COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

ACC Notebook: Who will emerge in Coastal Division?

The Sports Xchange

October 18, 2015 at 8:18 pm.

Oct 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) runs past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Demond Smith (12) for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of their game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. North Carolina won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) runs past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Demond Smith (12) for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of their game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. North Carolina won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson and Florida State have largely operated under the radar in the national picture, but by crossing the mid-October mark with undefeated records they’re about to enter the conversation — at least until they meet each other.

That won’t come until Nov. 7.

While Clemson and Florida State have clearly defined the upper portion of the pecking order in the Atlantic Division, it’s not nearly so clear in the Coastal Division.

Pittsburgh, Duke and North Carolina are unblemished in league play in the Coastal Division, where some observers still want to sprinkle respect on Miami and Virginia Tech.

Pittsburgh has won three ACC games, with two of those coming on the road so that could set up nicely for the Panthers. Duke and North Carolina are only two games into their ACC slates, so there’s plenty left to decide.

BOSTON COLLEGE (3-4, 0-4)

Game: Clemson 34, Boston College 17. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson threw for three touchdowns as the host Tigers prevailed. The Eagles hadn’t allowed a touchdown in the past two games, but this time they scored two touchdowns and still couldn’t win.

Takeaway: The Eagles are winless midway through their ACC schedule for the first time since 2012. The 17-point loss to Clemson was the most lopsided of this year’s defeats after losing by 14 points to Florida State, by two points to Duke and by three points to Wake Forest.

The defense figured to have a tremendous chore against Clemson’s weapon-filled offense. Boston College was up to the task at times, with two interceptions helping subdue the Tigers at times.

Boston College’s offense remains ugly, particularly when considering that 10 of the team’s points were set up after Clemson turnovers. The Eagles have turned to freshman QB Jeff Smith and maybe some continuity will be good for that unit. He threw for a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in the Clemson game.

With only 87 passing yards, it’s going to be difficult for the Eagles to keep up with many offenses. There were 80 yards in penalties against the Eagles, who have to be tidy in many areas to stick with the top teams in the ACC.

Next: at Louisville, Oct. 24

CLEMSON (6-0, 3-0)

Game: Clemson 34, Boston College 17. QB Deshaun Watson threw for three touchdowns with a season-high 420 yards and rushed for a touchdown against a defense that had been ranked No. 1 nationally. The home victory included 10 catches for 162 yards by WR Artavis Scott.

Takeaway: The Tigers might look like they’re in cruise control and if Watson puts on dynamic offensive displays they might be tough to contain.

Watson had a so-so start to the season but he seems to be gaining momentum along with Clemson’s aspirations for a special season

Watson’s throwing targets are bound to be part of the key to his success. He connected with nine teammates for completions against Boston College and each of those teammates finished with at least 10 receiving yards. That type of diversity in the offense is what could make the Tigers extra difficult to defend.

The Tigers have made it halfway through the season without a hiccup, but it figures to be a more difficult closing stretch. There are four road games remaining on the schedule.

Clemson has ventured on the road only once and that was for a Thursday night assignment at Louisville. So the game at Miami will mark the Tigers’ first Saturday away from home this season. It also signals the beginning of a four-game stretch with three road games.

Next: at Miami, Oct. 24

DUKE (5-1, 2-0)

Game: Didn’t play during the past week.

Takeaway: The Blue Devils hold a three-game winning streak midway through the season.

The break came at an ideal time for Duke because the injuries were starting to pile up.

The Blue Devils lost DE Kyler Brown and S Deondre Singleton during the same series against Army. Brown is likely to miss at least one game with a knee injury, so even the time off wasn’t enough to prevent an impact from his absence.

But Singleton and DT Carlos Wray, who also went out during that same third-period possession for Army, should be available for the Virginia Tech game.

Duke had worked up to a pretty good level before the open week on the schedule.

“We played cleaner,” coach David Cutcliffe said. “Two games in a row where we hadn’t turned it over. That’s part of it. But from an assignment standpoint, from a technique standpoint, just cleaner.”

