Scout.com: ACC Conference Roundup

Conference Roundup

Boston College … All the highlights will show the Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Rich Gunnell to beat Clemson, which wasn't exactly the Flutie Hail Mary, but was more important, but it was the BC defense that deserves the credit for the win for the Atlantic title. Much maligned after a rough few weeks, the secondary tightened up against the Tiger passing game to go along with a run defense that shut down C.J. Spiller and James Davis. BC would obviously get a BCS bid with an ACC title, but it might assure itself of at least an at-large spot if it beats Miami next week.
Clemson … Oh Clemson. Once again, the Tigers get so achingly close to doing something special under Tommy Bowden, and once again, with everything there for the taking, the other teams comes up with the big plays. The loss to Boston College might be devastating, but it'll be vital to not be, well, Clemson, and collapse next week at South Carolina. The Tigers are better than the Gamecocks, but Steve Spurrier's bunch will be rested and ready. Can Clemson put the BC loss in the past right now? This will once again be a huge test for Bowden.
Duke … There's struggling, and then there's getting blasted by Notre Dame. Duke has been the only team in America that couldn't slow down the Irish running game, while the offense failed to get anything going. Converting just four of 16 third down conversion chances, and allowing ND to keep things moving by converting ten of 18 changes, basically never allowed the Blue Devils to have a shot. Now it's on to North Carolina needing to pull off an upset to stop an eight game losing streak. To win, the running game has to finally get going to take the heat off the passing attack.
Florida State … The Noles might not be anything special, but they've done a good job of pulling out of the midseason tailspin by winning three of four games before dealing with Florida. It's possible the quarterback situation is finally settled a bit with Drew Weatherford back and solid, but the real key has been the running of Preston Parker, who unlike Antone Smith, has been able to make things happen. The defense kept Maryland's offense under wraps, especially the running game, but to have a shot at Florida, Weatherford has to be more effective on third downs.
Georgia Tech… Georgia Tech can breathe a huge sigh of relief after getting the late field goal and escaping with a win over North Carolina. For all the problems and all the issues the Yellow Jackets have had, they've won four of their last five games to turn the season around and be in a position for a nice bowl. Getting to seven wins is nice, but beating Georgia would suddenly make the season potentially special. Closing out strong is a must, and to beat the Bulldogs, the offense has to get hot early.
Maryland … Where's the Maryland running game that worked so well at times against Boston College last week? Florida State was able to close down the Terp ground game and force Chris Turner to start bombing away. While Turner was effective for stretches, he wasn't consistent enough to pull off the road upset. With four losses in five weeks, a win over NC State is needed to just be bowl eligible, but at this point, this is still a mega-disappointment of a year no matter what happens. To beat the Wolfpack, the offense has to start getting more touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. Things can't keep bogging down.
Miami … -2 rushing yards, 213 yards of total offense, and a 44-14 loss to Virginia Tech. This is Miami football as things have gone from lousy to worse as there's a big concern now with the team getting worse by the week instead of better. The offensive line isn't doing nearly enough to let the skill players operate, and the defense isn't coming up with enough game-changing plays, even though it did a good job of getting into the backfield this week, to pick up the slack. Boston College doesn't have anything to play for, so if the Canes can't come out roaring, the heat will be turned up on Randy Shannon in the off-season.
North Carolina … Third down conversions. North Carolina couldn't come up with them against Georgia Tech and it lead to four field goals. A more experienced team would've been able to put the game away this week by taking advantage of every opportunity, and better production from T.J. Yates on key plays would've made it happen. Even so, this was another good performance that just so happened to turn into a loss. UNC is about five plays away from being around 7-4 and in the bowl picture. Again, more experienced teams get those plays.
NC State … State isn't good enough to lose the turnover battle and commit 11 penalties against a tight team like Wake Forest and expect to win. The running game wasn't used enough with a mere 21 attempts for 57 yards, putting the game in the hands of Daniel Evans after the Pack got down. Evans is better when he doesn't have to do everything by himself; State isn't going to win too many games when it's throwing the ball 56 times. Now the Maryland game is a must-win to become bowl eligible, and at the very least to prevent a two-game slide to close out a nice second half of the year.
Virginia … Didn’t Play This Week
Virginia Tech … Suffocating doesn't begin to describe the Virginia Tech defense against the Miami running game. The Canes couldn't get anything going, and eventually had to just give up trying to run, and that allowed the Hokie defense to tee off. The team is in a perfect lather for the critical showdown with Virginia for the division title and a chance to play Boston College for the ACC championship. The combination of Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor worked well enough even though neither had a great game. The running game was creative enough to pick up the slack.
Wake Forest… The Demon Deacons took back control of their season after losing two straight by dominating NC State defensively. Riley Skinner was sharp and kept the offense moving, but it was the D that came through with four takeaways and holding the Wolfpack to 57 rushing yards. There were mistakes with two fumbles, but Wake let NC State screw up more. This has already been a great year to follow up the ACC championship, and a win at Vanderbilt would make it even more special. Eight win regular seasons aren't commonplace around Winston-Salem.

Saturday, November 17
12:00 PM	at Florida State 24 ... Maryland 16 CFN Prediction: Florida State 27-16 FSU -7.5
12:00 PM	at Georgia Tech 27 ... North Carolina 25 CFN Prediction: Georgia Tech 30-13 GT -10
2:30 PM	at Notre Dame 28 ... Duke 7 CFN Prediction: Notre Dame 31-21 ND -6
3:30 PM	at Virginia Tech 44 ... Miami 14 CFN Prediction: VT 27-13 VT -17
4:00 PM	at Wake Forest 38 ... NC State 18 CFN Prediction: Wake Forest 27-19 WF -6
7:45 PM	Boston College 20 ... at Clemson 17 CFN Prediction: Clemson 30-20 Clemson -7

Past ACC Games of the Week
Sept. 1 - Boston College 38 ... Wake Forest 28
Sept. 8 - East Carolina 34 ... North Carolina 31
Sept. 15 - Duke 20 ... Northwestern 14
Sept. 22 - Wake Forest 31 ... Maryland 24 OT
Sept. 29 - Florida State 21 ... Alabama 14
Oct. 6 - Wake Forest 41 ... at Duke 36
Oct. 13 - Wake Forest 24 ... Florida State 21
Oct. 20 - Virginia 18 ... at Maryland 17
Oct. 27 - Boston College 14 ... at Virginia Tech 10
Nov. 3 - at Virginia 17 ... Wake Forest 16
Nov. 10 - at North Carolina State 31 ... North Carolina 27
Nov. 17 - Boston College 20 ... at Clemson 17

Past ACC Players of the Week
Sept. 1 - Boston College QB Matt Ryan
Sept. 8 - Clemson QB Cullen Harper
Sept. 15 - Boston College QB Matt Ryan
Sept. 22 - Clemson RBs James Davis & C.J. Spiller
Sept. 29 - Maryland RB Keon Lattimore
Oct. 6 - Virginia Tech LBs Vince Hall & Xavier Adibi
Oct. 13 - Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice
Oct. 20 - Wake Forest WR Kenneth Moore
Oct. 27 - Boston College QB Matt Ryan
Nov. 3 - Florida State QB Drew Weatherford
Nov. 10 - NC State RB Jamelle Eugene & UNC LB Durrell Mapp
Nov. 17 - Boston College QB Matt Ryan

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