ACC Football Round-Up: Week 4

In Week 4 a few teams made some statements about who they are and what they plan to do – Miami, Florida State, and North Carolina State. The ‘Canes, the Seminoles, and the Wolfpack really rattled some cages. The ‘Canes tamed some Panthers, the Seminoles handed the Deacons some humble pie, and N. C. State pulled the stingers at the Bee Hive. Week 4 is now history, and, we’re just now getting into the “heart of the matter” . . . but, before we do, let’s get a look back at what happened in Week 4 in the ACC:

ACC Atlantic Division

Florida State 31, Wake Forest 0

The Demon Deacons have really fallen on tough times! A bruising loss across the country and then a real spanking at Doak Campbell before a rowdy crowd of mad Seminoles and their fans, and Wake Forest fell hard to the tune of 31-zip. Wake lost their starting quarterback and it was clear things were not good. The Deacons put up only 185 yards of total offense and gave up about 485 yards of valuable real estate. Both teams had two turnovers so that was not sooo bad, but coming up empty on the scoreboard and losing the starting quarterback does not sit good for what’s coming next – hosting an “up-n-down” Georgia Tech team that’s still trying to find itself. This may be the game to do it . . . for either team.

Florida State let it be known that their pre-season ranking atop the ACC Atlantic Division was no fluke. The Seminoles got off to a slow start, but once the offense kicked into gear and started rolling, the Deacons could not find a way to plug the leaks. Florida State plastered Wake Forest with quarterback Christian Ponder completing 24 of 37 passes for 243 yards and two TD’s. The ‘Noles didn’t just get it through the air, they pounded it out on the ground for another 201 yards on 39 carries. Overall, it was a good day for the Seminoles and a really bad day for the Deacons. Up next for the Seminoles will be a noon game in Charlottesville against an unproven Virginia team on Saturday.

Clemson

The Clemson Tigers had the week off to get well and get ready for a storm brewing just over Death Valley. The Hurricanes will blow into Clemson coming off a big win over a pretty good Big East Pittsburgh team. The big question Tigers fans have right now is will Kyle Parker be back to himself after a tough blow in the Auburn game. Clemson will need Parker at his best when the ‘Canes come calling on Saturday. Quite possibly the deciding factor for Clemson in their Week 5 game with Miami may be the pressure the defense can put on Jacory Harris. If there ain’t no pressure, Harris will pick the Tigers clean. If they can apply pressure, Harris has been known to throw lots of passing to the team wearing the wrong colored jerseys. This one oughta be a good one.

Virginia Tech 19, Boston College 0

The Eagles took a week off to get ready for their big time rivalry game with Virginia Tech, but the extra time and preparation didn’t do a whole lot of good. The Eagles defense couldn’t keep Virginia Tech out of scoring position after the first quarter. The defense did manage to give up only one touchdown and force four VT field goals, but the offense did little to help. BC moved the ball – 180 yards through the air but only 70 on the ground – while giving up 343 yards of total offense – 237 passing and 106 rushing. The biggest disappointment for Boston College fans was the three turnovers. You can’t turn the ball over to Virginia Tech three times and expect to win. The Eagles will try to regroup for a big game with Notre Dame to be televised nationally on ABC at 8 p.m. Saturday. Boston College will have to produce more on offense to take one from an unpredictable Irish unit, but the Eagles will have home field advantage.

North Carolina State 45, Georgia Tech 28

North Carolina State went into a “white out” at Grant Field in Atlanta last Saturday on one of the hottest days of the 2010 season – game time temperature was 95 to fans and above 100 on the field. The heat didn’t seem to slow down Russell Wilson and the Wolfpack offense, but it nearly gave Tech defensive coordinator Al Groh and his players a heat stroke trying to harness the ‘Pack. Once the special teams put up six on a blocked punt for a score, it was Wilson and the offense who went to work on Tech’s new 3-4. The N. C. State defense also did their jobs by holding Tech to under 250 yards rushing, and then they put the game away early in the fourth quarter by giving the offense the ball in good field position after holding Tech on downs deep in their own part of Grant Field. State is now the only undefeated ACC team and they sit atop the ACC Atlantic Division . . . but, that will be challenged on Saturday when the Virginia Tech Hokies come to town for a 3:30 kick-off – another good ACC contest this weekend.

Maryland 42, Florida International 28

It didn’t come until the second quarter, but it finally came for coach Ralph Friedgen and the Terps. After falling behind to Florida International 7-0, Maryland put up 21 points in the second quarter and gradually pulled away from the Florida visitors. Coach Friedgen’s squad tacked on some insurance points – to the tune of 21 more – to cruise on to a 42-28 win and a 3-1 record. Maryland can push that to an impressive 4-1 start on the season with a big win over Duke at home on Saturday. After that, the going gets a lot tougher for the Terps. A win over Duke won’t come easy since the Maryland defense gave up 472 yards of total offense to Florida International. Duke coach David Cutcliffe knows how to carve up a defense, and if quarterback Danny O’Brien can connect like he did last Saturday, it should be a “shoot-out” between Duke and Maryland.