Next: at Virginia Tech, Oct. 24

FLORIDA STATE (6-0, 4-0)

Game: Florida State 41, Louisville 21. QB Everett Golson threw for three second-half touchdowns and the host Seminoles overcame a 14-13 third-quarter deficit. RB Dalvin Cook had 163 rushing yards and two touchdown runs on 22 carries for Florida State.

Takeaway: The Seminoles remain atop the Atlantic Division in the ACC through the midway mark of its conference schedule.

The offense came to life in the second half against Louisville and that happened in large part because Golson’s contributions proved to be productive.

Golson seems to be becoming a larger part of the game plan as the Seminoles move through the season. The transfer from Notre Dame took time to get adjusted, but the Seminoles have increased their point total in each week in their ACC games.

It helps Golson to have a player as productive as Cook, who has four games of 100 yards or more on the ground.

Florida State is 6-0 for the third season in a row. The Seminoles have clung to their penchant for strong second halves, something that was clearly obvious in their outings a year ago.

Next: at Georgia Tech, Oct. 24

GEORGIA TECH (2-5, 0-4)

Game: Pittsburgh 31, Georgia Tech 28. Pittsburgh K Chris Blewitt booted a 56-yard field goal with1:11 left to send host Georgia Tech to its fifth loss in a row. Georgia Tech tied the game on RB Marcus Marshall’s 7-yard run with 1:35 remaining.

Takeaway: The Yellow Jackets are heading for a losing season unless there’s a substantial turnaround. This is a quick fall for a team that was nationally ranked in late September.

The losing streak is the longest for the Yellow Jackets in 19 years.

The perplexing part is that some of the elements that have been so good to Georgia Tech in recent seasons under Paul Johnson have resurfaced. Consider that the Yellow Jackets cranked up 376 rushing yards against Pittsburgh and that would normally translate into a good result. Still, it didn’t help Georgia Tech that Pittsburgh held almost a 10-minute advantage in time of possession.

Marshall gained 159 yards on 10 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns. QB Justin Thomas was solid with 95 rushing yards in the latest game, but his passing touch has gone awry and he completed only 6 of 15 throws and he was intercepted once.

Half of Georgia Tech’s four ACC losses have come at home and the next is another home assignment against unbeaten Florida State.

Next: vs. Florida State, Oct. 24

LOUISVILLE (2-4, 1-2)

Game: Florida State 41, Louisville 21. Florida State scored 31 second-half points to wipe out a 7-6 halftime hole and win at home. QB Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes to WR James Quick for Louisville.

Takeaway: The Cardinals had extra time to prepare for Florida State but it wasn’t enough to keep the Seminoles in check.

Louisville has relied on its defense the past few outings and it looked like the Cardinals might be up the task for a while against unbeaten Florida State. By the time the Seminoles were done, they posted 510 yards of total offense on Louisville.

It’s nice that Jackson and Quick were able to hook up for scoring plays for the Cardinals. But take the 130 yards on five plays that those two were responsible for and the offense turned out to be ordinary far too often.

The good thing is that Jackson seems to be gaining a level of comfort even in a game in a hostile environment so that’s something that could pay off later in the season.

The upcoming game against Boston College marks the only October home game for Louisville.

Next: vs. Boston College, Oct. 24

MIAMI (4-2, 1-1)

Game: Miami 30, Virginia Tech 20. QB Brad Kaaya threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns as the host Hurricanes never trailed in the ACC victory. Miami’s defense held the Hokies to 261 yards of total offense, collecting three turnovers.

Takeaway: The Hurricanes are dealing with a brutal October schedule. They’ll face an undefeated team for the second time in three weeks when Clemson visits.

The defense was good at times against Virginia Tech but the challenge from Clemson is likely to be on a whole different level.

The Hurricanes regularly have been involved in some high-scoring games so tightening up on defense is one of the priorities.

Kaaya has moved the offense well enough to keep the Hurricanes in games and he’ll need to be particularly shape in the Clemson game.

