Around the ACC: Week 1
From Blacksburg to Berkeley, reflections on the weekend in ACC football...with a little Hokie bias
College football is back, and with two weeks of games behind us, the ACC brass is probably wishing they had a Time Stone from the Marvel Universe or Timmy Turner’s Cosmo Watch with a Redo button. After going 1-5 against non-ACC power conference schools, the ACC has to be in damage control mode already.
Or not. Because if you watched any of the ACC Network Saturday night into Sunday, all you heard was Miami this and Miami that.
Maybe that is their damage control mode. To pump up Miami. Hmmm, when have I seen that before?
Even though the Hurricanes looked very good in their opener, they weren’t the only team to do so. I mean, only one ‘Cane made the ACC Player of the Week list. So let’s take a closer look at some of the ACC squads who played well, as well as a few who didn’t.
ACC Football
@ACCFootball
Players Of The Week: Week 1 🔗 theacc.co/26fbpotwwk1
Is Virginia Tech Back?
The Hokies absolutely steamrolled their southwest Virginia little brothers, hammering VMI 73-3. If not for a late muffed punt, this would have been a shutout. Virginia Tech outgained VMI, 619 yards to 83. Tech had 30 first downs while VMI only managed 6. They Keydets did actually win one statistical category, holding the ball for 3 minutes more than the Hokies, but this only shows how misleading that statistic can be.
Should Hokie Nation rejoice? Of course! 73 points is historic, and it is the second most points ever scored by a Tech football team. But VMI is not good, no shade intended. They are rated near the bottom of all FCS teams. Not FBS, FCS! And like my wife said when she warned about getting too excited, “You beat a glorified high school team.”
She’s right, we should temper our enthusiasm because the opponent was not good. That said, when was the last time Tech beat anyone so convincingly? The Hokies have played plenty of lesser teams over the years, but when did they look this thorough and this dominant? When have they ever shown such a killer instinct?
The was a level of execution that has been missing for quite some time, and that was probably what made the strongest impression on me. That, and James Franklin’s laser focus during his first ever “Enter Sandman” entrance. I mean, that dude was locked in and stone cold even as he was about to come out of that tunnel for the first time ever.
If the Hokies can continue this kind of effort and attention to detail, the season can be a very rewarding one in Blacksburg
The Best Ball Junkie
@BestBallJunkie
This was Electric for the Hokies. James Frankin’s first Sandman entrance
Miami Ready for a Toney Award?
The Hurricanes, who battled Indiana to a one-score loss in the national title game, appear re-stocked and ready to make another run at the College Football Playoff. In their 45-6 romp at Stanford, 18-year old receiver Malachi Toney went off for school-record 234 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns, stamping his name early as a top Heisman candidate to watch (although someone needs to coach him on proper technique of the Heisman pose).
Quarterback Darian Mensah, who was bribed away from Duke in the final hours before the January portal window closed, showed why he was so coveted, putting up big numbers as well with 401 yards passing and 5 TDs. This is a scary duo, and they will be nearly impossible to stop this year.
Once Mark Fletcher, Jr. gets going, this offense will be more balanced and more frightening to face. Miami is the clearcut favorite to get the the ACC title game and also the CFP, so for the conference’s sake, let’s hope Miami doesn’t do what they often do late in the regular season and they keep rolling.
SportsCenter
@SportsCenter
A 42-YEAR-OLD RECORD BROKEN‼️ Malachi Toney broke Miami's single-game receiving yards record set by Eddie Brown in 1984 and he did it in less than 3 quarters 🤯
Is Virginia That Good? Or is North Carolina State That Bad?
In Week zero, the Virginia Cavaliers seemed to pick up where they left off in 2026. Rather, they elevated their game. Instead of escaping with a close win, the Wahoos dominated the Wolfpack, outgaining them 423-168 yards in a 34-8 victory.
UVa quarterback Beau Pribula ran for 110 of the ‘Hoos 258 rushing yards and he added 155 yards through the air. Virginia looked good. Their line, which is filled with fifth, sixth, and even seventh year players, pushed NC State around all day. Defensively, they shut down the Wolfpack, making quarterback CJ Bailey uncomfortable as he only threw for 84 yards while turning the ball over twice.
UVa has put the conference on notice that they are back this year, and NC State coach Dave Doeren’s tenure as the longest current ACC head coach is going to be in question if things don’t turn around soon in Raleigh.
coachkou
@coachkou
I was very impressed with the Virginia QB designed run game. They ran 12P empty counter, 21P zone read with the h off and QB draw for 110 yards from their QB. Every clip in my new article. They are a good football team and will be a force in the ACC.
