Davis Warren’s rise back into the ACC quarterback conversation was the headliner of Week 8, and the Stanford passer did it in style. Under the Friday night lights on the West Coast, Warren went toe-to-toe with CJ Bailey and came away with the sharper performance, powering Stanford to a 31-28 win over NC State.
That game mattered for more than just the quarterback duel. Warren’s performance helped the Cardinal pick up its second ACC win of the season, while NC State’s loss brought an end to the Dave Doeren era for the Wolf Pack.
The rest of the weekend came with a mix of lopsided results and one eye-opening comeback. Darian Mensah and Kevin Jennings both piloted easy home wins, and Boston College buried Georgia Tech with a second-half surge in a 49-27 victory. But the most striking quarterback showing might have come in Kenan Stadium, where Steve Angeli - benched just over a month earlier - threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns in Syracuse’s 31-30 overtime escape at North Carolina.
Now the calendar turns to Week 9, and the best ACC quarterback matchups are lined up early. Jennings and SMU head to Syracuse in the noon window, while Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and California travel east to face Bailey and NC State in a game between teams looking for an ACC breakthrough. Later in the day, the most intriguing afternoon matchup belongs to Stanford and Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, where Warren will try to keep the momentum rolling against a Cardinals team coming off a bye.
Warren’s return to this list is well earned. His 303-yard, four-touchdown outing against NC State was the kind of response that changes the conversation fast. He had struggled badly against Stanford’s three ranked opponents, but when the pocket stays clean, his work has been among the best in the league.
Stanford now heads east to Louisville to close out October at 3:15 p.m. EDT on ACC Network. Louisville has not held a Power Four offense under 20 points through seven games, which gives Warren a clear opening to keep building on last week’s breakout.
Bailey still made his mark even in a losing effort. NC State spotted Stanford an early lead, but Bailey kept the Wolf Pack within reach with touchdown throws to Deandre Desinor and Keenan Jackson, and he also led the team on the ground with 59 yards. NC State returns home this week for a noon kickoff against California on ACC Network, and the Golden Bears arrive after a rough stretch on defense, having given up 100 combined points to Wake Forest and SMU over the last two weeks.
SMU’s Jennings was part of one of the weekend’s most lopsided wins, but his day still carried plenty of substance. In the Mustangs’ 59-20 demolition of California, he threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns, including a wheel-route strike to Kendrick Raphael for the first score and contested catches to Derrick McFall and Jalen Hale for the other two.
SMU now goes to Syracuse in its first road game in more than a month, with kickoff set for noon EDT on ESPN2. Syracuse survived North Carolina last week, though Billy Edwards Jr. still managed a season-high 271 passing yards against the Orange.
The rankings also keep plenty of attention on Florida State, Miami, Wake Forest and Louisville, all of whom are coming out of bye weeks. Florida State’s Tommy Castellanos has put up 1,618 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions through the first seven games, along with 354 rushing yards and 11 more scores, five coming in the win over Virginia.
The Seminoles host Clemson at 7 p.m. EDT on ACC Network in a meeting of 2010s ACC powers, and Darian Mensah remains the only ACC quarterback to top 200 passing yards against the Clemson defense.
Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz enters his matchup with Stanford after accounting for 1,844 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, plus 251 rushing yards and 10 more touchdowns in the Cardinals’ first seven games. Wake Forest’s Lopez has been just as productive, throwing for 1,947 yards, 17 touchdowns and one interception while adding 253 rushing yards and six scores.
The Demon Deacons face Virginia at 3:45 p.m. EDT on ESPN2, and the Cavaliers have already had trouble with dual-threat quarterbacks in losses to West Virginia, Florida State and SMU.
At Miami, Mensah looked like his early-season self again in a 52-23 rout of Pittsburgh. He completed 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns, with Malachi Toney accounting for more than half those yards and three of the scores.
The Hurricanes leave Hard Rock Stadium for the first time in nearly a month this week to visit North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ABC, and the Tar Heels are coming off one of their roughest defensive outings in that overtime loss to Syracuse.
Rounding out the group, Grunkemeyer may not have posted the flashiest stat line in Virginia Tech’s 20-16 win at Clemson, but he delivered the moment that defined the game. On fourth-and-1 with 1:44 left, he threaded a five-yard touchdown pass to Luke Reynolds in a crowded pocket for the go-ahead score. Virginia Tech is off this week and will open November at SMU next Friday night.
In Other News...
FSUs Clemson Availability Report Just Changed One Side Of This Game
Florida States preparation for Saturday nights home game against Clemson has taken on a little more shape as the weeks ACC availability reports continue to filter in. The Seminoles are still dealing with injuries on their own side, with senior cornerback Quindarrius Jones among the players ruled out, but there is some good news for the offense as true freshman wide receiver Devin Carter is expected to make his debut.
Clemsons side of the report is the bigger development heading into kickoff, with seven Tigers listed as unavailable. For a matchup that already carries plenty of weight, the availability picture now gives Florida State a clearer sense of what it is dealing with and a better feel for how Saturday night might unfold in front of its home crowd. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State May Have Found A Frontcourt Force Sooner Than Expected
A new face in Florida States frontcourt is starting to look more than just intriguing. Marcis Ponder, the 7-foot freshman who arrived as a football-to-basketball conversion, has already trimmed down to help his conditioning and is giving the Seminoles a different kind of presence inside. For a team trying to climb after last seasons struggles, that kind of size and energy can change the tone of the paint quickly.
Ponders recent preseason showing against Auburn offered an early hint of what he can do when he settles in. He finished with 13 points and 21 rebounds, a line that stood out even in an exhibition setting and gave coach Luke Loucks another reason to think Florida State may have found help in the frontcourt sooner than expected. With Ponder and a batch of new transfers in the mix, the Seminoles suddenly have more room to imagine a better edge around the basket. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvell Faces Rising Pressure As Florida State Heads Into Clemson
Mike Norvell is heading into Clemson with the kind of scrutiny that comes when a programs ambitions keep colliding with reality. Florida State still has the look of a team trying to steady itself after the highs of 2023, but the Seminoles have spent too much time dealing with losses, late-game frustrations and defensive breakdowns to quiet the noise around the program.
The recent double-overtime defeat to Miami only sharpened the questions, and the criticism has not been limited to whats happening on the field. Florida State also has work to do in the transfer portal, while the universitys recent firing of its athletic director has added another layer of uncertainty, with no search firm hired yet to find a replacement. All of it leaves Norvell walking into a high-profile test with his future already part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]