No. 17 Florida State roars past Syracuse
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — No Everett Golson and Dalvin Cook? No problem.
No. 17 Florida State showed no sign of a letdown despite missing its top two playmakers, putting up one of its best offensive games of the season in a 45-21 win over Syracuse on Saturday.
Sean Maguire passed for three touchdowns and Jacques Patrick ran for three scores as the Seminoles put up 550 yards of offense at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The points tied a season high and the yardage was the second-highest this year for Florida State, which improves to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the ACC heading into next Saturday’s Atlantic Division showdown at No. 3 Clemson.
After winning its first three games, Syracuse has dropped five straight and is 1-3 in the ACC.
Golson was held out due to a concussion, and Maguire was announced as the starter before kickoff. The junior completed 23 of 35 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. He had 302 yards in the first half, which is the first time a Florida State quarterback had done that since Chris Weinke had 302 yards in the first half against Clemson in 2000.
Patrick got his first career start after Cook suffered an ankle injury in last Saturday’s loss at Georgia Tech. Patrick, who had three carries coming into the game, had 24 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns. His longest run of the day was a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that extended the Seminoles’ lead to 45-21.
Travis Rudolph caught all three of Maguire’s touchdown passes and had five catches for 191 yards. It is the first time in Florida State history that it has had players with three touchdowns receiving and three touchdowns rushing in the same game.
After Syracuse took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on an Eric Dungey 1-yard touchdown run, Florida State took control of the game by scoring on three consecutive drives. Rudolph tied the game with a 75-yard touchdown where he broke four tackles en route to the end zone after catching the ball at the Syracuse 31. Rudolph then gave the Seminoles the lead with a 45-yard catch in the end zone.
The Orange got within 21-14 on a Dungey 1-yard touchdown, but Syracuse decided to squib kick late in the first half despite Florida State having all three timeouts. The Seminoles took advantage as they got the ball on their own 42 and scored with nine seconds remaining in the half on a Patrick 1-yard run up the middle.
Dungey, who came into the game leading the ACC in passing efficiency, completed just 11 of 24 passes for 120 yards along with rushing for 46 yards on 10 carries.
North Carolina 26, No. 23
Pittsburgh 19: Marquise Williams threw two long touchdown passes and North Carolina beat No. 23 Pittsburgh on Thursday night in a matchup of Atlantic Coast Conference upstarts.
The unexpected ACC Coastal showdown was the first of a three-week round-robin that will likely determine the division title. The Tar Heels (7-1, 4-0) face No. 22 Duke next at home with a chance to put a vice grip on the program’s first trip to the ACC title game.
North Carolina has won seven straight since a sloppy opening loss to South Carolina and is off to its best start since 1997 under Mack Brown.
For the third straight season, Williams came up huge against Pitt (6-2, 3-1). The senior was 14 for 23 for 270 yards and ran for 52. He has 1,020 total yards in three career victories against the Panthers. Louisville 20, Wake Forest 19: Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes and Louisville forced five turnovers in the second half in a victory over Wake Forest on Friday night.
Jackson was 19 of 26 for 207 yards with scoring throws covering 14 and 22 yards to Jamari Staples for the Cardinals (4-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).
John Wolford was 6 of 19 for 131 yards with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Tabari Hines for the Demon Deacons (3-6, 1-5), but he threw three of his team’s four second-half interceptions.
John Wallace kicked field goals of 37 and 39 yards, the latter coming after Chucky Williams’ serpentining interception return and giving Louisville a one-point lead with 1:25 left in the third.
Wake Forest’s Josh Banks blocked Wallace’s 36-yarder with 5:22 left and recovered at the Louisville 45, but Shaq Wiggins intercepted Wolford’s deep pass for K.J. Brent with 3:31 to play.
Virginia Tech 26, Boston
College 10: Michael Brewer threw a first-quarter touchdown pass and linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka returned a fumble 34 yards for a score early in the second, carrying Virginia Tech to a win over Boston College Saturday.
Joey Slye kicked four field goals for the Hokies (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Travon McMillian carried 33 times for 105 yards. Virginia Tech led 20-0 at halftime. Boston College (3-6, 0-6) lost its fifth straight.
Brewer, making his second straight start since sustaining a broken left collarbone in the opener against top-ranked Ohio State, hit a wide-open Cam Phillips down the right sideline for 27 yards to make it 7-0.
The Hokies increased it to 10-0 on their next possession when Slye kicked a 47-yard field goal. It was Virginia Tech’s third trip into BC territory in as many possessions.
Motuapuaka stripped running back Jordan Gowins and ran it back, making it 17-0.
Virginia 27, Georgia Tech
21: Matt Johns threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Canaan Severin in the third quarter and Virginia limited Georgia Tech to two long scoring plays until the final minutes of the Cavaliers’ victory.
Daniel Hamm and Albert Reid also ran for touchdowns for the Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped a three-game losing streak against the Yellow Jackets. The victory kept Virginia in the running for the Coastal Division championship and its first bowl game in four years if it loses just once more this season.
Georgia Tech (3-6, 1-5) lost for the sixth time in seven games, with the only victory last weekend’s 2216 triumph against No. 17 Florida State on a blocked punt return touchdown on the game’s final play. Coach Paul Johnson’s team will have to win its final three games to extend its streak of seasons ending in a bowl to 19.
The Yellow Jackets made it a nail-biter late, scoring on a 22-yard pass from Justin Thomas to Clinton Lynch with 1:41 remaining, then recovering an onside kick. But after driving to the Cavaliers’ 34, Thomas threw incomplete on fourth-and-4 with 1:11 left. Miami 30, No. 22 Duke 27: Corn Elder took Miami’s eighth lateral of a wild final kickoff return and brought it back 75 yards for a touchdown that gave Miami a victory over No. 22 Duke.
Thomas Sirk seemingly had given the Blue Devils the win by scoring on a sneak with 6 seconds left.
But in a final sequence reminiscent of California’s unforgettable run through the Stanford band, Elder caught the last of eight laterals, and zigged and zagged through the Duke coverage team for the score.
One problem: A penalty flag thrown on teammate Mark Walton for an illegal block in the back on Breon Borders at the Duke 25.
But after a lengthy review, the officials determined the block was to Borders’ side — not his back — and the touchdown stood.
— From AP reports