Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
ATLANTIC DIVISION
BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles let one get away from them this past weekend, as
Army scored on a 29-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds remaining to earn a
34-31 victory over Boston College in West Point. The Eagles are now just 1-4
on the season and remain winless against FBS competition. Tailback Andre
Williams did what he could in the loss, rushing for 191 yards and two
touchdowns. Wideout Alex Amidon also scored twice, once on the ground and once
through the air. The Eagles managed 420 yards of total offense, but were no
match for Army's option attack, which amassed a whopping 516 yards on 79
rushes (6.5 ypc). BC quarterback Chase Rettig was 16-of-29 passing, for 234
yards and a TD, but was sacked five times in the game. Things won't get any
easier for the Eagles this week as they head to Tallahassee to take on ACC
favorite Florida State.
CLEMSON: It was once again quarterback Tahj Boyd who proved to be the
difference for Clemson, as he threw for a career-high 397 yards and two
touchdowns in a 47-31 victory over Georgia Tech this past weekend. The Tigers
(5-1, 2-1 ACC) have now won two straight since suffering their only loss of
the season at Florida State. Boyd completed 26-of-41 passes and added 63 yards
and another touchdown on the ground in the win. With his second-quarter TD
pass, Boyd became the school's all-time leader in TD passes with 50. He added
his 51st TD-strike in the fourth quarter. Wideout DeAndre Hopkins continued
his dominant play in 2012, racking up 173 yards and two TDs on seven
receptions. In all, Clemson finished with 601 yards of total offense, ranking
eighth most in school-history. The Tigers are now an impressive 61-0-1 when
they eclipse the 500-yard mark in a game. The Tigers are idle this week and
will have two weeks to prepare for an Oct. 20 showdown with Virginia Tech in
Death Valley.
FLORIDA STATE: Carter-Finley Stadium has been Florida State's Achilles' heel
for some time now and this season was no different, as the Seminoles suffered
a second-half collapse that turned a 16-0 halftime lead into an inexplicable
17-16 loss to NC State. The FSU offense has been a bit of a juggernaut this
season, but was held in check by the Wolfpack, earning just 343 total yards in
the loss. Tailback Chris Thompson's 141 yards rushing was a bright spot on an
otherwise bland stats page for the Seminoles. Quarterback E.J. Manuel
completed 17-of-29 passes, for just 218 yards and one TD in the setback. The
Seminoles continued their steady play on defense, limiting NC State to just
325 total yards, but the offense couldn't help the cause. After amassing 221
yards in the first half, FSU could muster a mere 122 after intermission. An
area of strength for much of the season became a weakness in the game, as
Florida State was a miserable 3-of-15 on third-down attempts. The Seminoles
will seek a quick turnaround this weekend, as they play host to Boston
College.
MARYLAND: The Terrapins got a tremendous defensive effort at home this past
weekend, limiting Wake Forest to a meager 241 total yards and topping the
Demon Deacons in College Park, 19-14. Maryland has now won three consecutive
games against Wake Forest at home and 10 of the last 14 meetings in the
series. It marks the fifth straight season that Maryland (3-2, 1-0 ACC) has
won its conference-opener. There wasn't a whole lot of offense to speak of for
either team. Maryland quarterback Perry Hills was just 14-of-25 passing, for
191 yards with one touchdown and one interception. A lot of that production
went the way of fellow freshman Stefon Diggs, who caught five balls for 105
yards. It was Diggs' second straight game of 100+ yards receiving. Maryland
will hit the road this week, as the team invades Charlottesville to take on
the struggling Virginia Cavaliers.
NC STATE: The Wolfpack went down early, falling behind 16-0 at the half
against ACC favorite Florida State, but thanks to a Mike Glennon 2-yard
touchdown pass on fourth down to Bryan Underwood with 16 seconds left in the
game, NC State came all the way back to earn an improbable 17-16 victory at
Carter-Finley Stadium this past weekend. Glennon was 30-of-55 passing, for 259
yards and two touchdowns in the win. Much of the credit has to go to an
offensive line that kept Florida State's pass rush at bay, as Glennon was
sacked just once. Knocking off the third-ranked Seminoles represented the
highest ranked opponent to fall to the Wolfpack since 1998 (No. 2 Florida
State). While FSU came into the game averaging over 400 yards of total
offense, NC State limited the 'Noles to a season-low 343 yards. Underwood's
TD-reception at the end of the game set a school-record as he has now caught a
TD pass in six consecutive games. He will have to wait a week to go for number
seven, as NC State is idle this weekend and won't get back to work until Oct.
20 at Maryland.
WAKE FOREST: The Demon Deacons managed a mere 241 yards of total offense and
continued their recent struggles, falling at Maryland this past weekend,
19-14. Wake Forest (3-3, 1-3 ACC) collected just 11 first downs in the loss
and was ineffective both on the ground and through the air. Quarterback Tanner
Price completed a mere 13-of-38 passes, for 170 yards, with two TDs, but was
sacked three times. Terence Davis had the biggest game statistically speaking
for Wake, catching seven balls, for 130 yards and one touchdown, with most of
that coming on an early 73-yard TD pass from Price. The team played without
star wideout Michael Campanaro, who broke his hand in last week's loss to
Duke. The offense certainly suffered as a result. The Demon Deacons will be
idle this weekend before traveling to Charlottesville to take on Virginia on
Oct. 20.
