Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - HUGE: Georgia Tech's MOMENT OF TRUTH Against Clemson | Can Brent Key SHOCK the ACC?

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

Is Georgia Tech poised to shake up the ACC? The Yellow Jackets face a crucial test against Clemson, with national recognition on the line.Jackson Holzer breaks down this pivotal matchup, analyzing Clemson's uncharacteristic start and Georgia Tech's potential for an upset. The discussion covers key players like Haynes King and Cade Klubnik, while also previewing Miami's clash with USF and recapping NC State's comeback win over Wake Forest.Tune in for expert predictions on the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia, plus insights on Duke's chances against Tulane. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!5-Hour ENERGYTee up that trip! Enter for a chance to win a dream golf trip for two to any golf tournament* in the USA. Visit https://5HEWIN.com for full rules and entry. No purchase necessary. Excludes the Master’s tournament. Ends October 31, 2025.The Game CapGrab your team’s classic bar or retro circle designed hat and use code LOCKEDON for an exclusive discount. Head to Because legends wear The Game. Head to https://thegamecaps.com DripDropRight now, DripDropis offering Locked On listeners 20% off your first order. Just head to https://dripdrop.com and use promocode LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Stock up now before the heat hits hard.DoorDashWith DoorDash Streaks, you save every Saturday you order — stack it up all season and you could save up to $250. Order this Saturday. Keep the streak alive. Fuel your gameday — only with DoorDash. Terms apply. Promo period through 11/18.MazdaIt’s the small details that make the big plays. And just like there’s more to every player, there’s more to a Mazda vehicle. Mazda. Move and Be Moved. SupplyHouseJoin the free TradeMaster program today and score serious perks like priority shipping, lower prices, and a dedicated support line. Visit https://www.supplyhouse.com/apply-for-trademasterto sign up for free and use promo code SHCOLLEGE5 for 5% off your first order. GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at https://www.monarchmoney.com/lockedoncollege for 50% off your first year.FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is Georgia Tech's moment, a chance to establish itself amongst the ACC elite. Unless Clemson has something else to say. You are Locked-on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello, everyone, and welcome in to Locked-on ACC. I'm Jackson Holes, the host of Locked-on, Syracuse filling in for Alex Dono. and Kenton Gibbs, and thank you so much for making Locked-on ACC. Your first listen of the day.

We are always free and available wherever you get your podcast here on the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. And on today's show later on, we'll talk briefly about NC State and Wake Forest, which happened last night. That was an awesome game. We'll recap a little bit of it later on in the show, as well as some of the other important games on the ACC week three slate. But first, most of this show is going to be about the two big games within the conference this week.

Of course, I'm referring to Miami hosting University of South Florida and Georgia Tech at home versus Clemson. We're going to break it all down here on today's edition of Locked-on ACC. Now, before we get to everything, this episode is brought to you by Mazda. Like our players, we sweat every detail because when you, make every move count. Pulling off the unexpected is only the beginning. Stay tuned later for highlights in this week's moving the game forward. Mazda move and be moved. Clemson at Georgia Tech. That is tomorrow, which is Saturday at noon Eastern. And in my opinion, feel free to agree or disagree in the comment section below right now. This is the biggest game of the week in

the ACC. And we're going to look at it from both angles. We're going to start with the Georgia Tech yellow jackets led by their head coach Brent Key. Georgia Tech was a good team last year, maybe bit by a hard schedule, but one of the best seven and five teams in the country. They had a lot of hype, that close loss to Georgia at the end of the season. And as a result, with a lot of returning production coming and back, mainly their quarterback Haines King. They were picked to finish fourth in the ACC preseason poll and seen by many as a team that could be a dark horse for the 2025 college football playoff and maybe a dark horse to win the ACC outright in 2025.

And so far, so good for Georgia Tech. Tough week one battle on the road against Colorado. they got a seven point victory, and then they played Gardner Webb and they handled their business without quarterback Haynes King. Yet despite the good start for Georgia Tech doing everything that you would want a non-ranked team to do in the beginning of the season, they're not yet ranked in the AP poll or in the coaches poll. This is a game for Georgia Tech where they can gain a ton of national recognition. recognition and establish itself as one of the best teams in the ACC in 2025.

And we know Georgia Tech and what they like to do. Actually, I should say this, what they love to do, which is run the football. And what better test than against Clemson, which on paper, through the stats, it seems like Clemson has a very, very good run defense. And I'm not going to sit here and say that it's, actually wrong and that it's actually bad. But I do think that Georgia Tech could potentially be able to run the football against Clemson.

