This Week in ACC Football |
Standings
ACColades
Three conference games highlight week five schedule ... Florida State’s’ Bobby Bowden posts career win No. 336 as Seminoles top Colorado 44-7 ... NC State’s Philip Rivers is ACC’s all-time passing yardage leader (10,318) ... Rivers is completing 77.1 percent of his passes in 2003 and needs only 393 yards to surpass Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton as the ACC’s all-time leader in total offense ... FSU’s junior QB Chris Rix has thrown a touchdown pass in 23 of his 26 career games ... Clemson sophomore QB Charlie Whitehurst has averaged 299.0 yards passing in his last three games ... Maryland PK Nick Novak has made 44 of his last 50 field goal attempts and is 18th among ACC career scoring leaders with 251 points ... Florida State has scored in 188 consecutive games ... Duke’s Chris Douglas is eighth on league career kickoff return list (1,759) and 11th in all-purpose yardage (4,802) ... Maryland’s Steve Suter 9th on ACC career punt return list (922) ... NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery has at least one reception in 30 straight games.
Saturday, September 20 Series Last Meeting TV Time
North Carolina at NC State , North Carolina (60-26-6) , NC State, 34-17, 2002 2:00
Wake Forest at Virginia , Virginia (32-12-0) , Virginia, 38-34, 2002 ABC 3:30
Maryland at Eastern Michigan , Maryland (2-0-0) , Maryland, 45-3, 2002 6:00
Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt , Georgia Tech (17-15-3) , Georgia Tech, 45-3, 2002 7:00
Florida State at Duke , Florida State (11-0-0) , Florida State, 48-17, 2002 7:00
ACC by the Numbers
2 - Number of touchdowns allowed by the Florida State defense in the first four games ... the Seminoles lead Division I-A in scoring defense (7.7) and are sixth in total defense (251.8).
2 - Touchdown passes thrown by Virginia sophomore tailback Wali Lundy in three career pass attempts.
2.5 -Average yards per rush allowed by Florida State in 2003.
4 - Overtime games played by ACC teams this season ... league teams are 1-3 in non-league overtime games in 2003 and 5-9 all-time ... the ACC record for most overtime games in a single season is five in 1999.
5 - ACC career record punt returns for touchdowns by Maryland junior Steve Suter ... Suter is seventh on the ACC career punt return list with 922 yards.
6 - After recording only five quarterback sacks in the first two games, Florida State recorded six sacks in each of the past two games and leads the ACC in quarterback sacks with 18.
12 - Consecutive games with at least two receptions by Wake Forest WR Jason Anderson ... Anderson is averaging 20.4 yards per catch on 54 career receptions.
12 - Florida State TB Greg Jones has rushed for 12 touchdowns in his last 13 games.
19 - Rank of Florida State junior quarterback Chris Rix on the ACC career total offense list with 6,196 yards.
22 - Career touchdowns by NC State tailback T.A. McLendon in 16 career games ... McLendon set a national high school record with 178 career touchdowns.
23 - Florida State junior quarterback Chris Rix has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 23 of his 26 career games.
28 - NC State is averaging an ACC-best 28.0 first downs per game this season.
30 - Consecutive games with at least one reception by NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery ... Cotchery leads all active ACC receivers with nine 100-yard receiving yardage games.
34 - Georgia Tech has not allowed a touchdown on the opponents’ opening drive in 34 consecutive games.
37 - In only 13 career starts, Durant is already North Carolina’s all-time touchdown
pass leader with 37.
44 - Maryland placekicker Nick Novak has made 44 of his last 50 field goal attempts (88%) ... four of Novak’s six misses have been from 50 yards or more.
61% - Percentage of ACC total offense by passing through the first two weeks of the season ... ACC teams are averaging 222.8 yards passing and 140.0 yards rushing.
73% - ACC field goal kickers have made good on 40 of 55 field goal attempts (73%) in the first four weeks of the season.
77% - Completion percentage (77.1) by NC State’s Philip Rivers through the first four games of the season ... the ACC single-season completion percentage record is 69.5 set by FSU’s Charlie Ward in 1993.
121 - Yards rushing by Virginia sophomore TB Wali Lundy in the Cavaliers’ 59-16 win at Western Michigan (S13) ... Lundy has rushed for over 120 yards in three of his last five games and has five career 100-yard games in 12 career starts.
176 - North Carolina’s Michael Waddell totaled 176 yards on four kickoff returns against Wisconsin Saturday, including a 97-yard touchdown on the game's opening kickoff ... Waddell leads the ACC in both kickoff (35.3) and punt (14.6) returns.
188 - Florida State has scored in 188 consecutive games, dating back to the season opener of the 1988 season.
