2023 SCHEDULE – WEEK 11
THURSDAY, NOV. 9 TIME, TV SIRIUSXM APP/WEB
Virginia at No. 11 Louisville 7:30 p.m., ESPN 158, 194, or 386 956 or 976
Series: Louisville leads series, 6-5; Last meeting: Louisville, 34-17 (2022)
ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Dan Mullen (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
SATURDAY, NOV. 11 TIME, TV SIRIUSXM APP/WEB
Georgia Tech at Clemson Noon, ABC 119, 193, or 383 955 or 973
Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 51-35-2; Last meeting: Clemson, 41-10 (2022)
ABC: Mark Jones (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Virginia Tech at Boston College Noon, ACCN 160, 194, or 382 956 or 972
Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 20-11; Last meeting: Virginia Tech, 27-10 (2022)
ACCN: Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst), Marilyn Payne (sideline)
NC State at Wake Forest 2 p.m., The CW 111, 203, or 388 966 or 979
Series: NC State leads series, 68-42-6; Last meeting: NC State, 30-21 (2022)
The CW Network: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Treavor Scales (sideline)
Miami at No. 4 Florida State 3:30 p.m., ABC 119, 193, or 384 955 or 974
Series: Miami leads series, 35-32; Last meeting: Florida State, 45-3 (2022)
ABC: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
Pitt at Syracuse 3:30 p.m., ACCN 160, 194, or 383 956 or 973
Series: Pitt leads series, 43-32-3; Last meeting: Pitt, 19-9 (2022)
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Sherree Burruss (sideline)
Duke at No. 24 North Carolina 8 p.m., ACCN 119, 160, 193, 194 955 or 956
Series: North Carolina leads series, 65-40-4; Last meeting: North Carolina, 38-35 (2022)
ACCN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Taylor Tannebaum (sideline)
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.
SEMINOLES ARE INTO THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The Florida State Seminoles clinched a spot in the 2023 ACC Football Championship Game with their win over the Pitt Panthers last Saturday (Nov. 4). The nationally ranked Seminoles are 9-0 overall and 7-0 in ACC play this season. n It marks the Seminoles’ sixth trip to the ACC Football Championship Game and the first since 2014 (2004, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014) when they won their third consecutive ACC Championship title with a 37-35 win over Georgia Tech.
The 2023 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
VERSUS THEIR PEERS
The ACC has posted a 50.55 winning percentage versus Power 5 opponents this season – conference and non-conference combined – the second-best winning percentage among all Power 5 conferences.
The ACC has 46 wins over Power 5 teams – conference and non-conference combined – tied for the third-most among all Power 5 conferences.
The ACC is one of just two conferences in all of FBS with a winning record over Power 5 opponents – conference and non-conference games combined.
ACC teams have a combined 12 wins over the top 25 nationally ranked opponents this season, tied for the second-most among all FBS conferences.
CLOSE CALLS
The ACC overall has 13 wins in close games this season (4 points or less) – tied for the second-most among Power 5 conferences.
The ACC overall has 24 wins in one TD games this season (8 points or less) – tied for the most among Power 5 conferences. n 42.1 percent of the ACC’s conference games (16-of-38) have been decided by one score or less (8 points or less) this season, the second-highest among all Power 5 conferences.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The ACC has been solid in non-conference play this season, going 36-14 (.720) overall in non-conference play over the first 10 weeks.
The ACC has posted the second-most non-conference wins among all FBS conferences with 36 through 10 weeks.
The ACC has 10 non-conference Power 5 wins, the most among all FBS conferences. n ACC teams are 8-5 combined against the SEC and Big Ten, with the ACC recording four wins over each of the two conferences. The rest of FBS is 9-46 overall versus the two Power 5 conferences.
The ACC has also handed Notre Dame two of their three losses this season – Louisville (33-20) on Oct. 7 and Clemson (31-23) on Nov. 4.
BOWL-ELIGIBLE TEAMS
Heading into Week 11 (Nov. 6-11), there are 51 bowl-eligible teams in FBS, including seven teams from the ACC in Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Boston College, Duke and NC State.
No conference has more bowl-eligible teams to date than the ACC with its seven teams.
Two more teams in Clemson (5-4) and Georgia Tech (5-4) are just one win away from becoming bowl eligible, while three other teams in Virginia Tech (4-5), Wake Forest (4-5) and Syracuse (4-5) are two wins away.
Since 2017, the ACC has averaged 10 bowl-eligible teams each year, including a high of 11 teams in 2018. Last season, the ACC had nine teams play in a bowl game.
