Thu., Sep. 30 @ 7:30 pm ET
Virginia Cavaliers at Miami Hurricanes
Virginia Cavaliers
OPENING KICK
• Virginia will play the first of back-to-back road games beginning with Thursday’s contest against Miami. The Cavaliers are seeking their first win away from Charlottesville since Nov. 2, 2019 against North Carolina.
• The Cavaliers will play their fourth night game of the season and will play on Thursday for the first time since the 2017 Military Bowl.
•The Cavaliers have played four or more night games every year since 2018 and own a 10-12 mark at night under Bronco Mendenhall.
• Virginia travels to Coastal Division foe Miami for the third consecutive season. UVA has never played an ACC foe three-straight years on the road. Virginia has played at Clemson three-consecutive times on the road but not in consecutive years (1973, 1974 and 1977).
• UVA comes into the contest with the most passing yards in the country (1,722) and Miami has allowed 983 yards through the air in its first four games, second most
in the ACC.
AGAINST MIAMI
• Miami leads 11-7 in the all-time series that dates back to the 1996 Carquest Bowl. The two teams have met every year since 2004.
• The Hurricanes have won the back-to-back meetings against Virginia including a 19-14 win last season.
• Miami has won three-straight against the Cavaliers on two different occasions (1996-2005 and 2015-17)
• Miami led in last year’s meeting for all but 27 seconds thanks to a 43-yard touchdown pass from D’Eriq King to Michael Harley on the second play of the game. Virginia pulled within five points after a six-play 94-yard drive that ended with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Brennan Armstrong to Ra’Shaun Henry.
• The Cavaliers last win at Miami was on Oct. 27, 2011. Virginia scored the first 17 points and held on for a 28-21 victory. Michael Rocco passed for 226 yards and two touchdowns, including a 78-yard strike to Perry Jones in the fourth quarter.
UVA VS. MIAMI • SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Miami leads, 11-7
In Charlottesville: UVA leads, 5-3 • In Miami: Miami leads, 7-2 • at Neutral Site: Miami leads, 1-0
Longest UVA win streak: 3 (2010-2012) • Longest Miami win streak: 3 (1996-2005;2015-17)
Largest Victory: 48 (48-0, UVA), 2007 in Miami
Season Site UVA Coach W/L/T Score UVA Rank Miami Coach Opp. Rank
1996 Miami* George Welsh L 21-31 NR Butch Davis 19
2004 Home Al Groh L 21-31 10 Larry Coker 18
2005 Away Al Groh L 17-25 NR Larry Coker 10
2006 Home Al Groh W 17-7 NR Larry Coker NR
2007 Away Al Groh W 48-0 23 Randy Shannon NR
2008 Home Al Groh L 17-24 (OT) NR Randy Shannon NR
2009 Away Al Groh L 17-52 NR Randy Shannon 16
2010 Home Mike London W 24-19 NR Randy Shannon 22
2011 Away Mike London W 28-21 NR Al Golden NR
2012 Home Mike London W 41-40 NR Al Golden NR
2013 Away Mike London L 26-45 NR Al Golden NR
2014 Home Mike London W 30-13 NR Al Golden NR
2015 Away Mike London L 21-27 NR Larry Scott NR
2016 Home Bronco Mendenhall L 14-34 NR Mark Richt NR
2017 Away Bronco Mendenhall L 28-44 NR Mark Richt 2
2018 Home Bronco Mendenhall W 16-13 NR Mark Richt 16
2019 Away Bronco Mendenhall L 9-17 20 Manny Diaz NR
2020 Away Bronco Mendenhall L 14-19 NR Manny Diaz 11
* – Carquest Bowl played at Hard Rock Stadium (then Joe Robbie Stadium) while Miami was still playing home games at the Orange Bowl
NIGHT GAMES SINCE 2016
Date Opponent Result
9.10.16 Oregon L 26-44
9.22.17 Boise State W 42-23
11.24.17 Virginia Tech L 0-10
9.1.18 Richmond W 42-13
9.8.18 Indiana L 16-20
10.13.18 Miami W 16-13
11.2.18 Pittsburgh L 13-23
8.31.19 Pittsburgh W 30-14
9.6.19 William & Mary W 52-17
9.14.19 Florida State W 31-24
9.21.19 Old Dominion W 28-17
10.11.19 Miami L 9-17
11.2.19 North Carolina W 38-31
12.7.19 Clemson^ L 17-62
12.30.19 Florida* L 28-36
10.3.20 Clemson L 23-41
10.24.20 Miami L 14-19
10.31.20 North Carolina W 44-41
12.12.20 Virginia Tech L 15-33
9.4.21 William & Mary W 43-0
9.18.21 North Carolina L, 39-59
9.24.21 Wake Forest L, 17-37
THURS. ESPN GAMES
Year Result Location
1991 Georgia Tech 24, Virginia 21 A
1993 Virginia 35, Georgia Tech 14 A
1995 Virginia 33, Florida State 28 H
1997 Auburn 28, Virginia 17 H
1998 Virginia 19, Auburn 0 A
2000 Georgia Tech 35, Virginia 0 A
2003 Maryland 27, Virginia 17 A
2004 Virginia 30, Clemson 10 H
2006 Georgia Tech 24, Virginia 7 A
2006 Virginia 23, North Carolina 0 H
2011 Virginia 28, Miami 21 A
2012 North Carolina 37, Virginia 13 H
Overall Record: 6-6
Home: 3-2
Away: 3-4
VIRGINIA ON THURSDAY
• UVA is playing its 23rd all-time game on a Thursday.
• The Cavaliers last played on the Thursday night game on ESPN back in 2012, a 37-13 loss at home against North Carolina
• UVA has an all-time record of 7-15 on Thursday.
• UVA’s first Thursday game was on Nov. 25, 1937 at North Carolina.
VIRGINIA AT NFL STADIUMS
• Virginia is 12-23 all-time in venues that at the time of the contest were active NFL stadiums.
• Seven of the 14 NFL stadiums UVA has played in are still active today.
• After losing seven games in a row in NFL stadiums, UVA snapped the streak with a 28-0 triumph over South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl (Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium).
• Thursday is the fourth game UVA has played at Hard Rock Stadium since 2019. In addition to three matchups against Miami, UVA played Florida in the 2020 Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium.
12 CAVALIERS RETURN HOME TO SUNSHINE STATE
• Virginia defensive lineman Mandy Alonso hails from Miami and starred at Gulliver Prep. Saturday will be Alonso’s fifth career game for Virginia at Hard Rock Stadium. Alonso started the 2017, 2019 and 2020 meetings against Miami and also appeared in the 2019 Orange Bowl against Florida. In three career games as a Cavalier at Hard Rock Stadium Alonso has 10 tackles, 3.0 TFL and 1.5 sacks.
• Alonso is one of 12 Cavaliers from Florida. Other “South Beach” area natives include Anthony Johnson (Coconut Creek) Sean Moore (Cutler Bay) and D’Sean Perry (Miami). The other eight Cavaliers from Florida are: Antonio Clary (Jacksonville), Jacob Finn (Jacksonville), Josh Hayes (Lakeland), Artie Henry (Sarasota), David Herard (Fort Lauderdale), Jordan Redmond (Kissimmee), Ryan Swoboda (Windermere) and Zachary Teter (Lakeland).
CAVALIERS PASSING ATTACK
• Virginia leads the country in passing yards per game with 430.5 and is second only to Fresno State (1,988 in five games) in total yards.
• Quarterback Brennan Armstrong is credited with 1,705 of those passing yards and his 426.52 per game are the most of any signal caller in the country. He is averaging 438.2 yards per game in total offense, also the most of any player in the country.
• Armstrong ranks 4th in the FBS in completion percentage (66.7%), fourth in points responsible for (92), sixth in points responsible for per game (23.0), and sixth in passing touchdowns in 2013. He is second in the ACC in all four of those categories.
• His 13 touchdown passes Tajh Boyd (Clemson) Jerod Evans (Virginia Tech), Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Philip Rivers (NC State) for the most by an ACC quarterback in the first four games since 2000.
ARMSTRONG CONTINUES TO PUT UP BIG NUMBERS
• Brennan Armstrong has thrown for 300 yards in four-straight games. Only Matt Schaub (8), Aaron Brooks (6), Bryce Perkins (5) and Armstrong (5) have five or more 300-yard passing games in their careers. Armstrong is the only one of the group to throw for 300 in four consecutive games.
• Armstrong has amassed 1,753 yards of total offense which includes 400-plus yards in each of his last three games. His 538 yards against North Carolina were a single-game program record. Including Armstrong, only four players in UVA history have put together 400 yards of total offense in a game – Bryce Perkins (twice), Benkert (twice) and Mark Verica (once).
• Armstrong threw for 400 yards for the third time this season against Wake Forest. His 407 yards were the fifth most in a game in program history.
400-Yard Passing Games in UVA History
554 – Brennan Armstrong vs. North Carolina (2021)
455 – Kurt Benkert vs. UConn (2017)
421 – Kurt Benkert vs. Central Michigan (2016)
417 – Marc Verica at Duke (2010)
407 – Brennan Armstrong vs. Wake Forest (2021)
405 – Brennan Armstrong vs. Illinois (2021)
*5 of 6 performances have come in Bronco Mendenhall era (2016-present)
ON THE RECEIVING END
• Dontayvion Wicks caught a career-high eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest. He has now caught three touchdowns in the last two games.
• Wicks is the first Cavalier wide receiver with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games (183 at UNC; 114 vs. Wake Forest) since Hasise Dubois in 2019 (Virginia Tech & Clemson).
• Jelani Woods, Ra’Shaun Henry, Billy Kemp, Keytaon Thompson, Mike Hollins & Dontayvion Wicks have each caught a pass in all four games this season.
• Against Wake Forest, Woods caught four balls for 73 yards including a 17-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second quarter. Woods has a touchdown in three-straight games. His three touchdowns are tied for the second most by a tight end in the country
• Five Cavalier receivers rank in the top 17 in receiving yards throught four games – Dontayvion Wicks (1st – 460 yards), Billy Kemp (9th – 281), Jelani Woods (11th – 247), Keytaon Thompson (14th – 232) and Ra’Shaun Henry (17th – 224).
• Woods’ 247 yards receiving are the fifth most in the country by a tight end.
• Armstrong has spread the ball around in each of the first four games. At least nine different receivers have caught a pass in each game this season including a season-high 11 against North Carolina.
