ACC 2021 SCHEDULE (NOV. 11-13)
Thursday, Nov. 11 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
North Carolina (5-4, 3-3) at No. 25 Pitt (7-2, 4-1) 7:30 p.m., ESPN 84 84 84
Series: North Carolina leads series, 10-4; Last meeting: Pitt, 34-27, ot (2019)
ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Katie George (sideline)
Saturday, Nov. 13 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
UConn (1-8) at Clemson (6-3) Noon, ACCN 136 194 956
Series: First Meeting
ACCN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
Syracuse (5-4, 2-3) at Louisville (4-5, 2-4) Noon, RSN 133 193 955
Series: Louisville leads series, 12-7; Last meeting: Louisville, 30-0 (2020)
RSN: Evan Lepler (play-by-play), Brian Jordan (analyst), Wiley Ballard (sideline)
Boston College (5-4, 1-4) at Georgia Tech (3-6, 2-5) 3:30 p.m., RSN 136 194 956
Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 7-3; Last meeting: Boston College, 48-27 (2020)
RSN: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Lauren Jbara (sideline)
Duke (3-6, 0-5) at Virginia Tech (4-5, 2-3) 3:30 p.m., ACCN 98 206 968
Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 18-10; Last meeting: Virginia Tech, 38-31 (2020)
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)
Miami (5-4, 3-2) at Florida State (3-6, 2-4) 3:30 p.m., ESPN 133 193 955
Series: Miami leads, 35-30; Last meeting: Miami, 52-10 (2020)
ESPN: Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
NC State (7-2, 4-1) at Wake Forest (8-1, 5-0) 7:30 p.m., ACCN 84 84 84
Series: NC State leads series, 67-41-6; Last meeting: NC State, 45-42 (2020)
ACCN: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Kelsey Riggs (sideline)
Notre Dame (8-1) at Virginia (6-3) 7:30 p.m., ABC 136 194 956
Series: Notre Dame leads, 3-0; Last meeting: Notre Dame, 35-20 (2019)
ABC: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)
What to Watch in Week 11
• Miami, North Carolina and Syracuse can become bowl eligible with a win this weekend. The ACC already has five bowl eligible teams – Clemson, NC State, Pitt, Virginia and Wake Forest.
• According to ESPN Stats & Info, there are just seven Power 5 QBs with 20 touchdowns, 2,000 yards passing and 200 rushing yards and five are from the ACC – Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman.
• Pitt’s Pickett ranks third in ACC history with 11,155 passing yards. He is 749 yards shy of Clemson’s Tajh Boyd for second place. Pickett is also fifth in ACC history with 11,965 total yards of offense.
• UNC’s Howell has 88 career TD passes and is two touchdowns shy of Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence’s ACC record for touchdown passes (90) through three seasons.
• Syracuse RB Sean Tucker ranks second in the nation with 1,267 rushing yards and second with 1,505 all-purpose yards.
• The ACC has five of the top 20 players in the country in total touchdowns – UVA’s Armstrong (T3rd, 35), Wake Forest’s Hartman (T3rd, 35), Pitt’s Pickett (5th, 33), North Carolina’s Howell (8th, 28), NC State’s Devin Leary (T10th, 27) and Louisville’s Cunningham (17th, 24).
• Since taking over at quarterback in Week 3, Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader has accounted for 20 touchdowns, including 13 rushing scores.
• Louisville’s Cunningham has 15 rushing TDs. The ACC single-season record for most rushing touchdowns by a QB is Lamar Jackson with 21 in 2016.
ACC FOOTBALL QUICK HITS
• Several key divisional matchups highlight Week 11 of the ACC football schedule, including a battle of top 25 teams in Winston-Salem between No. 19 NC State and No. 9 Wake Forest at 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network. The 115th meeting in a rivalry that dates back to 1895 and has been played consecutively every year since 1910 could have huge ramifications on the final Atlantic Division standings and a possible Subway ACC Football Championship Game berth. Wake Forest enters the game undefeated in ACC play, while the Wolfpack is 4-1 against conference opponents. Neither team can clinch the Atlantic Division this weekend, but a win would help in all tiebreaker scenarios.
• The Wake Forest-NC State game matches one of the nation’s most prolific offenses vs. a top 10 defense. The Demon Deacons are averaging 44.7 points per game to rank third nationally. NC State is sixth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 points per game and has allowed just two rushing touchdowns this season.
• Pitt, which leads the Coastal Division at 4-1, hosts North Carolina on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The last nine games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less. This is another battle of top ACC quarterbacks between Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and North Carolina’s Sam Howell. Pickett has thrown 29 touchdown passes and ranks fifth nationally with 352.3 yards passing per game, while Howell has tossed 20 touchdowns, rushed for eight more and is 21st in passing yards per game (267.6). North Carolina is seeking its first road win of the season at Heinz Field where it has won three of the last four.
