North Carolina 80, Old Dominion 12
The Tar Heels (6-5, 4-3) put on an offensive clinic in their record setting victory over the Monarchs (8-4). North Carolina set program records for points and touchdowns in a single game, and were just two points behind Clemson’s record of points scored in a game by an ACC team. What’s even more impressive is that they scored their 11 touchdowns and 80 points in only three quarters. Quarterback Marquise Williams was the standout performer, throwing for five of the Tar Heels' 11 touchdowns in the first half and recording 409 passing yards for the game. The victory makes North Carolina bowl eligible as they look to play the spoiler against Duke in the final week of the season, ruining the Blue Devils' chance to win the Coastal division outright.
Florida State 80, Idaho 14
The Seminoles (11-0, 8-0) continued to just rip apart their opponents, as they completely dominated Idaho (1-10) to remain undefeated heading into the last week of the regular season. Florida State broke their school record for points in a game, and like North Carolina, were just two points shy of the ACC record. It was also their third straight game in which they’ve scored more than 55 points. Jameis Winston had another superb performance for the Seminoles, throwing for four touchdowns despite playing only one series in the second half. Florida State was equally dominant on the ground, rushing for 336 yards and four touchdowns. They finish up their regular season next weekend against the struggling Florida Gators, as they await to see who they will face in the conference championship.
Boston College 29, Maryland 26
Boston College kicker Nate Freese hit a game winning 52-yard field goal as time expired to complete a come back victory in a wild game against the Terps. Maryland (6-5, 2-5) head coach Randy Edsall will be kicking himself, as he called timeout before Freese missed his first attempt at the field goal, which would have sent the game into overtime. The Golden Eagles (7-4, 4-3) were down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, but were able to take the lead thanks to two huge plays. The first was a 72-yard touchdown run by star running back Andre Williams. They then took a 26-24 advantage on a 74-yard touchdown pass from Chase Rettig to Alex Amidon with five minutes left. On the ensuing point after attempt, Maryland’s Anthony Nixon returned the block kick to tie the game at 26 before Freese’s game-winning field goal.
Pittsburgh 17, Syracuse 16
In a battle for bowl eligibility, Pittsburgh (6-5, 3-4) just edged out Syracuse (5-6, 3-4) to get their sixth win in a low scoring affair. The Panther’s Isaac Bennett scored what ended up being the deciding touchdown as the third quarter expired as Pitt hung on for the victory. Quarterback Tom Savage led the way for the Panthers with 218 yards. The Orange will look at this game as a missed opportunity, as the difference in the game was a blocked point after attempt. Kicker Ryan Norton also missed a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, which would have given them the lead. Now Syracuse must take down Boston College next weekend in order to become bowl eligible.
Clemson 52, Citadel 6
Tajh Boyd had another big day in his last home game for the Tigers (10-1, 7-1), throwing for five touchdowns in an easy tune-up before facing No. 10 South Carolina next weekend. Clemson got off to a fast start, scoring on five of its first possessions. Citadel (5-7, 4-4) wasn’t able to get anything going on offense, and ended up with negative-four passing yards on the day, completing just one of five attempted passes. Sammy Watkins had another strong performance as well, cathing seven passes and scoring a touchdown. The Tigers now head to Columbia in the final week of the season to try to guarantee themselves a spot in a BCS bowl.
Miami 45, Virginia 26
The Hurricanes (8-3, 4-3) stopped their three-game slide, as they took care of the Cavaliers (2-9, 0-7) at home to keep their ACC Coastal Division title hopes alive. Miami’s defense led the way, scoring on a pick-six on the first play of the game and returning a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was a big turnaround for a defense that had given up more than 40 points in each of the three games during its losing streak. Virginia has now lost eight in a row as they face Virginia Tech next weekend in search of their first conference win.
East Carolina 42, N.C. State 28
N.C. State’s nightmare season got worse on Saturday, as they suffered a non-conference loss to East Carolina 42-28. The Pirates (9-2, 6-1) were led by quarterback Shane Carden, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, becoming the fourth FBS quarterback to reach 30 touchdown passes this season. The game was not as close as it appears on the box score, as East Carolina led 35-7 headed into the fourth quarter, and the Wolfpack scored three of their four touchdowns in the final five and a half minutes. N.C. State (3-8, 0-7) has its last shot at a conference victory next weekend against Maryland.
Georgia Tech 66, Alabama A&M 7
The Yellow Jackets (7-4, 5-3) had another stellar game on the ground, rushing for 476 yards in an easy victory over Alabama A&M (4-8, 4-5). Georgia Tech, despite completing only two passes for 40 yards, was still able to score seven offensive touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets are averaging an astonishing 316.1 yards on the ground per game this season, as defenses have not been able to figure a way to stop their triple-option offense. Georgia Tech wraps up their regular season next weekend against the Aaron Murray-less Georgia Bulldogs.
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