All seven games involving ACC teams were decided by one possession in a thrilling weekend of football.
Georgia Tech 38, Duke 35
In a game that Georgia Tech led 28-7 at the half, Duke (3-5, 0-4 in the ACC) came storming back and nearly stole a victory from the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta before a late Georgia Tech touchdown with just more five minutes remaining ended the Blue Devils’ hopes for a signature comeback win. Duke was unable to shut down the Yellow Jackets' triple-option scheme, as quarterback Justin Thomas set a career high with 195 rushing yards on his way to 459 total yards on the day, the most for a Georgia Tech player since 2001. Duke had a chance to stop the Yellow Jackets (5-3, 2-3) late in the game and get the ball back, but Thomas broke a 50-yard run on 3rd-and-17 to seal the win.
After trailing by 21 points at the half, the Blue Devils turned it on in the third quarter—running back Jela Duncan made up for his fumble in the first half by punching in two touchdowns in a 15-second span to cut into the Georgia Tech lead. Quarterback Daniel Jones added two touchdowns to tight end Daniel Helm, including a seven-yard score in the fourth quarter to give Duke a 35-31 advantage. But the Blue Devils defense could not hold the lead, and Duke remained winless in ACC play this season. Injury was added to insult for the Blue Devils, as Duncan tore his Achilles' tendon while celebrating Shaun Wilson’s go-ahead touchdown, ending his season. Duncan finished his Duke career as one of just six players to rush for more than 2,000 yards in program history.
No. 5 Louisville 32, Virginia 25
Louisville (7-1, 5-1) suffered a big scare at Virginia but was able to hold on and keep its playoff hopes alive thanks to the late-game heroics of Heisman Trophy frontrunner quarterback Lamar Jackson, who engineered a 75-yard drive after the Cavaliers (2-6, 1-3) took a late lead with 1:57 remaining in the game. Jackson drove his team down into Virginia territory with a calmness that has been critical for Louisville the entire season, staying cool as the clock wound down and the Cardinals held their timeouts in their pockets. With 13 seconds remaining, he found Jaylen Smith streaking down the right sideline and lofted a perfect pass just over the hands of the Virginia defender for a 29-yard game-winning touchdown.
For the Cavaliers, the loss was even more heartbreaking, as first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall’s risky decision to go for two after Virginia scored late paid off to give it the lead. The conversion capped off a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass to Doni Dowling. Quarterback Kurt Benkert then found Albert Reid for the two-point conversion. The Cavaliers' defense was largely able to stifle Jackson on the ground, but the Cardinals found a way to pull out the win.
No. 3 Clemson 37, No. 12 Florida State 34
In one of Clemson’s most important games of the season, the Tigers (8-0, 5-0) pulled out a narrow 37-34 victory on the road in Tallahassee, Fla., likely assuring them of being in the top four when the College Football Playoff rankings come out this week. The win was also their second in a row over Florida State, giving them consecutive wins against the Seminoles (5-3, 2-3) for the first time since 2007. DeShaun Watson was the hero again for Clemson, as he amassed more than 400 yards for the second year in a row against Florida State and threw for two touchdowns, including the game winner with 2:06 left. Watson connected with Jordan Leggett from 34 yards out to give the Tigers the lead and then converted the two-point conversion on a pass to Mike Williams.
Florida State was led by running back Dalvin Cook, who had a career-high four touchdowns and rushed for 169 yards. The Seminoles drove into Tiger territory with less than a minute remaining, but were undone by a series of penalties. Deondre Francois was then sacked twice to seal the Clemson victory.
No. 25 Virginia Tech 39, Pittsburgh 36
Against one of the worst passing defenses in the nation, Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans torched Pittsburgh (5-3, 2-2) for a career-high 406 passing yards to lead the Hokies past the Panthers in a shootout in Pittsburgh Thursday night. Pittsburgh tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run by Brian O’Neill and subsequent two-point conversion. But Virginia Tech (6-2, 4-1) tacked on a field goal with fewer than 10 minutes remaining and then added to the lead on Evans’ fourth touchdown pass of the game. The Panthers narrowed the deficit to three points with 2:31 remaining with Nathan Peterman’s first passing touchdown of the game, but could not get the ball back, allowing the Hokies to escape with a narrow win. James Conner rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Panthers offensively.
Notre Dame 30, Miami 27
After blowing a 20-0 second-quarter lead, Notre Dame rallied to beat Miami in South Bend, Ind., on Justin Yoon’s 23-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining in the game. The winning kick was set up after tight end Durham Smythe’s fumble near the goal line was recovered by DeShone Kizer, the Fighting Irish’s junior quarterback. The Hurricanes (4-4) capped a 27-0 run with a botched punt recovery in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Notre Dame's Josh Adams escaped for a 41-yard touchdown run less than a minute later to tie the game at 27. Notre Dame pressured Miami throughout the game, sacking Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya five times to nearly double their total sacks on the season. The defense was led by tackle Jarron Jones, who recorded six tackles for loss. Miami could not get much going on the ground, rushing for only 18 yards on 35 carries.
Boston College 21, N.C. State 14
Boston College failed to win a conference game in football and men’s basketball last year, marking the first time in 40 years a major-conference team went winless in those two sports. Saturday, the miserable streak came to an end. The Eagles (4-4, 1-4) won against N.C. State for their first ACC football win since 2014, as head coach Steve Addazio pulled out all the tricks he needed for the win. With 4:43 left, Tommy Sweeney caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from running back Davon Jones for the game-winning score. Sweeney then caught the two-point conversion pass to put Boston College up seven. The Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3) drove all the way to the Eagles' 2-yard line with 1:35 remaining, but quarterback Ryan Finley lofted a fade to Stephen Louis that was picked off by Kamrin Moore, setting off a wild celebration on Boston College's sideline.
Army 21, Wake Forest 13
In its second matchup of the year against an ACC team, Army knocked off Wake Forest 21-13 in Winston-Salem despite a subpar performance from its rushing offense, ranked second in the country. Ahmad Bradshaw’s keeper with 11:45 remaining in the fourth quarter held up for the game-winner, as the Black Knights rushed for 107 yards in the final period to pull away from the Demon Deacons (5-3). Army got two interceptions on Wake Forest’s first three possessions, and the defense continued to hold strong for the rest of the game, especially in the fourth quarter. Bradshaw threw for 145 yards with a touchdown and an interception in addition to his rushing touchdown, outplaying his counterpart John Wolford, who tossed one touchdown but also threw three interceptions.
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