2023 SCHEDULE – WEEK 5
FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 TIME, TV SIRIUSXM APP/WEB
Louisville at NC State 7 p.m., ESPN 81 or 85 81 or 85
Series: Louisville leads, 8-4; Last meeting: Louisville, 25-10 (2022)
ESPN: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 TIME, TV SIRIUSXM APP/WEB
Clemson at Syracuse Noon, ABC 133, 136, 193 or 201 955 or 964
Series: Clemson leads series, 9-2; Last meeting: Clemson, 27-21 (2022)
ABC: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)
Virginia at Boston College 2 p.m., The CW 121, 191 or 386 956 or 976
Series: Boston College leads series, 6-1; Last meeting: Virginia, 43-32 (2020)
The CW Network: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Tabitha Turner (sideline)
Bowling Green at Georgia Tech 3:30 p.m., ACCN 133 or 193 955 or 992
Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 1-0; Last meeting: Georgia Tech, 63-17 (2018)
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Marilyn Payne (sideline)
No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 17 Duke 7:30 p.m., ABC 82 or 129 ND129
Series: Notre Dame leads series, 5-2; Last meeting: Notre Dame, 27-13 (2020)
ABC: Rece Davis (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)
Pitt at Virginia Tech 8 p.m., ACCN 84, 133 or 193 955
Series: Series tied, 11-11; Last meeting: Pitt, 45-29 (2022)
ACCN: Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Taylor Tannebaum (sideline)
Open: Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Wake Fores
ACC NOTES
ACC WELCOMES CAL, SMU AND STANFORD
The ACC Board of Directors voted on Sept. 1 to formally admit the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the ACC as full members with full voting participation effective July 1, 2024 (SMU) and Aug. 2, 2024 (Stanford and Cal). The decision followed the submission of letters of application from all three institutions.
The additions of Cal, SMU and Stanford enhance and strengthen the ACC academically, athletically and financially as well as create a true national conference that spans coast to coast. The incoming universities enrich the league’s competitiveness in all sports and further demonstrate the ACC’s commitment to broad-based programs for both women and men. More than 2,200 student-athletes from Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the nearly 10,000 current ACC student-athletes competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.
GREATNESS IS WHAT WE DO
The ACC announced its new creative campaign, “ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS,” a multi-part brand campaign highlighting the vast success of the ACC’s athletics and academics alike. The campaign launched ahead of the ACC’s official college football season on Week 1. The series will continue with multi-sport spots highlighting the ACC’s incredible accomplishments in all sports throughout the academic year.
ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY HEADED TO DUKE FOR WEEK 5
ESPN announced on Saturday, Sept. 23, that College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will broadcast live for the first time from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina for Week 5.
The nationally ranked and undefeated Duke Blue Devils (4-0) will host Notre Dame (4-1) on Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC’s Saturday Night Football.
GameDay broadcasted from an ACC location twice during the 2022 season, emanating from Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2022, for the season opener between Pitt and West Virginia and at Clemson on Oct. 1, 2022, prior to the Clemson and NC State matchup.
The show kicked off Week 1 of the 2023 season at Romare Bearden Park in Uptown Charlotte on Sept. 2, where North Carolina defeated South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic inside Bank of America Stadium.
HALF DOZEN REMAIN UNBEATEN
The ACC enters Week 5 of the season with six teams at 4-0 overall – Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina and Syracuse – the most among any conference in all of FBS.
ACC…………………………… 6
Pac-12 ……………………….. 5
Big Ten ………………………. 4
Big 12 / SEC / Sun Belt … 3
Mountain West…………….. 2
C-USA ……………………….. 1
The six ACC teams to start the season at 4-0 tied the SEC in 2012 for the most teams in a Power 5 conference to start 4-0 in a single season in the AP Poll Era (since 1936).
4-0 X6
The ACC’s six 4-0 teams have reached unchartered waters regarding their undefeated starts to the 2023 season.
Duke is 4-0 to start a season for the first time since doing it back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, while North Carolina is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1997.
North Carolina and Duke are both 4-0 for the first time in the same season since 1971.
While both Florida State and Syracuse are 4-0 to start the season for the second straight year, the Orange’s 4-0 non-conference record is the best since 1991.
