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It’s early, but Virginia Tech (2-2, 0-0) and North Carolina (3-1, 0-0) are trying to save their season.
For the Hokies, they were a popular “sneaky pick” to win the ACC, and they’ve looked anything but that. Losses to Vanderbilt and Rutgers weren’t part of the plan. Now Virginia Tech must head to the Coral Gables to face the hottest team in the ACC.
After years of “Da U is back” rhetoric falling short, Miami (4-0, 0-0) looks ready to make a seismic move in the conference. Heisman candidate quarterback Cam Ward has been one of the best players in the country. His calm demeanor in the pocket allows him to keep his eyes focused down the field.
Ward has 14 touchdown passes and two interceptions. More importantly, Ward has only been sacked twice.
For Virginia Tech to stay close, this has to be a low-possession game, which means running back Bhayshul Tuten will need to continue his early-season success. Tuten has rushed for 391 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns.
Quarterback Kyron Drones can’t afford to give the Canes a short field with turnovers. Drones already has three interceptions and a fumble this season.
The Tar Heels was the talk of the town last weekend for all the wrong reasons. North Carolina gave up 70 points in a 20-point loss to James Madison.
The loss sparked some self-doubt by Mack Brown, who felt like he was right for the job, but it was quickly squashed.
The antidote for the James Madison loss might be Durham. The Tar Heels face Duke (4-0, 0-0) on Saturday in both teams’ conference openers. The top two things on North Carolina’s list are to stop turning the ball over and tackle much better. Both were issues last week.
It sounds old school, but on the offensive side of the ball, North Carolina’s running game will have a say in how the Tar Heels are fair. Running back Omarion Hampton has rushed for 555 yards and six touchdowns, but Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils’ defense will be the toughest Hampton has faced all season.
Duke’s defense has adopted an aggressive style that has led to almost four sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss per game.
SMU (3-1, 0-0) had some high expectations coming into the season, and outside of the BYU loss, the Mustangs have been what most they thought they would be: a high-powered offensive-led team.
Kevin Jennings has taken over for Preston Stone as quarterback, and the Mustangs are still formidable on that side of the ball.
In last week’s 66-42 win over TCU, Jennings threw for two touchdown passes, and running back Brashard Smith had 127 yards rushing and three touchdowns rushing along with one receiving.
Florida State (1-3, 1-2) will face a Mustangs defense that loves to force turnovers. SMU’s defense forced five turnovers last week and has forced three or more turnovers in three straight weeks.
The Noles got their first win of the season last week, a 14-9 victory against Cal. Florida State is 126th in offense, so the Noles will need to lean on a defense that is seventh in the nation in sacks.
Other Games:
Louisville at Notre Dame (Preview)
Western Kentucky at Boston College
N Illinois at NC State
Holy Cross at Syracuse
Louisiana at Wake Forest
Stanford at Clemson