We have to say from what we’ve seen so far, right now, it still looks like Clemson is the best bet to make that run for Charlotte to represent the Atlantic Division. But, last week FSU and N. C. State made some serious moves toward challenging that observation. We’ll have to wait and see what Week 5 brings with Clemson playing Miami and N. C. State taking on Virginia Tech. It should shed a little more light on the subject.

ACC Coastal Division

Miami 31, Pittsburgh 3

It was projected to be a close game, but it was only close until halftime. From that point it was just about all Miami. The Hurricanes blew through Pittsburgh for the featured Thursday night game on ESPN and blew away the Panthers in a 31-3 rout . . . and it wasn’t that close. Miami’s offensive line gave Jacory Harris plenty of protection and provided running lanes all night long. Pittsburgh looked confused and unsteady and Miami took full advantage of the Panther miscues. It was a lopsided game, and Miami showed they could bounce back from a disappointing showing in Columbus. The ‘Canes will move on to face their ACC foes with a big game this Saturday at Clemson. Again, the offensive line will have to do a “day’s work” to keep Clemson’s talented and powerful front from pressuring Harris into making mistakes – something he is prone to do under pressure. This will be a big one for both Clemson and Miami.

Army 35, Duke 21

It may have been a hang-over from the beat-down Duke took the week before by No. 1 ranked Alabama, or maybe it was just another bad day for the Dukies at home. Whatever it was, it didn’t turn out too well for the Blue Devils last Saturday against an average Army team. Duke fell behind 21-7 by the end of the first half and didn’t do themselves any good when they came out for the third quarter. Army rammed in 14 more points , and it was all but over at 35-7 going into the final 14 minutes. Coach David Cutcliffe is not a quitter and neither is his team. Duke posted 14 points in the final period – which is something to build on for this week. Duke needs a win badly at Maryland this Saturday, because the ACC Coastal Division race gets tougher from there on out. Both Duke and Maryland are fighting for respectability and they both will put it on the line this Saturday. We just don’t think Duke has it all back together after the Alabama thrashing.

North Carolina 17, Rutgers 13

It has been a very tough start to the 2010 season for a North Carolina team picked to be at the top by most prognosticators. The Tar Heels lost a lot of talent to NCAA investigations, but played well in their first two games. On the road to play Rutgers, it looked like all the problems and the two close losses had caught up with North Carolina. The Tar Heels quickly fell behind Rutgers 10-0 and didn’t appear to be doing much. Two turnovers hurt North Carolina, but the three turnovers by Rutgers hurt them the worst. The Tar Heels finally started to put things together in the second quarter and were lucky to limp out at halftime down only 10-7. A third quarter touchdown drive and a fourth quarter field goal, coupled with the defense holding Rutgers to only a field goal in the second half, provided the difference giving North Carolina their first win of the season. Now 1-2, the Tar Heels will go out-of-conference against this week to host another rival when the East Carolina Pirates come calling in Chapel Hill. After that, the Heels start the real meat of their ACC quest for the trip to Charlotte. They may have it all together by then.

Virginia 48, VMI 7

The Virginia-VMI game is always a rivalry match and this year was no exception, and this Cavaliers’ team may have found something that is working. Pre-season picks to be bottom feeders in the ACC Coastal Division, Virginia has not played that way in their first three games. Sporting a 1-1 record at game time, with their only loss being a 17-14 decision against Southern Cal in Los Angeles, the Cavaliers wasted little time dealing with VMI. Virginia quarterback Marc Verica hit Dontrelle Inman for a 25 yard TD pass for a 7-0 lead. VMI immediately tied the score at 7-7, but from there on out it was all Virginia. The Cavs planted 41 unanswered points on VMI, and rolled up 466 yards of total offense. Verica was 16 of 23 passing for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. The real Virginia team will be found out this week when the Florida State Seminoles come to Charlottesville. .

With what we’ve seen in the ACC Coastal Division, it is still anybody’s division crown to win. It will probably stay that way for a few more Saturdays. Georgia Tech took a step back with a bad loss to N. C. State, but the Yellow Jackets can still win out in the Coastal Division games and again play for the title. In this ACC division, the big intra-divisional games will be Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech; Miami vs. Virginia Tech; North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech; North Carolina vs. Miami; and Georgia Tech vs. Miami. They're coming in October and early November. But, with a big win Saturday over FSU, Virginia could figure highly in this mix.