Florida State and Duke will be our ACC championship game participants after the college regular season drew to a close on Saturday. Duke saw off a stiff challenge from North Carolina to setup a tie with the Seminoles who dispatched state rivals Florida. Elsewhere, Clemson and Georgia Tech both fell to their nemesis. All that and much more in the ACC Week 14 review.
Conference Games
No. 24 Duke – 27
North Carolina – 25
Duke clinched the ACC Coastal division championship and earned a spot in the ACC title game with a hard earned win over North Carolina.
It was never going to be easy for the Blue Devils going up against a side that had won five in a row and had put up 80 points the week previous. However, Anthony Boone played arguably his best game of the season at quarterback while the Duke defense tightened. Boone finished 274 passing yards and two touchdowns with Jamison Crowder hauling in both of the scores. Josh Snead and Shaquille Powell combined for 105 yards on the ground from 19 carries. Ross Martin kicked a field goal with 2:22 left which would be the difference between the two sides.
North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams attempted a season-high 36 pass attempts but could only complete 47.2% with two interceptions – the second of which coming in the dying minutes with the game on the line. Tight end Eric Ebron signed his college career off in style with a five-catch, 121 yards performance.
Miami – 41
Pittsburgh – 31
Miami claimed its first nine-win season since 2009 with a victory over Pittsburgh but missed out on an ACC championship berth.
The Hurricanes retained a slim chance of facing Florida State in the championship game but needed both Duke and Virginia Tech to lose. Unfortunately, they both won. Stacy Cole was the star of the show for the away side. The freshman wide receiver caught touchdown passes of 32 and 34 yards in the first quarter before turning on the burners and racing 73 yards for a score on an end around. Stephen Morris delivered a fine performance at quarterback with 296 yards and three touchdowns.
Barring the lackadaisical opening five minutes, Pittsburgh gave a good showing over themselves as they tried to finish the season above .500. Quarterback Tom Savage threw a pair of touchdowns while junior running back Isaac Bennett rolled for 141 yards and a score from 21 carries.
Virginia Tech – 16
Virginia - 6
A disjointed season for Virginia Tech ended with a win over fierce rivals Virginia.
Quarterback Logan Thomas summed his season up perfectly with a stat line that read: completed 13 of 29 for 229 yards a touchdown and an interception. The senior just couldn’t get his season rolling. Trey Edmunds carried the ball for 93 yards and caught the touchdown pass from Thomas which would be the only touchdown of the game as both sides exchanged field goals for most of the first half with the second half remaining scoreless.
For Virginia it was another sorry performance from David Watford. The sophomore quarterback was benched half way through the game for Greyson Lambert who didn’t fare any better. Kevin Parks had a solid afternoon with 105 rushing yards yards
Maryland – 41
NC State – 21
Five touchdowns from C.J. Brown lifted Maryland to their seventh win of the season.
The senior quarterback showed the kind of fame that saw the Terrapins boast a 5-1 record at one point. Brown threw two touchdowns in his 259 passing yards and ran in another three to complement his 138 yards on the ground. Amba Etta-Tawo broke 100 yards on his four catches.
Brandon Mitchell threw two touchdowns for the Wolfpack who slipped behind after taking an early lead. Shadrach Thornton was the pick of NC State’s offensive weapons with 96 yards on the ground.
Boston College – 31
Syracuse – 34
Star running back Andre Williams left the game hurt in the third quarter and with him so did Boston College’s chance of winning five in a row.
The nation’s leading rusher has over 2,000 yards on the season and broke a 26-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. However, Syracuse fought back and an eight-yard pass from Terrell Hunt to Josh Parris with six seconds remaining ensured Syracuse would end the season 6-6.
Eagles quarterback Chase Rettig finished the game with 253 total yards and three touchdowns while Orange signal caller Hunt had 360 yards in the air and on the ground to go with his three touchdown game.
Non-Conference Games
No. 2 Florida State – 37
Florida – 7
Florida State all but secured a place in the national championship with an easy win over Florida.
The Seminoles had a steady start and Jameis Winston threw an interception to Loucheiz Purifoy in the first quarter but the freshman bounced back with 327 yards and three touchdown passes to Kelvin Benjamin who had nine catches and 212 yards to go with his hat-trick of touchdowns.
The ‘Noles’ defense allowed just one third down completion over the course of the afternoon to completely nullify the Gators’ depleted squad.
No. 6 Clemson – 17
No. 10 South Carolina – 31
Clemson dropped their fifth straight against rivals Clemson to fall down the BCS rankings in the final week.
Tajh Boyd threw two picks and no touchdowns and ran for just 16 yards on 15 carries in a Clemson performance that yielded six turnovers. Sammy Watkins roped in seven catches for 93 yards while running back Roderick McDowell ran the ball 14 times to pick up his 111 yards and single score.
The game was tied at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter before the Tigers went on a turnover spree and the Gamecocks pulled away. Clemson now have an anxious wait to see if they will be included in a BCS bowl.
Georgia – 41
Georgia Tech – 34
Georgia Tech surrendered a 13-point half team lead as Georgia rallied to win in overtime.
The Yellow Jackets pulled out to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter before Georgia running back Todd Gurley pulled the away side back. Both sides scored touchdowns in the first period of overtime before Gurley broke off a 25-yard touchdown run in the second. Georgia Tech got down to the opposition’s goal line but couldn’t convert on fourth down.
David Sims had 100 rushing yards while Robert Godhigh had 153 total yards. Jeremiah Attaochu sacked Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason four times.
Wake Forest – 21
Vanderbilt – 23
Wake Forest finished a miserable season with a plucky performance in a loss Vanderbilt.
Tanner Price threw for 155 yards and rushed for 47 more including a touchdown as Wake Forest pushed the SEC outfit all the way. The Commodores restricted the Demon Deacons offensively but when Justin Jackson returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown the four-win ACC side sniffed an upset. However, it wasn’t to be as two Carey Spear field goals – including one with 39 seconds remaining – ensured the home side won their eighth game of the season.