As week four comes to a close, there appears to be a big gap between the teams atop the conference and those searching for answers. Although several teams came out of the woodwork as powerhouses, others teams struggled to end the week with a victory.
Duke 47, Tulane 13
The Blue Devils (4-0) rose above the Green Wave (1-3) to obtain their best start in 10 years and end nonconference play on a high note, taking advantage of several Tulane miscues to cruise to victory. Duke will begin ACC play next week at Miami in its toughest test so far this season.
No. 1 Florida State 23, No. 22 Clemson 17
In the most action-packed game of the week, No. 22 Clemson (1-2) met No. 1 Florida State (3-0), who was without quarterback Jameis Winston after the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was suspended for the entirety of the game. Backup quarterback Sean Maguire managed to fill in adequately with 305 passing yards, but also threw two interceptions. The Tigers were able to hang with the Seminoles and take the game into overtime, but could not pull the upset after Florida State running back Karlos Williams ran for a 12-yard touchdown following a host of Clemson miscues.
Georgia Tech 27, Virginia Tech 24
Following last week’s loss to East Carolina, Virginia Tech (2-2) came up short of winning its first conference game of the season, while Georgia Tech (4-0) was able to keep a perfect record with the win. The Yellow Jacket and Hokie defenses were able to limit most scoring opportunities in the game to field goals, but after both teams were offensively stagnant for the third quarter, Georgia Tech dominated in the fourth, outscoring Virginia Tech 17-8 in the period . Tied at 24-24 by the end of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets claimed a narrow victory by means of a last-second 24-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.
East Carolina 70, North Carolina 41
In a game that was sure to be intense between in-state rivals, East Carolina (3-1) gave the Tarheels (2-1) their first loss of the season. Setting the school record for total yards in a game with 789, the Pirate offense dominated the game and sent a message to the rest of the country. North Carolina, coming off a bye-week, managed to get in the end zone every quarter, but looked completely lost on defense. The Pirates cracked the top 25 with the win and look like they could easily win the Coastal Division if they were in the ACC after beating Virginia Tech last week and crushing the Tar Heels this week.
No. 24 Nebraska 41, Miami 31
The Hurricanes (2-2) fell short of a win to No. 24 Nebraska (4-0). Miami true freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns, but Miami’s offense with wrecked with two interceptions and a fumble that gave the Cornhuskers excellent field position. The Hurricanes’ performance was ridden with penalties and personal fouls that made gaining momentum especially difficult. Their inability to stop Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah—who ran for 229 yards on 35 carries—was also a big factor in the Cornhuskers' ability to pull off the win.
No. 21 BYU 41, Virginia 33
Despite surpassing then-No. 21 BYU (4-0) in almost every statistical category, Virginia (2-2) was unable to complete a rally against the Cougars. The Cavaliers led 16-13 at halftime, but were stifled by BYU’s defense in the third quarter and unable to register any points. In the end, the third quarter shutout contributed most to the loss, as Virginia could not shut down Cougar quarterback Taysom Hill, who threw for 187 yards and added 72 on the ground to go along with three total touchdowns.
Iowa 24, Pittsburgh 20
Pittsburgh (3-1) fell to the Hawkeyes (3-1) at home, blemishing its perfect record. The Panthers started off strong, ending the first half leading 17-7. Particularly strong for the home team was sophomore and Heisman Trophy candidate running back James Conner with 155 rushing yards and a touchdown, but the Iowa defense was able to keep the Panther offense from scoring in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeye offense took advantage of its opportunities to steal the win on the road.
Maryland 34, Syracuse 20
Although Syracuse (2-1) managed to far surpass Maryland (3-1) in terms of yardage—589 total yards to 369 total yards, respectively—it was not able to come away with a win. Of their 20 points, the Orange owed two touchdowns to the rushing efforts of quarterback Terrel Hunt, but two Syracuse turnovers doomed the Orange at home. The Terrapin offense dominated for much of the game led by quarterback C.J. Brown, who threw for 280 yards, and an opportunistic performance by the Maryland defense earned the team a much-needed win for the Big Ten.
Boston College 40, Maine 10
Boston College (3-1) was able to end the week on a high note through the strength of its quarterback Tyler Murphy. Murphy added a pair of rushing touchdowns as well one through the air as the Eagles dominated an overmatched opponent. Maine (1-2) was able to tie the game at 10 early in the second quarter with a 24-yard field goal by Sean Decloux, but was completely shut out after halftime.
Louisville 34, FIU 3
Louisville (3-1) completely dominated FIU (1-3), shutting down the Golden Panther offense and dominating with a strong passing game after its close loss against Virginia just last week. Florida International's only time in the red zone ended in a 28-yard field goal. The Cardinals pulled away in the second quarter with two touchdowns scored by wide receiver James Quick and safety Gerod Holliman, who returned an interception for a touchdown.
Wake Forest 24, Army 21
Trailing at the half, Wake Forest’s (2-2) strategy was to silence Army (1-2) in the second half. It worked. Although both teams failed to register any points in the third quarter, the fourth quarter was all Wake Forest and was enough to allow the Demon Deacons to walk away victorious. Freshman quarterback John Wolford threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns to allow Wake Forest to bounce back after last week's disappointing loss to Utah State.
N.C. State 42, Presbyterian 0
The Wolfpack (4-0) experienced no resistance this week in maintaining their perfect record, dominating the Blue Hose with a complete performance on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett continued his strong play, going 14-of-21 for 195 yards and three touchdowns to lead his team to victory with contests against No. 1 Florida State and Clemson looming.
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