ACC Football: One Month In the Books

Read Time:2 Minute, 4 Second

The first month of the college football season is almost over with a surprise that people in ACC land don’t see or say very often. The Florida State Seminoles are not in the AP Top 25 poll.

It has been that kind of first month in the conference with injuries at key positions factoring into how the standings look. Teams like the Seminoles are not spared as life without a quarterback can be rough. Especially in a league like the ACC.

There are teams that do have a QB, and life is good because of it. Take Wake Forest for example. Senior John Wofford came into last weekend’s non-conference contest vs Appalachian State as the ACC leader in passing efficiency with a 173.2 rating. When he is not throwing the ball downfield, he’s running it with great results. Wofford is ninth in rushing averaging 69.5 yards per game.

Another QB off to a very good start is NC State Ryan Finley. Through two games, Finley has completed 74-100 passes good for 756 yards. Even better, he has not thrown a pick yet. Heading into their game at Florida State, Finley was second in the nation in pass completion per game (37.0).

Let’s talk some defense, shall we? Virginia Safety Quin Blanding leads all active FBS players in career total tackles with 382. Blanding, a four-year starter for the Cavaliers secondary averages 10.05 tackles per game.

It’s always nice to tell a story about a father and son getting the job done whether it’s on the field or off it. Such is the case at Georgia Tech. Yellow Jacket Freshman Linebacker T. D. Roof is the son of defensive coordinator Ted Roof. In their non-conference win over Jacksonville State earlier this month, young MR. Roof recorded a pair of sacks in the Yellow Jacket 37-10 win. I’m sure it made Dad proud.

And finally, the notes column is going to give some props to the Punter. North Carolina Sophomore Ton Shelton was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the week for his performance against Louisville back on September 9. In that contest Shelton punted four times for 214 yards, he averaged 53.5 yards per punt and pin the Cardinal offense inside their twenty-yard line four times.

This weekend there are four conference games to keep an eye on and we will talk about that plus a whole lot more in the ACC.