ACC Football

Virginia Tech delivered the first major upset of the 2021 college football season, knocking off No. 10 North Carolina 17-10 on Friday in an ACC Coastal battle at Lane Stadium. 

Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell entered the night as a Heisman Trophy favorite and delivered a dud in his season opener. The junior completed 17 of 32 passes for 208 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, the last of which turned the ball over to VT with 37 seconds left in regulation. 

Hokies QB Braxton Burmeister went 12-of-19 for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Virginia Tech's first home win against an AP Top 10 team since 2009. He added 53 yards on nine carries with another score.      

While UNC did outgain VT in total yards, 354-307, the Tar Heels couldn't find a way to consistently get the ball in the red zone. Howell was also sacked six times for a loss of 35 yards. 

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech committed to running the ball and keeping the clock moving. The Hokies rushed 43 times for 138 yards, while UNC rushed just 30 times. 

With all of the hype and promise surrounding Howell, it's not surprising he had the ball in his hands, but he didn't make the best decisions when he dropped back to pass. 

Even before kickoff, it was clear the Tar Heels wouldn't have an easy time playing in Blacksburg, with a full-capacity stadium once again rocking to Metallica's "Enter Sandman":

That energy seemed to translate to the field, as VT scored five minutes into the first quarter to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish. 

Many predicted UNC would claim the ACC Coastal Division in 2021, but the Tar Heels are now 0-1. They have a chance to get in the win column with upcoming games against Georgia State, Virginia and Georgia Tech, but there's no question this defeat was a disappointing setback for head coach Mack Brown's program.  

Florida State University will celebrate late coach Bobby Bowden with an on-field logo, a helmet decal and a patch on the polo shirts worn by coaches this season.

The university announced the tributes Wednesday. They will begin when the Seminoles kick off their 2021 season Sunday against Notre Dame.

A logo featuring Bowden's iconic hat and signature will be on each 25-yard line, and players' helmet bumpers will depict the signature. The polo patches will feature the helmet and signature logo as well.

Bowden presided over Florida State's football program from 1976 to 2009, winning two national championships and 12 ACC crowns. He left the program with a 315-98-4 record and is the second-winningest FBS coach in history, behind only Joe Paterno (409-136-3).

Bowden died earlier this month of pancreatic cancer. He was 91.

Rashaun Jones will plead not guilty to the first-degree murder charge he is facing in the 2006 killing of former Miami Hurricanes football teammate Bryan Pata.

Defense attorney Michael Mirer, who is representing Jones, told Elizabeth Merrill and Paula Lavigne of ESPN his client will plead not guilty to the charge. If convicted, Jones could be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole or a death sentence.

A judge denied Jones' request for bond at a hearing on Friday, which means he will remain in jail leading up to his Sept. 17 arraignment hearing.

"It's an unusual case," Mirer said. "I mean, the arrest warrant talks about evidence that police gathered back in 2007, sat on for 15 years, and re-interviewing the same eyewitness that they allegedly interviewed back in 2007 without any further evidence in the arrest warrant."

David Ovalle and Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald reported on Aug. 19 that Jones was arrested and charged as authorities attempted to solve who shot Pata in the head and killed him in 2006.

The Miami Herald report explained there were no witnesses to the shooting, although a neighbor said he saw Jones walk away from the scene. Investigators also said Pata and Jones had recently fought, and Pata told his brother that his teammate threatened to shoot him in the head.

According to Merrill and Lavigne, cellphone records suggested Jones was not where he told police he was on that 2006 night, and a ballistics report matched the bullet to a caliber of a type of gun Jones possessed.

The neighbor also picked Jones out of a photograph lineup in 2007 and in 2020 during a follow-up interview.

"An ESPN investigation last fall revealed police had long considered Jones a suspect," Merrill and Lavigne wrote. "According to police documents and interviews, Jones and Pata had a history of arguments and fights, and Jones previously dated Pata's girlfriend."

Pata was in the middle of his senior season and was expected to be selected in the 2007 NFL draft.

Amid the upcoming expansion in the SEC, three of the other Power Five conferences are reportedly going to announce a partnership on Tuesday. 

Per The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach, the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC will formally announce their alliance to "to work together on multiple fronts, from College Football Playoff expansion to NCAA governance issues and annual football scheduling."

The SEC increased its overall power in the Power Five hierarchy last month when school presidents unanimously voted to add Oklahoma and Texas. The move will go into effect on July 1, 2025. 

In her report from Saturday, Auerbach noted administrators from the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 are concerned that the SEC's aggressive expansion could turn college football into an "an actual minor league system for the NFL with a draft, player salaries and the like."

Another reason Auerbach cited for the conference alliance is related to "concerns" over the proposed expansion of the College Football Playoff. 

In June, the College Football Playoff board of managers approved a feasibility study about potentially increasing the playoff field from four to 12 teams in the future. 

