No. 1 Florida State and Louisville both held on to secure late-game victories, and Duke was dealt its second straight loss Thursday by North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium.
North Carolina 45, No. 25 Duke 20
The Blue Devils dropped their second consecutive game and surrendered the Victory Bell Thursday night with a 45-20 loss against North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium. Senior safety Tim Scott set the tone early with a 10-yard fumble return for a touchdown to put the Tar Heels up 14-0 in the first quarter. North Carolina would finish the game with 21 points resulting from Duke’s three turnovers.
Junior quarterback Marquise Williams led the way offensively for the Tar Heels, turning in a complete performance through the air and on the ground. The Charlotte, N.C., native completed 18 of his 27 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 98 yards and two more scores. Running back T.J. Logan added 116 rushing yards and a one-yard touchdown run for the Tar Heels.
Offensive production was harder to come by for the Blue Devils, who finished with 378 total yards against a North Carolina defense that entered Thursday’s contest allowing 512 per game. Senior quarterback Anthony Boone completed 22 of 40 passes for 262 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The victory for the Tar Heels (6-5, 4-3 in the ACC) earned the team bowl eligibility for the seventh time in the last eight years and was their first against Duke since 2011. The loss by the Blue Devils (8-3, 4-3 in the ACC) clinched the Coastal Division title for Georgia Tech.
No. 1 Florida State 20, Boston College 17
Despite a spirited challenge by the Eagles, Florida State escaped with a 20-17 victory on a 26-yard field goal made by kicker Roberto Aguayo with three second remaining in the game. The win for the Seminoles extended the team’s winning streak to 27, the nation’s longest current streak and a school record.
With 4:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, Boston College missed a 43-yard field goal to give the Florida State the ball on its own 26-yard line. The Seminoles (11-0, 8-0)—led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Jameis Winston—drove to the Boston College eight-yard line to set up Aguayo’s kick. Winston finished the game with 281 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception on 22-of-32 passing.
On the game-winning drive, the Bessemer, Ala., native completed two crucial passes for 11 and 15 yards, respectively, to senior receiver Rashad Greene, who finished with 106 yards on 8 completions. The Albany, Ga., native set multiple school records during the game—career receptions (254), career receiving yards (3,613), and consecutive games with at least one reception (40).
Boston College (6-5, 3-4) experienced consistent success on the ground with 240 total rushing yards against a Florida State defense that struggled throughout the game to stop the run. Senior quarterback Tyler Murphy finished with 48 yards on 15 carries, one of which was a touchdown with 6:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. Freshman running backs Jon Hilliman and Marcus Outlow finished with 73 and 61 rushing yards, respectively.
The Seminoles have already clinched a spot in the ACC championship game and now seek to finish the season undefeated with a win against Florida Saturday in order to move one step closer to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Louisville 31, Notre Dame 28
Despite a late-game rally by the Fighting Irish, a missed 32-yard field goal by senior kicker Kyle Brindza with 51 seconds left in the game secured the 31-28 victory for Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium. The loss for Notre Dame (7-4) extended its losing streak to three after starting the season 7-1.
Freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon completed 8-of-21 passes for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Cardinals (8-3, 5-3). The Louisville, Ky., native added 35 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore running back Brandon Radcliff rushed for 136 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown.
Notre Dame’s senior quarterback Everett Golson completed 16 of his 24 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, raising his season interception tally to 13. Sophomore running back Tarean Folston added 134 yards on 18 carries with one touchdown.
One of the main reasons for the Fighting Irish’s recent struggles has been weakness on the defensive side of the ball. The 242 points allowed by the Notre Dame defense in the team’s last six games is the most points allowed in a six-game stretch in team history.
Saturday night’s loss for Notre Dame was the seniors' final home game of the season.
Wake Forest 6, Virginia Tech 3
After missing an attempt to win the game at the end of regulation, redshirt freshman kicker Mike Weaver lifted Wake Forest to a 6-3 home victory against Virginia Tech with a 39-yard field goal in the second overtime. Saturday’s matchup between the two teams was the first FBS game to finish regulation with no points scored since Arkansas State defeated Florida Atlantic 3-0 in overtime Oct. 22, 2005.