APPROACHING MILESTONES
• Wide receiver Billy Kemp moved into 12th place on UVA’s career reception list. He now has 127 for his career and needs two catches to crack the top-10 and tie former teammate Joe Reed (2016- 19) and Perry Jones (2009-12) for ninth place.
• Defensive back De’Vante Cross is expected to make his 30th start at UVA and has made 28-straight since arriving on grounds, the longest streak of any defensive player. • Running back Wayne Taulapapa needs 51 yards to become the 45th UVA rusher to reach 1,000 career rushing yards.
• Left tackle Ryan Nelson is poised to make his 42nd-straight start for the Cavaliers, the most career starts and most consecutive starts of anyone on the team.
DEFENSIVE/SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Nick Jackson and Joey Blount co-led the Cavaliers with 11 tackles each against Wake Forest.
• Jackson has posted double-digit tackles in three of the four games this season and now has 173 for his career. His 40 tackles this season are the second most in the ACC and ranked 15th in FBS.
• The 11 tackles for Blount were two shy of a career high. His 6.0 solo tackles per game are the second most amongst his ACC cohorts and ranked 12 in the NCAA.
• Against North Carolina, Fentrell Cypress recorded his first career interception picking off a Sam Howell pass in the end zone and returning it 66 yards. The return was the 11th longest in program history.
• Mike Hollins fielded four kickoff against Wake Forest for 71 yards, the first fielded kickoff for UVA since week one against William & Mary. Hollins finished with a career-best 127 all-purpose yards.
• Specialist Brendan Farrell was credited with his first point, converting an extra point attempt on UVA’s second touchdown against Wake Forest.
RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE
• The Cavaliers broke the school single-game record for passing yards with 553 against North Carolina.
• It was the first time a UVA quarterback and a UVA offense accumulated 500 yards or more passing. It marked only the fifth time UVA has thrown for 400 or more yards as a team and the second time its passed for 400 or more yards in an ACC contest.
Most Team Passing Yards in a game (UVA history)
1. vs. UNC (2021) – 553
2. vs. Louisiana Tech (2012) – 480
3. vs. UConn – (2017) – 455
4. vs. Duke – (2010) – 417
5. vs. Abilene Christian – (2020) – 403
ARMSTRONG’S CAREER NIGHT IN CHAPEL HILL
• Brennan Armstrong passed for school-record 554 yards in UVA’s 59-39 loss at North Carolina. It was the third-highest single-game total in ACC History.
Top ACC Passing Games
1. Deshaun Watson (Clemson) – 580 vs. Pitt in 2016
2. Stephen Morris (Miami) – 566 vs. NC State in 2012
3. Brennan Armstrong (UVA) – 554 vs. North Carolina in 2021
4. Rusty LaRue (Wake Forest) – 545 vs. NC state in 1995
5. Chris Weinke (Florida State) – 536 vs. Duke in 2000
• Armstrong is the first Cavalier quarterback to pass for 300 yards in consecutive games.
• Armstrong accounted for 538 yards of total offense, breaking the program’s single game record previously held by Bryce Perkins (490 yards) against North Carolina in 2019. It was the seventh highest single-game total in ACC history.
• The 538 yards of total offense and the 554 yards passing are the most by any FBS player this season.
• Armstrong established career-highs in completions (39), attempts (54), passing yards (554), total yards and (538). It marked the second-straight week he established new career highs in completions and passing yards.
• The 554 yards passing was the most ever by a quarterback against North Carolina. Dave Brown of Duke set the previous record of 479 in 1989.
• Armstrong also set a UVA first half record, 364 yards in the first half.
Miami Hurricanes
Game Five
THE GAME
• The Miami Hurricanes wrap up a four-game homestand in their third season under the direction of head coach Manny Diaz on Thursday, Sept. 30 against Virginia at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff for the matchup, slated for national broadcast, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN with Matt Barrie (pxp), Roddy Jones (color) and Harry Lyles, Jr. (sideline) on the call. Joe Zagacki (pxp) and Don Bailey, Jr. (color) are in the 560 WQAM radio booth for their 20th season together while Josh Darrow manages the sideline duties. Alfredo Alvarez (pxp) and Joe Martinez (color) will carry the game live on WMYM 990AM from Hard Rock Stadium. WVUM 90.5 FM will also broadcast.
• UM will be celebrating the life of Howard Schnellenberger on Thursday night with an on-field ceremony, a special jersey patch and more planned.
THE SERIES
• Thursday’s game between the Miami Hurricanes and Virginia Cavaliers is the 19th all-time meeting in the series; Miami leads, 11-7, including 7-2 in games played in Miami. Due to scheduling issues related to COVID-19, the Cavaliers are traveling to Miami for the third straight year dating to 2019.
• Miami has won five of the last six matchups dating back to 2015 and is looking for its third straight win over the Coastal Division foe Cavaliers.
THE HURRICANES
• The Miami Hurricanes return 19 of 22 starters from a 2020 team that finished 8-3 overall and 7-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Canes, who ended the year in the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl, became the third Miami team to win seven games in ACC play since joining the conference in 2004.
• The Hurricanes feature several returners who opted for another season at The U over the NFL Draft, led by one of college football’s most electric players, QB D’Eriq King. In his first season as starting quarterback, King finished with 2,686 passing yards, 538 rushing yards and 27 total TDs.
• Last time out against Central Connecticut State (Sept. 25), Miami topped the Blue Devils, 69-0, at Hard Rock Stadium. Making the first start of hi s collegiate career, QB Tyler Van Dyke a threw for 270 yards with three touchdowns, while S James Williams had three tackles and an interception.
• In its home opener on Sept. 11, the Hurricanes won against Appalachian State. Trailing 23-22 with less than five minutes remaining, freshman K Andy Borregales kicked a 43-yard field goal – his third made field goal of the game – to seal the victory versus the upset-minded Mountaineers.
• For head coach Manny Diaz, 2021 marks a return to his roots as the program’s defensive signal caller and defensive coordinator. Diaz was hired by Mark Richt in 2016 as the program’s defensive coordinator, a role he served in for three seasons before being named head coach in January of 2019.
• In addition to re-assuming his role as defensive coordinator, Diaz hired Travaris Robinson – former defensive coordinator at South Carolina – to coach defensive backs, added Ishmael Aristide from Texas A&M to coach strikers and promoted DeMarcus Van Dyke from recruiting operations to coach corners. Diaz also brought back defensive line coach Jess Simpson, who spent the previous two years as d-line coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
• Several Miami Hurricanes were selected as preseason candidates for major college football awards; in addition to King, who was named a candidate for nearly every offensive award, Miami had Bubba Bolden named to the Thorpe Award watch list, Will Mallory to the Mackey Award, Lou Hedley to the Ray Guy Award, Mike Harley to the Biletnikoff Award, both Zion Nelson and Jarrid Williams to the Outland Trophy watch list, and others.
• Miami had more production returning than all but three Power 5 programs in America (Arizona State, UCLA, Rutgers) at 91%; the national average of returning production from 2020 into 2021 was 76.7% across FBS. UM was the only team in the ACC to rank in the top 25 of FBS returning production.
THREE AND OUT
CANES CLOSE OUT HOMESTAND VS. UVA
• Miami wraps up a four-game homestand with its conference opener against Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
• Miami has a 10-7 record all-time in ACC openers since joining the conference in 2004, and won last year’s opener, 47-34, over Louisville on the road.
• The Hurricanes finished 4-1 at home in 2020 and are 26-7 in 33 regular season home games since Manny Diaz joined the UM staff as defensive coordinator in 2016.
• Miami is opening conference play at home for only the second time in the last eight years dating back to 2014 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020).
VAN DYKE REPLACED D’ERIQ VS. CCSU
• After recovery from reconstructive surgery on a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee suffered in Miami’s 2020 bowl game, D’Eriq King made the 14th start of his UM career against Michigan State on Sept. 18 at Hard Rock Stadium.
• King hurt his shoulder in Miami’s game against the Spartans, missing his first game since arriving in Coral Gables in January 2020 last time out vs. CCSU (Sept. 25).
• King is responsible for more than 10,000 yards in his collegiate career: 8,378 passing yards, 2,055 rushing yards, 520 receiving yards, 29 punt return yards and 260 kick return yards – a total of 11,242 yards.
SCHNELLENBERGER CEREMONY PLANNED
• Miami wll be honoring the life of iconic head coach Howard Schnellenberger on Thursday night agaisnt Virginia.
• Howard’s wife, Beverlee Schnellenberger, and their sons, Tim and Stuart, will be participating in the coin toss ceremony and the halftime ceremony on Thursday.
• The Hurricanes, who have worn a helmet decal honoring Coach Schnellenberger all season, will be wearing a special patch that honors the coach for Thursday’s game.
• Since shortly before his passing at age 87, UM has partnered with local shop allCanes and the UM Bookstore on a tribute tee with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Schnellenberger Family Foundation.
MIAMI ENDS HOMESTAND WITH VIRGINIA IN THURSDAY NIGHT MATCHUP
• Miami ends its early-season home stretch on Thurs., Sept. 30 against Virginia at Hard Rock Stadium in a primetime matchup. Kickoff for the game is slated for 7:30 p.m. with broadcast slated for ESPN.
• After opening its season against #1/#1 Alabama in Atlanta, Miami is ending a four-game homestand followed by a bye week – 41 days will have elapsed in between non-home games for the Hurricanes. Miami’s next scheduled road game – its first of the year – is Saturday, Oct. 16 at North Carolina.
• The Hurricanes are matching up with the Cavaliers for the 19th time in program history on Saturday. Miami leads the all-time series, 11-7, and has won five of the last six matchups dating back to 2015.
• Head coach Manny Diaz is currently in his third season at the helm in Coral Gables; Diaz led Miami to an 8-3 record in 2020, including a 7-2 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Miami won seven games in ACC play for just the second time in program history in 2020 – UM finished 7-1 in ACC play in 2017.
• UM’s game versus the Cavaliers is slated for broadcast on 560 WQAM, WMYM 990 AM & WVUM 90.5.
LAST TIME OUT: HURRICANES TOP CCSU, 69-0, AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
• The Hurricanes captured a win in their home matchup with Central Connecticut State, 69-0, on Sept. 25 at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami was playing the Blue Devils for the first time in program history.
• QB Tyler Van Dyke, making the first start of his Miami career in place of an injured QB D’Eriq King, finished 10-for-11 for 270 yards. QB Jake Garcia also saw action, finishing 11-for-14 for 147 yards.
• Miami set a school record with 739 total yards of offense in the win – 322 rushing and 417 passing.