Miami was left with less than 100 rushing yards against Virginia Tech, though partly a product of some loss-yardage plays. But providing some balance along with keeping the ball out of the hands of the Clemson offense is going to be critical for the Hurricanes.

Next: vs. Clemson, Oct. 24

NORTH CAROLINA (5-1, 2-0)

Game: North Carolina 50, Wake Forest 14. WR Mack Hollins caught three passes and they all resulted in touchdowns throws from QB Marquise Williams in the home romp. The Tar Heels scored 29 points in less than an 11-minute span of the second quarter to take control.

Takeaway: The Tar Heels have won five games in a row and they’re shaping up as contenders in the Coastal Division.

They came off their open week in the schedule firing with an array of offensive weapons. They wanted to tweak some things during the break and that seemed to be the case because they appeared to have added some wrinkles.

Against a Wake Forest team that had posted a shutout of Boston College a week earlier, the Tar Heels racked up 538 yards of total offense.

North Carolina’s defense was solid against a Wake Forest team that’s limited on defense. The Tar Heels played without two defensive backs (including starting CB M.J. Stewart), who were facing a suspension for criminal charges lodged a few days earlier.

So it remains to be seen if there’s a distraction brewing. On the field, everything appears to be going in the right direction.

Next: vs. Virginia, Oct. 24

N.C. STATE (4-2, 0-2)

Game: Didn’t play during the past week.

Takeaway: The Wolfpack has found it much tougher once its ACC schedule began.

N.C. State took a two-game losing streak into the break in the schedule.

“We’re a 4-2 team that needs to play better and will,” coach Dave Doeren said.

At least there was no confusing message for the Wolfpack during their practice week following back-to-back losses.

Penalties and turnovers hadn’t been a problem until the ACC schedule kicked.

There are numerous things to look at with QB Jacoby Brissett, who had been nearly flawless as the Wolfpack cruised through four non-conference games. Brissett has faced considerably more pressure in the pocket from ACC defenses in the games against Louisville and Virginia Tech.

The offensive line was hampered by injuries by the time the ACC portion of the schedule began. There’s a chance some of those players could be back after the open week, so that could help the team regroup.

Next: at Wake Forest, Oct. 24

PITTSBURGH (5-1, 3-0)

Game: Pittsburgh 31, Georgia Tech 28. K Chris Blewitt’s 56-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining snapped a tie and gave the visiting Panthers a victory. QB Nate Peterman threw for three touchdowns, one in each of the first three quarters.

Takeaway: The Panthers are gaining credibility each and every week and their of offense showed signs of generating some much-appreciated balance in the victory against Georgia Tech.

Pittsburgh picked up nearly 400 yards of offense in that game, a nice blend of rushing and passing. It goes well with a defense that has done much of the heavy lifting throughout the season.

WR Tyler Boyd made two touchdown catches against Georgia Tech and his stock continues to be high and he moves atop some school record lists for receiving. For a program that had built an identity for rushing the football last year, Boyd has been a key factor in the passing attack.

Pittsburgh moved into the national rankings for the first time in five years. Now it’s a matter to see how the Panthers react with a bit of a bulls-eye on their backs.

The Panthers play the third of their four ACC road games in their next assignment at Syracuse. If they pass that test, they’ll be in good shape with a nice selection of home games as the bulk of their remaining schedule.

Next: at Syracuse, Oct. 24

SYRACUSE (3-3, 1-1)

Game: Virginia 44, Syracuse 38, 3OT. The Orange failed to score in the third overtime session and paid for it when RB Jordan Ellis scored on a 3-yard run against a tiring Syracuse defense. Syracuse’s third consecutive loss came when it was unable to protect a 10-point fourth quarter lead, with a Virginia field goal on the last play of regulation tying the score.

Takeaway: The good deeds from September have been vanished as the Orange is heading in the wrong direction and the difficult part of the ACC schedule has yet to kick in. Syracuse still has games against three teams that are without a conference loss.

