The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ACC looks to hold their own UNC aims to end skid vs. versus other Power 5 teams Virginia in key matchup

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- By Aaron Beard ocleiaateg d

tlantic Coast Conference teams like Appalachia­n State. “The very first thing is loyalty and have some work to do when they That would be a step in the right di- care for our own players, our own team, step up in competitio­n and play rection to derail the sixth-ranked Tigers, and our own program,” he said. “Man, football programs from otherusp . oitw ’s enrot awbohu o t hwah ve o wo e n psla ix y.conhsaevc e uwtiov n e 1A 9 Co C f2 t 2 ithleosme gtham at eds.oessnh 't em h for much Faisvs e uperse.ss We’ve got to — pbla ya b n etatveer.r”age of motrh e et y hah n av2 e 5 wpo n intthse paesl t setw ,b out thteh n e if Cyaov u aliwere s re hatv o e suasye , d `fookuary,

Through two weeks of the sevairsgoi­ni,a (2 — -0,a0n-0 d ) thwa o so npaetnioen­dal cmheaemtip­nigo s ns in hicph s adpuer l - Hilw l, hwai t h elqsuea?r ', tercbearct­kasi , nw ly ith tahr e mstlreoang­gue so A ms e haac ky C otepaemni s ngh-anvi e ghe t xperc-tedw ly ithdo a mp-air oin f g eath sy eiw r irnusn , .beat- the November 2019 winmstatnt­de-rs.”being the primary threat. But ifnoarmtea d nlco e wd er eadli t v a isiqou n icp k robglorawm­s,inb g uw tt ihlleiam & Mhaork y iea s nd coilalicn h oisjusitn in ga F s uevnirtg e insiai’ d sl haisst roadmwei ndeknehyat­la l os n aidthbomwp ls oenas , oir n a uasrem d -to to A CN C oir s th juc st ar2o-l 6 inaag ’s aignosat l Poo fw ein r -Fivbe y t a eacmoms binper d ogsrcao m re hoo f p8e5 s -14 to . maagka e intsh t e ana y Co C pppornoeun­dt. Thbe e y tlohs e t prsitmeaa d ry ant d imja e cow b hreo n drciognufe­e z rheanvcees

ning its Atlantic Coast Conference And the Cavaliers haven’t lost all four road games last year in also been behind center as the

— and Notre Dame. And while three of when they visit the Big 12's Mountainee­rs' would herald their success against other division championsh­ip. to the Tar Heels in the everyyear-since-1919 a 5-5 season. Cavaliers try to confuse defenses The the losses 21st-ranked came Tar against Heels know No. 1 Alabama, season Milan Puskar since Stadium, one of the leagues. with Now, a there variety is of more packages. emphasis Nthoe . y 2 cagne ’t oargffioar , d aann d otthe r Neaor . ly 12 Foicgthotb­in er g201l6o.udest in the countrdye. fending Downs on early-sea“fso r n tm he aptcah st ucposu , pald e doi f ny g eacrse,darseophio­bmiliotr Isrtiusm h bli e n woitv h eyrtei t maen , otthhe e rl ostshers Twhae t rienclude“s Wlas e ty aelwara ’s y4 s 4u-4n1dersnta­onr d th thc at rowli e na y e to mran , kvinir gs inipa’r s oadlwucae ys d bmeeo n rl e ikeon to a gaviinrg st inliga.htly regarded Rutgersg , ammis e swisi-th threpcraev­saelinetri s nr g ololiun r g lejaogsu h e Daonw d nw sh e aw s astnetppep d roinjetcot­iot n htaht,a ” n Upne C rfloinrmeb­anccke.r Kaimon siptphi e ,a Tna d rh Meiess ls isasnip d pc i asvtaaltie­r.s to a 21-pointhl e adotbheh r inmdeambie­g rs toh f e thl e alde-atagrug e to rodloe for H“o I wth-inkrnuoc w ket r hsaati'd s . b“etchoemyi’n ve ga lwbiagygse­r meteh t e Saatcu C rdcaa y n niimghp t rowvi e th ov n iirt-s .2p5e 0 rfowrimn-ancewferol­l m ,o qbuvaiorut­esrlb y awckhenetl­lh , egyra'rb e bnino g tp 16 lacyaitncg­hes tfoh r in1 g 96thabte'e s n tlirnaicnk g eu d pin anso d memfupnhka y sfoizre- d ng ini g as peerkcienn g t a afigf e th — straanig d hthv e ic-perbcrepnt­niaonarmus­t,r ” onfu g, etnhte e nh saoil d. - “Byuartd , s yaon u d ktnwo o wt , ouitc'shdoewanr s ly inon.msa o tio I nth s. ina k nd as juc st oa s c a hedse , feynesse , it that tory in No. the 6 Clemson long-running is its series only formidable ing off a frantic something UNC rally. we're Brown all two conscious games. of.” He’d love to matters repli- to we’ve us,” got Mendenhall to lock in . ... They said. give “And

between neighborin­g-state pro- said his players know they’ve cate the success of his predeces- a lot of formations.”

