Saturday morning blitz
Inside the ACC
3 to watch
1. Miami at No. 12 Florida State, 8 p.m. (WTVD): If injured RB Dalvin Cook can’t play for FSU (4-0), Miami (3-1) has the offensive firepower to pull off the upset and end FSU’s 26-game ACC winning streak.
2. Georgia Tech at No. 6 Clemson, 3:30 p.m. (WTVD): The only ACC team other than FSU to beat Clemson (4-0) since the start of the 2012 season. The Yellow Jackets (2-3) enter the contest on a three-game losing streak.
3. Duke at Army, noon, (CBS Sports Network): The Blue Devils (4-1) put a cap on their nonconference schedule with a trip to West Point, N.Y. The Black Knights (1-4) gave Penn State a scare last week.
Observations
▪ A 34-23 loss to Cincinnati on Oct. 1, a year after beating the Bearcats by three touchdowns, only intensified the pressure on Miami coach Al Golden. For every step the Hurricanes (3-1) take under Golden – they beat Nebraska earlier in September – there seems to be one step back.
The negativity around the program has been building since the Canes stumbled to a 6-7 finish last year. In a moment of candor, rare in college sports these days, senior cornerback Tracy Howard admitted to the Palm Beach Post: “I know everybody doesn’t like our coaches. We still have to go out there and perform and they still have to go out there and call plays. We can’t do much about it.”
A win would help Miami, already written off by ESPN because of the difficulty of its schedule, get a leg up in the Coastal Division race. A win over FSU, the Noles have won five straight in the series, would also alleviate some pressure on Golden.
▪ There probably isn’t a better time to catch Clemson – a week after an emotional win over a national program – but Georgia Tech (2-3) doesn’t seem to be in any condition to take advantage of the break.
The Yellow Jackets, picked to win the ACC Coastal, have lost to Notre Dame, Duke and UNC in consecutive weeks. The biggest problem, incredibly by Paul Johnson’s standards, has been diversity in the running game.
Quarterback Justin Thomas is making plays (214 rushing yards), so is B-back Patrick Skov (319 yards) but there’s no other help. Raleigh’s Marcus Marshall, Skov’s backup, ran for 184 yards on eight carries in the opener against Alcorn State, and has 14 carries for 51 yards since then.
A veteran offensive line, with four starters back from last season, hasn’t helped Johnson’s cause either. The Jackets started 2-2 in the ACC last year and went onto win the division. That was with better depth at running back and capable playmakers are receiver. This group will have to pull a rabbit from the hat to survive past Saturday.
Number to know
13-5 Duke’s record outside the ACC since the start of the 2012 season. The Blue Devils haven’t lost a nonconference road game since an early 2012 trip to Stanford.
Top 25 schedule
Saturday’s games ... comments where deserving.<QL>
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Maryland, 12 p.m.
No. 2 TCU at Kansas State, 7:30 p.m.
No. 3 Baylor at Kansas, 12 p.m.
No. 4 Michigan State at Rutgers, 8 p.m.
No. 5 Utah vs. No. 23 California, 10 p.m.
No. 6 Clemson vs. Ga. Tech, 3:30 p.m.
No. 7 LSU at S. Carolina, 3:30 p.m.
No. 8 Alabama vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m.
No. 9 Texas A&M, Idle
No. 10 Oklahoma vs. Texas, 12 p.m.
No. 11 Florida at Missouri, 7:30 p.m.
No. 12 Florida State vs. Miami (Fla.), 8 p.m.
No. 13 Northwestern at No. 18 Michigan, 8 p.m.
No. 14 Ole Miss vs. New Mexico State, 12 p.m.
No. 15 Notre Dame vs. Navy, 3:30 p.m.
No. 16 Stanford, Idle
No. 17 Southern Cal lost to Washington, 17-12
No. 19 Georgia at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.
No. 20 UCLA, Idle
No. 21 Oklahoma State at West Virginia, 7 p.m.
No. 22 Iowa vs. Illinois, 12 p.m.
No. 24 Toledo vs. Kent State, 3 p.m.
No. 25 Boise State at Colorado State, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Saturday morning blitz."