Other ACC Teams of Note
SMU – The Mustangs escaped with a close win at Florida State despite dominating the box score. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for a whopping 430 yards, but his 2 interceptions and one fumble highlighted a mistake-prone evening. If they can clean that up, they will give Miami a run for their money.
Louisville – The Cardinals get an A for effort. But that doesn’t get the win, and they lost on a late field goal to Ole Miss. After a snoozer of a first half, the game turned into an instant classic after halftime. But the nasty Louisville defense also disappeared after the break, contributing to the shootout. Keep an eye on Louisville as an ACC title game contender.
North Carolina – The Tarheels are the lone ACC school to beat a power conference opponent outside the league. The 15-10 win over TCU was ugly, but not nearly as ugly as things are getting in Chapel Hill behind the scenes. With all the distractions of the investigations, I am genuinely concerned about this team’s ability to remain competitive for the entire year.
uSTADIUM
@uSTADIUM
🚨 BREAKING: The investigation into UNC’s football program has reportedly WIDENED (@WRAL). GM Michael Lombardi resigned today after spending more than a month on paid administrative leave amid an investigation stemming from a personnel complaint. Investigators are now
Pittsburgh – Sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel tied a school record with 7 touchdown passes as the Panthers routed the other Miami, 59-14. Pitt looks solid, and their schedule looks soft early on. If they can take down the Hokies in early October, Pitt could find itself undefeated when they face the real Miami.
Clemson – How will this end for Dabo Swinney? After the 51-10 woodshed beating in the other Death Valley, more questions are swirling than answers in the Clemson football program. There is still a lot of football to be played, I know. Hey, Virginia Tech suffered a similar beatdown at LSU in early 2007 (48-7) but Tech finished 11-2 and ACC champs. Unfortunately, though, I don’t see any Tyrod Taylor comps in the Clemson quarterback room, so I highly doubt they will follow the same path. I can definitely see another 7-win season and a lot of heat on Dabo’s seat come December.
Worth Mentioning
Florida State has a serious quarterback issue. Ashton Daniels is one-dimensional, and that dimension is not his arm. For the third straight year, coach Mike Norvell is hanging his hat on a very mediocre transfer portal quarterback, which very well could be driving the nails in Norvell’s coaching coffin. If the Seminoles cannot win at least 7 games this year, the lights will go out on Norvell’s tenure in Tallahassee like they did in Doak Walker Stadium at the start the of the SMU game.
Georgia Tech also has a quarterback issue. They don’t have Haynes King anymore. While Alberto Mendoza was serviceable in the Yellow Jackets’ 14-13 home loss to Colorado, they miss having the dynamic King run their offense. And with another tough schedule, Georgia Tech could be limping into a bowl game this year.
In the other P4 losses by ACC schools, Boston College was beaten handily at Cincinnati, and Cal gave up 21 fourth quarter points at home to lose by that much to UCLA, Duke, Stanford (1-1), Wake Forest, and Syracuse all had wins over G6 schools. Of this group, it is unlikely that any of these teams will make a run for a berth in the ACC title game. But it sure would be nice if more than one ACC team could win a P4 non-conference game!
Cory Pappas
@cory_pappas1
Cal and UCLA tied 24-24 heading to the 4th quarter Also, I can confirm there are a few college football fans in the state of California
Next Up
Virginia Tech hosts Old Dominion Saturday at noon on the CW Network in what some are calling the Brent Pry redemption game. Pry was only 2-2 against the Monarchs, and last year’s embarrassing 45-26 home loss was his last as Virginia Tech’s head coach.
Tech does not have to dominate this one like they did against VMI (although a lot of Hokies would welcome another game like that). But they do need to come out with the same intensity, play with the same focus and aggression, and execute a clean, complete game. If they do, then a double-digit win is likely. If not, who knows, and it would be a shame to follow that opening blowout with a subpar performance.
Although a few ACC teams do face a challenge this week, Georgia Tech by far has the toughest task as they host #18 Tennessee. And Duke will be tested when they travel to Illinois to continue their own redemption tour after beating Tulane last week.
On normal weekends I wouldn’t dare recommend that anyone watch the Rutgers at Boston College game. However, this matchup is on Friday, September 11, which is the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The Welles Crowther Red Bandana game will be more poignant than ever, and for that reason alone I am suggesting that we all tune in. But you might want to keep a tissue box nearby.
As for the rest of the ACC slate? It is filled with snoozers, which is fine, since we would all rather watch Ohio State at Texas anyway.
Enjoy the weekend and Go Hokies!
Columnist
Born in the Bronx but otherwise raised in northern New Jersey, my Hokie life began in the fall of 1989. I walked on to the baseball team and spent a year and a half as a redshirt catcher.