By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

CLEMSON — The most popular subject Dabo Swinney talked about this week to the non-Clemson media is wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

In his teleconference last Sunday night and during the ACC coaches’ teleconference on Wednesday, Swinney was again asked questions about his junior wideout. Each week it seems like someone, who doesn’t normally cover Clemson or follow the Tigers ask these questions, “What has made Hopkins the go-to guy this season so far?” and “Can you talk about the progression of Nuk this year?”

It’s no surprise people are asking about Hopkins because he does lead the nation in receiving yards with 777, but what has been surprising is the fact the national media acts as if has come out of nowhere. Hopkins was one of the top receivers in the ACC last year and finished the season with 72 catches for 978 yards and five touchdowns.

He wasn’t too bad as a freshman either, as he then set ACC freshman records for receiving yards and catches before both were shattered by teammate Sammy Watkins last season. In fact, Hopkins combined numbers as a freshman and sophomore are the best first two-year numbers by a receiver in ACC history, which is a fact Swinney pointed to Wednesday.

“You know, he’s pretty much been a go-to guy since the day he has arrived at Clemson,” the Tigers’ head coach said. “When he came in here as a true freshman, he was a good player. He was a very talented, young player, but still had a lot of developing to do physically and mentally.

“And then last year he took another step forward and was tremendous. But the reason he got overshadowed last year is because Sammy Watkins had just gotten here, and you just don’t anticipate a true freshman doing what Sammy did. I think that’s why Sammy kind of stole all the headlines because it was his first time here.”

With Watkins missing three games this season due to suspension and then a stomach virus, Hopkins has stolen the headline back, especially thanks to back-to-back 170-plus yards receiving games, while setting school records for yards in a game and receptions in a game.

Hopkins also scored three touchdowns in a game this season.

“Nuk, again, is a guy that has been great since he got here,” Swinney said. “He’s just been developing. And the biggest part of his development has been physical. He’s developed mentally, too, but the physical part has really allowed him to become a dominant player.”

Big game in Blacksburg. Believe it or not, Duke is atop the ACC’s Coastal Division with a 5-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the ACC as it heads to Blacksburg, Va., to take on the defending Coastal Division Champions, Virginia Tech.

Though the Blue Devils are off to their best start in nearly 25 years, Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1 ACC) is off to one of its worse in nearly 20 years. The Hokies return home after two straight road losses, including a humbling experience at North Carolina last week.

Now, in hopes of keeping its championship hopes alive, Virginia Tech is in a must-win situation when the Blue Devils come to town this Saturday.

“We have a bunch of players that want to be successful and work hard to be successful so we have to help them get there,” Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said.

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe knows Beamer will have his players in position to be successful.

“You better strap it on when you play a Virginia Tech football team,” he said. “I’m glad we’ve got a few guys on our team that has been up there. They understand Virginia Tech football, and they understand the challenge it’s going to be.”

It does not get any easier.  The Miami Hurricanes return home to begin a three-game home stand when they host Coastal rival North Carolina.

The Hurricanes (4-2, 3-0 ACC) are 2-0 at home and seem to score a whole lot more points than they do on the road, though competition can be a big reason as to why? Miami was outscored by No. 5 Kansas State and No. 7 Notre Dame by a combined 93-16 in its only two defeats thus far.

But luckily for Miami, it isn’t playing a top 10 football team, but instead an ACC team, which the Hurricanes have averaged 41.3 points against in conference play. The bad news is, the defense is giving up 35.0 points in ACC play and North Carolina comes in as the most explosive offense the ‘Canes have seen to date.

The Tar Heels (4-2, 1-1) are averaging 486 yards and 44 points per game, which ranks ninth in the country in scoring. North Carolina has won three straight.

“We’re back home, and we have to play what I think is the hottest team in our conference in North Carolina,” Miami head coach Al Golden said.

By the way, the Tar Heels are allowing only 16.8 points per game and have pitched two shutouts already this season.

“This is a great challenge for us, not only because they’re a Coastal Division rival, but somebody that’s playing really well right now,” Golden said.