GREENSBORO, N.C. -- NC State earns first national ranking of season, Clemson jumps to No. 3 in coaches poll, Florida State moves up to 6th in both polls, FSU's Chris Weinke set ACC career TD pass record with 62, Four family squabbles comprise week nine slate
GAME PREVIEWS:
Saturday, October 21
Duke (0-6, 0-4)
at Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2)
JP-TV, Noon
Dodd Stadium (46,000)
THE GAME: Duke will be out to end a six-game losing streak when it travels to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on a Georgia Tech club looking to extend its winning streak to three-in-a-row when the two teams meet for the 68th time in a series that started in 1933 ... Tech has won five straight and nine of the last 10 meetings to take a 37-29-1 series lead ... the two teams have played one another every year since 1933. THE COACHES: Carl Franks is 3-14 in his second season with the Blue Devils ... George O'Leary is 40-27-0 in six years at Georgia Tech including a 5-0 mark against the Blue Devils. NOTING DUKE: In his first two career starts against two teams ranked in the top 15 nationally in total defense, sophomore QB D. Bryant completed 31-of-72 passes for 320 yards ... senior QB Spencer Romine is eighth on the school's career pass completion list (268), eighth in passing yardage (3,360) and 10th in total offense (3,353) ... Chris Douglas leads all freshmen nationally, ranking 31st in all-purpose yardage (133.3), has gone over 100 all-purpose yards in five of his six games ... Douglas is also 33rd in the country in kickoff returns (22.4) ... P Brian Morton is third in the ACC and sixth nationally in punting (44.7) ... the Blue Devils are sixth nationally in net punting (40.3) ... Duke has lost only two fumbles all season. BUZZ BITS: Tech has 16 QB sacks in its last three games and 23 for the season, a year ago the Jackets were last in the ACC with only 16 QB sacks ... QB George Godsey is 10th nationally in passing efficiency having thrown for 1,341 yards with 14 TDs and only three interceptions in 176 attempts ... WR Kelly Campbell is Tech's all-time leader with 16 touchdown receptions, is fifth in career receiving yardage (1,680) and sixth in career receptions (109) ... Dan Dyke is second in the ACC and fifth nationally in punting (44.8) while Tech is second nationally in net punting (42.8) ... sophomore PK Luke Manget is a perfect 76-for-76 for PATs in his career, the ACC record is 93 ... Tech has 596 wins in 108 seasons of intercollegiate football ... GaT has trailed in three of its four wins this season ... Tech has won 13 of its last 15 home games, scoring 40 or more points in 11 of those games.
Wake Forest (0-6, 0-4)
at Maryland (2-4, 0-3)
1:00 p.m.
Byrd Stadium (60,000)
THE GAME: The 49th meeting between these two long-time rivals find the Terrapins looking to get back into the win column when they host a Demon Deacon club that is winless through its first six games of the season ... Maryland posted a 17-14 victory a year ago and leads the series 34-13-1, including a 14-7 mark in games played in Byrd Stadium. THE COACHES: Ron Vanderlinden is 12-27 in his four seasons in College Park while Jim Caldwell is 24-60 in his eighth season at Wake Forest. DEACON DOINGS: After averaging only 167.3 yards per game in the first three games of the season, the Deacons have averaged 377.7 yards per contest over the last three games ... over the last three games, the Deacs' QB combination of freshman Anthony Young and sophomore James McPherson has averaged 267.6 yards per game in total offense (194.3 passing & 73.3 rushing) ... in his last three games, Young has rushed for 242 yards on 42 carries (5.8 per carry) ... Young, the first freshman to start at QB for the Deacs since 1978, now leads the team in rushing with 284 yards and a 6.0 yards per carry average ... McPherson has completed 38-of-74 passes for 412 yards over the same three-game span. TERP TIDBITS: TB LaMont Jordan is fourth in the ACC in rushing (74.8) and seventh in scoring (7.0) ... Jordan is the Terps' all-time leading rusher and 11th on the ACC's career list with 3,676 yards, also 19th among the league's all-time leaders in all-purpose yardage (4,320) ... Jordan needs only 18 more yards to pass UNC's Leon Johnson for 11th on the league's all-time list ... QB Calvin McCall has thrown for over 175 yards in four of his five starts this season and is seventh in the ACC in total offense (197.7) ... PK Brian Kopka has made 38-of-54 career field goal attempts (.704) and is sixth among Maryland career scoring leaders with 195 points while Jordan is fifth with 198 points ... Brooks Barnard leads the ACC and is second nationally in punting (46.0) ... the Sagarin Computer ranks the Terps' schedule to date as the 10th toughest in the nation ... Maryland's last three games were against teams with a combined record of 17-3.