• Making the first start of his career, freshman S James Williams finished with three total tackles and wore the turnover chain for the first time in his career on an interception in the third quarter.
• Freshman RB Cody Brown rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns – the first two of his career – while freshman RB Thad Franklin added 88 rushing yards and a score. RB Cam’Ron Harris had 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as Miami piled up 322 yards and five rushing touchdowns in the win.
HURRICANES ARE 4-1 IN ACC OPENERS SINCE DIAZ’S ARRIVAL IN 2016 • Ever since his arrival as a member of Mark Richt’s staff in January 2016, Manny Diaz and the Miami
Hurricanes have enjoyed impressive success in ACC openers, compiling a 4-1 mark in five seasons.
• In Diaz’s three years as defensive coordinator, the Canes dominated at Georgia Tech (2016), at Duke (2017) and at home vs. North Carolina (2018), winning those games by an average of 25.3 points.
• After falling to North Carolina in its 2019 ACC opener – Diaz’s first year as head coach – Miami bounced back with a 47-34 win over top-25 Louisville on the road in a College Gameday site matchup last year.
• UM is opening conference play at home for only the second time in the last eight years dating back to 2014 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020). In 2018, UM topped UNC, 47-10, in its ACC opener at home.
RUN IT BACK: MIAMI AMONG NATION’S MOST EXPERIENCED 2021 TEAMS
• By nearly every metric, the Hurricanes entered 2021 as one of the nation’s most experienced groups. QB D’Eriq King’s December 2020 announcement regarding his plans to return for another year spurred a flurry of similar announcements from veterans across offense, defense and special teams.
• The Hurricanes returned 19 of 22 starters on offense and defense; Miami only lost TE Brevin Jordan (Houston Texans, fifth round), DE Jaelan Phillips (Miami Dolphins, first round) and DE Quincy Roche (Pittsburgh Steelers, sixth round) to the 2021 NFL Draft, as well as K Jose Borregales on special teams.
• According to Bill Connelly of ESPN, Miami returned 91% of its production from 2020 into 2021 – the highest of any program in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the fourth-most among any Power 5 program and the 13th-most in FBS. The national average for all of FBS entering 2021 was 76.7%.
2021 HURRICANES ALSO FEATURE NEW FACES, FIRST-TIME STARTERS
• In addition to several key returners, the Miami Hurricanes have seen several newcomers and first-year starters feature through the first two games of the season on offense, defense and special teams.
• Miami’s offense featured three new starters through three games: WR Key’Shawn Smith, who saw limited action as a backup last year, WR Charleston Rambo, who transferred from Oklahoma and is in his first year at UM, and OL Jalen Rivers, who started at left guard but is out for the season to injury.
• In addition to those three players, OL Justice Oluwaseun – a UNLV transfer – has made two starts.
• On defense, LB Corey Flagg and LB Keontra Smith both started through the first two games of the season – Smith was injured versus App State. DE Zach McCloud and DE Jahfari Harvey are in their first full seasons as starters; both started in the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl for the first time at defensive end.
• S James Williams made the first start of his career in a win over Central Connecticut State (Sept. 25).
• On special teams, K Andy Borregales took over for older brother Jose, who won the Lou Groza in 2021 as the nation’s top kicker. Borregales had the game-winning 43-yard field goal versus App State.
Sat., Oct. 2 @ 12:00 pm ET
Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels
Duke Blue Devils
OPENING KICKOFF
• The Victory Bell is on the line Saturday when Duke and North Carolina square off in their 108th meeting … kickoff is slated for noon, and the game will be televised live by ESPN2.
• North Carolina leads the all-time series between the two schools, 62-41-4 … in the last meeting on Nov. 7, 2020, Duke dropped a 56-24 decision to the Tar Heels … the Blue Devils’ last win over North Carolina came on Nov. 10, 2018, when Daniel Jones set school single-game records for total offense (547) and rushing yards by a quarterback (186) to help lift Duke to a 42-35 victory.
• The Battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 with North Carolina first earning possession following a 20-0 win … head cheerleaders from Duke (Loring Jones) and North Carolina (Norman Sper) decided on the idea, with Jones designing the model and Sper obtaining a bell from an old railroad train … Red Lewis, Duke’s business manager, agreed to find money in the budget to pay for the bell.
• After four games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories … most notably, he ranks first in scoring (54 points), total touchdowns by a running back (9), rushing touchdowns (8), and second in rushing yards (522) and all-purpose yards per game (171.75).
• Durant continues to climb up the Blue Devils’ all-time rushing chart … his 124 yards against Kansas moved him into 14th place with 1,843 career yards … he is currently 97 yards away from breaking into the top-10 and 157 yards away from becoming the ninth Duke player to amass 2,000 career rushing yards.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward has two double-digit tackle games this season and has led Duke in tackles in three of its four contests … the Dacula, Ga., native currently leads the ACC with 42 tackles.
• With his 105 receiving yards against Kansas, senior wide receiver Jake Bobo became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so in 2017 against Florida State and Pittsburgh … Bobo recorded 109 yards against Northwestern on Sept. 18.
• This season marks the 75th anniversary of head coach Wallace Wade’s second stint at the helm of the Blue Devil program … after an 11-year tenure as head coach from 1931-41, Wade returned to Durham for the 1946 season and went 4-5, including a 13-0 victory over No. 13 Wake Forest … he would go on to coach four additional seasons after that, compiling a record of 21-12-4 for an overall coaching mark at Duke of 110-36-7 (.742).
INSIDE THE SERIES
North Carolina Leads: 62-41-4
• at North Carolina………………………………19-33-2
• at Duke……………………………………….20-29-2
• Neural Site……………………………………. 2-0-0
• Current Streak………………….North Carolina, W2
• Last Meeting…North Carolina, 56-24 (Nov. 7, 2020)
• Longest UNC Streak………………. 13 (1990-2002)
• Longest Duke Streak……………………7 (1950-56)
THE LAST MEETING – NOV. 7, 2020
Duke dropped a 56-24 decision to North Carolina during the teams’ last meeting in Durham … the Blue Devils found themselves in a 28-0 deficit just 16 minutes into the contest before they finally broke through when Eli Pancol scampered in from 22-yards out on a reverse … the Tar Heels added two more scores before Duke got on the scoreboard again, this time with a 29-yard field goal by Charlie Ham to cut the deficit to 42-10 at the break … Duke was never able to recover … Duke’s top rusher was Mataeo Durant, who finished his night with his third 100-yard rushing performance after compiling 132 yards on 11 carries … safety Marquis Waters finished the day with a team best 10.
LAST DUKE WIN – NOV. 10, 2018
Daniel Jones set school records for total offense and rushing yards by a quarterback to help Duke defeat North Carolina, 42-35 … Jones rushed for 186 yards and one touchdown and threw for 361 and three more scores as he racked up 547 yards of total offense, both single-game records at Duke … the Blue Devils out-gained their rival, 629-536, in total yards and finished by converting 13 of their 20 thirddown attempts, while UNC was just six-of-15.
HOME WIN STREAK
The three home wins against North Carolina A&T, Northwestern and Kansas marked the fifth time under head coach David Cutcliffe that Duke recorded a three-game home winning streak … the other years were in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017 … in each of those seasons, the Blue Devils went to a bowl game.
OUT-OF-CONFERENCE WINS
In nine of head coach David Cutcliffe’s 14 seasons at the helm, the Blue Devils have registered three-plus out-of-conference wins … in six of those nine, Duke went to a bowl game.
North Carolina Tar Heels
GAME INFO
TAR HEELS AND BLUE DEVILS
• North Carolina and Duke meet on the football field for the 100th consecutive year and the 108th time overall this Saturday, Oct. 2 in Chapel Hill.
• Carolina has won the last two games in the series, including a 56-24 victory in Durham in 2020. Javonte Williams scored four first-half touchdowns and Sam Howell threw three touchdowns, rushed for another and finished 18 of 27 for 235 yards.
• UNC is 32-19-2 all-time at home against Duke, including a 22-16-2 record at Kenan. The Tar Heels won the last meeting in 2019, 20-17, and have won three of the last four overall in Chapel Hill.
• In 2019, Chazz Surratt picked off Deon Jackson’s trick-play pass at the goal line with 14 seconds left to help return the Victory Bell to Chapel Hill for the first time since 2015.
• Carolina and Duke have met on the football field every year since 1922.
• The series dates back to 1888 when the Blue Devils won 16-0 at a neutral site.
• The first meeting in Chapel Hill was also Carolina’s first win in the series in 1889, 1-0.
LAST TIME OUT
• North Carolina lost 45-22 against Georgia Tech in an ACC Coastal Division game last Saturday night in Atlanta.
• Sam Howell moved into third on UNC’s career passing yards list with 8,400 yards, and is now tied for fifth in ACC history with 79 passing touchdowns.
VICTORY BELL HOLDERS
• North Carolina has held on to the Victory Bell, the traveling trophy given to the winner of the annual game between Carolina and Duke, since 2019. A win this Saturday would mark a third-straight win over the Blue Devils, the longest streak for the Tar Heels since winning eight in a row from 2004-2011.
BROWN VS. DUKE
• Mack Brown is 10-2 all-time against Duke.
• Brown has won his last 10 successive games against the Blue Devils. The streak began from 1990-97 and continued with victories in 2019 and 2020.
UP NEXT
• Carolina hosts Florida State on Saturday, Oct. 9
Pittsburgh Panthers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Pittsburgh Panthers
Game Storylines
• Pitt opens ACC play on the road at Georgia Tech. The Panthers will be making their third consecutive trip to Atlanta, claiming victories in each of their past two visits to Bobby Dodd Stadium.
• Pitt has won three consecutive games overall against Georgia Tech, including a 34-20 victory in the 2020 season finale. Pat Narduzzi is 5-1 against the Yellow Jackets, the lone loss coming on the road in 2017.
• Since 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed Pitt to 29 victories in ACC play, the fourth-highest win total during that span. The Panthers trail only Clemson
(47), Miami (32) and Virginia Tech (30).
• Pitt has scored 40-plus points in four consecutive games to start a season for the first time ever. Pitt is averaging 52.5 points to rank second nationally and tops in the ACC.
• No team in the country has scored more touchdowns than Pitt this season. The Panthers have 29 TDs over four games. Last year, they scored 36 in 11 contests.
• Jordan Addison leads the country with eight touchdown receptions. The last Pitt player to finish as the national leader in TD catches was Larry Fitzgerald with 22 in 2003.
• Kenny Pickett has thrown 15 touchdowns against only one interception. Pickett’s TD pass total—which ranks second in the nation this week—is already a single-season personal high.