TALKING OFFENSE
Entering Week 11 of the 2023 season, the ACC has five teams ranked in the SportSource Analytics relative scoring offense percentage rankings top 30 – Florida State (7th, 160.06%), North Carolina (15th, 143.46%), Georgia Tech (18th, 139.46%), Louisville (23rd, 133.57%), and Miami (30th, 128.98%) – the second-most of any FBS conference.
A total of five ACC teams rank in the top 35 nationally in total offense – North Carolina (3rd, 518.8 ypg), Georgia Tech (14th, 465.3 ypg), Florida State (17th, 458.3 ypg), Louisville (29th, 439.8 ypg), and Miami (31st, 437.9 ypg).
Four ACC teams rank in the top 30 nationally in scoring offense – Florida State (9th, 39.6 ppg), North Carolina (12th, 39.1 ppg), Georgia Tech (28th, 33.2 ppg), and Louisville (30th, 32.9 ppg) – tied for the most of any FBS conference.
North Carolina’s offense ranks in the top 20 nationally in both passing offense (8th, 319.7 ypg) and rushing offense (16th, 199.1 ypg).
DISCUSSING DEFENSE
On defense, the ACC has four teams ranked in the top 25 in total defense – Clemson (6th, 273.8 ypg), Louisville (12th, 285.2 ypg), Miami (19th, 311.4 ypg), and Virginia Tech (21st, 323.3 ypg) – tied for the second-most of any FBS conference.
Three ACC teams rank in the top 25 in scoring defense – Duke (7th, 15.7 ppg), Louisville (13th, 16.3 ppg), and Florida State (16th, 17.0 ppg) – tied for the second-most of any FBS conference. n Five ACC teams rank in the top 25 in red zone defense – Duke (2nd, 65.4%), Louisville (4th, 66.7%), Florida State (16th, 74.1%), North Carolina (19th, 75.0%), and Syracuse (24th, 75.8%) – tied for the most of any FBS conference.
A total of four teams rank in the top 20 nationally in rushing defense – Louisville (7th, 88.8 ypg), Miami (8th, 89.2 ypg), Clemson (19th, 108.4 ypg), and NC State (20th, 110.7 ypg) – the second-most of any FBS conference.
Five ACC teams also rank in the top 25 in passing defense – Virginia Tech (7th, 163.8 ypg), Clemson (8th, 165.3 ypg), Duke (15th, 179.3 ypg), Boston College (18th, 181.7 ypg), and Florida State (24th, 192.3 ypg – tied for the second-most of all FBS conferences
PREVIEWING WEEK 11
Week 11 of the 2023 season will see all 14 ACC teams in action across seven league matchups, highlighted by a Thursday night contest with Virginia at Louisville (7:30 p.m./ESPN).
Virginia Tech will play at Boston College (Noon, ACCN), with both teams looking to stay near the top of the ACC regular-season standings with just two losses.
Georgia Tech and Clemson will meet at Noon (ABC) in Death Valley, as each team is looking for its sixth overall win of the season to become bowl eligible.
Saturday’s competition will continue with NC State traveling to Wake Forest (2 p.m., The CW), as the Wolfpack are on a two-game winning streak while the Demon Deacons will look to snap a two-game losing streak.
Miami will try to play the spoiler versus rival Florida State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ABC), as the Seminoles will look to remain unbeaten on the season with a win at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Orange are in search of their first ACC win of the season when Pitt visits on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ACCN), as both teams will look to snap its current losing streak.
The nightcap features the Victory Bell rivalry between Duke and North Carolina (8 p.m., ACCN), with both teams entering the matchup at 3-2 in league play and trying to stay alive in the chase for a spot in the 2023 ACC Football Championship Game.
While Florida State has already clinched a spot in the 2023 ACC Football Championship Game on Dec. 2, the other spot is still up for grabs with seven teams with one or two conference losses entering the week of play
AROUND THE ACC
Boston College: Boston College earned its fifth consecutive victory with a 17-10 win at Syracuse last week to improve to 6-3 overall and become bowl eligible. The five-game win streak is the longest such streak for BC since the 2010 season. BC’s bowl eligibility comes in its ninth game – the fastest since the 2018 season when the Eagles won their sixth contest in eight tries. The Eagles’ last 1-3 start-to-bowl eligibility came during the 2017 campaign.
Clemson: With Clemson’s 31-23 win over No. 12 Notre Dame last Saturday, the Tigers have recorded at least one win against an AP Top 20 team in Death Valley in nine consecutive seasons. Clemson’s last season without a win against a top-20 squad in Death Valley was 2014.
