ACC Football Review: Miami Saves Conference's Reputation

Losses by Clemson and Virginia Tech did not help the ACC's image, but the Hurricanes and Cam Ward made a favorable impression

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward celebrates a big win / Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

Had it not been for Miami, the Atlantic Coast Conference would be off to an embarrassing start. 

Six ACC schools were predicted to be top-25 caliber teams, with Florida State, Clemson, Miami and North Carolina State occupying spots in the preseason top-25, and Virginia Tech and SMU placed just outside the top 25.

Miami was the only one of those six that has lived up to its billing after the first full weekend of games. 

No. 10 Florida State lost its opener to Georgia Tech and will try to bounce back on Monday night against Boston College.

No. 14 Clemson face-planted in a 34-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia.

No. 24 North Carolina State trailed entering the fourth quarter against FCS school Western Carolina before the Wolf Pack scurried around for a 38-21 win. 

Virginia Tech, which received votes that would place it 27th in the preseason AP poll, lost in overtime to Vanderbilt, which has not had a winning season in 11 years, finished 0-8 in the SEC last year and was picked to finish last in the conference again this year.

SMU, placed 29th in the preseason AP poll, thrashed weakling Houston Chistian 59-7 this week, but that did not remove the bad taste left by its narrow, season-opening, 29-24 victory over a lousy Nevada team, which led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter.

But then there’s Miami, which saved the ACC’s reputation.

The Hurricanes gave more ammunition to Florida boosters eager to fire coach Billy Napier by handing Florida a 41-17 defeat on the Gators’ home field. More importantly, Miami indicated that its No. 19 preseason ranking is deserved, perhaps even lower than it should be or will be.

“We sent the right message to whoever wanted to receive it.” Hurricanes defensive lineman Tyler Baron told the Miami Herald.

It was Miami’s first win in Gainesville since 2008 and was the Hurricanes’ second-biggest margin of victory in this intense in-state rivalry that began in 1938.  Only Miami’s 41-16 win in 2002 had a larger margin of victory, by just one point, and that Miami team finished the regular season ranked No. 1 before its controversial overtime loss to Ohio State in the BCS championship game.

It’s too early to compare this Miami squad to its 2004 team, which was the last Hurricanes team to win a conference title, or to its 2001 team, the last Miami team to capture a national championship.

However, there was reason for plenty of optimism, especially at the most important position:

Miami quarterback Cam Ward showed why he was voted the preseason ACC offensive player of the year, completing 26 of 35 passes for 385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.  The last Miami quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards with at least three touchdowns in a season opener was Ken Dorsey in 2001, the year of the Hurricanes’ most recent national title.

Some thought Ward’s preseason hype was overblown since he ranked only sixth in the Pac-12 in passer rating last year while at Washington State.  Of course, the fact that three of the five quarterbacks ahead of him in that category were taken in the first round of this year’s NFL draft might explain that stat.

Ward demonstrated his multiple skills when he rolled out to his left and threw a perfect 23-yard touchdown pass to Jacolby George.

LET. CAM. COOK. 🔥

📺: ABC#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/Gkajudrhr2

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) August 31, 2024

ACC in Brief

--Quarterback Preston Stone entered the season as SMU’s presumed star, but Kevin Jennings is showing why Mustangs coaches claim they will play two quarterbacks in every game this season. Jennings played only two series in the opening win over Nevada, but was 4-for-5 for 54 yards and no interceptions in that game, and led SMU to a touchdown on one of his possessions.  In the 59-7 win against overmatched Houston Christian on Saturday, Jennings led SMU to four touchdowns on his five drives and finished 10-for-14 for 148 yards and a touchdown as well as 54 yards rushing.

--Quarterback Tyler Shough was impressive in his debut with Louisville, completing 18 of 24 passes for 232 yards with four touchdowns in a 62-0 rout of FCS school Austin Peay. The question is whether he can stay healthy. Each of his last three seasons were cut short by injury. He played just four games for Texas Tech last season, seven games in 2022 and four in 2021.

--North Carolina eked out a 19-17 win over Minnesota, but it will play the rest of the season without starting quarterback Max Johnson, who suffered a broken leg in the game.  His replacement, Conner Harrell, was just 1-for-3 for 2 yards before completing a 32-yard pass on the Tar Heels’ final drive, leading to a go-ahead field goal.

--Remember when Stanford stunned third-ranked Oregon in 2021? It seemed the Cardinal was back to being the prominent national program it had been just a few years earlier.  Well, since that game, Stanford is 1-15 at home against FBS teams, including Friday’s 34-27 loss to TCU at Stanford Stadium.  That does not include a home loss to FCS school Sacramento State last year.

--Georgia Tech backed up its season-opening win over Florida State with a 35-12 win over Georgia State on Saturday.  Quarterback Haynes King was outstanding again, completing 24 of 29 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

-- Redshirt freshman Eli Holstein, who transferred from Alabama in the offseason, won a close competition to be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback in the opener. In the first college game of his career, he completed 30 of 40 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the Panthers’ 55-24 victory over Kent State on Saturday.

--Wake Forest struggled for a half against North Carolina A&T, an FCS team that went 1-10 last season, but the Demon Deacons controlled the second half in a 45-13 victory. Michael Kern was Wake Forest’s starting quarterback, but Hank Bachmeier was the better passer in that game and presumably has won the starting job.

--Cal beat UC Davis 31-13, but it was hardly a steamroller performance by the Bears.  UC Davis had more total offense than Cal (304-281) and had more first downs than Cal (20-16).

--Syracuse won its first game under new coach Fran Brown, beating Ohio 38-22, but linebacker Marlowe Max, a preseason first-team All-ACC selection, was injured in the game and is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.

ACC Player of the Year Standings

--1. Quarterback Cam Ward, Miami – His outstanding game against Florida on the road got the Hurricanes off to a strong start.

--2. Quarterback Haynes King, Georgia Tech – King is the reason Georgia Tech is likely to be ranked when the first in-season poll comes out.

--3 Running back Omario Hampton, North Carolina – Hampton’s 129 rushing yard were a significant reason the Tar Heels beat Minnesota on the road.

--4. Receiver KC Concepcion, North Carolina State -- His nine catches for 121 yards and three TDs against Western Carolina were impressive, but seeing how he did it was more impressive.

--5. Running back Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh – 145 yards rushing plus a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown against Kent State.

Top Five Pac-12 Teams

(We rank based on which teams have had the best results, not which teams we believe are the best teams)

--1. Miami (1-0) – The Hurricanes’ win over Florida was impressive.

--2. Georgia Tech (2-0) – We’ll gauge the significance of last week’s win over Florida State after the Seminoles’ game on Monday night.

--3. Louisville (1-0) – A 62-0 win is worth noting, even if it is against Austin Peay.

--4. North Carolina (1-0) – The Tar Heels beat an FBS team on the road, which more than most ACC teams can claim.

--5. Everybody else with a 1-0 record

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