This Week in ACC Football |
Standings
ACColades
Six games on tap for week seven ... six current ACC quarterbacks are ranked in the top 15 all-time among league passing efficiency leaders ... NC State’s Philip Rivers has thrown for 300 yards or more in five of NC State’s first six games and has moved into 10th place on the NCAA’s all-time passing list with 11,085 yards ... Florida State has scored in 189 consecutive games ... UVa’s Matt Schaub has thrown for 610 yards and four TDs in his last two games ... FSU QB Chris Rix has thrown a touchdown pass in 24 of his 27 career games ... Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst has averaged 304.3 yards passing in his last four games ... Maryland’s Nick Novak has made 45 of his last 52 field goal attempts and is 16th among ACC career scoring leaders with 261 points ... Virginia’s Wali Lundy has rushed for over 120 yards in five of his last seven games and leads the ACC in rushing (102.4) ... Duke’s Chris Douglas is ninth in all-purpose yardage (4,896) ... NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery has at least one reception in 32 straight games and is 17th on the ACC career receiving yardage list (2,373).
Game Previews
Saturday, October 11
#2 Miami (5-0, 2-0 Big East)
at #5 Florida State (5-0, 4-0 ACC)
ABC; 12:00 noon
Doak Campbell Stadium (82,000)
THE GAME: Saturday’s game will mark the 47th meeting between the Hurricanes and the Seminoles with Miami holding a 26-20 series lead ... a total of seven games have been decided by one point, including last season’s 28-27 Hurricane win ... Saturday’s game will mark the first time since 1992 that both teams are ranked in the Top 5.
LAST YEAR: Miami kept its undefeated regular season alive with a 28-27 victory over the ‘Noles ... FSU quarterback Chris Rix threw for 83 yards on 8 for 19 passing while Greg Jones had a career-high 189 yards rushing on 31 carries.
THE COACHES: Larry Coker is 28-1 in three seasons as Miami’s head coach ... Bobby Bowden is 264-65-4 in 28 years at FSU and 337-96-4 in 38 seasons overall.
Fast Facts:
- Florida State’s defense has allowed just three touchdowns in the first five games of the season ... the ‘Noles lead the nation in scoring defense (7.4) and are fifth in total defense (256.4).
- Bowden is currently second on the Division I-A victory list with 337 wins ... he is just one win behind Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.
- The Seminoles have scored in 189 consecutive games, dating back to the 1988 season opener.
1 Florida State QB Chris Rix moved into third place in the ACC’s career passing efficiency chart with a 145.27 rating ... Rix also ranks 17th on the ACC career total offense list with 6,476 yards.
Saturday, October 11
#25 Virginia (4-1, 3-0 ACC)
at Clemson (3-2, 1-1 ACC)
JP; 12:00 noon
Memorial Stadium (81,474)
THE GAME: Clemson holds a 34-7-1 series record against Virginia, including an 18-3-1 record when playing in Memorial Stadium ... the Tigers won the first 29 games of the series, but in recent competition, the Cavaliers hold a 7-5-1 advantage since the end of the streak in 1990 ... Virginia has three wins in Death Valley, including a 26-24 win in 2001.
LAST YEAR: Virginia scored 16 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-6 halftime deficit and post a 22-17 win in Charlottesville ... UVa quarterback Matt Schaub was 23 for 32 passing for 208 yards while Wali Lundy had 11 catches for 78 yards ... Clemson’s Derrick Hamilton led the Tigers by totaling over 200 all-purpose yards.
THE COACHES: Al Groh is 43-53 in his ninth season as a head coach, including a 17-13 mark in his third year at Virginia ... Tommy Bowden is 49-26 in seven years as a head coach, including a 31-22 mark in five seasons at Clemson.
Fast Facts:
- Virginia’s Connor Hughes has connected on 11 consecutive field goals and currently leads the ACC in scoring (8.2).
- Clemson leads all NCAA I-A teams in kickoff returns (29.2).
- Virginia sophomore Wali Lundy leads the ACC with 102.4 rushing yards per game ... Lundy has rushed for over 120 yards in five of his last seven games.
- Clemson's Derrick Hamilton is 19th in the ACC career kickoff return yardage at 1,361 yards.
Saturday, October 11
Connecticut (4-2)
NC State (3-3, 1-2 ACC)
1:00 p.m.
Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500)
THE GAME: Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between NC State and Connecticut ... in four season under head coach Chuck Amato, NC State is 14-2 against non-conference opponents.
THE COACHES: Randy Edsall is in his fifth year at Connecticut with a 19-32 record ... NC State’s Chuck Amato is 29-15 in his fourth season as a head coach.
Fast Facts:
- NC State has scored on its opening drive in 13 of its last 19 games.
