ACC Football Week 1: Preview and Scoreboard

Previews and score updates for every ACC football game this week

The wait is finally over and college football season is officially upon us. Over the next five days, all fourteen ACC football teams will begin their 2021 seasons. Read on for a brief preview of each of the 13 ACC games taking place this weekend and make sure to come back to this page for updates on all the action from around the conference. 

Thursday, 7:30pm: South Florida at NC State (ACC Network)

Result: South Florida 0, NC State 45

The Wolf Pack had 525 yards of total offense and rolled to a 45-0 win over South Florida. Devin Leary completed 17 of 26 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. each topped 100 rushing yards. 

Preview: NC State is coming off an 8-4 season in which the Wolf Pack won four games in a row to end the regular season, before dropping a close 23-21 bowl game against Kentucky. South Florida went 1-8 last season and had the worst defense in the AAC. NC State will be led by returning quarterback Devin Leary and running back Zonovan Knight, who scored ten touchdowns in 2020. The Wolf Pack have won seven of their last eight season openers and are a huge favorite to begin their season in the win column at home against South Florida on Thursday night. 

Prediction: South Florida 14, NC State 45

Friday, 6pm: No. 10 North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN)

Result: North Carolina 10, Virginia Tech 17

Virginia Tech intercepted Sam Howell three times and shut out North Carolina in the first half. The Hokies scored two touchdowns to take a 14-0 first half lead and held off UNC's comeback attempt in the fourth quarter to pull the huge upset over the tenth-ranked Tar Heels. Virginia Tech played lockdown defense, holding UNC to just 2/10 on third down conversions. 

Preview: As the only two teams in the league who are playing a conference opponent to begin the season, the Hokies and the Tar Heels have a unique opportunity to take a very early lead in the conference standings. But this game is even more meaningful for both teams than its consequence for the ACC Coastal race. North Carolina believes it has a shot to knock Clemson off of its ACC throne this year, but the Tar Heels face a tall task of playing their first game of the season at Lane Stadium and will have to be sharp early on playing in one of the toughest road environments in college football. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, is seeking to win a home game against an opponent ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2009. 

Prediction: North Carolina 34, Virginia Tech 24

Friday, 7pm: Duke at Charlotte (CBSSN)

Result: Duke 28, Charlotte 31

Duke running back Mataeo Durant ran for 255 yards and three touchdowns but the Blue Devils came up just short on the road against Charlotte. Chris Reynolds threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yard strike to Shadrick Byrd to give the 49ers the lead with just 33 seconds remaining. It was a dramatic finish, with the teams exchanging the lead four times in the fourth quarter and three touchdowns were scored in the final three minutes of the game. 

Preview: Duke and Charlotte face off for the second year in a row. When the two teams met in Durham in 2020, the Blue Devils prevailed 53-19 in one of only two victories for Duke in 2020. Charlotte turned in a record of 2-4 in a 2020 season in which the 49ers had six games postponed or canceled. In his 14th season as Duke’s head coach, David Cutcliffe is looking for a vast improvement on last year’s 2-9 record. A convincing win at Charlotte is exactly what the Blue Devils need to begin their season on the right foot. 

Prediction: Duke 28, Charlotte 17

Friday, 7pm: Old Dominion at Wake Forest (ACC Network)

Result: Old Dominion 10, Wake Forest 42

Wake Forest outscored ODU 28-3 in the first half and the Demon Deacons ran away with the season opener. Sam Hartman threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns and Christian Beal-Smith had two rushing touchdowns. Ja'Sir Taylor added a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. 

Preview: The Monarchs and Demon Deacons were supposed to meet in Norfolk for the season opener in 2020, before ODU canceled all of its fall sports last year. Meanwhile, Wake Forest turned in a 4-5 record in 2020, with all four of its wins coming in the month of October. Quarterback Sam Hartman and wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson, who led the ACC in receptions and receiving yards per game in 2020, are back to lead the Wake offense. After three consecutive losing seasons, ODU will be looking to start the season with a win in its first game under the direction of new head coach Ricky Rahne. 

