ACC Notebook: Clemson, Georgia Tech Are ACC's Most Exciting Couple

Take a wild guess. What has been the most competitive football series in the ACC over the last, say, 13 years? Florida State-Georgia Tech? North Carolina-North Carolina State? Duke-Wake Forest?

Time's up.

If recent history repeats itself, Thursday night's nationally televised showdown between Clemson-Georgia Tech in Atlanta should be worth the price of admission. And be prepared to get caught in traffic because the outcome probably won't be settled until late in the game.

Ten of the last 13 games between the pair have been decided by five points or less, including a six-game streak between 1996-01 in which every game was decided by three points. While the Yellow Jackets lead the overall series 47-24-2, the series has been dead-even since Tech joined the ACC in 1983, with the teams splitting the 26 meetings.

Both teams are coming off easy season-opening victories, though Tech coach Paul Johnson was disappointed by his team's finish in its 37-17 victory over Jacksonville State. The Yellow Jackets built a 31-7 lead at the half and Johnson felt many of his players shifted into second gear.

"When we started the game, we looked like the team I thought we would be," Johnson said. "Then we gradually lost our focus a little bit. I am willing to give them another chance on Thursday."

In a scheduling quirk, the Yellow Jackets are playing consecutive Thursday night games - against the Tigers and next Thursday at Miami. The Hurricanes are off Saturday after beating Florida State 38-34 Monday night in Tallahassee.

"The schedule is what it is. You just have to play it," Johnson said.

"You can find negatives and positives about whatever. If you are going to play two Thursday games, you might as well play them back-to-back because you have the full seven days. The first one is the bear. As long as it is fair for both teams."

Clemson, meanwhile, thumped Middle Tennessee State 37-14 in its opener. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kyle Parker threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and was named offensive MVP of the game by the coaching staff in his collegiate debut. Many believe Parker, an outfield starter on the baseball team, exhibits impressive patience in football pads because of his baseball experience.

"I played three sports my whole life until I went to college, and I know that all my experiences playing basketball and baseball made me a better football player," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "Kyle is unique in that he has had the opportunity to compete at a high level in another sport. Certainly I think there is carryover, but it is just who he is that is his DNA. Those are lessons that can certainly transfer over."

Coaching 101

Need to draw up a defensive scheme to slow Georgia Tech's triple option? Swinney hopes he has a handle on it.

"Defensively, it is all about discipline," he said.

"We have to tackle and we have to gang tackle. That is what this game is about, every play you have to be aware of who has the dive, who has the pitch, who has the quarterback.You have to play unselfish and disciplined football to have a chance defensively against a team like this They will have 0 yards, 0 yards, 1 yard, 2 yards, 3 yards, -1 yard, and then 50 yards. We have to be very disciplined for 60 minutes. We can't have lulls, everybody has to do their job.

"How we handle their style of play from an offensive line standpoint will be something to watch as the game goes along. But you better know where number-nine (QB Josh Nesbitt) is, you better know where 21 (Dwyer)is, you better know where 8 (receiver Demaryius Thomas) is. Those guys can win the game."

Still a Believer

The Richmond Spiders, reigning champions of the Football Championship Subdivision, defeated Duke in a season opener for the second time in four years with last Saturday's 24-16 victory. The game was played in front of a crowd of 33,311, Duke's largest at home since 2001.

Head coach David Cutcliffe is not backing away from his belief the Blue Devils will be bowl eligible this season. Duke is at Army Saturday.

"I'm still very sure of our team," Cutcliffe said.

"What I said is that this team has capabilities to be a bowl team, and it should be a bowl team. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it, the mountain gets a little higher when you lose. Now we've got to turn around and go win seven games, and that's a nice challenge. But you've got to love challenges, and you've got to love the opportunity we have."

Progressive Thinking

There seems to be a push that college football needs preseason games. North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien likes the NFL approach of practicing against different teams.

"They will go a couple days to meet somebody else at practice," O'Brien said. "When I played on the last Marine team, which was 1972, we practiced against other teams for about a week which was pretty good. Each day you practice against somebody different and work on your stuff. It works out pretty good."

By the Numbers


Heisman hopeful C.J. Spiller opened the 2009 season with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, becoming the first Clemson player to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown in school history. Spiller, who missed the second half with a toe and hamstring injury, says he's healthy and will play against Tech ... Tech tailback Jonathan Dwyer got his Heisman campaign off to a brilliant start, taking a pitch on the first play from scrimmage and racing 74 yards for a touchdown. The 2008 ACC Player of the Year, helped Tech amass 355 yards on the ground. ..North Carolina rushed for 261 yards (5.9 yards per carry) in its 40-6 rout of the Citadel. ... With his two touchdown passes against Richmond, Duke senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis moved into sole possession of second place on the school's all-time list with 49. ... North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson, who last year became the first freshman in the 57-year history of the ACC to be named the All-ACC first-team quarterback, has pushed his streak of consecutive passes without an interception to 272. ... UM tailback Graig Cooper played a big role in the Hurricanes' win over FSU, amassing a whopping 177 yards on kickoff returns (third-most in school history) and scoring the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter. ... One bright spot in Virginia Tech's loss to Alabama was the 98-yard kickoff return for a score by Dyrell Roberts. It marked the fifth-longest return in school history.