By: Aaron J. Bass (ACC Aaron)
With the 2019 college football season under way the world is now full again. The birds are chirping, the sun is rising and setting, and we can now justify early morning drinking on Saturdays again. Week One was a polarizing week for the CFB landscape and the ACC in particular. Here’s your ACC recap & breakdown of week one.
ACC Recap – Week 1
Let’s get the worst out now. Florida State and Duke were the only two teams who were significantly over matched in their week 1 none-conference games.
Duke had the blessing of going Atlanta and play Alabama. The very same Alabama that most recently had their behinds slapped by Dabo ‘n Co. Yet with that being said, Duke was able to hold their own against the title challengers; for the first quarter anyway. Duke actually played so well in the first they made Nick Saban pull his guys from the timeout corner in hopes of squeaking out a victory.
Florida State too was over matched in their week 1 game… against Boise State. It appeared the superior coaching and the more “want” from the players of Boise is what did it in for FSU. Where FSU players and coaches will say it was the water that had it out for them. I am here to lay that to rest right now. FSU is a shell of what they used to be. I do not see them doing anything significant for a LOOOOOONG time. Or atleast while Willie “the bad ball coach” Taggart is at the helm. They want to compete with the likes of Clemson and Syracuse, yet their coaches could’t win at the JV level. It’s gonna be a long road for the ‘Noles; it’s if best you get some shoes ;).
While we’re on the subject of Clemson and ‘Cuse. There is not much to talk about. They both played some poor opponents in Georgia Tech and Liberty and had convincing wins. Both also had amazing performances from their running-backs Travis Etienne and Moe Neal.
Georgia Tech was a similar boat as Duke. They too had to play a CFPlayoff Finalist on the road in Clemson. Not much is expected of Tech this season. They are just coming off the of the tenure of Paul Johnson. With Geoff Collins now at the helm Tech has had to completely change their identity. They have abandoned the measly Triple Option for the sexier spread. But lets be frank, it’s still the same Tech. In their 63 offensive snaps they ran the ball 45 times. Just because it’s a new dress doesn’t mean you’re a new girl.
Speaking of new girls, Scott Satterfield at Louisville is a name you best get used to soon. In his time at App State he went 51-24 and had three 10-win seasons. Even though Louisville lost to Notre Dame (which was expected) they looked like a new football team. With a ground game in Pass and Hawkins we can expect to see the Cards get better as the season bares on.
Along with Louisville, North Carolina also has a new coach… Ok, so maybe Mack Brown isn’t really a new coach, but he’s new to you… Oh, he’s not but whatever, it’s a new chapter. And that Chapter has started off with a bang. The Tar Heels were able to mount a 15-point comeback to beat state rival and SEC foe South Carolina. In their comeback win we saw the UNC defense get big and hold UofSC to only 7 second half points. As well as get key turnovers and drive killers that set up the young offense in advantageous positions. It’s a new era for UNC football. And its being led by an old-face.
But it’s gonna be hard for Mack to get an amazing start to his next chapter with Virginia also being in the Coastal. Coming in as the Coastal favorite, Virginia started the season off with a huge win over reigned Coastal champs Pitt. Led by a firecracker in Bryce Perkins UVA cruised to a 30-14 win over the Panthers and have started their campaign on the front foot.
Another team also started the season off with a big conference win; how about Boston College? Getting a huge 35-28 win over Virginia Tech at home. Both QB Anthony Brown and RB AJ Dillon looked strong in their performances. As well as the BC defense as they forced five turnovers. If BC can keep that Duo healthy expect The Eagles to turn some heads in the Atlantic.
In other games we saw NC State get a strong win over East Carolina (34-6). Sophomore QB Matthew McKay led The Pack with 308 passing yards and a TD. And in other NC action Wake Forest pulled off a miraculous win over Utah St. Which was capped off with a 89 yard drive as the game wheened down to win 38-35.
It was an interesting week for the ACC. With both big wins and bad losses it’s safe to say it’s gonna be a fun season this one. So lets enjoy it together.
That is it for this weeks ACC Recap …
Also, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SEC? We should relegate them to make the Group of 6.