• Syracuse plays at Louisville Saturday at noon on RSN and would become bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 with a win over the Cardinals. Louisville is also fighting for a postseason berth and needs wins in two of its last three games to secure a spot. The Cardinals have won six of seven meetings versus the Orange since joining the ACC, including last season’s 30-0 win in Louisville. UofL QB Malik Cunningham has 15 rushing TDs this season, just six shy of Lamar Jackson’s ACC
single-season record. Syracuse running back Sean Tucker has posted 100-yard rushing games in all but one contest this season.
• Duke travels to Blacksburg for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network against the Hokies. Virginia Tech has won four of the last five meetings versus the Blue Devils,
including last season’s 38-31 win in Durham.
• Georgia Tech looks to end its current three-game skid when the Yellow Jackets host Boston College at 3:30 p.m. on RSN. BC is coming off a 17-3 win over Virginia
Tech, which featured the return of QB Phil Jurkovec from a wrist injury. In the Eagles’ win last year against Georgia Tech, Jurkovec led the team with 94 rushing yards.
• Riding a three-game win streak, resurgent Miami travels to Tallahassee to face Florida State at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. Miami is still in contention for the Coastal Division and has been buoyed by the breakout campaigns of redshirt freshman QB Tyler Van Dyke (11th nationally in pass efficiency) and RB Jaylan Knighton. Prior to the Hurricanes’ decisive wins in 2019 and 2020, the previous five games in the rivalry had all been decided by five points or less.
• In non-conference action, Clemson hosts UConn at noon
on ACC Network in the first meeting of the two programs,
and Notre Dame travels to Virginia for a 7:30 p.m. matchup
on ABC. This is just Notre Dame’s second visit to Scott
Stadium.
• Twenty of the league’s 41 games this season have been
decided by one possession (8 points or fewer), which is
the most of any conference.
IN THE RANKINGS
• Three ACC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 – No. 13
Wake Forest, No. 21 NC State and No. 22 Pitt. The Demon
Deacons have been ranked in seven 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, NC State is No. 19 and Pitt is No. 22. Clemson is 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.
ACC – THE CONFERENCE OF QUARTERBACKS
• Seven of the 14 starting quarterbacks in the ACC rank
among the top 25 in FBS in Quarterback Rating (QBR). No
other conference has more than four.
ACC QB in Top 25 of QBR
3. Kenny Pickett, Pitt 86.5
4. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest 86.4
10. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami 78.3
11. Sam Howell, North Carolina 78.1
13. Brennan Armstrong, Virginia 77.4
19. Devin Leary, NC State 75.4
24. Malik Cunningham, Louisville 73.2
• Four ACC quarterbacks – the most of any conference –
have been named finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden
Arm Award presented annually to the top upperclassmen
quarterback. The ACC had four of the 10 finalists and no
other conference had more than one. The ACC’s honorees
are NC State’s Devin Leary, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Virginia’s
Brennan Armstrong and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman.
• Three ACC quarterbacks – North Carolina’s Sam Howell,
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke – were
selected a Manning Award Star of the Week. The ACC had
more selections than any other conference.
Recent Performances
• Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke threw for 389 yards and three
touchdowns to pilot the Hurricanes past Georgia Tech
33-30. In the first quarter, he completed an 8-yard TD pass
to Mike Harley and a 35-yard scoring strike to Charleston
Rambo. Trailing 28-27 in the fourth quarter, Van Dyke
tossed his third touchdown pass of the game with a
15-yarder to Key’Shawn Smith.
• Sam Howell set the UNC career record for total offense
in leading the Tar Heels to a win over No. 9 Wake Forest.
Howell has 10,515 total yards in 34 games. Howell rushed
for 104 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for
216 yards and one touchdown. It was his third game this
season with multiple rushing touchdowns. He has thrown
a touchdown pass in all 34 of his games as a Tar Heel, the
longest active streak in the country.
• NC State QB Devin Leary completed 21 of 32 pass
attempts for four scores, all four to four different receivers,
with three going for at least 43 yards to lead the Wolfpack
to a win at Florida State. Leary has thrown 25 touchdowns
this season against just three interceptions. Leary joins
former Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson as the only players
in school history to throw for over 300 yards and four
touchdowns in back to back games.
• Pitt QB Kenny Pickett was fantastic again in a win at
Duke, throwing for 416 yards with three touchdowns and
zero interceptions. Pickett posted his 14th game with 300-
plus passing yards, tying a Pitt record held by Alex Van
Pelt (1989-92). It was the fifth 400-yard passing game of
his career, extending his own school record.
