Five football games exclusively involving ACC clubs were played over the weekend, and each game was a blowout.
Even Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia were on the positive ends of lopsided affairs, another indication just about anything can happen in the ACC, which has to be the most difficult conference in the national to get a handle on.
With respect to Boston College QB Chase Rettig, WR Alex Amidon and LB Nick Clancy, Duke safety Jordon Byas and WR Jamison Crowder, Clemson S Rashard Hall, LB Spencer Shuey and WR Sammy Watkins, Wake Forest LB Justin Jackson, Georgia Tech LBs Jeremiah Attaochu and Quayshgawn Nealy, Miami LB Eddie Johnson, N.C. State S Earl Wolff, Virginia DT Chris Brathwaite and CB Maurine Canady, here are this week’s Big Men on Campus:
DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson: The junior wide receiver became the school's all-time leader in touchdown receptions by snagging four passes for 128 yards and three scores in a 56-20 rout at Duke. He passed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season and now has 22 career TD receptions.
Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest: The sophomore cornerback was in on seven tackles, had an interception and registered a pair of broken up passes in helping the Demon Deacons establish a tough mentality on defense in a 28-14 victory over visiting Boston College. Wake needed the victory to climb within one of becoming bowl eligible.
Duke Johnson, Miami: The freshman tailback was explosive during a stretch of the game when the Hurricanes opened up a lead over Virginia Tech, finishing the contest with 100 yards and a score on 11 carries in the 30-12 victory. The win helped put the Canes in the driver’s seat to win the ACC's Coastal Division.
Kevin Parks, Virginia: The Cavaliers' tailback had one of his better performances in gaining 115 bruising yards and a touchdown on 25 rushing attempts. He helped set a tone in a surprising 33-6 rout of NC State in Raleigh, NC.
Tajh Boyd, Clemson: The sensational junior quarterback completed 16 of 23 pass attempts for 344 yards. He tied a career high with five TD passes for the second consecutive game. He also was intercepted three times, but ran for 72 yards and a score. Boyd has 10 TD passes and nearly 600 yards in the first halves of the last two contests.
N.C. State: Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien said this was his best team before the season started, and it now sits at 5-4 after getting blown out 33-6 at home by a Virginia team that had lost six consecutive games. North Carolina State does this seemingly every year, and with a trip to Clemson still remaining, it looks like 7-5 is the best State can do. Not good at all.
Michael Campanaro, Wake Forest: The underrated wide receiver tied an ACC record with 16 receptions in a 28-14 home victory over Boston College on Saturday. Those catches went for 123 yards and three touchdowns, as the junior from Maryland has fully bounced back from an injury that forced him to miss a few games.
Al Golden, Miami: This job has been a handful for Golden since he took it nearly two years ago in part because of his teams' unpredictability, which was the wild card again in last Thursday's 30-12 beating of visiting Virginia Tech. So-called experts thought that game could have gone anywhere, but Golden's troops were focused and attacked their plan.
