By: Nate Murphy (@bigmurph23)
Hail Mary Full of…
Clemson opened the season with an easy win at home over WVU. In Week 2, they hit the road for the first time to take on the newly reinstated Hawkeyes of Iowa. I mentioned this game in my season one blog as one to watch for. And boy oh boy did it not disappoint. The Tigers were up six at halftime. They carried that same lead into the fourth quarter.
Then all hell broke loose. That is, until a prayer was answered. Clemson and Iowa went back and forth throughout the final frame. When one team scored, the other would answer. One big play was answered by another. One key moment outshone by the next. Clemson extended their lead to nine at 26-17 early in the fourth. The Hawkeyes answered with a touchdown to close to within two. With just under three minutes to play, Robert Wetzel put Clemson on top by one with a six-yard touchdown run.
The Clemson defense would stand up and get the football back, and give the Tigers their chance to run the clock out. But, the offense that ran the ball for a combined 239 yards came up short on a 3rd and inches play. That play led to what may go down as the play of the season. An answered prayer that will haunt Tiger fans everywhere for a long time.
Sunshine State Similarities
Last week, I talked about how the ACC finished last week with nearly a zero point differential. While the conference as a whole took a slight step back, finishing week two at 2-4, the “wow, that is a strange coincidence” moments didn’t stop in week one. If you say the score is 26-24 to one of the two Sunshine staters in the ACC, you will get two very different responses.
Yes, Miami and Florida State both had games that ended with the same 26-24 score, in the same week.
On the road, Miami jumped out to a 13-point lead at the half but had to hold on against Alabama in the second half. They shut out the Tide in the fourth quarter to ensure they moved to 2-0 with the 26-24 win. At home, Florida State took on Michigan. This game has been one to watch ever since it became Teacher vs Student in Grin vs Ike. The ‘Noles and Wolverines never disappoint, and this was no different. FSU took the lead within five minutes of play. But on the last play of the game, Michigan was able to hit a game winner. So on the same night, approximately 300 miles apart, Florida State and Miami end up on opposite ends of 26-24 ballgames.
113-61
They say it’s not how you start but how you finish. Well, this past week, the ACC had a hard time finishing strong. ACC teams were outscored 113-61 in the second half of their games in week two. This includes Virginia Tech being shut out by Auburn and Miami netting only a field goal in the third quarter against Alabama. This is something that all six ACC teams will need to rectify moving forward.
ACC Results Week 2
Miami defeats Alabama 26-24
Clemson loses to Iowa 38-33
North Carolina defeats Florida 61-31
Virginia Tech loses to Auburn 40-17
Florida State loses to Michigan 26-24
Notre Dame loses to Penn State 55-20
ACC Week 3 Schedule
Monday, May 19, 2025
Ohio State at Virginia Tech (830 CST Twitch)
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Miami at USC (6:30 CST Twitch)
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Oregon at UNC (6:30 CST Twitch)
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Georgia at Clemson (630 CST YouTube)
Florida State at LSU (830 CST Twitch)
Nebraska at Notre Dame (830 CST YouTube)
Potential ACC Game of the Week
While I expect the Thursday night clash between the Seminoles and the Bayou Bengals to be a great game, especially with FSU looking to get in the win column for the first time this season, it isn’t the game to watch in my eyes. That game is the Tuesday night tilt in Southern California between the ‘Canes and Trojans. These two have played the same schedule through the first two weeks (Alabama and Texas A&M). Miami is 2-0 with a score of 82-70. USC enters at 1-1 with a combined score of 105-107. USC has scored on both defenses that they have faced.
While Miami won a shootout with A&M in Week 1, they struggled against the Tide. On the flip side, both teams gave up a lot of points to the Aggies; Miami was able to shut down Alabama far more effectively than the Trojans. So, something’s gotta give on Tuesday night. Can Miami score and keep up? Will the Trojan defense play like the Trojan defenses of the past three seasons? Or will we be testing the bulbs in the scoreboard at the Coliseum and seeing just how many points will be put up? There is only one way to find out. Make sure you tune in, because you aren’t going to miss how this one plays out, I’m sure of it.
