Friday’s game
Miami at Florida Atlantic, 8 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Saturday’s games
South Florida at Florida State, 11:30 p.m., ESPN
Houston at Louisville, noon, FSSO
Wake Forest at Syracuse, 12:30 p.m., WUPA
Appalachian State at Clemson, 12:30 p.m.
Howard at Boston College, 1 p.m.
Furman at Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.
Tulane at Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m., FSSO
Notre Dame at Virginia, 3:30 p.m., ABC
N.C. Central at Duke, 6 p.m.
N.C. A&T at North Carolina, 6 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky at N.C. State, 6 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Akron, 6 p.m.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher expects Everett Golson to improve every week.
That might be tough considering his numbers from his first start in his new uniform.
Fisher let him know he played well in the Seminoles’ 59-16 victory over Texas State, but the tests will only grow tougher.
“He has a chance to be a very good quarterback,” Fisher told the media this week. “He’s doing a nice job, adapting well, working hard, and hopefully he’ll continue to play well. I like a lot of his attributes. … He’s got a ways to go, but I’m very happy with where he’s at. I think he’s a very good player.”
Golson was 19-of-25 for 302 yards and four touchdowns in his first game for the Seminoles since transferring from Notre Dame.
He also looked at Georgia, Florida and Alabama in the spring before deciding on Florida State, where he won the job to replace Jameis Winston.
Golson graduated before leaving Notre Dame, making him immediately eligible at Florida State.
“It’s still a lot of work in progress,” Fisher said. “Still a lot of work in progress going on with that as we expand and do different things and where we’re going. For right now, what we’ve got now, I think he’s doing a nice job.”
Fast start: Georgia fans will recognize this week's ACC defensive back of the week.
Former Bulldog Josh Harvey-Clemons (Lowndes), who transferred to Louisville, was honored for his career-high 14 tackles and two interceptions in the loss to Auburn.
“I hope to get as many interceptions as I can, but that’s not really a goal of mine to get 14 or 15,” Harvey-Clemons told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “I just want to win.”
He started 11 games for Georgia in 2013, but was kicked off the team for rules violations and sat out last season after transferring. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound safety is a junior this season.
“Josh has got a lot of responsibilities and different coverage techniques he needs to use, but his length really shows up,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. “I’ll tell you what he can really do like (former Louisville safety Gerod) Holliman that makes him similar to him is catch the ball. He has got great hands, and when the ball is around him, he’s got a really good chance to intercept it and make the catch.”
Former Georgia teammate Tray Matthews (Newnan), who plays for Auburn, also had an interception in the Tigers’ 31-24 victory.
Replacements for Conner: Losing James Conner was a tough way for coach Pat Narduzzi to start his first season at Pittsburgh.
He’ll likely turn to a combination of running backs to replace Conner, who will miss the season after tearing his MCL.
Conner was the ACC’s offensive player of the year in 2014 with 1,765 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. He already had 77 yards and two scores before the injury in Saturday’s win over Youngstown State.
Narduzzi turned to freshman Qadree Ollison, who rushed for 207 yards and another score. Chris James and Darrin Hall also figure to see action.
“Obviously we feel sad for James and everything he has to go through,” Narduzzi said. “It’s tough, but our kids will stick with him, and he’ll continue to be a big part of this football team this season.”
Manning, other QBs reach out: Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos was among the quarterbacks who encouraged North Carolina's Marquise Williams after his three-interception performance in the opening loss to South Carolina.
Manning texted Williams, who then called Manning.
“And he just said, ‘Go out and play your game.’ I felt like it was over (after the loss), man,” Williams told the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer. “But when I got that call, I was like, ‘Man, I’m back at it. Let’s move on.’”
Former North Carolina quarterbacks Bryn Renner and T.J. Yates and USC’s Cody Kessler and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott also contacted Williams.
The Irish are coming: Notre Dame plays the first of its six games against ACC teams this season when the Fighting Irish face Virginia on Saturday.
Notre Dame also plays Georgia Tech (Sept. 19), Clemson (Oct. 3), Pittsburgh (Nov. 7), Wake Forest (Nov. 14) and Boston College, which will be played at Fenway Park (Nov. 21).
He said it: "He makes plays. He's a good football player. He's very smart and knows where everybody is on the field. You can tell he's been doing this a long time. He's a guy that we will have to really affect. We have to make it a very uncomfortable day for him and not let him get in any type of rhythm." — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb (Calhoun), the son of Mercer coach Bobby Lamb
Etc.: Miami has 37 players on NFL 53-man rosters, the most of any college program. LSU and Alabama are tied with 35 each, followed by Georgia and USC with 33 each. Florida State and Florida each have 32 players. … Syracuse held Rhode Island to 64 yards of offense, the best performance for the Orange since holding West Virginia to 61 yards in 1967. … Duke junior DeVon Edwards (Alcovy) has four career kickoff returns for touchdowns, three behind the ACC record of seven, set by former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. … Boston College opens the season with four consecutive home games. … Pittsburgh receiver Tyler Boyd returns from his one-game suspension. The junior has 163 career receptions for 2,435 yards and 15 touchdowns.
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