ACC Football Week 2: Preview and Scoreboard

After a dismal college football week one performance in which the Atlantic Coast Conference combined for a 6-6 record against non-conference opponents and a 7-7 record overall, the ACC looks for vast improvements in week two. Read on for a preview of the 14 ACC football games taking place this weekend and make sure to come back to this page for updates on all the action from around the conference.

Friday, 8pm: North Carolina A&T at Duke (ACC Network)

Result: North Carolina A&T 17, Duke 45

A week after giving up over 300 passing yards in a loss to Charlotte, the Duke defense showed vast improvements and held North Carolina A&T to just 56 passing yards. The Blue Devils scored three touchdowns in both the second and third quarters. Running back Mataeo Durant led Duke with three touchdowns.

Preview: Both the Aggies and the Blue Devils search for their first win of the 2021 season on Friday night in Durham. North Carolina A&T lost at Furman 29-18 last week, while Duke became the first Power Five conference team ever to lose to Charlotte, 31-28.

Prediction: North Carolina A&T 10, Duke 28

Saturday, 11am: Illinois at Virginia (ACC Network)

Result: Illinois 14, Virginia 42

The Cavaliers dominated the Illini on both sides of the ball. Brennan Armstrong threw for 405 yards and five touchdowns and tight end Jelani Woods had five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. The UVA defense held Illinois to just 116 rushing yards and shut out the Illini in the first and fourth quarters. UVA has scored 85 points and has amassed over 1,100 yards through the first two games of the season.

Preview: The Fighting Illini look to bounce back after a 37-30 home loss to UTSA that stalled all of their momentum following their huge season-opening victory over Nebraska. Virginia got off to a slow offensive start in Week 1, scoring just three points, but the Cavaliers eventually settled in and dominated William & Mary 43-0.

Prediction: Illinois 14, Virginia 28

Saturday, 12pm: Pittsburgh at Tennessee (ESPN)

Result: Pittsburgh 41, Tennessee 34

Kenny Pickett threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third touchdown and the Panthers overcame an early 10-0 deficit to defeat the Volunteers in Knoxville. Tennessee turned the ball over three times in the loss.

Preview: The Panthers unsurprisingly dominated UMass in Week 1, with seven different players scoring touchdowns en route to a 51-7 victory. The Volunteers similarly crushed their opponent, Bowling Green, 38-6 last week. It seems we’ll learn a lot about who these two teams really are in Knoxville on Saturday.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 24, Tennessee 20

Saturday, 12pm: Kennesaw State at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)

Result: Kennesaw State 17, Georgia Tech 45

The Yellow Jackets got their first win of the season at home against Kennesaw State behind an impressive performance from quarterback Jordan Yates, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. Georgia Tech had 254 passing yards as compared to 111 passing yards for Kennesaw State.

Preview: The Yellow Jackets will be eager to put last week’s loss to Northern Illinois on a last-minute two-point conversion behind them. Meanwhile, Kennesaw State, located just 21 miles from Georgia Tech, looks to pull the upset after defeating Reinhardt 35-25 last week.

Prediction: Kennesaw State 17, Georgia Tech 35

Saturday, 12pm: Norfolk State at Wake Forest (ACC Network Extra)

Result: Norfolk State 16, Wake Forest 41

Norfolk State scored first with a field goal, but the Demon Deacons scored the next 21 points as part of a 41-6 run that continued through the end of the third quarter to take control of the game, Sam Hartman through for 244 yards and a touchdowns and Christian Turner had two rushing touchdowns for Wake Forest.

Preview: Wake Forest looks to have another strong performance following its 42-10 victory over Old Dominion last week. Norfolk State seeks to improve in another tough road matchup following a 49-10 loss at Toledo in week one.

Prediction: Norfolk State 7, Wake Forest 45

Saturday, 2pm: Middle Tennessee at No. 19 Virginia Tech (ACC Network Extra)

Result: Middle Tennessee 14, Virginia Tech 35

No. 19 Virginia Tech looked solid at home again against Middle Tennessee. Raheem Blackshear carried the ball ten times for 53 yards and two touchdowns and the Hokie defense shut out the Blue Raiders in the first and third quarters.

Preview: Virginia Tech shot up into the rankings this week after pulling the 17-10 upset over North Carolina in front of a frenzied crowd at Lane Stadium. The Hokies will look to keep the momentum going against a Middle Tennessee team who defeated Monmouth 50-15 in week one.

Prediction: Middle Tennessee 13, Virginia Tech 38

Saturday, 2pm: Rutgers at Syracuse (ACC Network)

Results: Rutgers 17, Syracuse 7

The Orange shot themselves in the foot repeatedly in this game. Syracuse out-gained Rutgers 258-195 in total yards but turned the ball over three times. Rutgers scored a touchdown following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Syracuse head coach Dino Babers. The Scarlet Knights also added a field goal following a fumble deep in Cuse territory. The Orange will definitely be wanting this one back.

Preview: Syracuse delivered a solid performance on the road against Ohio, defeating the Bobcats 29-9 in week one. The Orange return home in week two for a tough test against Big Ten opponent Rutgers, who defeated Temple 61-14 in week one.

