I think when the season is over we’ll look at week 4 in the ACC, as separation week. There’s a clear line in the sand between the top and bottom half of the conference. Virginia Tech, Clemson, Florida State, and Georgia Tech have set themselves apart. North Carolina is not far behind. Others like NC State and Mary
land are in a complete free-fall. Now the awards…
The Good
The Weekly Sammy
Oh Sammy Watkins, just had another 8 catches for 141 yards and 2 TDs, as the freshman helped shred the vaunted Florida Stated defense for 455 yards and 35 points. What else can you say about Mr. Watkins except he can expect double coverage for the rest of his career at Clemson.
We must defend this house
For the second straight week, Clemson knocked off a ranked team. First it was the defending national champs Auburn then it was the defending ACC Atlantic Division Champions Florida State. QB Tajh Boyd is in total command of the offense as Clemson has run their record to 4-0.
My is offense is so good, I got to wear shades
When is scoring 35 points and 496 yards of offense a mediocre offensive day? When you’re Georgia Tech and you were averaging 59 points and 675 yards. Just kidding… Against possibly the best front 7 in the ACC, the Yellow Jackets rushed for 312 yards and are spreading the ball around on offense as well as anyone in the conference. Stephen Hill had 151 yards receiving. They are 4-0 too.
Can I play these guys every week?
Duke beat Tulane 48-27. Boston College finally earned a victory this season with a 45-17 win over UMASS Chase Rettig had 3 TD Throws, and Virginia Tech defeated Marshall 30-10.
Don’t Forget about me…
Quietly Virginia Tech’s David Wilson is having an outstanding year. He had 132 yards rushing against Marshall, and already has over 500 yards on the ground this season. Virginia Tech plays Clemson next week in a monster showdown.
The Bad
Not ready for prime time.
Florida State entered the season ranked in the top 10, they exit September 2-2. With losses to Oklahoma and Clemson, we know where the Noles Stand. Jimbo Fisher has the program moving in the right direction, but this is not an elite team. The good news is Florida State can sleep walk their way to a 9-2 record before playing Florida at the end of the year. The schedule is that easy. Now they have to wait and hope Clemson loses twice in the ACC.
Momentum Stopped
Miami and Virginia were two teams trying to build some momentum for the rest of the season. Miami had a big win over Ohio State last weekend but couldn’t back it up in a 28-24 loss to Kansas St. that dropped the Canes to 1-2. Virginia’s goal is to make a bowl game, but after losing 30-24 Southern Miss it won’t be easy. Quarterback Michael Rocco had 3 interceptions.
The Ugly
You’ve embarrassed your selves and your conference.
This honor is shared this week by NC State and Maryland, after a couple of humiliating defeats. NC State went on the road and lost to Big East team Cincinnati. No real shame in that except it was a 44-14 loss on Thursday Night in front of a national TV audience. Not mention watching the game, I thought the Wolfpack basically quit out there in giving up 503 yards of offense. I know NC State has a lot of injuries, but there was no excuse for losing like that.
That performance pales in comparison though to what Maryland did Saturday. The Terrapins lost to Temple. Yes to Temple, the final score was 38-7 and it wasn’t that close. It was 31-0 at the half. The Owls have improved considerably in recent years, but when I saw the halftime score I thought it was a mis-print. QB Danny O’Brien is regressing faster than you can say “Where’s Ralph?”. Randy Edsall’s hire was met with some skepticism and this won’t help. The Owls beat Maryland in every facet of the game. Any buzz created with an opening week win over Miami is history. This can only be described as a devastating loss for Maryland.
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