WEEK 3: SATURDAY ACC FOOTBALL

BOSTON COLLEGE @ CLEMSON (-7.5), 12:00 PM, TV: RAYCOM (XM 190, Sirius 220

DUKE @ #22 Kansas (Jayhawks, 30,102 students, Lawrence, KS) (-23.5), 12:00 PM, TV: Versus (XM 191, Sirius 219

East Carolina (Pirates, 27,391 students, Greenville, NC) @ #24 NORTH CAROLINA (-7.5), ESPN2, (XM 192, Sirius 218)

#19 Nebraska (Cornhuskers, 21,973 students, Lincoln, NE) @ #13 VIRGINIA TECH (-5.5), ABC / ESPN2 (XM 190/193, Sirius 217/220)

Middle Tennessee State (Lightning, 19,919 students, Murfreesboro, TN) @ MARYLAND (-6.5), 3:30 PM, ESPN360.com (XM 192, Sirius 218)

VIRGINIA @ Southern Miss (Golden Eagles, 16,050 students, Hattiesburg, MS) (-15.5), 3:30 PM, CBSCS (XM 191, Sirius 219)

Gardner-Webb (Runnin’ Bulldogs, 4,000 students, Boiling Springs, NC) @ NC STATE (-29.5), 6:00 PM, ACC Select (XM 191, Sirius 219)

Elon (Phoenix, 5,200 students, Elon, NC) @ WAKE FOREST (-22.5), 6:30 PM, ACC Select (XM 192, Sirius 218)

FLORIDA STATE @ #7 BYU (Cougars, 34,067 students, Provo, UT) (-7.5), 7:00 PM, Versus (XM 190, Sirius 220)

LINKS FOR YOUR SATURDAY MORING READING PLEASURE

*Dinich: It's Friday. Miami looked very good. Now let's see how the Hokies perform ...

*Virginia Tech is preparing for Nebraska's defensive front, which returns three starters.

*Miami's intent was to go after Jonathan Dwyer and they did, knocking him out of the game early with a shoulder injury. Dwyer said he should be fine for the game against UNC.

*Maryland is still trying to sell its new suites in the upgraded Tyser Tower, but wine, wins and the wavering economy are making it difficult.

*Boston College's defense will get its first real test on Saturday, but they'll have to do it without starter Damik Scafe. That doesn't change the fact the Eagles will have to contend with the Tigers' speed.

*And the swine flu continues to make its way down Tobacco Road, now infecting NC State.

*Virginia quarterback Jameel Seweel doesn't have to look over his shoulder anymore, but that security comes at the expense of injured teammate Vic Hall.

*Wake Forest didn't quit on wide receiver Chris Givens, despite two torn ACLs in high school, and Givens is repaying them now.

*Clemson receiver Xavier Dye #21 is ready to "go out and work harder and compete." Not transfer.

*What's wrong with FSU's running game? Not even Caz Piurowski has the answer.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

MEET THE BIG BOYS. Toly Hansbrough’s FYF Colts greet the James Handley Judges as they take the field to play the Fauquier Falcons on "Spirit Night" Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 in Warrenton, VA.

Handley won 34-7.

(Photo by T.A.H. Worldwide Media/AFP/Petty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

UP AND OVER. Boise State's Titus Young jumps over Fresno State's Desia Dunn in the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 in Fresno, CA.

The Broncos won 51-34.

(AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

TOUR DE SPAIN. The pack rides the 19th stage on the Vuelta Tour of Spain, a 179,8 km stage from Avila to La Granja, on September 18, 2009 in La Granja. Spain's Juan Jose Cobo of the Fuji team won the stage with Alejandro Valverde consolidating his overall lead after finishing second.

(Photo by Jamie Reina/AFP/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 4

DOG SURFING. A two-year-old Pug named Bentley competes in the Helen Woodward Animal Center "Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon" at dog beach in Del Mar, Calif. The event helps raise awareness and money for orphaned pets while promoting responsible pet ownership.

(Photo by Mike Blake-Reuters)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 5

BAD BOUNCE. Golfer Gil Morgan, center, confers with a course official, left, after his shot bounced into the collar of spectator Larry Pearson during the second round of the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, WA.

