North Carolina nearly knocked off reigning national champion Clemson on Saturday, one week after losing at home to Appalachian State.
Sunday afternoon, it cost the Tigers their No. 1 national ranking.
The rollicking college football weekend included these five worth knowing on Tobacco Road.
Carolina blues
In Chapel Hill, Carolina’s try for two points with 1:17 to play was the difference as Clemson won 21-20.
Don’t fret for the Tigers, the national champs two of the last three years. By comparison to their first five games each of the last five years, Clemson’s metrics are at or better for wins, points per game, points per drive, touchdown rate, percentage of possible yards, yards per play, yards per dropback, pressure rate, yards per rush, turnovers and one-possession games.
Wake is 5-0
Wake Forest won at Boston College 27-24, moving to 5-0 in its ACC opener. The Deacons’ next three are home with Louisville, Florida State and N.C. State. If they win those and at Virginia Tech, the Nov. 16 game at Clemson will have a lot more at stake than anyone imagined before the season started.
Coastal route
One route to winning the Coastal Division, which has sent six different programs to the ACC title game the last six years, is holding serve at home and winning road games. Duke won its opener at Virginia Tech 45-10 on Friday, and Virginia (2-0) is the division’s only other unbeaten with no team having played more than two games. The Blue Devils host Pitt and Georgia Tech the next Saturdays.
Sack by Murchison
N.C. State took it on the chin 31-13 at Florida State on Saturday night, despite registering eight sacks. The Wolfpack got 3.5 of them from East Bladen product Larrell Murchison, giving him five in five games.
For perspective, the only other N.C. State player with that many sacks in a single game is Mario Williams. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, and he did it twice.
Murchison earned a weekly honor from the ACC on Monday. He’s the defensive lineman of the week.
Road win
Five games into 2019, ECU has matched its win total from each of the last three season. The 3-2 Pirates won 24-21 at Old Dominion, snapping a skid of 10 straight on the road since winning in 2017 at UConn. Temple comes to town Thursday night.
