Around the ACC: Week 2

It was a banner weekend in ACC football, with 11 of the 13 league teams winning their games.  Of those two losing squads, one of them played another ACC school, so someone was going to end up with the “L” anyway.   

The rest of the league took care of business, and most of the victories were lopsided.  Does that mean the ACC is going to have a good year?  Will there be more than one ACC team in the college football playoff? 

It is way too early to answer those questions.  But it is not too early to say that several ACC teams are looking like they have the potential to reach Charlotte and play for a conference championship. 

Let’s take a closer look at Week 2, starting with the Hokies of course! 

ACC Football
@ACCFootball

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞: Week 2 https://t.co/VI

Virginia Tech Rolls Again 

For the second week in a row, Virginia Tech came out hot and put a lot of points on the board early in cruising to a 44-21 win (and second straight cover, for those who care) over in-state nemesis Old Dominion.  

Despite a sluggish second half where the Hokies were outscored 15-10 and struggled to run the ball, it was great to see them come out strong and dominate the first half, taking a 34-6 lead into halftime.  And if not for a very late fumble by Tech, that would have been a 34-3 lead. 

Instead of overanalyzing this win that was a tale of two halves, let’s give out a few game awards instead: 

• The “You’d Better Fix This” award – Despite shutting down the run all day, the Virginia Tech defense was vulnerable to quarterback keepers around the end.  Tech's defensive ends often crashed down the line of scrimmage and were burned a few times when Quinn Henicle faked the handoff and scampered to the outside, once for a 76-yard touchdown run.  This needs to be addressed before next week’s matchup against Maryland’s big, athletic quarterback. 

• The “Never In My 55 Years” award – We all saw it.  We all will never see it again.  On two consecutive plays, the Virginia Tech defense scored strip-six touchdowns.    Since extra points and kickoffs follow touchdowns, this feat will likely never happen again.  At least in our lifetimes.  So how did this marvel of a sequence occur?  Well, let’s give another award and explain... 

• The “Stadium Stairs” award – On the first strip-six play, Keon Wylie’s 55-yard score was negated when he dropped the pigskin before crossing the goal line and ODU fell on the loose ball.  It is not clear if he was celebrating early or just switching hands, but he lost possession of the football before scoring.  I know this is a little “old man yelling at clouds” here, but I will never understand why players do that before reaching the end zone.  Nothing personal to Wylie, but running the stadium stairs once or twice might be a good reminder to him – and to all the players – to hold that ball until reaching the back of the end zone.  Fortunately for Hokie Nation, the next play was another sack-fumble-scoop-and-score.

BET99 Canada
@BET99CA

STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND WATCH THIS SEQUENCE 😭 Virginia Tech (-19.5) strips it, runs it to the 1… then fumbles before the goal line and gives ODU a touchback 😳 Next play: ANOTHER strip sack. This time? Scoop. And. Score. 💀🏈 Ball don’t lie 😂 http

• The “Stadium Stairs II” award – Another player who needed to run stadium stairs this week was starting right guard Montavious Cunningham, who threw a punch late in the game and was ejected.  I get it, frustrations run high and opponents do dirty things at the bottom of a scrum pile, but throwing a punch is never the correct response.  Cunningham – and everyone for that matter – needs to learn how to walk away and let the scoreboard – and his own play – be the revenge.  Thank goodness his suspension does not carry over to next week. 

• The “Real Deal” award – Tight end Luke Reynolds had a lot of hype and expectation that came with him in the transfer portal.  After showing glimpses of his potential in the spring game and in week 1, he had his breakout performance against ODU, catching 8 passes for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns.  On the year he has 13 catches for 158 yards and 3 scores.  He will continue to be a matchup problem for opponents, and Tech is showing that they know how to use this weapon! 

• The “Lunch Pail Defense” award – The Tech defense showed up again, forcing 3 turnovers, notching a defensive score, and holding ODU to 76 yards rushing that included a single 76-yard run.  Other than the long run and a late first half Grunkemeyer fumble that resulted in a Monarch field goal, the Tech D only gave up 11 points.  Great job Brent Pry! 

The Hokies did well in their first two warm-up games, but a lot will be revealed this week when they travel to a Big Ten venue and try to halt their 16-game non-ACC power conference losing streak. 

Sons of Saturday Virginia Tech
@SonsofSatVT

#BeatMaryland @RichLuttVT

A Thorough Thrashing on Thursday 

Week 2 in the ACC started with a Miami win of Biblical proportions, as the Hurricanes rattled Florida A&M 77-7 on Thursday night.  Quarterback Darian Mensah had another great evening, completing 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns.  Through two games, Mensah has completed 41 of 45 passes (91%) for 653 yards and 8 touchdowns with no interceptions.   

We already know that the ‘Canes are loaded with weapons, and they were dangerous again Thursday. 18-year-old receiver Malachi Toney only caught 4 passes, but they went for 96 yards and a touchdown.  The running back duo of Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher, Jr. combined for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.   

I’ve said it multiple times already, and I will say it again.  This group is going to be difficult to stop in the ACC, and as long as they don’t beat themselves, which they are prone to do every year, that elusive first ACC football championship is theirs for the taking. 

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 🤯

The Floggings that Followed on Friday 

The scoreboard on Friday was very friendly toward the ACC. For the uninformed college football fan, it might even look like the ACC is a top-tier league with all these lopsided scores.  Alas, three of the ACC’s victories on Friday came at the hands of FCS schools, and the last was against a Power Conference team that lost to UMass last week, so let’s not read into this too much.   