• Pitt’s pass rush annually ranks among the nation’s best. Pitt has compiled 16 sacks this season, an average of 4.0 per game, which ranks fifth nationally. Defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado has a team-high 3.5 sacks.
Pitt-Georgia Tech History in Brief
Series Began: 1918
Series Overall: Pitt leads 10-5
ACC Series: Pitt leads 5-3
At Pittsburgh: Pitt leads 5-1
At Georgia Tech: Pitt leads 5-2
At Neutral Sites: GT leads 2-0
Last Meeting at GT: Dec. 10, 2020
(Pitt 34, Georgia Tech 20)
Last Meeting at Pitt: Sept. 15, 2018
(Pitt 24, Georgia Tech 19)
Current Series Streak:
Pitt has won 3 (2018-20)
Longest Pitt Series Win Streak:
3 games (twice, most recent: 2018-20)
Longest GT Series Win Streak:
2 games (twice, most recent: 2013-14)
Largest Pitt Victory Margin:
32 points (32-0, 1918)
Largest GT Victory Margin:
28 points (56-28, 2014)
SERIES NOTES
This is the 16th meeting between Pitt and Georgia Tech in a series that began in 1918…Pitt leads the overall series, 10-5, and has won five of the past six meetings…the Panthers are 5-1 in games played in Pittsburgh and 5-2 in Atlanta…Pitt and Georgia Tech have twice met in bowl games with the Yellow Jackets winning each time…Georgia Tech defeated the Panthers in the Jan. 2, 1956 Sugar Bowl (7-0) and the Dec. 29, 1956 Gator Bowl (21-14)…the 2021 game marks the ninth Atlantic Coast Conference encounter between the two schools… the Panthers lead the ACC series, 5-3…this will be the third consecutive game played in Atlanta…Pitt won on the road in 2020 (34-20) and 2019 (20-10)…in 2018, the host Panthers won, 24-19, a victory that keyed their run to the Coastal Division title…Georgia Tech’s last win in the series occurred in 2017, a 35-17 decision in Bobby Dodd Stadium…Pitt won both the 2015 and 2016 contests courtesy of late field goals by Chris Blewitt…in 2016, Blewitt’s 31-yard field goal as time expired gave Pitt a 37-34 win at Heinz…in 2015, Blewitt boomed a 56-yard field goal with 1:11 left for a 31-28 victory in Atlanta…the initial three games of the series from 1918-20 were all played in Pittsburgh…led by legendary coach Glenn “Pop” Warner, Pitt won each of those three contests by an aggregate score of 58-9… before the 2013 revival of the series, the two schools had not played since a pair of games at Georgia Tech in the 1970s…in 1976, Tony Dorsett scored three touchdowns as Pitt routed the host Yellow Jackets, 42-14…under the direction of Coach John Majors, Pitt would go 12-0 in 1976 and claim the national championship, while Dorsett would win the Heisman Trophy…the Panthers also defeated Georgia Tech, 27-17, in Atlanta during the 1974 season.
SERIES GAME-BY-GAME
PITT LEADS SERIES, 10-5
DATE H/A PITT GT
Nov. 23, 1918 H 32 0
Oct. 25, 1919 H 16 6
Oct. 23, 1920 H 10 3
Jan. 2, 1956 * 0 7
Dec. 29, 1956 ** 14 21
Sept. 21, 1974 A 27 17
Sept. 18, 1976 A 42 14
Nov. 2, 2013 A 10 21
Oct. 25, 2014 H 28 56
Oct. 17, 2015 A 31 28
Oct. 8, 2016 H 37 34
Sept. 23, 2017 A 17 35
Sept. 15, 2018 H 24 19
Nov. 2, 2019 A 20 10
Dec. 10, 2020 A 34 20
OFFENSIVE NOTES
SUPER SCORING:
• Pitt ranks second nationally with an average of 52.5 points per game. The Panthers lead the ACC and trail only Ole Miss (52.7 avg.) among FBS schools.
• Pitt has scored 40-plus points in four consecutive games to start a season for the first time ever.
• The Panthers’ 77-point outburst against New Hampshire was their highest point total since an 88-0 victory over Westminster on Oct. 30, 1926.
• Dating back to the 2020 season, Pitt has now scored at least 30 points in five consecutive games, its longest streak since the 2016 team had a streak of seven such contests.
PICKETT POINTS:
• Quarterback Kenny Pickett has been exceptional through four games this season, completing 74% of his passes (98 of 132) for 1,342 yards with 15 touchdowns and one interception. Pickett’s TD pass total is already a single-season personal best.
• Pickett owns lofty national rankings in no fewer than eight NCAA statistical categories this week: passing touchdowns (second, 15), passing efficiency (second, 195.6 rating), points responsible for (third, 102 points), total offense (fifth, 365.8 avg.), completion percentage (fifth, 74.2%), passing yards (sixth, 335.5 avg.), yards per pass attempt (eighth, 10.17 avg.) and completions per game (11th, 24.50 avg.).
• Against New Hampshire (Sept. 25), Pickett threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns on 24-of-28 passing (86%). He added a oneyard rushing score to account for six total TDs in the 77-7 win.
• Against Western Michigan (Sept. 18), Pickett threw for 382 yards and six touchdowns with one INT on 23-of-31 passing (74%). His six scoring passes were one shy of the school record and tied the ACC single-game mark.
• Pickett is one of only four Pitt quarterbacks to throw at least six touchdowns in a game, joining Pete Gonzalez (a school-record seven in a double-overtime contest against Rutgers in 1997), Dan Marino (six vs. South Carolina, 1981) and Tom Savage (six vs. Duke, 2013).
• In a 41-34 victory at Tennessee (Sept. 11), he accounted for three touchdowns (two passing), while completing 24 of 36 (67%) for 285 yards. He added a one-yard scoring run.
300-YARD PASSING GAMES:
• Kenny Pickett ranks second (tied) all-time at Pitt with 10 career 300-yard passing games. He trails only Alex Van Pelt (14 from 1989-92) and is tied with Tyler Palko (10 from 2002-06).
• Pickett is the only Pitt quarterback with multiple 400-yard passing games. His 403-yard effort against New Hampshire (Sept. 25) marked the third of his career. No other Pitt player has done it more than once.
• Nine other Pitt quarterbacks have one 400-yard game to their credit.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
SACK MASTERS:
• Pitt ranks fifth nationally and second in the ACC with an average of 4.00 sacks per contest (16 total).
• Defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado leads the Panthers with 3.5 sacks, while linebacker Phil Campbell III is second with three.
• Pitt collected 46 total sacks last season, tied with Clemson for the most in the country. The Panthers compiled their total over 11 games, one fewer than the Tigers.
• The 2020 team’s 46 sacks rank tied for ninth in Pitt history.
• Since the 2000 season (when the NCAA began tracking defensive statistics), the 2019 Pitt squad collected the most sacks with 51 over 13 contests.
• The Panthers collected 97 sacks over the 2019-20 seasons, the highest total in the nation over that span and Pitt’s highest twoyear total since 1986-87 (104).
• Pitt’s heralded 1980 squad—which featured legendary defensive ends Hugh Green and Rickey Jackson—set a school record with an amazing 74 sacks in 12 games. Green (17) and Jackson (12) combined for 29 sacks themselves.
PITT MOST TEAM SACKS IN A SEASON
No. Year Games Sacks Sacks/Game
1. 1980 12 74 6.17
2. 1981 12 54.5 4.54
3. 1987 12 54 4.50
4. 1985 11 52 4.73
1982 12 52 4.33
6. 2019 13 51 3.92
7. 1986 11 50 4.55
8. 2009 13 47 3.62
9. 2020 11 46 4.18
1983 12 46 3.83
1977 12 46 3.83
12. 1976 12 45 3.75
13. 2016 13 43 3.31
2011 13 43 3.31
1988 11 43 3.91
BRINGING HEAT:
• Under Pat Narduzzi, Pitt has collected at least five sacks in a game 18 times since 2015. The Panthers are 17-1 in those contests.
• Pitt had five sacks in each of its first two contests this year, a season-opening 51-7 victory over Massachusetts and 41-34 win at Tennessee.
TALKIN’ TFLs:
• Pitt has compiled 30 tackles for loss this season and rank 22nd nationally with an average of 7.5 per game.
v Defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado has a team-high five TFLs.
• In 2020, the Panthers led the nation in total TFLs with a schoolrecord 111 over 11 games. The prior record was set by Pitt’s 2002 squad, which compiled 110 TFLs over 13 games.
GROUND DEFENSE:
• Pitt is yielding an average of 109.5 rush yards to rank 34th nationally (fourth in the ACC) this season.
• Pitt yielded only 93.5 rushing yards in 2020, the third-lowest ground output allowed in all of college football.
• Under Pat Narduzzi, Pitt has held a total of 28 opponents under the 100-yard rushing mark. Pitt is 22-6 in such games, including a 12-5 mark against ACC foes.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
TOP STORYLINES
• Fresh off its biggest win over a nationally ranked opponent in 23 years, Georgia Tech football looks to keep the momentum going when it hosts Pitt for a key ACC Coastal Division matchup on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
• Georgia Tech (2-2, 1-1 ACC) thrashed No. 21/20 North Carolina, 45-22, last Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The 23-point margin of victory was Tech’s largest over a nationally ranked opponent since a 47-24 win over No. 23 NC State on Oct. 10, 1998.
• Tech’s defense sparked the win over North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets limited UNC’s high-powered offense to 22 points and 369 yards, nearly 21 points and 185 yards below its season averages of 42.7 points and 553.3 yards per game.
• The Yellow Jackets’ defense also recorded eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss against North Carolina, good for the Jackets’ most sacks since 2007 and most TFL since 2008.
• Offensively, QB Jeff Sims returned to action for Georgia Tech last Saturday and torched UNC for 240 total yards (128 rushing, 122 passing) and four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) in just over one half of play and led the Yellow Jackets to scores on six of the seven series he quarterbacked (five touchdowns, one field goal), kneel-downs at the end of each half notwithstanding.
• Tech will look to stymie one of the nation’s top offenses again this Saturday versus Pitt. Led by quarterback Kenny Pickett, the Panthers own college football’s No. 2-ranked scoring offense (52.5 ppg), No. 4 passing offense (386.5 ypg) and No. 6 total offense (548.0 ypg).
A GEORGIA TECH WIN WOULD ..