Virginia (4-2, 3-1)
at No. 6 Florida State (6-1, 4-0)
ABC, 3:30 p.m.
Doak Campbell Stadium (80,000)
THE GAME: The ninth meeting between these two clubs finds the Seminoles looking to make it two wins in a row, while the Cavaliers, coming off a bye week, will be gunning for their third straight win and fifth of the season ... FSU has won four in a row in the series and leads the rivalry 7-1. BY THE NUMBERS: In their last two meetings, FSU has out-scored Virginia 28-24 in the first half and 52-0 in the second half.
THE COACHES: George Welsh is 187-128-4 in 28 years overall and 132-82-3 in 19 seasons at Virginia ... Bobby Bowden is 236-54-4 in 25 years at FSU and 310-66-4 in 35 seasons overall CAV COPY: The Cavaliers have won four straight, and five of its last six ACC road games, and is 31-16-1 over its last 48 ACC road games ... under Welsh, the Cavaliers are 11-11 in games following an off week ... QB Dan Ellis has thrown for 1,406 yards and seven TDs, is fourth in the ACC and 16th nationally in passing efficiency ... Ellis is sixth on UVa's career passing list with 3,738 yards and fifth with 28 TD passes ... Antwoine Womack is second in the ACC and 16th nationally in rushing (107.7) and has rushed for 100 yards-or-more in each of his last two games ... George Welsh is seventh among active head coaches with 186 wins, has more ACC road wins (36-30-2) than any other coach in league history ... WR Kevin Coffey has caught at least one pass in 28 consecutive games . NOLE NOTES: QB Chris Weinke leads the ACC and is second nationally in both passing efficiency and total offense ... Weinke passed for a school-record 536 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday's win over Duke and became the ACC's all-time TD pass leader with 66, sixth on the ACC career passing yardage list (8,182) and eighth in total offense (7,839) ... in his last two games, Weinke has passed for 1,023 yards, which is more yardage than 25 Division I-A teams have totaled this season ... junior WR Atrews Bell has touched the ball only 23 times this season, but has scored 10 TDs, has 22 catches for 430 yards (19.5) and nine TDs and has run the ball once for six yards and another score ... FSU has won 32 straight games at Doak Campbell Stadium and have not lost at home in 49 consecutive contests (FSU tied Florida in 1994), both home streaks currently lead the nation.
No. 3 Clemson (7-0, 5-0)
at North Carolina (3-3, 1-3)
ESPN2, 5:30 p.m.
