ACC Football Weekend Recap

Let's look around the ACC Blogosphere for thoughts on the ACC's relatively poor out of conference performance this weekend. There were three signature games for the ACC in week 1: Northwestern @ BC, Richmond @ Duke, and Wake @ Syracuse. All of which resulted in ACC losses. No, we didn't lose to a major SEC or MWC team on national television in horrific fashion but this past weekend certainly set a poor tone for the rest of the ACC's season.

The Eagles dropped a really tough game to the Wildcats. Brian @ BCI reflects on the loss and puts it in perspective for us:

Unfortunately the Eagles fourth quarter comeback was too little, too late and Spinney's false start penalty burned the precious few seconds BC needed to get in the end zone on the game's final possession.

As I said yesterday, I don't think that the season is lost. There are plenty of pieces in place to still have a good season and we are still 0-0 in the ACC. BC will have to pick themselves up off the mat and come ready to play next week in Orlando.

Th Hokies were on the other side of the coin this weekend. They made sure everyone forgot about the James Madison debacle by blasting Appy State. Gobbler Country go:

Virginia Tech was able to coast through its season opener for the first time since the last time it opened with an FCS opponent, 2006 against Northeastern. Everything worked for the Hokies Saturday against Appalachian State. The offense moved the ball at will, the defense disrupted the Mountaineer offense and they even blocked a punt for a touchdown.

The Key Play go:

1-0. I cannot tell you how good that feels to write. Again, we're one-and-zero. That hasn't happened since 2008, but you don't need me to remind you of that. You were there for the losses, and you felt the pain and frustration. It's been a disappointing start to the last three years of Hokie football. But today, we got off on the right foot, finally. I'm ecstatic.

NC State and UNC romped this weekend while Duke and Wake flopped. Tar Heel Fan was highly pleased with the Heel offense:

On the offensive side QB Bryn Renner made his first ever start and he lived up the expectations. Renner set an ACC record for completion percentage going 22-23 for 277 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Renner looked comfortable running the offense to the point if you didn’t know if it was his first start, you never would have guessed. Renner has long been hyped as being very athletic and an extremely accurate passer. Both of those were on display today. Renner did make one mistake throwing an INT on a pass he probably should have thrown differently. Outside of that he was nearly flawless. While the FCS disclaimer is in play, the fact Renner did what he wanted out there is a great sign moving forward. The way UNC’s schedule unfolds, Renner will see the level of competition gradually increase which should continue to help him build his confidence.

Florida State probably played the most complete game of any ACC team outside of Blacksburg. They donkey punched the little guys Monroe, Louisiana and Bud Elliot of Tomahawk Nation wants you to know it:

Florida State's defense made it clear from the opening snap that the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks had no chance to win. Or score. The Seminoles' defense held the Warhawks to just 190 yards on 61 plays, an excellent 3.1 yards-per-play. The 'Noles defensive line was dominant, and FSU rotated the first, second and even third string units regularly. The coverage on Louisiana Monroe's receivers was excellent from the first team of Greg Reid, Mike Harris, Xavier Rhodes, Lamarcus Joyner and Terrance Parks. And the linebackers pursued the ball well.

Ever since Block-C shutdown, we've lost any reality based Clemson blogging so let's just simply say the Tiger fans were disappointed in the Clemson effort. The Clemson defense allowed a Troy offense to rack up 423 yards. The Trojans actually led at the half 16-13 and if not for a complete meltdown they should've provided us with an Auburn-Utah State-like affair. I'm very much interested in seeing Clemson play a BCS-calibre team.

From Old Virginia hasn't recapped the shellacking of the Tribe yet so we'll give you a quick recap. The Cavs led 40-0 before they finally allowed a courtesy field goal with 4:50 remaining in the game. Michael Rocco was a very efficient, conservative passer in the game as the new starting QB while Kevin Parks let up the Tribe rushing defense. UVA has a good test this week with Indiana on the slate.