• up its record at 3-2 overall and 2-1 in ACC play;
• give it consecutive wins for the first time since it won fourstraight from Oct. 25-Nov. 17, 2018;
• be its third-straight home win (including last Saturday’s home contest at Mercedes-Benz Stadium), which would be its longest home winning streak since it win eight-straight home games from Oct. 15, 2016-Nov. 11, 2017;
• be its first win over Pitt since 2017, snapping a threegame losing streak against the Panthers;
• up it to 6-10 all-time versus Pitt
A GEORGIA TECH LOSS WOULD …
• drop it to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in ACC play;
• mark the ninth-straight time that it has followed a win with a loss;
• extend its losing streak versus Pitt to four-straight games;
• drop it to 5-11 all-time versus Pitt.
GEORGIA TECH-PITT SERIES HISTORY
• Georgia Tech and Pitt are meeting for the 16th time overall and the ninth time since the Panthers joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013.
• Pitt leads the overall series, which dates back to 1918, 10-5.
• The Yellow Jackets are 3-5 against the Panthers since Pitt joined the ACC in ‘13.
• Pitt’s current three-game winning streak against Georgia Tech is the longest winning streak in the series since Pitt won the first three games in the series from 1918-20.
• Four of the last six meetings between Georgia Tech and Pitt have been decided by 10 points or less (GT is 0-4 in those tight games).
• Prior to becoming conference-mates in 2013, Pitt had won all five regular-season meetings with Georgia Tech (1918, 1919, 1920, 1974 and 1976) but the Yellow Jackets had won both postseason matchups (in the 1956 Sugar Bowl – following the 1955 season – and in the 1956 Gator Bowl).
• Pitt’s 32-0 win over Tech on Nov. 23, 1918 (the firstever meeting between the schools) snapped a 33-game unbeaten streak for Head Coach John Heisman’s Golden Tornado (as Tech’s teams were known at the time).
• Georgia Tech and Pitt are two of college football’s all-time winningest programs. Georgia Tech ranks 20th in NCAA Division I FBS history with 743 all-time wins, while Pitt ranks 21st with 741 victories.
• In an odd schedule twist caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Pitt is visiting Bobby Dodd Stadium for the third-straight season.
• As ACC Coastal Division rivals, Pitt is scheduled to play at Georgia Tech in odd years. However, in 2020, Notre Dame joined the ACC for one season, divisions were scrapped and the schedule was rearranged due to Covid-19. The scrambled schedule saw Pitt travel to Tech for a second-straight year.
• The ACC returned to its pre-Covid schedule format for 2021, which left Pitt playing GT in Atlanta for a third-consecutive season.
• Georgia Tech has never previously hosted an ACC opponent for three-straight seasons. In fact, the Jackets have only hosted ACC opponents in consecutive seasons on three prior occasions — Wake Forest in 1991 and ’92, Virginia in 1993 and ’94 and Pitt in 2019 and ’20.
Sat., Oct. 2 @ 12:30 pm ET
Louisville Cardinals at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Louisville Cardinals
OPENING KICKOFF
• The University of Louisville remains on the road in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as the Cardinals travel to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest on Saturday, Oct. 2. Game time at Wake Forest’s Truist Field is set for 12:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ACC Network RSN.
• The Cardinals and Demon Deacons are meeting for the ninth time in school history, with the Cardinals owning a 6-2 series advantage and have won the last two meetings. The Cardinals are 2-1 all-time in Winston-Salem.
• The Cardinals are looking for their first four-game winning streak since capturing five-straight contests during the 2016 campaign and also are looking for their second-straight conference win on the road during that same season. Louisville defeated Virginia and Boston College in successive weeks.
• Louisville, which is off to its best start during the Scott Satterfield era, are looking to move to 4-1 for the first time since the Cardinals opened the 2017 campaign at 4-1.
• In their last trip to Winston-Salem, the Cardinals knocked off the No. 17 Demon Deacons 62-59 behind 176 passing yards and another 79 yards on the ground from backup QB Evan Conley, who replaced the injured Malik Cunningham.
• The Cardinals won their third-straight game and first in the ACC with a 31-23 victory at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. The Cardinals improved to 3-1 on the season and won their first conference game on the road since defeating NC State 34-20 during the 2019 season.
• Quarterback Malik Cunningham accounted for four more touchdowns — two rushing and two passing — in the win. The junior was 25-of-39 for 264 yards and rushed 14 times for 56 yards. The signal caller totaled 320 yards of total offense in the win, the 11th time he surpassed 300 yards. which is the fifth most in school history.
• Punter Mark Vassett was the unsung hero in the game, punting six times for a 48.0 yard average. He blasted a 73-yard punt, which was the sixth longest in school history and the longest ever by a freshman at UofL. In the win, the freshman kicked six times for an impressive 48.0 yard average and pinned the Seminoles inside their own six-yard line on two occasions. The average start for the Seminoles was their own 20-yard line. In comparison, Louisville its average starting field position was its own 32-yard line.
• Despite giving up 453 yards of offense, the Cardinals sacked Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton six times. Yasir Abdullah had a pair of sacks as did Ashton Gillotte. Yaya Diaby and Malik Clark added single sacks in the win. It was the first time the Cardinals had six or more sacks since registering seven versus Wake Forest in 2016.
• Led by an outstanding and efficient offensive performance and a strong pass rush, the Wake Forest football team captured its first road victory of the season on Friday night as it defeated Virginia in Charlottesville, 37-17. The Demon Deacons (4-0, 2-0 ACC) offense proved again to be one of the most potent in the country as they scored on their first seven possessions of the game before Wake Forest registered its first punt of the game with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter and a 20-point lead.
Last Time Versus Wake Forest
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Malik Cunningham threw for 195 yards and accounted for three scores for Louisville, which blitzed past Wake Forest 45-21 Saturday.
The Cardinals (4-7, 3-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) overcame a sluggish start to rally for a victory in their regular-season finale. After gaining just 7 yards in the first quarter, they finished with 453. Louisville gained 254 of those on the ground.
Cunningham completed 73% (16-for-22) of his passes. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. He went without an interception for the first time in five games.
The Demon Deacons (4-4, 3-4) amassed 351, but they
couldn’t stay on the field as they converted just seven of
18 on third down.
Louisville, meanwhile, converted seven of 14 third downs
and held the ball for 36:56.
Both teams were missing key receivers. Louisville’s Tutu Atwell announced during the week he would miss the contest, while Donavon Green did not dress for the Demon Deacons. In addition, the Cardinals were without three starting offensive linemen. That led to the Cardinals starting their fourth-string center and three freshmen on the line.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
KEY STORYLINES
PUTTING THE D IN DEACONS
• SIX TURNOVERS VS FSU: The Demon Deacon defense forced six turnovers in the victory (three fumbles and three interceptions), the most in the Dave Clawson era. The previous high was five at Indiana on Sept. 24, 2016. Additionally, the six turnovers forced are the most forced by a FBS team in a single game this season. The Demon Deacons total of 11 turnovers this season puts them among the best in the nation:
FBS Leaders in Turnovers Gained
1. Kent State 13 (4 Fum, 9 INT)
T2. Boise State 12 (5 Fum, 7 INT)
T2. Kent State 12 (3 Fum, 9 INT)
T2. Notre Dame 12 (3 Fum, 9 INT)
5. Wake Forest 11 (4 Fum, 7 INT)
• AMONG THE NATION’S BEST: In addition to turning the ball over the Demon Deacon defense also see themselves inside of the top-25 in a number of other categories:
Scoring D (9th, 14.2 PPG), Redzone D (5th, .545), TFL/G (7th, 8.5), Turnover Margin (4th, +1.75 per game).
FAST STARTS
• WE DID IT AGAIN: Wake Forest has now started its season 4-0 for the fifth-time this century (2019, 2017, 2016, 2006) and the fourth time in the Dave Clawson era. In each of these seasons, the Demon Deacons won their Atlantic Coast Conference road opener as Wake Forest did so on Friday.
• HALFTIME LEADS: The Demon Deacons took the lead into half for the fourth time this season with a 20-3 lead over Virginia at the midway point on Friday. They have had a combined lead of 99-29 in first halves this season.
QB1 CLIMBING THE CHARTS
• ACCURACY: Sam Hartman has completed 74-of-112 passes to open the season for a completion percentage of 66.1%. Wake Forest Sports Hall of Famer Riley Skinner holds the Demon Deacons and ACC record after completing 236-of-326 (72.4%) over 11 games in 2007.
Wake Forest Single Season Completion Pct.
1. Riley Skinner (2007) 72.4 (236-326)
2. Sam Hartman (2021) 66.1 (74-112)
3. Riley Skinner (2009) 66.0 (264-400)
4. Riley Skinner (2006) 65.8 (171-260)
5. Cory Randolph (2005) 64.9 (85-131)
• FINDING THE ENDZONE: Dating back to last season, Hartman has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in eight straight games. Over that stretch he has 18 touchdown passes to seven different receivers.
KICKING INTO HISTORY
• Nick Sciba is on his way to becoming the most accurate kicker in NCAA history. During his time at Wake Forest, he is 64-of-71 (.901), the best mark for any kicker in NCAA and ACC history (min. 50 att). NCAA Career Field Goal Percentage (min. 50 attempts)
1. Nick Sciba (2018-present) WF 90.1
1. Brett Baer (2009-12) ULL 90.0
2. Alex Henery (2007-10) NEB 89.5
4. Roberto Aguayo (2013-15) FSU 88.5
5. Chris Manfredini (2003-07) TCU 87.7
• Additionally, Sciba holds the school record with 338 points for his career, breaking the school record on his final kick of the Virginia game on Friday. He also is tied for 14th in ACC history in points.
SERIES HISTORY vs. Louisville
9TH MEETING
LOUISVILLE 6-2-0
at Wake Forest: 1-2-0
at Louisville: 1-3-0
Biggest Win: 56-35 (10/27/2018)
Biggest Loss: 44-12 (11/12/2016)
Longest Winning Streak: 2 (2017-18)
Longest Losing Streak: 4 (2007-2016)
Current Streak: Louisville, 2
NOTING THE Cardinals
• Head coach Scott Satterfield has been at the helm since 2019. Last week against Florida State, Louisville won by a score of 31-23 and Satterfield is now 15-13 in his Cardinals career.
• Malik Cunningham had four touchdowns – two passing and two rushing – and in his last two games, Cunningham now has eight rushing touchdowns (two in each game).
• Cunningham is a duel threat for the Cardinals as he is their leading rusher totaling 263 yards on the season which good for fifth in the ACC. He also ranks seventh in the conference with 998 passing yards.
