We are now into Week 3 of the college football season. The Atlantic Coast Conference didn't have any major upsets, but there were a few losses that may have caught some by surprise. Lets recap the football week in the ACC and see who earned player of the week honors.
No. 11 Clemson (3-0) 20-17 Louisville (0-3): This was really Clemson's first test of the season after victories against Wofford and Appalachian State, and they barely survived. Deshaun Watson had two interceptions and was bailed out by the run game. Louisville started their third quarterback in three games with Kyle Bolin, but unfortunately it ended in a similar result. The Cardinals will need their defense to keep them in games this year because the offense is pathetic.
No. 9 Florida State (3-0) 14-0 Boston College (2-1): Florida State is horrible on offense, and Everett Golson has not proven he the answer at quarterback. The Seminoles scored a touchdown in the first quarter to make it a 7-0 game, but didn't score again until a defensive touchdown with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jimbo Fisher will need to rely on his defense a lot this year. Boston College is exactly what you expect them to be. Good on defense, but horrible on offense. The Golden Eagles finished the game with just 195 total yards.
Virginia Tech (2-1) 51-24 Purdue (1-2): Virginia Tech is in the process of replacing starting quarterback Michael Brewer. Red-shirt junior Brenden Motley is looking more and more comfortable in the offense and coordinator Scot Loeffler is off to his best start ever in Blacksburg. The Hokies held Purdue quarterback Austin Appleby to just 9 completions on 28 attempts and two interceptions. The offensive line is playing well and this team is really starting to click.
Wake Forest (2-1) 17-14 Army (0-3): Wake Forest had to beat Army with a backup quarterback. Starter John Wolford injured his ankle on the fourth play from scrimmage and the Deamon Deacons had to overcome three interceptions to pull out the victory. There is no definite timetable for Wolford's injury, but head coach Dave Clawson hopes to have him back in time for this weekend. Wake Forest is a much better team than a year ago, but will need their starting quarterback to have a productive season.
Illinois (2-1) 14-48 North Carolina (2-1): North Carolina should be sitting at 3-0 if it wasn't for that collapse against South Carolina. The Tar heels dominated this game from the beginning. The defense still gave up close to 400 yards of total offense, but did a great job not letting Illinois reach the end zone. Marquise Williams threw three touchdowns and running back Elijah Hood averaged a whopping eight yards every time he touched the ball. North Carolina has another cupcake next week in Delaware and won't get their next test until October 3rd against Georgia Tech.
No. 23 Northwestern (3-0) 19-10 Duke (2-1): Duke turned the ball over three times and mustered just 152 total yards on offense in the second half. Northwestern may be a lot better than expected, but the Blue Devils were favored to win this game. Quarterback Thomas Sirk finished with 150 yards in the air and averaged only 3.8 yards an attempt. Next up for head coach David Cutcliffe and his Blue Devils is a matchup with Georgia Tech. If Cutcliffe can't get more consistent play from his quarterback, Duke will return to the bottom of the ACC once gain.
Central Michigan (1-2) 27-30 Syracuse (3-0): Wake Forest wasn't the only team that lost their starting quarterback. Syracuse had to rotate third and fourth string quarterbacks after Eric Dungey left the game because he was speared by Central Michigan's linebacker Mitch Stanitzek. Syracuse is 3-0 for the first time since 1991. The Orangemen are much better than a year ago, but will need Dungey to stay healthy if they want to continue having a good season. Up next is a matchup with LSU.
Nebraska (1-2) 33-36 Miami (3-0): Miami did everything in their power to lose this game. The Hurricanes led by as much as 24 points on Saturday and still needed overtime to escape the Cornhuskers. Quarterback Brad Kaaya played well throughout most of the game and finished with over 300 yards in the air and two touchdowns. Miami was stifling Nebraska on the defensive side of the ball, but then let the Cornhuskers score 21 unanswered in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Head coach Al Golden needs to get his team to play a complete game or he won't be their come next season.
William & Mary (1-1) 29-35 Virginia (1-2): Virginia opened the year with two tough matchups in UCLA and Notre Dame. This game was supposed to be a cakewalk and it was for majority of the game until the fourth when William & Mary cut the lead to six. Quarterback Matt Johns threw 2 interceptions and the Cavaliers defense gave up over 300 yards. Not the performance you were expecting.
No. 14 Georgia Tech (2-1) 22-30 No. 8 Notre Dame (3-0): Everyone thought Georgia Tech was going to beat Notre Dame easily after the Irish lost their starting quarterback. The truth is Notre Dame still has a great team even with uncertainty under center. The final score implies the game was much closer than it really was, but Georgia Tech was never a factor. The Yellow Jackets gave up 198 yards on the ground to Irish running back C.J. Prosise. He averaged nine yards a carry! The biggest question mark for Paul Johnson and his team this offseason was on defense, and they still haven't figured it out. The Yellow Jackets will need to play better on the defensive side of the ball if they want to have a chance in the ACC.
North Carolina State (3-0) 38-14 Old Dominion (2-1): The Wolfpack handled business like they were expected to do. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was a little under the weather and still accounted for two touchdowns. North Carolina State gave up only 148 total yards and dominated from the get go. We won't find out if the Wolfpack are for real until their October 9th matchup with Virginia Tech.
Pittsburgh (2-1) 24-27 Iowa (3-0): Pittsburgh may have lost this past weekends game, but head coach Pat Narduzzi has found his starting quarterback. Tennessee transfer Nathan Peterman had over 200 yards passing and also two touchdowns in his first start for Pittsburgh. Unfortunately he also had two early interceptions and was part to blame for an early 17-7 deficit. Panther fans had their hearts broken when Narduzzi called a timeout to ice Iowa's kicker, only to see him miss the kick and then make it on the next try. Iowa hit a 57 yard field goal as time expired. Pitt's preseason all-American Tyler Boyd finished the game with 10 catches for 131 yards and 1 touchdown. The panthers have a bye this weekend, and will get ready for their October 3rd showdown at Virginia Tech.
Most Impressive Win: Clemson over Louisville - The Tigers did not play as well on offense as they might of wanted to, but getting a victory on the road, in a hostile environment, on a short week, is very impressive. Clemson may have needed this type of game to wake them up and realize they need to bring it every week if they want to win the ACC.
Least Impressive: Florida State putting up only 14 points against Boston College - Jimbo Fisher may be rethinking his decision to name Everett Golson the starting quarterback. The Seminoles offense looked horrible and was shutdown for most of the game. Boston College did a great job limiting running back Dalvin Cook to just 54 yards on the ground. Florida State has a bye this weekend and needs to figure out their offensive struggles before they get into the tough part of their schedule.
ACC Player of the Week: Clemson running back Wayne Gallman: The red-shirt sophomore was my pick for ACC player of the week because Clemson would have lost to Louisville if he didn't play as well as he did. Gallman racked up 139 yards on the ground and carried the ball 24 times. He ran hard against the Cardinals stingy defense and was easily the best offensive player on the field on Thursday night.