2021 SCHEDULE (SEPT. 24-25)
Friday, Sept. 24 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
Wake Forest (3-0, 1-0) at Virginia (2-1, 0-1) 7 p.m., ESPN2 81 81 81
Series: Virginia leads series, 34-15; Last meeting: Wake Forest, 40-23 (2020)
ESPN2: Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
Liberty (3-0) at Syracuse (2-1) 8 p.m., ACCN 84 84 84
Series: Tied, 1-1; Last meeting: Liberty, 38-21 (2020)
ACCN: Drew Carter (play-by-play), Bobby Carpenter (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
Saturday, Sept. 25 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
Missouri (2-1) at Boston College (3-0) Noon, ESPN2 111 193 955
Series: First meeting
ESPN2: Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)
Richmond (2-1) at Virginia Tech (2-1) Noon, ACCN 85 85 85
Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 37-10-4; Last meeting: Virginia Tech, 17-10 (1986)
ACCN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Lericia Harris (sideline)
New Hampshire (3-0) at Pitt (2-1) Noon, ACCNX/ESPN+ 103 194 956
Series: Pitt leads series, 1-0; Last meeting: Pitt, 38-16 (2010)
ACCNX/ESPN+: Bill Roth (play-by-play), Eddie Royal (analyst), Abby Labar (sideline)
Central Connecticut (1-2) at Miami (1-2) 12:30 p.m., RSN 138 203 966
Series: First meeting
RSN: Tom Werme (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst), Lauren Jbara (sideline)
No. 9 Clemson (2-1, 1-0) at NC State (2-1, 0-0) 3:30 p.m., ESPN 111 193 955
Series: Clemson leads, 59-28-1; Last meeting: Clemson, 55-10 (2019)
ESPN: Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Louisville (2-1, 0-0) at Florida State (0-3, 0-1) 3:30 p.m., ESPN2 103 194 956
Series: Florida State leads series, 16-5; Last meeting: Louisville, 48-16 (2020)
ESPN2: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
Kansas (1-2) at Duke (2-1) 4 p.m., ACCN 108 201 964
Series: Tied, 1-1; Last meeting: Duke, 41-3 (2014)
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)
No. 21 North Carolina (2-1, 1-1) at Georgia Tech (1-2, 0-1) 7:30 p.m., ACCN 111 193 955
Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 30-22-3; Last meeting: North Carolina, 38-22 (2019)
ACCN: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Kelsey Riggs (sideline)
ACC FOOTBALL QUICK HITS
• Two Friday evening contests kick off week 4 of the ACC football season. Undefeated Wake Forest (3-0) travels to Charlottesville to face Virginia (2-1) at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The Demon Deacons have won three straight against the Cavaliers and enter the game ranked seventh in the country in turnover margin. The game features two
of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman. Armstrong leads the ACC in total offense per game, passing yards per game and passing touchdowns.
• Syracuse (2-1) seeks to avenge last season’s loss to Liberty when the Flames visit the Carrier Dome for the second consecutive year at 8 p.m. on ACCN. The Orange
are limiting opponents to just 225.3 ypg, which leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally.
• Saturday’s slate features three league matchups, two non-conference games against Power 5 competition and three contests against FCS opponents. Boston College hosts Missouri of the SEC at noon on ESPN2, while Duke entertains Kansas of the Big 12 at 4 p.m. on ACCN.
• In Saturday’s conference play, No. 9 Clemson travels to NC State for a key Atlantic Division contest at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Tigers have won eight straight against the Wolfpack, including four in a row in Raleigh. NC State knocked off the seventh-ranked Tigers in 2011 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The teams are meeting for the 89th time in a series that was first played in 1899 at Rock Hill, S.C.
• Also at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2, Florida State hosts Louisville in Tallahassee. Louisville’s win at home last season snapped Florida State’s two-game winning streak in the series. FSU won the most recent meeting in Tallahassee by a 35-24 score in 2019.
• No. 21 North Carolina travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on ACCN. The contest is the third this month at Mercedes-Benz
Stadium involving at least one conference team following the Miami-Alabama and Louisville-Ole Miss matchups over Labor Day Weekend.
IN THE RANKINGS
• No. 9 Clemson and No. 21 North Carolina are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll (Sept. 19). Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest and Louisville are receiving votes. The Tigers have been ranked in 106 consecutive AP polls, the second-longest active streak in the country.
• In the USA Today AFCA coaches top 25 poll, Clemson is No. 7 and North Carolina is No. 21. Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest and Miami are receiving votes.
ACC – THE CONFERENCE OF QUARTERBACKS
• Eight ACC quarterbacks threw for more than 250 yards last week, led by Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong who had a school-record 554 yards. Those eight signal callers
averaged 341.0 yards passing and combined for 24 touchdowns over the weekend. Armstrong’s passing total is the third-best single-game effort in ACC history trailing only Deshaun Watson of Clemson (580 vs. Pitt in 2016) and Stephen Morris of Miami (566 vs. NC State in 2012.
