Seven weeks in, but the games have just begun! Our ACC and SEC college football correspondents re-live this weekends college football scene! Did your team get a win this weekend?
ACC Correspondent – Week 7
1. UNC got its first road win of the season against Miami, but it wasn’t pretty – the Tarheels committed 15 penalties for 140 yards in the 18-14 win over the Canes. It didn’t matter in the end because Miami had no answer for running back Giovani Bernard, who ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
2. Duke led Virginia Tech 20-0 but went on to give up 41 unanswered points to lose 41-20. Virginia Tech avoided a second Coastal Division loss and has some momentum heading into their matchup this week at Clemson. The Tigers are coming off their bye week and have outplayed the Hokies in the last 2 meetings, and are expected to do the same this season.
3. Maryland is leading the Atlantic Division as the only undefeated team in league play. They’ll face much stiffer competition when NC State visits on Saturday, but Maryland’s defense has kept it in every game this season and is one of the best in the ACC. The Wolfpack are coming into this week with the high of upsetting of then-No. 3-ranked Florida State and taking this past weekend’s bye to turn their focus to Saturday’s trip to Maryland. Quarterback Mike Glennon will be looking for another important Atlantic Division win to keep the Pack in the conference race.
4. FSU wins big over BC but is still not a stand out front-runner in the conference, they sit even with Clemson and NC State who also have 1 conference loss. The Coastal Division is an even tighter race with Miami, Virginia Tech, Duke and UNC all having 1 loss as well. While the Seminoles bounced back from their upset by NC State to beat BC 51-7, they face rival Miami on the road this week and, although favored, the Noles can’t take anything for granted.
5. Wake struggles with suspensions having suspending eight players, including four starters, in the past two weeks for violations of team rules. The message Jim Grobe has sent to his players, potential recruits and their parents is that football is not more important than their character. When asked on Saturday about the numerous suspensions, Grobe said, “What we’re trying to do is look to the future and let kids know we have high expectations for your behavior, and if you don’t behave right, then we’re not going to hesitate to do the right thing. It will make us better going forward, but it’s sure hard to do right now.”
SEC Correspondent – Week 7
1. The number one team in the country, Alabama, continued its domination over the weekend against Missouri. The Crimson Tide got right to work, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter and while waiting to score an extra point for their 28thpoint in the second quarter, the game was delayed for lightening and eventually resumed. Mizzou quarterback James Frankin was out of the game due to injuries from previous games and it showed, the Tigers managed to score only 10 points total. The Tide came away with the easy victory, winning 42-10.
2. Riding high from their victory over Georgia last weekend, the South Carolina Gamecocks were hoping to upset LSU, who was looking for redemption from last week’s loss to Florida. The game was close by halftime, the Gamecocks up by 4 points, but LSU running back Jeremy Hill ran the ball effectively in the second half, wearing out South Carolina’s defense. The game was close again late in the fourth, but South Carolina failed to put a drive together and LSU came away with the 23-21 win for their 22nd consecutive win at home.
3. The Florida Gators traveled to Nashville hoping to hold off Vanderbilt and continue their winning streak. Vanderbilt scored first, but they were unable to hold off the Gators, who managed to score 21 unanswered points. The Gators would eventually win the game 31-17. Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel had a great performance, running for 177 yards and three touchdowns, setting Florida’s record for most yards run in a game by a quarterback.
4. It was a close, high scoring game between Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, LA. The Aggies led 39-16 by halftime, securing what some would’ve thought was a sure win, but Louisiana Tech rallied in the second half, scoring to come within 2 points of Aggies with 38 seconds left in the game. However, Louisiana Tech did not have enough time to come back and Texas A&M won 59-57. This is the Aggies 5th straight win and they take on LSU at home next week.
5. Tennessee was looking to secure their first SEC win on the road, taking on Mississippi State in Starkville, MS. Mississippi State led 27-14 at halftime with the help of Bulldog quarterback Tyler Russell, who threw for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tennessee tried to come back, coming within 3 points of the Bulldogs twice in the second half, but Mississippi State answered with touchdowns each time, eventually beating the Volunteers 41-31. Mississippi State improves to 6-0 (3-0 in SEC play).
The Land of the Swoo 