This Week in ACC Football

by Press Release - Mon Nov 11 16:37:47 GMT-04:00 2002

Conference Points Overall Points

Team W L T For Opp Pct W L T For Opp Pct

---- - - - --- --- --- - - - --- --- ---

Florida State.. 6 0 0 228 111 1.000 7 3 0 337 230 .700

Maryland....... 4 1 0 172 87 .800 8 2 0 346 151 .800

NC State....... 4 2 0 166 106 .667 9 2 0 406 211 .818

Virginia....... 4 2 0 158 163 .667 6 4 0 283 283 .600

Clemson........ 4 3 0 185 193 .571 6 4 0 276 244 .600

Georgia Tech... 3 4 0 131 148 .429 6 4 0 235 184 .600

Wake Forest.... 3 4 0 182 166 .429 5 5 0 274 251 .500

Duke........... 0 6 0 114 214 .000 2 8 0 204 313 .200

North Carolina. 0 6 0 76 224 .000 2 8 0 186 360 .200

Noting the ACC: Three ACC teams -- Florida State, Maryland and NC State -- earn national rankings for second-straight week ... Clemson freshman Charlie Whitehurst has thrown for 694 yards and eight TDs in his first two collegiate starts ... Maryland's Steve Suter ties NCAA single-season record with four punt returns for a touchdown ... three ACC quarterbacks - NC State's Philip Rivers (6th), Virginia's Matt Schaub (10th) and Maryland's Scott McBrien (13th) - among top 15 nationally in passing efficiency ... Schaub has thrown a TD pass in 10 straight games ... Tech's Luke Manget has made an ACC-record 154 consecutive PATs ... Manget is third on the ACC career scoring list with 313 points ... Virginia's Billy McMullen is fourth on the ACC career reception list with 194 catches ... Rivers isseventh in career passing yards (8,358).

Devil Defense

Duke leads the ACC in rushing defense, allowing only 118.4 yards per game - their best per game yield since a 108.9 mark in 1949 ... a year ago, the Blue Devils ranked last in the ACC, and 113th nationally, in rushing defense allowing 245.6 yards per game ... the 127.2 yards per game improvement is currently the third best in ACC history ... the last time Duke led the ACC in rushing defense was in 1957 (151.8) ... overall, Duke is sixth in the ACC in total defense, allowing 377.8 yards per contest.

Rush Defense Improvement (100-Yards or More)

School Year Yds. Year Yds. Imp.

W. Forest '96 254.4 '97 96.1 -158.3

Ga. Tech '94 230.4 '95 91.2 -139.2

Duke '01 245.6 '02 118.4 -127.2

N. Carolina '68 234.7 '69 108.5 -126.2

N. Carolina '89 237.6 '90 122.6 -115.0

W. Forest '63 279.4 '64 173.4 -106.0

Virginia '60 253.2 '61 149.8 -103.4

NC State's McLendon climbs ACC freshmen rushing chart

NC State's T.A. McLendon, with 813 yards in nine games, is already 14th on the ACC's all-time freshmen single-season rushing list.

ACC Freshmen Season Rushing Yards

Rk. Player, School Year Yards TD

1. Amos Lawrence, UNC 1977 1,211 6

2. Joe McIntosh, NCS 1981 1,190 5

3. James McDougald, WF 1976 1,018 10

4. Leon Johnson, UNC 1993 1,012 14

5. Terry Allen, Clem. 1987 973 7

6. Michael Ramseur, WF 1982 966 8

7. Ronald Williams, Clem. 1990 914 8

8. Jimy Lincoln, GaT 1991 913 2

9. Ted Brown, NCS 1975 913 12

10. T.A. McLendon, NCS 2002 894 15

Virginia's Blackstock sets ACC Freshmen Sack Record

With his second quarter sack of Penn State quarterback Zack Mills, Virginia's Darryl Blackstock set the ACC record for most quarterback sacks by a freshman with nine ... Blackstock's nine sacks broke the existing ACC single-season mark for a freshman previously held by Duke's Chris Combs (1996) and Virginia's Sean Scott (1984).

