This Week’s Previews in the ACC
Saturday, Oct. 9
Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-2 ACC) at Duke (3-2, 0-1 ACC)
12:30 p.m.; RSN
GT leads series, 52-35-1
Last meeting: GT,56-33 (2020)
Head Coaches:
Georgia Tech – Geoff Collins (8-19 in third season at Georgia Tech; 23-29 in fifth season overall)
Duke – David Cutcliffe (77-90 in 14th season at Duke; 121-119 in 20th season overall)
Notes: Georgia Tech travels to Duke seeking a second consecutive win in the series, which has been played consecutively since 1933 • It is the longest continuous rivalry on Georgia Tech’s schedule • Games have been played at alternate home sites with the exception of consecutive meetings in Atlanta in 1981 and 1982 • Georgia Tech is 22-21 versus Duke in Durham, though the Blue Devils have prevailed in the last three meetings on their home turf (2015, 2017, 2019) • The Yellow Jackets lead 27-11 in ACC play • Georgia Tech’s 56-33 win in Atlanta last season saw freshman QB Jeff Sims throw for three touchdowns and run for 108 yards as the Yellow Jackets piled up 377 yards on the ground • Duke’s five wins in the last seven series meetings reversed a series trend in which Georgia Tech won 22 of 24 head-to-head meetings, including 10 straight from 2004-13.
Saturday, Oct. 9
Virginia (3-2, 1-2 ACC) at Louisville (3-2, 1-1 ACC)
3 p.m.; ACCN
UL leads series,5-4
Last meeting: UVA, 31-17 (2020)
Head Coaches:
Virginia – Bronco Mendenhall (33-34 in sixth season at UVA; 132-77 in 17th season overall)
Louisville – Scott Satterfield (15-14 in second season at Louisville; 65-38 in ninth season overall)
Notes: Virginia’s 31-17 win at home last season was the Cavaliers’ fourth in nine total series meetings • The Cardinals hold a 4-3 edge versus the Cavaliers in ACC play • Virginia returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered two fumbles in last season’s win • QB Brennan Armstrong threw for 203 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for two touchdowns • Six of the nine games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less • The series began three decades ago with a pair of non-conference games that were decided by a total of three points • Louisville won 30-28 at home in 1988, and Virginia answered with a 16-15 win at home in 1989 • The Cardinals are 4-0 alltime versus the Cavaliers in Louisville, including a 28-21 win in the most recent meeting at Cardinal Stadium in 2019, as QB Micale Cunningham and RB Javian Hawkins accounted for two touchdowns apiece.
Saturday, Oct. 9
#19 Wake Forest (5-0, 3-0 ACC) at Syracuse (3-2, 0-1 ACC)
3:30 p.m.; ESPN2
SU leads series, 6-4
Last meeting: WF, 38-14 (2020)
Head Coaches:
Wake Forest – Dave Clawson (45-45 in eighth season at Wake Forest; 135-125 in 22nd season overall)
Syracuse – Dino Babers (27-38 in sixth season at Syracuse; 64-54 in 10th season overall)
Notes: Wake Forest travels to Syracuse for the third consecutive season • Syracuse owns a 4-2 record against Wake Forest in the Carrier Dome, but Wake Forest posted a 38-14 win on its most recent visit last October • RB Kenneth Walker III ran for three touchdowns, and freshman DB Gavin Holmes scored on a 32-yard interception return to key the Demon Deacons • DB Trill Williams’ 94-yard fumble return for a touchdown sealed Syracuse’s 39-30 overtime win at the Dome in 2019 • Wake Forest had prevailed in a 64-43 scoring bonanza on its previous trip to Syracuse in 2017, when the teams combined for an ACCrecord 1,355 yards total offense – 734 by Wake Forest (a school record) and 621 by Syracuse • Wake’s 64 points stand as the most ever by a Syracuse opponent in the 41-year history of the Carrier Dome • The Orange are 5-3 against the Deacons in ACC games.
Saturday, Oct. 9
Florida State (1-4, 1-2 ACC) at North Carolina (3-2, 2-2 ACC)
3:30 p.m.; ESPN
FSU leads series, 16-3-1
Last meeting: FSU, 31-28 (2020)
Head Coaches:
Florida State – Mike Norvell (4-10 in second season at Florida State; 42-25 in fifth season overall)
North Carolina – Mack Brown (87-58-1 in 13th season at North Carolina; 262-134-1 in 33rd season overall)
Notes: FSU and UNC meet in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009-10 • The Seminoles rallied for a 30-27 win on their last visit to Kenan Stadium in 2009 and are 7-1 all-time in Chapel Hill • QB Jordan Travis ran for two touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to help Florida State build a big first-half lead, and the Seminoles held off No. 5 UNC for a 31-28 win in last season’s game in Tallahassee • FSU’s win snapped a two-game losing streak versus the Tar Heels, who had won road games in 2010 and 2016, both by 37-35 scores • UNC’s only other win in the series came in 2001 by a 41-9 score in Chapel Hill • FSU leads 13-3 all-time in ACC play • The schools met in football for the first time at the 1983 Peach Bowl in Atlanta, where Florida State defeated the Tar Heels 28-3 • This Saturday’s contest will be the second of a three-game ACC homestand for UNC.
Saturday, Oct. 9
#14 Notre Dame (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0 ACC)
7:30 p.m.; ACCN
ND leads series, 2-1
Last meeting: ND,21-20 (2019)
Head Coaches:
Virginia Tech – Justin Fuente (41-27 in sixth season at Virginia Tech; 67-50 in 10th season overall)
Notre Dame – Brian Kelly (85-39 in 11th season at Notre Dame; 256-96-2 in 30th season overall)
Notes: Virginia Tech faces Notre Dame for the fourth time in a series that began in 2016 and for the second time in Blacksburg • QB Ian Book completed 25 of 35 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns to key the Irish to a 45-23 in the last matchup at Lane Stadium in 2018 • The two previous meetings between the teams at Notre Dame were decided by a total of four points, with the Hokies winning 34-31 in 2016 and the Irish by a 21-20 score two seasons ago • Book’s touchdown run and the ensuing extra point with 29 seconds to play in the latter game lifted Notre Dame, which entered the contest as a 17-point favorite • Second of five games this season versus ACC teams for the Irish, who defeated Florida State 41-38 in overtime in the season opener and have home games against North Carolina (Oct. 30) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 20) remaining in addition to a Nov. 13 road trip to Virginia.
