After a 34-20 win against Baylor, Duke moved to 3-0 in a week in which the ACC secured 6 non-conference wins and hosted two conference games.
Duke 34, Baylor 20
Running backs Shaun Wilson and Brittain Brown combined for 262 yards—including three breakaway touchdown runs—to propel the Blue Devils to victory. Baylor focused their energy on slowing Daniel Jones, who completed 20 of 35 passing attempts for 184 yards, but was held without a touchdown for the first time this season.
Despite several miscues and missed opportunities against the winless Bears, Duke's defense held them to just 57 rushing yards, bailing out an offense that turned the ball over twice. The Bears were within four points late, but a 22-yard interception returned for a touchdown by junior linebacker Ben Humphreys sealed the victory. The Blue Devils will now prepare for a road test against archrival North Carolina.
No. 3 Clemson 47, No. 14 Louisville 21
In a conference clash of Top-15 teams, the Tigers steamrolled Louisville in their first road test of the season, at one point leading 33-7. Filling the void left by Deshaun Watson's departure, quarterback Kelly Bryant accounted for 342 yards to power Clemson's offense, As the Tigers climbed to the No. 2 spot in the AP poll, they kept reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in check—he accounted for 317 passing yards and three touchdowns, but threw an interception and posted a QBR of 24.1.
No. 9 Oklahoma State 59, Pittsburgh 21
At Heinz Field, the Panthers have yet to establish a winning tradition like their NFL counterparts. Burnt by Mason Rudolph’s five touchdown passes and 497 yards through the air, the Panthers have few positive takeaways from this game. One semi-bright spot was sophomore Ben Dinucci, who fared decently as a replacement after taking over halfway through the game, throwing for 228 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. At one point, Pitt even offered free beverages to anyone who stayed for the entire game. They will look to reset as they face Georgia Tech on Saturday.
No. 16 Virginia Tech 64, East Carolina 17
East Carolina started off strong, putting up 17 points in just the first 12:26 of the game. After the quick start, the Pirates ran out of wind and Virginia Tech came roaring back, racking 34 points in the third quarter and 675 total yards for the game. Redshirt freshman Josh Jackson threw five touchdowns, including three of them to wideout Cam Phillips to lead the Hokies to a 3-0 start. With his dominant game, Phillips set school records for both his 14 catches and his 189 yards receiving.
Virginia 38, Connecticut 18
On Saturday, Virginia amassed 626 yards of offense, 455 of which from signal-caller Kurt Benkert, who broke the school passing yard record. Jumping out to a 24-0 halftime lead, the Cavaliers were never threatened by the Huskies, who turned the ball over twice in the red zone, despite a 60-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bryant Shirreff to receiver Hergy Mayala.
Wake Forest 46, Utah State 10
Wake Forest got off to a fast start and never looked back, jumping out to an early 29-0 lead, holding Utah State scoreless through the first three quarters. Utah State had a weak effort on the ground, gaining 42 yards on 31 attempts, while the Demon Deacons racked up 292 yards. The competition will be getting stiffer for Wake Forest soon—it takes on No. 12 Florida State Sept. 30.
Syracuse 41, Central Michigan 17
After being upset by Middle Tennessee State last week, the Orange bounced back to run past Central Michigan. Despite being locked in a 10-10 knot in the first quarter, Syracuse was able to hold the previously undefeated Chippewas to just 382 yards on offense. The Orange also caused two turnovers, returning one interception for a touchdown to help put them over the top.
Notre Dame 49, Boston College 20
At 3-0, the unranked Fighting Irish have a case to get back in the rankings. Quarterback Brandon Wimbash had a more impressive game on the ground than through the air, totaling 207 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Josh Adams added his own 229 yards on the ground, as Notre Dame physically dominated the Eagles.
North Carolina 53, Old Dominion 23
In a much more favorable matchup than their previous game against Louisville, North Carolina ran past Old Dominion on the back of Jordan Brown’s 125 rushing yards. Quarterback Chazz Surratt showed significant improvement, completing 16 of 24 passes for 257 yards.
Prior to halftime, Old Dominion had given up 39, and their only points came on a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Following their offensive struggles in the first half, freshman quarterback Steven Williams Jr. took over in the second half and was able to deliver 16 points.
NC State 49, Furman 16
NC State came out with a balanced attack this weekend, wgaining 248 yards through the air and 242 yards on the ground. Conversely, Furman rushed for just 47 yards and was physically overmatched by the Wolfpack.
Postponed: No. 17 Miami, No. 11 Florida State
Hurricane Irma is still having its impact on Florida, as this Top 25, cross-divisional conference game is postponed until a date to be determined.
Cancelled: Georgia Tech, UCF
Irma forced the Knights to cancel their game with the Yellow Jackets, leaving just 10 games on their schedule.
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