ACC Week In Review – Week Three

Another week down, and this one was possibly the most successful set of games yet for the ACC. Maybe it was an attempt to impress Pittsburgh and Syracuse, but either way, the conference did quite well this week. Let’s run it down.

Maryland opened up the day with a big game against 18th-ranked West Virginia, and fell into a hole quick. The Terps were trailing 34-10 in the third quarter, and scored three straight touchdowns to pull it within three. A late Mountaineers field goal gave WVU a 37-31 lead, and a Danny O’Brien interception sealed the deal. You can read more about the game here – it’s a shameless plug and it’s a painful game to write about again.

In what turned out to be one of a few upsets on the day, Clemson finally ended #21 Auburn’s 17-game winning streak with a 38-24 home victory. Tahj Boyd was the star of the day, completing 30 of 42 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns and also running for 30 yards and seven carries, bringing the ACC Tigers back from a 21-7 deficit to an eventual victory. Clemson had a huge day offensively against the weak-as-usual Auburn defense gave up 624 yards – 386 in the air and 238 on the ground. Early ACC Rookie of the Year candidate Sammy Watkins continued his incredible year, catching ten passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

Georgia Tech continued their fast start to the 2011 season, absolutely annihilating Kansas, 66-24, in a game where they amassed 768 yards of total offense. 604 (!) of those yards came on the ground on only 50 carries, giving the Yellow Jackets 12.1 yards per carry. Of note, Orwin Smith ran for 157 yards on only five carries, and Embry Peeples ran for 110 yards on five carries. Tevin Washington continued his efficient year, completing four of seven passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and also running six times for a comparatively paltry 32 yards.

Boston College dropped to 0-3 in possibly the most depressing way possible, clanking a 23-yard field goal off the uprights to lose to Duke, 20-19. Yes, the Blue Devils are now 1-0 in ACC play. Sean Renfree was finally able to put it together for Duke this year, completing 40 of 52 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner did what they do best, combining for 18 receptions and 194 yards and two scores. Chase Rettig struggled, and in truth it was pretty obviously a game between two teams that will have to fight to get out of the ACC cellar this year.

North Carolina continued their quietly very good year, controlling their game against Virginia and winning 28-17. Bryn Renner was 15/21 for 143 yards and two touchdowns, Giovani Bernard ran 12 times for 102 yards, and Ryan Houston scored twice in the Tar Hell victory. While Virginia actually outgained North Carolina on the day, they were largely inefficient on the offensive end, and turned the ball over three times.

North Carolina State and Wake Forest both played FCS opponents – South Alabama and Gardner-Webb, respectively – and both won easily. Mike Glennon threw four touchdowns for the Wolfpack in a 35-13 victory, and Tanner Price score three total touchdowns in a 48-5 Wake drubbing.

In another “upset” (for those who haven’t watched Joe Bauserman play this year), Miami blew #17 Ohio State out of the water, defeating the Buckeyes 24-6. Jacory Harris got the start for the Hurricanes, doing his usual ineffective thing with a few scores, but the star of the game on offense was Lamar Miller, who ran for 184 yards on 26 carries. Meanwhile, Bauserman completed only two of fourteen passes for the Buckeyes, for a whopping 13 yards.

Florida State came close to knocking off top-ranked Oklahoma, tying the game at 13 with a Clint Trickett touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but the Sooners were able to score twice and secure a 23-13 victory. It was a defensive battle (Oklahoma outgained FSU 310-246), and after an injury to E.J. Manuel, Trickett came in and was very solid for the Seminoles. The biggest problem for Florida State came in the running game, where they only were able to gain 27 yards on 26 carries. They were able to contain Heisman candidate Landry Jones, however – the junior was 18/27 for 199 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions.

We’ll be back next week with another installment of the ACC Week in Review.