NC State gets ACC season off on the wrong foot

NC State got the ACC football season started on a sour note Friday night, losing 35-21 to Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The ACC is 0-4 in Chick-fil-A Kickoff games against the SEC. Although the Wolfpack were 8-5 last season, and Tennessee was 5-7, the Volunteers were favored by 3.5 points, despite the fact that WR Da'Rick Rogers is no longer with the team.

Tennessee didn't miss Rogers. JC transfer WR Cordarrelle Patterson had 93 receiving yards and 72 rushing yards and scored twice. Justin Hunter had nine catches for 73 yards.

The NC State secondary was the biggest disappointment Friday, especially All-American CBDavid Amerson. Amerson was beaten for touchdowns twice in the first quarter. Patterson beat Amerson for a 41-yard touchdown, and the second was a 72-yard touchdown reception by Zach Rogers.

This match-up was a showdown of highly touted, pocket-passing QBs -- Tennessee's Tyler Bray and NC State's Mike Glennon. Bray definitely got the better of Glennon, finishing 27 of 41 for 332 yards and 2 touchdowns. Glennon was 27 of 46 for 287 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions.

Although it was a rough start for the ACC, it still can recover. Clemson plays Auburn in the second game of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff on Saturday, and that is the higher-profile game. A Clemson win would make everyone outside of Raleigh forget about the NC State loss.

ACC fans were hoping this year would be different, and the conference would start to regain some national respect. Unfortunately, NC State's performance Friday night looked like the same old ACC.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.