336 - Career victories by Florida State’s Bobby Bowden ... Bowden is currently two wins behind all-time leader Joe Paterno (Penn State) among Division I-A head coaches.
393 - NC State’s Philip Rivers needs 393 yards to become the ACC’s career leader in total offense yardage ... Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton (10,640) leads the ACC while Rivers is second with 10,248 yards.
897 - Yards passing by Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst in his last three games against Furman (301), Middle Tennessee State (298) and Georgia Tech (298) ... in nine career starts, Whitehurst has thrown for 2,425 yards - a 269.4 per game average.
1,067.0 - NC State and Texas Tech have combined to average 54.5 first downs and 1,067 yards of total offense in their last two meetings.
31,223 - Wake Forest’s average attendance in their first three home games of the 2003 seasons is 31,223.
4,802 - Duke senior tailback Chris Douglas’ is 11th on the ACC’s career all-purpose yardage list with 4,802 yards.
10,318 - Career passing Yards by NC State’s Philip Rivers - the top mark in ACC history.
Non-offense TDs
ACC teams have scored 13 touchdowns this season by either defensive play or special teams returns ... NC State leads the ACC with three touchdowns produced by their special teams or defense ... Georgia Tech holds the ACC record with 11 non-offensive unit touchdowns in 1998.
Non-Offensive Touchdowns
Team Def Punt KO Total Clemson 1 0 0 1 Duke 0 0 0 0 Florida State 0 1 0 1 Georgia Tech 0 1 0 1 Maryland 1 1 0 2 N. Carolina 0 0 1 1 NC State 1 2 0 3 Virginia 2 0 0 2 Wake Forest 1 1 0 2 ACC Totals 6 6 1 13
Game Previews for Saturday, September 27
North Carolina (0-3, 0-1 ACC)
at NC State (2-2, 0-1 ACC)
2:00 p.m.
Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500)
THE GAME: North Carolina has held the upper hand in this series between two rivals since they first met on the gridiron in 1894 ... the Tar Heels have won eight of the last 10 meetings and lead the series 60-26-6, including a 27-10-4 record in Raleigh ... the team with the most rushing yardage has won the last 12 meetings ... since 1993, UNC has averaged 196.8 yards rushing per game.
LAST YEAR: NC State rallied from a third quarter 17-7 deficit to post a 34-17 victory in Chapel Hill ... Wolfpack freshman T.A. McLendon rushed for 164 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns ... QB Darian Durant led the Tar Heels offensively, completing 18 of 36 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns.
THE COACHES: John Bunting is 11-16 in his third season at North Carolina and 49-30-2 in eight years overall ... NC State’s Chuck Amato is 28-14 in his fourth season as a head coach.
Fast Facts: Wolfpack senior WR Jerricho Cotchery extended his string of games with at least one catch to 30 straight.
UNC’s Michael Waddell leads the ACC in punt return (14.6) and kickoff return (35.3) average ... nationally, Waddell ranks 20th in punt returns and fifth in kickoff returns.
UNC junior wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock leads the ACC in receptions per game (7.67) and ranks fifth in receiving yards per game (77.7).
NC State’s Philip Rivers ranks second on the ACC’s career total offense list with 10,250 yards ... Rivers needs 391 yards to surpass former Georgia Tech QB Joe Hamilton on the ACC’s all-time total offense list.
Wake Forest (3-1, 1-0 ACC)
at Virginia (2-1, 1-0 ACC)
ABC; 3:30 p.m.
Scott Stadium (61,500)
THE GAME: The 45th meeting between these two long-time rivals will be televised regionally by ABC ... the Cavaliers lead the series 32-12 including a 15-8 record when playing in Charlottesville ... Virginia head coach Al Groh and Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe both took over their respective programs in 2001 ... the last two contests were both decided by four points, with the visiting team recording the victory.
LAST YEAR: Virginia needed its second-biggest-comeback in an ACC game to rally from a 17 point deficit to post a 38-34 victory over Wake Forest ... Cavalier QB Matt Schaub connected on 22 of 27 for 312 yards and three touchdowns ... the Deacons totaled 349 rushing yards on 68 attempts and controlled the ball for over 35 minutes ... Wake Forest led 27-10, at the half.
THE COACHES: Al Groh is 41-53 in his ninth season as a head coach, including a 15-13 mark in his third year at Virginia ... Jim Grobe is 16-12 in his third season at Wake Forest and 49-45-1 in his nine years overall.
Fast Facts:
Virginia’s Wali Lundy currently ranks second in the ACC in rushing (81.3) ... teammate Alvin Pearman is fifth (60.3).
UVa’s Wali Lundy has rushed for over 120 yards in three of his last five games and has five career 100-yard games in 12 career starts.
