No. 22 SMU and Duke face off to stay in the ACC championship chase this weekend
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) passes against Stanford during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Jeff Chiu
Things to watch this week in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 22 SMU (6-1, 3-0 ACC) at at Duke (6-1, 2-1), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
Who expected this matchup to have a potential role in who reaches the ACC championship game? The Mustangs and the Blue Devils have been among the ACC's biggest surprises this season with the winner of this one keeping its title hopes alive.
The Blue Devils are 4-0 at home under first-year coach Manny Diaz and 12-1 in their past 13 home games.
SMU, in its first ACC season, is among four teams without a loss in conference play. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw three touchdown passes in a 40-10 victory over Stanford in the Mustangs' last game.
SMU has shown strength on both sides of the ball, fourth in ACC scoring (40.7 points per game) and third in scoring defense (20.5 points a game). Duke is looking for a win over a ranked opponent for a second straight season, something it last accomplished in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
The teams have not played since 1956.
Duke's Maalik Murphy (6) throws during an NCAA college football game against Florida State in Durham, N.C., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. Credit: AP/Ben McKeown
The undercard
Florida State (1-6, 1-5) at No. 6 Miami (7-0, 3-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ABC).
The Hurricanes have had some close calls, but have been led by top Heisman Trophy contender Cam Ward to its best start since 2013. Ward leads the ACC with 362 passing yards per game and 24 touchdowns. He has run for three other scores.
Miami typically brings out the best in the Seminoles, who have won the past three meetings and are 13-7 against their state rivals since the Hurricanes joined the ACC. But the defending ACC champion has been in free fall since the season began. FSU fell at Duke 23-17 last week, ending their 22-0 all-time mark against the Blue Devils.
Impact player
Pitt RB Desmond Reid leads the ACC and is second nationally with 182.6 all-purpose yards per game. The Western Carolina transfer had three games with 100-or-more rushing yards and two with 100-plus yards receiving, a first for a program that has featured greats like Tony Dorsett, Curtis Martin and James Conner.
Florida State athletic director Michael Alford, center, reacts after a play late in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. Credit: AP/Ben McKeown
Inside the numbers
The ACC has the nation's top two passing offenses in Miami and Syracuse, plus three other programs with robust attacks (Pitt, 12th; Louisville 14th; Clemson, 21st). ... Pitt's Ben Sauls has not missed a kick this season, making all 10 of his field and all 28 of his extra points. ... Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos is fifth nationally in passing efficiency rating (176.2). ... Louisville's 45 points in a loss to Miami last week was its highest in a non-overtime defeat since 1999. ... North Carolina's Mack Brown leads all active coaches with 285 wins. ... No. 8 Clemson and N.C. State are off this week.
Reaching a first
North Carolina running back Oamarion Hampton ran for 100-or-more yards for a sixth time this season. That makes him the only back in program history to accomplish that in multiple seasons. Hampton is just 99 yards away from his second consecutive 1,000-yard season.
