This Week in ACC Football |
ACC resumes play with three conference games highlighting Week #4
action; Florida State at North Carolina, Wake Forest hosts Maryland and Virginia at Clemson Duke hosts Northwestern & NC State at SMU comprise non-league slate AROUND THE ACC CLEMSON Tigers Tigers are ranked 18th in the USA Today poll and 19th by the AP ... the Tigers have been 3-0 or better to open the season just five times since 1961 ... Woodrow Dantzler is second in the ACC and 32nd nationally in total offense (231.0); accounts for 60 percent of Clemson's 387.5 yards per game average ... Dantzler is fourth on the ACC career rushing list by quarterbacks with 1,712 yards; needs 288 yards rushing and 365 passing to become the first player in ACC history to reach 2,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing in his career ... punter Wynn Kopp is averaging 43.7 yards per punt but does not have enough punts attempt to qualify for league statistics ... LB Chad Carson is ninth on the school's career tackle list (336) ... Travis Zachery is fourth among school career rushing leaders with 2,583 yards ... DB Brian Mance is fourth nationally in kick returns (35.2) and ninth in punt returns (16.7). DUKE Blue Devils Sophomore Chris Douglas ran for a career-high 112 yards and one TD on 30 carries against Rice (S8); is fourth in the ACC in rushing yards per game (71.5) ... Douglas leads the ACC and is 12th nationally in all-purpose yardage (219.5) ... Ronnie Hamilton leads the ACC and is second nationally in punt returns (24.9); fifth on the school's PBU list (23) ... QB D. Bryant is fifth in the ACC in total offense (191.0) ... Duke is 22-99-6 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25; the Blue Devils have lost 15 in a row against ranked teams with their last win a 28-25 decision over Virginia on Nov. 5, 1994 ... the 15 points allowed by Duke in the loss to Rice (S8) was the lowest total allowed by the Blue Devils in 34 games ... TE Mike Hart has caught at least one pass in 14 straight games. FLORIDA STATE Seminoles FSU has been ranked in every AP poll since the fifth week of the 1989 season spanning 200 consecutive weeks ... WR Atrews Bell had at least one catch in 15 straight games ... first-year freshman Xavier Beita is a perfect five-for-five in field goal attempts ... Beita is second in the nation in field goals (2.5) and 11th in scoring (12.0) ... freshman QB Chris Rix is second in the ACC and 15th nationally in passing efficiency; also third in the ACC in total offense (226.5) ... FSU's home winning streak of 36 games is the 12th longest in NCAA history ... the Seminoles have allowed only one rushing TD in its last 15 games. GEORGIA TECH Yellow Jackets PK Luke Manget kicked 10 PATs in Tech's 70-7 win over Navy (S8) and extended his consecutive PAT streak to an ACC-record 107 straight ... Kelly Campbell is Tech's all-time leader in receiving yardage (2,439) and is second in career receptions (153) ... TB Joe Burns is 12th on the school's career rushing list with 1,679 yards ... Burns has scored at least one TD in eight of his last 10 games ... QB George Godsey has thrown for over 200 yards in 10 of his last 11 games and leads the nation in passing efficiency ... Godsey is sixth on Tech's career passing yardage list with 3,656 yards ... LB Daryl Smith is the Jackets top tackler with 20 hits and three tackles for loss ... Tech is 13th in the nation in total defense (220.3) and 14th in total offense (461.0) ... the Jackets have not allowed a first half touchdown in seven straight games ... DE Greg Gathers is tied for third place in Tech history with 23 career sacks. MARYLAND Terrapins The Terps' 50-3 win over Eastern Michigan Saturday was their largest since a 52-0 victory over Wake Forest in 1996 ... Maryland has started 2-0 four times over the past six years ... limited EMU to 124 total yards, the fewest by a Terp opponent since Virginia managed just 90 yards in 1980 ... sophomore Bruce Perry ran 16 times for a career-high 133 yards and three TDs against EMU and is second in the ACC and 12th nationally in rushing (124.5) ... the Terps are second in the ACC and 19th nationally in rushing (220.5) ... the Terps are averaging a league-high 4.5 yards per rushing attempt ... QB Shaun Hill completed 15 of 21 passes for 187 yards and one TD against EMU and on the year has thrown for 273 yards and three touchdowns while not throwing an interception ... the Terps lead the ACC with five interceptions ... Brooks Barnard leads the nation in punting (49.5). NORTH CAROLINA Tar Heels DE Julius Peppers has 24 career QB sacks and tying him with Marcus Jones for second on UNC's all-time list ... former walk-on David Thornton leads the team in tackles (42) ... QB Ronald Curry is second on the UNC's career total offense yardage list (5,197) and third in passing yardage (4,186) ... Curry is also 10th on the ACC quarterback career rushing chart with 1,011 yards ... WR Kory Bailey is tied for eighth on the school's all-time reception list with 102 catches ... UNC's first four oppnents are a combined 9-0. NC