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr-Getty Images)

#20 MIAMI 33, #14 GEORGIA TECH 17

And it really wasn’t that close…

The T.A.H. Rule of College Quarterbacks is simple: Good teams have good quarterbacks.

A number of pundits (including T.A.H.) predicted the Miami Hurricanes would be greatly improved this season. The key, like almost every other college team, was going to be the play of sophomore QB Jacory Harris.

Now it looks like #20 Canes are bound to march up the polls a few more places after Harris led Miami to its second straight victory over a ranked team. Last night, he completed 20 of 25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-17 victory over #14 Georgia Tech.

Miami scored on its first three possessions, built a 24-3 lead shortly after halftime and outgained the Yellow Jackets by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.

Miami (2-0, 2-0 ACC) matched its best league start since 2004, outgained Georgia Tech 454-228 and set up a Coastal Division showdown at Virginia Tech on Sept. 26. Graig Cooper ran for 93 yards, Javarris James rushed for 72 more and a touchdown, and LaRon Byrd caught five passes for 83 yards and another score.

It’s the first time Miami has won consecutive games against ranked opponents since the end of the 2003 season and the win ended a three game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-1) blew Miami out a year ago, dooming the Hurricanes’ conference title hopes by rushing for 472 yards. This time, Miami handled the triple option with relative ease, holding the Yellow Jackets to 95 yards rushing — 60 of those coming on the game’s first drive.

Tech’s reigning ACC player of the year, fullback Jonathan Dwyer, was slowed by a shoulder injury—only a stinger, he said afterward—and finished with 7 yards on five carries. Josh Nesbitt completed 6 of 15 passes, all to Demaryius Thomas, for 133 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

IT SUCKS TO BE YOU POST OF THE WEEK

It involves sex in a dumpster…and a T.A.H. staple - CRIME!

(Hmmm...is sex in a dumpster illegal? )

To read all about it (and you will laugh, we promise!), click here.

UNC v. LSU IN 2010 CHICK-FIL-A KICKOFF

Isn’t it about time the Chick-fil-A officials change the name of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff to the Chick-fil-A Kick-the-Crap-Out-of-the-ACC Kickoff?

To that end, CfAKtCOotAK officials announced yesterday that the 2010 edition will feature North Carolina v. LSU.

OK, LSU doesn’t seem to be what they have been previously, so it should be a competitive game and a potential watershed game for Butch Davis’ improving program.

But…history does have a nasty habit of repeating itself. It will come down to can the ACC beat the SEC with everyone watching? As for the series history, LSU and North Carolina have met six times, but haven't played since 1986. The Tigers lead the series, 5-1.

IN CASE YOU WERE WORKING: THURSDAY’S LINKS

Via ESPN's ACC blog.

*Will Yeatman is an interesting two-sport athlete who has gone from a former Notre Dame tight end and attackman to a Maryland lacrosse player and possibly back to the football field for the Terps.

*For the second time in three weeks, Virginia Tech's offensive line will have to deal with one of the nation's top defensive linemen.

*It's status quo for BC's quarterbacks -- Justin Tuggle will start but Dave Shinskie will also play.

*Clemson offensive lineman Landon Walker thought he was going to be kicked off the team, but instead, he got his starting job back.

*BYU quarterback Max Hall has impressed FSU's defense on film. Odds are they'll appreciate him even more on Saturday.

*Wake Forest's Gelo Orange is making the transition from linebacker to defensive end, and they need him now more than ever.

*Quarterbacks have been struggling in the state of North Carolina.

*NC State's longtime equipment manager Eddie Gardner (pictured) is stepping down.

*Coaches throughout the ACC faced questions this week about whether or not the FCS schools are closing the gap. Well, they've certainly allowed them to keep it interesting.

*The ACC hasn't exactly gotten off to a strong start, that's for sure, and Barry Jacobs writes that knocking ACC football early in the season is "so easy its not very sporting."

