Helmet Sticker-a-plenty! We saw some huge fantasy games in the ACC

this past weekend. The ACC may be struggling a little

defensively as the offenses are practically scoring at will, it seems

like. Without hesitation, I provide the best of the best in the ACC

from last weekend.

Quarterback

This was difficult for me because every quarterback in the ACC

that had a game played extremely well and I cannot say that any of

them had a mediocre outing. There were some that had better than

others, however. Duke’s offense seemed to score on every drive they

had against NCST. Thad Lewis put up staggering numbers as he went 40

for 50 for 459 yards, 5 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD. Yikes! FSU’s

Christian Ponder bounced back as well as he went 26 for 36 for 359

yards and 5 TDs. GT pretty much ran all over FSU’s defense and a big

part of that was because of Josh Nesbitt. He didn’t have to throw

much, but when he did, it counted. He went 4 for 8 for 131 yards and 1

TD, but what he did on the ground counted so much more, as he ran 27

times for 140 yards and 3 TDs. Wake Forrest continued the roll as

Riley Skinner threw 24 for 33 for 360 yards and 4 TDs.

Running back

 There were yards to be gained on the ground and the ACC running

backs did not disappoint. Normally, I try and highlight the top 4

performers and I just can’t do that this week. There were too many

good people to try and decide who was better than the other. I’ll just

start with my list. FSU saw Jermaine Thomas show up for the first time

this season as he rushed 19 times for 98 yards and 1 TD and also

caught 3 passes for 42 yards a score. GT saw Jonathon Dwyer rebound as

well as he rushed 14 times for 102 yards and 2 scores. Miami had such

a big lead early on that they didn’t even need to play their starting

backs, so they put in Junior Damien Berry who is third on the depth

chart. He managed to rush for 162 yards on 14 carries and a TD. Don’t

put too much stock in that as their matchups going forward won’t

really allow for them to bench their starters again. UNC may have

found their goal line back in Ryan Houston as he managed 56 yards on

15 carries, and 3 TDs to go with them. Virginia opened up the playbook

some which allowed the running game to take off behind Mikell Simpson

who he rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries and 4 TDs. Lastly, but

certainly not least, Virginia Tech managed to put their game plan once

again on the shoulders of Ryan Williams as he racked up 159 yards on

18 carries and 1 TD.

Wide Receiver

 The funny thing is, that with as many yards that were gained

through the air this past weekend, there were not really a whole lot

of superstar receivers- which tells me that the ball is being spread

around so much that the stud receivers are becoming hard to find in

the ACC. There were some that had some good days, such as the Duke

Duo; Donavon Varner and Conner Vernon. Varner hauled in 7 passes for

154 yards and Vernon caught 10 passes for 86 yards and a 1 TD. Georgia

Tech again didn’t have to throw very often, but Demaryius Thomas made

FSU’s secondary pay when they did. He caught 2 passes for 84 yards and

1 TD. Wake Forrest’s duo of Marshall Williams and Chris Givens

forms a nice combination as well. Williams caught 6 passes for 71

yards and a 1 TD and Givens caught 5 passes for 116 yards and 2 TDs.

Three teams in the ACC are off this weekend: Florida State, Duke and North

Carolina, but everyone else besides Miami is

playing a game that will have an impact on the conference race. Week 7

is an important one for the conference.

Games that will have a Positive impact:

NC State @ Boston College– The Eagles are 4-0 at home this year and

they are going to for redemption after how they

played at Virginia Tech last weekend. The Pack’s defense will be more

forgiving than the Hokies were, and Montel Harris will be tough to

tackle. Dave Shinskie should look more like the respectable

quarterback he was before last weekend. Both teams are going to put up

some points.

Virginia @ Maryland – Remember last year? It was against the Terps

that Virginia turned the corner, and they should do it again. The

Cavaliers’ defense has been playing very well, and Maryland’s hasn’t.

If tailback Mikell Simpson returns from a neck injury and hasn’t

missed a step, he could be the difference offensively; otherwise it

will be a battle of the quarterbacks, and the Cavs’ secondary will

win.

Miami @ Central Florida – It’s a road game for the Canes, but that’s

their biggest obstacle, along with the fact they’ll be facing players

who think they should’ve been on Miami’s roster. If Miami stays as

focused as it did against Florida A&M last week, there should be no

threat of a let-down. Watch for UCF to be close early and give the

Canes a little bit of a scare. The second half is when they will put

the pedal to the medal and score at will.

Games that will have a Negative Impact:

Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech – This is a bit misconceiving of a pick.

VT will score a ton of points, but GT will not, which is why I have

categorized it this way. Both offenses have been impressive, but

Georgia Tech’s defense is in disarray and the Hokies have the edge in

special teams so they should have better field position. Dyrell Roberts

ranks second nationally in kickoff returns with 39.88 yards per

return, and Virginia Tech ranks first in the ACC in net punting, and

third in kickoff returns.

Wake Forest @ Clemson – If Clemson’s offense was going to show

improvement, it would have done it by now. Dabo Swinney had this

team in the middle of the season last year. A bye week isn’t going

to fix the problem, but the defense will keep this game close- as will

the Death Valley crowd. The Deacons’ coaches and their offense will be

the difference. I don’t expect a whole lot of points from this game.

Related posts:

1. ACC Bookends: Week 3
2. ACC Bookends Week 2: The Duke Spirit
3. ACC Bookends
4. ACC Bookends: Ride the FSU and Miami Roller Coaster
5. ACC Bookends for Week 1

Tags: ACC