Miami is 4-0 to start the year for the first time since 2017, while Louisville is 4-0 for the first time since 2016.
FOUR ACC TEAMS RANKED NATIONALLY IN WEEK 5
For the fourth consecutive week, the ACC had four teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll (Sept. 24). Florida State came in at No. 5, while North Carolina (No. 15), Duke (No. 17) and Miami (No. 18) all moved up in the poll. Louisville, Syracuse and Clemson all received votes for the third straight week.
The ACC also had four teams place in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 24), led by Florida State at No. 4 overall. North Carolina (No. 15) and Duke (No. 16) both moved up two spots, while Miami (No. 18) climbed three spots. Louisville, Clemson and Syracuse all received 32 votes or more for the week.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The ACC is off to a great start to the 2023 season, going 29-11 (.725) overall in non-conference play over the first four weeks of the season.
Eight of the ACC’s 26 non-conference wins have come against the Big Ten and the SEC, with the ACC recording four wins over each of the two conferences. The rest of FBS is 12-37 overall versus the two Power 5 conferences.
In fact, the ACC has seven undefeated teams remaining in non-conference play, the second-most among any conference in all of FBS.
ACC ON ABC/ESPN
During the first four weeks of the season, the ACC had a pair of games on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” as well as 15 appearances on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.
In addition to the games already played, the ACC will be featured in four ABC games over the next two weeks, as Clemson and Syracuse will kick-off Saturday, Sept. 30, at noon ET on ABC. ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” will feature Notre Dame at Duke on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Week 6 will feature at least two ABC games in either the Virginia Tech at Florida State or Syracuse at North Carolina 3:30 p.m. matchup and the Notre Dame at Louisville ABC “Saturday Night Football” contest at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Overall during the first six weeks of the season, the ACC will have four games on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football”, as well as a total of 22 appearances on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. In total to date, 15 ACC contests are scheduled for national ABC broadcasts, with 12 different league programs featured.
TALKING OFFENSE
Entering Week 5 of the 2023 season, the ACC has been lighting up the scoreboards offensively. The 14 ACC Football teams have combined to score 1,879 points over 56 games thus far this season, the second-most by a conference in all of the NCAA behind only the SEC with 1,989 points in 57 contests.
Four ACC teams in Syracuse, Miami, Florida State and Louisville rank in the top 10 in scoring this season. Syracuse ranks sixth nationally with an average of 44.2 points per game this season. Miami (43.8), Florida State (43.2) and Louisville (43.0) are seventh, eighth, and ninth, with all three schools averaging 43 points or more per game on the year.
DISCUSSING DEFENSE
On the other side of the field, the ACC has three teams ranked in the top 12 in the fewest points allowed this season in Duke, Syracuse and Miami. The Blue Devils have allowed just 35 points all season long, an average of 8.8 per game, which is fourth nationally. Syracuse ranks seventh nationally at 10.8 points per game allowed, while Miami is tied for 12th at 12.5 points surrendered per game.
NCAA ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS
Entering the fifth week of the season, the ACC has two standout student-athletes who are active career leaders in all of FBS football in Will Shipley of Clemson and Jared Verse of Florida State.
The Tigers’ Shipley leads all active players in the FBS in career all-purpose yards per game at 123.25. He has totaled 3,451 all-purpose yards in his career – 2,212 rushing, 454 receiving and 785 kick return yards – over 28 games played.
Florida State’s Verse leads all active players in FBS in career tackles-for-loss per game at 1.19 and is tied for fourth in total sacks per game at 0.56. Wake Forest’s Jasheen Davis is fifth among all active FBS players with 0.91 tackles-for-loss per game over his career.
North Carolina defensive back Antavious Lane is second among all active players with 11 interceptions and fourth in interceptions per game at 0.29 for his career, while quarterback Drake Maye is fifth among all active players in total offense per game at 294.4 yards per contest.
Virginia’s Kam Butler is second among active FBS players in sacks with 22.5 for his career, while Duke’s DeWayne Carter ranks third with seven career forced fumbles among all active FBS players.
Miami’s Kamren Kitchens is also in the top five of active career leaders, as he is fifth in interceptions per game with an average of 0.27.
