ACC Football News and Notes: The Final Month in Conference Play

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This weekend will mark the beginning of the final month of the ACC conference schedule. There is lots still to play for with division titles and bowl games still up for grabs. As of this writing, the Atlantic Coast Conference is on pace to have 12 bowl-eligible teams and is the only league in the country with 12 teams with a .500 record or better.

It is also the most competitive conference in the country with 17 of 32 league games (53.1 %) decided by one possession. It’s the highest percentage of any Power 5 conference. Nine games have been decided by three points or fewer. The most of any Power 5 league. The ACC has posted 22 wins against teams with a .500 record or better which ties for the most of any conference.

The Pittsburgh Panthers lead the nation in sacks per game. They have 38 sacks in seven games to date (4.75 per game). They are one of seven ACC schools in the Top 20 in this stat. The other six are Virginia at # 4 (4.0), N.C. State at # 7 (3.71), Clemson at # 9 (3.53), Virginia Tech at # 12 (3.57), Syracuse at # 18 (3.13), and Miami with (3.13).

The Louisville Cardinals have intercepted a pass in four straight games for the first time since 2016. They have six in their last four games. The Cardinals have also forced nine turnovers in their last four games, and have forced multiple turnovers in its last four games for the first time since 2016.

North Carolina State head coach Mack Brown, became the winningest coach in Carolina football history. His team’s win over Duke gave him 73 victories to go along with 50 losses and one tie. Dick Crum held the previous record with 72 wins since 1987.

Boston College running back A.J. Dillon is on pace to set the Atlantic Coast Conference record for rushing yards per game. Dillon is averaging 120.7 yards per game, which is just ahead of the record set by Florida State running back Dalvin Cook from 2014-16 ( 117.5). Dillon is also moving up the career rushing chart, currently sitting at 13th in league history.

However, Dillon and his teammates cannot be happy at what happened to them last Saturday night at Clemson. The 59-7 drubbing at the hands of the Tigers was another example of the gap between the two schools. The Tigers ran and threw the football for 300 yards plus. Three members of the offense made the Players of the Week honor roll for their performances in this game.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was 16-of-19 for 275 yards and three touchdowns and his passer rating of 257.9 is a career-high. Lawrence extended his consecutive games with at least one TD pass to 18. It’s the second time he has made QB of the Week.

Diondre Overton was the Receiver of the Week. He caught all three of Lawrence’s touchdown throws and had 119 yards of receiving on the night. He became the first Tiger player since Mike Williams in 2016 to record three touchdowns catches in a single game.

Offensive Tackle Tremayne Anchrum grade out at 92% for his night on the offensive line. He had two knockdown blocks and helped the offense to the big night vs Boston College. The output on the ground and in the air was the fifth time this was done in the Dabo Swinney era. Travis Etienne took part in the ground game with three touchdowns on the ground.

Next week, more from the ACC.