WEEK 7 ACC WRAP UP

Week

WEEK 7 ACC WRAP UP

By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region
assisted by contributing writer William Queen for Football Reporters Online

 
Below is the Week 7 ACC Wrap. Surprisingly, there were only 5 games involving ACC teams.

 
GEORGIA TECH – 28 VIRGINIA TECH – 24
It was upset city in Atlanta this weekend, as Georgia Tech rallied to a surprising victory over the heavily favored Hokies. Yellow Jackets quarterback Josh Nesbitt was practically the whole story of this game, running for 122 yards and 3 scores, and ultimately winning a key match-up. For Virginia Tech, I hate to say it, but I saw it coming. Though they stomped Boston College last week, they nearly lost vs. Duke the week before, and never really gained any respect in the college football world in my opinion. As of Georgia Tech’s future, I think they’ve really learned from their loss against Miami earlier this season. Right after that loss, they bounced back with dominant wins over UNC, Mississippi State and Florida State. All these games led up to an impressive win over a highly ranked team. As for Tech they continue to play inconsistently. Trips to Georgia this year ruined any hopes of an ACC title and a possible national championship. They have slipped from fourth to about 15th depending on which poll you look at. The ACC picture begins to take shape with the regular season winding down.
 
CLEMSON – 38 WAKE FOREST – 3
No, it’s not a typo. Clemson quite simply slaughtered Wake Forest. A very balanced offensive attack, countered by a rock-solid defense, and an incendiary special teams won it. Where has this Clemson been all season? C.J. Spiller had touchdown runs of 66 and 14 yards. Freshman quarterback Kyle Parker shined going 10-17 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 3-yard rushing score in the second quarter. I haven’t seen one defense all year shut down Riley Skinner this well. After throwing for more than 300 yards in his last 3 games straight, the Tigers held him to just 82 yards and picked off 2 passes. This game may be one that comes back and bites Wake Forest in the back later. These two teams are tied for second in the Atlantic division of the ACC and because of Clemson’s convincing win, they would easily win the tiebreaker.  Once again no one knew what Clemson team would show up but this one wasn’t bad.
 
BOSTON COLLEGE – 52 NC STATE – 20
They exploded. No one saw it coming; well at least not the State defense. It was 14-13 in favor of BC when they just went off scoring 31 unanswered points. This was practically the story of the game. In a 19 minute 11 second span, the Wolf pack turned the ball over three times, couldn’t seem to get any momentum going, and played some of the worst defense all year. And Montel Harris, where has he been? He had 27 carries for 254 yards and 5 touchdowns for the sophomore running back. He matched his rushing touchdowns this season in just one game! For the Eagles, they couldn’t be any happier with the way this season’s going. 5-2, #1 spot in the Atlantic division of the ACC, things are going well for Boston College. However, this loss pulls the Wolf pack down to a 3-game losing streak; the exact opposite of what head coach Tom O’ Brian was hoping for.
 
VIRGINIA – 20 MARYLAND – 9
Virginia is beginning to set a tempo for their football program. Earlier this season, they were losing to schools like William & Mary. Forcing 4 turnovers in their win over Maryland, the Cavaliers have turned their season around, now riding a 3 game winning streak.
 
MIAMI – 27 UCF – 7
The Hurricanes kept their impressive high ranking a reality, winning a predictable game over UCF. Throwing for 293 yards and one score, quarterback Jacory Harris’s performance helped Miami win perhaps their easiest non-conference game. They are number 10 in the first BCS poll and still have a shot at the division title.