Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
ATLANTIC DIVISION
BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles sit at 1-2 on the young season with their lone win
coming at home against FCS foe Maine (34-3). Boston College, which was idle
thus past weekend, will play host to the Clemson Tigers this weekend in
Chestnut Hill.
CLEMSON: The Tigers held a 14-point lead over Florida State in Tallahassee
early in the third quarter, but allowed the Seminoles to outscore them 35-9
the rest of the way, as Clemson dropped a 49-37 decision to FSU at Doak
Campbell Stadium this past weekend. The explosive Clemson offense had its
moments, amassing 426 yards against one of the nation's premier defenses, but
the Tigers were abused for 667 yards by the Seminoles. Quarterback Tahj Boyd
completed 20-of-36 passes, for 237 yards and three TDs against one INT.
Tailback Andre Ellington rushed for 55 yards and a TD and caught a pass from
wideout Sammy Watkins for a 52-yard TD receptions, finishing the day with four
catches, for 87 yards. DeAndre Hopkins opened up the scoring, hauling in a 60-
yard TD strike less than two minutes into the game. The Tigers will attempt to
bounce back this weekend when they travel North to take on the Boston College
Eagles.
FLORIDA STATE: Down 28-14 early in the third quarter, Florida State went on a
run, outscoring Clemson 35-9 the rest of the way to post a 49-37 victory in a
showdown of the ACC's top two teams. Quarterback EJ Manuel had a career day,
passing for 380 yards and two TDs, while rushing for 112 yards. The Seminoles
rolled up 667 yards of offense in the game, as Manuel's passing game was
complemented by a ground game that churned out 287 yards. Tailback Chris
Thompson was instrumental as well, rushing four 103 yards and two TDs. James
Wilder Jr. added two TDs of his own, amassing 65 yards on nine carries. The
Seminoles will step out of ACC action this weekend, as the make the short trip
to Tampa to take on USF.
MARYLAND: The maturation process of freshman Perry Hills took a step in the
right direction this past weekend despite a loss, as he threw for a career-
high 305 yard and three TDs against top-10 foe West Virginia. In the end
though, it wasn't enough, as the Terrapins dropped a 31-21 decision in
Morgantown. Maryland's defense did a fantastic job against one of the most
explosive offenses in the nation, holding West Virginia, which was averaging
55 points and well over 600 yards of offense, to a mere 363 yards. Hills was a
solid 20-of-29 passing. Stefon Diggs certainly made the most of his three
receptions, taking them for 113 yards with two TDs. The Maryland defense,
which played in the nickel package for most of the game, still brought
pressure, recording two sacks and nine TFLs in the game. The unit was
bolstered by the return of veteran LB Kenny Tate, who made his season-debut,
recording four tackles, with one TFL. The Terrapins are idle this week and
will get back to work on Oct. 6 against Wake Forest.
NC STATE: Freshman tailback Shadrach Thornton made an immediate impact for the
Wolfpack as he rushed for 145 yards and two TDs in his collegiate debut,
leading NC State to an easy 52-14 rout of the Citadel in Raleigh this past
weekend. The Wolfpack rolled up a gaudy 515 yards of total offense against
their FCS foe, as quarterback Mike Glennon completed 19-of-24 passes, for 233
yards and one TD, while adding two scores on the ground. Wideout Quintin
Payton was Glennon's favorite target, hauling in five balls, for 100 yards.
The team's 282 rushing yards was the most by NC State since 2005. All-American
cornerback David Amerson once again contributed, registering an interception
in his third straight game. Amerson tied the school-record with the pick and
now has 16 career INTs. At 3-1 on the season, the Wolfpack will jump back into
ACC play this weekend, traveling to the Sunshine State to take on the Miami
Hurricanes.
WAKE FOREST: In a shootout that had the two teams combine for over 1,000 yards
of total offense, the Demon Deacons outlasted the Army Black Knights, 49-37.
Army's vaunted ground game featured a whopping 77 carries and 5.6 yards per
touch, but Wake Forest countered with a balanced offensive attack that amassed
517 total yards, with a season-high 296 on the ground and 221 through the air.
The Demon Deacons had a pair of 100-yard rushers, with Josh Harris finishing
with 129 yards and two TDs, while Deandre Martin added 115 yards and two
scores of his own. It marks the first time that a pair of backs eclipsed the
century mark for Wake Forest since 2005. Mike Campanaro continued his strong
season, as the wideout caught 12 balls, for 153 yards and two TDs, while
adding a third score on the ground. At 3-1 on the season, Wake Forest gets
back to conference action this weekend, playing host to rival Duke.
