No. 12 Georgia Tech heads to Duke for battle of unbeaten teams in ACC play
Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 12 Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0) at Duke (4-2, 3-0 ACC), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)
Two conference unbeatens clash in a game that could have a significant impact on who plays in the ACC championship game in Charlotte.
The Yellow Jackets, who come in as a 1 1/2-point underdog despite not having lost this season, are led by QB Haynes King, an efficient passer and effective runner who averages 5.2 yards per carry. The Blue Devils are allowing 123.2 yards rushing per game on the ground, so Georgia Tech will be looking to exploit that weakness.
Duke QB Darian Mensah leads the ACC with 15 TD passes.
The undercard
Louisville (4-1, 1-1 ACC) at No. 2 Miami (5-0, 1-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The Hurricanes enter the weekend unbeaten and ranked second in the country, but have only played one game in the ACC. They face a stiff test in one-loss Louisville.
The Cardinals have played two close conference games, struggling early against Pitt before closing the game strong with a 17-0 run to pull out the win behind three Miller Moss TD passes. They were able to rally against No. 18 Virginia as well, but lost in overtime. A Louisville upset on the road could shake up the ACC standings.
Miami ranks 14th in the nation in run defense allowing just 87.4 yards per game on the ground.
SMU (4-2, 2-0) at Clemson (3-3, 2-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
This was expected to be the game of the year in the ACC, but Clemson’s two early conference losses have dampened the hype surrounding this rematch of last year’s ACC championship game in which the Tigers won on a field goal as time expired. Clemson has regrouped following its 1-3 start, winning back-to-back games in impressive fashion.
Impact players
— Pitt QB Mason Heintschel. In his second career start, the true freshman completed 21 of 29 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns as Pitt upset then-No. 25 Florida State. He also ran for 64 yards on 16 attempts, including a career-long 30-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter. He was one of only three FBC players last week to throw for 320 yards and run for 60.
— Clemson DT Peter Woods. The interior defensive lineman had an impact on both sides of the ball, helping Clemson beat Boston College 41-10. He had three tackles and a half sack and also carried twice for 4 yards and a touchdown in the win. He’s the first FBS player this season to rush for a touchdown and record at least a half sack in a single game.
Inside the numbers
The league has three ranked teams in the AP Top 25 poll with Miami, Georgia Tech and No. 18 Virginia, which plays a non-conference game against Washington State. … Florida State travels to Stanford, California hosts North Carolina and Syracuse is at home against Pitt in three other ACC matchups. … Boston College hosts UConn in non-conference games. … Wake Forest and Virginia Tech have byes this week.
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