The ACC met their Waterloo this weekend. Seven ACC teams went down in defeat, albeit Clemson and Virginia Tech were conference games. Thankfully, Florida State won in overtime to salvage something as the Seminoles are now the only team from the ACC in the Amway Coaches Poll Top 25.
One way or another, Jameis Winston was going to come out smelling like roses. If Florida State loses to Clemson, then it would have been due to his absence. Win the game and Famous Jameis gets television cameras following his every move. It was nauseating at times to watch ESPN pan Winston on virtually every play in the second half. We shouldn’t reward his behavior with more exposure time on television. It’s certainly time for this young man to grow up and behave like a Heisman winner should.
Actually, this was a hard-hitting, physical game that had several emotional momentum changes. Both defenses, as I stated earlier in the week, are among the best in the NCAA. There were 8 sacks and over 18 tackles for loss collectively, and three interceptions that kept the game interesting. Quarterback Sean Maguire was thrust into the spotlight after the regents of Florida State University decided to extend Winston’s suspension for the entire game. The Clemson boys were licking their chops and causing chaos in the FSU backfield for the entire first half. Meanwhile, on the Clemson side, quarterback Cole Stoudt started out cold and was quickly replaced by Deshaun Watson, who took the crowd out of the game several times. I will be surprised if Cole Stoudt gets another chance to start.
The game was decided in the last 90 seconds when Clemson running back C.J. Davidson fumbled the ball on the FSU 14-yard line. This came immediately after quarterback Sean Maguire airmailed his third interception, giving the Tigers a perfect gift. This was a game Clemson should have won in regulation, but came away from the red zone three times with no points. Coach Dabo Swinney was forced to go for it on fourth down in the overtime after several failed field goals during regulation. All in all, it was a very entertaining football game.
What the heck is happening in college football and specifically the ACC? Week after week, I have seen great performances wither into obscurity after a dismal effort the following week. Week 4 in the ACC was very much like that all weekend. I watched with some interest as Virginia Tech throttled Ohio State, only to see East Carolina come into Blacksburg and take down the Hokies. Well guess what my Hokie faithful? You just lost two consecutive games at home for the first time since 1997 and it came at the hands of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from your own Atlantic division. You cannot throw 3 interceptions and expect to come back and win every time. Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech are now a comfortable 4-0 and share the most wins in the ACC with Duke and North Carolina State.
Boston College had a rousing effort against USC in Week 3 and then layed an egg at home against FCS opponent Maine for 30 minutes. The fact that BC won is of little consequence and certainly doesn’t bode well when you take an opponent for granted. The Eagles lead at the half by a mere 9 points after we had watched Boston College run at will against the supposedly tough USC defense. The final score is no compliment.
Pittsburgh has run roughshod over the competition so far and was favored to do the same at home versus Iowa. Their schedule is soft and expectations were an early 5-0 start to the season. Then the Panthers got shut down by the Hawkeyes and went to the locker room with their tails between their legs, trailing by four. James Connor did yeoman work again, lugging the pigskin 29 times for 155 yards. Quarterback Chad Voytik was a commendable 19 for 29 (65%) with an additional 250 yards through the air. There were no game-changing fumbles or interceptions, so Iowa got the steal and a much-needed win for the Big Ten.
Where was North Carolina in all of this rubble? They certainly were forewarned about those thieving Pirates from upstate. The Tar Heels needed a superb effort from Marquise Williams or East Carolina would win the prize at the State Fair. Well lo and behold, the Pirates absolutely throttled the Tar Heels, scoring at will and making quarterback Shane Carden a serious candidate for the Heisman conversation. North Carolina did score 41 points, but three quarterbacks threw one touchdown each, and none of those players were named Williams. The Tar Heels defense gave up 70 points to the Pirates, who are the new favorite to win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) behind Shane Carden.
Could it get any worse for the ACC? Well, of course it could, with Miami out on the plains challenging the Nebraska Cornhuskers and coming away 10 points short. Brad Kaaya actually had good numbers, throwing for 359 yards, but he was intercepted twice to offset his 3 touchdowns. Ameer Abdullah was the difference, as he ran for 313 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns to make his case for Heisman candidacy. This was a chippy affair and it continued Miami’s poor record against ranked opponents. The Hurricanes have lost 11 of 12 road games against ranked opponents since 2006.
We could go a little farther West and hope for some ACC redemption, but it was not to be. Virginia traveled to Provo to take on the suddenly resurgent BYU Cougars. The Cavaliers and their stout defense actually led this game 16-13 at the half, but that’s when the BYU offense got unplugged. Taysom Hill put his stamp on two touchdown drives in the third quarter and a blown special teams coverage gave Adam Hine a 99-yard corridor to the end zone to seal the Cavaliers fate. Coach Mike London has done a terrific job molding his 2014 squad, and this is a part of the learning process to get the Cavaliers back to respectability.
Let’s hope the ACC can get back on their feet quickly in Week 5 before the selection committee bypasses the ACC altogether.
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