Grading every ACC team’s week one performance
Week one of college football is in the books with Clemson’s 41-10 victory over Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Monday night.
It was a competitive game early until Clemson found their groove in the second half, and the offense got things going. Georgia Tech looked solid with what they had, giving the Tigers some trouble early with talented quarterback Jeff Sims making plays.
While Clemson and Georgia Tech may have been the last teams we saw on week one, the entire ACC was active this week, with some playing non-conference matchups and others playing in-conference.
How did the ACC fair? Which teams performed while others struggled? Here’s a look at my grade for every ACC team’s week one performance:
Clemson Tigers
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Grade: B
Result: 41-10 win over Georgia Tech
Reasoning: The Tigers were good, but the offensive struggles early in the game kept me from going any further. The defense is exactly what we all expected it to be, as Bryan Bresee and the defensive line were disruptive while Trenton Simpson was seemingly everywhere. While Uiagalelei and the offense took a while to get things going, the junior quarterback looked better by the snap, while freshman Cade Klubnik looked electric in his lone drive. The run game was contained in a way we wouldn’t have expected, though that is likely more of a one-off thing than not. I feel comfortable giving the Tigers a B.
Boston College Eagles
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Grade: C-
Result: 22-21 loss to Rutgers
Reasoning: From my perspective, this is a game Boston College had no business losing. Starting quarterback, Phil Jurkovec struggled to get anything going in the second half as the Eagles were outscored 16-7 to end the game with 0 fourth-quarter points. Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano is a legend, so maybe I shouldn’t have underestimated them. Regardless, this was not a good performance out of BC.
Duke Blue Devils
Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: A+
Result: 30-0 win over Temple
Reasoning: I’m sure new head coach Mike Elko is thrilled about Duke coming out in week one and shutting out any opponent. A shutout win allowing Temple just 179 total yards is exactly what this team needed for their first win of the Elko era.
Florida State Seminoles
Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: A
Result: 24-23 win over LSU
Reasoning: This game was an electric win for Florida State, going down to Louisiana and handing LSU and new head coach Brian Kelly an L in his first game with the program. The game was a rollercoaster, and honestly, though it was close, I believe FSU looked like the clear better team in this matchup. Starting quarterback Jordan Travis showed that some of this hype around him is warranted. The only reason I don’t give this program an A+ is because they almost blew it. It was an insane ending blocking an LSU PAT to win the game.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B
Result: 41-10 loss to Clemson
Reasoning: A 31-point loss may not seem like a score that warrants a B grade, but the Yellow Jackets looked much better than the score indicates. Opening your season against Clemson is a challenging task for any program, and Georgia Tech did a solid job of competing. Jeff Sims looked like the best player on the field at points, making some nice plays against one of the best defenses in the country. Offensive penalties prevented them from causing even more issues for the Tigers’ defense.
Louisville Cardinals
Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: F
Result: 31-7 loss to Syracuse
Reasoning: The Cardinals looked bad… Shockingly bad. Heading into this game as the favorite, Dino Babers and the Syracuse defense ate this Louisville offense alive. Louisville starting quarterback Malik Cunningham is a game breaker more often than not, and the Cuse defense completely shut him down, holding him to 34-yards in the ground, 152-yards through the air, and an interception. This performance was arguably the worst possible start to the season for Louisville.
Miami Hurricanes
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Grade: A
Result: 70-13 win over Bethune-Cookman
Reasoning:There really isn’t much to say about this one. I’ll give Miami an A because Van Dyke looked fantastic, even if the competition wasn’t the greatest. I’m interested to see how this team will look moving forward against some tougher competition.
NC State Wolfpack
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Grade: D
Result: 21-20 win over ECU
Reasoning: For a team that has gotten an immense amount of hype, with some analysts linking them to the college football playoff early, NC State looked rough, to say the least. Starting quarterback Devin Leary was underwhelming, and the Wolfpack defense didn’t look nearly as good as advertised. If we’re being honest, they didn’t deserve to win this game. The ECU kicker missed a PAT and missed a 42-yard would-be game-winning field goal. Every team has shaky showings here and there, but NC State needs to do better.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Syndication: Beaver County Times
Grade: B+
Result: 38-31 win over West Virginia
Reasoning: This game was a tough one for me to asses, but boy was the Backyard Brawl a treat! I decided to lean more favorably with Pitt here because of the history within this game and what I saw out of new starting quarterback Kedon Slovis. I don’t have much more to say about this one; it was just fun and why college football is the greatest.
Syracuse Orange
Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: A+
Result: 31-7 win over Louisville
Reasoning: Dino Babers! For a coach entering the season on the hot seat, what a performance, man. Heading into this matchup of ACC schools, I thought this Louisville offense would have its way with Syracuse’s defense, and I could not have been more wrong. It was a masterclass performance out of Babers and Syracuse, and I can’t lie; it was a joy to watch. A few key injuries on the defense were major blows for the Orange, and I probably should be considering the egregious amount of offensive penalties out of Syracuse. Regardless, A+ to Babers and Cuse.
UNC Tar Heels
Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: C+
Result: 63-61 win over Appalachian State
Reasoning: Another difficult one to assess; though the game was one of the most insane I’ve ever seen, it doesn’t change what we saw from this Mack Brown-led Tar Heels team. The defense allowed a ridiculous 40-points in the fourth quarter, with 62-points scored in the fourth alone. Sure the offense put 63-points on the board, but this defense… looks like swiss cheese. UNC will run into an issue sooner rather than later once they have off with some stronger defensive units.
Virginia Cavaliers
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Grade: C+
Result: 34-17 win over Richmond
Reasoning: I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t expect more out of Virginia week one, which in the end lowered them to a C+ for me. This matchup with Richmond was an excellent opportunity to get things going in a big way for Tony Elliott in his first game as the Cavaliers’ head coach; it just didn’t play out that way. I had expectations of starting quarterback Brennan Armstrong slinging it against a team like Richmond, but the overall performance was underwhelming.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: F
Result: 20-17 loss to Old Dominion
Reasoning: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This game was a genuinely awful start to the Brent Pry era at Virginia Tech. Mind you; Old Dominion is a better football team than most would give them credit for. With that being said, the Hokies have no business losing week one to this team. I guess Old Dominion has Virginia Tech’s number on their home field as they defeated them back in 2018 at home 49-35 when the Hokies were ranked No.13 in the country.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B+
Result: 44-10 win over VMI
Reasoning: I’m sure there are varying opinions on this performance, but I think this was a good showing for Wake Forest in response to the loss of star quarterback Sam Hartman. The new starter under center, Mitch Griffis looked comfortable leading his team to a week one win. We will have to see how they fair down the line against tougher competition.
