Miami, FSU Roll, While Clemson Leave Doubts in ACC Week 2
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Upsets, blowouts and thrillers. The ACC concluded its week two action on Saturday, and here’s a recap of all the action the conference underwent.
Took care of business
No. 5 Miami (2-0)
The Hurricanes built off their impressive week one win over the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Quarterback Carson Beck built off his strong week one, going a near-perfect 22-for-24, 267 yards, and two touchdowns in a win over Bethune-Cookman.
Miami QB Carson Beck in Week 2:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 7, 2025
🙌 22/24
🙌 267 YDS
🙌 2 TDS
🙌 0 INTS@CanesFootball pic.twitter.com/iLbML6brkW
Miami only gave up a total of 191 yards against the Wildcats.
No. 14 Florida State (2-0)
The Seminoles stood on business after their 31-17 win over Alabama in week one. USC transfer receiver Duce Robinson is breaking out in front of our eyes; the wideout had five receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout win over East Texas A&M, 77-3.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!@Tommy_casto ➡️ @Ducerobinson2 #NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/e9NRKEtCK2
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) September 6, 2025
Pittsburgh (2-0)
Quarterback Eli Holstein continues his strong start to the 2025 season, going 21-for-28, 304 yards and four touchdowns. It’s his second straight game with four touchdown passes, leading the Panthers to a 45-17 win. The start is similar to last season, with Holstein starting strong, but as the season progressed, he started to slow down.
The Panthers hope 2025 is different.
Georgia Tech (2-0)
680 yards of total offense, that’s the only stat needed to understand the type of Saturday the Yellow Jackets had. Haynes King didn’t start, but it didn’t seem to matter as quarterback Aaron Philo made his first start and threw for over 350 yards, leading to a 59-12 win.
First of many TDs for 4️⃣ 🎯@CanionIsiah #StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/Xxr6MhqeGQ
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) September 7, 2025
Wake Forest (2-0)
After a shaky week one performance over Kennesaw State, the Demon Deacons built off the gritty win with a blowout over an FCS opponent in Western Carolina. Demond Claiborne got back to his old ways, carrying the rock 10 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns.
Oh, what a night 💫 pic.twitter.com/OGfjCzxCrK
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) September 7, 2025
California (2-0)
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was a big surprise in week one after his three-touchdown performance; it earned him the national quarterback of the week for Pro Football Focus.
He helped the Golden Bears take care of business against Texas Southern, 35-3. He didn’t throw a touchdown, but ran in for one.
Close hard hard-fought wins
NC State (2-0)
The Wolfpack battled against a conference opponent in Virginia, but it was a rare non-conference battle between the two. Redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers took over on offense 17 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Running it back on the best moments from today's dub!#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/DP9FIFZnYH
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) September 6, 2025
Graduate defensive end Cian Slone saved the day for NC State with a game-sealing interception.
Louisville (2-0)
The Cardinals were one of the lone matchups on Friday night, and while the final score was 28-14, the game was a lot closer initially. The team was down 7-6 at halftime, but a strong performance from running back Isaac Brown propelled Louisville to a win.
Isaac Brown is a Superstar⭐️
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 6, 2025
pic.twitter.com/Kg17o5pT42
Brown had 12 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown.
Still have questions
North Carolina (1-1)
After an abysmal start to the Bill Belichick era, the Tar Heels traveled to face off against Charlotte in week two and looked ok.
It’s still a 20-3 win, but there are still major questions for this North Carolina team. Gio Lopez was held to only 155 passing yards with one passing touchdown.
Still major questions for this team, but it’s good to get a win nonetheless.
Let’s just move on to next week.
Syracuse (1-1)
The Orange scraped out a win over UConn off a 400-yard performance from quarterback Steve Angeli. Syracuse was down 17-6 in the middle of the fourth, but ended up coming back to take the lead 20-17. The Huskies were able to come back, but the Orange eventually won in overtime 27-20.
Syracuse football running sprints on the field after a mistake-filled 27-20 overtime win over UConn.
— Connor Pignatello (@c_pignatello) September 6, 2025
The Orange were down 17-6 midway through the 4th and also allowed a game-tying FG in the final seconds.
Never seen this before. This went on for a solid minute or two. pic.twitter.com/hI1ganjfR7
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown was upset with the loss he had his team running sprints after the win.
No. 8 Clemson (1-1)
The Tigers have struggled offensively in the first two weeks of the 2025 season. Heisman hopeful Cade Klubnik hasn’t been able to get in a rhythm, and most thought it’d come against Troy.
It wasn’t the case for most of the game; the team was down 16-3 at the half, but a 17-point third quarter led to Clemson coming out on top. Klubnik finished 18-for-24, 196 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The Tigers ultimately won the game 27-16
Duke (1-1)
The Blue Devils struggled to find consistency at home against Illinois, losing 45-19. Luke Altmeyer had a day against the Duke secondary, which was supposed to be one of the stronger units in the nation. Darian Mensah had a strong day, throwing for over 350 yards the second week in a row.
No. 17 SMU (1-1)
The Mustangs had the game in control, dominating the Bears on the ground and ultimately taking a 38-21 lead in the fourth quarter. From that moment on, it was all Baylor. Quarterback Sawyer Robertson took over and dominated. He finished the day going 34-for-50, 440 yards and four touchdowns, winning the game 48-45.
SMU’s defense doesn’t look nearly like it did in 2024, an interesting development to watch as the season progresses.
Virginia Tech (0-2)
The Hokies haven’t had the easiest schedule to start off the 2025 season, and they continued losing 44-20 to Vanderbilt. Matching up against No. 10 South Carolina and Vanderbilt, the hope was to come out of it at least 1-1. It hasn’t rolled that way for Virginia Tech; senior Kyron Drones had another rough outing, not crossing 150 yards and throwing an interception.
More of this plz 🔋⚡️#ThisIsHome | #TeamOverMe pic.twitter.com/BgwoUALoX4
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 7, 2025
Boston College (1-1)
The Eagles had a shootout in East Lansing, quarterback Dylan Lonergan threw for over 380 yards and four touchdowns. It ultimately wasn’t enough as Boston College lost in a double overtime thriller, 42-40.
Final from East Lansing. pic.twitter.com/cwfldPADbX
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) September 7, 2025
Virginia (1-1)
Running back J’Mari Taylor dominated the Wolfpack defense, running for 150 yards and three touchdowns. The Virginia offense looked unstoppable in the first half, but after halftime, they were only able to score once.
It was a promising offensive showing, but the defense was unable to limit the Wolfpack's rushing attack.
Stanford (0-2)
The struggles continue for the Cardinal as they move to 0-2 on the season. BYU proved to be too much for the rebuilding program, dominating the ground game. The real question for Stanford is when it will win its first game.
Final. pic.twitter.com/oIlivXONOD
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) September 7, 2025
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Daniel Rios graduated from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His deep passion for sports has taken him to positions at ESPN and Cronkite News. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Beat Writer for the North Carolina State Wolfpack On SI.
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