Tag: ACC

Three Georgia Tech players to know ahead of undefeated Duke’s visit to Atlanta

Here are three key Georgia Tech football players to know before Saturday’s game.

Saturday will be yet another step down an intriguing path that the Duke Blue Devils have slowly created for themselves.

Duke sits at 5-0 as the football calendar officially turned October, and the football season has officially hit its stride. Last Saturday, Duke took down its most prominent rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, en route to their fifth victory. It may be challenging, but they’ll need to turn their attention to the next game as a trip to Atlanta awaits for a Saturday battle with ACC foe Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech won the first college football game of the season when it upset the Florida State Seminoles in Ireland. They haven’t had nearly as many highs since, and Saturday marks a massive moment in their season. Georgia Tech is led by one of its own after former Yellow Jacket Brent Key took over as the head coach in 2023 after four years as an assistant with the program.

Georgia Tech isn’t lacking talent, and we’ve listed three essential names for Duke football fans interested in the Yellow Jackets’ offerings.

Haynes King, QB

Haynes King controls this Georgia Tech offense and does an excellent job. A former consensus four-star quarterback recruit who started his career with the Texas A&M Aggies, King ultimately found his way to Georgia Tech last season.

King has completed 61 of his 87 passes (70.1%) for 724 yards and one touchdown pass in three games against conference foes this year, but as a genuine dual threat, he’s taken on the load himself to help the team’s struggles in the running game by making plays with his legs. He is second on the team with 39 carries, and he’s produced 216 yards and four touchdowns. To make things even more complicated, King has only thrown one interception this season, although he also lost a fumble against Louisville in his last game.

Besides those two plays, Georgia Tech’s offense turned the ball over this year. Relying on turnovers to change the game may not be a solid plan, and instead, Duke will need to play sound defense to fundamentally slow King and this offense down.

Kyle Efford, LB

Linebacker Kyle Efford will be a thorn in the side of Duke’s offense on Saturday. Efford is a throwback linebacker, and even as just a sophomore, he’s one of the ACC’s best. He’s already racked up 39 tackles to this point in the season, the sixth-most in the conference. He flows sideline to sideline, provides nice size at 6-foot-3, and weighs around 230 pounds. He routinely grades out on Pro Football Focus as one of the Yellow Jackets’ best defensive players.

Duke showed more growth in their run game last week, and if that is to carry over to this game against GT, Duke offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer needs to account for Efford in his game plan.

Romello Height, OLB

Romello Height could find himself playing very well on Sundays. He’s a slightly undersized EDGE rusher, but for the sake of this, we’ll list him as an outside linebacker because of his versatility. He can play multiple linebacker spots and has done so throughout his college career, which included stops with the Auburn Tigers and USC Trojans before he came back to his home state.

Height uses speed to beat tackles one on one. He thrives in space and has a pretty quick twitch. At times on tape, you can see him playing with his hair on fire too much and missing obvious tells from motion, play action, or screens that ultimately take him out of the play, but when he’s positioned to pin his ears back and rush the passer, his value skyrockets. Duke’s primary plan of attack this season has been through the air, and if they continue that, they’ll need to use the quick passing game, screens, and running right at Height to negate his biggest strength.

Notre Dame will face TCU, Utah during Cayman Islands Classic

The Irish have some business to do Thanksgiving weekend.

The only part of Notre Dame’s schedule that wasn’t know before Tuesday was its opponents for the Cayman Island Classic. We knew this tournament meant the Irish would spend Thanksgiving weekend together, but we didn’t know which other teams lined up would face them. Wonder no longer.

The Irish will face TCU on Nov. 29, then have a meeting with Utah on Nov. 30. Both teams previously have played the Irish three times in the history and lost every single time. The Horned Frogs last lost to the Irish in 2016, while the Utes were knocked out of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Among the notable storylines here is that the Irish will face Frogs transfer Hailey Van Lith, a two-time First Team All-ACC selection during her days at Louisville, where she went 5-2 against the Irish. She played last season with defending champion LSU, which fell to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight.

Let’s hope the Irish will be ready for some fun in the sun over the holiday. More importantly, let’s hope that fun includes a couple of wins.

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Here’s why the ACC overturned Virginia Tech’s game-winning touchdown at Miami

The ACC ruling is clear, but won’t stop fans arguing about the call

Friday night’s absolutely chaotic ending to Virginia Tech’s upset bid at No. 7 Miami (Fla.) is sure to have both fanbases arguing for the rest of time.