The defense had been pretty good for chunks of the season, but the discouraging part was the inability to finish off Virginia. The Cavaliers converted on third and fourth downs on a 19-play possession that ate up nearly the final seven minutes of regulation. The 88-yard march resulted in a tying field goal.

It was the second time the Orange has entered overtime this season, but unlike the victory against Central Michigan this time there was an unfavorable result.

QB Eric Dungey made it through the entire game and that was a good thing for Syracuse in the sense that the Orange has been hindered by injuries at the quarterback position. But one of his fumbles was turned into a Virginia touchdown early in the game when the Orange had chances to build a larger lead.

Unable to defeat one of the ACC’s struggling programs in Virginia means the Orange will have to fare better against higher-caliber competition in order to make something positive out of the season.

Next: vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 24

VIRGINIA (2-4, 1-1)

Game: Virginia 44, Syracuse 38, 3OT. The Cavaliers scored three of their touchdowns in overtime, including RB Jordan Ellis’ 3-yard run in the third overtime for the victory. Virginia tied the game on the final play of regulation, with a 25-yard field goal as time expired to complete a comeback from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

Takeaway: The Cavaliers needed a victory in the worse way against Syracuse to maintain any reasonable expectations for a solid season.

It’s still an uphill climb for the Cavaliers, who are trying to prevent another losing campaign.

QB Matt Johns threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass and another touchdown strike in overtime.

The most impressive part could have been a drive across the last 6:52 of regulation. The Cavaliers went 88 yards in 19 plays, settling for a field goal on the last play of regulation. It’s the kind of offensive continuity that largely has been lacking for Virginia.

The Cavaliers have been desperate to find something uplifting so they’ll have to make sure they carry the good feelings of the result against Syracuse in future games. There haven’t been many outcomes to cherish in recent seasons for Virginia.

Defeating a relative ACC newcomer in Syracuse is one thing. Duplicating that against old-time rival North Carolina in the next game would be particularly special.

Next: at North Carolina, Oct. 24

VIRGINIA TECH (3-4, 1-2)

Game: Miami 30, Virginia Tech 20. The Hokies couldn’t contain Miami QB Brad Kaaya’s passing as he racked up 296 yards in the air. The loss came in Virginia Tech’s first ACC road game of the season.

Takeaway: The Hokies never led in the game against Miami and they don’t seem particularly equipped to post comebacks with an offense that lacks consistency.

Perhaps they can reverse that trend if QB Michael Brewer, who is back from a broken collarbone, can get back up to form. He played sparingly in the game against Miami, and he was responsible for one of the three interceptions throw by Virginia Tech quarterbacks.

Among the tough parts for Virginia Tech was that it scored 10 first-quarter points, then managed only that number across the final three quarters combined.

Now that Brewer has been back in game action, maybe the Hokies will figure out ways to maximize the practice time for the offense because that group needs all the work it can muster to find some continuity.

The defense lacks the type of edge that once existed for the Hokies, so they can’t fall back on that when the offense sputters. Holding Miami to 99 rushing yards was an encouraging aspect of the latest game, but the Hurricanes were able to strike for enough big plays in the passing attack to neutralize that.

Virginia Tech was a major force in the Coastal Division during the early years of divisional play. Without topping a nationally ranked Duke team in the next game, the Hokies will be pretty much out of the picture by the midway mark of conference play.

Next: vs. Duke, Oct. 24

WAKE FOREST (3-4, 1-3)

Game: North Carolina 50, Wake Forest 14. North Carolina scored 29 second-quarter points on the way to the home victory. A pair of first-half touchdown passes by QB John Wolford gave the Demon Deacons a ray of hope but the defense couldn’t hold up.

Takeaway: The Demon Deacons continue to have shortcomings on offense, but the defensive meltdowns against North Carolina were largely a new problem.

The defense had been a steading force for the Demon Deacons through the first half of the season. That fell apart under a deluge of big plays posted by North Carolina.