ACC Freshmen Quarterback Sacks - Single-Season

Rk. Player, School Year No.

1. Darryl Blackstock, UVa 2002 9.0

Chris Combs, Duke 1996 8.0

Sean Scott, UVa 1984 8.0

4. Ryan Fowler, Duke 2000 7.0

Greg Gathers, GaT 1999 7.0

Tyler Lawrence, NCS 1990 7.0

Chester McGlockton, Clem. 1976 7.0

Michael Dean Perry, Clem. 1984 7.0

9. Stuart Anderson, UVa 1978 6.0

Julius Peppers, UNC 1999 6.0

Edrick Smith, NCS 1998 6.0

UVa's Lundy on pace to set frosh reception mark

With 45 catches through his first 10 games, Virginia tailback Wali Lundy is on pace to break the existing ACC mark for receptions by a freshman set by Maryland's Frank Wycheck with 58 catches in 1990 ... if maintained, Lundy's 4.5 per game reception average would give the Willingsboro, N.J., product 59 catches at the end of the season.

ACC Freshmen Season Receptions

1. Frank Wycheck, Md. 1990 58

2. Derrick Hamilton, Clem. 2001 49

3. Koren Robinson, NCS 1999 48

4. Wali Lundy, UVa 2002 45

Robert Lavette, GaT 1981 45

6. Tamarick Vanover, FSU 1992 42

7. Andrew Carter, Md. 1993 41

8. Kory Bailey, UNC 1998 38

9. Corey Thomas, Duke 1994 37

Randall Felton, UNC 1989 37

Debut Data

Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst became the eighth quarterback in the ACC to make his collegiate debut in the 2002 season when the Duluth, Ga., freshman started against Duke on Nov. 2 ... completed 34 of 52 passes for 420 yards and four scores in the Tigers' 34-31 win ... Whitehurst's 420 yards were the second-most in ACC history by a quarterback in his first college start.

ACC Quarterback Debuts (1953-2002)

ACC Quarterback Debuts (1953-2002)

Player, School & Opp. Date Yds

Dave Brown, Duke vs. WF 11-4-89 444

Charlie Whitehurst, Clm. vs. Du 11-2-02 420

Philip Rivers, NCS vs. Ark. St. 9-2-00 397

Defense Data

Led by Duke's Blue Devils, four of the nine ACC teams have shown improvement defensively from a year ago.

Yards Allowed Improvement

School 2001 2002 Imp. Pct.

Duke 492.0 377.8 -114.2 +23.2

Clemson 389.9 329.7 -60.2 +15.4

NC State 359.3 309.3 -50.0 +13.9

Wake Forest 385.3 380.6 -4.7 +1.2

Duke leads the ACC and 28th nationally in rushing defense (118.4) ... last year, the Blue Devils were 113th nationally against the run (245.6).

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16

#20 NC State (9-2, 4-2 ACC) at Virginia (6-4, 4-2 ACC)

JP Sports; Noon

Scott Stadium (61,500)

THE GAME: NC State takes to the road for the third time in four weeks when they trek to Charlottesville to take on Virginia's Cavaliers in the 52nd renewal of a series that started with a 5-0 UVa victory in 1904 ... Virginia has won three of the last four meetings but still trails in the series 31-19-1 ... NC State has a 15-9-1 lead in games played in Charlottesville, but has not won at Scott Stadium since 1994.

LAST YEAR: Ray Robinson ran for 105 yards and two TDs and Philip Rivers completed 21 of 30 passes for 217 yards as NC State limited Virginia to 12 first downs and 215 yards in total offense en route to shuting out the Cavaliers for the first time since 1977, 24-0.

THE COACHES: Chuck Amato is 24-11 in his third season at NC State ... Al Groh is 11-11 in his second year at UVa and 37-51 in seven seasons overall.

Fast Facts:

Virginia has had to come from behind or break a fourth quarter tie in its last three wins over the Wolfpack.

