By Trey McCurry.
By Trey McCurry
The ACC wraps up the 2012 regular season this weekend with four conference contests and four non-conference matchups, all against the SEC. In conference action, Virginia Tech looks to become bowl eligible against rival Virginia while Miami (FL) travels Duke, Maryland heads down to North Carolina, and Boston College makes the trip to NC State. Outside of ACC play, Wake Forest tries to earn their sixth win of the season against Vanderbilt while Georgia Tech travels to archrival #3 Georgia, #5 Florida State hosts rival and fourth-ranked Florida, and #9 Clemson tries to earn an at-large BCS berth against archrival #12 South Carolina.
Boston College 2-9 (1-6)
Last Week: 30-23 (OT) loss to Virginia Tech
This Week: Saturday, November 24 @ NC State (3:00PM on ESPN3)
Up Next: Season Complete
Notes: WR Alex Amidon recorded his seventh TD reception of the season against the Hokies and is two receptions shy of breaking the BC single-season receptions record. WR Spiffy Evans had a 40-yard punt return, his third of 40 or more yards this season. LB Nick Clancy had is seventh double-digit tackle game and second 20-plus tackle game of the season against Virginia Tech. PK Nate Freese is now 15-for-15 on field goals under 40 yards this season and 2-for-3 in field goals 40-49 yards.
Duke 6-5 (3-4)
Last Week: 42-24 loss at Georgia Tech
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. Miami (FL) (12:30PM on ACC Network)
Up Next: Bowl Game (TBA)
Notes: QB Sean Renfree moved into 14th place on the ACC’s all-time passing list with 8,675 yards and is just 289 yards shy of cracking the league’s all-time top 10. WR Conner Vernon is now the ACC’s all-time leader in receiving yards (3,521) and receptions (262). Vernon also established a new ACC record for consecutive games with at least one reception at 46. LB Kyler Brown logged a career-high 14 tackles, the second double-digit tackle day by a Duke freshman this season.
Florida State 10-1 (7-1) #10 in BCS, #10 in AP & #5 in USA Today
Last Week: 41-14 win at Maryland
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. #6 Florida (3:30PM on ABC)
Up Next: Saturday, December 1 vs. Georgia Tech (Charlotte, NC at 8:00PM on ABC/ESPN)
Notes: The Seminoles will be in the ACC Championship game for the second time in three years under Jimbo Fisher and third time since the ACC went to divisional play in 2005. EJ Manuel is just the fourth FSU QB to throw for more than 7,000 yards in a career (7,129). RB Devonta Freeman had a season-high 16 carries for a career-high 148 against Maryland, his second 100-yard game this season. PK Dustin Hopkins has now scored 448 career points, fourth all-time in the FBS among all players and first all-time among FBS kickers.
Georgia Tech 6-5 (5-3)
Last Week: 42-24 win over Duke
This Week: Saturday, November 24 @ #4 Georgia (12:00PM on ESPN)
Up Next: Saturday, December 1 vs. #5 Florida State (Charlotte, NC at 8:00PM on ABC/ESPN)
Notes: The Yellow Jackets, winner of four straight ACC games and the Coastal Division representative in the ACC Championship game, clinched bowl eligibility for the 16th consecutive season. QB Tevin Washington has 36 career rushing TDs, breaking the Georgia Tech and ACC record of 35 set by former Yellow Jacket Joshua Nesbitt. Washington has scored 108 points this season, tying the second-most single-season points in Tech history. The Jackets have intercepted a pass in 10 straight games.
Maryland 4-7 (2-5)
Last Week: 41-14 loss to #6 Florida State
This Week: Saturday, November 24 @ North Carolina (3:00PM on RSN)
Up Next: Season Complete
Notes: QB Shawn Petty had a season-best 136 passing yards against Florida State. WR Stefon Diggs added 74 yards to his all-purpose total this season bringing his season total to 1,648 yards, a Maryland freshman record and fifth all-time in Terrapin history. WR Kevin Dorsey caught two TDs for the first time in his career and now has over 1,000 career receiving yards (1,060). LB Kenneth Tate had three sacks in his final home game, the first time a Terp has had three sacks in a game since 2002. LB L.A. Gore had a career-high 13 tackles Saturday.
Miami (FL) 6-5 (4-3)
Last Week: 40-9 win over South Florida
This Week: Saturday, November 24 @ Duke (12:30PM on ACC Network)
Up Next: Season Complete (Self-Imposed Bowl Ban)
Notes: In each of their six wins this season, the Hurricanes have scored at least 30 points, including four wins when scoring 40-plus points. With 413 passing yards against USF, QB Stephen Morris became just the second Miami (FL) QB to record a trio of 400-yard games in his career and first to record multiple in a season. Three Canes had 100-yard receiving games against the Bulls: TE Clive Walford (135), WR Herb Waters (130), and WR Phillip Dorsett (111). RB Duke Johnson needs 69 yards to surpass the UM freshman rushing record.
NC State 6-5 (3-4)
Last Week: 62-48 loss at #9 Clemson
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. Boston College (3:00PM on ESPN3)
Up Next: Bowl Game (TBA)
Notes: WR Tobais Palmer set a NC State and ACC record with 496 all-purpose yards at Clemson last weekend. Palmer also set a school record for most kickoff return yards in a single game (277), just six shy of the ACC record. The senior finished with a career-best 219 yards receiving and three TDs. QB Mike Glennon threw for a career-best 493 yards against the Tigers, the second-most passing yards in a game in Wolfpack history. Glennon also tied the school record with five TD passes, a mark he has reached three times in his career.