STATE Wolfpack TB Ray Robinson is eighth on the school's career rushing list with 2,117 yards, 11th in all-purpose yaradge (2,800) and sixth in rushing TDs (21) ... QB Philip Rivers completed 22 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three TDs in the season opener against Indiana ... after only 12 career regular season games, Rivers is already ninth among Pack career passing yardage leaders (3,297) and fifth in career TD passes (28) ... over his last five games WR Bryan Peterson has 22 catches for 275 yards ... NC State has scored 30 or more points in three straight games and in nine of the 14 games under head coach Chuck Amato ... Amato played 12 true freshmen in the season opener against Indiana ... LB Levar Fisher is sixth on the school's career tackle list (357) VIRGINIA Cavaliers Junior TB Arlen Harris is third in the ACC in rushing yards per game (89.0); Harris ran for a career-high 99 yards on 24 carries in his first start of the season against Richmond (S1) ... sophomore QB Bryson Spinner threw for a career-high 178 yards and one TD in the win over Richmond (S1) ... Spinner is fifth in the ACC in total offense (182.5) and passing efficiency (129.0 rating) ... junior WR Billy McMullen is tied for league leadership in receptions per game (6.0) and is third in receiving yardage per game (75.0) ... McMullen is 14th on Virginia's all-time receiving yardage list with 1,174 yards ... freshman Alvin Pearman leads the team and is seventh nationally in all-purpose yardage (106.5) ... through their first two games, the Cavaliers have five QB sacks after totaling only 15 the entire season a year ago. WAKE FOREST Demon Deacons Junior TB Tarence Williams has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first two games and leads the ACC and is ninth nationally in rushing yards per game (137.0) ... QB James MacPherson is 19th on the school's career passing yardage list with 1,505 yards ... in his last three games, sophomore QB Anthony Young has completed 12 of 19 passes for 199 yards and three TDs ... senior John Stone is 17th on the ACC's all-time kickoff return yardage list with 1,353 yards ... long snapperwide receiver Jax Landfried is fourth in the ACC in receiving yards per game (72.0) ... the Deacs have not allowed a quarterback sack in its first two games ... junior DE Calvin Pace is tied for fifth on the school's all-time sacks list with 13. GAME PREVIEWS Saturday, September 22 #5 Florida State (2-0, 1-0) at North Carolina (0-3, 0-1) ABC, Noon Kenan Stadium (60,000) THE GAME: For the third time in four games, North Carolina will take on a Top 5 team when the Tar Heels host the fifth-ranked Seminoles in a regionally-televised affair on ABC ... FSU leads the series 11-0-1 ... the tie was a 10-10 draw in 1986 in Tallahassee ... the Seminoles have won all five of the previous meetings in Chapel Hill by an average win margin of 20.2 points per game. LAST YEAR: Chris Weinke threw for 262 yards and four TDs and Travis Minor ran for 112 yards on 16 carries as the second-ranked Seminoles took advantage of four Tar Heel turnovers en route to a 63-14 win in Tallahassee ... FSU's 63 points were the most allowed by UNC since 1912 and the second-most overall. THE COACHES: Bobby Bowden is 244-55-4 in his 26th season at Florida State and 317-87-4 in 36 years overall ... John Bunting is 0-3 in his first season at UNC and 38-16 in five years overall. GAME NOTES: North Carolina's schedule is ranked as the nation's fourth-toughest in the latest Sagarin rankings; UNC's first four opponents are a combined 9-0 ... the Tar Heels will be playing their third AP Top 10 team of the season, marking the first time since 1955 that UNC has played three Top 10 teams in a single season ... with 52 yards on 11 carries against UAB (S8) Chris Rix became the first quarterback to lead the Seminoles in rushing since Charlie Ward in 1993 ... Saturday's game marks the 10th straight year that the Seminoles have played UNC as a Top 10 ranked team ... in three career starts against FSU, UNC QB Ronald Curry has completed 31 of 70 passes for 403 yards and two TDs. Saturday, September 22 Maryland (2-0, 1-0) at Wake Forest (2-0, 0-0) 3:30 p.m. Groves Stadium (31,500) THE GAME: The Terrapins take to the road for the first time this season against a Demon Deacon club off to its best start since 1996 ... this is the 50th meeting between the two teams in a series that was first contested in 1917 ... Maryland has won two in a row and six of the last eight meetings and leads the series 35-13-1 ... the Terps have won nine of the last 10 meetings in Groves Stadium and are 13-3 overall on the Deacons' home field. LAST YEAR: Mukala Sikyala ran for a career-high 112 yards and a TD as Maryland snapped a three-game losing streak with a 37-7 win over the visiting Demon Deacons ... Wake Forest quarterback James McPherson was 28-for-49 for 343 yards and one TD in a losing effort. THE COACHES: Ralph Friedgen, a 1969 Maryland graduate, is 2-0 in his first season with the Terps ... Jim Grobe is 2-0 in his first season at Wake Forest and 35-33-1 