It was an exciting Week One across the ACC and college football as a whole. From Louisville’s Lamar Jackson exploding back onto the scene with a record-breaking eight touchdown performance, to Florida State’s Deondre Francois lighting up the scoreboard in the second half against Ole Miss, there was no shortage of storylines to recap the opening weekend. Our three man staff here at InsideTheACC of Justin Cates, Jeff Greenberg, and Mike McDaniel discussed their biggest takeaways, as well as what to watch for moving forward.
1) Which Team Was The Most Impressive in Week One?
Jeff Greenberg: Florida State. After laying an egg in the first half, the comeback was dominant. Deondre Francois was better than expected and DeMarcus Walker had 4.5 sacks…in the second half alone?!
Justin Cates: Florida State really proved a lot in their enormous comeback against Ole Miss. I was already big on them, but seeing Deandre Francois lead them is very reassuring. He’s already really good and should only improve down the road. The defense is firing on all cylinders as well forcing four turnovers in the opener.
Mike McDaniel: Hate to be vanilla, but Florida State looked like not only the ACC’s most impressive team from Week One, but outside of Alabama they looked like one of the most impressive teams in the entire country. Defense was fantastic, and now we can see how good Deondre Francois can be when he gets more comfortable with additional in-game experience.
2) Which Team Was The Biggest Disappointment in Week One?
Jeff Greenberg: Clemson. The defense was supposed to be in rebuild mode but it was dominant. However, the offense looked no where near the level it was at in last year’s bowl season. It can be, but it was not at Auburn, where they were expected to win easily.
Justin Cates: Even though I picked Richmond to upset Virginia, I didn’t expect the ‘Hoos to lose by 17 at home. There’s plenty of time for a comeback in Bronco’s first season but this is a rough start. Things don’t get any easier next week in a road trip to Oregon. Wake Forest gets honorable mention for most disappointing.
Mike McDaniel: Virginia’s performance against Richmond was a joke, but there’s no question that they’re in the midst of a rebuild that likely won’t bear fruits of bowl eligibility for another year or two. For me, Wake Forest was most disappointing. You have a third-year starter at quarterback in John Wolford and an athletic change of pace sophomore quarterback in Kendall Hinton and can only manage a 7-3 victory over Tulane? A win’s a win but come on now…
3) Which Individual Performance Stood Out?
Jeff Greenberg: Lamar Jackson was impressive. Francois and Walker have my full attention. But I have to go with James Conner. Less than a year removed from cancer treatments and he’s out there running for touchdowns. Inspiring performance turned in by Conner.
Justin Cates: Deandre Francois is the next great redshirt freshman quarterback. Why more programs through promising true freshman to the wolves is beyond me. Sure, some can take the heat and even flourish like Shane Buechele down at Texas, but often a year of practice is needed. Francois looked like a seasoned pro in the win over Ole Miss and promises to be something special this season
Mike McDaniel: Lamar Jackson. I understand it was a game against Charlotte, but Jackson accounted for eight touchdowns in the first half, and was able to enjoy the ambiance of the home environment for the final two quarters from the sideline. Jackson showed improved footwork and decision making as a passer from a year ago, which should serve him well going forward. That was my biggest takeaway from the rout.
4) Most Disappointing Player?
Jeff Greenberg: Mitch Trubisky. He played average and average is not what he’s expected to be this season for the Tar Heels. He didn’t make any crucial errors or turn the ball over, but he also didn’t lead this team and make the throws they needed him to make. He may have a great season, but didn’t have a great first game.
Justin Cates: I’m not going to single any one guy out yet. The opening game is all about finding your footing. The Wake quarterbacks both deserve a mention though. John Wolford and Kendall Hinton are talented but they barely generated any offense against Tulane. The challenge will get more difficult especially in their division of the conference. They need a big improvement from the QB spot.
Mike McDaniel: It’s tough to single out the most disappointing player at this stage, especially when it’s the opening weekend, but how can you not be disappointed if you’re a Wake Forest fan. The quarterback play remains a huge question mark, despite having two experienced players at the position. Hopefully both John Wolford and Kendall Hinton will be able to find their footing moving forward, or else Coach Clawson may have to drum up some new work at season’s end.
5) Biggest Overarching Takeaway From Week One?
Jeff Greenberg: Francois’ performance makes the game in Tallahassee against Clemson more intriguing, but his week 3 matchup against Lamar Jackson at Louisville should be the popcorn game of the week! The QB talent in the ACC is incredible.
Justin Cates: There’s a long way to go and most programs are still filled with optimism. Florida State and Clemson are the cream of the crop in the ACC which surprises no one. There are a lot of teams in the middle of the pack, And maybe a couple like Louisville and Pittsburgh ready to take a step forward.
Mike McDaniel: It’s a three-horse race out of the gate in the conference in my opinion, it’s just a shame that the top three of Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville all reside in the Atlantic Division. None of this is real surprising of course, but the Coastal still appears wide open after some questionable second half play out of North Carolina cost them an early season quality win against Georgia. This will be very interesting to watch develop as we move along.
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