ACC Football Week 7: How We Did

Oct 11, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Mike Williams (7) celebrates with head coach Dabo Swinney (center right) after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Tigers won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The good thing about ACC football Week 7 was that it largely lacked embarrassing moments for the conference. Gotta love how that’s our standard for a good week.

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In fact, it turned out to be a somewhat interesting week for the ACC, as the Coastal division has been cracked wide open once again.

The best part may have been that Wake Forest did not dampen our collective spirits by playing what they allege is football. Here’s how the week in the Atlantic Coast Conference went:

ACC Football Week 7: Back on Track

Our Recap: Eagles Tame Wolfpack With 30-14 Win

Boston College had to wait an extra week to bounce back from their bad loss against Colorado State, but that’s what they did. Eagles defense started about as badly as possible but got better as the game progressed, with the offense doing enough to power the visitors through to victory.

BC moves to 4-2, while NC State, well, things aren’t going so great. The Wolfpack started 4-0 thanks to a marshmallow-soft non-conference schedule, but have lost three ACC games in a row; Dave Doeren still has not won a conference game at NC State.

ACC Football Week 7: Coastal Chaos

The (Blue) Devils went down to Georgia looking for a win to steal. David Cutcliffe’s men got that victory, knocking off undefeated Georgia Tech to pull both teams even at 5-1 on the season. Importantly, Duke got their first ACC win and the Jackets have fallen back to the pack at 2-1.

Despite being outgained 483 to 373, Duke won in large part because they were +3 in turnovers. Georgia Tech showed some fight trying to come back from a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but their rally was too little, too late. For the Blue Devils, it was their first win over Georgia Tech in eleven years.

Take a look at the Coastal standings: they’re a mess. Except North Carolina, against whom I could probably throw four touchdown passes, every one of those teams is still alive. Duke winning was good news for them, but also for the rest of the division. If Duke beats 2-0 Virginia next week, it’s a full-scale free-for-all in this division.

ACC Football Week 7: On A Roll

Aside from the fact that their starting quarterback is going to be out for about a month, things went well for Clemson today as they stopped a last-minute Louisville rally to beat the Cardinals, 23-17.

Defenses ruled in this game, where neither team made even 270 yards of total offense and went a combined 3-for-33 on third downs. (That must have been terribly boring to watch.) It was not boring at the end, however, when with a little over a minute to go, Louisville’s Will Gardner hit James Quick for a 73-yard gain. From first and goal at the 8, and then second and goal at the 1, the Tigers defense held.

Then, inexplicably, the fans rushed the field following a win over an unranked team, but we’ll forgive them. This time.