WEEK 12 IN THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
2021 SCHEDULE (NOV. 18-20)
Thursday, Nov. 18 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
Louisville (5-5, 3-4) at Duke (3-7, 0-6) 7:30 p.m., ESPN 84 84 84
Series: Louisville leads series, 2-0; Last meeting: Louisville, 24-14 (2016)
ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Saturday, Nov. 20 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
Florida State (4-6, 3-4) at Boston College (6-4, 2-4) Noon, ACCN 121 194 956
Series: Florida State leads series, 13-5; Last meeting: Florida State, 38-31 (2019)
ACCN: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Kelsey Riggs (sideline)
Wake Forest (9-1, 6-0) at Clemson (7-3, 5-2) Noon, ESPN 158 193 955
Series: Clemson leads series, 68-17-1; Last meeting: Clemson, 37-13 (2020)
ESPN: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
Wofford (1-9) at North Carolina (5-5) Noon, RSN 119 204 967
Series: First Meeting
RSN: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Rebecca Fiorentino (sideline)
Georgia Tech (3-7) at Notre Dame (9-1) 2:30 p.m., NBC 129 129 129
Series: Notre Dame leads series, 29-6-1; Last meeting: Notre Dame, 31-13 (2020)
NBC: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Drew Brees (analyst), Kathryn Tappen (sideline)
Virginia (6-4, 4-2) at Pitt (8-2, 5-1) 3:30 p.m., ESPN2 158 193 955
Series: Pitt leads series, 8-4; Last meeting: Virginia, 30-14 (2019)
ESPN2: Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline)
Syracuse (5-5, 2-4) at NC State (7-3, 4-2) 4 p.m., ACCN 121 194 956
Series: NC State leads series,12-2; Last meeting: NC State, 36-29 (2020)
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)
Virginia Tech (5-5, 3-3) at Miami (5-5, 3-3) 7:30 p.m., ACCN 158 193 955
Series: Miami leads series, 23-15; Last meeting: Miami, 25-24 (2020)
ACCN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
ACC FOOTBALL QUICK HITS
With just two weeks remaining in the 2021 regular season, both the Atlantic and Coastal Division races are headed for an exciting finish. Both divisions could be decided this week, but several scenarios still exist.
ATLANTIC DIVISION: Wake Forest, Clemson and NC State remain in contention for at least a share of the Atlantic Division and all three have a path to the Subway ACC Football Championship Game.
Wake Forest (9-1, 6-0)
• Wake Forest can clinch a spot in the league’s championship game with a win over Clemson (Nov. 20) or Boston College (Nov. 27). The Deacons can not advance to the championship game with losses to both teams.
Clemson (7-3, 5-2)
• The Tigers’ path to Charlotte is a victory over Wake Forest, combined with a Wake Forest loss to Boston College AND an NC State loss to either Syracuse or North Carolina.
NC State (7-3, 4-2)
• NC State must win its final two games vs. Syracuse (Nov. 20) and North Carolina (Nov. 26) to remain in contention for the championship game. NC State would win a three-team tie at 6-2 with Clemson and Wake Forest due to its divisional record and head to head win over the Tigers.
COASTAL DIVISION: Pitt, Virginia, Miami and Virginia Tech each remain eligible for a share of the division title. However, only Pitt, Virginia or Virginia Tech can play in the Subway ACC Football Championship Game due to the league’s tiebreakers.
Pitt (8-2, 5-1)
• Pitt can capture the Coastal Division title with a win Saturday over Virginia. Even with a loss to UVA, Pitt would remain in contention for the title should Virginia lose its final game of the season to Virginia Tech and the Panthers knock off Syracuse on Nov. 27. Virginia (6-4, 4-2)
• The Cavaliers clinch the Coastal with victories over Pitt and Virginia Tech. With a win over Pitt, Virginia can also clinch the Coastal division, even with a loss to Virginia Tech, should Virginia Tech lose to Miami and Pitt lose to Syracuse, creating a two-way tie at 5-3. Virginia Tech (5-5, 3-3)
• The Hokies only chance of earning a berth in the league’s championship game is to win out and secure a three-way tie with Pitt and Virginia at 5-3. In that scenario, the Hokies would claim the spot due to their divisional record.
Miami (5-5, 3-3)
• Although Miami remains in contention for a share of the Coastal Division title, the Hurricanes would lose a three-team tiebreaker with Pitt and Virginia and can
not represent the Coastal Division in the championship game.
• Twenty-two of the league’s 45 games this season have been decided by one possession (8 points or fewer), which is the most of any conference.
• Duke hosts Louisville in a Thursday night game at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN to kick off Week 12 of the regular season. It is only the third meeting between the two teams and second as ACC members. A Louisville win would make the Cardinals bowl eligible for the second time under third-year head coach Scott Satterfield.
• Florida State, which needs to win its final two games of the season to earn bowl eligibility, travels to Boston College for a noon kickoff on ACC Network. Florida State has won nine of the last 10 meetings in this Atlantic Division matchup, including a 38-31 victory at Chestnut Hill two seasons ago.
• Wake Forest looks to secure the Atlantic Division crown when it travels to Clemson for a noon kickoff on ESPN. The Deacons’ only other Atlantic Division title came in 2006. Wake Forest is seeking its first win in the series since 2008 and first win at Death Valley since 1998. Clemson has played in six consecutive ACC Football Championship Games and must win to remain in contention.