The proposal, according to Auerbach, didn't include anyone representing the Big Ten, ACC or Pac-12. 

Another potential rationale for working together involves television money. The Pac-12's current TV deal, signed in 2011, pays the conference approximately $250 million per year.

At the time, it was the largest television contract signed by a conference, but it has since been passed by the Big Ten ($55 million per school each year) and SEC ($45 million). 

A partnership with the ACC will also allow the Pac-12 to get regular television exposure on ESPN. Its current TV contracts are exclusive to Fox, with the Pac-12 Network having lost 17 percent of subscribers between Feb. 2019 to Dec. 2020. 

The ACC and Big Ten have TV deals with ESPN; the Big Ten also has a contract with Fox Sports.    

Defensive tackle prospect Travis Shaw has committed to North Carolina to give the team one of the top players in the entire 2022 class.

The Grimsley High School product native announced his decision Saturday from the school's football field. 

The 5-star recruit is considered the No. 4 overall player in the country by 247Sports' composite rankings and the top player from his state of North Carolina.

At 6'5", 310 pounds, Shaw is an imposing presence on the defensive line who can dominate at the high school level and contribute early in college while providing valuable strength up front.

Of course, there is more to the player than just his measurements.

"He's very skilled for that size," high school coach Darryl Brown said of Shaw, per Stephen Means of Cleveland.com. "He's a really good athlete, moves well, has great footwork. When I said he's skilled, he can do a lot of different things on a football field or a basketball court. He can throw a football 65 yards. He used to be the middle school quarterback. ... He's just a really skilled, gifted athlete in a lot of ways."

The size and skill set have turned him into an elite pass-rusher from the interior who can also make a lot of plays against the run.

It's the reason he got offers from dozens of programs across the country, including Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, although he settled on finalists Clemson, North Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina A&T.

Shaw decided on the Tar Heels, giving the team added depth and skill on the defensive line that usually goes a long way to helping compete with quality opponents.

North Carolina isn't as well-known for developing pros as some other top programs, but the team had five draft picks in 2021 and this trend should continue after reaching the Orange Bowl last year.

There could be a similar future for Shaw, who should see early playing time with his talent and physical maturity.

Head coach Mack Brown has done a fantastic job of bringing marquee talent to Chapel Hill since being hired in November 2018. The Tar Heels ranked 14th in 247Sports composite rankings list of recruiting classes for the 2021 season.

Adding Shaw to the 2022 class certainly helps North Carolina start to close the wide gap on Clemson in the ACC hierarchy.

The Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC will reportedly officially announce an alliance between the three conferences as early as next week, according to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic on Friday. 

The move comes in response to the SEC adding Oklahoma and Texas to become a 16-team conference.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN first reported news of the alignment between the conferences, which is to "create stability without schools moving conferences."

The Big 12 has not been part of these discussions.

Auerbach reported many administrators in the three conferences involved in this alliance still "believe in the collegiate model."

While some believe the SEC could become a minor-league type system for the NFL, including player salaries, the remaining power conferences want to prioritize graduating athletes at high-profile institutions. The Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 also give attention to sports beyond football, with each league averaging more than 22 different sports per campus; SEC schools average 19.9.

A new agreement could help the three like-minded conferences remain aligned when it comes to new NCAA endeavors, including potential rule changes or an expanded College Football Playoff system.

Improving nonconference scheduling between the leagues and expanded television rights would also be a significant plus for the proposed alliance.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 currently both have a relationship with Fox and are pushing the league to get more involved in the bidding for CFP broadcasting. 

Former Miami football player Rashaun Jones was arrested and charged with the 2006 murder of teammate Bryan Pata, per David Ovalle of the Miami Herald.

Pata was shot in the head and killed outside his apartment after returning from practice on Nov. 7, 2006. There were no witnesses and it remained an unsolved case for nearly 15 years.

On Thursday, Miami-Dade police arrested Jones, 35, who had previously been considered a suspect by the police department according to documents obtained by ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Elizabeth Merrill in 2020.

Lavigne and Merrill conducted a detailed investigation into the murder in November 2020, including the possibility of Jones' involvement.

"What happened 12 years ago, happened 12 years ago," he said in April 2019. "It’s got nothing to do with me. ... I didn’t do it."

Jones had previously dated Pata's girlfriend, Jada Louella Brody, and the two players had gotten into multiple fistfights about it.

During the night of the murder, Jones, a defensive back for the Hurricanes, reportedly skipped a mandatory team meeting. He was suspended from the team at the time for multiple positive marijuana drug tests.

Pata was considered a promising football prospect, entering college as a 4-star recruit and the No. 9 defensive tackle in the country, per 247Sports. He tallied 8.5 sacks across parts of two seasons in Miami and was projected to be a mid-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft before his death.