Prediction: Old Dominion 10, Wake Forest 41

Saturday, 12pm: Colgate at Boston College (ACC Network)

Result: Colgate 0, Boston College 51

Phil Jurkovec threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles crushed Colgate in their season opener. Boston College had seven different players score a touchdown, including defensive back Jahmin Muse who returned an interception for a score. 

Preview: After a 6-5 season in 2020, Boston College returns a talented roster and the Eagles were picked to finish third in the ACC Atlantic Division in the preseason poll, behind NC State and Clemson. The Patriot League did not have a fall football season and had an abbreviated spring football schedule. Colgate played just two of the four games on their spring football schedule, losing both to Lafayette and Fordham. Boston College is expected to have one of the most effective passing offenses in the country, led by quarterback Phil Jurkovec and wide receiver Zay Flowers. 

Prediction: Colgate 13, Boston College 38

Saturday, 3:30pm: No.1 Alabama vs. No. 14 Miami (ABC)

Result: Alabama 44, Miami 13

As expected, Miami struggled to keep up with an Alabama team that looks as dominant as ever. The Crimson Tide defense intercepted D'Eriq King twice and held the Hurricanes to just 266 total yards. Bryce Young lit up the Miami defense for 344 yards and four touchdowns in the blowout win. 

Preview: The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta pits two of the most storied programs in college football history against one another. Alabama begins yet another season as defending champions after an undefeated 15-0 campaign in 2020. Bryce Young will lead the Crimson Tide, who will look to make their seventh appearance in the College Football Playoff. Miami is coming off of an 8-3 season and is led by one of the best returning quarterbacks in the country, D’Eriq King. Alabama leads the all-time series against Miami 14-3, with Alabama defeating Miami to win the National Championship in 1993 at the Sugar Bowl in their last meeting. Alabama will likely win this game handily, but Miami has an opportunity to show it can hang with the best of the best, as the Hurricanes hope to contend with Clemson and North Carolina for the ACC title this season. 

Prediction: Alabama 45, Miami 24 

Saturday, 4pm: UMass at Pittsburgh (ACC Network)

Result: UMass 7, Pittsburgh 51

Pittsburgh amassed 598 yards of total offense and dominated UMass in its season-opening win. The Panthers had five different players record a rushing touchdown and Kenny Pickett added two passing touchdowns. 

Preview: UMass and Pittsburgh will meet for the first time ever at Heinz Field on Saturday. Kenny Pickett, who enters his fourth season as Pitt’s starting quarterback, leads an experienced Panthers’ squad that features 13 “super seniors.” Pitt went 6-5 in 2020, including a 4-2 record in home games. UMass played for four games last season, losing all four and scoring just 12 points combined. 

Prediction: UMass 7, Pittsburgh 42

Saturday, 7pm: Syracuse at Ohio (CBSSN)

Result: Syracuse 29, Ohio 9

Syracuse outscored Ohio 17-3 in the second half to seal the win over the Bobcats, 29-9. Sean Tucker ran for a career-high 181 yards and a touchdown. The Syracuse defense did not allow a single touchdown in the game. 

Preview: Syracuse and Ohio face off for only the third time ever on Saturday night. Both meetings took place a century ago with Syracuse winning both games by a combined score of 111-0. Ohio played only three games last fall, going 2-1 with wins over Akron and Bowling Green. Syracuse had a pitiful 2020 campaign, going 1-10 with their only win coming against Georgia Tech, 37-20. Head coach Dino Babers is squarely on the hot seat heading into the season and needs the Orange to start their season off strong. 

Prediction: Syracuse 27, Ohio 24

Saturday, 7:30pm: No. 5 Georgia at No. 3 Clemson (ABC)

Result: Georgia 10, Clemson 3

Georgia sacked D.J. Uiagalelei seven times and smothered the No. 3 Clemson offense, holding the Tigers to just 180 total yards. Georgia had only 256 total yards and scored just three points on offense, but a 74-yard interception return touchdown by Christopher Smith proved to be the difference as the Bulldogs defeated Clemson in Charlotte. 

