Although Duke was off this weekend, its main competitors in the Coastal division kept winning to make it crowded atop the division standings. The Blue Zone takes a look at how the ACC teams in action performed this weekend:
Pittsburgh 31, Georgia Tech 28
Chris Blewitt kicked a 56-yard field goal with just over a minute left to lift Pittsburgh past the Yellow Jackets on the road. Neither team held more than a one-possession lead all game as the two teams traded touchdowns to tie the game four times. Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman threw three touchdown passes to keep his team in the game and set Blewitt up to be the hero. Pittsburgh (5-1, 3-0 in the ACC) now sits atop the Coastal division with one more win than Duke and North Carolina, and the Panthers will look to stay unbeaten in ACC play when they take on Syracuse next week.
Georgia Tech’s rushing attack bounced back from an awful performance at Clemson to rush for 376 yards against the Panthers, but the Yellow Jackets (2-5, 0-4) had two costly turnovers in the loss. Georgia Tech—a heavy favorite in the preseason to repeat as the ACC Coastal champion and possibly enter the playoff picture— continued its free fall with its fifth straight loss and is in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time since 1996.
North Carolina 50, Wake Forest 14
The Tar Heels exploded for 29 points in the second quarter and cruised past Wake Forest to remain unbeaten in conference play. Quarterback Marquise Williams had an electric performance through the air and on the ground to lead North Carolina (5-1, 2-0), including three touchdown passes to receiver Mack Hollins. The Tar Heels are firing on all cylinders during their current five-game winning streak, and will host Virginia next Saturday in a Coastal division matchup.
The Demon Deacons (3-4, 1-3) offense struggled once again and could not reach 20 points for the third consecutive contest. The team's running game was ineffective against North Carolina’s stout defensive front—averaging just 2.6 yards per carry—and kicker Mike Weaver missed two field goal attempts that could have kept the game close in the first half.
Virginia 44, Syracuse 38 (3OT)
Virginia rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and found the end zone in all three overtime periods to outlast the Orange for its first conference win. Quarterback Matt Johns led the Cavaliers (2-4, 1-1) on a 19-play, 88-yard drive that ended in a short 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 24 as regulation time expired. Johns found receiver Taquan Mizzell for an 11-yard gain on fourth-and-three earlier in the drive to keep the Cavaliers’ hopes alive.
Defenses accounted for much of the scoring during regulation, as both teams returned fumbles for touchdowns in the first half. Virginia and Syracuse both scored touchdowns in the first two overtimes, but the Orange (3-3, 1-1) missed a field goal in the third overtime to leave the door open for the Cavaliers. Running back Jordan Ellis then ran for a game-winning three-yard touchdown to cap off a five-play drive for Virginia.
No. 11 Florida State 41, Lousiville 21
Louisville held a 7-6 halftime lead, but the 11th-ranked Seminoles (6-0, 4-0) came out of the locker room on fire and scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the second half to pull away. Quarterback Everett Golson threw for a season-high 372 yards and three touchdowns, while Dalvin Cook added 163 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Florida State’s defense also forced two second-half turnovers that led to short touchdown drives for the defending ACC champions.
Cardinal quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes to James Quick, but could not provide enough consistency on offense to keep up with the Seminoles’ relentless onslaught. Louisville (2-4, 1-2) hosts Boston College next week, while Florida State will look to stay undefeated on the road against Georgia Tech.
Miami 30, Virginia Tech 20
Miami took advantage of four Virginia Tech turnovers to stay in control for most of the contest and earn its first conference win. The Hokies scored a touchdown with 7:20 left to cut the Hurricanes’ lead to three, but Miami (4-2, 1-1) responded with a nine-play touchdown drive to put the game out of reach. Quarterback Brad Kaaya had an impressive performance for the Hurricanes, throwing a touchdown pass to break a tie with just four seconds left in the first half and finishing with 296 passing yards in the game.
Virginia Tech’s inconsistent quarterback play continued, as Brendan Motley never found a rhythm and threw for just 136 yards along with two interceptions and a fumble. The Hokies (3-4, 1-2) will try to bounce back at home against the stout Blue Devil defense next week.
No. 5 Clemson 34, Boston College 17
Boston College’s offense matched its highest scoring output against an FBS opponent all season, but its defense—which entered the contest giving up just 7.2 points per game—had no answer for Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. The sophomore dual-threat quarterback threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns, and added a rushing touchdown to his total. The Tigers (6-0, 3-0) will look to remain unbeaten and keep their playoff aspirations alive when they face a tough test on the road against Miami next week.
The Eagles (3-4, 0-4) capitalized on excellent field position following an interception to strike first with an early touchdown pass. But quarterback Jeff Smith’s day went downhill from there. Smith completed just seven of 22 passes for 87 yards and failed to help Boston College sustain drives, as the Eagles were just three-of-15 on third-down conversions and dropped their fourth straight conference matchup.
Byes: Duke, N.C. State
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