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...
Louisville Showed A Clear Strength But One Problem Still Looms
Louisvilles scrimmage with Mercyhurst offered an early look at what this roster wants to be, and the clearest calling card was inside play. Flory Bidunga gave the Cardinals a steady source of scoring around the rim, while Obi Ekezie stood out on the defensive end as Louisville showed signs of having more length and activity in the frontcourt than it did a year ago.
Still, the same workout also hinted at the kind of issues that can disrupt a teams rhythm once the games count. Louisville piled up points in the paint, but the scrimmage came with too many turnovers and too many missed free throws, the sort of sloppiness that can erase a size advantage in a hurry. The defensive improvement was encouraging, but the next step is making sure the good stretches do not get undercut by avoidable mistakes. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Awaits A Huge Pat Kelsey Recruiting Decision
Pat Kelsey has been working the 2027 class hard, and one of the biggest names on his board is five-star point guard Reese Alston. The Houston native has been a major target for Louisville as the Cardinals continue building out their future backcourt, and he has emerged as one of the more closely watched recruits in the cycle.
Alston is expected to make his college commitment on October 29, with LSU currently viewed as the favorite by prediction metrics. Louisville is still very much in the mix, though, which gives Kelsey and his staff a reason to keep pressing as the decision date approaches. For a program trying to stay aggressive on the recruiting trail, this is one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kelseys Next Big 2027 Test Is Suddenly Clear For Louisville
Reese Alston was one of the marquee names Louisville chased hard on the recruiting trail, and the Cardinals had every reason to believe they were in the mix until the 5-star guard chose LSU instead. For Pat Kelsey and his staff, the miss is a reminder of how competitive the battle for elite backcourt talent will be as Louisville tries to keep stacking the kind of class that can change the programs trajectory.
The focus now shifts to Cayden Daughtry, another major guard prospect who has already taken an official visit to Louisville and remains a top target for Kelsey. Daughtrys recruitment is crowded, with 14 schools on his list, and the Cardinals are still actively making their case as they try to turn a strong visit into something more meaningful down the line. [Read more 🡒]