This week was an iffy week for the Atlantic Coast Conference. There were upsets, blowouts, and expected locks. Let’s see how each game went and what is to be said about them as well:
Miami 38, Virginia Tech 14
The Turnover Chain came to Blacksburg in force. The Hurricane’s defense forced 3 turnovers for the Hokies and held them scoreless the whole second half. The Hurricane offense was mostly productive on the ground, picking up 168 rushing yards that seemed to trip up this young Virginia Tech defense. Another disappointing note for the game is that the Virginia Tech team seemed to give up after amounting a 10-point deficit. However, this game got Miami to their needed 6 wins and now makes them bowl-eligible this year. On the other hand, Virginia Tech needs to beat UVA (7-4) and win in a make-up game against Marshall (7-3) to secure a spot for themselves this offseason.
Notre Dame 36, Syracuse 3
You might have thought that the normal Syracuse team showed up to play with this score. It might have something to do with Eric Dungey’s injury for the Orange, but that isn’t an excuse. The Irish racked up 463 total yards on this defenseless Syracuse defense. And things were not any better on the offensive side of the ball for the Orange either. The Orange threw 3 interceptions to the Irish defense and failed to convert 66% of their 3rd-down-attempts. Syracuse will most likely fall in bowl-tiers and Notre Dame is only a win against USC (5-6) away from the College Football Playoff.
Florida State 22, Boston College 21
For the most part, this was a pretty evenly matched game in terms of play. Although this shouldn’t be the case, it was a great game for anyone who was fortunate enough to watch it. The true problem for Boston College arose in the 4th quarter where they lacked the ability to produce anything offensively against the Seminoles. The same goes for Florida State, but they got off the hook with a 74-yard touchdown break away from Tamarrion Terry on a catch. Both teams brought in a great rushing game and good passing as well, so no team should feel truly defeated. Florida State takes on Florida (8-3) next weekend to decide their bowl-eligibility. And Boston College gets Syracuse (8-3) to end their regular season.
Pittsburgh 34, Wake Forest 13
It looked like a good one early, until the Panthers pulled away fast. After pushing up 28 points on Demon Deacons in the second half, this Pittsburgh team is making their mark in the ACC with their first division title. And for Wake Forest, they haven’t won the ACC Championship since 2006 (a mere 12 years ago). And just when you thought Pittsburgh was going to be a ground-and-pound team, the team goes out and passes for 316 yards with 3 touchdowns. This was a great performance for a Pittsburgh team struggling to find their identity in the ACC. Wake Forest is still needing to make some adjustments to climb the Atlantic ranks.
NC State 52, Louisville 10
The high-flying Louisvlle team that chucks it up every play left today. For once, the Cardinal’s rushing numbers outmatched their passing. Still, it was not enough to overcome the Wolfpack defense that held them to 411 yards and forced 2 turnovers. And one man on NC State had an absolute field day today and that would be Ryan Finley. Finley managed to pass for 316 yards and toss up 4 touchdowns on a non-existent Louisville secondary. Look for NC State to recover after their tough Wake Forest loss and climb in bowl-tiers. And Louisville, wait for Brohm to get to you.
North Carolina 49, Western Carolina 26
They really won. Yes, the North Carolina Tarheels. It ma have started off very shaky for UNC, but they got it under control during the 2nd quarter and got a good win. For going negative in the turnover margin today, this Tarheel team looked decent. At least better than their record would suggest. The Tarheels still won’t make a bowl game, but at least they can execute in winnable games late in the season. UNC gathered 654 total yards throughout the game and travel to NC State (7-3) next week.
Georgia Tech 30, Virginia 27 (OT)
A classic example of what these teams give us year-in and year-out. Virginia always seems to draw up a defensive scheme to slow down this Georgia Tech Triple Option. However, their efforts came short to an overtime field goal by the Yellow Jackets to secure the win. It came down to Virginia’s passing and Georgia Tech’s rushing. Both were obviously balancing the others production on offense, so it came down to overtime. And when it came to kickers, the Cavalier’s just couldn’t get it done at the end. Both teams have improved drastically from their last season and will fill mid-tier bowl games for the ACC. Virginia travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech (4-6) to hopefully snap a 14-game losing streak. And Georgia Tech gets to go down to Athens and take on rival, Georgia (10-1) to get an upset.
Clemson 35, Duke 6
I felt as if I was watching a slightly worse version of the Clemson-Boston College game. Duke came out early and looked to give the Tigers a game, then Clemson shut them up. As the game progressed, you saw that Clemson defensive front really come into play when Jones had to flush out of the pocket multiple times. And for Clemson, Trevor Lawrence just lit up the sky in Clemson with 251 passing yards. Duke will look to rally next week against Wake Forest (5-6) during rivalry week. For Clemson, they get to battle with South Carolina (6-4) to decide who runs the state of South Carolina. It looks like Clemson has dominated yet another season and won’t stop anytime soon.
Photo Credits: https://www.wralsportsfan.com/no-2-clemson-overcomes-slow-start-to-beat-duke-35-6/18004274/
