The Virginia football team may be relaxing this weekend as they enjoy their bye, but the rest of the ACC is just heating up. This weekend marks the beginning of conference play, featuring two of the best ACC matchups of the year -- Georgia Tech at Clemson and Florida State at Maryland.
North Carolina State (2-0)
Wolfpack Coach Chuck Amato is happy to be starting the ACC season. "We are in a conference where the champion gets a BCS bowl. That's big," said Amato yesterday during the weekly ACC coaches' teleconference.
The 'Pack, ranked 20th in the nation, is led by highly touted quarterback Philip Rivers, who leads the nation in passing with a 232.78 quarterback rating. NC State had no problem with their first two opponents, East Tennessee State and Navy, but Wake Forest might provide a stronger challenge. "They have a unique offense," Amato said. "They do so many things, and they do them well
[Wake Forest Coach] Jim Grobe coaches a very physical brand of football."
Wake Forest (1-1)
After a close loss on the road to Northern Illinois and a narrow victory over East Carolina, the Demon Deacons are no stranger to close games. "I don't think we're really talented enough to go out and flat out beat anybody and have any kind of cushion in the fourth quarter for us
Hopefully we'll have enough opportunities to win games," head coach Jim Grobe said. Wake senior Nick Burney is averaging 8.2 yards per carry, and has combined with sophomore Cornelius Birgs to rack up 262 yards on the ground as the Deacons go with a backfield by committee.
Duke (1-1)
The Blue Devils recently ended a 23-game losing steak with a 23-16 victory over East Carolina, but followed that performance up with a 40-3 loss to Louisville. In the game, sophomore quarterback Adam Smith completed 12 of 21 passes for 140 yards and an interception, while fellow sophomore Chris Dapolito completed 3 of 13 for 13 yards. "I'd like for one of the quarterbacks to separate themselves because that would mean that one of them played very well
but they're getting better," said Duke Coach Carl Franks. The quarterback controversy continues for the Devils as they face 0-2 Northwestern this weekend.
Florida State (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
Bobby Bowden's team had their bye this past week, and are now preparing to face defending ACC champion Maryland in College Park. Bowden is making sure his players take note of the Terps' status as top dog. "I'll probably remind my players of that a few times this week," Bowden said. The bye week came at a good time for the Seminoles, giving key players such as junior offensive tackle Ray Willis time to recover from injury and be ready for the Maryland matchup. "If we played last week, there was no chance," Bowden added.
Maryland (1-1)
The Terrapins also are fired up about the Florida State matchup. Coach Ralph Friedgen said the game is going to be, "like a street fight."
Maryland is coming off a 44-14 win against Akron, but Florida State will be the first ACC opponent for Maryland. The Terps have been using a tailback by committee system in the absence of star senior Bruce Perry, who is out with a groin injury. Sophomore Mario Merrils and senior Chris Downs have combined for 157 yards in two games, averaging 4.75 yards per carry.
North Carolina (1-1)
Mack Brown, now head coach of the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, comes back to Chapel Hill to coach against the school he led to national prominence. Carolina Coach John Bunting credited Brown's success as being at least partially responsible for North Carolina's stellar facilities, but doesn't hold any grudge against the coach.
"I don't have any history with Mack Brown," Bunting said. The Tar Heels recently knocked off Syracuse after a disappointing outing against Miami of Ohio in their season opener. North Carolina faces a tough Texas team, and will rely heavily on big play receiver Sam Aiken, who is averaging 20.4 yards per catch.
Georgia Tech (2-0)
New head coach Chan Gailey, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, faces his first ACC foe this week in the Clemson Tigers. The Yellow Jackets are excited about the play of senior Kelley Rhino, a 5-foot-7, 179-pound cornerback who returns kicks and comes in on nickel sets on defense. Rhino "has a heart as big as the state of Georgia and he plays with it on every snap," Gailey said. "When it's third-and-eight and they gain seven, look who is making the tackle."
Junior tailback Tony Hollings, a converted defensive back, also has been a surprise, averaging almost 150 yards a game, but Tech will face a tougher defense than Vanderbilt or Connecticut this week when they play the Tigers.
Clemson (1-1)
The Tigers will face a strong Georgia Tech team this Saturday, and Tommy Bowden is in the process of replacing graduated quarterback Woody Dantzler, who anchored last year's offense. Senior Willie Simmons takes over at the position, and so far, the offense has played well, putting up about 30 points a game. Bowden wants more big plays out of his offense, seeing as they've only produced "one 20-yard run and one 30-yard pass -- and that's not very good."
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