The Hokies thought they completed a Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired to win, 40-38. The Hurricanes were certain the catch was not completed and kept their undefeated season alive with a 38-34 victory.

Both teams awkwardly celebrated on the field as the refs tried to get a handle on the situation. What was initially ruled a touchdown on the field was overturned in favor of Miami after a lengthy review by the ACC control room.

https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1839870917419077805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1839870917419077805%7Ctwgr%5Ee1fed87f655e6b661d43c1238bb59cf3030ceb9c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2024%2F09%2Fvirginia-tech-hail-mary-miami-hurricanes-acc-chaos

Now we know why the league ruled the way it did.

https://twitter.com/Manny_Navarro/status/1839896869176013206

So was it the right call? Per the NCAA rulebook interpretation, it seems so:

I. A player with one foot out of bounds behind a goal line touches a loose ball in the field of play. RULING: Ball is out of bounds and dead at its most forward point in the field of play.

There may not have been enough evidence to determine whether or not a catch was made, but the fact a player who was out of bounds touched the ball makes that discussion moot.

That surely won’t stop anyone from arguing over the call, but it’s at least an understandable reason for why the ACC declared Miami the winner.

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The three Duke football keys to victory against Middle Tennessee State

Before Duke’s Saturday game against Middle Tennessee, our Bryant Crews broke down three keys to a Blue Devils victory.

[autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his Duke Blue Devils have made the trip from Durham to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as they prepare themselves for their final non-conference test of the season against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders.

Diaz and a few members of this Duke staff are no strangers to Murfreesboro. Diaz landed his first-ever defensive coordinator role there, a four-year stint from 2006-09, and he worked with multiple of his current assistants in that time.

Diaz’s tenure at MTSU catapulted him into SEC and Big 12 jobs, eventually leading to his first head coaching gig at Miami. Saturday will likely be an emotional day for Diaz, but Duke is one win away from going 4-0 before they turn their attention to their biggest rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, next weekend.

Duke has the talent advantage, but the Blue Raiders aren’t a pushover. Duke will need to play a clean game, or they could certainly end up on upset alert.

A win is never guaranteed, but here are three key players who would help Duke put itself in position to leave Tennessee with its fourth win of the season on Saturday.

Where’s the balance?

Duke’s best method of attacking defenses in 2024 comes through the air. Partly, that’s to be expected, right? Jonathan Brewer, Duke’s offensive coordinator, has his roots firmly planted in the Air Raid system from his time at SMU under Sonny Dykes, another Air Raid disciple.

However, being an Air Raid team doesn’t mean running the ball is off the table, and Duke could and should find lanes to run the rock against an MTSU team that likely spent all week preparing for this passing attack. If Duke can use the run effectively, the Blue Devils should be able to put a team currently giving up 159 rushing yards per game on its heels.

Stay solid

Duke’s best defensive unit is its veteran secondary. It’s the most experienced position group on the defense with four starting upperclassmen and, pound-for-pond, probably the most talented group as well.

Like Duke, MTSU is looking to pass the ball. The Blue Raiders have thrown for more than 300 yards per game so far this season. The primary target for the Blue Raiders, Auburn Tigers transfer wide receiver Omari Kelly, leads his new team with 14 catches for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Holden Willis also has double-digit catches (12) and should not be taken lightly.

Duke has the corners to match up and the safeties to avoid getting beat deep, but if that unit has a bad day, there’s a real chance Duke will lose this ballgame.

Keep Maalik Murphy locked in

Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy has been a terrific transfer for the Blue Devils. He has completed 64% of his passes for 801 yards, eight touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He can still improve, and he knows that, but the talent has been showcased, and he gives Duke a chance to win every time he steps on the field.

The only downside to his performance so far has been the spurts at which the consistency of his play fluctuates. He’ll be dangerous for two drives and then wildly inaccurate for a third, which sometimes lets the whole offense stagnate and lose control of games. Then, Murphy will suddenly reel it in and look like a truly gifted talent once again.

The highs and lows are hard to deal with, but until Duke finds that consistency, Murphy may not be able to showcase how talented they are, and that could cost them a game or two. So far, they’ve managed, but they’ll need to mitigate that during their second true road game of the season.

Reddit map: USC, Boston College fans consider Notre Dame biggest rival

How do you feel about this?

College football fans are an interesting breed. While some adhere to traditional rivalries involving their teams, there are other teams they just hate more when their team plays them. If only there was a way to track how fans feel about certain rivalries. It turns out there is.

