While it wasn’t a good ending for NC State, the Wolfpack offense racked up 37 points while winning teams North Carolina piled up 66 and Duke 34 last weekend for a total point production of Triangle teams of 137. All three teams have big ACC matchups this coming Saturday.
Miami 44, NC State 37
QB Stephen Morris’ 62-yard touchdown strike to WR Phillip Dorsett with 19 seconds left lifted the Coastal Division leading the Miami Hurricanes (4-1 ACC, 3-0 overall) to their third straight ACC victory, 44-37 over NC State. Morris finished with an ACC- and school-record 566 yards passing. NC State (3-2, 0-1) rallied from a 37-27 fourth-quarter deficit before yielding the long score to the Hurricanes in the closing seconds. Dorsett caught seven passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. WR Rashawn Scott had six catches for 180 yards and two more touchdowns for the Hurricanes. Morris out-dueled Wolfpack QB Mike Glennon, who completed 24 of 42 passes for a career high 440 yards and four touchdowns.
“In 38 years, I haven’t seen a football team make this many mistakes and that comes back to me,” NC State coach Tom O’Brien said.
The Wolfpack hosts No. 3 Florida State at 8 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2). The Pack has won three of the last five meetings between the two teams at
Carter-Finley Stadium.
Duke 34, Wake Forest 27
Duke WR Conner Vernon matched the Atlantic Coast Conference record for career receptions with 232 as the Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0) scored their first win over the Demon Deacons (3-2, 1-2) since 1999. The Blue Devils rushed for 123 yards and scored four times on the ground with QBs Anthony Boone and Brandon Connette combining for three rushing scores. WR Desmond Scott added 11 catches for 134 yards for Duke, which scored twice in the fourth quarter to build a two-touchdown lead after the score was tied at 20-20 despite losing starting QB Sean Renfree to a right elbow injury. Wake Forest QB Tanner Price finished 19-of-38 for 230 yards with two touchdowns.
“There were plays made by the defense; obviously four big turnovers or takeaways,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “The kicking game was as solid as it could be and we ran the ball when we had to. People stepped up consistently and made plays on offense.”
The Blue Devils are off to their best start since 1994, and host Virginia (3 p.m., RSN) at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham this Saturday.
North Carolina 66, Idaho 0
RB Gio Bernard scored twice, QB Bryn Renner threw three touchdown passes and North Carolina (3-2) set a school scoring record in a 66-0 win against visiting Idaho (0-5). Freshman WR Quinshad Davis added two TD catches for the Tar Heels, who finished with 575 total yards. The UNC defense intercepted four passes on the day, surpassing the previous season total of three. The Tar Heels also set a school record for margin of victory in addition to points scored.
North Carolina, coached by Larry Fedora, hosts Virginia Tech (12:30 p.m., ACC Network).
This team is very capable of doing some special things,” Fedora said. “If we keep preparing the way we’re preparing the last couple weeks and we keep playing with a lot of energy then we can do some really, really good things. It’s a lot of fun playing out here. It’s a lot of fun playing in front of our crowd. Our kids really enjoy it.”