ACC and local college football games for third week

SPOTLIGHT

GEORGIA TECH AT DUKE

3:30 p.m. Saturday | ESPNU

Duke (2-0) will be without QB Anthony Boone, who suffered a broken collarbone in last weekend’s win at Memphis. The new starter will be Brandon Connette, who threw for 198 yards and two TDs after Boone got hurt.

“He’s played well every time we’ve asked him to play,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “He throws the ball a lot better than people realize because he’s played so situationally in the past. You can’t feel any better about playing a backup quarterback, in my opinion, than you would be [using] Brandon.”

The Yellow Jackets (1-0) were idle last week after squashing Elon in their opener.

“They’re going to get their rushing yards,” Cutcliffe said. “You just have to be resilient.”

BOSTON COLLEGE AT SOUTHERN CAL

3 p.m. Saturday

USC (1-1) is coming off a 10-7 home loss to Washington State, but coach Steve Addazio of Boston College (2-0) had nothing but praise for the Trojans on Wednesday.

“It’s as talented a team as I’ve seen in a long time,” Addazio said. “It’s one of the best defenses in the country.

“What we are doing is going in to play probably a ticked-off football team who’s going to come out swinging.

“We’re playing now a highly, highly talented team full of playmakers. We have a hard time giving ourself that kind of look [in practice] because we’re not overstocked with playmakers.”

NEVADA AT FLORIDA STATE

3:30 p.m. Saturday | ESPN

Nevada (1-1), where San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick once played, opened with a 58-20 loss at UCLA. Rookie head coach Brian Polian is the son of former NFL executive Bill Polian.

“They cause a lot of problems with the things they do offensively — the fast-paced, no-huddle, pistol set,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said.

LOUISIANA-MONROE AT WAKE FOREST

12:30 p.m. Saturday | CSN

Sun Belt member Louisiana-Monroe won eight games last year, including a victory at Arkansas. The Warhawks (1-1) opened with a 34-0 loss at Oklahoma this year.

“They’re a very athletic team — a lot of team speed,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. “They like to bring a lot of different blitzes.”

Wake (1-1) is coming off a 24-10 loss to BC.

“We’re going to have to throw and catch better,” Grobe said.

MARYLAND AT UCONN

7:30 p.m. Saturday | ESPN3.com

Maryland’s Randy Edsall returns to UConn, where he coached from 1999-2010 before leaving to take over the Terrapins.

“I’ve got fond memories of Connecticut and fond memories of Rentschler Field,” he said. “I know they’re going to be fired up.”

UConn (0-1), which beat Maryland (2-0) last year, has been idle since losing to FCS member Towson.

NEW MEXICO AT PITT

12:30 p.m. Saturday | CW5

Pittsburgh, which is meeting New Mexico (1-1) for the first time, has been idle since its 41-13 loss to FSU.

“We’ve got a number of guys that have to tackle better,” coach Paul Chryst said.

WAGNER AT SYRACUSE

4 p.m. Saturday | ESPN3.com

Syracuse (0-2) plays FCS member Wagner (1-1) in its home opener.

SHENANDOAH AT FERRUM

1 p.m. Saturday

Shenandoah (0-1) has lost to Ferrum eight straight times.

Last weekend, Ferrum trailed 42-0 at halftime in a 49-13 loss at Emory & Henry.

“There was 14 guys, that was their first college start,” coach Dave Harper said. “Those kids didn’t respect their opponent and more importantly, they didn’t respect the game of college football and how hard it is to win.”

It was the Panthers’ seventh straight loss in the series and the third straight time Ferrum allowed more than 40 points to the Wasps.

“Our secondary’s got to grow up fast,” Harper said.

Tim Reynolds completed just six of 16 passes for 53 yards with two interceptions. Freshman QB Troy Helton (Covington) replaced him in the fourth quarter and ran for a team-high 64 yards and one TD, so Helton could see time at RB in the future.

NORTH GREENVILLE AT VMI

1:30 p.m. Saturday

VMI (1-1) hosts an NCAA Division II team for the second straight week. VMI funds 62 full football scholarships to North Greenville’s 21.

North Greenville (S.C.) is off to a 1-0 start under new coach Jeff Farrington, who was VMI’s defensive coordinator last year.

“He certainly knows a lot about our team and our personnel and what we do, so he’ll have his [team] very well prepared,” coach Sparky Woods said.

Derrick Ziglar (Martinsville) ran for 109 yards against Glenville State last week, becoming the first Keydet to rush for more than 100 yards since David Turner in last year’s opener. He had 187 all-purpose yards, the most for a Keydet since Tracy Hairston had 212 in a September 2011 loss to Richmond.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA AT N.C. WESLEYAN

1 p.m. Saturday

Southern Virginia hopes to bounce back from a 33-20 loss to Methodist in its opener.

“They were running a hurry-up offense and we didn’t expect it,” coach DeLane Fitzgerald said. “They were playing so fast that we got a little worn out.”

SVU rushed for 153 yards.

“We’ve got to run the ball a little tougher,” Fitzgerald said.

Jacques Alston ran for 164 yards in North Carolina Wesleyan’s 19-9 loss to Stevenson last week.

SVU won last year’s meeting.

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