ACC Football: What We Learned, Week 7

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It was an interesting week in the Atlantic Coast Conference, at least considering that two of its best teams did not play. Here’s what we learned from the six games that did take place on Saturday:

Clemson Tigers 24, Boston College Eagles 14
We learned here that Boston College’s fire and back after an absence of several years and that they are positioning themselves for a nice second half. As for Clemson, they will have their hands even more full next week with Florida State.

Duke Blue Devils 35, Navy Midshipmen 7
Here we learned that Duke’s Anthony Boone, who just re-entered the fray, is looking fine and healthy after a 31-for-38 performance.

Maryland Terrapins 27, Virginia Cavaliers 26
This isn’t exactly news, but we were reminded that Virginia is a bad football team, blowing a fourth-quarter lead and missing what would have been a game-winning field goal. Mike London has hopefully updated his resume because this just ain’t working out.

Syracuse Orange 24, NC State Wolfpack 10
In this game more than any other on Saturday, it became clear that the middle and bottom of the ACC is soft and squishy, and anyone can beat anyone. That’s reason for hope for Boston College against both of these teams, both of whom are also middling at .500.

Virginia Tech Hokies 19, Pittsburgh Panthers 9
Here, we learned absolutely nothing about Virginia Tech’s defense, which is clearly its best attribute. Logan Thomas was efficient and did not hurt his team, but the only thing most people will notice is how his defense allowed just 210 yards to Pitt, including a paltry 23 on the ground.

BYU Cougars 38, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 20
It seems that one thing we learned here is that if Vad Lee and the Jackets are going to throw it, they sure ought to complete those passes. Lee went 7-for-20 with a pick and got sacked four times, en route to two yards per carry on the ground.