Miami kicker Andres Borregales ranks fifth among active players with a career average of 7.8 points per game, while Virginia Tech punt returner Jaylin Lane is fourth among all active players with an 11.7 career punt return average.
DEACS SACKS DUO
Wake Forest has two players among the leaders in sacks in all of FBS football this season in Jacob Roberts and Jasheen Davis. Roberts is second nationally with 5.0 sacks over the first four weeks of the season, while Davis is tied for third overall with 4.5 sacks overall.
BEST MONEY ON YOUR RETURN
The ACC has not only the top two kick returners in the country this season but also one of the top punt returners. Brashard Smith of Miami leads the nation in kickoff return yards with an average of 44.4 yards per return this season and is just in front of Kenny Johnson of Pitt and his average of 37.6 yards per return. Virginia Tech’s Tucker Holloway is second in all of FBS in punt returns with an average of 24.4 yards per return this season.
CARDS’ JORDAN RULES
Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan has been a do-it-all weapon for the Cardinals’ offense this season. He ranks second nationally in all of FBS in all-purpose yards with an average of 168.5 per game. He has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the four games this season and has recorded over 100 all-purpose yards in all four of Louisville’s games this season.
PREVIEWING WEEK 5
Week 5 of the 2023 season will feature four ACC matchups and two non-conference contests, highlighted by No. 17 Duke hosting No. 11 Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
The conference action will begin on Friday, Sept. 29, as the NC State Wolfpack will host Louisville (7 p.m./ ESPN), with both teams entering the contest unbeaten in conference play.
On Saturday, Sept. 30, Clemson and Syracuse (Noon/ ABC) will kick off at noon in Syracuse, New York, with both teams looking for their first conference win of the season. Clemson is 0-2 in league play, while the Orange will be playing their first conference game of the season.
Four other teams that are in search of their first ACC win of the season are Virginia and Boston College (2 p.m./The CW) and Pitt and Virginia Tech (8 p.m./ACCN). All four teams are looking to snap multi-game losing streaks.
In non-conference play, Georgia Tech will host Bowling Green (3:30 p.m./ACCN) in Atlanta, while Notre Dame will look to continue its winning streak over the ACC with a road game at Duke on Saturday night (7:30 p.m./ABC). The Blue Devils are 3-0 at home this season, including a top-10 win over Clemson on Labor Day
AROUND THE ACC
Boston College: Quarterback Thomas Castellanos was 17-of-33 for 265 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles’ ACC road-opening loss at Louisville last Saturday. He also rushed 10 times for 49 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown run. He connected with eight different receivers on his 17 completions, led by five receptions apiece by wide receivers Ryan O’Keefe and Joseph Griffin. O’Keefe registered 86 yards and his first receiving touchdown in a BC uniform, while Griffin tallied 76 yards receiving. Running back Kye Robichaux rushed nine times for 40 yards.
Clemson: Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 25- of-38 passes for 283 yards and one touchdown, and Clemson ran for 146 more, but the Tigers’ upset bid fell short in overtime against No. 3 Florida State, 31-24, at Memorial Stadium. Clemson piled up 429 yards of offense and held No. 3 Florida State to just 22 rushing yards and 311 total yards, forced four three-and-outs and registered five tackles-for-loss, including two sacks. Clemson also recorded 25 first downs to Florida State’s 16.
Duke: Duke begins the year with four consecutive 20-plus point wins, marking the first time in program history. The Duke defense held Connecticut to just 203 total yards of offense, making the third consecutive game in which the Blue Devils held their opponent to under 300 yards of offense. Senior defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles logged four tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks, and redshirt senior defensive tackle DeWayne Carter added a 26-yard fumble return for a touchdown. The Huskies’ lone score of the day came with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Florida State: Quarterback Jordan Travis was 21-for-37 for 289 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and no turnovers. Travis’s third touchdown of the game – from 24 yards to Keon Coleman in overtime – was his 82nd total touchdown at FSU, a new school record. Travis has thrown at least one touchdown in 16 consecutive games, the longest streak by an FSU quarterback since 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston’s 27-game streak in 2013-14. He has multiple TD passes in five straight games, a career-high.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets’ road victory at Wake Forest came on the strength of a dominant display by its defensive front, which amassed eight sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss for a total of 42 yards. Defensive end Kyle Kennard totaled four sacks, which are tied for the third-most in Tech’s single-game history and the most by a Yellow Jacket since Jeremiah Attaochu had four against Georgia in 2013. Tech’s defense also forced five turnovers in the win – three interceptions and two fumble recoveries – none bigger than Kenan Johnson’s interception at the Georgia Tech 11-yard line with less than two-and-a-half minutes to go in the game.
