In a weekend mainly comprised of blowouts in the ACC, teams like Duke, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech all suffered their first losses of the season, while Clemson secured its position at the top of the conference with a big win.
No. 14 Miami 31, Duke 6
The previously unbeaten Blue Devils fell to 14th-ranked Miami Friday night in Durham. After the Hurricanes jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter led by quarterback Malik Rosier's explosive passing plays, Duke’s offense could not finish drives, scoring just six points on three red zone trips. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones only threw for 166 yards, as well as an interception in Duke territory in the second quarter. Jones turned the ball over yet again in the fourth on a strip sack, resulting in a Miami possession that would end in a touchdown, ultimately putting the Hurricanes up 31-6. Rosier, on the other hand, completed 15 of 26 passes for 270 yards in the air and two touchdowns. Miami is now 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC, while the Blue Devils drop to 4-1 and 1-1 in the ACC.
No. 2 Clemson 31, No. 12 Virginia Tech 17
Quarterback Kelly Bryant ignited the Tigers’ offense Saturday, as Clemson took down the Hokies in a rematch of the 2016 ACC championship. The victory also was the Tigers’ third this season against a top-15 opponent. Defensively, Clemson took over by winning the turnover battle, with Dorian O’Daniel returning a Josh Jackson interception for a touchdown, and Austin Bryant added another pick. Clemson is now 5-0 and 3-0 in the ACC, and Virginia Tech is 4-1 and 0-1 in the ACC.
Georgia Tech 33, North Carolina 7
The Tar Heels lost their second straight Saturday, as the Yellow Jackets possessed the ball for 64.3 percent of the game and rushed for 403 yards. After struggling against Duke in Week 4, North Carolina quarterback Chazz Surratt had another difficult week, throwing an interception at the beginning of the second half that led to a Yellow Jackets touchdown on the very next play, making the score 17-0. Georgia Tech will travel to Miami next weekend to take on the unbeaten Hurricanes.
Florida State 26, Wake Forest 19
In a back-and-forth game throughout, Florida State quarterback James Blackman threw a 40-yard touchdown with under a minute left in the game that put the Seminoles up for good. Had Florida State lost the game, it would have been the school’s first 0-3 start to a season in over 40 years. Jacques Patrick carried the ball 19 times for 120 yards and a touchdown in the game, cutting the Demon Deacons' lead from 12-3 to 12-10 in the second quarter. Florida State would take this momentum with them, only allowing 7 points in the second half, and keeping Wake Forest at 1-2 and 1-1 in the ACC. Wake Forest is now 4-1 and 1-1 in the ACC.
North Carolina State 33, Syracuse 25
Three different players, Nyheim Hines, Jaylen Samuels, and Reggie Gallaspy, ran the ball into the end zone for the Wolfpack, as North Carolina State won a 33-25 shootout over the Orange. There were over 900 total yards of offense in the game, as both defenses struggled from the start. In the end, the Wolfpack held off a late rally to win the matchup. Saturday marked North Carolina State’s fourth consecutive win, putting them at 4-1 and 2-0 in the conference, while Syracuse is now 2-3 and 0-1 in ACC play.
No. 17 Louisville 55, Murray State 10
Lamar Jackson and the 17th-ranked Cardinals took care of business at home Saturday, as Jackson threw for 249 yards and found the end zone three times on the day. He also added 100 yards and another touchdown, which came on the ground in the first quarter to open the scoring. Louisville is now 4-1 and 1-1 in the ACC.
Pittsburgh 42, Rice 10
The Panthers also found themselves in a blowout game Saturday, as senior quarterback Max Browne led Pittsburgh to a rout of the Owls. Rice quarterback Jackson Tyner threw three interceptions and found the end zone once for the Owls’ only touchdown. Rice totaled 55 yards rushing on the day, but Pittsburgh did not make much more progress with only 69 yards. The Panthers move to 2-3 on the season but remain 0-1 in conference play.
Boston College 28, Central Michigan 8
After recording a safety in the first quarter to open the scoring at 2-0, Central Michigan did not put up much of a fight against the Eagles Saturday, whose offense was powered by running back Jon Hilliman’s three touchdowns. Despite only passing for 85 yards, Boston College's run game was enough for its offense to score 28 points, bumping the Eagles’ season record to 2-3, although they remain 0-2 in the ACC.
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