Virginia has rushed for over 200 yards in 10 of the last 12 games against the Wolfpack, ... last year UVa ran for only 66 yards - the Cavaliers' lowest total against NC State since 1965.

In NC State's 13-0 win over UVa in 1944, the Wolfpack failed to make a first down and had just 10 yards in total offense, setting an NCAA record for fewest yards gained by a winning team.

NC State's Philip Rivers and Virginia's Matt Schaub rank 1-2, respectively, in the ACC in passing efficiency and total offense ... the two quarterbacks have combined to complete 66 percent of their passes for 5,073 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Duke (2-8, 0-6 ACC) at Georgia Tech (6-4, 3-4 ACC)

1:00 p.m.

Bobby Dodd Stadium (42,000)

THE GAME: Georgia Tech has held the upper hand in this long-time rivalry that was first contested in 1933 ... Tech has won seven in a row and 11 of the last 12 meetings and lead the series 39-29-1 ... the Yellow Jackets lead 21-12-1 in games played in Atlanta and have won the last four meetings in Bobby Dodd Stadium ... Duke's last win in the series was a 27-12 decision in 1994.

LAST YEAR: George Godsey threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns and Joe Burns ran for 122 yards and two scores as Tech posted a 37-10 win in Durham ... Chris Douglas had 94 yards on 23 carries for the Blue Devils.

THE COACHES: Carl Franks is 5-37 in four years at Duke ... Chan Gailey is 6-4 in his first year at Georgia Tech and 30-15 in four years overall.

Fast Facts:

The two schools have played one another every year since 1933 ... the only schools that Georgia Tech has played more than Duke (67) are Auburn (90) and Georgia (96).

Over the last nine meetings, Tech has averaged 38.4 points and 482.7 yards in nine games against Duke and has outgained the Blue Devils in eight of those nine meetings.

Duke leads the ACC in rushing defense (188.4) while Georgia Tech is second yielding 119.6 yards per game.

Georgia Tech's A.J. Suggs has passed for 200 yards or more in four straight games while Duke's Adam Smith has thrown for over 250 yards in three of his last five games.

Duke leads the ACC in time of possession (32:39) while Georgia Tech is second (31:48).

North Carolina (2-8, 0-6 ACC) at #16 Florida State (7-3, 6-0 ACC)

ABC; 3:30

Doak Campbell Stadium (80,000)

THE GAME: Florida State, fresh off its 21-13 win at Georgia Tech Saturday, returns home to the friendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium to take on a North Carolina team coming off a 42-12 loss to Clemson ... the Seminoles lead the series 11-1-1, including a 5-0-1 mark in Doak Campbell Stadium.

LAST YEAR: Darian Durant threw for two TDs, Ronald Curry threw for a touchdown and ran for another as North Carolina knocked off sixth-ranked Florida State 41-9 before 53,000 in Chapel Hill ... North Carolina limited the Seminoles to 224 yards, including only 34 in the second half.

THE COACHES: John Bunting is 10-13 in two years at UNC and 48-27-2 in six seasons overall ... Bobby Bowden is 257-62-4 in 27 years at FSU and 330-94-4 in 37 seasons overall.

Fast Facts:

Since 1992, Florida State is 43-1 (.977) against ACC foes in Doak Campbell Stadium.

In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, Florida State has averaged 31.4 points and 383.4 yards per game while the Tar Heels have averaged 14.1 points and 242.5 yards per contest.

North Carolina leads the ACC in passing offense (270.0) ... the Tar Heels have thrown for 200 or more yards in 15 of their last 17 games.

The Seminoles have limited the Tar Heels to under 300 yards in total offense in eight of the last 10 meetings.

Florida State sophomore quarterback Adrian McPherson has thrown two touchdown passes in each of his last three games.

#19 Maryland (8-2, 4-1 ACC) at Clemson (6-4, 4-3 ACC)

ESPN2; 7:45 p.m.

