2015 Around the ACC: Week 3 Recap

By: Justin Cates | Managing Editor

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No. 9 Clemson 20
Louisville 17

Deshaun Watson struggled against a spirited effort from Louisville’s defense, but two timely touchdown passes saved Clemson from an Atlantic Division road loss Thursday night. Watson completed 21 of 30 passes for 199 yards but two interceptions in addition to those scores. Running back Wayne Gallman gained 139 yards on 24 carries and Watson added 54 rushing yards himself. With the loss, Louisville drops to 0-3 on the season and still doesn’t have its quarterback position settled. Kyle Bolin started against the Tigers and completed just 19 of 34 for 238 yards and two interceptions, good for a 17.2 quarterback rating. Several times, the Cardinals ran a formation that had Bolin, Lamar Jackson and Reggie Bonnafon on the field at the same time. Jackson completed just one pass for 15 yards and ran once for eight yards.

Next up for Clemson: No. 6 Notre Dame

Next up for Louisville: Samford

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No. 6 Florida State 14
Boston College 0

Darius Wade became the latest quarterback to join the conference M*A*S*H unit after suffering a fractured ankle that will keep the Boston College QB out for the rest of the season. The BC offense couldn’t muster much even with its starter, with Wade passing for just 47 yards with an interception in over three quarters of action. The BC defense was suffocating, however, allowing just 98 rushing yards and 119 passing yards. The Eagles remain the top-ranked rushing defense in the nation and are also the No. 1 total defense in the country. Dalvin Cook was held to 54 yards rushing after racking up 422 yards in the first two games of the season. The FSU passing attack continues to falter, though Everett Golson did throw a touchdown pass. The game was sealed when BC running back Jon Hilliman was stripped and the fumble was returned for a Seminole touchdown.

Up next for Florida State: @ Wake Forest

Up next for Boston College: Northern Illinois

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North Carolina 48
Illinois 14

Illinois drove down the field with ease on the opening drive, but Carolina held firm on a fourth-down try near the goal line and never looked back. Marquise Williams had a monster day, running for 105 yards on nine carries and completing 17 of 24 for 203 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Quinshad Davis, Ryan Switzer and Austin Proehl each caught a touchdown and Elijah Hood added 129 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries. A major area of concern for the UNC defense has to be stopping the run. Josh Ferguson gained 133 yards and scored a touchdown to lead the effort for Illinois. The unit ranks 104th in the nation against the run and was gouged once again Saturday for 227 yards on the ground, something that no doubt drives defensive coordinator Gene Chizik crazy.

Up next: Delaware

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Wake Forest 17
Army 14

It wasn’t pretty or easy, but Wake Forest prevailed late in their game at Army West Point. Quarterback John Wolford was knocked out early, giving way to freshman backup Kendall Hinton. Hinton came in to spark the stagnant Demon Deacon offense with 101 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, plus 159 yards passing, though he did throw two interceptions. Mike Weaver kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired to lift Wake to the road win. It’s too early to tell if Wolford’s injured ankle will keep him out of next week’s game at Indiana, but X-rays were negative and it would appear that Wake has a capable and versatile backup if he’s unable to go.

Up next: Indiana

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No. 23 Northwestern 19
Duke 10

The Duke defense had a strong outing but the offense was completely unable to establish a downfield passing game, allowing Northwestern to leave Durham with a tough win. Thomas Sirk completed 24 of 39 passes but the Blue Devils gained just 150 yards through the air as nearly every pass was completed near the line of scrimmage. The top two leading receivers were running backs Shaun Wilson and Shaquille Powell, who both finished with 39 yards. On the other hand, Duke’s defense limited Wildcat QB Clayton Thorson to just 70 yards and two interceptions. The Northwestern rushing attack had more success, with Justin Jackson picking up 120 yards on 35 carries. Warren Long scored on a 55-yard touchdown to seal the game.

Up next: No. 20 Georgia Tech

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Central Michigan 27
Syracuse 30

Syracuse lost yet another starting quarterback when Eric Dungey absorbed that nasty hit above. The defender was ejected for targeting and the Orange utilized a combination of Austin Wilson and Zach Mahoney to squeak out an overtime win at home. Wilson threw a touchdown and an interception while Mahoney made a crucial third down conversion that set up the game-winning option score. The Orange are 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 1991, but their secondary is a mess. Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 430 yards Saturday, which means the Orange have given up 803 passing yards in the last two games. That gives Syracuse the 112th best passing defense in the country and cause for concern with LSU coming to town.

