Big plays fuel Georgia Tech upset
ATLANTA — TaQuon Marshall made the most of his only two completions.
And, finally, Georgia Tech won a close game.
Marshall threw a pair of long scoring passes, including an 80-yarder to Ricky Jeune with 6 1/2 minutes remaining , and Ajani Kerr swatted away a fourth-down pass in the end zone to preserve Georgia Tech’s 28-22 upset of No. 17 Virginia Tech on Saturday.
This one felt especially good for the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had lost three games by a total of six points.
“Proud of our guys,” coach Paul Johnson said. “They showed a lot of grit and determination.”
It looked as though Georgia Tech was heading for another excruciating defeat when Virginia Tech rallied from a 21-9 deficit in the second half.
The Hokies (7-3, 3-3) went ahead 22-21 when Greg Stroman returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown off a bad pass by Marshall with 7:27 left.
The Georgia Tech quarterback made up for his mistake just two snaps later, after the Yellow Jackets fumbled the kickoff but fortuitously managed to recover after a wild scramble. Jeune got loose behind the secondary, hauled in the long throw and just managed to stick the ball inside the pylon before tumbling out of bounds.
It was the longest touchdown pass of the season for the Yellow Jackets surpassing Marshall’s 60-yard scoring play to Brad Stewart early in the second half. The quarterback finished 2-of-8 passing out of the triple-option.
“He made, what, two completions and they were both for touchdowns and it ended up being 140 yards?” Johnson said. “We’ll live with that. That’s a pretty good average.”
Marshall also had a pair of short touchdown runs.
› No. 4 Clemson 31, Florida State 14. CLEMSON, S.C. — Travis Etienne rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns, including a 1-yard burst with 3:05 left, and Clemson won the ACC Atlantic Division with a victory over Florida State.
The Tigers (9-1, 7-1) and their dominant defense looked to have this one wrapped up when they opened a 17-0 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. But the Seminoles rallied on Jacques Patrick’s 9-yard scoring run and a double flea-flicker for a 60-yard TD catch by tight end Ryan Izzo.
Florida State then recovered Kelly Bryant’s fumble on the Clemson 40 with 6:46 to go, putting the Seminoles (3-6, 3-5) in position to spoil the Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes. But safety Van Smith intercepted James Blackman’s pass over the middle on the next play, setting up the TD drive that secured the win for the defending national champions.
Etienne had a 25-yard run to the FSU 5 and took it in two plays later as the chilly Death Valley crowd erupted in celebration of a chance for a third straight ACC title in Charlotte in three weeks.
Cornerback Trayvon Mullen knocked away Blackman’s fourth-down pass with 2:13 left to end the Seminoles’ comeback hopes.
It’s the fifth time in coach Dabo Swinney’s nine full seasons that he has taken the Tigers to the conference title game. Clemson will face No. 7 Miami, which won the Coastal Division with Virginia’s 38-17 loss to Louisville on Saturday. › Louisville 38, Virginia 21 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lamar Jackson accounted for four touchdowns and 342 yards while establishing an NCAA milestone, Dae Williams rushed for a score, and Louisville’s defense posted one of its best efforts this season in beating Virginia.
Seeking a rebound after three ACC losses in four games, the Cardinals (6-4, 3-3) returned from a bye to outgain the Cavaliers 493-277 and become bowl eligible for the seventh consecutive season. Virginia (6-4, 3-3) managed just 115 yards and a late touchdown after the break.
Jackson, the Heisman Trophy winner, became the first player in NCAA history to post two seasons with 1,000 yards rushing and 3,000 yards passing. The junior quarterback threw for 195 yards and three TDs, two to Jaylen Smith. The junior also rushed 15 times for 147 yards, including a 68-yarder for Louisville’s first score.
› North Carolina State 17, Boston College 14
BOSTON — Nyheim Hines had a 50-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter, and North Carolina State rebounded from two tough losses against high-ranked teams with a victory over Boston College.
Jaylen Samuels added an 8-yard scoring run for the Wolfpack (7-3, 5-1). They had lost to third-ranked Notre Dame and No. 4 Clemson, respectively, the previous two weeks.
AJ Dillon carried 36 times for 196 yards, going over 1,000 yards to set a school-freshman record for rushing yards for the Eagles (5-5, 3-4), who had their three-game winning streak stopped.
› Army 21,
Duke 16
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Ahmad Bradshaw scored on an 18-yard run, Javhari Bourdeau returned a blocked punt for another touchdown, and Army beat mistake-prone Duke to finish the season unbeaten at home.
Army (8-2), fresh from a dominating 21-0 victory at Air Force, has won six in a row and finished 6-0 at home, the first Army team to be perfect at home in a season since 1996.
Duke (4-6) was 4-1 in its previous five meetings with Army, but the Blue Devils were done in by mistakes in their sixth straight loss and now have to win their final two games to become eligible to play in a bowl game.