Kenan Stadium (60,000)
THE GAME: Third-ranked Clemson will be looking to extend its winning streak to eight in a row when it travels to Chapel Hill to take on a North Carolina team that stands at 3-3 on the year ... the Tigers won 31-20 a year ago in Death Valley and lead the rivalry 30-17-1, including a 13-10-1 mark in Chapel Hill ... UNC has won three of the last four meetings and three of the last four in Kenan Stadium. THE COACHES: Tommy Bowden is 31-10 in four seasons overall, with a 13-6 mark in two years at Clemson ... Carl Torbush is 14-16 in three years at UNC and 17-24 in four seasons overall. TIGER TALES: QB Woodrow Dantzler is 11th nationally in rushing (117.0), sixth in total offense (298.6) and ninth nationally in passing efficiency (149.3) ... his 2,090 yards in total offense is already the sixth best single season mark in Tiger history ... WR Rod Gardner is fourth on the school career receiving yardage chart (2,013) and third in receptions (142) ... Travis Zachery ran for a career-high 151 yards against Maryland Saturday and is third in the ACC in rushing (94.6), leads the ACC, and is fourth nationally, in scoring (11.1) ... Zachery is Clemson's career TD leader (34) and 14th in career rushing yards (2,117) ... the Tigers are averaging 504.0 yards per game, 76.2 yards per game ahead of the school record of 427.8 yards per game set in 1978 ... Clemson is 7-0 for the third time in school history and the first time since 1981 ... LB Keith Adams has had at least one tackle for a loss in a school-record 19 straight games. HEEL HYPE: For the third straight season, a true freshman is leading the team in rushing, Brandon Russell has a team-high 317 yards on 93 carries ... QB Ronald Curry has either run or passed for at least one TD in six straight games and is 21st nationally in passing efficiency (137.9), has passed for 235 yards-or-more in three of his last four games ... Curry is eighth at UNC in career total offense (3,782) and ninth in passing (3,021) ... WR Kory Bailey leads the team in receiving (21-for-363) ... WR Bosley Allen is averaging 21.6 yards per reception (15-for-324) and is 10th in the nation in punt returns (15.5) ... since 1990, the Tar Heels are 27-4 against Wake Forest, Duke and NC State ... PK Jeff Reed is a perfect 16-for-16 in PATs and has made eight of nine field goal attempts.
One of five remaining undefeated teams nationally ... have been ranked in the top five of the AP poll 20 times ... junior QB Woodrow Dantzler leads the ACC and is 11th nationally in rushing (117.0), third in the ACC and sixth in total offense (298.6), second in the ACC and ninth nationally in passing efficiency (149.3) ... his 2,090 yards of total offense is already the sixth best single season mark in Tiger history ... WR Rod Gardner is fourth on the school career receiving yardage chart (2,013) and third in receptions (142) ... Travis Zachery ran for a career-high 151 yards against Maryland Saturday and is third in the ACC in rushing (94.6), leads the ACC, and is fourth nationally, in scoring (11.1) ... Zachery is Clemson's career TD leader (34) and 14th in career rushing yards (2,117) ... the Tigers are averaging 504.0 yards per game, 76.2 yards per game ahead of the school record of 427.8 yards per game set in 1978 ... Clemson has scored at least 30 points in seven consecutive games for the first time in history and is 7-0 for the third time in school history and the first time since 1981 ... the Tigers have had a school-record seven straight games with at least 450 yards of total offense ... LB Keith Adams has had at least one tackle for a loss in a school-record 19 straight games ... CB Alex Ardley tied a school record with three interceptions against Maryland.
DUKE Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are in the final game of a three game stretch against opponents that are a combined 17-3 ... Duke's first seven opponents in 2000 are a combined 32-14, the last four games are against teams that are a combined 10-14 ... Saturday's game at FSU marked the fifth time in school history that the Blue Devils played back to back games against teams (Clemson & Florida State) in the AP top 10 ... in his first two career starts against teams ranked in the top 15 nationally in total defense (Clemson & FSU), sophomore QB D. Bryant completed 31-of-72 passes for 320 yards ... senior QB Spencer Romine is eighth on the school's career pass completion list (268), eighth in passing yardage (3,360) and 10th in total offense (3,353) ... Chris Douglas leads all freshmen nationally, ranking 31st in all-purpose yardage (133.3), has gone over 100 all-purpose yards in five of his six games ... Douglas is also 33rd in the country in kickoff returns (22.4) ... P Brian Morton is third in the ACC and sixth nationally in punting (44.7) and is a major reason why the Blue Devils are sixth nationally in net punting (40.3) ... Duke has lost only two fumbles all season.
