Surprise! Look who is undefeated in the ACC
Pop quiz, hotshot: Can you name the four undefeated teams left in the ACC? Miami may not be much of a surprise. Louisville, having played in the ACC championship game a year ago, should not be a surprise, either. But how about Pitt and Duke starting the season 4-0? Considering Duke was picked 11th in the preseason media poll and Pitt picked 13th, their hot starts have certainly drawn extra notice.
But there is something all four teams have in common: They each hit on the quarterbacks they chose from the transfer portal. Cam Ward (Washington State) has the prolific Miami offense setting records, while Tyler Shough (Texas Tech) has elevated the Louisville offense into a legitimate threat each week. Maalik Murphy (Texas) helped give new Duke coach Manny Diaz instant credibility with his arrival on campus.
But you could make a legitimate argument the biggest impact portal player could very well be Eli Holstein (Alabama), who won the Pitt starting job in fall camp and has not looked back. His ascendancy has been so unexpected, Pitt brought presumed starter Nate Yarnell to ACC Kickoff back in July. Holstein not only gives the Pitt offense some swag, he and offensive coordinator Kade Bell have been a perfect fit for the tempo offense Bell brought with him from Western Carolina.
Last year, Pitt may have been the poster child for portal quarterbacks who miss -- the Panthers brought in Phil Jurkovec but he never got into a groove, was benched as quarterback and moved to tight end. Coach Pat Narduzzi watched his offense slog through a 3-9 season and thought to himself, "We have to do something different." Enter Bell. The two had never previously worked together, but as soon as Narduzzi -- a defensive coach -- started watching what Bell was doing at Western Carolina he was sold. Pitt has now won more games than all of last season.
All four quarterbacks rank in the top six in touchdown passes thrown in the ACC. Ward, Shough and Holstein rank in the top five in quarterback efficiency. Football is obviously a complex sport, but when the quarterback is playing the way these four are, success can be boiled down in a simple way. Top-tier QB play = success. -- Andrea Adelson
Pop quiz, hotshot: Can you name the four undefeated teams left in the ACC? Miami may not be much of a surprise. Louisville, having played in the ACC championship game a year ago, should not be a surprise, either. But how about Pitt and Duke starting the season 4-0? Considering Duke was picked 11th in the preseason media poll and Pitt picked 13th, their hot starts have certainly drawn extra notice.
But there is something all four teams have in common: They each hit on the quarterbacks they chose from the transfer portal. Cam Ward (Washington State) has the prolific Miami offense setting records, while Tyler Shough (Texas Tech) has elevated the Louisville offense into a legitimate threat each week. Maalik Murphy (Texas) helped give new Duke coach Manny Diaz instant credibility with his arrival on campus.
But you could make a legitimate argument the biggest impact portal player could very well be Eli Holstein (Alabama), who won the Pitt starting job in fall camp and has not looked back. His ascendancy has been so unexpected, Pitt brought presumed starter Nate Yarnell to ACC Kickoff back in July. Holstein not only gives the Pitt offense some swag, he and offensive coordinator Kade Bell have been a perfect fit for the tempo offense Bell brought with him from Western Carolina.
Last year, Pitt may have been the poster child for portal quarterbacks who miss -- the Panthers brought in Phil Jurkovec but he never got into a groove, was benched as quarterback and moved to tight end. Coach Pat Narduzzi watched his offense slog through a 3-9 season and thought to himself, "We have to do something different." Enter Bell. The two had never previously worked together, but as soon as Narduzzi -- a defensive coach -- started watching what Bell was doing at Western Carolina he was sold. Pitt has now won more games than all of last season.
All four quarterbacks rank in the top six in touchdown passes thrown in the ACC. Ward, Shough and Holstein rank in the top five in quarterback efficiency. Football is obviously a complex sport, but when the quarterback is playing the way these four are, success can be boiled down in a simple way. Top-tier QB play = success. -- Andrea Adelson