I mean, after all, they were able to do it last year against Georgia. They should be able to also do it against Clemson at home, right? Well, looking at Clemson this year and what the running backs have done against them, Troy's Tay Meadows had 16 carries for 76 yards against Clemson last week. That is 4.8 yards per carry. Then you have LSU's Caden Durham a couple of weeks ago. He had 17 carries for 74 yards, 4.4 yards per carry. This seems like a winnable game for Georgia Tech.

It really does. And no doubt if they lose this game, they can still have a very successful 2025 season. No doubt. They can have a very strong record. But if they don't win this day and verse Clemson on Saturday, it is very difficult to envision Georgia Tech being able to be one of those, not miracle because it would not be a miracle,

but one of those feel good stories of 2025, one of those teams that makes the college football playoff when maybe they were sort of a dark horse to begin the year and they found their way through their schedule. Kind of similar to what happened with SMU last season. in the ACC. Now let's look at it from a Clemson angle since we just did Georgia Tech. Something's been off with Clemson to start this year and Clemson fans, you can come at me all you want, but you know it's true that something has been weird with Clemson through two weeks.

Now, you may have heard me on the squad after week one. I excused Clemson for their seven point loss at home versus LSU to begin the year. It was seven. It was a tight defensive game. And you know what? LSU, they're a really good team. So losing at home to a really good team, especially from the SEC, you know what? We can forgive Clemson for that. They're still great, right?

But I cannot ignore what happened to Clemson against Troy last week. And I get they won and I get they turned it on in the second half. But that second half comeback should not have been warranted against a team like Troy. that's not even good in their own group of five conference. So Clemson seems vulnerable, and this is a must-win game for the Clemson Tigers. This is a team that before the season, many people, including myself, believe could be a national championship contender. Not just an ACC contender, a national championship contend. Like, when they end the year, the confetti is falling over them.

They don't look at right now. And if they lose to Georgia Tech, they'd be one and two. And we've seen Clemson do it before, dead off to some slow starts and be able to recover. Last year in particular, where they got throttled in week one to Georgia. But similar to Georgia Tech and what I said in how if they lose to Clemson, it's hard to see them making the CFP, same goes for Clemson, except their expectations heading into the year. were much higher than Georgia Tech.

Now, as far as Clemson and their issues, one of them has got to be their quarterback in Kade Klubnick. He had obviously very high expectations after a strong 2024 season. He's not been off to a hot start either, but they may have found something which could help Kade Klubnick in this game versus Georgia Tech. And that is their running back Adam Randall. Didn't receive many touches against LSU, but in week two versus Troy, 21 carries for 112 yards and two total touchdowns also got involved in the receiving game.

So perhaps if Clemson can establish the run game versus Georgia Tech, that could alleviate some pressure off of Kate Klubnick to be superhuman. So now let's add two prediction time since we've laid out the stakes now for both teams. What do you guys think? Before I get to mind, what do you think? Who's going to win? Georgia Tech at home in an upset or Clemson? Comment in the comment section below here. I want so badly to pick Georgia Tech. I think it would be phenomenal if Georgia Tech wins this game.

Because think of the stories that could come from it. Clemson at 1 and 2 with their season basically hanging in the balance for the rest of the year, but we all know deep down that even if Clemson goes to 1 and 2, they could still in theory run the table and win. the ACC. So I badly want to see Georgia Tech win this game. As an independent, I'm a Syracuse fan. But my rule of thumb is this. And you may have heard me on the SWAT episode, I'm not going to pick against Clemson until I really have a reason to pick against Clemson. It is time for this Clemson defensive line to really showcase why they are, who they are. And of course, I'm talking about

T.J. Parker and Peter Woods leading the charge. And if Clemson can slow down Georgia Tech's run game, perhaps get ahead early, make Georgia Tech a pass first team, they could definitely hold serve, win on the road as a favorite. Easier said than done, though, stopping Georgia Tech's run game. But at least if they can contain it, they should be able to beat Georgia Tech. So with that being said, I am picking. Clemson to win this game, 2717, but I think the score will be, or I should say this,

even though I have it as a 10-point margin of victory for Clemson, I think the game is going to be a lot closer than the store itself. I agree with me, disagree with me, comment your thoughts in the comment section below. Once again, I am picking Clemson to win on the road at Georgia Tech. Now, coming up, can the Miami Hurricanes put an end to this madness. Of course, I'm talking about USF. Stick with me here on Locked-on, ACC. This episode is brought to you by Mazda's moving the game forward. For those who believe it's not just about playing the game, it's about redefining it. There are moments that do more than put points on the board. They move crowds, move culture, and keep moving the game forward.