• Louisville had a variety of receivers make contributions last game with Tyler Harrell leading the way in yards with two catches for 61 yards. Meanwhile team leading receiver, Marshon Ford hauled in a team-high six catches for 52 yards.
• Linebacker Jack Fagot made a career-high 10 tackles. He now has 25 total tackles on the year and is currently the team leader. His 25 tackles has him ranked 24th in the ACC.
• For the season, Louisville is averaging 22.8 points per game which is good for the 13th in the conference.
• Meanwhile, the Cardinals defense is right in the middle of things ranking seventh in the ACC (18.5 points).
• Offensively, Louisville ranks in the top 10 in the following categories: yards per game264.5 (sixth), yards-1,058(sixth), and efficiency-134.7 (ninth).
SERIES INFO
• Saturday marks the ninth
meeting between both
programs.
• Louisville is currently on a two game win streak dating back to 2019
• In their last meeting, Louisville topped Wake Forest by a score of 45-21.
• Dave Clawson looks to earn his third win against the Cardinals this Saturday.
• The last four matchups saw both teams split wins (2-2).
• Wake Forest has scored 30+ in three out of their last four wins against Louisville.
• Wake Forest’s first meeting with Louisville was in 2007 at the Orange Bowl when the Cardinals topped the Deacs 24-13.
Sat., Oct. 2 @ 3:30 pm ET
Syracuse Orange at Florida State Seminoles
Syracuse Orange
OPENING DRIVE
ORANGE READY FOR ACC OPENER
• Syracuse opens ACC play at Florida State on Saturday. It’s the Orange’s first road game since the season opener on Sept. 4.
• The Orange look to extend their winning streak to three games, which would be their longest since winning four straight twice during the 2018 season.
• The game will air on ACC Network, with Chris Cotter (PxP), Mark Herzlich (analyst) and Jalyn Johnson (reporter) on the call.
STRONG THROUGH SEPTEMBER
• Syracuse’s win against Liberty gave the Orange a 3-1 record in September.
• That mark equals ‘Cuse’s best record during the month since head coach Dino Babers took over the program in 2016.
• The 2018 squad also went 3-1 in September. That year the Orange started the season in August, posting a win at Western Michigan, and entered the month of October with a 4-1 record.
• Syracuse finished the 2018 campaign with a 10-3 record, which included a 34-18 victory against West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl.
A STAR IS BORN
• Freshman RB Sean Tucker ranks as one of the top offensive players in the nation through the first four games.
• He ranks in the top 10 in seven different categories in the latest NCAA FBS statistics.
• Tucker is second in the country in rushing yards with 536, which is just 18 behind national leader Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State.
• He’s also second in all-purpose yards (177.75) and rushing yards per game (134.0).
• His eight total touchdowns is good for fourth place as are his 48 total points.
• Tucker also ranks fifth in rushing touchdowns with seven.
• In addition, he is 31st in yards per reception (19.44).
• Tucker is on pace to set the program to set the program single-season rushing record of 1,372, which was set in 1979 by Joe Morris.
DISRUPTIVE DEFENSE
• Opposing quarterbacks have seen a lot of Syracuse defenders in their backfield this season, particularly during the past two weeks.
• The Orange’s 14 combined sacks in the last two games are the most in a single two-game stretch in program history.
• Syracuse ranks second in the naƟ on in sacks per game (4.50) despite not recording a sack in the season opener.
SERIES HISTORY
• Syracuse and Florida State will meet for the 14th time when they take the field on Saturday.
• The Seminoles own an 11-2 advantage in the series but have split the last two meetings.
• Both of the Orange’s wins have come in Syracuse – 1966 in Archbold Stadium and 2018 in the Carrier Dome.
• Syracuse faced Florida State each year from 2013- 19 as members of the ACC’s AtlanƟ c Division. The teams did not play last season when the league adopted a 15-team, one-division format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
LAST TIME VS. FLORIDA STATE
• Cam Akers scored four touchdowns to lead Florida State to a 35-17 victory against Syracuse in Doak Campbell Stadium in 2019.
• The Seminoles took their largest lead of the day at 35-3 lead before the Orange scored 14-straight points in the fourth quarter.
• Moe Neal and Abdul Adams each recorded a rushing touchdown in the contest. Neal finished with 74 yards on 20 carries, while Adams had 56 yards on 11 attempts.
• Tommy DeVito completed 20-of-33 passes for 151 yards.
• Lakiem Williams led the Orange with 11 tackles. It was the first of three-consecutive
FLORIDA STATE AT A GLANCE
• Florida State is looking for its first win of the season after a 31-23 loss to Louisville on Saturday.
• Head coach Mike Norvell is in his second season at the helm of the Florida State program. He came to Florida State after spending three seasons as the head coach at Memphis. Norvell also served as an assistant coach at Arizona State, Pitt and Tulsa.
• RB Jashaun Corbin has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of four games this season. He averages 9.15 yards per carry this season, which ranks second in the nation. In addition, his 439 total rushing yards rank 12th nationally.
• QB McKenzie Milton has started the past three games for Florida State. He ranks in the top five nationally among active players with 9,231 passing yards and 10,309 yards of total offense. Milton led UCF to a 27-6 record as a starter from 2016-18 before suffering a knee injury that kept him out in 2019 and 2020.
• DE Jermaine Johnson ranks third in the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 2.0 per game and second in per game (1.5).
GAME NOTES: TEAM
A WIN WOULD …
• Improve Dino Babers’ record to 28-37 as head coach of the Orange.
• Extend the ‘Cuse winning streak to three, which would be its longest since 2018.
• Give Syracuse its 740th all-Ɵ me victory (includes 11 wins from 2004-06 that were vacated by the NCAA). The Orange currently rank 22nd on the FBS ledger of winningest programs. Syracuse is one of 31 FBS schools to have accumulated 700+ wins
Florida State Seminoles
NOTES TO KNOW
• Florida State hosts Syracuse this week in the Seminoles’ fourth home game in the season’s first five weeks. The last time Florida State had four home games in the first five weeks of a season was 2019, when the season opener was moved from Jacksonville to Tallahassee due to Hurricane Dorian. The last time the Seminoles had our scheduled home games in the first five weeks of a season was 2012 when they opened with four straight in Tallahassee.
• FSU leads the all-time series with Syracuse 11-2 (.846), including a perfect 6-0 mark in Tallahassee.
• Jashaun Corbin ranks 1st in the ACC and 2nd nationally with his average of 9.15 yards per carry this season. In records dating back to 2000, Corbin has the 4th-highest average by an ACC rusher and 19th-highest average nationally for any runner with at least 45 carries through a team’s first four games. The highest average in a team’s first four games since 2000 is Darrell Henderson’s 12.2 in 2018 under head coach Mike Norvell at Memphis.
• Florida State is tied for 1st in the ACC and 4th nationally with four plays of at least 60 yards this season. FSU’s two rushing plays of at least 70 yards are 1st in the ACC and tied for 2nd in the country.
• The Seminoles are tied for 4th in the ACC and for 25th in the NCAA with an average of 3.25 sacks per game, led by Jermaine Johnson II’s NCAA-high 6.0 total sacks.
• FSU ranks 5th in the ACC and 30th nationally with an average of 7.2 tackles for loss per game. Jermaine Johnson II’s 8.0 total TFLs are tied for 1st in the ACC and 3rd in FBS.
• Florida State’s defense held Louisville to 0 points, 79 yards of total offense, 1-for-8 on 3rd-down attempts and 0-for-1 on 4th-down attempts in the second half last week. It was FSU’s first shutout in a second half against an ACC opponent since Nov. 14, 2015 vs. North Carolina State.
• FSU is allowing an ACC-low 2.52 yards per rush after halftime this season. The Seminoles’ eight rushing first downs allowed after halftime also are the lowest in the conference, and Florida State is the only team in the ACC that has not allowed a 20-yard rush after halftime this season.
• Florida State rushed for 264 yards in the season opener vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, the program’s most rushing yards against a ranked opponent since totaling 287 yards on the ground vs. No. 10 Clemson on Sept. 22, 2012.
GAME NOTES VS. SYRACUSE
JERMAINE JOHNSON II LEADS D-LINE
• Georgia transfer Jermaine Johnson II has made a name for himself early in his FSU tenure. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native leads FSU with 31 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He added a pass breakup against Jacksonville State.
• Johnson leads the country with 6.0 sacks and is 3rd with 8.0 tackles for loss.
• Johnson’s 6.0 sacks are the most for a Seminole since Brian Burns had 10.0 in 2018. » Johnson is the first FSU player since at least 2000 with a half-sack or more in each of the first four games of a season.
• In his first game as a Seminole, Johnson was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after setting career highs with seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks against No. 9 Notre Dame. He was the first Nole to put up those numbers against a ranked opponent since Burns, now with the Carolina Panthers, did it against No. 4 Clemson in 2017.
• Against Jacksonville State, Johnson topped those numbers with 11 tackles, 4.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks.
• In records dating back to 2000, Johnson is the first Seminole with 11 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in a game. No player from the ACC has had that line since 2011.
• At Wake Forest, Johnson led FSU with 10 tackles and added a half-sack. He became the first Seminole defensive lineman since current Houston Texan DeMarcus Walker in 2016 with 10+ tackles in consecutive games.
• Johnson started four games at Georgia, with 36 tackles, 8.0 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 24 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and two pass breakups. Five of Johnson’s sacks came in the 2020 season.
• Florida State has 30 tackles for loss on the season, with 9 against Notre Dame and 8 against both Jacksonville State and at Wake Forest. The last time FSU had 8 tackles for loss or more in three straight games was in 2017 against Clemson (9), Delaware State (11) and Florida (10).
• Keir Thomas, a sixth-year transfer from South Carolina, finished with four tackles and a pivotal third-down sack late in the fourth quarter vs. Notre Dame. Quashon Fuller and Fabien Lovett each had three tackles and Fuller had his first career tackles for loss on consecutive plays in the third quarter – a half-TFL with Brendan Gant and a solo sack.
• The Seminoles held Notre Dame to 65 total rushing yards, the 5th-lowest in head coach Mike Norvell’s career. It was a 288-yard improvement over a season ago when the Irish rushed for 353 yards in South Bend. The Seminoles are allowing just 2.52 yards per carry after halftime this year.
• Thomas, from Miami, started 32 games and played in 47 over five seasons at South Carolina. He recorded 142 tackles, 18.5 for loss and 8.5 sacks in his time in Columbia. He had a career-high eight tackles in a win at No. 15 Auburn in 2020.
