By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
Carolina Blues
The North Carolina Tar Heels started the season red-hot and looked like the team to beat. They started the season 3-0 with three big blowouts. They were ranked #1 in the league. However, ACC play has not been kind to the Tar Heels. They have lost three of four in conference play, including dropping each of the last two after losing to Florida State this week.
QB Kevin Price threw three interceptions as the offense struggled to sustain drives. The bigger issue, however, was the defense. Florida State QB Bear Michaels sliced up the defense, completing 75% of his passes and finding the endzone five times. Wide Receiver Lincoln Knerr caught three of those touchdown passes. The Seminoles came out and dominated this game in the final three quarters.
The fall of North Carolina this season has been a headscratcher. They clearly have a lot of talent and AD Daniel Gunn is a proven game planner. No matter what happens this week, North Carolina is still a likely playoff team thanks to their four wins. And they will be a team that people aren’t excited to play. A playoff run would rewrite the season for the Tar Heels. We will see if they can do it.
A Budding Rivalry
If you missed the Clemson vs Virginia Tech game then you missed a great one. Virginia Tech led a fourth-quarter comeback to win a low-scoring, defensive meeting. It was the type of ugly, hard-fought game that makes you fall in love with football all over again.
Clemson QB Bojack Merriweather didn’t have his best game, but he did do a great job of mixing up his targets and getting everyone involved. Five players had four or more receptions in this game. And Clemson SS Robert Wetzel played everywhere and had a great game.
For Virginia Tech, Aloysius Jefferies was an animal. He had 11 catches in this game for just short of 100 yards. On defense, Ziggy Zelinski had 10 tackles and made plays at every level of the defense.
This is the second meeting between these two teams. The series is now tied 1-1. I can’t be alone in thinking this could develop into a great rivalry in the league. They have been the natural competitor for Virginia Tech early and both games have been memorable. Perhaps this will one day be a Week 8 match-up.
The Bo Yost Express
Stop me if you have heard this before, but Bo Yost had a great game. Yost carried the ball 19 times for 131 rushing yards against Notre Dame. He also added another 130 yards in kick returns. This was another masterclass performance in what has been a great career for the senior tailback.
Yost has not only been great in this era but has cemented himself as an all-time great. Yost’s 4,196 career rushing yards is the 6th most in the history of the league. He needs another 304 rushing yards to reach Auburn legend Robert Davis to crack into the top five. You never know what will happen in the playoffs, but Miami feels like a team that will make a deep run. Yost could easily get past a few more before hanging it up.
Yost also has 45 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the 8th most in league history. He is one away from Oregon legend Jimmy Tickle for the 7th most.
This is not only a celebration of Bo Yost and his greatness, but also the return of the running game. Notre Dame and Clemson legend Duane Sammons was the last halfback to break into the CFSL’s top ten all-time rushing leaders and he retired in Season 15. It took 7 seasons to get another player to crack the top ten and it might take one season to add another.
Congrats to Bo Yost on all he has accomplished. And if you reading this, make sure you get to see him at least one more time before he retires. You will not regret it.
ACC Week 7 Results
Florida State beat North Carolina 48-28
Virginia Tech beat Clemson 30-27
Miami beat Notre Dame 41-31
ACC Week 8 Schedule
Monday, February 24, 2025
Florida State at Miami 6:30 PM CST (Twitch)
North Carolina at Virginia Tech 8:30 PM CST (Twitch)
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Notre Dame at Clemson 8:30 PM CST (YouTube)
Potential ACC Game of the Week
There is no question, this has to be Florida State vs Miami. This game is a quasi-conference championship game (although Virginia Tech still has a chance to get it). This is a game between heated rivals, with the conference championship on the line, and major playoff implications. There is a reason why this is going to be the first game played on rivalry week.
