ACC Football Week 10 Breakdown
How’s that for a shake-up? Georgia Tech played a great game last weekend to get back on track in a big way against Clemson. The Tigers are still the favorite in the conference, but they are now tied with Virginia Tech, and those two teams look like they are on a collision course to face each other in the championship. Monitor Georgia Tech. They will have something to say before this is all over as well.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Wake Forest versus Notre Dame
This is the beginning of a swing through the ACC for Notre Dame, who looked dominant in a whooping of Navy last weekend. They begin with Wake Forest, who suffered a beat down themselves at the hands of North Carolina last Saturday. The Tar Heels were desperate and Wake Forest felt it. Tanner Price was flummoxed by the UNC defense all day. He tossed three picks and only threw for 146 yards. He was outplayed by the young UNC quarterback and ultimately he couldn’t dig his team out of a hole. The lone bright spot for Wake was the play of the running back Brandon Pendergrass. He had 99 yards on 13 carries. The real disappointment is the performance of the defense. They gave up 562 yards of offense and seven touchdowns to the Tar Heels.
They will have another test this weekend. Notre Dame has a strong offense. Receiver Michael Floyd is playing on another level. He had six receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown against Navy and for the season he has 788 yards and five touchdowns. He could be in for another big day if Wake Forest cannot shore up their secondary.
This Notre Dame team is not perfect. They have lost three games this season due to inconsistent play, breakdowns on defense, and turnovers. Tanner Price needs to rebound and play a solid game for Wake to win. It is a home game for the Deacons also. Hopefully, that slight advantage will propel Wake to a victory. It is just difficult seeing them keep up with Brian Kelly’s squad.
OTHER GAMES
North Carolina versus NC State
North Carolina had a huge win over Wake Forest last week that they needed to win in order to stay in the Coastal division conversation. Bryn Renner played incredibly well, showing how truly talented he is. He threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, he didn’t throw any interceptions. He came up huge when his team needed him most. And let’s not forget about the defense. The vaunted defense took care of business against a smaller Wake Forest team. They forced five turnovers and flustered Tanner Price. As inconsistent as the talented defense has been, they stepped up when they had to.
This week, it seems the defense for UNC has another shot to rattle the opposing quarterback. After last week, this NC State team seems like it is resigned to a poor finish. The lone bright spot for the Wolfpack all year has been quarterback Mike Glennon. Despite a few bad decisions here and there, Glennon has performed well. He doesn’t have much help around him. Unfortunately, he was unable to add to his touchdown total against Florida State as the Seminoles blanked him, 34-0. Still, he has thrown 19 touchdowns this year in the face of adversity. If only he weren’t a senior, Coach Tom O’Brien and his staff could be real excited for what’s to come next year. For Glennon, it’s what he can do on a weekly basis. This week he has to find a way to solve the UNC defense that is riding high. It will be a battle of first year starting quarterbacks. Even though Glennon will step up to the challenge, he can only do so much for a team that ranks 11th in the ACC stopping the opposition. It may be a long day.
Maryland versus Virginia
This is a battle between teams going in opposite directions. It is hard to get a good hold on the kind of team Virginia is. After a huge win over Georgia Tech a few weeks ago, Virginia stumbled against NC State. The next week they get a big victory over Miami on the road. There’s no telling what a road win can do for a young team in the process of rebuilding. If Mike London isn’t careful he could win coach of the year in the conference. Perhaps it is a little too early for that talk, but he has done an excellent job. They run the ball well (3rd in the ACC), and play the pass really well on defense (3rd). Chase Minnifield and Co. have done a great job limiting opportunities for opponents. At points this season the Cavs have had trouble finding ways to win. Eventually young teams will get that ironed out. Week to week it is anybody’s guess as to which Virginia team shows up.
Maryland just needs to find a way to stop the bleeding. Last week, the Terps lost to a dreadful Boston College team in poor fashion. Not only was it a home game, but the Eagles main rusher was Rolandan Finch who was a replacement for the injured star Montel Harris. Finch had 243 yards and two touchdowns. Maryland is at the bottom of the conference in just about every major defensive statistical category. Randy Edsall seems to be platooning the quarterbacks. Major injuries have hurt the Terps on both sides of the ball. This is a far cry from the 9-win team from a season ago. The Terps mentality should be that this is a rivalry game so anything can happen. Maybe they can eke one out on that premise.
Florida State versus Boston College
This game should be a cake walk for the Seminoles who are just on a roll defensively. They held NC State scoreless for the entire game last week. They have now rattled off three straight wins after losing three straight earlier in the season. This team looks ready to compete down to the wire for a berth in the championship game. EJ Manuel has really played well in between injuries. Freshman running back Devonta Freeman looks like the next future star at a skill position for Jimbo Fisher. Florida State should have no trouble with BC, who looked decent last week against a struggling Maryland team. At least they have some momentum going into this game. They ran well last week but duplicating the 372-yard performance on the ground will be difficult. Florida State leads the ACC in stopping the run. Chase Rettig will need to have the game of his life to beat FSU. The Seminoles will be ready.
QUICK HITTERS
Miami versus Duke
After a disappointing loss to Virginia last week, Miami is looking for some redemption against an inferior opponent. Duke hung in there against Virginia Tech last week, but got run out of the building by David Wilson. Expect the same from Lamar Miller of Miami. If Sean Renfree can get the ball to sure-handed Conner Vernon, the Blue Devils will make it interesting.
