(Sports Network) -
BOSTON COLLEGE: Senior QB Chris Crane waited patiently behind All-American
Matt Ryan to get his turn under center and made his second career start this
past weekend against Kent State. The results were definitely positive, as
Crane rushed for a pair of scores, in a 21-0 shutout of the Golden Flashes.
The Eagles proved themselves worthy on the defensive side of the ball as well,
limiting KSU's Eugene Jarvis, the nation's leading returning rusher to a mere
51 yards on 11 carries. It wasn't real surprising considering BC ranked second
nationally against the run in 2007. This week, the Eagles open up ACC play,
welcoming Georgia Tech to Chestnut Hill.

CLEMSON: High expectations in Death Valley were certainly tempered this past
weekend, as the highly-touted Tigers came up small in their showdown with
Alabama. The Crimson Tide dominated the line of scrimmage, especially
defensively, completely shutting down Clemson's ground game allowing zero net
yards, en route to a 34-10 beating. Clemson's offense failed to score a single
point, with the Tigers' scoring coming on a C.J. Spiller 96-yard kickoff
return for a TD and a Mark Buchholz field goal. ACC Preseason Player of the
Year Cullen Harper struggled as well, passing for just 188 yards in the loss.
Picked to win the ACC this year, Tommy Bowden's troops have plenty to prove.
This week, the Tigers will get a chance to work on their obvious deficiencies,
as they host the Citadel.

DUKE: David Cutcliffe made his head coaching debut for Duke this past weekend
and got off to a good start, as the Blue Devils made light work of James
Madison (31-7). Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis completed 17-of-28 pass attempts,
for 141 yards, including a pair of TD strikes to wideout Eron Riley. Tailback
Clifford Harris provided offensive balance with 95 yards on the ground,
leading Duke to its first home win since 2005. The Blue Devils welcome
Northwestern to Durham this week. The Wildcats were the only team that Duke
beat a year ago.

FLORIDA STATE: The Seminoles sat idle on the first week of the college
football season. In the process, Bobby Bowden relinquished sole propriety as
the all-time wins leader in major college football history, as Penn State's
Joe Paterno tied Bowden with 373 wins, thanks to the Nittany Lions' rout of
Coastal Carolina. FSU will kick off its season this week against Western
Carolina. The Seminoles are still considered a real threat to win the ACC's
Atlantic Division this year and return veteran four-year starter Drew
Weatherford under center.

GEORGIA TECH: Another first-year coach to the ACC is Tech's Paul Johnson and
just like Duke's David Cutcliffe, Johnson opened his tenure in the conference
win a resounding victory. The Yellow Jackets unveiled their new rushing attack
and chewed up an astounding 349 yards on the ground in a 41-14 rout of
Jacksonville State, getting the majority of that yardage from tailbacks
Jonathan Dwyer (112 yards and two TDs) and Roddy Jones (61 yards, one TD) and
quarterback Josh Nesbit (60 yards, two TDs). The Yellow Jackets will put their
new ground assault to the test this week, as they travel to the New England
area to open up ACC play against Boston College.

MARYLAND: It wasn't pretty, but Ralph Friedgen led the Terrapins to a season-
opening win this past week, edging out FCS foe Delaware, 14-7. Sophomore
tailback Da'Rel Scott was impressive in his first college start, rushing for a
whopping 197 yards, setting the school record for most rushing yards in a
season-opener. It marked the most rushing yards by a Maryland back since Bruce
Perry (237) in 2003. Last season as a freshman, Scott rushed for just 137
yards in nine games as a backup. Maryland's two scored came via a 12-yard
reverse by All-American candidate Darrius Heyward-Bey and a 14-yard scamper
from Davin Meggett. The Terps will hit this road this week, as they take on
the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro.

