Blog

Jun 01, 2023

ACC Network coming to Wake Forest for Thursday's Elon game

The ACC Network is blowing its travel budget this football season, but that’s OK with fans because they will get a boatload of additional coverage. Last season, the ACC Network was on site for six

The ACC Network is blowing its travel budget this football season, but that’s OK with fans because they will get a boatload of additional coverage.

Last season, the ACC Network was on site for six games, but this season its going full tilt for 16 weeks starting with Wake Forest’s game with Elon on Thursday night at Allegacy Stadium.

It’s a big endeavor to undergo, but Kelsey Riggs, the lead voice for the marathon of a season, is ready for it all.

“If you love ACC football, this will be the place to watch,” said Riggs, a former women’s soccer player at Charleston Southern who is looking forward to the challenge.

The ACC Network and its various shows throughout the season will be at stadiums talking all things football starting with its ACC Huddle show. Unlike the popular ESPN College GameDay, however, the on-site shows will be on the network throughout the day.

Riggs says this will enhance the coverage because the shows will be right there at a particular game.

“The one thing that we've kind of pointed out that makes it different is it is college football all day long,” Riggs said.

The ACC Network’s gaggle of analysts will include Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt and Eddie Royal.

The ACC Huddle on-site coverage will include pregame and postgame shows, as well as halftime shows. Mark Packer and Taylor Tannebaum will also host weekday ACC PM shows.

With the opening weekend fast approaching, Riggs is packed and ready to go as the ACC Network will travel to Winston-Salem, then to Blacksburg, Virginia, Orlando, Florida, and on Labor Day will close out the festival of games in Durham for Duke’s game with Clemson.

“We are doing four games in five days,” Riggs said.

It wasn’t long after the three days of coverage at the ACC Kickoff preseason gathering in Charlotte in July that the network went on a 14-day odyssey to each of the ACC football schools.

“We kind of got used to it a little bit with these ACC football road trips that we did, and I think I slept in my own bed for just the second time in a month the other night,” Riggs said.

As she’s prepared for this upcoming season, Riggs couldn’t help but notice how Coach Dave Clawson and his Demon Deacons have been a model of consistency. Clawson enters his 10th season, and the Demon Deacons have gone to seven straight bowl games, the second-best showing in the ACC behind only Clemson.

Riggs said that completed locker rooms and the spacious building at the McCreary Football Complex is one of the best that she’s seen.

“It was especially cool for me to see it because last year on our ACC road trip, I was in there with (Athletics Director) John Currie with a hard hat and it was steel beams and concrete,” Riggs said. “But now you see it and it just blew my expectations out of the water. It’s top of the line.”

Riggs said that, on the field, she sees the Demon Deacons as one of about five schools that could finish as high as third place in the league.

The ACC Network will start the season with Wake Forest’s Thursday game against Elon.

“I'm so impressed with Mitch (Grffis),” she said about Wake’s starting quarterback who is in his fourth season in the program but takes over for Sam Hartman. “We got to see him a little bit, obviously, last year, but I was just there for the road trip and you can tell that he is a player that is going to have the respect of his teammates.

“I think that has an impact on team chemistry, so that’s going to be good.”

Riggs joined the ACC Network after spending three years as a sports anchor and reporter at WCNC in Charlotte. She grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, watching football on Saturdays and loves everything about the atmosphere.

“I'm just excited,” she said. “I'll feel some nerves I'm sure just before the first day, and my dad told me a long time ago if you if you're not nervous, you don't care. But it's a nervous excitement. It's just because I care a lot about the show. I care a lot about the people that I do the show with and I care a lot about the league.”

Riggs says there’s a lot going on in regards to possible expansion with the league, but for now it’s all about the games.

“There's been a lot that's going on with college football realignment, and what does the future of the ACC look like?” she said. “I'm really excited that we have the opportunity to really shine light on these players and on these coaches and teams. I think the league is primed to have a really, really good season, not just in the conference, but on a national level.”

With so many games coming up this week, Riggs is ready for what's ahead. As a former college soccer player, she knows the importance of hydration. She'll need that as well this week.

"I feel like I just went through offseason camp and fall camp at our ACC football road trip, so we will all be ready," Riggs said. "I'm glad the games are finally here."

[email protected]

336-727-4081

@johndellWSJ

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg blasted assistant football coaches and staff members for wearing shirts supporting fired coach Pa…

LOS ANGELES — Michael Oher, the NFL veteran whose life inspired the movie "The Blind Side" and who is suing his conservators Sean and Leigh An…

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is back to full health and determined to finalize the business agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.…

DALLAS — I cannot pretend that the average Dallas-Fort Worth sports fan cares deeply about the SMU-TCU football rivalry. So the news Wednesday…

LOS ANGELES — Give Reggie Bush grief for breaking the rules. Give him guilt for breaking the USC football program. Give him every bit of blame…