ACC GAME OF THE WEEK
Georgia Tech (2-0) at Virginia Tech (1-1)
Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va., 3:30 p.m., ABC

First of all, let me set the record straight – I’m a Paul Johnson convert, believing this guy can coach at any school, at any level and win. And Georgia Tech’s victory at B.C. last weekend sure made for a confident week in Atlanta.

I was all set to pick the Yellow Jackets to start 3-0 with a win Saturday afternoon at Virginia Tech until one glaring stat jumped out and slapped me in the face. Frank Beamer is 16-1 in conference openers at Virginia Tech, with the Hokies going 4-0 since joining the ACC, including a 51-7 beat down of Georgia Tech in 2005.
So, with the “real” season set to start Saturday for the Hokies, expect Beamer to have his house in order, expect his quarterback situation to be sorted out and expect his special teams to come up big in Lane Stadium.

College games have been shorter this season with the addition of new clock regulations. This one should break world records. So far through two games, the Yellow Jackets have run the ball 82.6 percent of the time while the Hokies have logged it 69.7 percent. Where’s the beef? Heck, where’s the balance?

The addition of Tyrod Taylor in a game like this should make the difference. With one week to get his legs under himself against Furman (in which he averaged 8.0 yards a carry) the Yellow Jackets will likely have to defend Taylor’s elusive nature more than Sean Glennon, who by the way did have a field day last year against Georgia Tech in Atlanta (and wearing a Georgia Tech jersey).

How many times does a team, still trying to find itself under a new coach, win two straight road games against quality opponets, let alone two straight conference road games? I don’t see it happening here with Johnson and Co. If Johnson does pull off another ACC road win, he’ll be the front-runner heading into October for ACC coach of the year.

“We’ll have an idea of where we stack up when we come back next week,” Johnson said.

SU Prediction: Virginia Tech 24, Georgia Tech 13

Best of the rest: 
Clemson 34, N.C. State 3
California 45, Maryland 10 
Navy 27, Duke 20
Connecticut 20, Virginia 17

Stat of the Week: Virginia Tech sophomore John Graves has two blocked kicks in two games. The Hokies had just four all of last season.

Quote of the Week: “I talk to my son and sometimes he doesn’t even know what day it is, so he’s not feeding me a lot of information,” N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien when asked if his son Daniel, a graduate assistant coach at Alabama, was giving him a scouting report on Clemson.