this week's moment that moved the game forward is Isaiah Shirley's pick six last night for NC State to tie the game at 14 in the first quarter verse Wake Forest. I thought even though Wake Forest sort of recovered after the pick six, that that was the initial turning point of the game. When you follow what moves you, the unexpected is only the beginning. And just like there's more to every highlight, there's more to a Mazda vehicle. Mazda move. and be moved. This is locked on ACC. I'm Jackson Holzer, the host of Locked on Syracuse,

filling in for Alex Dono and Kenton Gibbs. And we're actually going to talk about that team that Alex Dono covers now, which is the Miami Hurricanes. Miami's got a pretty big game on Saturday at 4.30 p.m. Eastern they are at home against the University of South Florida, which as a Floridian, I can proudly say, University of South Florida is not in South Florida. And I'm not good at geography at all for those that may know me. Okay, I'm terrible at geography, but I can tell you that.

They are not in South Florida, but regardless, it's neither here nor there. Miami at home against USF. Okay, Miami Hurricanes. Here's the deal. Can y'all really put an end to this madness now? Can y'all do it? Miami right now is off to a great start, no doubt about it. beating Notre Dame at home, such a big test for them.

And they stopped Notre Dame's rushing attack. How many teams for the rest of this season are going to be able to say the same thing, that they quite literally shut down Notre Dame on the ground? And then, of course, in week two, they followed up with a nice cupcake victory. I know Alex Dono, he might get into all the nitty gritty and some of the mistakes that may have happened in that one, but regardless, they handled their business. It's against Bethune Cookman. I saw what Miami did to Notre Dame.

But in comes USF, a team that's definitely feeling confident. A team that has two ranked victories this season. First, a spanking against Boise State. Absolute domination in that one. And then how many teams can actually do this? They went in the swamp. Actually, Miami did that last year. But regardless, they go in the swamp.

as a group of five team and they beat the Florida Gators. So USF is definitely feeling confident. USF's offense has yet to commit a turnover. And their defense has allowed a grand total of 23 points through two games. 23 through two games. That's it. Right now, I'm not going to say anything controversial about USF. They look like the team that's going to represent the group of five in the college football

playoff this season. And if they beat Miami tomorrow, they might get a first round by. They might be one of the top four seeds in the college football playoff, which would be, I know it's very early in this new college football playoff era with 12 teams. But how many times over the course of the college football playoff history do you think we're going to say a group of five team is going to get a buy because that's what might happen if USF actually wins this game. But can we be real for a moment?

Miami fans, I know you want to pay all the respect in the world to USF. I understand because you don't want to give any bulletin board material to USF, right? They're a confident bunch. But let's be real. Miami should win this game and they should win this game pretty handily. The Florida Gators, who USF just beat, I'm saying this right now as someone who grew up a Florida Gators fan. Because I grew up in South Florida. A lot of the people around me were Gators fans.

And I can tell you right now, Florida Gators are not a good team. I do not care that that team was ranked 13th in the country heading into last week. They were nowhere near good enough to be 13th in the country. Their head coach is Billy Napier. Florida's biggest mistake is the fact that they have yet to build a time machine. so they can go back in time and fire Billy Napier. So while I want to give USF credit for beating, hypothetically, the 13th best team in the country, I really can't.

I can't do it. I don't think Florida's that good this year. I thought they were overrated to begin with. And then Boise State with no Ashton Genti, who's now on the Vegas Raiders. I get they were ranked going into the year, but they're not being ranked anymore. That's for sure. So it's a big test for USF going up against a team in Miami that looks so much better than they did a year ago. And last year they were really good.

Currently Miami fifth in the nation. And I lied last year when I said, I think it could be Miami's best chance to really, really make noise. I understand it's the Miami hurricanes. They're pretty much going to be good every single year. But I'm talking about being maybe a national title contender. I thought last year was probably their best shot with Cam War. one pick. I lied. That's not true. It might be this year because they look so much better than they did a year ago without Cam Ward. Carson Beck, he's dealing. Doesn't seem like the elbow is much of a

