Georgia Tech’s path to offensive success is pretty simple. If they can hammer opponents on the ground they can beat anyone in the ACC. When they can’t, they don’t stand much of a chance. Somewhat surprisingly, the triple option wasn’t able to do much against Duke’s defense. Paul Johnson’s team rushed for 229 yards on the afternoon, but they only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Expect the heat to get turned up on Johnson after this lackluster performance at home.
Pittsburgh continues to be one of the most confusing teams in the ACC. The narrow loss to Notre Dame represented a decent effort by the Panthers, but it has to go down as a missed opportunity for Pat Narduzzi’s team. The start of the day for Pitt was their defense. They forced Ian Book into two costly interceptions that almost helped them spring a big upset. Unfortunately, their offense didn’t give them enough help. Kenny Pickett only managed 126 yards through the air. That made it possible for the Irish to steal the win late.
Bronco Mendenhall deserves some consideration for ACC Coach of the Year. The Cavaliers aren’t blowing anyone away, but their 4-2 record represents significant progress for the Virginia program. They didn’t blow Miami away, but they took advantage of the Hurricanes’ mistakes and got a really important ACC win. The victory came down to the defense. Forcing three interceptions allowed them to overcome Bryce Perkins’ rough offensive day. Virginia was a little bit lucky, but their big win still allows them to move up two spots this week.
Willie Taggart and company have a lot to work on. Seminole fans hope they got a chance to do a lot of coaching this week. If they can’t beat Wake Forest next week, there’s going to be even more consternation in Tallahassee.