Wake Forest wide receiver Jason Anderson has had at least two receptions in 12 consecutive games.
Wake Forest sophomore punter Ryan Plackemeier leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally in punting (46.7).
Maryland (2-2, 0-1 ACC)
at Eastern Michigan (1-3, 0-1 MAC)
6:00 p.m.
Rynearson Stadium (30,200)
THE GAME: Maryland closes out its 2003 non-conference schedule as the Terps travel to Ypsilanti to take on the Eagles of Eastern Michigan in the third meeting between the two teams ... Maryland has won the previous two meetings, defeating Eastern Michigan 50-3 in 2001 and 45-3 a year ago ... both wins came in College Park.
LAST YEAR: Maryland QB Scott McBrien threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns on 14 of 19 passing en route to a 45-3 Terp victory ... Terp RB Chris Downs added 66 yards and two touchdowns rushing on 15 carries.
THE COACHES: Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen is 23-7 in his third year as a head coach ... Eastern Michigan’s Jeff Woodruff has a record of 9-29 in four seasons as a head coach.
Fast Facts:
With nine field goals and ten extra points this season, Nick Novak has 251 points for his career ... Novak is currently 18th in the ACC career records for scoring.
Maryland’s Steve Suter has totaled 922 yards in punt returns for his career which currently ranks him seventh in the ACC record book.
The Terrapins lead the league in rushing offense averaging 181.8 yards per game ... defensively, the Terps are tops in the conference allowing 145.0 passing yards per game.
Junior defensive end Kevin Eli is second in the ACC and leads Maryland in sacks with four on the season.
Terp tailback Josh Allen leads the Terps and is fourth in the ACC in rushing (64.5).
Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-2 ACC)
at Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2 SEC)
7:00 p.m.
Vanderbilt Stadium (42,000)
THE GAME: This contest will mark the 36th meeting between the Yellow Jackets and the Commodores with Tech leading the series 17-15-3 ... the two schools met last season for the first time since 1967 ... Georgia Tech has won three in a row and nine of the last 10 meetings against the Commodores ... Vanderbilt’s last win in the series was a 14-7 decision in 1941 ... since 1935, Tech is 12-2-1 against the Commodores.
LAST YEAR: Tech’s 45-3 victory over Vanderbilt was the first win at Georgia Tech for head coach Chan Gailey ... Yellow Jacket QB A.J. Suggs threw three touchdown passes on 10 of 13 passes for 132 yards.
THE COACHES: Chan Gailey is 8-9 in his second season at Georgia Tech and 31-20 in five seasons overall ... Bobby Johnson is in his 11th season as a head coach with a 63-49 record, including a 3-13 record in three seasons at Vanderbilt.
Fast Facts:
Georgia Tech has not allowed a touchdown on the opponent’s opening drive in 34 consecutive games.
Yellow Jacket senior Keyaron Fox is averaging 12.5 tackles per game - ranking him second in the conference ... Tech sophomore Eric Henderson leads the ACC in quarterbacks sacks per game (1.25).
Tech senior Jonathan Smith ranks among league leaders in receiving yards per game (88.8) ... Smith also ranks fourth in the ACC for all-purpose yards with a 109.8 average.
Florida State (4-0, 3-0 ACC)
at Duke (2-2, 0-1 ACC)
7:00 p.m.
Wallace Wade Stadium (33,941)
THE GAME: Saturday’s game will mark the 12th meeting between the Blue Devils and the Seminoles with Florida State holding an 11-0 series record ... FSU holds a 37-point average margin of victory in the first 11 meetings between the two schools.
LAST YEAR: Florida State compiled 517 yards of total offense and 30 first downs as the fifth-ranked Seminoles downed Duke 48-17 in Tallahassee ... FSU QB Chris Rix connected on 16 of 22 passing for 244 yards.
THE COACHES: Carl Franks is 7-42 in five seasons as Duke’s head coach ... Bobby Bowden is 263-65-4 in 28 years at FSU and 336-96-4 in 38 seasons overall.
Fast Facts:
Duke’s Chris Douglas is 11th on the ACC career all-purpose yardage list (4,802) and tied for eighth among ACC career kickoff return leaders (1,759) ... Douglas currently leads the ACC in rushing (86.8).
Florida State’s defense has allowed just 30 points in the first four games of the season ... the Noles’ lead the ACC and rank first nationally in scoring defense (7.5).
The Blue Devils rank second in the ACC and 13th nationally in pass defense, allowing 147.0 passing yards per game.
Bowden is currently second on the Division I-A victory list with 336 wins ... he is just two wins behind Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.
Florida State QB Chris Rix moved into fourth place in the ACC’s career passing efficiency chart with a 143.81 rating ... Rix also ranks 19th on the ACC career total offense list with 6,196 yards.
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