left by early departures are obvious issues. Tech simply can't throw the ball and can't stop the run or pass.
Kansas, coming off a loss to North Dakota State the week before, switched out QBs and gave Jordan Webb the start. He threw for 179 yards and 3 TDs. Freshman RB James Sims ran for 101 yards.
It was apparent Tech's one dimensional attack simply wasn't effective, reminiscent of their loss to Iowa in the Orange Bowl last year. It really has me wondering why ACC teams simply can't adapt to their game plan.
Next week's game at North Carolina just went from a win to a toss up with the Tar Heels showing a killer passing game last week.
James Madison 21, Virginia Tech 16
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James Madison 21, Virginia Tech 16
Okay, where's Ashton Kutcher? Surely we've been punked.
Tech is picked to win the conference, nearly beats #3 Boise State yet loses to FCS James Madison in their own stadium? This has to be the worst 'loss hangover' I've ever witnessed.
Now, I'm not taking a thing away from JM. They obviously outplayed the Hokies, but they were 35-point underdogs for a reason.
Tech suffered from the same problems that cost them the game against Boise: fundamental mistakes, which is not like a Frank Beamer coached team.
No blocking, no tackling, and three turnovers will catch up to you.
The most telling stat in this entire game was the fact that Tech made five trips inside the Duke's 25 and came away with just three field goals.
Luckily for the Hokies, this didn't count toward conference play. And the way the ACC is shaping up, they may actually be okay (that's proof of how weak the league really is).
Boston College 26, Kent State 13
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Boston College 26, Kent State 13
The Eagles did exactly what they were supposed to do. QB Dave Shinskie appears to have gotten things on track, throwing for 2 TD's and most importantly no INT's.
This was a good final primer for their first conference game next week.
The Eagle defense looked stout, only allowing 205 total yards of offense by Kent State and a measly 4 yards rushing. They also forced five turnovers on the day.
The score wasn't as close as it looked. Kent State scored a late TD with just over 2 minutes left, which ironically enough, caused Boston College to not cover their 17-point spread. Bummer.
The Eagles are off next week before opening ACC play against Virginia Tech.
Ohio State 36, Miami 24
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Ohio State 36, Miami 24
For the second year in a row, Heisman hopeful QB Jacory Harris put the breaks on any chance Miami had of making a statement.
In 2009, when Miami was as high as #10 nationally, his 3-INT performance against Clemson and 4 INT's against North Carolina led to the Hurricanes finishing in the middle of the pack in a watered down ACC.
The Canes came into 2010 being touted as national powers along with fellow ACC member Virginia Tech.
Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing with 346 total yards and two TD's. But despite that performance, if not for Harris' pick problem, Miami likely wins this game.
On a positive note, RB Damien Berry had a solid game, rushing for 94 yards on 16 carries.
An ACC Title game is obviously still an option. At this point, Miami looks like the most solid team in the conference.
The Canes stay on the road next week, heading to Pittsburgh to take on Dion Lewis and the Panthers.
Oklahoma 47, Florida State 17
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Oklahoma 47, Florida State 17
Okay, I'll admit I was one of the people that called for Florida State to actually win this one.
Coming into 2010, my initial prediction was a 2-3 TD win by Oklahoma, but I made the mistake of buying into the Noles changing a major defensive flaw in one offseason. That and Oklahoma struggling against Utah State the week before.
Lesson learned. The Nole defense is God-awful.
Heisman hopeful QB Christian Ponder looked good, briefly, then slowly fell apart, throwing two INT's and no TD's.
The Nole offense as a whole just didn't look good. Take away a 47-yard TD pass from backup QB Taiwan Easterling and they managed 298 total yards.
Don't panic yet though, the season is early and the ACC is horrible. An ACC Title shot is within reach (but how much would that really mean?).
Clemson 58, Presbyterian 21
9 of 13Clemson 58, Presbyterian 21
No surprise here. The Tigers starters saw limited action in preparation for next week's showdown at Auburn.
QB Kyle Parker only threw nine passes, completing six for 114 yards and two TDs.
Backup Tajh Boyd got some quality snaps in, throwing for 87 yards and a two scores. He also rushed for 25 yards and a score. (Take a look at the vid above. Boyd LEVELS a LB after an INT).
It was a day of breakouts for the backups. RB's Roderick McDowell and Daniel Barnes combined for 165 yards and a score on the day.
Amazing stat of the day: The Tigers played 57 players by the end of the first quarter.
Maryland 62, Morgan State 3
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Maryland 62, Morgan State 3
Fresh off an inspiring goal-line stand win against a favored Navy team, this one looked like it had letdown written all over it for the Terps.
Quite the opposite.
But it's odd how they shelled Morgan State this bad. Maryland only had 370 total yards, and didn't have a 100 rusher or passer on the day.
They had their defense and three turnovers to thank for constant short fields. When it was all said and done, the Bears only had 85 yards of total offense and 3 turnovers.
This will blow your mind: At halftime it was 45-0 Maryland and Morgan State only had six yards of offense (SIX!).
Maryland hits the road next week to take on West Virginia.
NC State 28, UCF 21
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NC State 28, UCF 21
Talk about escaping with a victory. It took five UCF turnovers, one on the final game-tying drive, for the Pack to walk away with a 'W'.
But a win is a win, especially when facing one of the better defenses in the country. I guess this could be considered an upset; the Knights were three-point favorites.
QB Russell Wilson, who is normally the model of efficiency, was only 10 of 30 for 105 yards and a score. The team as a whole only managed 239 total yards.
They won the turnover battle though. UCF QB Rob Calabrese was picked off 3 times before being yanked for freshman Jeffrey Godfrey.
Honestly, I think Coach O'Brien should be thankful Godfrey wasn't in the entire game. He racked up 160 yards of offense and 2 TD's in a quarter and a half.
The Pack have a huge out of conference game, hosting Cincinnati Thursday night.
USC 17, Virginia 14
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USC 17, Virginia 14
Despite a good showing in a victory against Richmond last week, the Cavs appeared to have no chance coming in against offensive powerhouse USC.
Take a look at that final score. Yeah.
Coach London has obviously found a way to motivate his players. This is a team that finished 3-9 last season and was expected to be even worse this year.
True, this goes in the 'L' column. But the fact that they gave a superior Trojan team hell for four quarters has to be encouraging.
It's especially encouraging because Virginia was without All-ACC CB Ras-I Dowling.
Until Next Week.....
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Shake it off, everyone. Life goes on. True, I was disappointed. But what can ya do. The ACC is looking like a joke at this point. We'll see in the end.
Don't forget to check out my Twitter if you wanna hear some random (and sometimes pointless) stuff.
And as always, TWACKLE this bad boy!
Harlon Jordan
ACC Blitz
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