Around the ACC Week Ten Recap

By: Justin Cates | Managing Editor

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Duke 31
North Carolina 66

The Tar Heels (8-1, 5-0) didn’t hold anything back against the hated Blue Devils (6-3, 3-2) racking up 704 total yards and 66 points in a game that was never really in doubt. Marquise Williams completed 24-of-25 passes for 494 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another score, but the big plays came in the passing game including an 89-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Switzer, a 74-yarder to Mack Hollins and a 49-yard toss to Bug Alexander. The Hookup with Switzer came on beautifully executed flea-flicker on the first play from scrimmage. The Carolina defense forced three turnovers including two interceptions of Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk.

Sirk struggled passing with just 18-of-37 attempts completed for 191 yards and the turnovers. He did score twice rushing including a nice 53-yard scamper. The Blue Devils ran the ball well as a team with 327 yards on the ground. Jela Duncan rushed for 115 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, Shaq Powell had 98 yards on 13 runs, and Sirk finished with 74 yards. Duke trailed immediately however and had to throw more than they would have liked because UNC scored often without taking much time off the clock.

Up next for North Carolina: Miami

Up next for Duke: Pittsburgh

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#5 Notre Dame 42
Pittsburgh 30

The versatile Irish offense was in good form Saturday thanks to a balanced attack and a fearless quarterback. DeShone Kizer continued his brilliant play and completed 19-of-25 passes for 262 yards and five touchdowns. Josh Adams was just one yard away from the Notre Dame freshman single game rushing record as he finished with 20 carries for 147 yards. Will Fuller gained 152 yards and caught three touchdowns. He has now scored at least once in eight out of nine games this season for Notre Dame (8-1).The Irish were just outside the playoffs in the initial rankings, but they made a strong case to be included in the top four of the next rankings for the College Football Playoff with a solid win over a tough opponent.

Pittsburgh (6-3, 4-1) also had a balanced offensive game plan but failed to score efficiently thanks primarily to an inconsistent passing game. Nate Peterman gained 60 yards on the ground but completed a measly 12 of 31 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Panthers matched ND’s rushing yardage with 175 yards for both teams, but no single back could get going with Peterman and receiver Tyler Boyd finishing as the leading rushers for Pitt. Boyd also hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass on what was a fairly quiet afternoon by his lofty standards.

Up next for Pittsburgh: @ Duke

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N.C. State 24
Boston College 8

The Wolfpack (6-3, 2-7) are bowl eligible now with a rather underwhelming collection of wins, but wins none the less. After a scoreless first quarter for both teams, Jacoby Brissett completed an 83-yard touchdown to Maurice Trowell and State was able to cruise to a victory against the hapless Eagles. The Wolfpack got a touchdown run from Reggie Gallaspy II and another from Jaylen Samuels, but overall State was slowed by the BC defense. The Eagles allowed the Wolfpack to convert on just 4-of-15 third downs and forced one fumble and one interception.

The issues for Boston College (3-7, 0-7) once again stemmed from the offensive side of the ball where John Fadule struggled at quarterback. He was a fairly tidy 23 for 37 in the completion department, but threw three interceptions in addition to his 257 yards. BC couldn’t run the ball effectively once again with just 28 yards on 34 carries as a team. Tyler Rouse gained 48 yards on seven carries, but no one else gained more than four yards for the Eagles. N.C. State had tallied just four interceptions prior to this performance. They had only one pick in ACC play before facing Fadule.

Up next for N.C. State: @ Florida State

Up next for Boston College: Notre Dame

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Syracuse 17
Louisville 41

Kyle Bolin got the start at quarterback for Louisville and turned in an outstanding performance. Bolin threw for a season-high 362 yards and three touchdowns, setting the stage for a strong performance from the Cardinal running backs. Louisville (5-4, 4-2) gained 217 yards on 31 carries as a team with Brandon Radcliff leading the way with 10 rushes for 117 yards. Jeremy Smith posted 71 yards on 13 runs. The Cardinals finished with 579 total yards despite turning the ball over four times on the day.

Syracuse (3-6, 1-4) has fully derailed after some promising performances just a few weeks ago. This marks the second consecutive game the defense has allowed over 500 total yards and more than 40 points. The injury bug also bit again with quarterback Eric Dungey suffering a head injury late in the game, creating lots of second-guessing of the wisdom for him to be playing late in a blowout. This could be Dungey’s third concussion this season after suffering similar head injuries against Central Michigan in September and against Pittsburgh in October. That almost assuredly means Dungey is done for the season and puts Zack Mahoney back at the top of the Orange QB depth chart.

Up next for Syracuse: Clemson

Up next for Louisville: Virginia

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Virginia 21
Miami 27

The Hurricanes are now 2-0 under interim coach Larry Scott and they have starting quarterback Brad Kaaya returning to form after a concussion. Kaaya passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in the win. Stacy Coley had a monster afternoon hauling in seven passes for 132 yards including a 67-yard touchdown. Joseph Yearby gained 78 yards and Mark Walton had 59 to give Miami (6-3, 3-2) a decent one-two punch in the backfield. With the win, Miami becomes bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season and marks the first time since 2008 that the Hurricanes have beaten both Virginia Tech and Virginia in the same season.

The Wahoos came up just short once again, but they’ve been playing better in recent weeks. Taquan Mizzell has finally had some luck running the football and he picked up 91 yards in this one. He also caught a team-high eight passes for 40 yards. Kicker Ian Frye was the leading-scorer for UVA (3-6, 2-3) with four field goals including a 47-yard kick to make it a one score game with 35 seconds remaining. Only one drive ended with a touchdown, a 3-yard run from Olamide Zaccheaus. The loss was Virginia’s 14th consecutive defeat on the road.

Up next for Virginia: Duke

Up next for Miami: @ North Carolina

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#16 Florida State 13
#1 Clemson 23

This was a tough, defensive battle for most of the day but the Clemson offense proved too strong when it counted the most. Now, perhaps “defensive battle” is an odd way to describe a game where the teams combined for over 800 yards of total offense, but scoring was hard to come by. The only touchdown of the first half came on a 75-yard touchdown run by Florida State’s Dalvin Cook. He ground out 194 yards on just 21 carries. Sean Maguire struggled in his second straight start, completing 16-of-29 passes for 164 yards and an interception. The Seminoles (7-2, 5-2) have now lost two of their last three games but have N.C. State and Tennessee-Chattanooga before facing Florida to end the regular season.

Tigers quarterback DeShaun Watson was magnificent throwing for 297 yards and a touchdown while adding 107 yards on the ground. Wayne Gallman 103 yards of his own, and scored the final touchdown on a 25-yard run that sealed the win for Clemson (9-0, 7-0). The Tigers are now 9-0 for the first time since 1981, the year Clemson won its only national championship. The victory clinches the Coastal division title for Clemson and gives them an opportunity to win the school’s first ACC title in football since 2011.

Up next for Florida State: N.C. State

Up next for Clemson: @ Syracuse

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