Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
ATLANTIC DIVISION
BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles found themselves in over their heads in Tallahassee
this past weekend, falling behind early and never recovering in a 51-7
drubbing at the hands of Florida State. Boston College managed a mere 225
yards in the game, while allowing a whopping 649 yards, including 448 yards
through the air. BC's only score came on an 18-yard TD pass from Chase Rettig
to Bobby Swigert in the second quarter. Rettig struggled under center,
completing just 15-of-31 passes, for 122 yards. Swigert led the team with
five receptions, for 61 yards and the one TD. Andre Williams provided the team
with a strong rushing attack, finishing with 104 yards, carrying the ball 20
times. Boston College is still in search of its first win over an FBS program,
with the lone win on the year coming against Maine. The team has dropped four
straight games since then and will look to end the skein this weekend when the
Eagles travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech.
CLEMSON: The Tigers were idle this past weekend, following a big win over
Georgia Tech last week. With the win, Clemson moved to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in
ACC action. Dabo Swinney's team will get back to work this weekend as they
play host to Virginia Tech in Death Valley.
FLORIDA STATE: Following a stunning loss at NC State last week, the Seminoles
found their winning ways again, dominating the Boston College Eagles this past
weekend at home, 51-7. It was a record-setting performance for a couple of
Seminoles, as FSU rolled up 649 yards of total offense. Quarterback EJ Manuel
became the first FSU quarterback to throw for 400 yards, as he completed 27-
of-34 passes, for a career-high 439 yards and four TDs. Two Florida State
receivers eclipsed the century mark, with Rodney Smith finishing with nine
catches, for 108 yards and Kenny Shaw adding two receptions, for 125 yards and
one TD. Place-kicker Dustin Hopkins' 51-yard field goal gave him 394 career
points, as he is now the ACC's all-time leading scorer. Defensively, the
Seminoles were stellar once again, limiting BC to a meager 225 total yards.
The Seminoles stay in the Sunshine State this week to take on rival Miami-
Florida.
MARYLAND: The Terrapins set the tone early, as freshman Stefon Diggs took the
opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, as Maryland kept up its winning
ways with a 27-20 win at Virginia. Diggs, who entered the game leading the ACC
with 21.4 yards per catch, was once again fantastic in that area, hauling in
four balls, for 89 yards in the win. The youngster finished with 239 all-
purpose yards. Another freshman, quarterback Perry Hills was instrumental in
the win as well, throwing for one TD and rushing for another, as Maryland
moved to 4-2 overall and remained unbeaten in league play (2-0). The last time
Maryland began its ACC slate 2-0 was in 2001. Winners of two straight, the
Terrapins return to College Park this weekend for Homecoming against NC State.
NC STATE: The Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1 ACC) have had an extra week to enjoy their
huge upset of Florida State back on Oct. 6, as they were idle this past
weekend. NC State gets back to work this weekend, as the team makes the trip
to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins.
WAKE FOREST: Losers of two straight, the Demon Deacons (3-3, 1-3 ACC) were
idle this past weekend. Wake Forest will attempt to get back over .500 this
weekend, as the team hits the road to take on the equally-struggling Virginia
Cavaliers in Charlottesville.
COASTAL DIVISION
DUKE: The Blue Devils jumped all over the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg,
taking a 20-0 lead at one point, but allowed the game to slip away, giving up
41 unanswered points at Lane Stadium to fall to the Hokies, 41-20. The loss
ended a four-game win streak for David Cutcliffe's squad, which hadn't lost
since a Sept. 8 setback at Stanford. Quarterback Sean Renfree completed 20-
of-33 attempts, for 235 yards and one TD, but was sacked five times. Jamison
Crowder had a big game on the outside, catching eight balls, for 127 yards
and one TD. Fellow wideout Conner Vernon had four receptions for 70 yards on
the day and increased his ACC record to 243 career receptions. He is now 111
yards shy of the school-record for receiving yards and 398 yards shy of the
ACC mark. The Blue Devils will attempt to find their winning ways again this
weekend, playing host to rival North Carolina.
