Here’s what we learned from the conference’s craziest week to date. The Tigers prepare for a home game next week against Florida State, a team whose momentum came to a screeching halt two weeks ago after a stunning loss to Georgia Tech.
Advertisement
In 2013, then-No. 5 (and unbeaten) Florida State had to get through a mammoth test in Death Valley against the then-No.
They took the best shot from an underdog.
The Tigers made plenty of mistakes, for sure. “No matter who it is we can line up with anybody in the nation”, Rudolph said. The Tigers allowing 262.3 yards per game while the Wolfpack are 12 yards better with 251.1 yards per game allowed. Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher was hopeful Cook would be back for Clemson but unsure about Golson’s playing status.
After the Miami/Duke debacle (I’ll get into it in a second), and a well-timed victory over Coastal threat, Pittsburgh, the Tar Heels have taken control of the Coastal Division. Rudolph has a slightly better reception percentage (68.6 percent to Greene’s 66.7 percent), is close in yards-per-catch (14.7 for Greene, 14.3 for Rudolph), has a higher rate of catches going for first downs (65.7 percent compared with Greene’s 58.6 percent) and has a 6 to 4 advantage in touchdown grabs. Additionally, the ‘Heels are beginning to hand the ball to their stud running back Elijah Hood more consistently. In the past decade, no other ACC team has had more than 16 penalties in a game.
Plus, how about this defense?
The teams traded touchdowns three times over a two-minute stretch in the fourth, but the Tigers kept finding ways to respond and assert their dominance, and a late field goal put a bow on a 56-41 win.
The North Carolina schools are used to slugging it out for ACC titles on the hardwood, but doing it on the grid iron is still a relatively new phenomenon.
With a marquee win against Notre Dame to its credit, Clemson’s path to the College Football Playoff is navigable.
This Clemson team is for real, and it’ll get the chance to quiet the country next weekend when Florida State comes to town. Don’t be surprised if a few of the undefeated teams are ranked behind teams with one loss. The game also airs as a live stream online.
Clemson’s Jayron Kearse (1) reaches for North Carolina State’s Matthew Dayes (21) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, October 31, 2015.
With 11 minutes left Saturday and his team down 12, Dave Doeren elected to try for an onside kick.
“I’m not going to lie and say that’s not really cool”, Guillermo said.
The Tigers came right back with a 57-yard touchdown connection between Watson and receiver Hunter Renfrow but B.J. Hill blocked the PAT for N.C. State to keep the score tied at 13. Tech overhauled UVA in the overall rivalry, 19-17-1 but the Cavaliers still hold a 17-14-1 lead in ACC games. It was interceptions, of course, that helped trigger a change from starter Kyle Allen to Murray – although a shoulder issue that’s not being discussed publicly could’ve played a role in that move as well.
The Wolfpack are 5-2 and 1-2 in the ACC. They showed true dominance over Eastern Kentucky, Troy, South Alabama and Wake Forest, but fell shy of the gold against Louisville and Virginia Tech.
Deshaun Watson had a career day against the Wolfpack.
Advertisement
Either way, Clemson rolls into Raleigh looking to remain on task.
