Around the ACC: Week 6
In the College Football Playoff era (since 2014), the ACC has mostly been dominated by Clemson, winner of two national titles. While the Tigers hope to return to the Playoff following an absence last season, several other schools are looking to follow in Pittsburgh’s footsteps and win the increasingly competitive conference.
Here are the ACC storylines through six weeks:
Atlantic Division: Clemson Leads, Challengers Emerge
On a night when Boston College honored American hero Welles Crowther, Clemson showed why they are the ACC’s best shot at landing a team in the College Football Playoff with a 31-3 victory. DJ Uiagaleilei’s 289 total yards of offense and three passing scores carried the offense, and the defense forced two fumbles, both recovered by defensive lineman Payton Page. Clemson’s win moved them back into the top four of the AP poll.
Elsewhere in the division, Wake Forest shut down Army’s triple-option offense, winning 45-10. The Demon Deacons’ running game was the big story, accumulating over 200 yards on the ground and running for four touchdowns behind big days from Justice Ellison (96 rushing yards and a touchdown) and Christian Turner (two rushing touchdowns). Wake Forest enters its bye week ranked No. 14 in the country.
Despite losing their quarterback Devin Leary to an injury, North Carolina State stormed back from a 17-3 deficit to beat Florida State 19-17. The Wolfpack defense had three players with 10 or more tackles and intercepted Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis twice, including the clincher with 38 seconds left. In addition, kicker Christopher Dunn made four field goals as well. Florida State will look to end its two-game losing streak this week when they face Clemson (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ABC).
Coastal Division: Craziness Continues
Entering the season, Miami-FL was seen as a team that could challenge Clemson for the ACC championship. However, North Carolina leads the crazy Coastal Division after a 27-24 victory over the Hurricanes. Freshman quarterback Drake Maye threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, one each to J.J. Jones and Josh Downs. The win improved the Tar Heels to 5-1 on the season.
Georgia Tech improved to 2-0 since firing Geoff Collins with a 23-20 overtime win against Duke. The Yellow Jackets were up 20-6 thanks to two Jeff Sims touchdown passes before the Blue Devils rallied to force overtime. In overtime, Gavin Stewart’s field goal was the difference for Georgia Tech as Duke missed a possible game-tying field goal. At 3-3, Georgia Tech is halfway to making their first bowl game since 2018.
Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi earned his second win against Brent Pry (1-3 against Penn State from 2016-19, where Pry was the defensive coordinator), beating Virginia Tech 45-29. Running back Israel Abanikanda took over the game, rushing for 320 yards and six touchdowns. The junior broke Panthers legend Tony Dorsett’s school record with his performance. Pittsburgh enters its bye week with a 4-2 record, well in the mix for the Coastal championship.
Game of the Week: No. 15 North Carolina State (5-1) at No. 18 Syracuse (5-0)
One of several quality ACC games this week, the Wolfpack and Orange collide in a top 20 showdown. North Carolina State’s defense will have their hands full with Syracuse running back Sean Tucker, who has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his team’s games.
The winner of this game could be Clemson’s top challenger in the Atlantic division race.
Will Duerksen is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email wdd5066@psu.edu.