Memorial Stadium (81,474)

THE GAME: 19th-ranked Maryland puts its seven-game winning streak on the line and looks to keep its ACC title hopes alive when it ventures into "Death Valley" against a Clemson club gunning for its third-straight win ... the Tigers have won 13 of the last 15 meetings to take a 27-21-2 lead in a series that began in 1952 ... the Terps' win a year ago in College Park snapped Clemson's eight-game series' winning streak in which the Tigers had out-scored the Terps 214-to-56.

LAST YEAR: Shaun Hill passed for 189 yards and two TDs as Maryland gained sole possession of first place in the ACC with a 37-20 win in College Park.

THE COACHES: Ralph Friedgen is 18-4 in his second season at Maryland ... Tommy Bowden is 28-18 in four years at Clemson and 47-21 in six seasons overall.

Fast Facts:

The Tigers have beaten the Terps eight-straight times in Memorial Stadium ... Maryland's last win at Clemson came in 1985, 35-31.

After winning only two of their previous 15 ACC road games, the Terps have rebounded to win six of their last eight road games against league foes.

Clemson has an ACC-best 197 ACC victories while Maryland is third in total league wins with 172 ... the Tigers have won out-right or shared 13 ACC titles while the Terps are tied with Florida State for second with nine.

The team with the most rushing yardage has won each of the last 16 games ... since 1985, the Tigers have averaged 252.2 yards rushing per game while the Terps have averaged 170.8 yards per outing.

ACC Team Notes

Clemson

Charlie Whitehurst threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers extended their winning streak to two in a row with a 42-12 win over North Carolina ... freshman Tye Hill ran for a career-high 105 yards and one TD on 14 carries against UNC ... junior PK Aaron Hunt is sixth on Clemson's all-time scoring list with 215 points ... the Tigers are second in the ACC and 28th nationally in total defense (329.7) ... Clemson leads the ACC with 16 interceptions ... freshman Justin Miller and senior Brian Mance are tied for the lead in the ACC in interceptions (0.50) ... in his first two college starts, freshman QB Charlie Whitehurst has completed 64 percent of his passes for 694 yards, no interceptions and eight touchdowns for a passing efficiency rating of 181.52.

Duke

Junior linebacker Ryan Fowler has 10 or more tackles in four straight games and 17 times in his career ... Fowler is fourth in the ACC in tackles (10.9) ... the Blue Devils lead the ACC in time of possession (32:39) and are the second-least penalized team in the ACC (41.6) ... over the last five games, Duke is allowing only 85.8 yards rushing per contest ... Alex Wade is fourth in the ACC in rushing (78.0) while Chris Douglas is sixth (57.9) ... Douglas is eighth on the school's all-time rushing list with 1,865 yards ... sophomore wide receiver Karry Sharpe has a TD reception in six of his last seven games ... led by Shawn Johnson (10 sacks), Duke is third in the ACC with 25 QB sacks; a year ago the Blue Devils were last in the ACC with 16.

Florida State

Junior tailback Greg Jones, the ACC rushing leader with 938 yards in nine games, will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury ... in his first two career starts, sophomore QB Adrian McPherson has thrown for 417 yards and four touchdowns and is averaging 246.0 yards per game in total offense ... McPherson has thrown two touchdown passes in each of his past three games ... the Noles are the only ACC team to average over 200 yards per game rushing (210.3) and passing (218.2) ... over his last two games, TB Nick Maddox has run for 244 yards and two TDs ... QB Chris Rix is second in career passing efficiency among active ACC quarterbacks with a 144.5 rating ... FSU has out-scored opponents by more than 100 points (159-50) in the second quarter.

