GREENSBORO – The Atlantic Coast Conference and USA Football announced a new partnership today that makes USA Football the official football development partner of the ACC.

As part of the partnership, the ACC will show its commitment to youth football by taking part in USA Football’s “Put Pride Aside for Player Safety” campaign. Select games on the ACC Network and its pregame show, “ACC Blitz,” will air a USA Football-produced video message within its inventory that promotes player safety, directing youth football coaches to remove a player from a game or practice if concussion is suspected.

“The partnership with USA Football is a terrific fit, as our conference and member institutions continue to believe strongly in the health and well-being of youth athletes,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “We are proud of this opportunity, which introduces young people to the fun and excitement of football.”

“We are pleased that the ACC is part of the USA Football family and we commend the conference and its universities for their commitment to youth players’ health and safety, emphasizing concussion awareness and management,”said USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenback.. “The ACC shares USA Football’s mission of ensuring that the game’s youngest players have a positive experience playing our country’s favorite sport.”

USA Football’s “Put Pride Aside” video message and its other player health videos will reside on the ACC’s website, www.theACC.com, ACC social media sites, and will be made available to each of the conference’s 12 football members: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Prior to the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game presented by Dr Pepper on Dec. 3 in Charlotte, N.C., USA Football will host a “USA Football FUNdamentals” clinic, a fun skills-and-drills clinic designed to teach football basics to youth players. More than 1,000 children are expected to attend the clinic, which will take place at the Carolina Panthers’ practice facility.

Coaches and medical personnel of ACC football programs will be invited to serve on USA Football’s Football and Wellness Committee, which is committed to the safety and development of America’s 4.14 million youth and high school football players.

In addition, select ACC football programs will host USA Football’s U.S. Under-19 National Team player trials. The U.S. Under-19 team competes every February in the International Bowl, an annual competition matching it against a World Team composed of players age 19 and under from approximately one dozen countries. The World Team is managed by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Team USA also will represent the United States in the 2012 IFAF Under-19 World Championship. Sixty-two (62) countries spanning six continents possess a national federation of sport dedicated solely to football.

USA Football is the sport’s national governing body in the United States with members – players, coaches, game officials and youth league commissioners – residing in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. In addition to the ACC, the Indianapolis-based non-profit is the official football development partner of the Mid-American Conference and the Patriot League as well as the NFL and each of the league’s 32 teams.

About USA Football: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States, inspires participation, and ensures a positive experience for all youth and other amateur players. The independent nonprofit hosts more than 80 football training events annually for coaches, players and youth football league commissioners. USA Football is the official football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams and manages U.S. national teams for international competition. Endowed by the NFL and NFL Players Association in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football distributes $1 million annually in equipment grants and offers youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Former NFL team executive Carl Peterson is USA Football’s chairman.

— News Release

Cincinnati 44, NC State 14
RB Isaiah Pead rushed for 167 yards on 27 carries and Cincinnati held NC State (2-2, 0-1 ACC) to minus-26 yards on the
ground in pulling away from the Wolfpack in an ESPN Thursday Night game. In defeat, the Pack’s T.J. Graham accounted for
336 all-purpose yards, a school record and the fifth-highest total in ACC history. David Amerson made his fourth interception
of the year; his total is tied for the national lead.

Georgia Tech 35, North Carolina 28
QB Tevin Washington’s 5-yard run with 5:20 to play capped a 61-yard drive that immediately followed the Tar Heels’ tying
touchdown, and the Yellow Jackets (1-0 ACC) won their ACC opener to improve to 4-0 for the first time since their national
championship season of 1990. North Carolina (3-1, 1-1 ACC) drew even at 28-28 when freshman Giovani Bernard bolted up
the middle for a 55-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Tech, the nation’s leader in total offense, required
only four plays for the go-ahead score, and pressure on Tar Heel QB Bryn Renner sealed the outcome.

Temple 38, Maryland 7
RB Bernard Pierce ran for 149 yards and five touchdowns for the Owls, who led 31-0 at halftime in handing the Terrapins
their second straight defeat at home. QB Chester Stewart complemented Pierce’s ground game by going 9-for-9 for 140
yards through the air. The Terps’ TD came on an 18-yard pass from backup QB C.J. Brown to Devonte Campbell in the
fourth quarter.

Boston College 45, Massachusetts 17
The Eagles tied an ACC and NCAA record by returning two fumbles for touchdowns, and they welcomed back RB Montel
Harris in a victory over the Minutemen. The Eagles led 24-10 late in the third quarter before the critical sequence. WR Colin
Larmond’s second TD catch of the day from QB Chase Rettig was immediately followed by a fumble that the Eagles’ Nick
Clancy took in for a 16-yard score. Moments later, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis grabbed the ball out of the air and went 96 yards
for another Boston College touchdown. Harris ran for 27 yards in limited action.

Clemson 35, Florida State 30
QB Tajh Boyd passed for 344 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 ACC) withstood the Seminoles’ bid to
overcome a double-digit halftime deficit. On three occasions, FSU (2-2, 0-1 ACC) made it a one-score game behind backup
QB Clint Trickett, who threw for three TDs of his own. The Tigers responded every time, going up 35-23 on Boyd’s 62-yard
TD toss to freshman Sammy Watkins and sacking Trickett in the final minute to end the Noles’ final attempt.

Virginia Tech 30, Marshall 10
RB David Wilson ran for 132 yards and Josh Oglesby scored on two short runs as the Hokies defeated the Thundering
Herd in the ACC’s first game at Marshall. Wilson has now rushed for 100 or more yards in three of Virginia Tech’s first four
games, and the Hokies are 4-0 for the fi rst time since 2006. Danny Coale caught seven passes for 107 yards for the Hokies
and stands in the Top 10 in career receptions and yardage in Hokie history.

Duke 48, Tulane 27
RB Juwan Thompson and QB Sean Renfree ran for two TDs apiece for the Blue Devils (2-2, 1-0 ACC), whose defense didn’t
allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter. The Devils amassed five scores on the ground, and Renfree completed 21-of-30
passes for 278 yards, finding Conner Vernon (six catches) and Donovan Varner (four) for nearly half of his completions. The
win was Duke’s most lopsided over an FBS team outside the ACC since a 43-17 win at Navy on Sept. 28, 2002.

Kansas State 28, Miami 24
Southern Mississippi 30, Virginia 24
QB Austin Davis completed 27-of-41 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns for the Golden Eagles, who dropped the
Cavaliers (2-2, 0-1 ACC) to their second straight loss. The Cavs sliced the deficit to 27-24 when QB David Watford hit TE Jeremiah Mathis for a 1-yard score with 5:18 left, but the Eagles converted a third-and-24 situation on their next drive, which
consumed nearly four minutes and ended with a field goal. USM stopped Virginia on downs to end the game.