problem for him right now. And Miami is more balanced. They actually run the football more than they pass early on this season. It's not by much. It's 33 pass attempts to 34 pass or rush attempts per game. Shout out to college football reference there. They also have an emerging young wide receiver in Malachi Tony. I remember going on Lockdown Kane saying they should go after Trevor Pena because Trevor Pena is established. Why not go get the established veteran? Well, they knew what they had in Malachi, Tony. He has done a terrific job through two games. And Miami's defense is really why Miami looks like a better team this year, led by their new defensive coordinator and Corey Heatherman. Miami's second in the ACC right now in Yords allowed per

game. But that's including a matchup versus Notre Dame. And like I led all right. off this segment, they shut down. Notre Dame's rushing attack. Ruben Hurricane Bain might be the best defensive player in the ACC right now. And if the Miami Dolphins continue to suck, perhaps they'll be fortunate enough to be able to draft Ruben Bain in the 26th NFL draft. Miami should absolutely control both sides of the line of scrimmage in this matchup against USF. So as far as a prediction, feel free to comment in the comments section below. Who are you taking? Miami or USF. Miami is at home. And over on Fandul right now, they are 17 and a half point favorites. 17 and a half. So it's not just me, the host of Locked on Syracuse saying

that, hey, Miami should handle its business against USF. You shouldn't really buy much in the USF. The sports books are telling you the same thing. They're telling you right now, Miami is a significant favorite over USF. And if Miami loses, I don't know if it's necessarily a season ender for them, but it would be pretty difficult for them to recover the rest of the year. They still would have time and they still have that win over Notre Dame to help them out, but it would be pretty difficult to recover if they lose to USF tomorrow. Unless, of course, USF is actually for real this season.

I'm going to pick the Miami Hurricanes to win. win this game, 3420. Now, I said in the previous segment, 2717 Clemson, and that the score or the margin of victory for Clemson would not really feel like a 10 point win. It would be much closer than 10 points, maybe just a late play skews it. In this case, it's almost the opposite. I'm picking 3420 Miami, but I think this is one of those games that can get out of hand pretty quickly. And then by the end of it, you look and you see a 14 point win.

Comment your thoughts in the comments section below. Who do you got? Miami or USF. Now coming up, we'll discuss around the ACC. So the game last night between NC State and Wake Forest plus the backyard brawl. So stick with me here on locked on ACC. If you're trying to stay on top of your routine, whether that's workouts, long days on campus or staying focused through back-to-back classes. Hydration is where it all starts, and that's where drip drop comes in. Drip drop is doctor developed and scientifically proven for fast hydration. It uses the perfect balance of sodium, electrolytes, and glucose to help your body absorb fluids quickly delivering three times the electrolytes and half the sugar

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Time to look back and crown this week's MVP. Who delivered powered by DoorDash? Just like you can win every Saturday with DoorDash Streaks, saving more every time you order these players delivered when it mattered most. Let's break it down right now. And hey, I'm the host of Locked on Syracuse. So I understand I really haven't been talking a lot about Syracuse yet on this show, but I'm about to show my team some love. Okay. So bear with me here. Justice Ross Simmons, the wide receiver for Syracuse, two late touchdowns to help Syracuse come back versus Yukon. And just like he delivered

for Syracuse, DoorDash delivers your Saturdays with DoorDash Streaks. You save every Saturday you order stack it up all season and you could save up to $250, including $100 in DoorDash credits. Order this Saturday. Keep the streak alive. Fuel your game day only with DoorDash terms apply. Promo period through November 18. Thank you for making Locked on ACC, your first listen of the day. And we still got plenty more to talk about here on this Friday, September 12th edition of the Locked on ACC podcast. I'm Jackson Hulzer, the host of Lockedon, Syracuse filling in for Alex Dono and Kenton Gibbs. Let's talk briefly about the game that happened last night in the ACC, NC State versus Wake Forest. It was very fun, very entertaining.

Wake Forest looked like early. They were going to walk away with a victory at home. They took multiple double digit first half leads and they let it the half 2417. But NC State, to their credit, they did not give up. They battled back. And they got a Victory 3424 and NC State. Don't look now, but hey, they're three and oh to begin this season with technically one ACC win, but really two ACC wins, right? That game against Virginia was technically not a conference game for NC State. And I thought one of the biggest moments, and if you actually heard during the Mazda ad break, you know which one I'm referring to. Isaiah Shirley's pick six, I thought was the turning point of the game because at this point, Wake Forest is leading 14.7.

They get an opening kickoff for a touchdown on their first offensive series. They score a touchdown. Then they give up a touchdown to NC State. But still, they're up 14-7. Offense is moving. Everything seems to go according to plan for Wake Forest. But NC State, they got a free rusher in. And Robbie Ashford, I mean, he just threw a lollipop to Isaiah Shirley near the line of Strimmage and he took it all the way back to the house. Tide the game up at 14.