*Larry Williams caught up with Dabo Swinney for an extended interview, and it's in a three-part series for the ACC Sports Journal.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

HERO’S WELCOME. The newly-crowned US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro waves at people gathered to see him from a fire engine on September 17, 2009, following his arrival in his hometown Tandil, a city of 120,000 inhabitants in Buenos Aires province.

Del Potro, who defeated tennis world number one Roger Federer in the final of the US Open, has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks over since he emerged in 2006 from the tennis centre of Tandil, which also produced Mariano Zabaleta and Juan Monaco. Not that T.A.H. knows who either of those guys are...

(Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

HEAD FOR THE GAME. FC Sheriff Tiraspol's Benjamin Balima, jumps for a header during the Europa League Group H match against Steaua Bucharest, at the Ghencea stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.

(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

OH CRAP, KANYE HAS DISRESPECTED T.A.H.

Holy s***!! Kanye’s pissed at T.A.H. for our A-Hole of the Year nomination following his “microphone malfunction” at the MTV Video Awards.

To check it out his devious sabotage, click here.

BECOME A FACEBOOK FAN OF T.A.H.

Click here and become a FACEBOOK FAN of the almighty T.A.H.

The one millionth fan will receive a special GRAND PRIZE - an all-expenses paid trip to T.A.H.iti!

To become a FAN, click here.

*Items in italics may not be true.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: PARENTING 101

If you’re a parent, you’ll love this dad’s effort and subsequent reaction. If you are even thinking about becoming one, this little incident is a microcosm of your future life and the appropriate response!

The whole family was on TODAY this morning.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

NEWS FLASH: TYLER HANSBROUGH SMILES IN AT&T COMMERCIAL

HURTIN' HEELS

No. 24 North Carolina will be without two starters on Saturday when it hosts East Carolina, as both center Lowell Dyer and tight end Zach Pianalto will miss three to four weeks with injuries.

Dywer, who didn't play in last Saturday's win at Connecticut, strained a muscle in his right shoulder during practice last week. Dyer, a fifth-year senior, came to UNC as a walk-on and earned a scholarship prior to the start of the 2008 season. He has started 16 games in his career, and his absence is another blow to an already-thin offensive line. UNC was also without offensive guard Jonathan Cooper (ankle) last weekend. His status hasn't been updated yet.

Pianalto, who was in the midst of a career-best game at UConn before he injured himself in the fourth quarter, dislocated the subtalar joint in his right foot. Pianalto had career highs in receptions (7), and receiving yards (87) against the Huskies, and scored the game-tying touchdown with 2:36 remaining.

Pianalto was celebrating the game tying TD when he was "injured."

WEDNESDAY’S ESPN LINKS

Thanks, Heather.

*Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has five reasons why Georgia Tech will win at Miami.

*Not if the Canes have anything to say about it. Miami is determined to stop Jonathan Dwyer.

*Maryland quarterback Chris Turner has been encouraged to run more this year than last.

*Boston College continues to make the most out of its New Jersey pipeline, and lured a top receiver out of the state.

*FSU coach Rick Trickett wants his linemen to quit talking and start blocking.

*Wake Forest's offense has used a little role reversal to move forward.

*Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is looking to bounce back from the time he missed this summer, and reassert himself at the position.

*Both Paul Johnson and Dabo Swinney say the officials working their game last Thursday night approved both of their trick plays.

*Virginia Tech's defense hasn't been bad, it's just given up too many big plays.
*Virginia's Cavman is a little sore after being tossed from his horse last week, but just like the rest of the team, he's back in the saddle again.

*And here's a take on East Carolina from my colleague Graham Watson. It should be noted that Skip Holtz said, "Many of our players were told they weren't good enough to play at North Carolina." Now there's some motivation.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Everyone made a big deal out of Appalachian State beating Michigan a couple of years ago, but I think we've gotten to the point now where a I-AA beating a I-A team is not an upset anymore. It's something that's almost become expected. Our guys need to understand that this is an 11th-ranked Elon team that is very talented and would like to come in here to beat us."

– Jim Grobe, Wake Forest head coach on the Demon Deacons upcoming game with Scott Riddle’s Elon Phoenix.