- Wolfpack senior WR Jerricho Cotchery extended his string of games with at least one catch to 32 straight ... Cotchery also moved into 17th place on the ACC’s all-time receiving yardage list (2,302).
- NC State’s Philip Rivers has thrown for over 300 yards in five of six games in 2003 ... Rivers is also completing 75 percent of his passes and has recorded 14 TD passes this year.
- Pack quarterback Philip Rivers has 75 career touchdown passes, needing four more to tie the current ACC record mark of 79 set by Florida State’s Chris Weinke.
- Wolfpack kicker Adam Kiker is second in the league in scoring, averaging 7.8 points per game ... on the season, Kiker is 26 for 27 on extra point attempts and 7 for 9 on field goal attempts.
Saturday, October 11
Georgia Tech (3-3, 1-2 ACC)
at Wake Forest (3-2, 1-1 ACC)
3:30 p.m.
Groves Stadium (31,500)
THE GAME: Georgia Tech leads Wake Forest 18-7 in series history ... the two teams have split the last four meetings and the visting team has won the last two contests ... the Yellow Jackets have won five of the last six games in Winston-Salem with the last four games being decided by a total of 11 points ... since 1995, the team with the most rushing yards has captured the win.
LAST YEAR: Tarence Williams scored on a 10-yard run to lead Wake Forest to a 24-21 victory over the Jackets in Atlanta ... the Deacons recorded 447 total yards on 209 yards rushing and 238 yards passing.
THE COACHES: Jim Grobe is 16-13 in his third season at Wake Forest and 49-46-1 in his nine years overall ... Chan Gailey is 10-9 in his second season at Georgia Tech and 33-20 in five seasons overall.
Fast Facts:
- Wake Forest wide receiver Jason Anderson has had at least two receptions in 13 consecutive games.
- Georgia Tech has not allowed a touchdown on the opponents’ opening drive in 35 consecutive games.
- Demon Deacon sophomore kicker Ryan Plackemeier leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in punting (46.7).
- Yellow Jacket P.J. Daniels has averaged 87.8 yards rushing in his last four games ... Daniels currently ranks third in the ACC averaging 74.7 rushing yards per game.
- Wake Forest freshman Willie Idlette is third in the ACC in punt returns (12.0) and eighth in kickoff returns (19.1).
Saturday, October 11
North Carolina (0-5, 0-3 ACC)
at East Carolina (0-5, 0-2 Conf USA)
3:30 p.m.
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (43,000)
THE GAME: Saturday marks the 10th meeting between North Carolina and East Carolina ... the previous nine meetings have all taken place in Chapel Hill, making this year’s meeting the first to be played in Greenville.
LAST MEETING: The last meeting between the Tar Heels and Pirates took place in 2001 with North Carolina posting a 24-21 victory ... freshman quarterback Darian Durant threw for 151 yards on 11 of 17 passing and two touchdowns ... the Tar Heels recorded 412 total yards to the Pirates 299.
THE COACHES: John Thompson is in his first season as a head coach with a 0-5 record ... John Bunting is 11-19 in his third season at North Carolina and 49-33-2 in eight years overall.
Fast Facts
:
- UNC’s Michael Waddell leads the ACC in punt return (14.6) and kickoff return (35.3) average ... nationally, Waddell ranks third in kickoff returns and 17th in punt returns.
- UNC junior wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock leads the ACC and ranks fifth nationally in receptions per game (7.60) ... Pollock also ranks fifth in the ACC in receiving yards per game (78.0).
- Tar Heel quarterback Darian Durant has recorded 5,568 total offensive yards ranking him 29th in the ACC career charts ... Durant also ranks ninth in the ACC career passing efficiency leaders (140.81).
Saturday, October 11
Duke (2-3, 0-2 ACC)
at Maryland (4-2, 1-1 ACC)
6:00 p.m.
Byrd Stadium (48,055)
THE GAME: Maryland has held the upper hand in this long-time rivalry that was first contested in 1932 ... since 1972, the Terps have won 25 of the 29 meetings to take a 28-18 lead in the rivalry ... Maryland has won four of the last five meetings in Byrd Stadium and is 12-5 against the Blue Devils in College Park.
LAST YEAR: QB Scott McBrien completed 16 of 21 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and Steve Suter returned a punt 63 yards for a score as Maryland posted a 45-12 win in Durham.
THE COACHES: Carl Franks is 7-43 in his fifth season at Duke ... Ralph Friedgen is 25-7 in his third season at Maryland.
Fast Facts:
- Since 1995, the team with the most rushing yards leads the series 6-2 ... the Terps have averaged 229.3 yards rushing per game in the last eight meetings against Duke.
- Duke’s Chris Douglas needs 104 more all-purpose yards to become only the sixth player in ACC history to total 5,000-or-more all-purpose yards in his career ... Douglas is also the ACC’s leading active career rusher with 2,379 yards.