Georgia Tech

QB A.J. Suggs has thrown for 200 yards or more in four straight games and is fourth in the ACC with 1,844 yards passing ... over his last four games, senior TB Gordon Clinkscale has averaged 8.6 yards per carry, rushing for 344 yards on 40 carries ... Luke Manget has made an ACC-record 154 consecutive PATs and is third on the ACC career scoring list with 313 points ... WR Kerry Watkins leads the team in receptions (55) and receiving yardage (816) ... Watkins is tied for 20th on the league's career reception list (155) and 13th in receiving yardage (2,446) ... Tech has out-scored its opponents 120-to-59 in the first quarter ... Kelley Rhino is second on the ACC's all-time punt return yardage list with 1,098 yards ... Tech leads the ACC in red zone offense, converting 29 of 32 opportunities (.906)

Maryland

Over the last seven games, QB Scott McBrien has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,372 yards and eight touchdowns, raising his passing efficiency rating on the season from 92.1 to 145.5 ... McBrien leads the ACC in yards per completion (16.2) ... Steve Suter leads the ACC and is 18th nationally in punt returns (14.2) and has tied an NCAA single season record with his four punt returns ... in the seven game winning streak, the Terp defense is yielding only 11.1 points and 335.1 total yards per game ... senior Chris Downs is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and leads the team in rushing (894 yards) and touchdowns (13) and is tied for second in the ACC in rushing yards per game (89.4) ... Maryland is fifth in the ACC in total offense (387.2), but leads leads the ACC in yards per play (6.1).

North Carolina

Senior wide receiver Sam Aiken leads the ACC in receiving yards per game (88.5) and receptions per game (5.8) ... Aiken is attempting to become the first Tar Heel to lead the ACC in receiving since Jimmy Jerome in 1974 ... with eight catches against Clemson Saturday, Aiken set the school's single-season record for receptions with 58 ... Aiken needs 86 yards to eclipse UNC's single-season mark for receiving yards (970) set by Octavus Barnes in 1995 ... sophomore quarterback Darian Durant, who fractured his right thumb against Virginia and will miss the remainder of the season, is the ACC's active career passing efficiency leader with a 149.1 rating ... in his last four games, QB C.J. Stephens has completed 58 percent of his passes for 653 yards and two touchdowns.

NC State

QB Philip Rivers has thrown for 2,718 yards and 18 touchdowns and is sixth in the nation in passing efficiency (150.7) ... Rivers leads the ACC in total offense (253.5) and is seventh on the ACC career passing list (8,358) and total offense (8,328) ... Rivers is fourth in the ACC with nine rushing TDs and third in plays per game (31.5) ... freshman T.A. McLendon leads the ACC in scoring (9.0) and tied for second in rushing (89.4) ... McLendon has 22 catches in his last six games and is second among ACC running backs with 26 receptions for 239 yards ... junior WR Jericho Cotchery had 12 catches for 144 yards against Maryland Saturday ... Cotchery has five 100-yard games and leads the ACC with a 19.6 yards per catch average ... State has scored on its opening drive in nine of its 11 games.

Virginia

In his last two games, QB Matt Schaub has completed 71 of 97 passes (.732) for 633 yards and two touchdowns ... Schaub is ninth in the nation in passing efficiency (149.4), 33rd in total offense (239.3) and has thrown a TD pass in 10 straight games ... Billy McMullen had 10 catches for 132 yards against Penn State and moved from ninth to fifth on the ACC career reception list with 194 catches; also ninth in career receiving yardage (2,795 yards) ... with 45 receptions in the first 10 games, TB Wali Lundy is tied for the fourth-best single season reception total by an ACC freshman ... another freshman, TE Heath Miller, has 23 receptions and leads the ACC in TD receptions with eight ... Miller's eight TD catches are the most in the nation by a tight end and are tied for second by a freshman.

Wake Forest

Wake Forest has the second of two consecutive open dates this coming Saturday ... the Deacs will have 20 days off between the Florida State game (N2) and the Navy game on Nov. 23 ... the last time Wake Forest had this many days off in between games was in 1928 when the Deacs played at Mercer on Nov. 29 and then finished the regular season Christmas day at Miami (Fla.) ... Senior DE Calvin Pace leads the ACC with 17 tackles for loss and is third in quarterback sacks (8.0) ... Tarence Williams has run for 97 yards or more in four of his last five games and is fifth on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,325 yards ... the Deacs lead the ACC and rank eighth nationally in rushing offense (248.1) ... led by Williams (596 yards), Wake has six players in the ACC top 20 rushing leaders.