Cardinals, Panthers renew old rivalry to highlight Week 3

Updated Sep. 24, 2020 4:00 a.m. ET

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Here are things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 3:

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 24 Louisville at No. 21 Pittsburgh. The Cardinals (1-1, 0-1 ACC) dropped six spots in the Top 25 after losing a shootout at No. 12 Miami, 47-34, and they are back on the road again this week. Louisville lost despite outgaining Miami 516-485. The Cardinals gave up two 75-yard scoring plays, one a run and the other a pass. The Panthers (2-0, 1-0) have won their games by a combined score of 76-10, including a 55-0 victory against Austin Peay and a 21-10 home win against Syracuse a week ago. The Cardinals and Panthers are old rivals from their days in the Big East, but haven't met since 2015, Pat Narduzzi's first season at Pitt. The Panthers are scheduled to play their first four games at home.

BEST MATCHUP

N.C. State's running game against Virginia Tech's defense. The Wolfpack rolled up 270 rushing yards in their victory against Wake Forest and will face an experienced Hokies' defense that is now being led by Justin Hamilton following longtime coordinator Bud Foster's retirement after last season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence has attempted 276 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, the longest active streak in the country and third-longest in league history. The ACC mark of 379 was set by N.C. State’s Russell Wilson. N.C. State’s Ryan Finley ranks second with 339. The Tigers (2-0, 1-0), who are off this weekend, also have won a league-record 31 consecutive regular season games.

LONG SHOT

Texas State's most recent game against an ACC opponent came in 2015, a 59-16 loss to Florida State, making their matchup with Boston College (1-0) in Chestnut Hill on Saturday night a tall task. The Bobcats (1-2), who compete in the Sun Belt Conference, replaced the Ohio Bobcats on the Eagles' schedule when the Mid-American Conference decided not to play football this fall. The Eagles won their opener under first-year coach Jeff Hafley 26-6 at Duke.

IMPACT PLAYER

Ricky Person Jr. of N.C. State did a little bit of everything as the Wolfpack outlasted Wake Forest 45-42. He touched the ball four different ways and accounted for touchdowns two ways, including the winning score with 3:21 remaining. Person scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, threw a 2-yard jump pass for a touchdown in the third quarter and ran three yards for the winning score. He also caught two passes and returned three kickoffs.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

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Ricky Person

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

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