It didn’t help that S Ryan Janvion, the most reliable player in the defensive backfield, didn’t play after suffering an injury in practice during the week. His absence left considerable holes in experience in the secondary.

The Demon Deacons seem to be sorting out their quarterback situation based on who’s healthiest. This time, it was QB John Wolford, who had been the starter at the beginning of the season and played exclusively in the 3-0 victory Oct. 10 at Boston College. QB Ke3ndall Hinton is dealing with a hip pointer, but he was summoned for some action in the North Carolina game because Wolford was banged up pretty good while absorbing some hits.

Wake Forest gave up slightly more than 16 points per game in the first six games, then surrendered 50 points in the loss to North Carolina.

Next: vs. N.C. State, Oct. 24

NOTES, QUOTES

–Clemson has long been known for having a huge homefield advantage. So when the Tigers set a school-record with their 14th consecutive home victory it might have caught some off guard.

“Winning 14 games in a row at home is a big deal,” coach Dabo Swinney said.

Five of those victories have come this season. The next home game comes against Florida State on Nov. 7 in what is expected to be a huge showdown.

Among teams in the Atlantic Division, only Clemson, Florida State and Syracuse are without a home loss in ACC play (and Syracuse dropped a non-league home decision to LSU).

Across the board in the ACC, the homefield advantage has been rather limited at times. It might not get any better right away.

For games set for Oct. 24, probably only Louisville (vs. Boston College) and North Carolina (vs. Virginia) will be favored at home among the league’s seven-game slate.

–The ACC hasn’t made a big impact in the rankings, in part because there haven’t been many breakthrough victories.

Clemson and Florida State have been ranked all season and Duke has slipped into the back-end of the poll for two weeks in a row. Pittsburgh joined the list with a 5-1 record.

Clemson’s victory against Notre Dame is the most notable outcome for any of the league members. With undefeated records, Clemson and Florida State hold safe spots in the polls and even a loss wouldn’t send them out of the rankings altogether at this stage.

Georgia Tech began the season as a nationally ranked team, but after four weeks the Yellow Jackets were gone. Their losing streak has stretched to give games.

A one-loss North Carolina team could be next to contend for a Top 25 spot.

“Our guys are playing well right now,” North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. “They’re playing well as a team.”

Still, the ACC doesn’t seem positioned to be flooding the rankings with teams during the second half of the season.

–Quite a few ACC teams have shaky credentials heading toward late October when it comes to assessing bowl possibilities.

That list includes Louisville and Boston College. They’re both saddled with four losses.

But for these two teams, there could be ways to escape the doldrums. They’ve both already faced Florida State and Clemson, a pair of undefeated teams in the ACC, so the slate doesn’t look quite so daunting the rest of the way.

“I think you saw a window into the future,” Boston College coach Steve Addazio said of his young players picking up valuable experience against Top 10 teams.

Yet for Louisville and Boston College, one of them will be stuck with a fifth loss because they meet each other in their next game. That means the window for mistakes is narrowing for both teams. They were both in bowls a year ago.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “The game will humble you. We didn’t play on defense anywhere near the level we did a week ago.” — Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, whose team gave up 50 points to North Carolina a week after posting a shutout at Boston College.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 7 IN THE ACC:

1. Pittsburgh is 3-0 in the ACC, putting the Panthers atop the Coastal Division as they’ve taken down struggling teams Virginia Tech, Virginia and Georgia Tech on the way to their first-place perch.

2. Florida State has it rolling again, and the Seminoles showed Louisville that it’s going to take quite a bit more to join their level in the Atlantic Division.

3. Boston College scored a touchdown (two of them, in fact) for the first time in three weeks, but Clemson scored four touchdowns to remain undefeated.

4. Miami remains a mystery, but the Hurricanes can win along the way and defeating Virginia Tech again certainly qualifies as a good sign.

5. Virginia and Syracuse are a pair of programs looking quite shaky in recent years and it took three overtimes for them to sort out their meeting, with Virginia prevailing at home.

ALL  |  NFL  |  College Football  |  MLB  |  NBA