A website called Know Rivalry tracks how fans feel about playing certain teams and what they feel their biggest rivalries are. A college football fan on Reddit decided to place all Football Bowl Subdivision teams on a blank screen geographically and then draw arrows from the teams pointing to what fans believe to be their biggest rival.

Notre Dame fans and USC fans both consider the other team their team’s biggest rival, which isn’t a surprise. But perhaps of the heavy Irish and Catholic connection to their location or university, Boston College fans also consider the Irish to be their top rival:

While the Irish and Trojans play each other every year, the Eagles pop up on the Irish’s schedule only five times between now and 2037. Also, the Irish have won nine straight in the series with the Eagles last emerging victorious in 2008. The teams last met in 2022.

If that’s how Eagles fans feel, fine. Let’s just hope they don’t get as upset if they lose to Syracuse.

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Former Notre Dame coach Mike Brey criticizes ACC for fining system

You go, Mike.

Anyone who covered Notre Dame basketball when [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] was coach will tell you he’s a pretty easygoing guy. The way he spoke at times, you wouldn’t mind if he pulled up a seat next to you at the bar and just start telling you one coaching story after another. That’s just who he is.

If Brey felt his team was being put at a disadvantage though, he wasn’t afraid to tell it like it was. Such was the case when he criticized the officiating after the Irish lost a close game at Florida State in January 2020. The ACC responded by fining Brey $20,000.

Nearly five years later, Brey has left college basketball, but ACC coaches across all sports continue to be fined for being critical of officials. Pittsburgh football coach Pat McMurphy was just fined $5,000 for it.

However, Brey seems less bothered by McMurphy’s fine than the apparent inconsistency in the amount for which coaches are fined:

 

Look, we’re not going to pretend to know what goes into determining how much coaches get fined for things. But if one coach is losing four times as much money as another for the same action, it might be time to reevaluate your practices. Otherwise, it’s pure chaos.

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Where does The Oklahoman rank the Sooners among unbeaten Power Four teams?

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners rank among undefeated teams according to The Oklahoman?

Out of the 68 teams that are considered Power Four programs in college football in 2024, just 38 of them remain undefeated following week two of the season. Teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play at the highest level of competition in the sport. Despite most teams playing “Group of Five” or FCS opponents through the first two weeks of the year, 30 teams have already suffered a loss.

However, the Oklahoma Sooners are not one of them. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team was nearly upended against a fellow Power Four foe, when the Houston Cougars battled all the way to the finish in a 16-12 OU victory on Saturday night. They remain undefeated on the young season at 2-0, but a shaky offensive outing has fans and experts alike concerned about what’s to come for OU in their new conference.

But before league play begins, the Sooners have another non-conference opponent coming to town in the Tulane Green Wave. They represent the best collection of talent and the best team the 2024 Sooners have faced so far, and OU will need to improve mightily on the offensive side of the ball if they want to walk away with a win.

For now, though, the Sooners are one of 38 unbeaten teams at the Power Four level, and “The Oklahoman” ranked each of those teams from worst to first at this point in the season. Joe Mussatto, who wrote the article, placed Oklahoma at No. 25, and had a simple sentence that sums up Saturday night.

“At least the defense is good,” Mussatto said.

Oklahoma ranked sixth out of the nine SEC teams on Mussatto’s list that are still undefeated. Over half of the best conference in college football hasn’t incurred a loss yet.

The Sooners will begin conference play in less than two weeks when the Tennessee Volunteers roll into Norman for a primetime extravaganza. The Vols are 2-0 with wins over Chattanooga (FCS) and N.C. State. They will very likely be 3-0 when they face OU, with Kent State coming up this week.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, cannot look past Tulane. The Green Wave almost defeated Kansas State on Saturday. If the Sooners want to stay undefeated for their initiation into the SEC against Tennessee, they’ve got to get a whole lot better in a hurry on offense. If they don’t, the Green Wave have all the pieces they need to send them spiraling three weeks into the 2024 season with no let up in sight.

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Boston College runs all over Florida State

Boston College went into Tallahassee and rocked Florida State

Despite being better than a two-touchdown underdog, Monday’s ACC game between Boston College and Florida State was no sweat for the Eagles, except for coach Bill O’Brien’s polo shirt.

On a hot and humid Labor Day in Tallahassee, BC crushed the Seminoles, 28-13. The game was not as close as the final score. That’s how bad things are for the Seminoles, who are 0-2 after losing to Georgia Tech in Dublin.

