ACC Scores Big in a Stellar Weekend.

September is now over, and conference play is well underway. The race for Jacksonville is completely up in the air right now. You heard it from me first, I’m calling an NC State vs. Duke title. I’m kidding, but seriously its going to be anybody’s race. Eleven out of twelve teams were in action. Virginia Tech, Duke, and Miami opened up conference play, while Virginia, Florida State and Maryland picked up big out of conference victories. Let’s take a look back at the games.

Boston College 24 Army 14. The Eagles have jumped out to a 5-0 start on the season, their best in 50 years. BC also cracked the AP top ten this week at number 7. BC raced out to a 17-0 lead and just coasted from there. Despite the win, Matt Ryan turned in his worst performance of the season. Ryan completed 24 of 42 passes for 204 yards and 1 touchdown. That’s a pretty solid game for an average qb, but its nothing like the numbers that Ryan put up in their previous 4 games. The Eagles play two more out of conference cup cakes before their big showdown with Virginia Tech on Thursday October 25^th.

Maryland 34, (#10) Rutgers 24. The Terps do this to me every year, just when I think they’re down and out, they storm back in a big way. Maryland came into this game, losers of their last 2, including a 31-24 heartbreaking overtime loss to Wake Forest. The Terps fell behind 17-14 at the half, before back up quarterback Chris Turner (Who happens to look a lot like Napoleon Dynamite) led Maryland to 20 second half points en route to a victory in front of the second largest crowd in Rutgers history. This was Maryland’s first win over a top ten team since beating Florida State in 2004. Lance Ball also turned in a solid performance rushing 12 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Maryland welcomes in Georgia Tech this week in their home ACC opener.

Virginia 44 Pittsburgh 14. The Cavaliers turned in their most impressive performance of the season which led to a 44 to 14 thrashing of Pitt. The win gave UVA their 4^th straight victory and they continue to look more impressive each week. The first quarter belonged to quarterback Jameel Sewell. Sewell completed all 7 passes and scored 3 touchdowns through the air. Cedric Peerman continued to establish himself as one of the conference’s elite backs. The junior rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns. The month of October will really show what the Cavaliers are made of. Three of their four games are on the road, including contests at Maryland and NC State. UVA is in good shape right now sitting at 3-0 in the ACC. But there are still 7 more games left on the schedule. For Virginia to make a believer out of me, they need to win on the road somewhere besides the state of North Carolina. They’ll get their chance this week against Middle Tennessee State.

Virginia Tech 17 North Carolina 10. It was business as usual for the Hokies, the defense looked dominant only allowing 1 touchdown and forcing 2 turnovers. The offense on the other hand, looked sub par throughout the game. Virginia Tech was out gained by the Tar Heels 306 to 241. Tyrod Taylor was almost impossible to bring down at times. This kid is going to be a star one day. His numbers through the air weren’t that great but he can make plays with his feet. Brandon Ore also showed flashes of his old self rushing 19 times for 93 yards, and 1 touchdown. This week is a chance for Tech to show how far they’ve come since the LSU game. The Hokies travel to Clemson to take on the Tigers in a 6:00 showdown. The Tar Heels on the other hand suffer their 3^rd close loss of the season. Despite their 1-4 record, Butch Davis has this program heading in the right direction. Hakeem Nicks is one of the best offensive playmakers in the ACC. The junior hauled in 8 catches for 94 yards, and converted several key third downs for UNC. If Carolina wants to salvage their season, October is their chance to do it. The Heels are at home 3 out of 4 weeks, beginning this Saturday against Miami.

Miami 24 Duke 14. For the second year in a row, Miami narrowly escaped the Blue Devils in a close game. Kyle Wright returned from an injury to lead the Canes with 230 yards through the air, and two touchdowns. The win marks Miami’s first ACC opening win in three years. The Canes travel to Keenan Stadium this weekend to take on North Carolina. Three years ago, the Tar Heels handed Miami their first ever ACC loss in Chapel Hill. This maybe the scrappiest Duke team that I have seen in years. These guys don’t back down from anybody. The Blue Devils put up 302 total yards against one of the ACC’s best defenses. Duke is a much improved team from a year ago, the rest of the conference in far ahead of them. I wonder how they would do in a conference like the Sun Belt. The Blue Devils host Wake Forest on Saturday in one of their best chances to pull off an upset.

Louisville 29 NC State 10. What is the deal with the NC State Wolf pack? These guys couldn’t spell football if you gave them the first 6 letters! Seriously 5 turnovers and only scoring 1 touchdown against a struggling defense? This is NCSU’s 11^th straight loss against a Division 1A team. I know some of their struggles are due to injuries, but these guys need to get it together and fast. The Pack stand at 1-4, three of those losses coming at home. NC State returns to action on Saturday at Florida State. The Wolf Pack have been a thorn in FSU’s side for quite some time. If they want to turn their season around, a win at Florida State would go a long way towards doing so.

Georgia Tech 13 Clemson 3. Georgia Tech avenged last years humiliating 31-7 loss to Clemson by upsetting the 13^th ranked Tigers. The Jackets bounced back from 2 straight defeats to hand Clemson their first loss of the season. For the first time in 3 weeks, John Tenuta’s defense looked like John Tenuta’s defense. After giving up 20 plus points two straight weeks, the Ramblin Wreck shut down one of the ACC’s most high-powered offenses and held them to only 3 points. No longer bothered by injury, Tashard Choice got back on track. Choice amassed 145 yards rushing and 1 touchdown. For Clemson, their special teams were about as bad as it can get. The Tigers missed four field goals and had a punt blocked. Clemson put up a combined 153 points in their previous games, the most in the ACC. The dynamic Tiger rushing attack was held to just 69 yards. Quarterback Cullen Harper had looked solid all year. Yesterday the junior was just 17-39 and threw his first interception of the season. Clemson entertains 15^th ranked Virginia Tech in a key ACC battle this Saturday at 6:00.

Florida State 21,(#22) Alabama 14. It took awhile for this one to get going, but it was a battle. The Seminole defense looked like the Seminole defense of old, holding the Tide to just 78 total yards. The real story of the game was FSU back up quarterback Xavier Lee coming in and making the save. Lee came off the bench to throw 2 touchdowns and provide the much needed offensive spark for the Noles. Florida State’s Schedule this year is ambitious to say the least, with 7 out of 12 games away from Tallahassee. The Seminoles have answered the call thus far winning 3 of 4, two of which being away from home. FSU will host the pesky NC State Wolf Pack, who have had the Nole’s number the past few years.