The ACC had a rough week out of conference. There is no question about it. We are going to get into that and several other takes on the ACC for week 4.
1) Florida State shows tremendous resolve
It was a war of attrition between Florida State and Clemson, an ugly game with a ton of mistakes. With Clemson driving for the winning score, the FSU defense made the play of the game forcing a fumble in the waning seconds. Look FSU didn’t have their best game. Their offensive line was simply put terrible, but they found a way to win. They did it without Jameis Winston. They did it with all the Jameis Winston distractions. That’s what great teams do. They find ways to win. Now Jameis keep quiet the rest of the year…
2) North Carolina plays defense like it is a suggestion.
The Tar Heel defense is bad, and I mean real bad. We knew the Heels were ripe for the picking by East Carolina, but when you give up 70 points and 789 yards you have deep problems defensively. This team isn’t winning the Coastal Division not with that bunch on defense.
3) Pittsburgh blows opportunity
Pittsburgh we were all ready to believe in you. A 5-0 start was within your grasp. You were playing a reeling Iowa team at home, and you went down 24-20 after holding a 17-7 halftime lead.
4) Deshaun Watson will be star for Clemson
We saw the future for Clemson tonight.Freshman QB Deshaun Watson was nearly flawless. For all the mistakes Clemson made in losing to FSU, I’m have a hard time see any major ones from Watson. He made plays with his feet, and his arm. He was in total command in a hostile environment against the Number 1 team in the country. Cole Stoudt is a nice player, but Watson is an elite one. The Tigers will beat South Carolina this year if Watson plays. You can mark that down.
5) Justin Thomas is the quarterback Paul Johnson has always dreamed of having.
Clemson has their future star QB, and so does Georgia Tech. We’ve been telling you about Justin Thomas all month, and now the rest of the ACC knows. Thomas accounted for 290 total yards in a 27-24 win for Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech. He’s led Georgia Tech to two consecutive 4th quarter comebacks and has the Jackets off to a 4-0 start. Is this a great team? No there are still defensive issues, but they do have a young emerging QB who gives them a chance in every game they play. The Jackets are the ACC’s most surprising team, with a big thanks to Thomas.
6) I thought Miami was close to turning the corner, I was wrong.
The Hurricanes went down 41-31 at Nebraska Saturday to stand at 2-2 after four games. I’ve really felt at times the last couple of years Miami was close to turning the corner. I’m not so sure now. I’m not so sure about Al Golden anymore either. The defense gave up 343 yards on the ground to the Huskers, and earlier in the year were rolled by Louisville. The wins just aren’t coming for Miami. Since the 7-0 start last year, Miami is 4-6. When are these recruiting classes going to start paying off?
7) ACC goes 0-3 to the Big 10.
We’ve already talked about Nebraska beating Miami, and Iowa beating Pitt, but Maryland also knocked off Syracuse at Syracuse. That’s not a good look for the ACC to 0-3 against the mediocre Big 10.
8) Duke might be the Coastal’s best team
The Blue Devils rolled to another victory with an easy 47-13 win over Tulane. Duke is now 4-0, and why wouldn’t they be the Coastal favorite now? UNC can’t play defense, Virginia Tech’s win over Ohio State is looking like a fluke, and Miami already has a conference loss. Duke has been by far the Coastal’s most consistent team. A game next week at Miami will be huge.
9) What happened to Virginia Tech?
2 weeks ago the Hokies were the toast of college football. Now they are struggling after 2 straight home losses. I don’t know what went wrong, but it seems we overrated two things on the Hokie team, the defense and Michael Brewer. Bud Foster’s defense is still good, but it is not a wall. ECU and Georgia Tech found holes in it. Michael Brewer is a gamer at QB, but he’s making poor decisions. The Hokies have a soft schedule, and can still win the Coastal, but they are making to many mistakes. From turnovers to penalties the Hokies are as much to blame for their struggles as their opponents.
10) A quarter of the season in, rank the ACC teams…
Ok a quarter of the season in here’s my ACC power poll.
1) FSU 2) Clemson 3) Duke 4) Georgia Tech 5) Boston College 6) Virginia 7) Louisville 8) Pittsburgh 9) Virginia Tech 10) Miami 11) NC State 12) UNC 13) Syracuse 14) Wake Forest
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