Despite missing all three of his attempts during regulation—one of which was a 37-yard kick at the end of the fourth quarter—the Pine City, N.Y., native made a field goal in both of the overtimes to lead the Demon Deacons (3-8, 1-6) to their first victory against Virginia Tech since 1983.
Freshman quarterback John Wolford completed 18 of his 32 passes for 160 yards with one interception for the Demon Deacons. The victory snapped Wake Forest’s six-game losing streak and marked Dave Clawson’s first ACC victory in his first year as head coach.
Junior quarterback Michael Brewer led the Hokies (5-6, 2-5) with 126 passing yards and one interception on 15 completions out of 28 attempts. Junior running back J.C. Coleman added 98 rushing yards on 18 carries. As a result of the loss, Virginia Tech now must defeat rival Virginia to earn bowl eligibility and win six games for the 22nd consecutive season, the longest active such streak in the FBS.
Pittsburgh 30, Syracuse 7
Syracuse looked helpless offensively as Pittsburgh moved one step closer to bowl eligibility with a 30-7 victory at Heinz Field Saturday. Despite sophomore Panther running back and the ACC’s leading rusher James Conner being sidelined for the entire second half with a hip injury, Pittsburgh (5-6, 3-4) still managed to outgain the Orange (3-8, 1-6) in total offensive yardage 445-255.
Syracuse freshman quarterback A.J. Long completed 10 of 19 passes for 149 yards with one interception—one of the team’s three total turnovers in the game. The Lebanon, Tenn., native struggled in his return after being sidelined with a shoulder injury for the team’s loss against Duke two weeks ago.
Sophomore quarterback Chad Voytik completed 14-of-20 passes for 189 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. One of Voytik’s touchdowns was caught in the fourth quarter by sophomore receiver Tyler Boyd, who finished the game with 126 yards on seven receptions.
Freshman running back Chris James filled in nicely for Conner in the second half, amassing 122 yards on 19 carries. The Panthers scored the first 17 points of the game and never looked back. This game lacked the late-game drama of the previous two matchups between the two teams—both of which were decided by just one point.
The Panthers now must earn a victory on the road against Miami next week in order to secure the program’s seventh consecutive bowl berth.
Clemson 28 Georgia State 0
A successful bounce-back game for senior quarterback Cole Stoudt and the team’s staunch defense propelled Clemson to a 28-0 victory against Georgia State Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Dublin, Ohio., native, who threw three interceptions a week before in the team’s 28-6 loss against Georgia Tech, completed 19 of 29 attempts for 132 yards with a touchdown and appeared much more confident and composed against the Panthers.
Freshman running back Tyshon Dye contributed 124 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries for the Tigers (8-3, 6-2). The team’s defense turned in an impressive performance as well, posting its second shutout and allowing only 155 total yards of Georgia State offense. Senior defensive end Vic Beasley recorded his ninth sack, the most by any player in the conference.
Panther junior quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 13-of-29 passes for 115 yards with three interceptions, all of which occurred in the first half. Since beating Abilene Christian in the season opener, Georgia State (1-10) has dropped its last ten games.
Saturday’s victory was the Tigers’ last game before the eagerly anticipated season finale against rival South Carolina, which has won the previous five meetings between the two teams. The Tigers hope to return freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson for Saturday’s game against the Gamecocks, but his status is still uncertain.
Virginia 30, Miami 13
Virginia snapped a four-game losing streak with a 30-13 victory against Miami Saturday to keep the Cavaliers’ postseason hopes alive. The Hurricanes struck first with a 47-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya to senior receiver Phillip Dorsett with 3:03 remaining in the first quarter, but from that point on it was almost all Virginia.
Kaaya finished the game with 263 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 20-of-33 passing. Junior running back Duke Johnson rushed for 88 yards on 15 carries, ending his streak of rushing for at least 100 yards in the last six games.
For the Cavaliers, sophomore Greyson Lambert completed 17 of his 25 passes for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running backs Khalek Shepherd and Darius Jennings each ran for a touchdown in the second half, and Shepherd finished with 95 yards on the day.
Virginia will play its season finale at rival Virginia Tech Friday night with bowl eligibility on the line. The Cavaliers have lost their last ten games against the Hokies and have not reached a bowl game since 2011.
Byes: N.C. State, Georgia Tech
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