Louisville: Quarterback Jack Plummer threw for 388 yards with five passing and one rushing touchdown in leading the Cardinals’ offense to 56 points. He finished 18-of-21 for 388 yards passing with five touchdown passes and no interceptions in addition to a nine-yard touchdown run. Plummer completed five passes of at least 40 yards each and 15 straight passes before an incompletion on his final attempt, tying him for the fourth-longest completion streak in program history.
Miami: Miami delivered a balanced attack on offense, rushing for 323 yards, while quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was an efficient 17-of-24 for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the road win over Temple last week. Miami’s defense held the Owls to just 11 rushing yards, forced three turnovers that led to 14 points, registered three sacks and six tackles-for-loss. The Canes nearly doubled Temple’s output in total yardage, outgaining the Owls 543 to 279.
North Carolina: Defensive back Alijah Huzzie’s 52-yard punt return for a touchdown was North Carolina’s first since Dazz Newsome’s 75-yarder at Syracuse in 2018. Huzzie’s 29-yard punt return in the second quarter was Carolina’s first punt return of the season. Huzzie also made his first two interceptions as a Tar Heel (13th and 14th of his career) and is the first Tar Heel with two interceptions in a game since Cam’Ron Kelly at Wake Forest in 2021.
NC State: In his return to Virginia, quarterback Brennan Armstrong was 15-of-30 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Armstrong also led the Wolfpack on the ground with 64 rushing yards. His go-to-guy was true freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, who accounted for 116 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. The true freshman leads the team in receiving with 22 catches for 238 yards.
Pitt: The Pittsburgh Panthers defense recorded a season-high five sacks, including solo sacks recorded by linebacker Shayne Simon, defensive tackle David Green, defensive tackle Deandre Jules and defensive end Samuel Okunlola. Pitt limited North Carolina to 77 rushing yards on 39 carries and surrendered just 373 total yards of offense to North Carolina (296 passing, 77 rushing) in the home loss last week.
Syracuse: Syracuse rallied from a 10-3 halftime deficit by scoring 26 unanswered points to defeat Army 29-16. With the win, Syracuse swept its non-conference slate for the first time since joining a conference in 1991 and has now started with a 4-0 record in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1959-60. Syracuse outgained Army 403-270 in total yards of offense for the game.
Virginia: Malik Washington led Virginia with career highs in receptions (10), receiving yards (170) and touchdowns (2) in the Friday night contest versus NC State. He had 107 yards after contact and had a long reception of 59 yards. Washington had touchdown catches of 8 and 3 yards. His last touchdown catch came with 36 seconds remaining to tie the game at 21 before falling 24-21. Washington has now caught a pass in 29 straight games and currently leads the ACC in receptions per game (7.0), receiving yards per game (114.75), total receptions (28) and total reception yards (459).
Virginia Tech: Making his second start for the Hokies, transfer quarterback Kyron Drones completed 19-of-35 passes for 160 yards and ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Drones’ touchdown run of 31 yards in the first quarter came after Marshall’s Cam Fancher threw an interception, and Drones ran in from 16 yards out with 7:41 to play in the fourth quarter to pull the Hokies within 24-17.
Wake Forest: Junior running back Justice Ellison set a new career high with 137 rushing yards on 18 attempts on the ground in the home loss to Georgia Tech last weekend. The 100-yard performance marked the second of his career, as he previously hit the mark with 114 yards against Florida State on Oct. 1, 2022. His 100-yard performance also marked the third time this season a Demon Deacon running back has reached 100 yards on the ground – Tate Carney (117 vs. Vanderbilt, Sept. 9), Demond Claiborne (165 vs. Vanderbilt, Sept. 9) and Justice Ellison (137 vs. Georgia Tech, Sept. 23).
