Tigers look to bounce back from App State

CLEMSON – Clemson Insider takes a deep dive into the second week of the 2024 college football season. The 25th-ranked Tigers play at home for the first time this season against Appalachian State.

Florida State is off to an 0-2 start to the season after hitting the transfer portal hard in the offseason to fill holes, which hasn’t worked in their favor so far. Boston College is looking to start the season 2-0 in its first season with Bill O’Brien at the helm, while Georgia Tech is looking to go 3-0 with a tough road game against Syracuse.

Friday

BYU (1-0) at SMU (2-0) 7:00 p.m. ET; ESPN2

Latest line: SMU-11.5

Comments: SMU looks to improve to a perfect 3-0 on the season by adding its first win over BYU. The Cougars have won all four of their previous meetings, including the 2022 New Mexico Bowl. Brashard Smith ran for 108 yards in the Mustangs’ win over Houston Christian. Smith is one of six players in the ACC to eclipse 100 yards receiving this season.

Duke (1-0) at Northwestern (1-0) 9:00 p.m. ET; FS1

Latest line: NU-2

Comments: Duke’s offensive linemen in Fin’s first game, Kings, Craycraft, Pickett and Parker II have combined for 72 career starts. Those five have started 23 games at Duke. Duke is 23-3 (.885) in non-conference regular-season play over the past 10+ seasons.

Saturday

Pitt (1-0) at Cincinnati (1-0) at noon ET; ESPN2

Latest line: CIN-1.5

Comments: Pitt opened the season with a dominant 55-24 victory over Kent State. The 55-point performance was the first time Pitt has scored 50+ points since Nov. 6, 2021, at Duke. All three phases of the game contributed to Pitt’s success, including Desmond Reid’s 78-yard punt return for a touchdown. Reid’s 145 rushing yards are the most in a single game in the ACC this season.

No. 23 Georgia Tech (2-0, 1-0 ACC) at Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 ACC) at noon ET; ACC Network

Latest line: GT-3

Comments: Georgia Tech and Syracuse will meet for only the sixth time, and the Yellow Jackets have won four of their last five meetings. GT enters the week ranked 23rd in the AP Poll for the first time since Sept. 20, 2015. Needing just 15 games, Haynes King became the 13th player in GT history to throw for 3,000 yards as a Yellow Jacket. Syracuse opened the Fran Brown era with a 38-22 home win over Ohio State. The Orange open the season with four straight home games and won’t hit the road again until October.

Cal (1-0) at Auburn (1-0) 3:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2

Latest line: AUB-13

Comments: Cal opened the ACC era with a 31-13 victory over UC Davis. The Golden Bears closed the game with 24 unanswered points. Cal was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone against UC Davis. The Golden Bears converted three touchdowns and a 25-yard field goal. Despite converting on two of 13 third downs, the Golden Bears were 3-for-4 on fourth down attempts. Cal’s defense has recorded three interceptions this season, which is tied for the ACC lead.

Duquesne (0-1) at Boston College (1-0) 3:30 p.m. ET; ACCNX

Latest line: Lack

Comments: Boston College’s 28-13 victory over No. 10 Florida State was the Eagles’ first top-10 win since beating No. 9 USC in 2014. It was also BC’s first season-opening win over a top-10 team since beating No. 7 Texas in 1976. Boston College outgained Florida State 262-21 on the ground — a 241-yard advantage. Kye Robichaux, Treshaun Ward and Thomas Castellanos all ran for at least 70 yards. In addition to 73 rushing yards and a touchdown, Castellanos added 106 yards and two touchdowns through the air to lead the offense.

Jacksonville State (0-1) vs. No. 22 Louisville (1-0) 3:30 ET; ACCNX

Latest line: LOU-27.5

Comments: Louisville crushed Austin Peay 62-0 to open the season. The Cardinals are one of 10 teams in the country to score 60+ points in the first week of the season. Louisville leads the ACC in total offense after the first week of the season. The Cardinals had 293 rushing yards and 278 passing yards (571 total) against Austin Peay. Louisville leads the country in blocked kicks and blocked punts.