• Marcus Cushnie made his FSU debut against Notre Dame after playing in 26 games over three seasons at Alabama A&M. He was a two-time All-SWAC selection and ranked 2nd in FCS with 1.75 sacks per game in the 2020 season. Cushnie led Alabama A&M to the SWAC title last year and was a second-team Academic All-American. He ranks 8th nationally among active players with 0.53 sacks per game.
• On the interior, Robert Cooper returns for his fourth season with 79 career tackles, 9.0 for loss and 2.5 sacks. Cooper and Johnson split a sack of Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan in the first quarter. Dennis Briggs Jr. started at Wake Forest and recovered his second career fumble. » Derrick McLendon II has two games with a career-high 1.5 TFL this season – against Jacksonville State and at Wake Forest. He forced his first career fumble against Jacksonville State, a ball that was scooped up by Sidney Williams and returned 27 yards, leading to FSU’s first touchdown of the game. All his TFLs at Wake Forest were sacks, half of FSU’s three as a team.
CORBIN, RUNNING GAME SHINES TO START SEASON
• Running back Jashaun Corbin ranks 2nd in the country with 9.15 yards per carry and has three 100-yard rushing games in 2021. He leads FSU with 439 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, averaging 109.8 yards per game.
• Corbin set a career high with 159 rushing yards against Louisville, and also topped 100 yards in the season opener vs. No. 9 Notre Dame (144) and vs. Jacksonville State (109).
• Corbin had a career-long 89-yard touchdown run against No. 9 Notre Dame and a 75-yard rushing score vs. Louisville. He is the only player in the country this year with multiple 75-yard TD runs and joins Dalvin Cook (2015), Chris Thompson (2010) and Sammie Smith (1987) as the only players in school history with multiple touchdown runs of 75 yards or longer in a season.
• Corbin’s TD against the Irish is the 5th-longest rush in school history, the longest of his career and the longest for any player in six years under Mike Norvell as head coach. Corbin’s run is the 4th-longest rush in the country this season.
• Corbin’s dash was the longest for a Seminole since Cook had a 94-yard run at Wake Forest in 2015. His 144 yards are the 6th-most in a season opener in FSU history (Ken MacLean, 146, 1948; Travis Minor, 146, 1998; Arthur Munroe, 147, 1971; Greg Allen, 154, 1983; Cook, 156, 2015). » Corbin needed just 15 carries against the Irish to reach 144 yards, and his 9.6 yards per carry were the most for a running back with that many yards against Notre Dame since Vince Murray had 11.3 yards per carry for Navy in 2009. Behind Corbin, FSU outrushed Notre Dame 264-65. With 202 rushing yards against Jacksonville State, FSU rushed for at least 200 yards in three straight games for the first time since 2012 (FSU rushed for 324 vs. Duke 12/12/20 and 264 vs. Notre Dame 9/5/21).
• Florida State’s 264 rushing yards vs. the Irish were the most for the Seminoles against a ranked opponent since having 287 vs. No. 10 Clemson in 2012.
• Redshirt freshman Treshaun Ward also has three touchdowns this season, with two on the ground and one receiving. He had a career-high 76 yards and his second career touchdown against Notre Dame and led FSU with 48 rushing yards at Wake Forest. He caught an 8-yard touchdown to get FSU on the board at Wake, his first career receiving touchdown.
• Corbin and Ward have combined for 10 touchdowns over the past five games (4 vs. Duke in 2020, 2 vs. Notre Dame, 1 vs. Jacksonville State and Wake Forest and 2 vs. Louisville).
• Corbin and redshirt freshman Lawrance Toafili were both named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List given to the nation’s best running back.
Sat., Oct. 2 @ 6:00 pm ET
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at N.C. State Wolfpack
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
SATURDAY KICKOFF
• Louisiana Tech and No. 23 NC State will meet for just the second time in program history.
• The last time the Bulldogs and Wolfpack met was on Aug. 31, 2013. It was the first game coached by oth LA Tech’s Skip Holtz and NC State’s Dave Doeren as the head coach of their respective programs. >> Saturday’s contest will be the 52nd time LA Tech has faced a Top 25 opponent.
• The Bulldogs have won four contests against Top 25 foes. Louisiana Tech’s last win over a Top 25 opponent was a 48-45 victory over No. 25 Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23, 2016.
• LA Tech is coming out of a three-game homestand where the Bulldogs went 2-1.
• Tech senior linebacker Ezekiel Barnett is on track to appear in his 50th career game as a Louisiana Tech Bulldog on Saturday. The former walk-on has appeared in 49 games since 2017, including 17 starts at linebacker.
• Sophomore wide receiver/punt returner Smoke Harris was named LSWA Co-Special Teams Player of the Week after registering a 67-yard punt return, the longest of his career, in LA Tech’s 24-17 conference-opening victory over North Texas on Sept. 25. It was the longest punt return by a Bulldog since 2011 when Craig Johnson had an 82-yard punt return. >> LA Tech’s first four games of the 2021 campaign have been decided by a single possession for just the fourth time in the last 40 years. The last two times the Bulldogs had four consecutive games decided by eight points or less was 2001 and 2011 when LA Tech would go onto win the WAC title.
• Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz earned his 150th career win as a FBS head coach in the 45-42 victory over Southeastern (Sept. 11).
• Since joining the league in 2013, Louisiana Tech leads Conference USA with 205 forced turnovers.
• Freshman wide receiver Tre Harris became the first Bulldog to register a 100-yard reception game this season after posting 102 receiving yards against SMU on Sept. 18.
• Freshman linebacker Tyler Grubbs and senior linebacker Ezekiel Barnett became the first Bulldogs to record double-digit tackles in a game this season with 13 and 10 stops, respectively, against SMU (Sept. 18).
• Brothers Levi Bell and Ben Bell have combined for six of the LA Tech’s eighth sacks this season.
N.C. State Wolfpack
THE SERIES vs. LA TECH
• The Wolfpack and the Bulldogs have played just one time – the season opener in 2013. It marked Dave Doeren’s first game at NC State and it was Skip Holtz’s first game at Louisiana Tech.
• The two coaches are now tied for 14th nationally for longest tenures at their current schools.
• Skip Holtz was the head coach at East Carolina from 2005-09, posting a 1-2 record against the Wolfpack.
• Holtz’s dad – Lou – was NC State’s head coach from 1972-75 and still holds the top winning percentage in school history at .719 (33-12-3)
NOTING THE WOLFPACK
• NC State will participate in College Football Mental Health Week from October 2-9. This week is a call to action by Hilinskis Hope to raise mental health awareness, destigmatize mental illness, and provide quality resources to student-athletes.
• The Wolfpack is ranked for the first time since October of 2020, coming in at No. 23 in the AP poll this week. NC State is the highest ranked team in the ACC.
• The Wolfpack has now won its last six ACC home openers dating back to 2016 and has won five of its last six ACC openers overall.
• NC State was named the FWAA/Cheez It Bowl National Team of the Week following the win over No. 9 Clemson.
• Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren ranks second in career victories in NC State history with 58. He boasts the third-longest tenure among all current ACC coaches.
• In the past two games, QB Devin Leary has completed 75% of his passes (55-73). He ranks 22nd in the FBS in completion percentage for the season (.689).
• During Doeren’s tenure at NC State, the Wolfpack has held the opposition to less than 100 yards rushing 38 times, including twice this season (vs. MIssissippi State and Furman).
• The Wolfpack’s season-opening shutout of USF marked the first time NC State had held an FBS opponent scoreless since 2011.
• NC State’s defense face the air raid at Mississippi State in Week 2 and turned around to play a triple option team vs. Furman in Week 3.
• Nine different players are on 15 different preseason watch lists for national awards (three different players – Grant Gibson, Zonovan Knight and Payton Wilson appear on three lists apiece).
• The Wolfpack coaching staff – head coach Dave Doeren + 10 assistant coaches – boasts 299 years of collective coaching experience.
• NC State has lost three defensive starters to injuries this season: LB Payton Wilson – the ACC’s leading tackler in 2020 and SS Cyrus Fagan vs. MSU and NT C.J. Clark in practice the week before the Clemson game.
Sat., Oct. 2 @ 7:30 pm ET
Boston College Eagles at Clemson Tigers
Boston College Eagles
The Game
• Boston College opens ACC play under the lights at defending conference champion Clemson Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. Clemson has won the last six ACC Championships.
• Saturday’s Homecoming game for Clemson will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network. Dave O’Brien, former BC quarterback Tim Hasselbeck and Kelsey Riggs have the television broadcast call on ACCN.
• Coverage on the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield begins at 7 p.m. with Jon Meterparel along with former BC standouts Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn
on the call. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 850 AM along with on Sirius channel 108, XM channel 194 and online via SiriusXM channel 956.
• Boston College remained undefeated with a 41-34 overtime victory over Missouri last Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
• Clemson came up just short, falling 27-21 to NC State in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The Series
• In a series that began in 1940, Boston College and Clemson meet for the 31st time Saturday.
• The Tigers lead the series 19-9- 2 and have won 10 consecutive games against the Eagles.
• BC’s longest winning streak in the series is four games. The most points scored in the series for BC were 40 in 1949 while the largest margin of victory for the Eagles was a 15-point win in 1983 (31-16).
• The current 10-game winning streak is the longest in the series for Clemson. The Tigers’ highest point total was 59 in 2019 in Death Valley and it also set the largest margin of victory (52 points) in series history.
• For the 14th time, Boston College and Clemson will play for a trophy. The BC Gridiron Club established the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy in 2008.
• The trophy features a leather helmet replica of those used by Charlie O’Rourke of Boston College and Banks McFadden of Clemson, when they competed against each other in the 1940 Cotton Bowl.
• The Boston College Gridiron Club also presents a replica leather helmet to the MVP of the winning school.
• Since BC joined the ACC in 2005, seven of the 16 games have been decided by seven points or less. Clemson is 12-4 in ACC play against BC.
• The series began in the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1940. The Tigers defeated the 11th-ranked Eagles 6-3 as Charlie Timmons rushed for 115 yards.
• The 1983 win by BC featured 28 unanswered points as Doug Flutie threw for 223 yards and two TDs to hand Clemson its only loss of the year (9-1-1).
• The 2018 game marked just the third time in Boston College history that two teams ranked in the AP Top 20 squared off at home as the No. 17/14 Eagles hosted No. 2/2 Clemson.
• Last season, No. 1 Clemson erased a 28-10 second-quarter deficit for a 34-28 comeback victory in Death Valley.