COASTAL DIVISION
DUKE: Sophomore Anthony Boone got his first career start in place of the
injured Sean Renfree and made the most of it, completing 18-of-31 passes, for
212 yards and four touchdowns, leading Duke to a 42-17 romp over Virginia this
past weekend. With the win, Duke improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in ACC
play. Both starts are the best for the program since 1994. It is also the
team's first four-game win streak under David Cutcliffe. It was a special game
for wide receiver Connor Vernon as well, as the veteran wideout finished with
seven catches, for 93 yards and two touchdowns and in the process became the
ACC's all-time leading receiver in terms of receptions, currently standing at
239. He is just 88 yards shy of the school-record for receiving yards and 287
yards from the all-time ACC mark, held by Florida State's Peter Warrick.
Vernon will attempt to move closer to both records this week, as Duke travels
to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech.
GEORGIA TECH: The Yellow Jackets went toe-to-toe with the high octane Clemson
Tigers for three quarters, but could not keep pace late in a 47-31 loss in
Death Valley this past weekend. Georgia Tech managed to gain 483 yards against
the Tigers, but relinquished 601 yards to fall to 2-4 overall and a mere 1-3
in ACC play. The team's spread offense generated 339 rushing yards, as both
tailback Orwin Smith (117 yards, one TD) and quarterback Tevin Washington (104
yards, two TDs) eclipsed the century mark in the loss. However, the one-
dimensional Yellow Jackets once again failed to move the ball effectively
through the air. Washington was efficient however, completing just 9-of-14
passes, for 144 yards and a score. Each team had just one punt in the game, as
the offenses were both clicking on all cylinders. The Yellow Jackets are idle
this week and won't get back to work until an Oct. 20 matchup with Boston
College in Atlanta.
MIAMI-FLORIDA: The Hurricanes had their opportunities, but failed to make
plays when it counted most and ended up falling hard to Notre Dame, 41-3 at
Soldier Field in Chicago this past weekend. Miami had amassed 1,260 yards and
86 points in its two previous games, but the Irish stifled the Hurricanes, who
finished with a mere 285 total yards, and fell to 4-2 on the year. Quarterback
Stephen Morris was held in check, finishing 18-of-35 passing, for 201 yards.
Wide Receiver Phillip Dorsett could have helped Morris' numbers, but dropped a
pair of what looked to be easy TD grabs to stifle Miami drives. Meanwhile,
Miami was torched for 587 yards by Notre Dame, which grinded out 376 yards
rushing on a whopping 7.4 yards per carry. With the loss, Miami fell to 7-17-1
all-time against Notre Dame. The Hurricanes get back to ACC work this weekend,
when the team plays host to North Carolina.
NORTH CAROLINA: It was only a matter of time before All-American tailback
Giovani Bernard returned to form and it finally happened, as the sophomore
rushed for a career-high 262 yards and a touchdown, leading the Tar Heels to a
48-34 win over Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill this past weekend. UNC as a team
racked up 533 yards of total offense, earning its first home win against the
Hokies since 1938. A.J. Blue and Sean Tapley added two touchdowns each in the
win, while quarterback Bryn Renner completed 17-of-30 passes, for 194 yards
and one TD. North Carolina amassed 339 rushing yards, the first time it has
gone over 300 yards since 2004. The team's 48 points gives North Carolina
back-to-back games with 45 or more points for the first time since 1993. The
Tar Heels are 4-2 overall and have evened up their ACC record at 1-1. They
will put a three-game win streak on the line this weekend on the road at
Miami.
VIRGINIA: The Cavaliers led 17-14 at the half against Duke this past weekend
in Charlottesville, but could not sustain the momentum and fell flat in the
second half, dropping a 42-17 decision to the Blue Devils and falling to 2-4
overall and 0-2 in-conference. After rumbling for an impressive 321 yards in
the first half, Virginia could only amass 5 first downs after the break.
Phillip Sims made his first career start under center in this one, but
completed just 50 percent of his passes (21-of-42), for 268 yards and two
interceptions. Perry Jones had a solid game in the backfield, finishing with
an even 100 yards on 19 carries, with one touchdown for the Cavs, who have now
lost four straight games after opening 2012 with consecutive wins. Virginia
will attempt to end the skein this weekend on the road when the Cavaliers take
on the Maryland Terrapins at home.
VIRGINIA TECH: Logan Thomas finally had a game worthy of his hype entering the
season, completing 26-of-49 passes, for a career-high 354 yards and two
touchdowns, but it wasn't enough, as Virginia Tech fell 48-34 to North
Carolina in Chapel Hill, marking the team's first loss at North Carolina since
1938. The setback also dropped Virginia Tech to just 3-3 on the season and 1-1
in ACC play. Corey Fuller certainly benefited from Thomas' strong outing,
catching a career-high five passes for a career-high 143 yards, including a
66-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. A defense that has struggled at times
this season, was torched for 533 total yards by North Carolina, including 339
yards on the ground. The Hokies have lost two straight games and hope to end
the skid this weekend when they play host to the surprising Duke Blue Devils.
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