What’s going on in the ACC?
While it may have been a quiet week in Chapel Hill with the undefeated Tar Heels getting some much needed rest on a bye week, fireworks erupted in the ACC this past weekend. Let’s take a look at what went down across the Atlantic Coast Conference.
A Change in Raleigh
After a disappointing home loss against undefeated Louisville, North Carolina State wasted little time before announcing they are replacing quarterback Brennan Armstrong with backup MJ Morris.
The Wolfpack, frankly, have been awful offensively this season and it has cost them dearly early in the season. Holding Louisville to just 13 points should have been enough to upset the Cardinals, but Armstrong threw a couple of brutal interceptions that they could not come back from.
Morris represents a changing of the guard in Raleigh. Armstrong is a 6th year senior while Morris is just a sophomore. And while Armstrong stands tall in the pocket and tries to dissect defenses, Morris is more versatile, something that helped him lead the Wolfpack to surprise wins over Wake Forest and Virginia Tech as a Freshman.
Clemson Still Alive
You can never count the Tigers out in the ACC.
It is unlikely that Clemson can do enough to convince College Football Playoff voters that they belong in the playoff, but they’re not completely out of the race to the ACC championship. Starting their season with two disappointing losses to Duke and Florida State, the Tigers put themselves in a hole they now have to dig out of. Walloping undefeated Syracuse on the road is a good place to start.
Led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, Clemson defeated Syracuse 31-14 in a game they hope will jumpstart the rest of their season. It doesn’t get much easier for the Tigers, as after a home game against Wake Forest they travel to Raleigh and southern Florida for games against NC State and Miami. They also have home games against Notre Dame and North Carolina.
Clemson has a chance to hand out losses to a few of the teams in front of them. And as they showcased last Saturday, Head Coach Dabo Swiney will be sure to have his guys ready to play.
Duke Loses More Than Their First Game
Duke lost its first game of the season to a Notre Dame Fighting Irish team looking to bounce back from a tough home loss to Ohio State. Unfortunately for Blue Devils fans, it got worse. Star quarterback Riley Leonard was injured late in the game after his ankle was turned in a position no ankle is supposed to bend in.
Leonard appears to have avoided the worst, as the diagnosis is a high ankle sprain. Many were worried that Leonard would miss the rest of the season but there is hope he will only be out a couple of weeks. Leonard has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the country, and will be sorely missed in their next game against North Carolina State.
Georgia Tech Looks For Defensive Inspiration
Looking more towards the bottom of the ACC, Georgia Tech appears desperate for answers. Sitting at 2-3 overall and coming off of a double digit home loss against Bowling Green, the Yellow Jackets have demoted Andrew Thacker from Defensive Coordinator to Safeties Coach, and tasked Kevin Sherrer to take his place.
Sherrer brings a ton of experience. He graduated from the University of Alabama, playing tight end there, and even headed the Director of Player Development in Tuscaloosa. He’s coached at all three levels (high school, college, professional) of football, last coaching for the New York Giants.
Georgia Tech football has been looking for answers for awhile now. In the eight seasons they’ve played since winning the ACC and Orange Bowl in 2014, they have just two winning seasons. Head Coach Brent Key surely hopes Sherrer will help turn their season around.
North Carolina is in a good spot nearly midway through the season.
Thank you for reading CarolinaHQ. Please follow us on Twitter at @TheCarolinaHQ and our Facebook group for the latest news and stories about the Tar Heels. For feedback, questions, concerns or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on Twitter at @TheCarolinaHQ. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the fastest-growing North Carolina sports sites. We cover all sports and would love to have you read and be interested in our content!