FLORIDA STATE Seminoles
FSU leads the nation in total offense (535.0) and passing offense (375.0)and is 13th in total defense (284.0) ... TB Travis Minor is seventh in the ACC in rushing (63.3), fourth on FSU's career rushing list and is 26th on the ACC's with 2,738 yards ... QB Chris Weinke leads the ACC and is second nationally in both passing efficiency and total offense ... Weinke is averaging 348.0 yards per game and is on pace to break the existing ACC single season total offense record set last year by Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton (344.9), has thrown for 2,510 yards and 20 TDs on the year ... Weinke passed for a school-record 536 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday's win over Duke and became the ACC's all-time TD pass leader with 66, sixth on the ACC career passing yardage list (8,182) and eighth in total offense (7,839), has passed for 200 yards or more in 18 straight regular season games and in 27 of his 28 career starts ... in his last two games, Weinke has passed for 1,023 yards which is more yardage than 25 Division I-A teams have totaled this season ... junior WR Atrews Bell has touched the ball only 23 times this season, but has scored 10 TDs, has 22 catches for 430 yards (19.5) and nine TDs and has run the ball once for six yards and another score ... FSU has been ranked in every AP poll since the fifth week of the 1989 season, a streak spanning 189 consecutive rankings ... FSU has won 32 straight games at Doak Campbell Stadium and have not lost at home in 49 consecutive contests (FSU tied Florida in 1994), both home streaks currently lead the nation ... Bowden is fifth on the all-time coaching win list with 310 career wins ... the Seminoles have scored on five of their seven opening drives this season ... DE Jamal Reynolds leads the ACC in QB sacks (10).
GEORGIA TECH Yellow Jackets
Tech has 16 QB sacks in its last three games and 23 for the season, a year ago the Jackets were last in the ACC with only 16 QB sacks ... QB George Godsey completed 16-of-21 passes for a career-high 333 yards and four TDs against Wake Forest and jumped 22 spots to 10th nationally in passing efficiency, has thrown for 1,341 yards with 14 TDs and only three interceptions in 176 attempts, reached the 1,000-yard mark faster than any previous Tech QB ... WR Kelly Campbell is Tech's all-time leader with 16 touchdown receptions and is fifth in career receiving yardage (1,680) and sixth in career receptions (109) ... ... TB Joe Burns is fifth in the ACC in rushing (73.5) ... Dan Dyke is second in the ACC and fifth nationally in punting (44.8) while Tech is second nationally in net punting (42.8) ... sophomore PK Luke Manget is a perfect 76-for-76 for PATs in his career, the ACC record is 93 ... Tech has 596 wins in 108 seasons of intercollegiate football ... the Yellow Jackets have trailed in three of their four wins this season ... under O'Leary, Tech is 18-4 in games where they hold opponents under 100 yards rushing ... Tech has won 13 of its last 15 home games, scoring 40 or more points in 11 of those games ... the Jackets lead the ACC in net punting (42.8), kickoff coverage (17.4) and are second in kickoff returns (23.9) ...freshman TB Sidney Ford ran for a career-high 111 yards on 15 carries against Wake Forest Saturday.
MARYLAND Terrapins
Senior TB LaMont Jordan is fourth in the ACC in rushing (74.8) and seventh in scoring (7.0) ... Jordan is the Terps' all-time leading rusher and 11th on the ACC's career list with 3,676 yards, also 19th among the league's all-time leaders in all-purpose yardage (4,320) ... Jordan needs only 18 more yards to pass UNC's Leon Johnson for 11th on the league's all-time list ... Maryland offensive line has allowed five QB sacks this season ... LB Aaron Thompson has 30 career tackles for losses ... Terp QB Calvin McCall has thrown for over 175 yards in four of his five starts this season and is seventh in the ACC in total offense (197.7) ... Terp PK Brian Kopka has made 38-of-54 career field goal attempts (.704) and is sixth among Maryland career scoring leaders with 195 points while Jordan is fifth with 198 points ... Brooks Barnard leads the ACC and is second nationally in punting (46.0) ... Maryland is fifth nationally in net punting (40.8) ... the Sagarin Computer ranks the Terps' schedule to date as the 10th toughest in the nation ... junior WR Guilian Gray leads the team in receiving (23-for-347, 2 TDs) and is sixth on Maryland's all-time punt return list with 447 yards ... Maryland's last three games were against teams with a combined record of 17-3 ... Mukala Sikyala is third in the ACC and 22nd nationally in kickoff returns (23.2).
