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Syracuse (2-0) new head coach Fran Brown has already given us one of the best postgame pressers of the season after the Orange’s win over Georgia Tech.
“Because he said he wanted to fight from 12 to 4, so that’s all I was thinking about,” Brown said, “From 12 to 4, that’s why I was very — and you know me. So it’s a big difference. When you know who I am and come at me about toughness, don’t do that. This game was very personal. And that you know I coached with Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp, so why would we not be a tough, physical football team? That’s just what they do and that’s what I’ll be about and that’s where I was at. And I did take that very personal and I’m going to make sure everyone understands that, when you play us, just be quiet. That way, we’re just going to worry about us throughout the week. Don’t give no ammo to me. You give ammo to me, I’m coming.”
Brown isn’t the only newcomer helping Syracuse. Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord started the season with eight touchdown passes and one interception. In both games, McCord has thrown for over 350 yards, and veteran wide receiver Oronde Gadsden II has been a big part of it. Gadsden II has 13 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Just as impressive is that Gadsden II is averaging 15.5 yards per catch.
Stanford (1-1) had a bye week, so the Cardinal will have plenty of time to scheme for Syracuse’s offense. Only time will tell if the extra time will help the defense. The Cardinal defense gave up 457 yards to TCU in its first game.
The Cardinal needs to keep Syracuse’s offense off the field, and that starts with an ill-equipped run game. Quarterback Ashton Daniels leads the team in both passing and rushing, and although the Orange defense isn’t the 1985 Bears, it should be enough.
The most intriguing game in the conference kicks off at noon in Clemson, South Carolina. North Carolina State (2-1) started the season as a dark horse to win the ACC, and they still have that chance if they win the conference. What’s probably off the table is the Wolfpack making the College Football Playoff as a wild card with the 51-7 loss to Tennessee on the resume.
One of the best things that has happened to North Carolina State is that Clemson (1-1) has bounced back from its loss to Georgia and is currently ranked.
Not to oversimplify it, but this game comes down to the quarterbacks. Last week, Wolfpack’s starting quarterback, Grayson McCall, got hurt and is officially day-to-day. True freshman quarterback CJ Bailey led NC State to three second-half scoring drives in its comeback win over Louisiana Tech.
Dabo Swinney had an extra week to prepare the Tigers for a home game. That should provide an advantage on paper, but with this Clemson team, it isn’t a given.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik put up video game numbers in Clemson’s 66-20 win over Appalachian State. Klubnik went 24-26 for 378 yards and five touchdowns. That was much better than his performance against Georgia.
Keep an eye on Clemson’s Phil Mafah. Is Mafah the 3.7 yards per carry running back he was against Georgia, the 11.8 yards per carry running back he was against App State, or somewhere in between?
The Georgia Tech (3-1) train slowed down after Syracuse had out-toughed the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech followed the loss with a ho-hum 59-7 win over VMI.
The Florida State win has lost all its luster, so a trip to 19th-ranked Louisville (2-0) is what the doctor ordered. The Cardinals’ two wins came against Austin Peay and Jax State. That’s not murderer row.
As dual-threat quarterback Haynes King goes, the Yellow Jackets go. King leads the team in passing and is second in rushing, but his 6.3 yards per carry can kill any defense.
Take this with a grain of salt, but Louisville has three running backs with over 100 yards rushing, with an average of 8.3 yards per carry or higher.
If the Cardinals can establish the run, that should open the field for Tyler Shough.
Shough hasn’t thrown an interception this season.
Other Games:
James Madison (2-0) at North Carolina (3-0)
Virginia (2-1) at Coastal Carolina (3-0)
Rutgers (2-0) at Virginia Tech (2-1)
Youngstown St (1-2) at Pitt (3-0)
Duke (3-0) at MTSU (1-2)
TCU (2-1) at SMU (2-1)
(8) Miami (3-0) at South Florida (2-1)