Prediction: Rutgers 24, Syracuse 27

Saturday, 3:30pm: Boston College at UMass (NESN+/FloSports)

Result: Boston College 45, UMass 25

Phil Jurkovec suffered an undisclosed injury to his throwing arm and was replaced by backup quarterback Dennis Grosel, who threw for 199 yards and a touchdown and added a second touchdown with his legs to lead the Eagles past the Minutemen. Patrick Garwo recorded 160 rushing yards on fifteen carries and three other BC running backs recorded touchdowns in the victory.

Preview: After shutting out Colgate 51-0 in week one, Phil Jurkovec and Boston College travel to play a UMass team that lost 51-7 to another ACC team, Pittsburgh, last weekend. A similar outcome should be expected in this one.

Prediction: Boston College 51, UMass 3

Saturday, 5pm: South Carolina State at No. 6 Clemson (ACC Network)

Result: South Carolina State 3, Clemson 49

This result was expected with Clemson eager to get the offense going in week two, but I must stop and give myself a pat on the back for getting the score exactly right in my prediction (see below). Clemson amassed 504 yards of total offense and Will Shipley and D.J. Uigalelei each recorded a pair of rushing touchdowns in the blowout win.

Preview: Clemson failed to score a touchdown in the 10-3 season-opening loss against a suffocating Georgia defense. Expect D.J. Uiagalelei and the Tigers to get into the end zone early and often against South Carolina State, who lost to Alabama A&M by just one point last week.

Prediction: South Carolina State 3, Clemson 49

Saturday, 7pm: Appalachian State at No. 22 Miami (ESPNU)

Result: Appalachian State 23, Miami 25

The Mountaineers gave the Hurricanes all they could handle and this game turned out to be one of the best games of the weekend. Appalachian State scored a touchdown to take lead with a little under six minutes remaining in the game, before Miami drove down the field and Andres Borregales nailed a 43-yard field goal that ended up being the game-winner, giving Miami its first win of the season.

Preview: No team faced a bigger challenge in week one of the college football season than Miami, who was the first team to face the reloaded Alabama Crimson Tide. Miami lost 44-13 and will relish the opportunity for a better performance against a more manageable opponent in Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are no stranger to upending Power Five teams, though, and after defeating East Carolina 33-19 in week one, they will set their sights on the Hurricanes.

Prediction: Appalachian State 21, Miami 28

Saturday, 7pm: NC State at Mississippi State (ESPN2)

Result: NC State 10, Mississippi State 24

Lideatrick Griffin took the opening kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown for the Bulldogs and set the tone for for the rest of the game. Will Rogers threw two touchdowns to supplement the lead and the Mississippi State defense did the rest, holding NC State to just a field goal until late in the fourth quarter.

Preview: The Wolf Pack and Bulldogs both enter this game at 1-0, but the two teams took wildly different paths to get there. NC State dominated South Florida 45-0, while Mississippi State trailed Louisiana Tech by as many as twenty points before staging the largest comeback in program history to win 35-34.

Prediction: NC State 26, Mississippi State 24

Saturday, 7pm: Eastern Kentucky at Louisville (ACC Network Extra)

Result: Eastern Kentucky 3, Louisville 30

The Cardinal defense held Eastern Kentucky to just 86 yards on the ground and allowed only a field goal during the entire game. Malik Cunningham threw for 183 yards and a touchdown and recorded 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries to lead Louisville to its first win of the season.

Preview: Louisville had a disastrous performance in the first half against Ole Miss and trailed 26-0 at halftime. The Cardinals will be much more interested in emulating their second-half performance in which they outscored the Rebels 24-17, but were still defeated 43-24. Eastern Kentucky defeated Western Carolina 31-28 on the road in week one.

Prediction: Eastern Kentucky 10, Louisville 27

Saturday, 7:30pm: Georgia State at No. 24 North Carolina (ESPN3)

Result: Georgia State 17, North Carolina 59

The Tar Heels did not have the dominant first half they were hoping to have against Georgia State after losing their season opener at Virginia Tech last week, as the Heels led the Panthers by just 14 points at halftime. But, UNC turned it on in the second half, outscoring Georgia State 35-7 in the second half behind a strong performance from Sam Howell, who threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns and 104 yards on the ground.

Preview: North Carolina looks to get back on track following a 17-10 loss at the hands of Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium. Sam Howell and the Tar Heels are in need of a confidence booster and a visit from a Georgia State team who lost to Army 43-10 last week is just what the doctor ordered.

Prediction: Georgia State 7, North Carolina 42

Saturday, 8pm: Jacksonville State at Florida State (ACC Network)

Result: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State 17

Well, so much for moral victories. The Seminoles seemingly announced their arrival as a competitive team in week one with a narrow overtime loss to Notre Dame. But in what should have been a fairly easy game against Jacksonville State on Saturday night, Florida State blew a ten-point fourth quarter lead and lost on a Hail Mary pass from Zerrick Cooper to Damond Philyaw-Johnson for a 59-yard touchdown as time expired. Wow.

Preview: McKenzie Milton had the best story of the first weekend of the college football season and the Seminoles nearly pulled the upset over Notre Dame but came up just short in a 41-38 overtime loss. Florida State played up to par with the Fighting Irish and could have a promising season. Jacksonville State comes to Tallahassee following a 31-0 loss to UAB in week one.

Prediction: Jacksonville State 7, Florida State 45