ACC Football News & Notes

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The first month of the college ACC football season will be completed this weekend. Things are still being sorted out before the conference schedule heads into full gear. One thing is for sure, from week to week anything can and will happen.

In the ACC, teams dropped out of the AP Top 25 poll (Virginia Tech, Boston College), and added Duke. It’s just the beginning of a wild and interesting ride.

#ACCFootball in the latest @AP_Top25 Poll:
3️⃣ @ClemsonFB
1️⃣6️⃣ @CanesFootball
2️⃣2️⃣ @DukeFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/y1YegdMc5X

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 23, 2018

The Clemson Tigers are off to a 4-0 start for the fourth straight year. They are only the third team to accomplish this feat in ACC history. Florida State did it twice in 1992-1997 and 2012-2015. Defense has been a hallmark of this team during the Dabo Swinney era. This year is no different as they are ranked fourth in the nation in total defense.

Clemson’s opponent this coming Saturday is also off to a 4-0 start. The Syracuse Orangemen have reached this mark for the first time since 1991. For just the fifth time in school history, their offense has been very productive as they lead the conference in scoring, and rank 10th in the nation scoring 49.5 points per game. The Orange offense will get a stern test this weekend from the Tigers.

Will @CuseFootball pull off another big upset over @ClemsonFB this weekend?

Full game preview 👇 pic.twitter.com/nBza1Kuj7V

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 25, 2018

Duke moved into the top 25 with a win over North Carolina Central At #22, its the first time this season in the Top 25, and the first time since October 25, 2015. The Blue Devils are currently on a seven-game winning streak that dates back to last season. They own the nations fourth-longest active win streak. It’s Duke longest win streak since winning eight in a row back in 2013.

For two other teams, it was a lost weekend to be sure. The Boston College Eagles made their first trip to West Lafayette to play a Purdue team had yet to win a game. Ranked for the first time since 2008, the Eagles were favored to win. The Eagles play was anything but that of a ranked team. The 30-13 loss can be told in several different ways. The Eagles offense, which had gained 500 yards of total offense in its first three games, managed only 229. Conference preseason Player of the Year, running back A.J. Dillon, gained only 59 yards on 19 carries. QB, Anthony Brown, had a miserable day throwing the football. He was 13- for-27 for 96 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions That included three interceptions on three straight drives.

High-powered @DukeFOOTBALL offense dominates from the start as Blue Devils dominate North Carolina Central. #DukeGang pic.twitter.com/9I341mikMX

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 22, 2018

Virginia Tech’s day was not any better than that of Boston College. The Hokies lost to Old Dominion and in the process may have lost their starting quarterback for some time. Josh Jackson was injured in the fourth quarter of that game. The news after the game was that Jackson suffered a broken leg.

The Hokies defense needs some work as well. The unit gave up 632 yards of offense to the Monarchs. Quarterback Blake LaRussa came off the bench and threw for 495 yards and four scores.

The quarterback of the week in the ACC is Eric Dungey of Syracuse. It’s the second time this season that Dungey has won the award. He accounted for 363 total yards in the Orange win vs Connecticut. He completed 21 of 27 for 286 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 16 times for 77 yards and three scores. The three rushing scores matched a career-high and the school record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

The running back of the week is Travis Etienne of Clemson. He ran for 122 yards on 11 carries and one score in last week’s win over Georgia Tech. He became the first Tigers back with consecutive 100 yards games since Wayne Gallman back in 2016.

The rookie if the week is Trevor Lawrence of the Tigers. He completed 13 of 18 passes good for 176 yards and four touchdowns. He entered the game in the second quarter against the Yellow Jackets.

The receiver of the week is Kelvin Harmon of N. C. State. He caught six passes for 150 yards in Saturday night’s win at Marshall. The 150 yards was the second most of Harmon’s career. He now leads the league and is ranked ninth in the FBS in receiving yards with an average of 104 yards a game.