• After struggling early (1-for-8 with an INT) in Virginia’s
most recent outing against BYU on Oct. 30, QB Brennan
Armstrong got on track and led UVA to a remarkable rally
after trailing 21-0 just 8:04 into the game. From that point
UVA outscored BYU 42-17 to take a 42-38 halftime lead in
Provo. During that run, he completed 12 consecutive passes that included three TD tosses. At one point in the game
he had completed 20 of 23 attempts. Armstrong finished
with 337 passing yards, four passing TDs and rushed for
94 yards on 11 carries and had two TD runs including a
remarkable 30-yard scamper through the middle of the
BYU defense.
• Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman completed 25 of 51 pass
attempts for 398 yards and five passing TDs and ran for 78
yards and two touchdowns against UNC. The seven total
touchdowns Hartman was responsible for set a program
record and also broke the North Carolina (5-4, 3-3 ACC)
opponent record of six touchdowns.
• North Carolina QB Sam Howell now has 104 career
touchdowns responsible for (rushed for 14, passed for
88, caught 2), which is a school record. Howell is also the
school’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,635) and total
yards of offense (10,515).
• Nine different quarterbacks from ACC schools have
started at least one game in the NFL this season – most of
any conference. Those players come from seven different
schools, including BC’s Matt Ryan (Falcons), Clemson’s
Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Duke’s Daniel Jones (Giants),
Florida State’s Jameis Winston (Saints), Louisville’s Teddy
Bridgewater (Broncos) and Lamar Jackson (Ravens), NC
State’s Jacoby Brissett (Dolphins) and Russell Wilson
(Seahawks) and Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor (Texans).
AROUND THE ACC
Boston College: Quarterback Phil Jurkovec returned from a right wrist injury suffered at UMass on Sept. 11 to make his third start of the season vs. Virginia Tech.
Jurkovec threw for 112 yards while also rushing nine times for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Clemson: Clemson’s win over Louisville was the 11th under head coach Dabo Swinney when the Tigers have entered the fourth quarter trailing. It was the second consecutive week the Tigers have overcome a fourth quarter deficit to win.
Duke: RB Mataeo Durant surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season in the loss to Pitt. He became just the fifth Blue Devil to reach 1,000 yards and is the first player since Chris Douglas did so in 2003. Durant finished with 89 yards on 24 carries and added four receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Florida State: Defensive end Jermaine Johnson II has earned three ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors and is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award.
Georgia Tech: Safety Juanyeh Thomas turned in an impressive all-around defensive performance against Miami with nine tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble (which was returned for a touchdown) and 100-yard interception return for a defensive twopoint conversion.
Louisville: QB Malik Cunningham has 15 rushing touchdowns on the season and 33 in his career, which ranks sixth in ACC history for rushing TDs by a quarterback.
Miami: Three-time ACC Rookie of the Week Tyler Van Dyke (QB) has led the Hurricanes to three consecutive wins and ranks 11th nationally in both QBR and pass efficiency.
North Carolina: RB Ty Chandler ran for career highs of 213 yards and four touchdowns to help lead North Carolina to an 18-point come-from-behind win over Wake Forest and was named ACC Running Back of the Week for the second time this season.
NC State: QB Devin Leary has posted three straight games of more than 300 yards passing and two consecutive games with four touchdown passes.
Pitt: The Panthers scored 50-plus points for the fourth time this season in a 54-29 win at Duke. Pitt last scored 50 or more points in four games in the same season in 1905 when it accomplished the feat a program-best five times. Pitt leads the country with 45.0 points per game.
Syracuse: RB Sean Tucker moved into third on Syracuse’s single-season rushing list at Syracuse with 207 yards and his 13th touchdown, 11th rushing, of the season in the BC win. Syracuse moved to 5-4 on the season and is one win shy of bowl eligibility.
Virginia: Two-time WR of the Week Dontayvion Wicks had another stellar game against BYU, catching four passes for 125 yards including a 70-yard TD reception. It was his second week in a row with a TD catch of 70-or-more yards. In his last three games Wicks has 17 receptions for 418 yards and four TDs, an average of 24.6 yards per reception.
Virginia Tech: Freshman RB Malachi Thomas made his first career start at Georgia Tech and rushed 25 times for 103 yards. He became the first true freshman RB to post back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Kevin Jones in 2001. Thomas started and led the team in rushing at Boston College with 70 yards.
Wake Forest: Wake Forest is the only team in the country to score 35-or-more points in every game this year. The Deacons scored a series high 55 points against UNC Saturday, a year after posting 53 against the Tar Heels.