• Saturday’s game marks the third straight season BC visits Clemson
BC Versus Ranked Opponents
• BC is 31-116-1 all-time against ranked opponents. The Eagles defeated No. 25 Miami (unranked in the AP) 27-14 for their last victory against a ranked opponent in 2018.
• The last win against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 9 Southern California (37-31) in 2014.
• Since joining the ACC in 2005, the Eagles are 10-39
against ranked teams.
• Boston College has not won a road game against a ranked opponent since a 27-17 victory at No. 20 Florida State on Nov. 15, 2008. The losing streak on the road against ranked opponents stands at 19 games for BC.
Clemson Tigers
CLEMSON TO HOST BOSTON COLLEGE FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Clemson will return to Death Valley this week when the Tigers face the Boston College Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 2. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
As the result of scheduling quirks in the pandemic-adjusted 2020 season, Clemson and Boston College will meet in Death Valley in a third consecutive year for the first time in series history. The Eagles will join Duke (1986-88), Virginia (1972-74) and Wake Forest (1957- 59 and 1983-85) as the only ACC programs ever to face
Clemson in Death Valley in three consecutive seasons.
Last week, NC State outlasted Clemson, 27-21, in a double-overtime heartbreaker. Clemson surrendered its first offensive touchdown of the season with five seconds remaining in the first quarter, ending a streak of 194:55 to open the season without a touchdown surrendered by the defense.
Clemson’s defense helped keep the Tigers in the game despite spending an immense amount of time on the field and despite losing starters Bryan Bresee and James Skalski to injury during the contest. NC State ran 96 plays to Clemson’s 49, a 47-play difference that was Clemson’s largest play deficit in records back to 1950,
surpassing minus-40 play differentials against North Carolina in 1970 and against Boston College in 1983.
Not including two untimed possessions in overtime, NC State held the ball for 41:48, four seconds shy of the longest time of possession by a Clemson opponent since North Texas held the ball for an opponent-record 41:52 against the Tigers in 2010.
Linebacker Baylon Spector led Clemson with a careerhigh 19 tackles in the contest, one ahead of Spencer Shuey’s 18 tackles against Georgia in 2013 for the most by a Clemson player in a single game under Dabo Swinney. His 19 tackles were the most by a Clemson player since 2002, when John Leake recorded 21 against Maryland.
This week, Clemson will once again play in the venue where it has won 30 consecutive contests since late 2016, one of only 24 home winning streaks of 30 or more games in FBS history. With a 31st straight home win, Clemson would tie 1890-93 Yale, 1990-95 Texas A&M and 2001-05 Boise State (31 each) for the 18th-longest home winning streak in FBS history. Clemson is 49-1 at home in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014), the nation’s best home record.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
– Clemson attempting to win a 31st consecutive home game to extend its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history (as well as extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak). Of the 135 players on Clemson’s 2021 roster, 130 have never experienced a home loss in their Clemson careers. Five sixth-year “super seniors” on Clemson’s 2021 roster were on the 2016 team that recovered from a home loss to Pitt by winning the national championship that season.
– Clemson (30) attempting to tie 1890-93 Yale, 1990- 95 Texas A&M and 2001-05 Boise State (31 each) for the 18th-longest home winning streak in FBS history.
– Clemson and Boston College meeting in Death Valley in three consecutive years for the first time in series history. The Eagles will join Duke (1986-88), Virginia (1972-74) and Wake Forest (1957-59 and 1983-85) as the only ACC programs ever to face Clemson in Death Valley in three consecutive seasons.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 20-9-2 all-time against Boston College, dating to the teams’ first meeting in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day in 1940.
– Clemson attempting to win its 11th consecutive game against Boston College, dating back to 2011. Clemson’s 10-game winning streak against Boston College is its second-longest active streak against an ACC opponent, trailing Clemson’s 12-game active winning streak against Wake Forest.
Boston College since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 13-1 against Boston College under Head Coach Dabo Swinney. It would improve Swinney to 8-0 at home against Boston College as well.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 27-1 in October games in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).
– Clemson attempting to defeat an ACC Atlantic Division opponent for the 38th time in its last 40 opportunities. Those figures include games against traditional Atlantic opponents in a division-less season in 2020.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 54-4 against ACC opponents (including postseason play) since the start of the 2015 season.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 70-5 in regular season play since the start of the 2015 season.
– Clemson hosting an opponent with a perfect record through four or more games at Death Valley for the 15th time in stadium history. Clemson is 9-5 at home against
teams with a 4-0 or better record, including wins in each of the last four instances.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 28-7 in games following a loss under Dabo Swinney, including season openers following a loss in the previous season finale. Clemson has not lost back-to-back games in the same season since November 2011.
– Clemson, which is No. 25 in the AP Poll this week after being No. 9 in the AP Poll last week, attempting to improve to 27-6 under Dabo Swinney in games in which it enters ranked lower in the AP Poll than it did in its previous contest. That record includes season openers in which Clemson opened a season lower than its ranking from the final game of the previous campaign.
– Head Coach Dabo Swinney coaching his 178th career game to tie Virginia and Wake Forest’s Al Groh (178) for fourth-most career games coached as a member of the ACC.
– Swinney attempting to earn his 143rd career win to pass Steve Spurrier for sole possession of the sixth-most wins through the first 15 years of a coaching career in FBS history. Of note, Swinney is only in his 14th season (including an interim season in 2008).
– Clemson entering the game having only surrendered four offensive touchdowns this season, tied for the second-fewest in the country.
– Clemson entering the game as one of four programs to not allow a rushing touchdown so far this season (Georgia, San Diego State and Wake Forest).
– Clemson attempting to join 2013 Colorado as the only Power Five Conference teams to hold opponents without a rushing touchdown through the first five games of a season since 2000, according to data available via Sports Reference. (Note: Georgia and Wake Forest can also join this list this week).
– Clemson attempting to open a season allowing no rushing touchdowns in each of the first five games for the first time since a national championship season in 1981, when Clemson allowed zero touchdowns on the ground through its first six games.
– Clemson attempting to hold a fifth consecutive opponent without a rushing touchdown for the first time since a six-game streak across the final four games of 2017 and first two games of 2018.
– Clemson attempting to hold a fifth straight opponent under 4.5 yards per play for the first time since a six-game streak across the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
– Clemson attempting to record a takeaway in a sixth consecutive game, dating to last season, for the first time since a nine-game streak in 2019.
– Clemson, which had four sacks against Georgia Tech and three sacks against NC State, attempting to record at least three sacks against three consecutive opponents for the first time since a seven-game streak across the final two games of 2019 and first five games of 2020.
– Placekicker B.T. Potter (258 career points) needing three points to tie or four points to pass Chris Gardocki (261 from 1988-90) for 10th-most career points in
Clemson history.
– Potter (33 career field goals) needing one more field goal to enter the Top 10 in Clemson history in career field goals. Bob Pauling (34 from 1979-83) currently sits at No. 10 behind No. 9 Mark Buchholz (37 from 2007-08).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
– Clemson attempting to win a 31st consecutive home game to extend its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history (as well as extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak). Of the 135 players on Clemson’s 2021 roster, 130 have never experienced a home loss in their Clemson careers. Five sixth-year “super seniors” on Clemson’s 2021 roster were on the 2016 team that recovered from a home loss to Pitt by winning the national championship that season.
– Clemson (30) attempting to tie 1890-93 Yale, 1990- 95 Texas A&M and 2001-05 Boise State (31 each) for the 18th-longest home winning streak in FBS history.
– Clemson and Boston College meeting in Death Valley in three consecutive years for the first time in series history. The Eagles will join Duke (1986-88), Virginia
(1972-74) and Wake Forest (1957-59 and 1983-85) as the only ACC programs ever to face Clemson in Death Valley in three consecutive seasons.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 20-9-2 all-time against Boston College, dating to the teams’ first meeting in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day in 1940.
– Clemson attempting to win its 11th consecutive game against Boston College, dating back to 2011. Clemson’s 10-game winning streak against Boston College is its
second-longest active streak against an ACC opponent, trailing Clemson’s 12-game active winning streak against Wake Forest.
ALL-TIME WINNING STREAKS OF 10+ GAMES
VS. OPPONENTS (CLEMSON) Rk Opponent Wins Years
1. Furman 31 1938-Present
2. Virginia 29 1955-89
3. The Citadel 18 1932-Present
4. Wake Forest 15 1977-91
Presbyterian 15 1944-Present
6. Wake Forest 12 2009-Present
7. Wake Forest 10 1940-50
Boston College 10 2011-Present
– Clemson attempting to improve to 13-4 against Boston College since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 13-1 against Boston College under Head Coach Dabo Swinney. It would improve Swinney to 8-0 at home against Boston College as well.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 27-1 in October games in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).
– Clemson attempting to defeat an ACC Atlantic Division opponent for the 38th time in its last 40 opportunities. Those figures include games against traditional Atlantic opponents in a division-less season in 2020.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 54-4 against ACC opponents (including postseason play) since the start of the 2015 season.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 70-5 in regular season play since the start of the 2015 season.
– Clemson hosting an opponent with a perfect record through four or more games at Death Valley for the 15th time in stadium history. Clemson is 9-5 at home against
teams with a 4-0 or better record, including wins in each of the last four instances.
CLEMSON AT DEATH VALLEY VS. OPPONENTS
WITH A 4-0 OR BETTER RECORD Year Opponent Record* Result CU-Opp.
11/12/55 Maryland 8-0 L 12-25
10/27/62 Auburn 4-0 L 14-17
10/4/80 Virginia Tech 4-0 W 13-10
10/15/88 Duke 5-0 W 49-17
10/21/89 NC State 6-0 W 30-10
– Potter (159 career PATs) needing six more PATs to pass Aaron Hunt (164 from 2000-03) for third in Clemson history in career PATs.
– Potter entering the game with five career field goals of 50 yards or more. He is presently tied for the school record for career 50-yard field goals with Chris Gardocki (1988-90) and Donald Igwebuike (1981-84).
– Wide receiver Justyn Ross (20) needing one receiving touchdown to tie or two receiving touchdowns to pass Mike Williams (21 from 2013-16) for fourth on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career receiving touchdowns.
– Ross attempting to become the first Clemson player with multiple touchdown receptions in back-to-back games since a three-game streak by Tee Higgins late in the 2019 season.
– Ross (2,081) entering the game 14th on Clemson’s leaderboard for career receiving yards, behind No. 13 Hunter Renfrow (2,133), No. 12 Amari Rodgers (2,144) and No. 11 Jerry Butler (2,223).