team — on Saturday when No. 15 Vir- The Hokies and Mountainee­rs are old yes, we're becoming more and more

grams. lost four straight meetings, not- sor against the Cavaliers, too. ginia North Tech Carolina heads (1-1, to 0-1 ACC) West Virginia, ing: “They’re Big on East social rivals, media, having In met the 52 2019 times, meeting, in- aware UNC (of) early-season games. Not only Nopoernth ed wtehs e tseera n soo n ua t s oth f e tcho e abstia g l Teth n ev y isreitasd, sc o luthdei y ng kneovwe.r”y seasor n ecferiov m er D19y7a3m- i 2B0r0o5w. nh th ad ep sioxstseas­on North games, Carolina but is every trying one to of Duivkis e ioanf d avtohr e itb e io g nt ly etn o 's lom se icaht iganas s tfaot r evirgbiuni t a Vcoiragci h nib a rotneccoh leca ft chfoe r sf toh r e 20A 2 Cy C ardin sand usth , rwee jum st ew et apnr t ets o eahseol n p eoxup r eocwta n tiotenasm pnloa . y1 s 5 av t irngoin . i2 a 4 Tmeci h am in i.a game Mendenhall,2h0 e 0w 4 aasn’ d ti tnhter y eshteadve mtoeu t cohnd ly owoncs e .B srinocwe n . fowllo in wefidrst ia n nd a tdhivei n siio t n gothea s t th o at s he ofcfeornef­der240eyna­cred that “The saw only star quarterbac­k thing you hear Sam about in dwelling the on “I the think Cavs’ that's run. fine with for the 11 catches fans to for see , swhliict h tle is or f etahl e ly eximpepcot­retda.nt.”

AHCO C we is ll Cslaecmkse­o d ns . iw x eti'vm e eg s oa t ntdo exspoamn e d ootnher ththin e gs dti o ffkenroe w nt abmouattch­aunp d st,h ” rfeu e emno te re ssaciodr.es lastvfairl­gl.inia did The its Coastal part against Division the Fighting had harassed that,” Syracuse into three defensive intercepti­ons. end Saturday’s Josh Virginia-unc “But there's game: certainly a level of conference Illini, sgeuvea n rd dicffhere is ng tw lainsen r ers s aii n ds.even UNC regrouped with a seasons from 2013-19 before the

Black said. “The ACC is more than Clem- pride that goes with each trip ... “I think there is a misconcept­ion that

lopsided win against Georgia Virginia started slowly against league played a division-less format

son. We need the ACC to keep winning when you're playing someone from the ACC is not as good as other — Big

State, but Mack Brown’s team Virginia has lost 22 of 30 FCS William & Mary, getting last year due to the COVID19 is t hdeesa e ligna g mweit s h tc o ognec t eronu s r wniatm ha e ouro t at d hegraem. es uandoeth r eitr s Psioxwthe-y r efairve.”stopped on two fourthte-ann , dfo-r in stpaancd e, MSIEC.CV ,” irgginla ia sen r dsea d idt . h“ast o Wveete'rea noff t esnosmiv es licnr e ut b hac t ohnafsenr’et ncceo . awche , 'r a efrustradt­iow nf n or thm e ernodae d n- in Cs hoarr t loptltaeys­v , ibllue t , svt ilr l -wonw4h3e- n 0. we tuhranvo e vgear-mfilele s d argua n in in st 2t0h1e 9 m as ,i at's ogont e teo n ft oh ff e tb o e a st goaond wstaer'v t e wgitoh tto hmala l kc e onitsidegr­ininia g , hc e oasaci h d Bwroi n- co IM tw ean s dae n nehmalp l haagsrie s, eas nd a imdipffoer­t-anc t ofoa r stua s lf ta o vogr o ito e uw t ha o nw d esnh t oo w n tthoat sceoemmtuh­nai t cawtiaoy n .”and injuries. ning half of bthu e t rsoaa id gcaomnfee s roenceecno t nstsoid ry eraagtaiio­nns s ti allirneois, w e hecra en bfienais t h tahtoe p m tha e nd d ivtishioan t , wtheo'ru e ghas

“O I nt e olw d at y hie s m to ita ’s voim id plosrstaen s tto Fthc e S spchroe-dulensoh t ouhli d s bp e reimnoau ry ghpritohr e itc y afvoa r liehri s ms . cotrhee don goth od eiar sa thn e y portehs er asleoa n gpuic e k ohua t d tfhaeilree d .”to to g raom ur s prliokg e ramj,a ” cbkrsoown n vislla e id.sta to te be aindconten­tion Cavaliers in the have divi- one of first the two two drives victories to lead 14-0 atfht e r Howkii n esth , e Bdluiv e isidoe n vii n lss , ix an of d sehvuernri­canes Northern “But at the Illinois, same time, and it’s have about more sion. impressive Conversely, against the Power Cavaliers Five less foes than so five far, minutes. 42-14 will years try to before show then. that Saturday. performanc­es against programs against Illinois.

Road woes Cavs’ start ifletianv g louock sroom Turnover at the top

 ?? (AP Photo/wilfredo Lee) MARK BROWN/GETTY IMAGES/TNS ?? Three games on Saturday will give the league a chance to start changing the perception that Clemson is the league's only formidable squad. No. 15 Virginia Tech plays at West Virginia, Northweste­rn visits Duke and Michigan State is at No. 24 Miami.
Sophomore Josh Downs (hauling in a scoring pass against Texas A&M in the Capital One Orange Bowl in January) has stepped into the lead-target role for North Carolina with 16 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
(AP Photo/wilfredo Lee) MARK BROWN/GETTY IMAGES/TNS Three games on Saturday will give the league a chance to start changing the perception that Clemson is the league's only formidable squad. No. 15 Virginia Tech plays at West Virginia, Northweste­rn visits Duke and Michigan State is at No. 24 Miami. Sophomore Josh Downs (hauling in a scoring pass against Texas A&M in the Capital One Orange Bowl in January) has stepped into the lead-target role for North Carolina with 16 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

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