ACC Football Week 5 Breakdown
After a third of the season, Clemson has the look of a front-runner. Georgia Tech’s stunning offense isn’t far behind. Florida State is sort of in disarray after the injury to their starting QB and the injury and arrest of their best player, Greg Reid. Boston College has tried to rebound and Maryland has taken a step back. It’s still very early, but the ACC is starting to take shape.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Clemson versus Virginia Tech
It’s a battle of two of the undefeated teams in the conference. Clemson played great last week against Florida State at home despite a Florida State rally near the end of the game. The Clemson offense was efficient on third down (9-17) and totaled 443 yards. The breakout star for the Tigers is freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins. When the Tigers need a big play, Watkins always seems like the man to deliver. He had a 62-yard touchdown on Saturday. The big-play ability is a huge aspect of Clemson’s game.
Virginia Tech is, as usual, a strong team that is highly ranked. It’s a team that is starting a new quarterback after the departure of record-setter Tyrod Taylor. Logan Thomas is the unquestioned starter, but he has really been shaky since the beginning of the season. He has thrown four touchdowns to four interceptions on the year. The Hokies have a great running back in junior David Wilson who takes the pressure off of Thomas. They will have to rely on him all year in order to be a potent offense. There was a scoring concern for Virginia Tech when they played lesser opponents in East Carolina and Arkansas State. They seemed to turn it around in a 30-10 victory over Marshall. They have a serious test against Clemson on Saturday. Tech’s defense, led by cornerback Jayron Hosley, is good. They will have to stop the ACC’s #2 offense and Tajh Boyd to win the game. It should be a good one.
OTHER GAMES
Wake Forest versus Boston College
Boston College has righted the ship for at least a week after beating Massachusetts 45-17. How much of a confidence booster this is for the Boston College team is unknown. UMass is, after all, only an FCS team. But the Eagles should be glad they finally found the end zone multiple times. They are only 1-3 for the season with one conference loss. In their second ACC game against Wake Forest they are going to have to be on point to avoid an 0-2 conference start. They are inept at running the ball, which is strange since star Montel Harris was considered to be the work horse at the beginning of the year. He has been injured and only has nine carries on the year. Because of that, the Eagles struggle to score and are among the worst in the conference and the country.
Wake Forest goes as quarterback Tanner Price goes. The Demon Deacons are 14th in the country in passing yardage. Price has kept his interceptions down and has only thrown one through three games. Jim Grobe’s squad, while still young, is growing each week and is starting to stack up to the other teams in the conference after two consecutive losing seasons. They have a long way to go to be considered a contender in the Atlantic, but right now they are atop the division after a few weeks. Price and company should handle Boston College. A 2-0 start in the ACC is all they could ask for in Winston-Salem.
Georgia Tech versus NC State
NC State is going to have a hard time dealing with Georgia Tech’s offense. Of course, every team they’ve played has had a hard time stopping Georgia Tech already this year. They are second in the country in rushing and first in scoring at 53 points per game. Last week’s contest against North Carolina was the Yellow Jackets toughest test. It was the first game they won by less than 25 points.
NC State has been up and down through four games, much like their quarterback Mike Glennon. He has lots of talent and has thrown for over a thousand yards already. But his decision-making remains a question mark. He has only thrown three interceptions, but against Cincinnati he often seemed unsure. To truly lead this offense, he needs to calmly lead the Wolfpack down the field.
After NC State gave up 44 points last Thursday to Cincinnati, it stands to reason that Georgia Tech is going to have a field day against NC State. The Tech offense is a well-oiled machine and NC State is an incomplete product right now. The Yellow Jackets should remain undefeated.
North Carolina versus East Carolina
East Carolina has really had a tough schedule in the first month of the season. They played two ranked teams in the first two weeks of the year and face a stout North Carolina defense in week five. If nothing else, East Carolina is certainly prepared to battle quality teams. Dominique Davis, generally regarded as a dual-threat quarterback, has not had a great year rushing (-27 yards). When he has the ability to run, the offense for the Pirates operates better. Running back Reggie Bullock, who was expected to provide balance to the passing game, has 246 rushing yards on the year (5.2 ypc average). Still, the Pirates do not have a high-quality rushing attack that can help them control the game.
North Carolina competed admirably last week against Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets offense proved to be too much for the Tar Heels to handle. However, North Carolina is 3-1 and off to a solid start. After all of the offseason drama surrounding the program, Everett Withers has quietly guided his team to a good start. They rely on the defense to carry them, and it seems to be a good strategy. They are 5th in the conference in sacks and have speedy ends in Quinton Coples and Donte Paige-Moss. They will make it a long day for East Carolina.
Duke versus Florida International
Duke is a respectable 2-2 through four games this season and 1-0 in the conference. They face a Florida International team that has come on out of the Sun Belt conference. FIU has beaten Louisville and UCF and just lost a close one to Louisiana. They have a defense that can force Duke into some difficult situations. Sean Renfree is an experienced quarterback who leads Duke. He has thrown for 1,026 yards but only two touchdowns. He does have a security blanket in receiver Connor Vernon. He has almost 400 yards through four games. He could be the difference-maker for the Blue Devils.
It is a hard matchup to predict. Duke has improved offensively over the last couple of seasons, but still can’t seem to string together any wins. They would be expected to beat a team like FIU, but they also lose to teams like Richmond. Strong play against FIU would build confidence for a Duke team that is mired in mediocrity.
QUICK HITTERS
Miami versus Bethune-Cookman
Miami followed a strong performance against Ohio State with a close, tough loss to Kansas State. Jacory Harris threw for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He can continue to work on protecting the ball against a lesser opponent in Bethune-Cookman
Maryland versus Towson
Maryland had a giant letdown last week against a solid Temple squad. Temple had five rushing touchdowns from running back Bernard Pierce. To beat their in-state rival, the Terps need to shore up their rushing defense.
Virginia versus Idaho
Virginia should win this game. They are still a team learning how to compete and win, but they have won on the road at Indiana. On the flip side, they lost at home to Southern Mississippi last weekend. Idaho is 1-3, though, and should not create too much of a problem for the Cavs.
