ACC Rewind | League goes unscathed Saturday
Saturday's slate of major college football games finished with chants of "ACC" at Ohio Stadium, a fitting end to a day in which the University of Louisville's league went undefeated.
In order of preseason polling — it's only Week 2, after all — here's a look around the ACC:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Florida State — The Seminoles' victory Saturday, a 37-12 rout of The Citadel, marked Florida State's record 18th straight victory. "That's cute. That's cool," defensive back Jalen Ramsey said after the game. (http://on.tdo.com/1oUzMrI)
2. Clemson — Coach Dabo Swinney said, simply, "I'm excited to watch this tape" after his program posted its largest margin of victory since a 67-0 win over Presbyterian in 1957. This time, the Tigers raced past South Carolina State, 73-7. (http://es.pn/1qxGB7I)
3. Louisville — U of L emptied its bench while blowing out Murray State 66-21, but in doing so, true freshmen Reggie Bonnafon and L.J. Scott proved they're ready for more than mop-up duty. (http://cjky.it/1oeZx6M)
4. Syracuse — The Orange, a 27-26 overtime winner against Villanova in Week 1, were off Saturday. What's coming next weekend will be no pushover. Central Michigan beat Purdue to move to 2-0 on the season. (http://bit.ly/1nDTIjb)
5. NC State — For the second straight week, the Wolfpack rallied in the second half to beat a non-power conference opponent. This time, they left some breathing room in a 46-34 win over Old Dominion. "We've got to find a way to…start clicking from the start," quarterback Jacoby Brissett said. (http://bit.ly/1oUzYat)
6. Boston College — The league's lone loser this week, the Eagles fell 30-20 at home to Pittsburgh on Friday night in their ACC opener. After a spectacular Week 1 performance, dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy was less consistent, missing receivers at key moments. (http://hrld.us/1uF4jP8)
7. Wake Forest — Coach Dave Clawson said his first victory as the Deacons' coach was "more of a relief than joy." Either way, Wake Forest trudged its way to a 23-7 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, with the defense helping out a true freshman quarterback who threw three interceptions. (http://bit.ly/1BkG1hh)
COASTAL DIVISION
Miami — Thanks to consecutive losses to U of L, the Hurricanes notched their first victory Saturday since November by beating Florida A&M 41-7. "It was good," coach Al Golden said. "It wasn't perfect." (http://hrld.us/WzTEtt)
Duke — Troy led the Blue Devils by two scores in the first half before coach David Cutliffe's team rallied to win 34-17 on the road. "I think not only did we come back from being down," Cutliffe said. "We had to come back from being shocked." (http://es.pn/1pE0Knu)
Virginia Tech — That aforementioned game against Ohio State went pretty well for the Hokies. In front of 107,517 fans on the road, Virginia Tech upset the Buckeyes behind two interceptions by Keyshoen Jarrett and a third late by Donovan Riley returned for a touchdown. (http://usat.ly/1BkG8tb)
North Carolina — The Tar Heels staved off some embarrassment by beating San Diego State, 31-27. UNC's defense surrendered 509 yards, but the offensive lifted them with a late score. (http://bit.ly/1qFxFvU)
Georgia Tech — The Yellow Jackets spoiled the opening of Tulane's new stadium, going on to win 38-21 after trailing in the first half. A blocked punt in the fourth quarter returned to the goal line added style points. (http://bit.ly/1CFqXwn)
Pittsburgh — Coming out of the Boston College victory, Pittsburgh's running game looks for real, writes Post Gazette reporter Sam Werner. The Panthers went for 302 rushing yards Friday night. "The thing that was perhaps most impressive about this rushing performance, though, was how Pitt did it with a bit of a makeshift offensive line," Werner wrote. (http://bit.ly/1pE0O6E
Virginia — A week before hosting U of L, the Cavaliers snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating Richmond, 45-13. Virginia forced seven turnovers, but on offense, a quarterback controversy continued with Greyson Lambert getting the nod over Matt Johns, who also played. (http://bit.ly/1BkGgZA)
Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.