NORTH CAROLINA Tar Heels
Saturday's game with third-ranked Clemson will be the fourth-straight home game for the Tar Heels, three of their final four games are on the road ... for the third straight season, a true freshman is leading the team in rushing, Brandon Russell has a team-high 317 yards on 93 carries ... QB Ronald Curry has either run or passed for at least one TD in six straight games and is 21st nationally in passing efficiency (137.9), has passed for 235 yards-or-more in three of his last four games ... Curry has totaled over 200 yards of total offense in seven of his last 110 games, is fifth in the ACC in total offense (246.7) and remains on pace to break Mike Thomas' school single season total offense record of 226.3 yards per game ... Curry is eighth at UNC in career total offense (3,782) and ninth in passing (3,021) ... WR Kory Bailey leads the team in receiving (21-for-363) ... WR Bosley Allen is averaging 21.6 yards per reception (15-for-324) and is 10th in the nation in punt returns (15.5) ... PK Jeff Reed is a perfect 16-for-16 in PATs and has made eight of nine field goal attempts.
NC STATE Wolfpack
Sophomore WR Koren Robinson has gone over the 100-yard mark in 10 of his last 12 games and 11 times in 17 career games ... Robinson is third in receiving yards per game (107.0) and third in all-purpose yardage (175.5), 30th in receptions (5.5) and 33rd in scoring (8.0) ... already ninth on the Pack career receiving yardage list with 1,496 yards and tied for 12th in career receptions with 81 ... QB Philip Rivers is second in the ACC and fifth in the nation in total offense (304.0) and is tied for third with 17 TD passes ... Rivers has thrown for 1,903 yards, already the 10th best single-season total in Wolfpack history, needs only 148 yards to break the ACC single season passing yardage mark by a freshman of 2,050 yards set by Duke's Ben Bennett in 1980, has been selected ACC Freshman of the Week five times this season ... nine different players have caught at least one TD pass, including Rivers who caught a 19-yard scoring pass in State's 38-20 win over North Carolina ... sophomore WR Bryan Peterson has completed two-of-three passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns ... TB Ray Robinson is sixth in the ACC in rushing (69.5) and seventh in all-purpose yardage (117.2), is 10th on the school's all-time rushing list with 1,677 yards
VIRGINIA Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have won four straight, and five of its last six, ACC road games ... UVa is 31-16-1 over its last 48 ACC road games ... under Welsh, the Cavaliers are 11-11 in games following an off week ... senior QB Dan Ellis has thrown for 1,406 yards and seven TDs, is fourth in the ACC and 16th nationally in passing efficiency ... Ellis is sixth on UVa's career passing list with 3,738 yards and fifth with 28 TD passes ... Antwoine Womack is second in the ACC and 16th nationally in rushing (107.7) and has rushed for 100 yards-or-more in each of his last two games and three times this season, currently 21st on UVa's career rushing list with 1,562 yards, 28th in all-purpose yardage (134.2) ... George Welsh is seventh among active head coaches with 186 wins, has more ACC road wins (36-30-2) than any other coach in league history ... WR Kevin Coffey has caught at least one pass in 28 consecutive games ... three of UVa's final five games are against teams currently ranked in both polls.
WAKE FOREST Demon Deacons
After averaging only 167.3 yards per game in the first three games of the season, the Deacons have averaged 377.7 yards per contest over the last three games ... sophomore Tarence Williams ran for a career-high 110 yards on only seven carries against Georgia Tech, is second on the team in rushing with 250 yards ... John Stone leads the ACC and is 18th nationally in kickoff returns (25.0) and is 10th in the ACC in all-purpose yardage (103.5) ... over the last three games, the Deacs' quarterback combination of freshman Anthony Young and sophomore James McPherson has averaged 267.6 yards per game in total offense (194.3 passing & 73.3 rushing) ... in his last three games, Young has rushed for 242 yards on 42 carries (5.8 per carry) ... Young, the first freshman to start at QB for the Deacs since 1978, now leads the team in rushing with 284 yards and a 6.0 yards per carry average ... McPherson has completed 38-of-74 passes for 412 yards over the same three-game span ... after opening with four home games in their first six games, the Demon Deacons will close the season with three road games over the last seven games ... senior DE Bryan Ray is fourth on WF's career QB sack list with 14 ... Matt Brennie is 20th nationally in punting (42.3).
