Two key divisional matchups are on tap during Week 7 of the ACC football schedule. In the Coastal Division, Pitt travels to Virginia Tech for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2. Both teams are 1-0 in league play. In the Atlantic Division No. 22 NC State visits Boston College at 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network. Both teams are 4-1 overall.
News and Notes
- Pitt, which was off last week, leads the nation in scoring (52.4 ppg), is third in total offense (554.4 ypg) and ranks fourth in passing offense (389.0 ypg). Panthers’ QB Kenny Pickett has thrown 19 touchdown passes and just one interception through the first five games of the year.
- Virginia Tech blanked Pitt 28-0 in the most recent series meeting at Blacksburg in 2019 and has won seven of the previous nine games at Lane Stadium. The programs first met in 1993 as members of the Big East and played 11 consecutive seasons (through 2003). Saturday’s game will be the fifth home contest of the season for the Hokies, who also play host to Syracuse next week before playing four of their final five on the road.
- Both NC State and Boston College had last weekend off. The Eagles hold a 9-6 edge versus NC State since joining the ACC. The series began in 1936 with Boston College winning 7-3 at Fenway Park. NC State returned the next season to post a 12-7 win in Chestnut Hill, and the teams didn’t meet again until 2005. Boston College snapped a two-game losing streak versus NC State in the most recent meeting two seasons ago, winning 45-24 as RBs AJ Dillon and David Bailey combined for 404 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 50 carries.
- Action gets underway on Friday night when Clemson travels to Syracuse for a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Clemson seeks its fourth consecutive victory in the series. QB Trevor Lawrence led a 41-6 Clemson win at the Carrier Dome in 2019, and the Tigers won 47-21 last year as the defense forced a momentum swinging strip-sack in the third quarter that was returned for a touchdown by Andrew Booth Jr. Clemson has won seven of the eight ACC meetings between the schools, but the Tigers have had their share of difficulty versus the Orange during that stretch, falling in 2017.
- Saturday’s schedule begins with Virginia hosting Duke at 12:30 p.m. on RSN. The Cavaliers scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter last week to down Louisville and enter with one of the nation’s top offenses. QB Brennan Armstrong leads the nation in passing and is on pace to break the ACC single-season mark for passing yards per game. The Blue Devils travel to Charlottesville for the third consecutive season. Virginia seeks its seventh consecutive win in its series vs. Duke, which was first played with a pair of games in Richmond in 1890 and 1891.
- Miami travels to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network. UNC seeks to defeat the Hurricanes three consecutive years for the first time since 2007-09. The teams met seven times in non-conference play between 1946 and 1963 before the series went on a 41-year hiatus. The Tar Heels have won six of the previous nine meetings at Kenan Stadium, but all three Miami wins have come since 2011.
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Chris Graham
