Florida State had the weekend off, but the rest of the ACC gave Seminoles fans plenty to monitor during Week 2 of the college football season.
The conference went 12-1 in nonconference games, highlighted by a clean sweep of its three matchups against the Big Ten. There were also several dominant performances from ranked ACC teams, along with a few concerning showings as conference play begins to take shape, causing quite a shift in our ACC Power Rankings.
Here are some of the biggest winners and losers from Week 2 around the ACC.
Winner: The ACC against the Big Ten
There was no better result for the conference than going 3-0 head-to-head against the Big Ten.
The Boston College Eagles opened the weekend with a 28-21 victory over Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday night before the Wake
Forest Demon Deacons survived Purdue, 38-36, in double overtime Saturday. The Duke Blue Devils completed the sweep with a 31-27 road victory over Illinois.
All three victories came against Power Four competition, and two were earned on the road. Duke running back Nate Sheppard was particularly impressive, producing 188 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against Illinois.
For a league frequently fighting for national respect, an undefeated weekend against another Power Four conference is difficult to ignore.
Winner: Pitt’s defense
It was not pretty, but Pitt improved to 2-0 with a 12-7 victory over UCF.
The Panthers held the Knights scoreless through the first three quarters and leaned heavily on their defense while the offense struggled to generate points. True freshman running back Damon Ferguson Jr. rushed for 59 yards and scored Pitt’s only touchdown in his first career start.
The offense may need work, but Pitt has already shown it can win a game when points are difficult to find.
Loser: Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech entered the season with significant expectations but suddenly finds itself 0-2.
The Yellow Jackets fell 45-24 at home to No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers after dropping their opener against Colorado last week. Tennessee rushed for 299 yards, including 147 yards and two touchdowns from DeSean Bishop, and gradually pulled away after Georgia Tech briefly held a first-quarter lead.
It was the ACC’s only nonconference loss of the weekend.
Winner: NC State’s offensive explosion
Few teams in the country were more dominant offensively than NC State in Week 2.
The Wolfpack overwhelmed Richmond, 73-0, in their home opener, piling up 734 yards of total offense while averaging 10.6 yards per play. NC State rushed for 428 yards, scored on each of its first six possessions, and built a 49-0 halftime lead.
Running back Jayden “Duke” Scott rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while NC State finished with 31 first downs and converted eight of 10 third-down attempts.
Loser: Syracuse’s self-inflicted mistakes
Syracuse may have produced the most frustrating loss in the conference.
The Orange outgained Cal 436-249 but still lost their ACC opener, 21-18. Syracuse committed 15 penalties for 132 yards, and quarterback Steve Angeli threw three interceptions, including a fourth-quarter pick-six by Kingston Lopa that gave Cal the lead.
Loser: Clemson’s offense
The Clemson Tigers earned their first victory of the season, but it did little to erase concerns created by its opening loss to LSU.
The Tigers defeated Georgia Southern, 22-7, yet scored only one touchdown and settled for five field goals. After finding the end zone early, Clemson was kept out of it for the remainder of the game.
A win was necessary after a 0-1 start. Still, Clemson’s offense remains one of the bigger questions surrounding a team expected to contend near the top of the ACC.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Biggest winners and losers from Week 2 in the ACC