• Miami’s D’Eriq King (388 yards passing), Pitt’s Kenny Pickett (382) and North Carolina’s Sam Howell (307) each topped 300 yards passing last Saturday. Howell was named the ACC QB of the Week after passing for five touchdowns and rushing for a career-high 112 yards.
• Eight different quarterbacks from ACC schools started in the NFL in week one – 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 Russell Wilson (Seahawks) and Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor (Texans).
• Among the accolades of those eight quarterbacks:
– 2 NFL MVPs;
– 2 Super Bowl champions
– 17 Pro Bowl appearances
– 2 season passing TD leaders
– 3 NFL Rookies of the Year
– 2 No. 1 overall picks
• NC State’s Mike Glennon (Giants), Pitt’s Nathan Peterman (Raiders), North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky (Bills), Wake Forest’s John Wolford (Rams) are among the group
of ACC quarterbacks not listed as starters in week one who have started a NFL game in their careers. Overall, 11 of the 14 ACC schools currently have an active NFL
quarterback.
NFL Quarterbacks from ACC Schools – Week 1 Rosters
Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos ……………………. Louisville<<
Jacoby Brissett, Dolphins ……………………………. NC State
Mike Glennon, Giants………………………………….. NC State
Lamar Jackson, Ravens ………………………….. Louisville<<
Daniel Jones, Giants ……………………………………..Duke<<
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars………………………… Clemson<<
Bryce Perkins, Rams…………………………………….. Virginia
Nathan Peterman, Raiders ……………………………………Pitt
Matt Ryan, Falcons ………………………… Boston College<<
Tyrod Taylor, Texans…………………………..Virginia Tech<<
Mitch Trubisky, Bills …………………………… North Carolina
Deshaun Watson, Texans…………………………….. Clemson
Russell Wilson, Seahawks ……………………….. NC State<<
Jameis Winston, Saints………………………. Florida State<<
John Wolford, Rams ……………………………….Wake Forest
<<Week 1 starter
• Eleven ACC quarterbacks have made 10 or more career starts, led by Pitt’s Kenny Pickett with 39. Five ACC QBs – Miami’s D’Eriq King (36), Florida State’s McKenzie Milton (34), Louisville’s Malik Cunningham (28), North Carolina’s Sam Howell (28) and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman (22) – have made 20 or more starts.
Career QB Starts in ACC
Name, School …………………………Career Starts
Kenny Pickett, Pitt……………………………………………. 39
D’Eriq King, Miami* …………………………………………. 36
McKenzie Milton, Florida State**……………………….. 34
Malik Cunningham, Louisville ……………………………. 28
Sam Howell, North Carolina ………………………………. 28
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest ………………………………. 22
Tommy DeVito, Syracuse………………………………….. 18
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College……………………………. 12
Brennan Armstrong, Virginia …………………………….. 12
Jeff Sims, Georgia Tech……………………………………. 11
Devin Leary, NC State ………………………………………. 11
Jordan Travis, Florida State ………………………………… 8
Braxton Burmeister, Virginia Tech ……………………….. 7
D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson …………………………………….. 5
*started 22 at Houston before transferring to UM
**33 starts were at UCF before transferring to FSU
• The ACC placed 11 quarterbacks – tied for most in the country – on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch List. The Golden Arm Award annually recognizes the top
senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class.
• The ACC leads all conferences with six quarterbacks on the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List. The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award.
• The ACC leads all conferences with five quarterbacks on the Manning Award Watch List. The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting.
• In the 2021 NFL Draft, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence became the third ACC player to be selected No. 1overall, joining Jameis Winston (2015, Florida State) and Mario Williams (2006, NC State). Lawrence was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• North Carolina’s Howell is projected by many analysts to be one of the first players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Sporting News ranks Howell the No. 1 prospect in next year’s draft, while CBSsports.com has him second and Bleacher Report lists the Tar Heel junior No. 6 overall.
CHASING RECORDS
• North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell has thrown 77 touchdown passes, which ranks seventh in ACC history. Howell’s 68 passes in his first two seasons were the most through a sophomore season in league history. The record for most TD passes in three seasons is 90 by Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson.
Rk. Player, School Years TDs
1. Tajh Boyd, Clemson 2010-13 107
2. Philip Rivers, NC State 2000-03 95
3. Deshaun Watson, Clemson 2014-16 90
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson 2018-20 90
5. Chris Weinke, Florida State 1997-00 79
6. Sam Howell, North Carolina 2019-present 77
7. Russell Wilson, NC State 2008-10 76
8. Jacory Harris, Miami 2008-11 70
9. Brad Kaaya, Miami 2014-16 69
Lamar Jackson, Louisville 2015-17 69
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
• Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll (most versatile)
Sept. 7 – Zonovan Knight, NC State
• Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 (top QB)
Sept. 13 – Brennan Armstrong, Virginia
Sept. 13 – Sam Howell, North Carolina
Sept. 13 – Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Sept. 20 – Sam Howell, North Carolina
• Manning Award (top QB)
Sept. 13 – Brennan Armstrong, Virginia
Sept. 20 – Sam Howell, North Carolina
• Ray Guy Award “Ray’s 8” (top punter)
Sept. 13 – Porter Wilson, Duke
Sept. 13 – Lou Hedley, Miami
• Lou Groza Star of the Week (top place-kicker)
Sept. 13 – Andy Borregales, Miami
Sept. 20 – Charlie Ham, Duke
• Jim Thorpe Award Honorable Mention
Sept. 13 – Brandon Hill, Pitt
ACC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE NOTES
• The ACC’s non-conference schedule is among the most difficult in the country. The ACC plays 23 non-conference Power 5 opponents (including Notre Dame) in 2021 – the most in the country.