MIAMI-FLORIDA: Following seven decades of calling the Orange Bowl home, the
Hurricanes opened 2008 in their new pad, taking on Charleston Southern in
Dolphins Stadium last Thursday. The result was a 52-7 whipping of the
Buccaneers, as Randy Shannon got solid play from both sides of the football.
Leading the offensive charge was freshman QB Jacory Harris, who got the
opening day start because projected starter Robert Marve was suspended for the
first game. Harris completed 16-of-26 passes, for 190 yards, with one TD pass.
He also added a rushing score, en route to being named the ACC's Rookie of the
Week. He wasn't the only player to bring home conference honors, as middle
linebacker Spencer Adkins was named Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week, after
tallying two TFLs and a pair of sacks. The 'Canes will certainly make a huge
jump in competition this week, as they travel to Gainesville to battle rival
Florida.

NORTH CAROLINA: Coming into the season, there was plenty of reasons for
optimism in Chapel Hill, but following a less than stellar season-opener,
those lofty expectations have been tempered a bit. Butch Davis' squad blew an
early lead and needed to forge a comeback late to edge out McNeese State this
past weekend. One player that certainly fulfilled any and all expectations was
senior WR Brandon Tate, who had a record-setting day, accounting for a mind-
boggling 397 all-purpose yards (school record and second-most in ACC history).
Tate rushed for 106 yards on three carries, caught four balls for 93 yards and
a TD and returned three punts for 142 yards, including an 82-yard TD scamper.
He was also impressive in his one kickoff return, taking it back 56 yards. The
performance earned Tate ACC Specialist of the Week. The Tar Heels are idle
this week and won't be back on the field until a September 11th matchup at
Rutgers.

NC STATE: This couldn't have been the vision that second-year coach Tom
O'Brien had for his Wolfpack to start the 2008 campaign. After holding South
Carolina to a mere three points in the first half, the wheels fell off the
cart, as the Gamecocks scored 21 points after the break, while shutting out NC
State for the full 60 minutes. NC State was forced to play most of the game
without starting quarterback Russell Wilson, who left with a concussion in the
second quarter. Although the 24-0 shutout seems like a tough pill to swallow,
there were some standout performers on both sides of the football. Tailback
Andre Brown posted 101 yards on 21 carries, while linebacker Nate Irving was
all over the field, tallying 10 tackles and recording an interception. The
Wolfpack will welcome FCS foe William & Mary to Raleigh this weekend.

VIRGINIA: Granted, the 2008 season has been chalked up as a rebuilding year in
Charlottesville, but what exactly can Al Groh and his Cavaliers build off of
following a 52-7 drubbing at the hands of third-ranked USC? The visiting
Trojans scored 21 points in the first 11 minutes of the ball game and never
looked back. UVa quarterback Peter Lalich completed just 18-of-35 passes, for
155 yards with one INT, while the team's lone score came from a seven-yard run
by tailback Mikell Simpson. A record crowd of 64,947 packed Scott Stadium but
had very little to cheer about, as Virginia managed just 187 total yards,
compared to USC's 558. The Cavs will attempt a bit more production this week,
as the team hosts FCS foe Richmond.

VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies knew that East Carolina was not a team to look past,
but even so, the Hokies couldn't get the job done in the season-opener this
past week, as the Pirates recorded an improbable 27-22 victory. Tech's special
teams play has long been an asset in Blacksburg, but it cost the Hokies in the
opener, as ECU's T.J. Lee blocked a punt with just under two minutes remaining
in the game, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown and giving the Pirates a
huge win in front of 72,000+ at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium. Frank
Beamer's squad will get right back to work this week, as they play host to FCS
foe Furman.

WAKE FOREST: Jim Grobe has built something special in Winston-Salem and
although Wake Forest is rarely considered among the conference elite at the
outset of the season, the Demon Deacons often prove their worth when the games
count. They did just that in their season-opener at Baylor this past week,
completely dominating the Bears on the road, in a 41-13 rout. WF's Riley
Skinner enjoyed a highly successful season-opener, completing 27-of-36 passes,
for 220 yards and three TDs, earning ACC Offensive Back of the Week.
Defensively, the Demon Deacons forced five turnovers, including senior CB
Alphonso Smith getting career interception number 15. The team will move from
the Big 12 to the SEC this week, as Wake welcomes Ole Miss to Winston-Salem.



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