ACC Roundup | The U Continues To Make Case, Phil Leads BC To Comeback
Miami 52, FSU 10: It’s still too early to answer the question, but it’s no longer premature to ask it.
Is The U finally back?
After opening up with victories over UAB and Louisville, the Hurricanes vanquished their rival Seminoles, flashing their trademark swagger en route to a 38-3 halftime lead.
Even Florida State head coach Mike Norvell acknowledged his team was dominated in every phase of the game. In fact, this game may say more about the Seminoles (0-2, 0-2), who clearly have a long way to go before getting back to the upper echelon of the sport, but it still says plenty about the Hurricanes.
Miami (3-0, 2-0) has one of the nation’s most exciting teams, led by quarterback D’Eriq King, who threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns while rushing eight times for 65 more yards.
Running backs Cam’Ron Harris and Donald Chaney each scored twice. The Hurricanes used a well-balanced attack with 11 players catching passes. Mark Pope led with 60 yards on five catches while Mike Hartley had a game-high seven receptions for 53 yards and tight end Brevin Jordan caught five passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Miami can go a long way toward answering that question when it faces Clemson on Oct. 10th.
Notre Dame is scheduled to host Florida State on Oct. 10th.
Miami is not on the Irish’s regular season schedule.
Pitt 23, Louisville 20: After opening the season with victories over Austin Peay and Syracuse, we figured we’d find out more about Pitt against the Cardinals.
One thing we found out is that the Panthers’ defense is certainly formidable. Pitt grounded what had been a high-octane Louisville offense. After averaging over 500 yards of total offense in their first two games, the Cardinals (1-2, 0-2) were limited to just 223 yards against Pitt (3-0, 2-0).
Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham looked like one of the most exciting players in the nation in the first two games, but was limited to just 107 passing yards and a touchdown with three interceptions while completing just 9 of 21 pass attempts. Cunningham was also sacked seven times and managed just three net rushing yards. He suffered a scary injury at the end of the game, but is reportedly “good to go” now.
Super exciting Louisville running back Javian Hawkins got loose for a 75-yard touchdown run, but managed just three yards on his other 12 carries. Star receiver Tutu Atwell was limited to just four catches for 37 yards and a score.
Meanwhile, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett was 23-for-38 for 220 yards and two scores while Jordan Addison caught seven passes for 77 yards a score. Panther wide receiver Taysir Mack made his season debut, catching three passes for 62 yards and a 40-yard touchdown.
The Irish host Louisville on Oct. 17th.
Notre Dame travels to Pittsburgh on Oct. 24th.
Syracuse 37, Georgia Tech 20: The Orange jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and put the game away late with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Tommy DeVito to Nykeim Johnson before a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Trill Williams midway through the fourth quarter iced it.
The Orange (1-2, 1-2) may not have been as productive as they’d hope to be at this point in the Dino Babers Era, but they were certainly more productive than they were in the first two games of the season.
DeVito finished 13-for-24 for 194 yards with two scores and interception while running back Sean Tucker rushed for 112 yards and two scores on 24 carries.
Meanwhile, inconsistency should probably be expected from a Yellow Jackets (1-2, 1-1) team that is in its second year under head coach Geoff Collins and relying on a pair of freshmen in quarterback Jeff Sims and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs managed to rush for 105 yards on 18 carries, but didn’t find the end zone. Sims scored once on the ground and threw a touchdown pass, but completed just 13 of his 28 overall pass attempts for 174 yards and four interceptions.
The Yellow Jackets could be a dangerous team, but they’re still a ways away from breaking through to the top tier of the league. Meanwhile, the Orange will look to find a way to build off their first win.
Notre Dame plays at Georgia Tech on Oct. 31st.
The Irish host Syracuse on Dec. 5th.
Virginia 38, Duke 20: 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter lifted the Cavaliers to the win over Duke (0-3, 0-3) in their season debut.
6-foot-7, 205-pound freshman receiver Lavel Davis Jr., caught a pair of touchdown passes from Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong to put the Cavaliers (1-0, 1-0) on top after trailing 20-17 in the third quarter and running back Wayne Taulapapa completed the scoring with a 10-yard run with five minutes to play.
Davis caught four passes for 101 yards while Billy Kemp IV reeled in seven for 70 yards to lead the Cavaliers. Taulapapa finished with 95 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Armstrong put the ball up 45 times, completing 24 of them for 269 yards and two touchdowns, but was also picked off twice.
Duke quarterback Chase Brice was picked off four times while completing 16 of 36 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Blue Devil running back Deon Jackson was limited to just 49 yards on 14 carries.
The Irish beat Duke 27-13 on Sept. 12th.
Notre Dame doesn’t have Virginia on its regular season schedule.
Boston College 24, Texas State 21: After an encouraging win in the season-opener, BC needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat its Sun Belt opponent.
The Eagles trailed by two touchdowns in the final minute of the third quarter before a three-yard touchdown run by former Irish quarterback Phil Jurkovec cut the lead in half right in the final seconds of the quarter. Jurkovec then threw a short touchdown pass to Hunter Long to tie it in the final minute of the fourth.
The Bobcats managed to run off just 15 seconds on the ensuing drive and, after a three-and-out, had to punt the ball back to BC. A 15-yard penalty on the punt set the Eagles up at their own 33-yard-line with 47 seconds to play.
Jurkovec looked poised, completing five passes to move the ball inside the red zone in 40 seconds and Aaron Boumerhi drilled a 36-yard field goal to deliver the win.
There’s no doubt BC will look to build on the momentum it captured in the final minute while trying to shake off the play that led to the necessary heroics.
The Irish play at Boston College on Nov. 14th.
Virginia Tech 45, NC State 24: Even with a depleted roster thanks to COVID-19 and injuries, the Hokies were impressive in their season debut, rushing out to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter and taking a 31-10 lead into the half.
Virginia Tech (1-0, 1-0) was without almost two dozen players, including starting quarterback Hendon Hooker, and four coaches, including defensive coordinator Justin Hamilton.
Quarterback Braxton Burmeister started the game in place of Hooker, but he left with a hand injury in the second, bringing on Quincy Patterson II, who completed four of the six passes he threw for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Running back Khalil Herbert rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on just six carries as the Hokies dominated the action.
Wolf Pack quarterback Devin Leary missed the opener after being sidelined for three weeks of camp due to contact tracing. Bailey Hockman started against Virginia Tech, but after throwing a pair of interceptions, he was replaced by Leary, who completed 12 of his 16 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. combined for 158 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
Maybe NC State (1-1, 1-1) will receive a boost if Leary returns as starter while the Hokies are likely to receive their own boost with Hooker now ready to go as well.
The Irish are not scheduled to face either Virginia Tech or NC State during the regular season.