As the self-appointed sports ambassador for the City of Orlando, allow me to welcome Louisville and Heisman Trophy-winning sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson to Orlando for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game.
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A very big role worthy of all the adulation.
What was billed as an ACC showdown quickly turned into a rout.
No one agreed with Jackson, especially not Michael Vick, who tweeted after the game that Jackson is “5x better than what I was at V-Tech.Enough said!”
Jackson was flattered but took it in stride, “I guess it’s just helping us win, you know? I don’t really look at that”.
“He’s pretty fantastic”, coach Bobby Petrino said of Jackson.
But these are not just moments he displays in games. “He was able to focus and concentrate”. The Seminoles’ only bright spot was 10 consecutive points to get within 14-10 before Jackson took over.
Florida State scored another 10 points late and avoided its worst loss ever.
This defeat was so complete that FSU coach Jimbo Fisher seemed a bit shell-shocked after the game.
Tennessee (3-0) played without four starters – three were injured and defensive back Malik Foreman was suspended for team rules violations.
Dalvin Cook was bottled up well by the Louisville defense, only managing 54 yards on 16 carries. His plays included a dazzling highlight run down the field with a spin move on a final defender before he entered the endzone for the score. It followed his interception on the previous series, one sign that he is human. “Coming from him? I was amazed when they told me in the locker room”. “I was like, I’m determined to score right here”.
No. 1 Alabama 48, No. 19 MS 43 – At Oxford, Miss.: Alabama scored two defensive touchdowns and another on special teams to overcome a three-touchdown deficit and beat MS in a Southeastern Conference showdown.
No. 5 Clemson 59, South Carolina St. 0: In Clemson, South Carolina, Deshaun Watson threw three early touchdown passes in Clemson’s rout in the game that both coaches chose to shorten. James Quick caught seven passes for 122 yards.
The Bulls (3-0) are 5-0 at the Carrier Dome.
Heisman candidates are aided by national exposure, and having Jackson appear on SportsCenter every week with eight, five, and five touchdown games is huge. Our assistant coaches have been working on this game for a long time – since last winter. They came in with the No. 15 passing offense in the country.
Before Clemson’s halftime against South Carolina State, Watson had thrown three touchdowns for 152 yards. The receiver flipped the ball to the official before taking a knee. Mack, who rushed for two touchdowns against the Orange a year ago, added two more.
Louisville had 314 yards and seven touchdowns in its running game alone.
– Ninth-ranked Wisconsin was on its way to an embarrassing loss until backup quarterback Alex Hornibrook led three scoring drives in the second half of the Badgers’ 23-17 triumph over Georgia State. The Vols did not look ready for the Gators against Ohio.
The Bison went for a 2-point conversion down 21-20 with 3:41 left but couldn’t punch it in. Through the first two weeks of the season, he had ranked third nationally in rushing yards and eighth in passing.
Louisville’s Jaylen Smith (9) attempts to outrun the pursuit of Florida State’s Trey Marshall (20) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sep. The Hurricanes picked up where they left off, scoring on their first four possessions to build a 24-0 lead.
Radcliff went 30 yards on the first play of the game.
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“Our defense did an unbelievable job of stopping the run, getting the ball back for the offense”, Petrino said.
