By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
Never Count Them Out
North Carolina had to be feeling good going into halftime this past week. They held a 27-0 lead over Florida State at the halfway point. However, as Mike loves to say, no lead is safe in the CFSL.
The Seminoles stormed back in no time. FSU scored 35 points in the 3rd quarter to take the lead. By the end of the game, Florida State had scored 42 unanswered points to notch a huge win over North Carolina.
Florida State QB Zeus Claydon was on fire in the second half. He threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns in this game. A lot of that production went the way of Dave Axis, who had 109 yards and a score on just four catches.
However, it was the defense that made the comeback possible. Florida State forced 4 turnovers, 3 of which came in the second half. FS Beanie Buchanan, CB Adam Leach, and CB Elijah Pence all had interceptions in this game. OLB Bjorn Thorsen forced a fumble that DE Max Duncan took 20 yards to the endzone. The turnovers crippled the Tar Heel attack and gave Florida State fast points.
This is tied for the largest comeback of Season 21 with Ohio State over Colorado in Week 1. This also kept the Seminoles on pace to have a real chance to win the ACC this season.
It’s Never Too Late
There has been much talk about the Clemson rebuild this season. New AD Logan Wetzel took over a depleted roster and filled it with a lot of new recruits. They have the youngest team in the CFSL, but they built the base for the future. The only thing that was missing was the first win of the Wetzel era.
Wait no more. This week the Tigers held off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win 42-30. Clemson dominated the first half, taking a 35 to 7 lead into the half. The Irish fought back in the second thanks to some great play by Noir Royal and Olin Norris in the running game. However, a late Clemson touchdown put the comeback effort to bed.
Clemson QB Tavon Moss has hit a new level lately. He had three touchdowns in the first four weeks. He has had seven in the last two weeks, three of which came against Notre Dame. His job was made a lot easier because of the success of the rushing attack. Clemson HB Robert Wetzel set new single-game career highs in rushing yards (81), rushing yards per carry (5.4), and rushing touchdowns (2) this week.
MLB Bryce Frey led the defense in a career game for the freshman. Frey had a team-leading 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. It seemed like half of Notre Dame’s plays ended with Frey making a great play.
The monkey is off the back of the new AD. Now it’s time to take that momentum into the rest of the season. Congrats to Logan and Clemson on the big win.
The Bo Yost Show
The CFSL’s leading rusher has been electric this season. Bo Yost has 735 rushing yards (most in the league), 7 rushing touchdowns (t-2nd most in the league), and 24 broken tackles (t-most in the league). The Miami tailback has been unstoppable this season and the Hurricane’s last week proved it.
Miami handled Virginia Tech last week. The final score was 56-14. Yost was a huge reason why. The star back had 25 carries, 149 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 3 receptions, and 46 receiving yards against the Hokies. 195 total yards would be a career game for most of the running backs in the league. However, it’s not even the best total for Yost in the last three weeks.
Bo Yost will have some strong competition for the CFSL’s rushing title this season. The biggest competition will be Auburn’s Thomas Scally and Colorado’s Taylor James. Yost, Scally, and James are the only players with over 700 rushing yards currently.
While the competition is fierce, Yost is up for the challenge. He has been on fire this season, going over 100 total yards in five of the six games he played this season. Good luck to any defense hoping to stop him.
ACC Week 6 Results
Florida State 42, North Carolina 27
Miami 56, Virginia Tech 14
Clemson 42, Notre Dame 30
Week 7 ACC Schedule
Wednesday
Florida State at Virginia Tech 6:30 PM on YouTube
North Carolina at Clemson 8:30 PM on Twitch
Thursday
Notre Dame at Miami 8:30 PM on YouTube
Potential ACC Game of the Week for Week 7
North Carolina is coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of Florida State and Miami. Clemson is hot off the first win of the season. On paper, the Tar Heels should be easy favorites. However, momentum cannot be overlooked. For this reason, this is my pick for the ACC Game of the Week.