Now, to the credit of Wake Forest, they did respond. They scored the next 10 points. But I still believe that despite the good response, had Wake Forest not turn the ball over in that situation, it could have been a different outcome in this game. So that's how you get. NC State now at 3 and 0. Now we got some other games to talk about here in the ACC coming up on Saturday. Pitt at West Virginia.

That's right. The backyard brawl is back again. 3.30 p.m. Eastern kickoff. The good news, by the way, in case you missed it, multiple credible reports out there that Pitt and West Virginia have agreed to extend the rivalry from 2029 to 2030. So they'll play tomorrow. Then they'll be a few years off where they don't play at all.

But then they'll be back from 2029 through 2036. Now, as far as this game is concerned, the one that, you know, is coming up tomorrow in the year of 2025. Well, unfortunate news for West Virginia, their star running back Jeheme White is out for the season with a knee injury. obviously terrible news for him personally, terrible news for the Wake Forest program. We wish him nothing but the best here on Locked on ACC in a speedy recovery. But as far as now what Pitt will have to deal with, West Virginia, I'd imagine, will go with more of a committee approach at running back and pit on offense for this game. I want you to keep this in mind.

West Virginia last week had trouble stopping the mobility of Ohio quarterback Parker Novaro, which, by the way, Syracuse played Ohio last year in Parker Navarro. He's pretty good with his legs. He rushed for 87 yards in last week's game against West Virginia. That includes him being sacked twice. One of my biggest pet peeves, by the way, in college football, if you're a fan of Locked on Syracuse, you've probably heard me say this before, is I still don't understand why a quarterback getting sacked counts against rushing yards.

Does not make sense whatsoever. But that's neither here nor there. He got 87 rushing yards, including. the fact that he was sacked twice. So if you're Pitt, this is probably a game where you want to use Eli Holstein's mobility, get him outside the pocket, have him scramble for some first downs there. Rivalry games in general are always weird to predict, especially when there's a pretty decent size favorite on the road, right?

Pit is, I believe, on Fandu's seven and a half point favorites. But I'm going to go with Pitt. And I think they're going to cover as well against West Virginia, 312. As far as other notable matchups in the ACC this weekend, we got Duke at Tulane, 8 p.m. Eastern kickoff. We've talked about this already on locked on ACC. You may have heard it in the most recent ACC squad episode, but Duke's performance versus Illinois wasn't as bad as the store indicated. The store will tell you that Duke was blown out in the game, but that's not really how I saw it. Problem with Duke?

they committed five turnovers. You're not going to win many games when you commit five turnovers. And Tulane to start this season has forced seven turnovers through two games. Seven. That's almost as much as Pitt committed in one game last week. But Duke, I think if they can take care of the football, which is easier said than done, they should be able to beat Tulane even on the road. So I'm going with an upset here.

Close game, 27, 24, Duke. Then you got Cal versus Minnesota, late night kickoff, 10.30 p.m. Eastern. Both teams two and O. Both teams haven't really played anyone that significant to start the season. And neither team, if we're being honest, has real aspirations as far as conference contention, whether it's Minnesota and the Big Ten or Cal and the ACC. I think we can all admit neither of those teams are going to the conference title game. Okay.

And neither of them are going to the college football playoff. But making a bowl is still a pretty big deal. And I think both these teams want to make a bowl. And this is a pretty important game for these teams to make a bowl. They're both two and all right now. You win this game on Saturday. Well, then you're three and oh. All you have to do is win three of the final nine games of the season to qualify for a bowl.

year of 2025. Now, Minnesota, they are on the road in California, but they are still favored over on Fanduil by two and a half points. They have currently the number one defense in the nation. They allow less than 100 total yards per game, less than 100 total yards per game. So this is going to be a nice test for Cal freshman quarterback, Jaron Kayave Sangapolitelli, for short. I'm going to show the ACC some love and pick Cal to win this one at home, 1714, a low-storing battle. Comment your thoughts, comment your predictions. Tell me why I'm an idiot in the comment section below.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for the support here on Locked-on ACC. Not sure when I'll be able to host another ACC episode. solo, but I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Locked-on ACC podcast. And if you enjoyed it, please feel free. Hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. And feel free also to check out all of our other amazing channels here on Locked-on ACC. I host Locked on Syracuse.

And they got a game coming up momentarily against Colgate. So folks, thank you all so much for watching. Thank you all so much for listening. And I will see you all again soon. Thank you.