ACC Playlist: Ambitious non-conference slate keeps pressure on Virginia
The ACC Playlist is a weekly preview of intriguing games and matchups in the Atlantic Coast Conference, loosely tied to various artists or songs in some way, shape or form. That's the plan at least.
It's a light week for ACC teams. Save for the ambitious Virginia Cavaliers and the conference opener between Syracuse and Wake Forest, tune-up games are scattered across the league's slate. Florida State and Clemson will not likely be tested for the second straight week while Louisville and Virginia Tech take a few steps down the national hierarchy after taking on top-10 opponents in Week 1.
For now, we're still flying blind with many of the league's projected top teams.
Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va., Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Two positives emerged for Virginia in the season-opening loss against UCLA: Taquan Mizzell flashed his game-breaking potential and the game ended. Sure, quarterback Matt Johns held his own against a tough defense, but half his passing yards came courtesy of Mizzell, the defense could not generate pressure or disrupt a true freshman quarterback and special teams remains an issue.
As a reward, Virginia gets a Notre Dame team that stormed out of the gate with a 38-3 win over Texas -- a more talented team than the Cavaliers. Mike London's group will be hard-pressed to generate less offense, at least, so expect a closer game and, preferably, plenty of Mizzell-centric play calls.
Jackson 5, "Who's Loving You?" -- Who is loving the Cavaliers? This non-conference schedule of UCLA, Notre Dame and Boise State -- three teams that could realistically combine for fewer losses than Virginia this season -- is absolutely brutal. Either this stretch is going more-than-adequately prep London's team for its ACC slate (thankfully avoiding Florida State and Clemson) or this is headed toward a breakup. A song originally penned for The Miracles sounds about right.
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y., Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
It's not the marquee matchup the ACC would presumably prefer to kick off its league schedule with, but this serves as an interesting case study in the ACC's lower hierarchy. Both teams cruised through opening games against FCS opponents. This will be a better gauge.
Syracuse lost starting quarterback Terrell Hunt (again) and will start true freshman Eric Dungey, a situation Wake Forest was all-too-familiar with a season ago. Sophomore John Wolford is back after surviving a career's worth of sacks and quarterback pressures and, by all accounts, Wake Forest's offense is on the rise. This is probably due to the fact that there was nowhere to fall.
Keep an eye on Orange sophomore linebacker Zaire Franklin, who opened the year strong against Rhode Island, as Wake Forest allowed three sacks against Elon a year removed from finishing dead last nationally. Offensive line issues and all, though Dave Clawson's Demon Deacons appear to be moving in the right direction. Syracuse is a different story.
David Bowie, "Drive-In Saturday" -- Set in the year 2033, the now not-so-distant future, it's a song, according to Bowie, about trying "to learn how to pick up the pieces" following disaster. Appropriate enough for two teams trying to claw out of the conference's basement. The subject matter does not, um, focus on sports, but teams are required to watch game film. Close enough.
(Bonus: There's this lyric, "I'll ring and see if your friends are home/Perhaps the strange ones in The Dome.")
InfoCision Stadium, Akron, Ohio, Saturday at 6 p.m.
Lost in the shuffle of James Conner's season-ending knee injury, Pittsburgh's defense laid an egg against Youngstown State. The FCS power put up 37 points and more than 400 yards on first-year coach Pat Narduzzi's defense, an unwanted sign for a team undone by defensive issues a year ago.
The good news is that, unlike last season, the Panthers were able to dial up pressure. Led by talented senior linebacker Nicholas Grigsby (two sacks), Pittsburgh tallied six sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the opener. That's around 20 percent of the backfield pressure they applied throughout the 2014 campaign.
The loss of the reigning ACC Player of the Year is stealing headlines, for good reason, but Pitt's running game should be in decent hands with Qadree Ollison, Chris James and Darrin Hall. The defense is the main focus.
Vic Mensa, "Down On My Luck" -- Injuries happen. Conner's injury is a downer for Pitt, and the ACC, regardless.
Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla., Saturday at 11 a.m.
Texas State served as a tune-up game for what should another tune-up game. The South Florida program is not what it was just a few years ago, and Florida State did not skip a beat with transfer quarterback Everett Golson running the show behind center.
Florida State played 23 freshmen in the opener, and it will likely enter Saturday with a similar plan as it tries to prepare a young roster for an upcoming slate that includes two conference road games (Boston College, Wake Forest) before the competition level kicks up with Miami, Louisville and Georgia Tech.
One thing that would be nice to see against South Florida: More playmaking on defense. The Seminoles came up with just one turnover and one sack (six tackles for loss) against Texas State. For a unit that underperformed in 2014 and lost talented pieces, some big plays versus lesser competition couldn't hurt.
Beach House, "Walk In The Park" -- Let's not make this complicated: Florida State should roll against its in-state counterpart as the offense continues to find its rhythm. The fact that the youth-heavy Seminoles land a song from the album Teen Dream is just coincidence.
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla., Friday at 8 p.m.
Miami found itself in the same boat as Florida State against Bethune-Cookman, allowing 26 players to make their collegiate debuts. Florida Atlantic will be a tougher challenge, but it's a program still trying to rediscover its early, bowl-bound success under former Miami coaching legend Howard Schnellenberger. In that respect, both programs are running parallel courses.
The Hurricanes, for obvious reasons, are just farther along.
Boogie Down Productions, "The Style You Haven't Done Yet" -- Miami is still sifting through old moving boxes looking for its once-unmatched swagger, but Schnellenberger was never able to truly recreate it in Boca Raton. The Hurricanes hold the edge here, especially in the context of hip-hop's golden era.