R.I.P. MYLES BRAND

We don’t miss a chance to rip the NCAA when they deserve ripping. But, by most accounts Dr. Myles Brand was one of the good guys. Not to mention the fact that he had the cajones to fire Bobby Knight. Maybe Brand new that the boorish coach would turn out to be a great commentator for ESPN…

Myles Brand, 67, who brought reforms to college sports as president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association but might be best remembered for firing Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Knight at Indiana University, died Sept. 16 of pancreatic cancer in Indianapolis.

Dr. Brand, who was trained as a philosopher, was president of Indiana University for eight years before becoming NCAA president in 2003. He was the first university president to lead the governing body of college athletics.

Before the Knight incident in 2000 ignited a national debate over the role of sports on college campuses, Dr. Brand had never been considered an athletic reformer. He had been better known for his steady stewardship at Indiana, making the university a leading center of information technology and life sciences and increasing the university's endowment.

When Dr. Brand became the NCAA president, he immediately sought to give college presidents greater control over sports programs.

He led effort s to improve minority hiring among coaches and to give greater emphasis to women's sports. The NCAA executive board voted not to allow any NCAA events on the campuses of colleges with nicknames or mascots of American Indians. (And so the persecution of FSU began…)

Dr. Brand also hoped to rein in coaching salaries and expenses and to improve the scholarly achievement of athletes. He set up a system to track athletes' academic progress and to monitor their graduation rates. (Surprisingly, athletes in all but the glamour sports of football and basketball turned out to graduate at higher rates than other students.)

The most egregious problems, Dr. Brand found, were in men's basketball, with its low graduation rates, frequent recruiting abuses and exorbitant salaries for coaches. The powerful basketball coaching cadre was not pleased with the spotlight of attention.

Myles David Brand was born May 17, 1942, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was the first member of his family to attend college. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Rochester in 1967.

He played freshman basketball and lacrosse in college.

(Photo By Tom Strattman/AP Photo and the NCAA)

BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT?

Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen said his offensive line played better in the loss to California than it did against James Madison, even though quarterback Chris Turner was sacked six times by the Golden Bears.

"They didn't run-block like they should have," Friedgen said. "I know the problems. But you have to be with the kids, you can't get down on them because they are what we've got."

Maryland’s offense is ranked 86th in the nation in total offense, but maybe Coach Fridge should be worried about the defense which is ranked 108th…

Nice, Ralph, NICE!

FREEZE FRAMES

Ahmad Black (35) of the Florida Gators attempts to block a kick by Sam Glusman (38) of the Troy Trojans during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Denver Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley runs off the field after the Broncos defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 12-7 in Cincinnati. Stokley scored the winning touchdown on an 87-yard pass reception.

(Photo by AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Jeremy Ross of the California Golden Bears jumps over Kyle Wilkins of the Eastern Washington Eagles on a punt return at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. Also, check out our new ESPN Arcade version of Freeze Frame.

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

To vote for the best images of the week (there are 7 more), click here.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

WHATEVER THIS IS, THEY’RE DOING IT AGAIN. Evidently, it’s ice hockey.

Ales Kotalik #12 of the New York Rangers is hit into the boards by Bryce Salvador #24 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on September 16, 2009 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Rangers 3-2 in the shoot out.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

EASY WIN. Last year, UNC beat Notre Dame, but that was not the case in November of 1949. Here, Notre Dame guard John Helwig (49) knocks down a pass at the goal line intended for North Carolina's Art Weiner during the second period of a college football game at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The Golden Domers came in ranked #1 in the country and went home with a 42-6 win.

IS HITLER REALLY STILL FUNNY?

Or have we moved on?

It depends...

Yes, the Internet is good. Sometimes it’s funny, but often it’s repetitive.

The “Hitler Finds Out" videos are a YouTube staple. We have published the Dallas Cowboys’ version and the UVA basketball version last February. There is also one about Hitler finding out that Michael Jackson has died…Yes, parts of it are very funny.

Some loyal readers sent us the newest version about UVA football. We’ll let you head over to You Tube and see for yourself if you are so inclined.

