The Good
Shocker? maybe not…
Remember when most people thought that if FSU had a trap game it would be at NC State? That was before NC State got ripped in Atlanta by Tennessee. We kind of forgot that NC State still had a very good QB in Mike Glennon, and in Raleigh can beat anyone they play. They fell behind 16-0 but didn’t panic.
FSU got tight, and NC State played smart and loose to earn the victory in the waning seconds 17-16. They earned that win over the Noles. It was a great victory for NC State, and just proves on any given day….
Well Hello Duke.
Duke is 5-1. I repeat Duke is 5-1. After whooping Virginia 42-17 Duke stands 5-1. Let’s not get carried away and say Duke is a great team. They are not. They haven’t exactly beaten a who’s who in college football. Still with so many teams losing to lower division teams or losing to teams they are heavily favored Duke has taken care of business and now stands 1 win from reaching their goal of making it to a bowl game. David Cutcliffe has worked wonders with this team.
Cruising Along
There hasn’t been a team yet that’s been able to stop Clemson’s offense. Georgia Tech certainly didn’t look capable of doing it going in and the game proved that to be the case. For the third straight game Georgia Tech gave up for than 40 points and 600 yards in a 47-31 loss.
The Tigers defense has issues, but Clemson should be able to outscore the rest of their schedule until they face South Carolina in the final game of the season. They’ll need to find some D by then, but here’s the scary part. The offense still hasn’t gotten Sammy Watkins fully involved yet. De’Andre Hopkins has been the team’s MVP so far. Yep Clemson is just cruising along at 5-1 and eyeing the top 10 again.
A little Defense
Lost in all the talk of Florida State, Clemson and even Duke’s resurgence very quietly Maryland is doing some good things especially defensively. The held Wake Forest to 14 points and under 250 total yards. Holding West Virginia to 31 points 2 weeks ago looks more impressive as the season continues. There’s a chance Maryland could build some momentum now. The head to reeling Virginia next week, followed by NC State at home, then at BC, then Georgia Tech in College Park. The Terps could very well be 7-2 heading to Clemson. Were we wrong about Randy Edsall? It looks like he’s slowly building at Maryland.
Giovani Bernard
When you rush for 262 yards you get a spot in the good all by yourself. Bernard was spectacular against Virginia Tech in the Tar Heels 48-34 win
The Bad
Sinking Ship
It’s just getting worse at Virginia Tech. There isn’t any question, this is the worst Virginia Tech team since the 7-5 squad in 1997, and I’m not even sure about that. You may to go back to the 2-8-1 1992 to find a team as poor as this year’s team. The Tar Heels ran up 48 points and over 500 yards on a defense that was supposed to be one of the conference’s best. I have never seen a Hokie team tackle so poorly. Logan Thomas started the year as a Heisman candidate, and now looks hesitant and indecisive in the pocket. The run of 10 win seasons will end, and if they are not careful maybe the bowl streak too.
This is a 3-3 team that hasn’t faced the meat of their schedule yet. To tell you how far the Hokies have fallen beating Duke in Blacksburg next week is not a given.
Spazzing Out
I thought Boston College was improved, but you just can’t lose 34-31 to Army. That was Army’s first win of the year and Frank Spaziani might want to start renting in Boston as the Eagles dropped to 1-4 and will face some really angry Seminoles next week.
PrimeTime No Show
2 sure TD passes were dropped by Miami early against Notre Dame. That set the tone for the game and the 41-3 blowout at the hands of the Irish. Miami’s defense is just terrible; there is no other way to describe that unit. The Canes had some nice wins, but when they’ve stepped to the bigger competition against Kansas St. and Notre Dame they’ve been crushed. Al Golden is doing a nice job, but there’s a lot of work yet to be done.
Rebuilding proving tough.
A 42-17 blowout UVA? Really to Duke? Look Duke is better, but Virginia was plastered in Durham. Mike London’s rebuilding project has a hit a snag now. The Cavaliers might be the ACC’s worst team. How in the world did they beat Penn State?
The Ugly
Meltdown
Some critics out there are going to say the ACC is out of the national title race, and that’s bad for the conference etc etc. Sure the ACC would like a team to compete for the national title, but only if they earn and deserve it. Florida State had a total meltdown against NC State. Up 16-0 at the half, when it should have been at least 10 more points, the FSU offense went into a deep freeze. The coaches got tight, the players got tight and NC State just chipped away until they pulled the huge upset.
This isn’t about the ACC, this is about Florida State. They let a major opportunity slip away. They had a tailor made schedule, had already beat their toughest ACC opponent in Clemson and were ranked #3 in the country. Jimbo Fisher now has a lot of explaining to do. NC State was missing multiple starting offensive lineman, and were getting torched through the air this season.
FSU played scared and that falls on Fisher and his coaching staff. Yet again it was premature to say Florida State was back.
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