ATLANTA — No. 21 North Carolina goes on the road to face Georgia Tech in one of several key ACC matchups on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets gave No. 9 Clemson all it could handle last week in a 14-8 loss at Clemson. The Tar Heels (2-1, 1-1 ACC) have rallied since losing their opener at Virginia Tech, and got their offense in high gear with 699 yards in a 59-39 victory against Virginia last weekend.
The Yellow Jackets (1-2, 0-1) failed in four tries from the 2 yard-line in the closing seconds against the Tigers or could have handed Clemson a stunning loss last Saturday in Death Valley.
BEST MATCHUP
No. 9 Clemson at North Carolina State. The Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) have struggled on offense, totaling just 17 points in a 10-3 loss to No. 2 Georgia and 14 in last weekend's victory against Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack (2-1, 0-0) has been dominant in lopsided victories against USF and Furman, scoring 45 points each time, but struggled in a 24-10 loss at Mississippi State. They also scored just 10 points in their last meeting with the Tigers, in 2019, a 55-10 loss, but will hope to get that 45-point offense working against a Clemson team still finding itself.
LONG SHOT
Liberty coach Hugh Freeze referred to the Flames (3-0) being favored by six at Syracuse (2-1) as “rat poison,” especially since their victory in the Carrier Dome a year ago came with no fans in attendance. That won't be the case this week, when the Flames will try to repeat last year's victory in a Friday night game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong’s 554 passing yards in a 59-39 loss to No. 21 North Carolina was the third-best single-game total in ACC history. Only Deshaun Watson of Clemson, with 580 yards against Pittsburgh in 2016, and Stephen Morris of Miami, with 566 yards against NC State in 2012, have thrown for more in a game. Armstrong finished 39 of 54 with four TDs and an interception.
IMPACT PLAYER
Sean Tucker, Syracuse RB. A year ago, in a 38-2 loss to Liberty, the freshman ran for 111 yards, but caught no passes. A week ago, in a 62-24 victory against Albany, he ran for 132 yards and four TDs on just 13 carries and caught three passes for 121 yards, including a 72-yarder, also for a touchdown.
