ACC notes: Duke ranked in inaugural college playoff rankings

dukefootballFour ACC teams were ranked in the inaugural College Football Playoff Committee Top 25 rankings on Oct 28 with Florida State (2), Clemson (21), Duke (24) and Louisville (25) all earning a spot.

Three ACC teams are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches poll this week with Florida State remaining No. 2, but Clemson climbing to No. 19 in both polls and Duke at No. 22 in AP and 20 in the Coaches. Additionally, three other ACC teams received votes in the Coaches poll: Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami, with Tech and Louisville also earning votes in AP.

In all, seven ACC teams are bowl eligible: Boston College, Clemson Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami.

Duke
The competition for the Coastal Division crown is still crowded, but clutch wins last weekend by Duke, Georgia Tech
and Miami have pushed those three teams to the forefront. Duke, the defending Coastal champion, has a one-game lead and would clinch its berth in Charlotte by winning out at Syracuse, and at home against Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

On Saturday, Coastal Division leader and 22nd-ranked Duke, coached by David Cutcliffe travels to meet Syracuse in
the Carrier Dome (12:30 p.m., Regional Sports Networks) in one of three cross divisional contests slated for this weekend.

The Atlantic Division holds a 90-82 advantage since the ACC went to divisional play for the 2005 season, but the divisions have split the six prior meetings this year.

The Blue Devils, led by QB Anthony Boone, WR Jamison Crowder and LB David Helton are looking to maintain their hold on the Coastal Division race, having won 15 of their last 18 games.

Boone has a 15-3 record as Duke’s starting QB, while Crowder moved into second place on the ACC’s career receiving lists last week and now has 247 career receptions.

Helton leads the ACC in tackles per game 10.9 and was named one of the 17 National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame’s Scholar-Athletes for 2014.

Last Saturday, QB Thomas Sirk powered his way into the end zone from five yards out on Duke’s second overtime possession, lifting the visiting Blue Devils (7-1, 3-1) to the key Coastal Division 51-48 victory over Pitt. Sirk’s winning score came after Duke QB Anthony Boone and Pitt RB James Conner traded touchdown runs on the first possessions
of overtime and Panthers PK Chris Blewitt — who missed a 26-yard attempt that could have won the game at the end of regulation — connected on a 43-yarder to give Pitt (4-5, 2-3) a short-lived three-point lead.

NC State
Georgia Tech will look to keep pace with Duke when the Yellow Jackets travel to Raleigh, N.C. to meet NC State at Carter-Finley (12:30 p.m., ACC Network.)

The Wolfpack, coached by Dave Doeren, and led by QB Jacoby Brissett on offense and DE Art Norman on defense,
need one more victory to become bowl eligible.

Brissett is third in the ACC in total offense (242.9 yds/gm) while Norman is tied for 6th in the league in sacks.

Last Saturday, the Wolfpack (5-4, 1-4) earned its first ACC victory since late in the 2012 season with a 24-17 road win at the Syracuse Carrier Dome. With his team down 14-9 in the third quarter, NC State DE Pharoah McKever returned an interception 82 yards for the go-ahead score and changed the momentum of the game. The Pack defense caused three second-half turnovers and had eight sacks on the day to secure the win.

UNC
RB Duke Johnson rushed for 177 yards, including touchdown runs of 1 and 90 yards, as the Miami Hurricanes (6-3, 3-2) earned bowl eligibility and remained in the Coastal Division chase with their third consecutive win – a 47-20 whipping of North Carolina.

Johnson, who now has 3,080 career rushing yards and passed Edgerrin James for second place on Miami’s all-time list, also raced 37 yards for another touchdown on a screen pass from QB Brad Kaaya, who finished his day with three touchdown passes.

Miami RB Joe Yearby added another 104 yards rushing, and TE Clive Walford had two touchdown catches, becoming the first Miami tight end to do so in a single game since Greg Olsen in 2005.

QB Marquise Williams had a pair of touchdown runs, and LB Cayson Collins returned a fumble 39 yards for a score for North Carolina (4-5, 2-3), But Miami limited the Tar Heels to just six net yards rushing and 258 total yards — their lowest output under third-year head coach Larry Fedora and their least since Nov. 5, 2011, versus NC State. UNC had averaged 448 yards per contest in its previous 36 games.

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