Preview: The blockbuster game of the weekend will be the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. These two top-tier football programs, which are separated by only 72 miles, have met 64 times with Georgia leading the all-time series 42-18-2. Georgia defeated Clemson 45-21 in their last meeting in 2014. Last season, Clemson went 10-2, won their sixth consecutive ACC Championship, and lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff. This season, the Tigers will look to D.J. Uigalelei to replace Trevor Lawrence at quarterback. Georgia went 8-2 last season and ended the year on a four-game winning streak. The Bulldogs will be led by quarterback JT Daniels, who began his career at USC, before transferring to Georgia in 2020. Both of these rival programs have their sights set on the College Football Playoff. The winner of this game will be put on a fast-track to the CFP. The loser will have significant work to do. This one is a must-watch.

Prediction: Georgia 28, Clemson 31

Saturday, 7:30pm: Northern Illinois at Georgia Tech (ACC Network)

Northern Illinois 22, Georgia Tech 21

Georgia Tech used a 21-0 run to erase a 14-point deficit and take the lead in the fourth quarter, but Northern Illinois responded as Rocky Lombardi threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Clint Ratkovich to bring the Huskies within one point with just 38 seconds remaining. Rather than playing for overtime on the road in Atlanta, Northern Illinois opted to go for two and converted it as Lombardi found Tyrice Richie for the game-winning two-point conversion. 

Preview: Georgia Tech begins its third season under head coach Geoff Collins by hosting Northern Illinois on Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets went 3-7 last year and are in the midst of a rebuilding process following the departure of Paul Johnson in 2018. Northern Illinois played just six games last year and lost all six. Both teams will be desperate to start the 2021 season with a victory in Atlanta.

Prediction: Northern Illinois 14, Georgia Tech 31

Saturday, 7:30pm: William & Mary at Virginia (ESPN3)

Result: William & Mary 0, Virginia 43

Brennan Armstrong threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns to lead the Cavaliers to the season-opening blowout win over William & Mary. The UVA defense was lights-out, holding William & Mary to just 183 yards of total offense and held the Tribe to just 3/14 on third down conversions. Dontayvion Wicks had four receptions for 94 yards and Demick Starling hauled in a 65-yard touchdown in the second half. 

Preview: Virginia and William & Mary meet for the 38th time, with the Cavaliers holding a 30-6-1 advantage in the all-time series. William & Mary played just three games in the spring and turned in a record of 1-2. Virginia went 5-5 last season, including wins in four of their last five games. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong leads an experienced Virginia roster, eager to make vast improvements in 2021. 

Prediction: William & Mary 10, Virginia 45

Sunday, 7:30pm: No. 9 Notre Dame at Florida State (ABC)

Result: Notre Dame 41, Florida State 38

Of all of the highlighted matchups of the weekend, not many people expected Notre Dame and Florida State to put on the most entertaining game of week one of the college football season. The Seminoles went punch-for-punch with the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish. Trailing by 18 points in the fourth quarter, FSU showed resilience and potential by mounting a comeback lead by former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who appeared in a football game for the first time in over 1,000 days after suffering a devastating leg injury. The emotional story did not end in a Florida State victory, however, as Notre Dame pulled out the three-point win in overtime. 

Preview: Notre Dame and Florida State meet in a Sunday night battle in Tallahassee. The two storied programs have met ten times, with Florida State leading the series 6-4, but the Irish have taken the last two meetings. Notre Dame played in the ACC last season, going undefeated in the regular season, before suffering lopsided losses to Clemson in the ACC Championship and Alabama in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Florida State went 3-6 in 2020 and enters this season once again looking to return the program to its former glory. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Florida State 31

Monday, 8pm: Louisville at Ole Miss (ESPN)

Result: Louisville 24, Ole Miss 43

Ole Miss dominated Louisville in the first half and raced out to a 26-0 lead at halftime. Louisville played better in the second half, outscoring the Rebels 24-17, but the deficit was too much to overcome and the Cardinals lost 43-24. Malik Cunningham threw for 191 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Bizarre stat of the night: four players (two from each team) were ejected for targeting in the first half of the game. 

Preview: Louisville and Ole Miss face off for the first time ever in the second Chick-fil-A kickoff game in Atlanta on Monday night. The Cardinals went 4-7 in their second season under the direction of head coach Scott Satterfield in 2020, while the Rebels turned in a 5-5 record, ending the season with a 26-20 victory over Indiana in the Outback Bowl.

Prediction: Louisville 21, Ole Miss 31