Three of the ACC's five ranked teams lost in the craziest weekend of the season yet. The Blue Zone breaks down how all 14 ACC teams fared in Week 11.
Duke 28, No. 15 North Carolina 27
The Blue Devils (4-6, 1-5 in the ACC) notched their first conference win of the season in dramatic fashion Thursday night, rallying from an early 14-0 deficit to top their biggest rivals. Duke intercepted Tar Heel quarterback Mitch Trubisky twice in the second half, with Alonzo Saxton II's interception with a minute left sealing the win, and the Blue Devils kept North Carolina's vaunted offense out of the end zone on its final seven possessions. Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones totaled 334 yards and three touchdowns to lead Duke's offense.
Trubisky passed for all three of the Tar Heels' scores in the first half, but North Carolina (7-3, 5-2) never established its run game and only had possession for a little more than a third of the contest. The loss stung even more for the Tar Heels when Virginia Tech lost to Georgia Tech Saturday, which would have put North Carolina in first place in the ACC Coastal Division had it won. Now, the Tar Heels will have to beat N.C. State in two weeks and hope the Hokies lose again to Virginia in order to win the division and make the ACC championship.
Pittsburgh 43, No. 3 Clemson 42
In possibly the most shocking of several Week 11 upsets, Pittsburgh (6-4, 3-3) went into Death Valley and silenced the home crowd when senior kicker Chris Blewitt split the uprights on a game-winning 48-yard field goal with six seconds remaining. The kick gave the Panthers their first lead since the first quarter, but quarterback Nathan Peterman kept them in the game with a career-high five passing touchdowns.
The Tigers (9-1, 6-1) had a 3rd-and-1 at Pittsburgh's 35-yard line with a minute left when a first down would have allowed them to run out the clock, but running back Wayne Gallman was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on two straight plays to give the Panthers the ball back. Although Gallman had three rushing touchdowns, he only ran for 36 yards on 18 carries. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson had an eye-popping statline, completing 52-of-70 passes for an ACC-record 580 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had three costly interceptions in the loss.
The Tigers will still win the ACC Atlantic Division if they beat Wake Forest next Saturday and have a good chance at making the College Football Playoff if they win the ACC championship, but the flaws that have hurt Clemson in close wins all season were finally too much to overcome Saturday.
No. 5 Louisville 44, Wake Forest 12
The Demon Deacons (6-4, 3-3) scored the first 12 points of the game and still held a 12-10 lead entering the fourth quarter with a chance at a stunning road upset. Then, they gave up five touchdowns in the last 11 minutes of the game. Louisville (9-1, 7-1) started the flurry with a go-ahead touchdown run with 10:35 remaining by Brandon Radcliff—who rushed for three touchdowns in the second half—and Wake Forest did not get a first down in the fourth quarter while the Cardinals scored quick touchdowns on all of their drives.
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson only passed for 146 yards, but Louisville finished with 346 rushing yards to wear down the Demon Deacon defense. With three of the top four teams in the nation losing last week, the Cardinals jumped to No. 3 in the AP poll and are right back in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Georgia Tech 30, No. 18 Virginia Tech 20
Starting quarterback Justin Thomas was sidelined with an injury, but Matthew Jordan stepped in and led the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 3-4) to an upset on the road in Blacksburg, Va. Jordan rushed for two touchdowns in the second quarter as Georgia Tech jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead, and the Hokies (7-3, 5-2) never pulled within single digits the rest of the way. The Yellow Jackets completed just two passes, but running back Marcus Marshall ran for 143 yards and a touchdown to lead their ground game. Virginia Tech outgained Georgia Tech 437-343, as quarterback Jerod Evans totaled 391 yards and three touchdowns, but the Hokies were doomed by four turnovers.
No. 20 Florida State 45, Boston College 7
A stifling Seminole defense held Boston College (4-6, 1-6) to just 146 total yards and kept the Eagles off the scoreboard until late in the fourth quarter to fuel an easy victory. Boston College just completed just 4-of-13 passes for 50 yards and only picked up eight first downs the entire game. Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois passed for three touchdowns and backup signal-caller Sean Maguire entered in the second half to throw for two more scores, with wide receiver Auden Tate topping 100 yards and reaching the end zone twice. Dalvin Cook also ran for 108 yards and a touchdown in a complete performance for the Seminoles (7-3, 4-3) Friday night.
Miami 34, Virginia 14
The Hurricanes (6-4, 3-3) led just 17-14 at halftime, but shut out Virginia (2-8, 1-5) in the second half to pick up a comfortable road win and become bowl eligible. A 77-yard touchdown pass from Brad Kaaya to Ahmmon Richards with 3:25 left in the third quarter pushed Miami's lead to two scores, and four second-half fumbles killed the Cavaliers' chances at a comeback. Hurricane running back Mark Walton finished with 111 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Joseph Yearby added a rushing touchdown for Miami. Taquan Mizzell led Virginia's rushing attack with 22 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown.
N.C. State 35, Syracuse 20
Matthew Dayes ran for 108 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Ryan Finley finished with 340 passing yards and another score to help the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4) snap a four-game losing streak on the road Saturday afternoon. Syracuse (4-6, 2-4) narrowed the deficit to 21-20 with 10 quick points early in the third quarter, but N.C. State regained the momentum with a 15-play drive taking more than seven minutes off the clock that ended in a Dayes touchdown run. The Orange had just 218 total yards, with much of its offense coming on an 81-yard touchdown pass from Zack Mahoney to Amba Etta-Tawo, but forced two turnovers and blocked a punt to stay in the game.
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