• In a pivotal Coastal Division Clash, Pitt plays host to Virginia at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. This is the first meeting between the schools since the Cavaliers’ 30-14 road win in the 2019 season opener. Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong, who missed last week’s game vs. Notre Dame with an injury, and Pitt QB Kenny Pickett are first and second, respectively, in both total offense and passing yards.
• NC State looks to keep its divisional hopes alive with a home game against Syracuse at 4 p.m. on ACC Network. The Wolfpack has won 12 of 14 games in the series, including a 16-10 victory on the Orange’s most recent trip to Raleigh in 2019. ACC leading rusher Sean Tucker headlines a Syracuse squad that needs a win for bowl eligibility.
• Virginia Tech and Miami square off in the ACC Network primetime game of the week at 7:30 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. This will mark the 30th consecutive year the teams have met. Miami has won three of the last four versus the Hokies, including last season’s 25-24 victory in Blacksburg.
• In non-conference action, Georgia Tech plays at Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. on NBC and Wofford faces North Carolina in Chapel Hill at noon on RSN. The Tar Heels can
become bowl eligible with a win.
IN THE RANKINGS
• Three ACC teams are ranked in the Nov. 9 CFP rankings – No. 12 Wake Forest, No. 16 NC State and No. 21 Pitt. The Panthers’ No. 21 ranking is their highest ever CFP ranking.
• Three ACC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 – No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 20 Pitt and No. 25 NC State. The Demon Deacons have been ranked in eight consecutive AP polls this season and earned the program’s first top 10 ranking Oct. 31. In the AFCA Coaches Poll, Wake Forest is No. 13, Pitt is No. 19 and NC State is No. 24. Louisville and Clemson are also receiving votes in the coaches poll.
ACC LEADS WITH FOUR MAXWELL AWARD SEMIFINALISTS
• The ACC leads all conferences with four players named semifinalists for the Maxwell Award – Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman. The winners of the 85th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast live on ESPN on December 9, 2021.
2021 SUBWAY ACC FCG SET FOR 8 P.M.
• The 2021 Subway ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will feature the winner of the Atlantic Division vs. the winner of the Coastal Division.
• This is the 12th time in the last 13 years that the game has been held in primetime. Twelve different teams have competed in the game, including a different Coastal Division team every year from 2013-19. Last season, No. 3 Clemson defeated No. 2 Notre Dame – which played in the ACC in 2020 as a full football member due to the COVID-19 pandemic – by a score of 34-10 in the most-viewed ACC Championship Game of all time.
AROUND THE ACC
Boston College: Quarterback Phil Jurkovec became just the second BC quarterback in school history to throw for two touchdowns and run for two touchdowns in an ACC game last Saturday at Georgia Tech. Jurkovec threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns in the first half while also rushing for 34 yards and two touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes.
Clemson: Clemson won its 33rd consecutive home game with a 44-7 win over UConn, extending its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history (as well as extending the nation’s longest active home winning streak).
Duke: RB Mataeo Durant ranks sixth in the nation in rushing attempts, 10th in rushing yards per game, and 10th in rushing yards.
Florida State: Defensive end Jermaine Johnson II forced a fumble that set up a Florida State score and had three sacks in the win over Miami. He has 11 sacks on the season, which ranks second in the nation.
Georgia Tech: Jahmyr Gibbs amassed 223 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns against Boston College. Gibbs’ 223 all-purpose yards included 96 rushing yards (19 carries, 1 TD), 29 receiving yards (five receptions) and the 98 kickoff return yards.
Louisville: QB Malik Cunningham threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns and added another score on the ground against Syracuse. The four passing touchdowns and five total scores are the most for Cunningham since he had five through the air and six overall against Syracuse on Nov. 23, 2019.
Miami: Three-time ACC Rookie of the Week Tyler Van Dyke (QB) has thrown for 300 yards in four straight games. Against FSU he was 25 of 47 for 316 yards and four touchdowns.
North Carolina: Carolina has played three games against a AP Top 25 opponent. Carolina faced No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 10 Wake Forest and No. 25 ranked Pitt in a span of 12 days. UNC faces Wofford this week followed by No. 21 NC State.
NC State: Zonovan Knight’s 100-yard kickoff return for a TD against Wake Forest was the sixth time the Pack had a 100 yard return in school history, and the second for Knight. Knight’s 194 kickoff return yards are the third-most in a single game in NC State history.
Pitt: QB Kenny Pickett now has 3,517 passing yards on the year, which ranks second on Pitt’s single-season list. The school season record is 3,679 set by Rod
Rutherford in 2003.
Syracuse: RB Sean Tucker surpassed 1,300 yards rushing on the season after carrying 19 times for 95 yards against Louisville. Tucker (1,362) trails only school record-holder Joe Morris (1,372) for most rushing yards in a season.
Virginia: Freshman Jay Woolfolk became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for UVA since 1977, when Bryan Shumock started the first five games of the season. Woolfolk threw for 196 yards, the most ever by a true freshman starting quarterback, eclipsing Scott Gardner’s 189 yard performance against North Carolina in 1972.
Virginia Tech: Raheem Blackshear rushed for 117 yards, his first 100-yard game at VT, in the Hokies’ win over Duke. He rushed for a TD, his fifth of the season., and also recorded a receiving score in the game and 40 total yards.
Wake Forest: Wake Forest is the only team in the country to score 35-or-more points in every game this year.
