If you were too busy eating seasonally-appropriate baked good this weekend to catch all the ACC football action, we’ve got you covered.
Power Rankings: Oct. 11
This week’s ACC Football Power Rankings are out! Make sure to check those out here.
Players of the Week
A.T. Perry, Wake Forest, WR
Wide receivers seem to grow on trees in Winston-Salem. Jacquarii Roberson garnered preseason All-ACC honors and showed why with nine catches for 135 yards vs. Syracuse. Taylor Morin has had some nice moments; Donavon Greene would have been a returning starter had he not sustained a season-ending injury in the offseason.
Then there’s A.T. Perry, who only caught three balls in Wake Forest’s overtime win in the Dome. The three catches all went for touchdowns (somebody call Cris Carter), went for 137 yards and included the catch of the weekend to send the Deacons to 6-0.
GAME.#GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/bxbMfzahdt
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) October 10, 2021
Brennan Armstrong, Virginia, QB
Speaking of comebacks, Virginia trailed Louisville 30-13 late in the second half on Saturday. However, the ‘Hoos roared back behind Armstrong — winning 34-33 on the road.
Armstrong throw for 487 yards on 40-of-60 passing; he finished his performance with a 1-yard touchdown toss to tight end Grant Misch with 22 seconds left, which proved to be the game-winner
Josh Downs, North Carolina, WR
North Carolina suffered a disappointing home loss to FSU on Saturday, but wide receiver Josh Downs was superb, once again. Downs hauled in a career-high nine receptions for 121 yards and another touchdown. The sophomore receiver has seven touchdown catches on the season, including at least one in every game. Jordan Addison (nine touchdowns) is the only ACC receiver with more touchdown grabs this season, so far.
Sam Howell connects with Josh Downs for a 33 yard Touchdown pic.twitter.com/TuzkDWb5es
— Jay (@JayHardy252) October 9, 2021
Downs ranks No. 3 in the FBS in total receiving yards, too: 741. That number is tops in the ACC by a wide margin. Virginia’s Dontayvion Wicks is second in the league with 551 receiving yards, nearly 200 fewer than Downs.
Stats of the Week
Going back to the 2000 season, only nine ACC quarterbacks have thrown three or more touchdowns on 15 or fewer pass attempts, while also rushing for a touchdown, in the same game. That’s exactly what Jordan Travis did for Florida State in a come-from-behind win over UNC.
Travis completed 11-of-13 for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Travis also ran 121 yards and two scores, too.
The last time a North Carolina defense allowed an opposing quarterback to hit these benchmarks in the same game was back in 2014: Jacoby Brissett and NC State.
0-11 vs. The Alma Mater
Mack Brown’s problems against the Florida State Seminoles continued on Saturday afternoon. Brown, a 1974 graduate of FSU, has now lost all 11 meetings with his alma mater.
Earlier this year, Brown just turned 70 years old. So unless there is a change to the ACC’s scheduling format, it’s uncertain Brown will get another shot at his first win against the Noles.
Scoville Scale: ACC Coaches on the Hot Seat
For the 2021 season, we’re using the Scoville Scale — which measures the pungency/spiciness of peppers — as a means to signify how hot the seats are for certain ACC head football coaches. (SHU: Scoville Heat Units)
Jalapeno Division
- 2,500-8,000 SHU: Dino Babers (Syracuse), David Cutcliffe (Duke), Scott Satterfield (Louisville)
- Syracuse nearly pulled off an upset at home over visiting Wake Forest, which would’ve been huge for Babers and the program. There’s still a lot of football left to be played, but after an 0-2 start in the ACC — losing by a combined six points — things are trending in the wrong direction.
- SATT
Cayenne Division
- 30,000-50,000 SHU: Mike Norvell (FSU), Geoff Collins (Georgia Tech), Manny Diaz (Miami)
- Norvell has two wins in a row, including a solid road victory over UNC on Saturday. Perhaps his seat is starting to cool some — aided by a strong incoming 2022 recruiting class.
- The same could be said of Collins, who rolled in and out of Durham with a solid road win on Saturday. Georgia Tech’s season (3-3) has been up-and-down; however, if the Yellow Jackets can stabilize things, then Collins has a chance to build back some goodwill with the fan base.
- Diaz is getting set for the bulk of Miami’s conference schedule, and the third-year coach is now without his star quarterback D’Eriq King, officially out for the season due to a shoulder injury.
*Josh Graham contributed to this post