ACC Football News & Notes: Only Two Unbeaten Remain

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With only six weeks left in the regular season, it’s time for teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference to start making their move toward the league’s championship game as well as securing bowl bids. There are four teams with a legit shot at making it to Charlotte, NC, and the title game. Those four are Florida State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Duke. 12 of the 14 teams still have a bowl game in their sights, Pittsburgh and Virginia both have worked to do so if they want to be added to the list. The next six weeks should be fun, so here are some of the happenings in the ACC.

The surprise of last week was Louisville’s loss on the road at Pittsburgh. Despite that defeat, the league still has four teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Florida State (6-0, 4-0) at #4, North Carolina (6-0, 3-0) at #10, Duke (5-1, 2-0) at #17, and Louisville (6-1, 3-1) at #21. The same four teams are also ranked in the USA Today AFCA coaches poll. Four teams have this weekend off. Louisville, Syracuse, North Carolina State, and Virginia Tech will be watching closely to see what happens.

The main event of the weekend takes place on Saturday night in prime time as Duke heads to Florida State. The two teams have played 21 times in their history with the Seminoles winning all of them. You might say that the Blue Devils are due. Add to that the fact that FSU is on a 12-game winning streak, and you might think that the task is too big for Duke. One thing that the Blue Devils have going for them is a defense that is ranked 16th in the nation in total defense. They give up 286.5 yards a game in six games to date. Florida State, on the other hand, is ranked 24th in the nation in total offense. They average 449.3 yards a game.

The Pittsburgh Panthers (2-4, 1-2) may have done more than beat a team that was ranked and unbeaten last week. They may have also found a quarterback. Christen Veileux went 12-for-26 200 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Cardinals. He did not start well going 0-for-5 but he picked it up as the game went along, completing 12 of his next 21 passes. The 38-21 victory was much needed for Pittsburgh as their season was starting to get away from them. This week they head to Wake Forest to face a Demon Deacons team that has lost three in a row, the last two on the road. In last week’s defeat at Virginia Tech, WR Taylor Monn hauled in seven balls and has caught at least one pass in all six games this season. He has 26 receptions for the year and 148 for his career. That moved him into the Top-10 in school history.

An interesting matchup could be in Atlanta, GA. as the Boston College Eagles (3-3, 1-2) take on the Yellow Jackets (3-3, 2-1). BC, over their last six quarters, has found a running game led by their quarterback Thomas Castellanos. He ranks third in the nation with 512 yards by a QB. He is one of three quarterbacks in the nation to throw for over 1,000 yards (1,143) and run for over 500 yards. He is also tied for the lead in QB rushing touchdowns with seven. The Yellow Jackets have a pretty good QB of their own. His name is Haynes King, and he leads the league in points responsible per game at 18, total points responsible at 180, and is tied for the lead with 16 passing touchdowns. He is second in total offense with 308.8 yards, third in passing yards per game at 271.8 a game, and fourth in total passing yards with 1,631.

Two teams on the outside looking in as far as the polls are concerned, will meet on Saturday. The Clemson Tigers (4-2, 2-2) head to Miami (4-2, 0-2) for a game that just might push the winner into the Top 25. Tigers defensive end T.J. Parker leads all freshmen in tackles for loss with 8.5 so far. He is fast approaching the school record for a true freshman of 12 set in 1984 by Michael Dean Perry. Miami WR Jacolby George has caught at least two passes in every game this season. He is second on the team with 29 for 462 yards and five touchdowns. Last week in the loss to the Tar Heels, George had six catches for 125 yards. The Hurricanes boast the best kick returner in the country. Brashard Smith leads all of FBS with an average of 34.6 yards per kick return.

Virginia (1-5, 0-2) goes on the road to try and slow down the North Carolina Tar Heels (6-0, 3-0). The Cavaliers are coming off a bye week and seem to have their quarterback back. Since being injured in the season opener, Tony Muskett has completed 39-of-60 passes for 479 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games. He threw for two and ran for another in the win two weeks ago over William & Mary. UNC’s Kaimon Rucker, with 6.5 sacks, is fourth in FBS with an average of 1.08 per game. QB Drake Maye has been named ACC Quarterback of the Week for both weeks 6 & 7. Maye is in the Top 5 in two categories, fourth in total offense per game at 302.3 yards, and fifth in passing efficiency at 158,53. The Tar Heels will bring a six-game winning streak into this game.

That’s all for this week. We will be back next week with more from the ACC.