Marshall (1-0) at Virginia Tech (0-1) 4:30 p.m. ET; The CW

Latest line: WT-20.5

Comments: Virginia Tech lost 34-27 in overtime to Vanderbilt to open 2024. The Hokies have scored points in 371 consecutive games, ranking fourth nationally on both the all-time and active lists. The streak began on Sept. 23, 1995, when the Hokies defeated No. 17 Miami in Blacksburg. Marshall won the 2023 meeting between the two schools, snapping VT’s nine-game winning streak that began in 1951.

Virginia (1-0, 0-0 ACC) at Wake Forest (1-0, 0-0 ACC) 7:00 p.m. ET; ESPN2

Latest line: WAKE UP -1

Comments: Wake Forest has won each of the last five meetings in the series. Saturday’s matchup will be the 52nd all-time meeting between the Cavaliers and Demon Deacons, and Virginia holds a 34-17 advantage in the series. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 45-13 win over North Carolina A&T earlier this season. Demond Claiborne averaged 7.9 yards per carry and totaled 135 yards on the ground in the victory. Virginia enters the week with a 1-0 record after a 34-13 victory over Richmond. Malachi Fields totaled 100 receiving yards on five receptions to lead the Hoos in offense.

Charlotte (0-1) at North Carolina (1-0, 0-0 ACC) 3:30 p.m. ET; ACCN

Latest line: UNC-22.5

Comments: North Carolina defeated Minnesota 19-17 in Minneapolis to open the 2023 season. The Tar Heels were the only team in the country to beat a Big Ten school in Week 1. Omarion Hampton had 30 carries for the Tar Heels in Week 1, rushing for 129 yards and averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Hampton also led UNC with five catches in the opener, registering 17 yards receiving. This will be the first-ever meeting between in-state opponents. Charlotte began its tenure as an FBS school in 2015.

Florida A&M (2-0) vs. No. 12 Miami (1-0) 6:00 p.m. ET; ACCNX

Latest line: Lack

Comments: Miami played one of the most impressive games in college football in Week 1, beating Florida 41-17 in Gainesville. The Canes snapped Florida’s record 33-game winning streak in the NCAA opener. ACC Preseason Player of the Year Cam Ward dazzled in his Miami debut, completing 26 of 35 passes for 385 yards. Ward becomes the first Miami quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards in his first start at UM since at least 1979. Miami jumps seven spots to No. 12 in the AP rankings, Miami’s highest ranking since Dec. 6, 2020 (No. 9).

Cal Poly (0-1) at Stanford (0-1) 7:00 p.m. ET; ACCNX

Latest line: Lack

Comments: Stanford lost its season opener to TCU 34-27. After a non-conference matchup with Cal Poly, the Cardinal will play its first three ACC games in program history. Ashton Daniels caught 17 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and added a team-high 87 rushing yards in the opener.

No. 24 NC State (1-0) vs. No. 14 Tennessee (1-0) 7:30 p.m. ET; ABC

Latest line: TENNIS -10

Comments: N.C. State and Tennessee have met only three times before, with the Volunteers winning twice. N.C. State’s only win came in 1911, a 16-0 shutout in Raleigh. N.C. State is one of only five programs to win eight or more games in each of the last four seasons. ACC receiver of the week Kevin “KC” Concepcion threw three touchdowns in N.C. State’s opener. The sophomore has six multi-touchdown games and currently leads the ACC in scoring (18). Wolfpack quarterback Grayson McCall has thrown 91 career touchdowns with just 15 interceptions. He also scored 18 points

App State (1-0) at No. 25 Clemson (0-1) 8:00 p.m. ET; ACC Network

Latest line: KLE-16.5

Comments: Saturday will be the home opener for the No. 25 Tigers, who will play seven contests in Death Valley this season. The Tigers have won their last 20 home openers. After losing to No. 1 Georgia 34-3 in the season opener, Clemson fell 11 spots to No. 25. The Tigers are 65-3 in Death Valley in the College Football Playoff era. Clemson has also won 20 consecutive home night games. Clemson and App State have a history of winning since App State joined the FBS ranks in 2014.