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...
NC State Now Faces One Test After A Stunning Program Shakeup
A difficult road loss to Stanford has left NC State trying to regroup after a major staff overhaul, one that has changed the feel of the program in a hurry. With the Wolfpack moving into preparation for its upcoming home game against California, the message from inside the building has been about tightening up the details that have slipped away, especially when it comes to closing out games.
Tight end Preston Douglas said the focus now is on finishing plays, drives and games, a familiar football refrain that has taken on extra weight in Raleigh this week. The next step is about more than just getting back on the field, though, because the Wolfpack is also sorting through a new structure on defense and trying to turn a turbulent stretch into something steadier before the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Sent A Strong Message About Its Next Coach
NC States coaching search took a more public turn this week when Chancellor Kevin Howell and athletic director Boo Corrigan laid out the direction of the program in a letter to fans after Dave Doerens firing. The note was aimed at setting expectations as the Wolfpack begin the process of finding their next football coach, and it was clear the university wants this move to feel like more than a routine reset.
The letter also signaled how serious the school intends to be about the hire, pointing to financial investment in the program and a search group built with some recognizable football voices in the mix. Howell and Corrigan framed the job as one that has to keep NC State in the hunt at the top of the ACC, and the message to supporters was that the next coach will be expected to arrive with championship-level ambitions already in place. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Raised The Stakes In Its Coaching Search
NC States coaching search now has a little more institutional muscle behind it. In a letter signed by Athletics Director Boo Corrigan and Chancellor Kevin Howell, the university said it is launching a confidential, comprehensive process to find the next head football coach after Dave Doeren, with support for the football program and its student-athletes at the center of the move.
To help guide that search, the school tapped two familiar names with Pack ties, former linebacker and Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher and former defensive back Dewayne Washington. On the field, Todd Goebbel will handle the team as interim coach for the rest of the season, leaving Corrigan and company with a search that is now being framed not just as important, but as one that carries some real weight. [Read more 🡒]