With Duke capturing a thrilling victory in Blacksburg, Va., several key competitors in the ACC Coastal took home close victories to keep pace with the Blue Devils atop the division standings. The Blue Zone takes a look at the results of all 14 ACC teams in action this week.
No. 23 Duke 45, Virginia Tech 43 (4OT)
The Blue Devils climbed out of a poor stretch of offensive performances against quality defenses to score 45 points—24 before the overtime periods—on the road against Virginia Tech. Thomas Sirk threw for 270 yards through the air on 39 passes to accompany his four scores. The redshirt junior quarterback also added 109 yards with his feet, leading a Duke rushing attack that accumulated 179 total yards.
After two missed Ross Martin field goals and three consecutive fourth quarter pass interference calls allowed the game to slip into overtime, Duke (6-1, 3-0 in the ACC) took home the victory. In the fourth overtime period, Virginia Tech (3-5, 1-3) took six plays to score a touchdown, but failed to convert the mandatory two-point conversion. On the next play, Sirk hit tight end Erich Schneider for a 25-yard score. On the two-point conversion attempt—a designed pass play—Sirk saw a hole in the defense and took advantage, running into the end zone to give the Blue Devils the victory.
No. 6 Clemson 58, Miami 0
In what was expected to be a close contest, Clemson jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and were up by a score of 42-0 by halftime. The Tigers accrued 416 yards on the ground, more than double Miami’s 146 yards in the running game.
In the final minute before halftime, a 28-0 lead ballooned to a 42-0 margin, as a 6-yard Deshaun Watson scamper for a score was followed on the very next play by Cordrea Tankersley's 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Clemson’s quarterback Deshaun Watson collected 143 yards on 19 passing attempts and finished with 98 yards on just eight carries. Fellow sophomore Wayne Gallman collected 118 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. The Tigers dominance left Miami with its worst loss in program history, which was followed by the firing of Hurricanes head coach Al Golden. Miami will travel to Durham to take on the Blue Devils this Saturday.
Georgia Tech 22, No. 9 Florida State 16
The ACC-championship rematch may not have had the same stakes on the line, but was most notable for its miraculous ending. Georgia Tech returned a 56-yard field goal attempt for a game-winning touchdown as time expired. The shocking result marked Florida State’s first regular season defeat in more than two years and broke the Yellow Jackets’ four game losing streak.
To set Georgia Tech (3-5, 1-4) up for this remarkable play, Harris Butker nailed a 35-yard field goal with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation. The Yellow Jackets collected 261 rushing yards with am attack that saw seven players receive carries. Junior quarterback Justin Thomas led the way with 88 yards on 13 carries—to accompany his 67 yards on ten passing attempts—and Marcus Marshall was just behind him with 69 yards on 16 carries. The loss obscures the path to the ACC championship game for the Seminoles (6-1, 3-1), as they face a virtual must-win against Clemson for the Atlantic division crown in two weeks.
No. 25 Pittsburgh 23, Syracuse 20
Similar to other games around the conference, special teams proved to be the difference once again in this contest. With just under five minutes to play in the game and the score tied at 20 apiece, Pittsburgh lined up for a fourth and seven in a traditional punting formation. But the Panthers decided to roll the dice and punter Ryan Winslow threw the ball to Matt Galambos for 12 yards and a first down.
This would prove a crucial moment, as Pittsburgh’s extended drive would result in a game-winning field goal by Chris Blewitt as time expired, leaving the Panthers perfect in ACC play. Pittsburgh (6-1, 4-0) also took advantage of an interception thrown by the Orange (3-4, 1-2) late in the third quarter to take the Panthers’ first lead of the game. Nathan Peterman proved solid at the helm of the offense, as he collected 189 yards on 25 attempts for Pittsburgh, and Quadree Ollison led the rushing attack with his third 100-yard rushing game of his freshman year.
N.C. State 35, Wake Forest 17
In a matchup of two of the ACC’s perennial doormats, the Wolfpack took advantage of several big plays to defeat Wake Forest on the road. In the first half alone, N.C. State scored on plays of 57, 58, 59, and 85 yards from scrimmage. The Wolfpack’s lone second half score was the result of a 52-yard punt return from Bra’Lon Cherry.
By jumping out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, N.C. State (5-2, 1-2) quickly and effectively ruined any of the Demon Deacons’ hopes of taking home a second ACC victory. Jacoby Brissett recovered from a rocky game against Virginia Tech by compiling 227 yards and two touchdowns on 34 attempts. But running back Matthew Dayes was the star of the show, scampering for 205 yards and two scores on his 16 carries.
The Demon Deacons (3-5, 1-4) continued to struggle on offense, as Kendall Hinton collected just 107 yards on 22 pass attempts and ran for 75 yards on 13 carries—with 69 of these yards coming on one touchdown run.
Louisville 17, Boston College 14
Boston College failed once again to find its first ACC win Saturday, dropping to 0-5 in conference play while losing another close matchup. The Eagles have lost three conference matchups by a total of eight points, including a two-point loss to Duke at Wallace Wade stadium earlier this year.
The Cardinals (3-4, 2-2) jumped out to an early lead with a 4-yard score from quarterback Lamar Jackson in the first quarter and never looked back. In the second quarter, the two squads traded touchdowns, with Louisville’s Sheldon Rankins returning a Jeff Smith fumble 46 yards for a score. Just five minutes later, a Louisville punt was blocked by Elijah Robinson and returned 12 yards for the score.
In the third quarter, Boston College (3-5, 0-5) took quick advantage of a Louisville fumble, turning around to score a touchdown just two plays later. But this would prove to be the last time the Eagles would threaten to score and Louisville came away with a 17-14 victory.
North Carolina 26, Virginia 13
North Carolina was able to come away with a victory despite struggling in an ugly game that featured seven turnovers between the two squads. The first half was an even affair, as each side possessed the lead but went to the locker room knotted up at 13.
The second half would spell trouble for Virginia’s offense as the Cavaliers (2-5, 1-2) would turn the ball over five times in their six possessions and set the Tarheels (6-1, 3-0) up with great field position repeatedly.
The first of these turnovers was a Matt Johns interception that set North Carolina up at the Virginia 16 yard-line. Just three possessions later, Johns would throw his third pick of the day, this time in the end zone, taking points off the board following a solid drive down the field. The Tar Heels' offense was effective and capitalized on mistakes, as Marquise Williams threw for 226 yards and ran for 71 more in the winning effort. Running back Elijah Hood finished with 101 yards and two scores, and T.J. Logan punched in one more touchdown for North Carolina.
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