Up next: No. 8 LSU

No. 14 Georgia Tech
No. 8 Notre Dame

Notre Dame gave Georgia Tech a dose of its own medicine with a stout running attack led by C.J. Prosise. Prosise ran 23 times for 198 yards and three touchdowns in the first college start for quarterback DeShone Kizer. Kizer acquitted himself well, completing 23 of 30 passes for 242 yards, a touchdown and one interception. He quickly found a stud receiver, with Will Fuller who caught six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. Georgia Tech rushed for just one more yard than the Irish and the passing game was non-existent until a late comeback bid fell short. Patrick Skov was the bright spot on offense for the Yellow Jackets, scoring once on the ground and hauling in two receiving touchdowns.

Up next: @ Duke

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Nebraska 33
Miami 36

One of the wilder games of the weekend saw Miami blow a 23-point lead and still pull off the win in overtime, in yet another classic Miami-Nebraska matchup. Miami had a number of heroes, but Michael Badgley nailed five field goals on the night, including the game-winner in overtime after a Corn Elder interception. Brad Kaaya tossed for 379 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the effort and Joseph Yearby carried the ball 17 times for 127 yards with a score. The Canes led 33-10 with 8:36 remaining in the game before the Cornhuskers mounted a furious rally. Miami lost two safeties — Deon Bush and Jamal Carter — to targeting penalties late in the game and Nebraska took advantage.Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns but also threw three interceptions, including the critical pick in overtime.

Up next: @ Cincinnati

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William & Mary 29
Virginia 35

Virginia got a much-needed win, but it came down to the wire against pesky FCS foe William & Mary. Steve Cluley completed 23 of 33 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns for the Tribe with seven of those throws going to DeVonte Dedmon, who caught two touchdowns. Mikal Abdul-Saboor rushed for 100 yards and helped William & Mary hold the ball for just under 10 minutes longer than the Cavaliers. Maurice Canady returned a punt for a touchdown for the ‘Hoos, marking the first time that’s happened in 11 years. Matt Johns completed 17 of 23 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns, but also tossed two costly interceptions. The ground game was stagnant once again for the Cavaliers, but running back Taquan Mizzell caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Up next: Boise State

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Virginia Tech 51
Purdue 24

Brenden Motley’s first career road start had its share of hiccups, but the Hokies put together a vintage Beamerball performance in a dominant win over Purdue. Motley threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and nearly scored on a 13-yard reception near the goal line. Motley fumbled three times however, including one that was returned for a Boilermaker touchdown. Tech blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown and also scored on a fumble return. It marks the first time since 2007 against Clemson that the Hokies have scored in all three phases of the game. The Hokies outgained Purdue 471-265 and intercepted Antonio Appleby twice while allowing him to complete just 9 of 23 passes for 110 yards.

Up next: @ East Carolina

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NC State 38
Old Dominion 14

The Wolfpack went on the road for the first time this season and came out with a solid win over Old Dominion. State scored four rushing touchdowns, including one from Jacoby Brissett, who also completed 17 of 29 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Dayes had a score and rushed for 108 yards on 25 carries, and Shadrach Thornton gained 92 yards and a score. Jaylen Samuels added a touchdown rushing and one receiving. Old Dominion had two passing touchdowns from Shuler Bentley but only managed 151 yards against the suffocating NC State defense. The Wolfpack held ODU to -3 rushing yards and the unit now ranks second nationally behind only Boston College in total defense.

Up next: @ South Alabama

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Pittsburgh 24
Iowa 27

Sometimes it isn’t a good idea to ice the kicker. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi learned that the hard way after calling a timeout on what would have been a missed field goal as time expired. Instead, Marshall Koehn was given a second chance and kicked a 57-yarder to lift Iowa to a win at the end of regulation. The field goal came just moments after a Tyler Boyd touchdown tied the game. Boyd caught 10 passes for 131 yards and the score to lead the Panthers. After a week of much conjecture, Nate Peterman got almost all the snaps at quarterback, completing 20 of 29 passes for 219 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Up next: @ Virginia Tech

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