in seven seasons overall. GAME NOTES: Wake Forest (249.5) and Maryland (220.5) rank 1-2 in the ACC in rushing offense; they are the only two ACC teams averaging over 175.0 yards per game on the ground ... in the last seven meetings between the two teams, Maryland has turned the ball over only seven times as compared to 21 turnovers by the Deacons ... four of the last 10 meetings have been determined by three points or less ... Maryland leads the ACC with five interceptions while Wake Forest is second with four. Saturday, September 22 Virginia (1-1, 0-0) at #19 Clemson (2-0, 0-0) ESPN2 , 5:45 p.m. Memorial Stadium (81,474) THE GAME: 19th-ranked Clemson has held the upper hand in this long-time series since the two teams first met on the gridion in 1955 ... the Tigers won the first 29 games of the series and lead the rivalry 34-5-1 ... Virginia's first win the series was in 1990 ... since the 29-game streak, the two teams are 5-5-1 against each other ... the Cavaliers are 1-10-1 against ranked Clemson teams ... Clemson is 18-2-1 all-time against Virginia in "Death Valley". LAST YEAR: Woodrow Dantzler had 374 yards of total offense, including 220 yards rushing and two TDs in a 31-10 Tiger win before 60,696 in Charlottesville. THE COACHES:Al Groh is 1-1 in his first year at Virginia and 27-41 in seven seasons overall ... Tommy Bowden is 17-9 in his first two years at Clemson and 35-13 in four seasons overall. GAME NOTES: The Cavaliers are opening their ACC schedule on the road for the third straight year ... Virginia is 16-31 in ACC openers and 18-29 in its first ACC road game ... the Cavaliers are fifth nationally in net punting (39.6) while Clemson is 11th in the nation in punt returns ... Virginia's Mike Abrams is averaging 41.8 yards per punt ... Clemson's Wynn Kopp is averaging 43.7 yards per punt but does not have enough punts attempt to qualify for league statistics ... the Tigers' Brian Mance is fourth nationally in kickoff returns (35.2) and ninth in punt returns (16.7) ... the Tigers have been 2-0 only nine times in the last 31 years. Saturday, September 22 #16 Northwestern (1-0) at Duke (0-2, 0-1) 6:00 p.m. Wallace Wade Stadium (81,474) THE GAME: Duke returns home to the friendly confines of Wallace Wade Stadium to take on the 16th-ranked Wildcats ... the Blue Devils have a 7-4 lead in a series that was first played in 1985, but the Wildcats have won each of the last two meetings ... Duke has won three of the five previous meetings in Durham ... Saturday's meeting is the sixth game of an eight-year series between the two teams. LAST YEAR: Northwestern tailback Damien Anderson rushed for 187 yards and had touchdown runs of 56 and 66 yards as the Wildcats posted a 38-5 win in Evanston ... the Wildcats had six scoring drives of over 75 yards and finished the game with 472 total yards. THE COACHES: Randy Walker is 12-12 in his third season at Northwestern and 71-47-5 in 12 years overall ... Carl Franks is 3-21 in his third season at Duke. GAME NOTES: Northwestern head coach Randy Walker served on the football staff at North Carolina from 1978-87 ... Duke TB Chris Douglas has scored at least one TD in five straight games ... Damien Anderson is Northwestern's all-time leading rusher with 3,841 yards ... Wildcat senior QB Zak Kustok is ninth on the school's career passing yardage list with 3,354 yards ... Kustok has attempted 237 straight passes without being intercepted ... Duke senior Ronnie Hamilton leads the ACC and is second nationally in punt returns (24.9) and is fifth on the school's PBU list (23). Saturday, September 22 NC State (1-0, 0-0) at SMU (0-2) 7:00 p.m. Gerald Ford Stadium (32,000) THE GAME: NC State's Wolfpack looks to maintain its early season momentum when they square off with WAC foe SMU in the third meeting between the two teams ... the Mustangs won the series' first meeting 43-6 in 1984 while the Pack posted a 34-31 victory in 1998 ... both of the games were played in Raleigh. THE COACHES: Chuck Amato is 9-4 in his second year at the helm of the Wolfpack ... Mike Craven is 14-23 in five years at SMU and 81-72-2 in 16 seasons overall. GAME NOTES: NC State has blocked 16 punts over the last 36 games ... senior DB Terrence Holt has blocked three field goals and two punts in his career ... LB Levar Fisher is fourth on NC State's career tackle for loss list (30) ... in five career starts against non-ACC foes, NC State quarterback Philip Rivers has completed 122 of 205 passes (.595) for 1,622 yards (324.4 yards per game) with 15 touchdown passes ... after only 12 career regular season games, Rivers is already ninth among Pack career passing yardage leaders (3,297) and fifth in career TD passes (28) ... SMU is 0-2 having lost to Lousiana Tech (36-6) and TCU (38-10) ... despite the two losses, the Mustangs have been solid defensively, allowing only 267.5 yards per game ... SMU is 109th in the nation in total offense (217.0) while the Wolfpack is 55th averaging 361.0 yards per game. ACC STANDINGS
Conference Points Overall Points
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