While it’s funny – as all the Hitler spoofs have been – it is disappointing that the yahoo who remade this video doesn’t know to capitalize the words Wahoo and Hokie. C’mon people, come up with some new material and dig up an old copy of the AP Style Book!

Jeez.

Where’s Kanye when you need him?

“HOLY COW, AL GROH IS DOOMED” RUMOR OF THE DAY

On Sunday, one certain Alumnus and his Alumnus son whom we won’t name here (Dr. A.G. Wahoo and either A.G. Wahoo Jr. or C.G. Wahoo, not sure which) flew into Charlottesville Airport.

According to an exclusive email sent to T.A.H. and T.A.H. ONLY! “They were taken aback by all of the personal jets on the apron with these purple frogs painted on them……. How tacky.”

Then it got good…

“But, amongst the planes with TCU plates, was a solid white jet, with no lettering. The door opened, and who walked down the stairs but…Tubby Smith!!!!! That is correct!”

“Overheard in the FBO while waiting for the car was the Large Man saying that ‘he was tired of roundball, and had always wanted the opportunity to coach a real sport like football. I am just glad for the opportunity that this prestigious University is giving me.’”

That Tubby love, it runs deep.

*items in italics may not be true. Then again, they may be…

THE RIDDLE REPORT

Junior quarterback Scott Riddle had another big game last Saturday v. Presbyterian. Riddle set Southern Conference records by passing for 300 or more yards for the 13th time in his career and throwing touchdown passes 60, 61, 62 and 63 for his career as the Elon Phoenix (2-0) romped over the host Presbyterian Blue Hose (0-2) by a 41-7 margin.

Riddle has now thrown a touchdown pass in 24 consecutive games – also a Southern Conference record. He was 25 of 36 for 346 yards and four touchdowns.

This weekend, Riddle’s Phoenix travel to Winston-Salem for a date with Wake Forest on Saturday night.

For more on that game, click here and/or here.

TUESDAY’S ACC LINKS VIA ESPN/DINICH

*Jerrard Tarrant (#37) is leading the nation in punt returns for Georgia Tech, and might be the best the staff has had at it since Paul Johnson arrived. Here's a quick Miami 101 for Georgia Tech fans.

*Miami quarterback Jacory Harris has turned into quite a leader for the Canes, and all players -- past and present -- are noticing.

*FSU has given its defensive end position a boost by using linebacker Dekoda Watson there part-time, and it's paid off.

*UNC will be looking for "a little bit of payback" when it faces ECU this weekend, having lost to the Pirates in 2007. ECU could be without its leading rusher. Then again, the Tar Heels have been pretty bruised lately.

*NC State coach Tom O'Brien is expecting more from Gardner-Webb than the Pack got from Murray State, so he's cautioning his players not to get overconfident. O'Brien likes what he sees so far from the young players in the secondary. As for quarterback Russell Wilson? He insists the knee brace he's been wearing hasn't slowed him down.

*Virginia coach Al Groh insists the season is not over yet, that the only thing that counts is what's between the white lines. Problem is, that's where the problem lies. And his superiors are watching.

*Maryland's offense appears to be relegated to dink-and-dunk plays this fall.

*Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was ready to buy kicker Richard Jackson a "bus ticket out of town" last year, but he's starting to redeem himself.

*The Virginia Tech-Nebraska game is a tough ticket to get.

CHEATERS NEVER WIN…

…unless both teams cheat, and then somebody has to win.

Evidently…that’s exactly what happened.

ACC officials reviewed two plays from the Clemson v. Georgia Tech game last Thursday and ultimately declared that both plays were bogus. Both plays involved some substitution “trickeration” – Georgia Tech’s resulted in a touchdown on a fake field goal and Clemson’s resulted in a big gain into the red zone which led to the TD that tied the game.

According to NCAA rule 9-2-2-b: “No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents.”