COASTAL DIVISION
DUKE: The Blue Devils moved to 3-1 on the season, closing out their non-
conference slate with a rather easy 38-14 win over Memphis this past weekend.
Senior quarterback Sean Renfree is starting to heat up at the right time, as
he completed 26-of-37 passes, for a season-high 314 yards and four TDs against
the Tigers. Fellow senior Connor Vernon had a big game as well, leading all
receivers with eight catches, for 120 yards and two TDs. Even a non-existent
running game finally showed up for Duke, which put up 177 yards on the ground,
on 4.0 yards per carry. The team finished with a season-high 500 yards in the
game. The Duke defense did the rest, holding Memphis to a meager 152 yards of
total offense. Overall, Duke racked up 28 first downs to Memphis' nine. Duke
has now opened up its home slate with three straight wins, the first time the
team has accomplished that feat since 1994. The Blue Devils will finally begin
league play as they make the short trip to Winston-Salem this weekend to take
on rival Wake Forest.
GEORGIA TECH: Tevin Washington was stopped on a fourth-and-inches in overtime
and Miami capitalized with a 25-yard touchdown run to stun the Yellow Jackets
in Atlanta this past weekend, 42-36. Georgia Tech trailed 19-0 at one point
but battled back and actually held a 17-point lead, thanks in large part to
three rushing scores from Washington, before falling in the extra session. It
marked the biggest blown lead in a loss for Georgia Tech since 1977. In all,
the Tech spread offense finished with 287 yards rushing and 419 total yards,
but was done in by Miami's 609 yards of total offense, including a whopping
436 passing yards. The Yellow Jackets are now just 2-2 on the season and will
step out of conference play this weekend when they play host to Middle
Tennessee.
MIAMI-FLORIDA: Tailback Mike James had a fourth-quarter and overtime to
remember as he scored two TDs in the last quarter and a 25-yard TD scamper in
overtime to lead the Hurricanes to a thrilling 42-36 overtime win at Georgia
Tech. Miami led 19-0 at one point in the game, but trailed by 17 late (36-19)
before rallying for the win. James finished with 89 yards and the three scores
were probably made possible by quarterback Stephen Morris, who had a career-
day with 436 yards passing and two TDs. Phillip Dorsett led all receivers with
nine catches, for 184 yards and one TD, while Davon Johnson (seven receptions,
107 yards) also went over the century mark for Miami. The Hurricanes rolled up
an eye-popping 609 yards of total offense, marking the first time the team has
gone over the 600-yard mark since 2000. Now at 3-1 on the season, the
Hurricanes will play host to NC State this weekend.
NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels finally got All-American tailback Giovani
Bernard back on the field and the sophomore made a big impact, finishing with
50 yards rushing and 52 yards receiving and two TDs (one receiving) in his
return from an early-season knee injury. Quarterback Bryn Renner did the rest
with his arm, completing 27-of-43 passes, for 321 yards and two TDs in a 27-6
romp over East Carolina. After throwing for a career-high 363 yards against
Louisville last week, Renner has now set a school-record, combining for 684
yards in back-to-back games. UNC finished the game with 450 yards of total
offense, while the defense limited the Pirates to a mere 233 total yards. Now
back at 2-2 on the season, the Tar Heels look to go over .500, when they play
host to the Idaho Vandals this weekend.
VIRGINIA: With a 27-7 loss to nationally-ranked TCU this past weekend, the
Cavaliers have now lost back-to-back road games by at least 20 points and are
now just 2-2 on the season. Quarterback Michael Rocco was an ineffective 13-
of-28 passing, for 126 yards and two INTs, while backup Phillip Sims accounted
for the team's only score in the game, connecting with E.J. Scott on a five-
yard TD pass late in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers, who were routed at
Georgia Tech two weeks ago (56-20), will try to right the ship this weekend,
when they return to Charlottesville to take on Louisiana Tech.
VIRGINIA TECH: Coming off a stunning loss in Pittsburgh that cost the Hokies
their top-25 ranking, the team returned to Blacksburg to play host to Bowling
Green this past weekend. It looked like Virginia Tech's slump would continue,
as the team struggled to gain yardage early on, but Frank Beamer's squad
finally broke free and took a lopsided 37-0 win over the Falcons. The ground
game finally got going for Tech, which racked up a season-high 246 yards. Four
players rushed for at least 45 yards in the win, led by Tony Gregory's 68
yards. Quarterback Logan Thomas added 65 yards rushing and one score, while
passing for 144 yards and two TDs. The Hokies, who are now 3-1 on the season,
will take on another tough Big East foe, when they battle the Cincinnati
Bearcats this weekend at FedEx Field in Landover.
The Sports Network