SATURDAY’S GAMES
Clemson at Miami, noon, ABC
Pittsburgh at Syracuse, noon, ESPNU
N.C. State at Wake Forest, noon, FSSO
Boston College at Louisville, 12:30 p.m., WUPA
Duke at Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU
Virginia at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m., FSSO
Florida State at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Deshaun Watson is just warming up, it seems.
He leads the ACC with 14 touchdown passes and ranks second in total offense (274 yards per game), third in passing efficiency (156.8) and fourth in passing yards (1,410) heading into Clemson’s game at Miami on Saturday.
And Watson is only six games into his sophomore season.
“He’s just a confident player. He knows what we’re doing,” coach Dabo Swinney said this week. “He’s well-coached, he’s very smart and that’s why he’s a great player. He studies and prepares during the week. The game is not fast for him. He doesn’t get overwhelmed.”
Watson (Gainesville) remained steadfast as Boston College took a 7-0 lead Saturday and also shook off two first-half interceptions to riddle the nation’s No. 1 defense for 420 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 34-17 victory.
He also ran for Clemson’s first score before hitting Artavis Scott in stride for a 51-yard touchdown pass that gave the Tigers a 27-10 lead in the third quarter.
Watson is 10-1 as a starter and Clemson is 6-0 (3-0 in the ACC) and ranked sixth in the AP Top 25.
Swinney was impressed by Watson’s decision at the line on a third-and-17 play before connecting with Deon Cain on a 67-yard pass to extend a drive that ended in Clemson’s final touchdown.
“We get in the play, and he had a bad look, so he checked us into a better play,” Swinney said. “That’s what good players do, and that’s how we train our quarterbacks. We’re not one of those teams that tell our quarterback what to do all the time. Our quarterbacks are trained to do a lot of different things.
“That’s why he’s tough to beat.”
Huge loss: Miami linebacker and defensive captain Raphael Kirby (Stephenson), the team's leading tackler with 44 this season, will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury.
He was expected to have surgery Wednesday.
“Gonna miss this, I love my team! I expect great things! Coastal is ours #believe,” Kirby tweeted this week.
He was running to make a tackle when his knee buckled in the third quarter of the Hurricanes’ win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, the Miami Herald reported.
“I’m crushed,” Miami coach Al Golden told reporters. “Raphael represents what we want in a Miami Hurricane. He’s a leader. He’s unselfish. He holds his teammates accountable, and he’s a big part of who we are.”
Rivalry time: Pittsburgh and Syracuse, who play Saturday, have met for 60 consecutive seasons, but they have a ways to go to catch two other rivalries.
North Carolina and Virginia will play for the 120th time, and this will be the 109th game between Wake Forest and N.C. State.
North Carolina and Virginia first met in 1892 and theirs is the ACC’s most played rivalry. Wake Forest and N.C. State have played every year since 1910, making it the ACC’s oldest continuous series.
“The Wake Forest meeting is over 100 years old, and I think that’s important for a kid to understand,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren told reporters. “It’s pretty cool to be a part of something that has been around for so long. You can’t just expect that since we beat them at home last year that we’ll beat them this year.”
Brewer back: Michael Brewer will start at quarterback for Virginia Tech against Duke after playing in the loss to Miami.
“What happened last week affects what goes on this week,” coach Frank Beamer told reporters. “I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Initially it was thought Brewer would miss at least eight weeks after his left collarbone was broken in the opening loss to Ohio State, but he relieved Brenden Motley last week.
Brewer was 3-of-4 for 65 yards and his 33-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Ford cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 23-20 midway through the fourth quarter.
Motley is second in the ACC with 11 touchdown passes, but also has thrown seven interceptions, tied for second-most in the conference behind Virginia’s Matt Johns, who has eight.
Big day: North Carolina defensive end Junior Gnonkonde (Lanier County) doubled the Tar Heels' sack total for the season with two against Wake Forest.
He also had nine tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss to earn the ACC’s defensive lineman of the week award.
Gnonkonde, who is from the Ivory Coast, committed to Georgia Tech before signing with North Carolina.
Replacing Marshall: Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said several players will attempt to replace safety Trey Marshall, who'll miss the rest of the season after biceps surgery.
That group includes senior Tyler Hunter (Lowndes); former walk-on Javien Elliott, who had an interception in the win over Louisville; and freshmen Marcus Lewis and Tarvarus McFadden.
He said it: "It's like comparing Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. They're both really good, but if you can only pick one, I'm picking Dalvin Cook. … Those are definitely the two best guys I've seen out there. Cook's explosiveness in the passing game, combined with his explosiveness in the running game, is unique. (Leonard) Fournette's size, power and speed are unique. They're different players, but they're both equally great." — Swinney comparing FSU's Dalvin Cook and LSU's Leonard Fournette
Etc.: N.C. State running back Matt Dayes is trying to become the Wolfpack's first 1,000-yard rusher since T.A. McLendon in 2002. Dayes has 588 yards in six games, but still must face Clemson, Boston College and Florida State. … Louisville safety Josh Harvey-Clemons (Lowndes) is tied for seventh in the ACC with 49 tackles. … Virginia running back Taquan Mizzell has caught at least one pass in 27 consecutive games. He had had a career-high 10 catches last week. … FSU receiver Kermit Whitfield has 18 catches the past two games. … Clemson tight end Jordan Leggett has touchdown catches in four consecutive games.