AROUND THE ACC
• Boston College: Boston College is 3-0 for the first time since 2018 and only the second time since starting 8-0 in 2007 after its 28-3 victory at Temple.
• Clemson: The Tigers’ 14-8 victory over Georgia Tech was the 86th ACC regular season win for Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, which breaks a tie with George Welsh for second most in ACC history.
• Duke: The Blue Devils’ 30 points in the opening two periods of their 30-23 victory over Northwestern were the most points Duke has scored in a first half since
recording 31 against Middle Tennessee in 2019.
• Florida State: FSU’s defense held Notre Dame to 65 total rushing yards, the fifth lowest in head coach Mike Norvell’s career and a 288-yard improvement from last
season’s game in South Bend when the Irish rushed for 353 yards.
• Georgia Tech: QB Jordan Yates made his first career start against Kennesaw State and completed 17- of-23 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. Yates became the first player in Georgia Tech history to throw for four touchdowns in his first career start.
• Louisville: QB Malik Cunningham has scored multiple rushing touchdowns in all three games this season and five times in his career. He is the first player in
Louisville history to rush for at least five touchdowns in four separate seasons.
• Miami: Charleston Rambo tied a Miami single-game record with 12 receptions in the loss to Michigan State. Rambo became just the third Hurricane in program history with a dozen catches, joining Willie Smith and Phillip Dorsett.
• North Carolina: Sam Howell threw five touchdown passes and ran for a career-best 112 yards in Carolina’s 59-39 win over Virginia. Howell has thrown two or more touchdowns in 23 of 28 games, three or more in 16 of 28, four or more six times and five or more in three games.
• NC State: The Wolfpack totaled 505 yards of offense, including 218 rushing yards on 31 attempts in a 45-7 win over Furman.
• Pitt: QB Kenny Pickett now has 8,923 passing yards for his career. Pickett eclipsed Tino Sunseri (8,541 from 2009-12) and Dan Marino (8,597 from 1979-82) for second place on Pitt’s all-time passing yardage list and trails only career leader Alex Van Pelt (11,267 from 1989-92).
• Syracuse: The Orange rank third in the country with 10.7 tackles for loss per game. Syracuse has made 32 tackles for loss in the first three games of the season.
• Virginia: QB Brennan Armstrong broke UVA’s single-game passing record with 554 yards against UNC, surpassing Kurt Benkert’s mark of 455 set in 2017 against UConn. He’s the first Cavalier quarterback to throw for 500 yards in a game.
• Virginia Tech: CB Jermaine Waller has made an interception in all three games this season for the Hokies.
• Wake Forest: Wake Forest has started its season 3-0 for the sixth-time this century (2019, 2017, 2016, 2008, 2006) and the fourth time in the Dave Clawson
era.
ACC COACHING NOTES
• The ACC has five coaches in the top 25 of wins among active coaches. North Carolina’s Mack Brown has the most wins of any active coach with 261, followed by Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (13th, 142), Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson (16th, 133), Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall (17th, 131) and Duke’s David Cutcliffe (18th, 120).
• Among active coaches, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and North Carolina’s Mack Brown rank among the top 25 in the nation in career winning percentage. Swinney’s .807 winning percentage ranks second among coaches with at least five years of experience.
• Two of the five active coaches to win a national title reside in the ACC. Dabo Swinney led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. North Carolina’s Mack Brown won a national title at Texas in 2005.
• Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is one win shy of FSU’s Bobby Bowden’s ACC mark for bowl victories, which includes CFP National Championship Games. Bowden leads with 11 Bowl/CFP wins during his tenure in the ACC. Swinney ranks second with 10. Louisville’s Scott Satterfield is 4-0 with three bowl victories at Appalachian State and last year’s win over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl.
• Mack Brown’s 14 bowl victories at Texas (10) and North Carolina (4) rank fourth all-time and second among active coaches. Dabo Swinney’s 10 bowl wins are fifth among active coaches, while Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall are tied for 10th with seven bowl victories.
• Five current league coaches have won ACC Coach of the Year honors – North Carolina’s Mack Brown in 1996, Duke’s David Cutcliffe in 2012 & 2013, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney in 2015 & 2018, Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente in 2016 and Louisville’s Scott Satterfield in 2019.