In layman’s terms, you can’t go hide out next to the sideline and then take off like a rocket when the ball is snapped, and that is exactly what both teams did…

PICTURE OF THE DAY

OFF-FIELD ISSUE. Washington Redskins line backer London Fletcher grabs his helmet before the start of drills during NFL football training camp at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va.,

A group of American Indians who find the Washington Redskins name offensive wants the Supreme Court to take up the matter.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO…

Hmmm.

Take a deep breath Joe Wilson and Michael Jordan, Kanye West just put the clamps on the “A-Hole of the Year Award” just when you two stepped up to garner major nomination support just last week.

Joe Wilson, the Congressman from South Carolina who interrupted President Obama’s speech with “You lie,” surely merits mention. Regardless of your personal politics, Wilson’s lack of decorum was deplorable and worthy of a third quarter A-Hole of the Year Nomination.

Then on Saturday night, His Airness turned what should have been a seminal moment in basketball history into a disorganized berating diatribe. He took a shot at the legendary Dean Smith, his coach at UNC, who overlooked Jordan when picking 4 starters to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1982. He took a shot at Jerry Krause, the ex-Bulls General Manager. He went on to single out Kevin Loughery, his first coach in the NBA. He singled out Isaiah Thomas and George Gervin for freezing him out of the 1985 all-star game.

Jordan spent little time talking about the people who did have a big impact on his career and a bunch of time whining, complaining and saying “I told you so, losers” to people who didn’t.

Nice, Michael, NICE!

But lo and behold, not 24 hours later Kanye West stepped up to the plate and knocked out a A-Hole of the Year home run when he interrupted teenage singer-songwriter Taylor Swifts’ acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Seems as Kanye thought Beyonce should have won and he felt compelled to draw a wee bit more attention to himself by interrupting Swift’s acceptance speech to inform the world of same. Beyonce was mortified and Swift was dumbfounded.

The next morning on the Today show fellow entertainer Pink called West, “An idiot, a jerk, and a tool box.” Not a “tool” mind you, but a whole box of tools. Never mind that the leader of the free world called him a "jackass."

Last night on Jay Leno’s new show, the embattled rapper endeavored to make nice again with limited success.

Reportedly swilling cognac on the pre-show red carpet, West said he was going to take some time off to assess his behavior. We will give the Stronger star points for one thing: showing up. Most “stars” embroiled in controversy would have run for the hills. At least West had the cajones to show up and talk about his stupidness.

Nice, Kanye, NICE!

Oh, yeah…and then there was Serena Williams offering the line judge a tennis ball sandwich…

Jeez, tough week.

MONDAY ACC LINKS

UNC will take their ugly win and move on, thank you very much.

When Georgia Tech and Miami line up on Thursday night, the matchup between defensive end Derrick Morgan and offensive tackle Jason Fox "will be worth the price of admission." Backup quarterback Jaybo Shaw might return a week ahead of schedule.

Florida State's near-loss to Jacksonville State only prompted more questions, the biggest being which direction is the program really headed?

The Wake Forest defense just took another huge hit, losing defensive end Kyle Wilbur to a broken left fibula for about six weeks. That's a big blow to the strength of the defense.

Maryland's already struggling defense took another hit this weekend when senior cornerback Nolan Carroll broke his leg against JMU, and he will likely miss the rest of the season.

Terp Quarterback Chris Turner said "it's gut check time."

Boston College knows the competition will get tougher this weekend against Clemson, but it still doesn't know who its quarterback will be.

NC State did what it was supposed to do against Murray State, but until the Pack prove otherwise, they still have questions on offense.

Virginia Tech's game against Nebraska will be a rare one, but can Ryan Williams and David Wilson continue their early success?

Miami has been preparing for Georgia Tech's offense since this past spring. Will it pay off Thursday night?

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney could see plenty of positives in the Tigers' loss to Georgia Tech, starting with the confidence they'll take into preparing for Boston College this week.

What's wrong with Virginia's offense? It's not the scheme, says Al Groh. It starts up front.

Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is still the Blue Devils' starter, as Sean Renfree isn't quite ready for that yet.