North Carolina 7-4 (4-3)
Last Week: 37-13 win at Virginia
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. Maryland (3:00PM on RSN)
Up Next: Season Complete (NCAA Bowl Ban)
Notes: North Carolina’s 97-yard TD drive vs. Virginia was its longest of the season. The Tar Heels also had a 91-yard scoring drive earlier in the game, making it back-to-back weeks with two drives of 90-plus yards. QB Bryn Renner’s 23 TD passes are the second-most in a single-season in school history, trailing his 26 TDs in 2011. RB Gionvani Bernard needs three TDs to tie the UNC single-season record of 21, set by Don McCauley in 1970. WR Quinshad Davis finished the Virginia game with school single-game freshman records of 16 catches and 178 yards. The 16 receptions matched an ACC record.
Virginia 4-7 (2-5)
Last Week: 37-13 loss to North Carolina
This Week: Saturday, November 24 @ Virginia Tech (12:00PM on ESPNU)
Up Next: Season Complete
Notes: QBs Michael Rocco (1,740) and Phillip Sims (1,253) both have thrown for over 1,000 yards, the first Cavalier combo to do so since 2011. Rocco (12) and Sims (9) have combined for 21 TD passes as well. RB Perry Jones ranks fourth among active players in career rushing yards (2,015) while RB Kevin Parks is ninth (1,422). LB Steve Greer has 103 tackles on the season, equaling his 2011 total, and his eight tackles for loss are a career high. DT Chris Brathwaite leads the team with 2.5 sacks and is tied with Greer in tackles for loss.
Virginia Tech 5-6 (3-4)
Last Week: 30-23 (OT) win at Boston College
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. Virginia (12:00PM on ESPNU)
Up Next: TBD
Notes: The Hokies must beat rival Virginia to extend their bowl streak to 20 years in a row, only Florida State (31) and Florida (23) have longer active streaks. Virginia Tech had nine tackles for loss against Boston College, including seven QB sacks. The Hokies 30 sacks in 11 games tie with NC State for first in the ACC. PK Cody Journell, who tied a career high in points (12), field goals attempted (3), and made (3), is 4-for-4 on game-tying, lead-changing or game-winning field goals in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime.
Wake Forest 5-6 (3-5)
Last Week: 38-0 loss at #3 Notre Dame
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. Vanderbilt (3:30PM on ESPNU)
Up Next: TBD
Notes: The announced attendance of 80,795 at Notre Dame was the ninth-largest crowd to witness a Wake Forest football game. WR Michael Campanaro has now caught a pass in 21-straight games. The game against the Irish marked the first time this season that the Deacons did not record a sack. CB Kevin Johnson, who had three pass breakups at Notre Dame, has a team-high 15 on the year. P Alexander Kinal has punted 90 times this season, breaking the school record and tied for the ACC record.
Future ACC Teams:
Notre Dame 11-0 #1 in BCS, #1 in AP, & #1 in USA Today
Last Week: 38-0 win over Wake Forest
This Week: Saturday, November 24 @ Southern Cal (8:00PM on ABC)
Up Next: Bowl Game (TBA)
Notes: The Irish are the first school in the BCS era to be ranked #1 in both the current BCS standings and the current NCAA Graduation Success Rate rankings. Notre Dame has been ranked #1 seven times with playing USC and are 5-2 in those matchups. QB Everett Golson threw for 346 yards against Wake Forest, seventh most in a single-game in Irish history. DE Stephon Tuitt is tied for fourth in the nation with 12.0 sacks this year and only 1.5 off the school record. LB Manti Teo needs two tackles to have three straight 100-tackle seasons.
Pittsburgh 4-6 (1-4 Big East)
Last Week: Open Date
This Week: Saturday, November 24 vs. #18 Rutgers (12:00PM on ESPN2)
Up Next: Saturday, December 1 @ South Florida (TBA)
Notes: The Panthers must win their final two regular-season games to earn bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season. Pittsburgh outscored Connecticut 17-0 in the second half in their last outing. The Panthers have played five consecutive games without committing a turnover. QB Tino Sunseri has thrown for 16 TDs and just two INTs, the fewest of any Big East starter this season. RB Ray Graham leads all active Big East players with 33 career TDs and 29 career rushing TDs.
Syracuse 6-5 (4-2 Big East)
Last Week: 31-27 win at Missouri
This Week: Friday, November 23 @ Temple (11:00AM on ESPN2)
Up Next: Bowl Game (TBA)
Notes: The Orange became bowl-eligible for the 2nd time in 3seasons after rallying from a 17-3 deficit to score the winning TD with 20 seconds left at Missouri. QB Ryan Nassib broke Syracuse’s career passing against the Tigers and now has 8,845 yards, good for fourth in Big East history. WR Alec Lemon had 12 receptions for 244 yards with 2 TDs against Missouri, including all 81 yards on the Orange’s game-winning drive. Lemon is now 2nd on Syracuse’s career receiving list with 2,515 yards.