Around the ACC: Week 6

No. 3 Clemson 49, Syracuse 14

The Tigers (5-0, 3-0 ACC) ruined homecoming for the Orange (2-3, 0-1) and welcomed them to the conference with a rout. Redshirt senior quarterback Tajh Boyd broke his own school record with 455 passing yards and added five touchdowns, highlighted by a 91-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins late in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. A notable event occurred late in the second quarter with Clemson already leading 35-7, when first-year Orange head coach Scott Shafer yelled audible profanities at Tiger head coach Dabo Swinney from across the field after Clemson went for it on fourth down deep in Syracuse territory instead of kicking a field goal.

No. 8 Florida St. 63, No. 25 Maryland 0

The Seminoles (5-0, 3-0) dominated the Terrapins (4-1, 0-1) in their first game against a ranked team and conference home opener. In the process, Maryland became the second ranked team ever to lose by 63 points. Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston continued putting up eye-popping numbers, throwing for 393 yards and five touchdowns, including a 12-yard touchdown to tight end Nick O'Leary after he evaded Maryland linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil who had jumped on his back. One week after surrendering 34 points to Boston College, the Seminole defense allowed just 234 total yards and knocked Maryland starting quarterback C.J. Brown out of the game with a concussion. Florida State has a bye week before traveling to Death Valley for a showdown with Clemson.

No. 14 Miami 45, Georgia Tech 30

The Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0) won their conference opener at home in Sun Life Stadium despite early turnovers and a 17-7 deficit. Senior quarterback Stephen Morris threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns and sophomore running back Duke Johnson ran for 184 yards on just 22 carries. Miami turned a 24-23 lead that was the result of a botched Georgia Tech extra point into a 45-23 advantage with three consecutive fourth quarter touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets (3-2, 2-2) lost their second consecutive game to a Coastal Division rival after falling to Virginia Tech last week and were unable to gain any momentum in the passing game yet again; starting quarterback Vad Lee finished with only 63 passing yards and an interception.

Virginia Tech 27, North Carolina 17

The Hokies (5-1, 2-0) won their fifth straight game after losing to Alabama to start the season. Redshirt senior quarterback Logan Thomas threw for 293 yards and three first half touchdowns to compensate for a lax rushing attack. The Virginia Tech defense forced three turnovers to secure the win in the team's conference home opener. The Tar Heels (1-4, 0-2) started sophomore quarterback Marquise Williams in place of the injured Bryn Renner, but were unable to get the win despite Williams' 333 total yards and two touchdowns and holding the Hokies to just 48 rushing yards overall and 64 total yards in the second half.

Wake Forest 28, NC State 13

The Demon Deacons (3-3, 1-2) got their first conference win of the season thanks to huge performances from senior quarterback Tanner Price and wide receiver Michael Campanaro. Price finished with 350 total yards and played a part in all four Wake Forest touchdowns, and Campanaro had 12 receptions for 153 yards and two scores. The Wolfpack (3-2, 0-2) have not won at Wake Forest since 2001 and struggled to put points on the board in what may have been backup quarterback Pete Thomas' last start; starter Brandon Mitchell might return next week against Syracuse after breaking his foot in the team's season opener.

Boston College 48, Army 27

The Eagles (3-2, 1-1) took advantage of the fact that the Black Knights (2-4) were allowed to play despite the government shutdown thanks to senior running back Andre Williams. Williams finished with 30 carries for a career-high 263 yards and five touchdowns, falling just one yard shy of the school record after losing a yard on his final carry of the game. The game was very clean—neither team committed a turnover and the teams combined to score on the first six possessions of the game and nine out of the first 10. After scoring 34 points last week at home against Florida State, the Eagles offense will look to maintain its rhythm on the road next week at Clemson.

Ball St. 48, Virginia 27

The Cardinals (5-1 2-0) shredded the Cavalier defense to get a crucial road win in their final nonconference game of the season. Quarterback Keith Wenning threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns and running back Jahwan Edwards ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, allowing Ball St. to accumulate 506 yards against a defense that came in only surrendering 299 yards per game. The Cavaliers (2-3, 0-1) turned the ball over four times and had twelve more penalties than the Cardinals; they will now need to win four conference games to make it to a bowl game.

Byes: Duke, Pittsburgh