GEORGIA TECH: The Yellow Jackets were idle this past weekend, but change has
come to the program nonetheless, as the team has parted ways with defensive
coordinator Al Groh. With losses in each of the last three games, a set that
includes Tech giving up a combined 138 points, the Yellow Jackets will attempt
to stop the bleeding this weekend, when they play host to Boston College.
MIAMI-FLORIDA: After showing glimpses of scoring potential a couple of games
ago, the Hurricanes have struggled to mount much of an attack in the last two
games, getting blown out by Notre Dame in Chicago, followed by this past
weekend's 18-14 loss to North Carolina. Miami did amass 415 yards of offense
in the setback, but were torched for 486 yards, including 214 by North
Carolina on the ground. Tailback Mike James led the team with 96 yards rushing
and one TD. Quarterback Stephen Morris struggled mightily though, completing
just 12-of-26 passes, for just 155 yards, with no touchdowns and two
interceptions. It is Homecoming in Miami Gardens this weekend and the
Hurricanes will attempt to end their two-game slide when the play host to
rival Florida State on Saturday.
NORTH CAROLINA: All-American tailback Giovani Bernard had his second straight
outstanding performance, leading the Tar Heels to a hard-fought 18-14 win
at Miami this past weekend. Bernard scored two first half touchdowns and
rushed for 177 yards, 105 of which came in the second half, as North Carolina
moved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. Bernard's total rushing yards were
the second-most in his career, following last week's 262 yard-outburst against
Virginia Tech. It marked the first road win for Larry Fedora, who is in his
debut season in Chapel Hill. Quarterback Bryn Renner failed to throw a
touchdown pass in a game for the first time this season, but did finish 25-
of-40 passing, for 214 yards in the win. The Tar Heels were busy offensively
in the win, amassing 486 yards, with 272 coming on the ground and 214 through
the air. The team also had a season-high 84 offensive plays in the game. The
Tar Heels take a four-game win streak to Durham this week for a conference
showdown against rival Duke.
VIRGINIA: A season that started with so much promise following back-to-back
wins over Richmond and Penn State, has taken a downward trend, as the 2012
campaign for Virginia continued to spiral out of control, with last weekend's
27-20 loss to Maryland. The Cavaliers have now lost five straight games and
are sitting at 2-5 overall, with a dismal 0-3 mark in-conference. There were
bright spots in the setback to the Terrapins, including a defensive effort
that allowed a mere 235 yards of total offense. Offensively, tailback Kevin
Parks had the top performance for Virginia, rushing for 129 yards on 7.6 yards
per carry in his first career start. Quarterback Phillip Sims completed just
13-of-28 passes, for 139 yards and one TD, but was sacked four times. Michael
Rocco completed 5-of-11 passes, for 79 yards and one TD. The Cavs will attempt
to end their long skein this weekend, when they welcome the Wake Forest Demon
Deacons to Charlottesville.
VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies went down 20-0 in the first quarter, but rallied the
rest of the way, earning a 41-20 victory over Duke this past weekend. It
marked the first time under Frank Beamer that the team trailed 20-0 and came
back and won a game. Virginia Tech got a balanced effort on the offensive side
of the ball, racking up 525 total yards, with 269 yards coming on the ground
and 256 through the air. Tailback J.C. Coleman had a huge outing, rumbling for
183 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. Quarterback Logan Thomas
added 50 yards on the ground, while completing 14-of-23 passes, for 256 yards
and two TDs. Wideout Marcus Davis was the primary target in the passing game,
hauling in five balls, for 144 yards and two scores. With the win, Tech moved
to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in league play. The win came at a cost though, as
starting center Andrew Miller went down with an ankle injury. Miller had
successful surgery on Sunday and is done for the season. The Hokies will
attempt to remain in the Coastal Division hunt when they travel to Death
Valley this weekend for a showdown against nationally-ranked Clemson.
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