WEEK 2: ACC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE BACK: Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, QB, Sr., 6-1, 210, Jacksonville, Fla. (The Bolles School) Wake Forest senior quarterback Riley Skinner engineered the seventh fourth-quarter game-winning drive of his career in a 24-17 win against Stanford. Skinner completed 18-of-26 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown; ran for 21 yards on four carries; and caught one pass for 20 yards. With his 18 completions, Skinner now has 677 in his career, the most in Wake Forest history.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: Caz Piurowski, Florida State, TE, Sr., 6-7, 267, Land ‘O Lakes, Fla. (Land ‘O Lakes) Florida State senior tight end Caz Piurowski hauled in two passes for a career-high 78 yards, including a 53-yard catch that led to Florida State’s first touchdown of the game in a 19-9 win against Jacksonville State. The 53-yarder was the longest reception for a Seminole tight end since Lonnie Johnson’s 78-yard touchdown reception against Clemson in 1993.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech, DE, Jr., 6-4, 275, Coatesville, Pa. (Coatesville) Georgia Tech junior defensive end Derrick Morgan had a career night in Georgia Tech’s 30-27 win against Clemson on Thursday night in front of a national television audience on ESPN. Morgan had a game-high 10 tackles, a personal-best four tackles for loss (13 yards), and three sacks (nine yards).

DEFENSIVE BACK: Leon Wright, Duke, CB, Sr., 5-8, 175, St. Petersburg, Fla. (Northeast)
Duke senior cornerback Leon Wright had one of the best defensive games nationally on Saturday as he returned two interceptions for touchdowns, recovered a fumble, and tallied four tackles in Duke’s 35-19 come-from-behind win against Army.

SPECIALIST: Scott Blair, Georgia Tech, K, Jr., 6-0, 198, Calhoun, Ga. (Calhoun) Georgia Tech junior kicker Scott Blair converted a game-tying and game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter to cap a come-from-behind win for the 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets over Clemson, 30-27. After the Tigers scored 27 unanswered points to take a 27-24 lead early in the fourth quarter, Blair tied the game with a 34-yard field goal to cap a 12-play and 69-yard drive, then sealed the win with his game-winning 36-yarder.

ROOKIE: Kyle Parker, Clemson, QB, Fr., 6-0, 210, Jacksonville, Fla. (Bartram Trail) Clemson redshirt-freshman quarterback Kyle Parker became the second Tiger freshman to throw three touchdown passes in a single game in a near comeback against Georgia Tech, a 30-27 loss. Parker completed 15-of-31 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, including aerial strikes of 63 yards to C.J. Spiller and 77 yards to Jacoby Ford.

MISQUOTE OF THE WEEK

“After trailing 24-0 just five minutes into the second quarter, (Kyle) Parker led the Tiger offense to 27 unanswered points and a 27-24 Clemson win, but another Player of the Week performance by Georgia Tech’s Scott Blair outlasted the Tigers.” – The ACC, in their official players of the week press release.

Never mind that it doesn’t make sense and that “27-24 Clemson win” should have been “27-24 Clemson lead,” as of 7p.m. last night both ESPN and TheACC.com had not corrected the error.

Yes, T.A.H. is the ACC’s “blog of record.”

We’re here for you.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

RETRO. Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills on September 14, 2009 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

The Pats won 25-24. Shocking, we know.

Nice high tops.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

BIG SERVE. Cool picture. Huge upset. Tennis player Juan Martin Del Potro from Argentina serves against Roger Federer from Switzerland during the final of the 2009 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in New York, September 14, 2009.

Del Potro upset five-time winner Federer in an epic battle that lasted more than four hours.

(Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

ANYBODY SEEN TILA? Linebacker Shawne Merriman #56 of the San Diego Chargers stands with his defensive teammates on the field against the Oakland Raiders on September 14, 2009 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.

The Chargers won.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

JORDAN INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

On Saturday, Michael Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was presented by N.C. State’s David Thompson.

Below: Jordan with Dean Smith, and fellow inductees C. Vivian Stringer, John Stockton, David Robinson and Jerry Sloan.

(Photos by Nathaniel S. Butler and Jeyhout Allebaugh/NBAE via Getty Images/AP Photos/Reuters)