Duke: Freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis made his first career start last week versus Wake Forest, tossing his first career touchdown pass, a 29-yard strike to Jordan Moore in the fourth quarter. He became the first true freshman quarterback in Duke history to win his starting debut since Mike Dunn led the Blue Devils to a 21-10 win over Army West Point on Oct. 11, 1975. Additionally, Loftis is the first Duke true freshman to win a starting debut against a conference opponent since Jerry Barger won his first start over South Carolina on Sept. 22, 1951.
Florida State: Despite missing two Biletnikoff Award candidates in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, quarterback Jordan Travis was 22-for-36 for a season-high 360 yards, a 22-yard touchdown pass, and a 1-yard touchdown run in the win over Pitt last week. He completed passes to eight receivers. Travis has thrown a touchdown pass in 21 straight games, FSU’s longest stretch since 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston (27, 2013-14).
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets finished with 514 yards of total offense last week in the road win at Virginia, just one week after amassing 635 total yards in the win over No. 17 North Carolina two weeks ago. It marks the first time that Tech has totaled 500 yards of offense in consecutive games since it totaled 532 and 554 yards versus Bowling Green and at Louisville on Sept. 29 and Oct. 5, 2018.
Louisville: With the Cardinals’ 34-3 win over Virginia Tech last week, Louisville has held back-to-back opponents without a touchdown for the first time since beating Cincinnati 20-0 and Southern Miss 6-3 in November 1980. The Cardinals have held five straight opponents under to 300 yards of total offense and five straight opponents to under 100 rushing yards.
Miami: Freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr. made the first start of his collegiate career count last Saturday, rushing for a career-high 115 yards on a career-best 23 carries in Miami’s game at NC State. Fletcher posted the first 100-yard game of his career and added three catches totaling 17 yards out of the backfield.
North Carolina: Quarterback Drake Maye completed 16-of-23 for 244 yards and four touchdowns last week in the Tar Heels’ 59-7 win over Campbell. Maye passed Bryn Renner for fifth in UNC career total offense yards, as he now has 8,227 total yards (rushing and passing). With his four touchdown passes versus the Camels, Maye has 59 career passing touchdowns and passed T.J. Yates for fourth in UNC history in career touchdown passes.
NC State: The Wolfpack defense set the tone in the home win over Miami last week, as the Pack created four turnovers, which included three interceptions, totaled three sacks and seven quarterback hurries, and held the Hurricanes to just six points without allowing a touchdown in a 20-6 win. It is the first time the Wolfpack defense has held an ACC opponent without a touchdown since Nov. 5, 2011, when NC State defeated North Carolina 13-0 at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Pitt: Through nine contests, Pitt has compiled 25 sacks. The Panthers’ average of 2.78 sacks per game ranks 21st nationally and fourth in the ACC. The Panthers’ defense also ranks 11th nationally in tackles-for-loss with an average of 7.4 per game this season.
Syracuse: Sophomore running back LeQuint Allen Jr. had a career day for the Orance last week versus longtime rival Boston College, as he ran for a career-best 142 yards on 18 carries and averaged 7.9 yards per rush for the game. Allen’s 56-yard run in the third quarter was Syracuse’s longest run of the season and put him over 100 rushing yards for the fourth time this year. t Virginia: Wide receiver Malik Washington caught 11 passes for 109 yards, his fourth-straight 100-yard game, in the loss to Georgia Tech last week. He is the first player in UVA history to record four consecutive 100-yard receiving games. He also became just the sixth player in UVA history to go over the 1,000-yard receiving mark and is the fastest Virginia player (nine games) with 1,000 receiving yards. Washington has recorded double-digit receptions in three-straight games and has caught a pass in 34-straight games dating back to his time at Northwestern.
Virginia Tech: Placekicker John Love’s field goal in the second quarter for the Hokies against Louisville marked the 366th consecutive game during which Virginia Tech has scored. This moved the Hokies into fourth place in both the all-time and active scoring streaks. The 44-yard field goal was also Love’s careerlong, surpassing his previous high of 43 yards, which he made two weeks ago versus Syracuse.
Wake Forest: Quarterback Mitch Griffis went 16- of-19 for 241 yards through the air and rushed for 55 yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns versus Duke last week. His two rushing scores marked the first time a Wake Forest QB has rushed for two touchdowns in a game since Sam Hartman at North Carolina on Nov. 6, 2021. Griffis, who completed his first 12 pass attempts of the game, posted an 84.2 completion percentage for the game, one of the best completion percentage games in program history.