Louisville bounced back nicely from its opening loss to Ole Miss and the ‘Cards trounced Villanova 59-13. 

Virginia must still be mad about 1999 and 2000 because it showed no mercy on Norfolk State, hammering the Fighting Michael Vicks 59-3. 

Even North Carolina State got in on the woodshed action, blasting Richmond 73-0 and giving hope to the Dave Doeren supporters that he might still have some life to live on the Wolfpack sideline. 

For those counting, that is four ACC victories over four FCS schools in two days by a combined score of 268-23.  That is an average of 67-6.  Ouch. 

The lone Friday night FBS matchup with an ACC school saw Boston College take down Rutgers 28-21 in the annual Red Bandanna game.  For the first time ever, the Bandanna Game was played on September 11th, and this year it happened to fall on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy. 

For those who do not know anything about Welles Crowther and this annual event, watch this powerful ESPN video of the story of the man in the red bandanna. 

Better Results Against Power 4 Opponents 

On Saturday, ACC teams went 3-1 in matchups with Power 4 non-conference foes.  Pitt held on to beat Central Florida 12-7, and Wake Forest earned a thrilling double overtime victory at Purdue, 38-36.  Also, Duke went into Illinois and escaped with a 31-27 win. 

On the losing side was Georgia Tech, again.  After dropping a heartbreaker to Colorado in Bobby Dodd Stadium last week, the Yellowjackets were pasted by Tennessee 45-24 again on their home turf.   

On the weekend, the ACC was 4-1 in non-conference P4 games.  Most of these were close victories against conference cellar-dwellers in Rutgers, Purdue, and UCF, but hey, a win is a win is a win.  As a Hokie fan, I cannot criticize any of these victories, because Tech is 0-3 against Rutgers and Purdue in the past two seasons! 

It would have been nice for the lone ACC matchup with a ranked opponent to be more competitive, especially since that opponent was from the SEC, but I digress.  4-1 is still 4-1, no matter how you slice it. 

College Football Zone
@CollegeFBonX

ACC grades for week 2

Worth Mentioning 

Oddly enough, Florida State did not play yet the Seminoles still managed to find their way into the headlines when they fired their athletic director this weekend.  One has to wonder if this is the first domino to fall and head coach Mike Norvell is next?  Or are they sticking with Norvell and making changes in the administration to help him win again?   

NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS NETWORK
@TheNCSportsNet

Florida State President Richard McCullough addresses media after parting ways with Athletic Director Michael Alford. #FSU #HotSeat #Seminoles #Panic #Substandard

As far as other notes on the playing field, the only games worth mentioning were in New York and South Carolina.  In Syracuse, the Orange lost a barnburner to Cal, 21-18.  And in Clemson, the Tigers hardly roared past Georgia Southern, 22-7.  Cal needed that win after dropping their opener to UCLA.  And Clemson bounced back, if that’s what we call it, after that 51-10 stomping at the hands of LSU last week. 

I will always take a win.  It is a win, period.  But I’m sure the folks in Clemson have a lot of unanswered questions about their team, and they aren’t happy with just winning.  They want more.  Keep an eye on the season that is unfolding in the western part of the Palmetto state – it could get interesting. 

Looking Ahead to Week 3 

Week 3 finally brings us a few games that matter in the conference.  After watching the ACC go 11-1 in non-conference contests against mostly lesser programs, there are a few quality matchups against other power conference teams.  Also, there are more league games this week, so the march to the ACCCG in Charlotte picks up steam. 

The slate starts Thursday with a Big East throwback when Syracuse travels to Pittsburgh.  After going scoreless in the second half and barely beating UCF at home last week, the Panthers hope to rediscover their offense as they have a real shot of running the table before their big showdown with Miami in week 8. 

The marquee matchup is #16 SMU at #23 Louisville.  Both teams are explosive.  Both have solid defenses.  And both want to build their resumes not just for the ACC title game but also for an outside shot at a playoff berth.  This is a huge game in the conference. 

And speaking of Charlotte, it will be the neutral site for the Virginia-West Virginia battle on Saturday.  Although UVa has looked better so far and has the 10-point graces of Vegas, neither team has been tested yet.  This is a Hokie fan’s worst nightmare – who do I root for?  Can they both lose? 

Further south in Tuscaloosa, #10 Alabama will seek revenge on Florida State after last season’s embarrassing loss to the Seminoles in Tallahassee.  No pun intended, but the Tide should roll. 

Other games of note include the "Brain Bowl" in Durham where Duke will host Stanford, the "Are They On The Hot Seat Bowl" in Clemson where the Tigers play UNC, the "Ho-Hum" Bowl in Nashville where NC State takes on Vanderbilt, and the "Try To Keep Them Under 50" Bowl in Winston-Salem on Friday night, where Wake Forest will attempt to slow down Miami. 

And of course, the final ACC game on the slate is in College Park, Maryland, where Virginia Tech seeks to win their first non-ACC power conference game since last visiting the DMV and beating West Virginia at nearby Fedex Field in 2017.  

Surprisingly, the Hokies and Terps do not have much history (read about it here), but it is still a big game for the Gobblers.  With such a tough November stretch, it is important to win early, and this game will be the first real test for Virginia Tech.   

I’m hoping they pass with flying colors! Go Hokies!