The team that was 13-0 last season before being bulldozed by Georgia in the Orange Bowl has now lost three straight.

For Boston College under O’Brien it was a massive road victory. The Eagles had 263 rushing yards and that was after they lost 11 yards while taking three knees rather than run up the score in the final two minutes.

Florida State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is on his third school having transferred to FSU after time at Clemson and Oregon State. He was either off target or the victim of drops throughout. The Seminoles had 21 rushing yards on 16 carries.

The Florida State defense had no answer for BC’s rushing attack. Three players, including quarterback Thomas Castellanos, topped the 70-yard mark on the ground.

 

College football analyst has Oklahoma Sooners making College Football Playoff

USA TODAY Sports College Football analyst believes the Sooners are in for a big season.

The game has changed in college football. Conference realignment has shaken up the sport, placing plenty of teams in new leagues in 2024. Name, image, and likeness has become a huge part of the sport, as players can now (legally) get paid by businesses and collectives. The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] has altered the way you can build your team.

The [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] has expanded from four to 12 teams, beginning this season. It’s a change that aligns with the big realignment moves, making 2024 a season of change in college football.

We’re just a few days away from the Oklahoma Sooners kicking off their season at home against the Temple Owls, as Labor Day weekend marks Week One of the season. That means it’s time to get those final [autotag]CFP[/autotag] predictions and bowl projections in before the games begin.

That’s exactly what USA TODAY Sports did on Tuesday, predicting every bowl game and the playoff. While most national projections have [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team on the outside looking in when it comes to competing for a championship, college football expert Erick Smith  has a different opinion.

One thing to expect is a heavy dose of [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag] teams. This year’s preseason forecast has four from the former and three from the latter. There’s two from the [autotag]ACC[/autotag], an independent and Group of Five winner and a [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] representative. Oklahoma sets up to be an excellent case study in how people need to readjust evaluating teams beyond win-loss record. The Sooners face five teams ranked in the top 15 of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll with three of them on the road and one at a neutral site. A 9-3 record should likely be enough to overcome a 10-2 team without the same quality of wins. – Smith, USA TODAY Sports

Smith has the Sooners making the playoff and heading to South Bend, Indiana to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round. It’s been 13 years since OU last visited Notre Dame, walking away with a 35-21 win in the 2013 season.

Smith has the Sooners moving onto the second round of the playoff, where they’d play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl represents one of the low moments in the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] era. Oklahoma took a 31-14 lead with six seconds left in the first half. Riley opted to squib kick the ball back to Georgia, who got the ball in great field position. Bulldogs kicker Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 55-yard field goal to cut Oklahoma’s lead to two scores.

Georgia took control of the game, scoring the next 21 points to take a 38-31 lead. The Sooners battled the Bulldogs but ultimately fell in double overtime.

Facing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl would provide Oklahoma an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the nation. Going back to the Rose Bowl, the Sooners would be able to exorcise some demons.

A trip to the playoff and advancing to the quarterfinals this year would validate everything that Venables and his coaching staff have been doing since he took the reins. Navigating their brutal schedule this year to make it into the top 12 would send a statement to the rest of college football that the Sooners are going to be a force.

It’s a tall task, but those are the expectations in Norman, Oklahoma.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Competition continues as Pitt set to play two quarterbacks in season opener

Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers will play two quarterbacks against Kent State in Week 1 as the competition continues.

Pittsburgh Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi reportedly plans to play two quarterbacks in the season opener against Kent State. Both Nate Yarnell and Eli Holstein have been battling for the past eight months for the job, and it does not appear there is a winner yet.

Yarnell is a redshirt junior, while Holstein is a redshirt freshman who came over from Alabama. Yarnell tossed for nearly 600 yards last season in four games, including four touchdowns. He was who many felt was going to get the job. Holstein has done great work in the off-season, and as Narduzzi told the media Monday:

Eli has made some major, major improvements.It’s like he caught up. To me, they need to be put into a game-like situation and let it go from there. Both those guys are going to play on Saturday, and let the competition begin.

Both players have “OR” next to their name on the depth chart. Following the home game against Kent State, the Panthers’ 2024 season gets much tougher. They will head to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats, and then come back home and welcome West Virginia to town. Pittsburgh starts Atlantic Coast Conference play on October 5th at North Carolina.

Narduzzi has been the head coach at Pittsburgh since the 2015 season, going 65-50 in his career with the Panthers. He is also 2-4 in bowl games.

Before his time with Pittsburgh, he was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and then Michigan State.