- Maryland is 16-1 at home in three seasons under Ralph Friedgen, including an 8-1 mark against league foes.
- The Blue Devils are third in the ACC in rushing offense (157.0) and lead the league in time of possession (32:39).
- Over his last three games, Terp QB Scott McBrien has completed 42 of 71 passes for 666 yards and five touchdowns for a passing efficiency rating of 158.37.
By the Numbers
3 - Number of touchdowns allowed by the Florida State defense in its first five games ... the Seminoles lead the nation in scoring defense (7.4) and are fifth in total defense (256.4) ... a year ago, FSU allowed 366.0 yards and 21.5 points per game.
5 -
Overtime games played by ACC teams this season ... league teams are 2-3 in non-league overtime games in 2003 and 6-9 all-time ... the five extra-period games ties the ACC record for most overtime games in a single season (5) set 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 935 yards.
11 -
Consecutive field goals made by Virginia’s Connor Hughes ... Hughes leads the ACC in scoring (8.2).
13 -
Consecutive games with at least two catches by Wake Forest’s Jason Anderson.
13 -
Florida State’s Greg Jones has rushed for 13 touchdowns in his last 14 games.
22 -
Florida State leads the ACC in quarterback sacks with 22 ... a year ago, the
Seminoles had 31 QB sacks the entire season in 14 games.
24 -
Florida State junior quarterback Chris Rix has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 24 of his 27 career games.
29.2 -
Clemson leads all NCAA I-A teams in kickoff returns (29.2) ... a year ago the Tigers were fifth nationally in kickoff returns (24.5).
32 -
Consecutive games with at least one reception by NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery ... Cotchery leads all active ACC receivers with ten 100-yard receiving yardage games.
36 -
Georgia Tech has not allowed a touchdown on the opponents’ opening drive in 35 consecutive games.
45 -
Maryland placekicker Nick Novak has made 45 of his last 52 field goal attempts (87%) ... four of Novak’s six misses have been from 50 yards or more.
64% -
Percentage of ACC total offense by passing through the first six weeks of the season ... ACC teams are averaging 240.1 yards passing and 135.3 yards rushing ... the 135.3 yards per game rushing is the lowest per game average in the ACC since a 128.8 mark in 1997.
73% -
ACC field goal kickers have made good on 59 of 81 field goal attempts (73%) in the first five weeks of the season.
75% -
Completion percentage (75.1) by NC State’s Philip Rivers through the first six games of the season ... the ACC single-season completion percentage record is 69.5 set by FSU’s Charlie Ward in 1993.
87.8 -
Georgia Tech’s P.J. Daniels has averaged 87.8 yards rushing in his last four games ... Daniels is third in the ACC in rushing, averaging 74.7 yards per game.
102.4 -
League-leading per game rushing average by Virginia sophomore Wali Lundy ... Lundy has rushed for over 120 yards in five of his last seven games and has seven 100-yard games in 14 career starts.
104 -
Duke’s Chris Douglas needs 104 more all-purpose yards to become only the sixth player in ACC history to total 5,000-or-more all-purpose yards in his career ... Douglas is also the ACC’s leading active career rusher with 2,379 yards.
189 -
Florida State has scored in 189 consecutive games, dating back to the season opener of the 1988 season.
200 -
ACC teams are 11-0 in 2003 when they rush for 200 or more yards ... Virginia leads all ACC teams with three 200-yard games.
200 -
This past Saturday, all six starting quarterbacks in the ACC threw for 200 yards-or-more.
300 -
Five different ACC quarterbacks thrown for 300 yards or more 11 times this season ... a year ago the ACC had only ten 300-yard passing games.
337 -
Career victories by Florida State’s Bobby Bowden ... Bowden currently trails all-time leader Joe Paterno (Penn State) by one win among Division I-A head coaches.
610 -
Yards thrown for by Virginia’s Matt Schaub in his first two games back from missing two games with a shoulder injury ... Schaub has completed 49 of 67 (73.1) passes for 610 yards and four TDs.
1,217 -
Yards passing by Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst in his last four games against Furman (301), Middle Tennessee State (298), Georgia Tech (298) and Maryland (320) ... in 10 career starts, Whitehurst has thrown for 2,745 yards - a 274.5 per game average.
2,373 -
With 71 yards on five catches against Georgia Tech, NC State’s Jerricho Cotchery moved into 17th on the ACC’s all-time receiving yardage list with 2,302 yards.
5,096 -
In only 15 career starts, Darian Durant is North Carolina’s career passing
yardage leader with 5,096 yards.
31,223 -
Wake Forest’s average attendance in their first three home games of the 2003 season is 31,223.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