Weinke sets ACC Record
FSU's Chris Weinke became the ACC's all-time touchdown pass leader with 62 when he threw for five TDs in the Seminoles' 63-14 win over Duke Saturday ... completed 47 of 57 passes for 536 yards ... completed passes to 10 different receivers.
Weinke's 536 yards passing was a school record and the second-highest single-game total in ACC history ... has the two top passing yardage games, and three of the top five, in Division I-A this year.
Over his last two games, Weinke has thrown for 1,023 yards, the second-highest two-game total in ACC history and more yardage than 25 Division I-A teams have totaled this season.
Set an ACC record for most yards passing against a ranked team when he completed 29 of 58 passes for 496 yards and three TDs in the Seminoles loss at Miami.
Sixth on the ACC career passing yardage list (8,182) and eighth in total offense (7,839), has passed for 200 yards or more in 18 straight regular season games and in 27 of his 28 career starts.
Currently leads the ACC and is second in the nation in passing efficiency (165.6) and total offense (348.0).
Dantzler on National Charts
Clemson junior QB Woodrow Dantzler leads the ACC and is 11th nationally in rushing (117.0), third in the ACC and sixth in total offense (298.6), second in the ACC and ninth nationally in passing efficiency (149.3).
Dantzler's 2,090 yards of total offense is already the sixth best single-season mark in Tiger history ... is on pace to finish an 11-game schedule with 1,287 rushing and 1,997 passing for the season ... no player in NCAA Division I history has ever had 1000 yards rushing and 2000 yards passing in the same season.
Dantzler set an ACC single-game record for rushing yardage by a quarterback when he ran for 220 yards against league foe Virginia on September 23.
ACC top passing league in nation
With three quarterbacks listed in the top 10 passing efficiency leaders, and five of the top 20, the ACC has become the nation's top passing league ... the ACC is averaging 242.7 yards passing per game.
Total Offense, 2000
Big East 394.1
Atlantic Coast (ACC) 387.8
Big 12 387.3
Big 10 386.4
Pacific-10 372.9
NCAA Average 364.3
Passing Offense, 2000
Atlantic Coast (ACC) 242.7
Big 12 230.1
Southeastern (SEC) 223.9
Pacific-10 223.6
Conference USA 220.9
NCAA Average 213.4
Rushing Offense, 2000
Big Ten 185.0
Big East 177.8
Big 12 157.2
Mountain West 155.1
Mid-American 149.7
Pacific-10 149.4
Atlantic Coast (ACC) 145.1
NCAA Average 150.9
Around the ACC
NC State may have set an ACC record of sorts in Saturday's 38-20 win at North Carolina when the Wolfpack had two players - QB Philip Rivers and WR Bryan Peterson - both throw and catch a TD pass in the same game ... Peterson opened the game's scoring with a 19-yard TD pass to Rivers in the first quarter ... in the second quarter, Rivers threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Peterson, giving the Wolfpack a 17-7 lead.
For the first time in Bobby Bowden's 25-year tenure at Florida State, the Seminoles have gone over the 500-yard mark offensively in six straight games ... FSU is averaging 44.3 points and 561.7 yards per game over that span.
NC State's Philip Rivers is second in the ACC and fifth in the nation in total offense (304.0), has thrown for 1,903 yards, already the 10th best single-season total in Wolfpack history and only 148 yards shy of breaking the ACC freshman single season passing mark of 2,050 yards set by Duke's Ben Bennett in 1980.
