Although conference play is in full swing in the ACC, the most anticipated matchup of the week featured a battle between two top-15 squads as Notre Dame visited ACC preseason favorite Clemson.
Duke 9, Boston College 7
The Blue Devils wrapped up a four-game home-stand with an ugly victory against the Eagles on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. Facing one of the top defenses in the country, Duke’s offense managed just three field goals in the first half and then could not reach 100 total yards in a scoreless second half. Quarterback Thomas Sirk struggled once again, completing 18 of 36 passes for 195 yards, while the running game racked up just 33 total yards on 35 attempts. But, Boston College was even more offensively inept for much of the game. Quarterbacks Jeff Smith and Troy Flutie combined to complete just 8 of 21 passes for 141 yards, 66 of them coming on a long touchdown connection from Flutie to Thadd Smith late in the third quarter. Despite having numerous chances, Boston College’s offense could not put up more points, culminating with Colton Lichtenberg’s missed 45-yard field goal try with less than four minutes remaining. With the victory, Duke moved to 2-0 in the ACC, while the Eagles lost their second consecutive conference game.
No. 12 Clemson 24, No. 6 Notre Dame 22
In a highly-anticipated showdown between undefeated teams, the Tigers defeated the Irish in a soggy nail-biter in Death Valley. With both teams dealing with the effects of the massive rainstorm, Clemson jumped out early, scoring a touchdown on their first drive set up by a 38-yard run by quarterback DeShaun Watson on the first play from the line of scrimmage and then got into the end zone on their second drive as well after a shanked Notre Dame punt. Notre Dame’s C.J. Sanders fumbled the opening kickoff in the second half, and Clemson pounced as Watson took it into the end zone to take a commanding 21-3 lead. But the Irish would battle back and pulled to within 24-22 on a one-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer to Torii Hunter, Jr. Needing a two-point conversion with just seven seconds left in the game, Notre Dame fell just a bit short of a stunning comeback as Carlos Watkins kept Kizer out of the end zone on the ensuing play and preserved the win. The Tigers' victory was their first signature performance of the season and puts them in consideration atop the polls going forward.
North Carolina 38, Georgia Tech 31
Returning home for the first time since losses at Notre Dame and Duke, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 21-0 lead against North Carolina before the Tar Heels began their second-half surge. Georgia Tech led 28-24 with under 12 minutes to play when quarterback Justin Thomas fumbled and Junior Gnonkonde recovered for North Carolina. On the very next play, UNC faked an end-around that led to wide receiver Quinshad Davis throwing a 37-yard touchdown to quarterback Marquise Williams. Williams threw for 134 yards and also led the Heels in rushing with 148 yards on the ground and two scores. Meanwhile, Thomas passed for 168 yards and ran for 56, while accounting for 3 TDs, but could not complete a hail-mary pass as time expired. The loss dropped the preseason ACC Coastal pre-season favorite Yellow Jackets to 0-2 in the ACC.
Louisville 20, N.C. State 13
N.C. State saw their undefeated streak end on Saturday in Raleigh as Louisville continued the climb out of its early 0-3 hole. Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for 121 yards—including a 68-yard touchdown scamper—and threw a touchdown pass to Devante Peete in the first quarter. The Wolfpack did respond to an early 14-0 deficit, but quarterback Jacoby Brissett made things a bit more interesting down the stretch. Brissett had 183 yards on 16-for-28 passing, and WR Jaylen Samuels caught five of those balls for 75 yards and a touchdown.
No. 11 Florida State 24, Wake Forest 16
The Seminoles remained undefeated as they topped the Deamon Deacons in a feisty affair Saturday. Running back Dalvin Cook scored on a 94-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but he left the game afterwards with a hamstring injury. Although Florida State recorded just 33 rushing yards after that point, quarterback Everett Golson played a solid game, completing 20 of 31 passes for 202 yards, while Kermit Whitfield and Jonathan Vickers added scores for the Seminoles. With the help of wideouts Cam Serigne and Cortez Lewis, Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton threw for 215 yards, but was picked off in the end zone as the Deamon Deacons attempted to drive for the tying score with 21 seconds left in the game. The victory kept Florida State undefeated in conference play.
Pittsburgh 17, Virginia Tech 13
Two rivals from the old Big East clashed in Blacksburg, Va., as the Panthers completely shut down the Hokies. Pittsburgh’s defense dominated as Virginia Tech complied just 100 yards of total offense. Hokies quarterback Brenden Motley completed just 9 of 21 pass attempts and was picked three times, while Travon McMillian was Virginia Tech’s leading rusher – with just 14 yards on six carries. Pittsburgh running back Qadree Ollison—the replacement for the sidelined James Connor—was marvelous for the Panthers once again and ran for 122 yards. Ollison picked up 43 yards on the first play from scrimmage of the second half and then went into the end zone from 25 yards out on the second as Pittsburgh built a 17-7 lead that the Hokies could not respond to.
Cincinnati 34, Miami 23
Miami suffered its first loss of the season in a Thursday night duel with the Bearcats. Hurricanes sophomore quarterback Brad Kaaye continued his run of impressive performances, throwing for 255 yards, while running back Joseph Yearby grinded out 116 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown. Still, that was not enough to stop Cincinnati quarterback Hayden Moore from playing the game of his career and taking advantage of the team's high-flying aerial attack. Moore completed 22 of 33 passes for 279 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The backup signal-caller spread the wealth to receivers Shaq Washington, Mekale McKay and Max Morrison and recorded his second strong start just seven days after throwing for a school-record 557 yards in a 53-46 defeat against Memphis.
Byes: Virginia, Syracuse
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