ACC Football Recap: Showdown Set Between Undefeated Clemson and Notre Dame

While at times it looked to be in jeopardy, the showdown is now set for next Saturday between two unbeaten ACC teams as No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame face off.

Clemson will have to beat Notre Dame without their best player as Dabo Swinney announced after their win over Boston College that quarterback Trevor Lawrence wouldn’t be cleared in time from his COVID-19 diagnosis and won’t be in uniform for Clemson.

Regardless, that’s still the college football game of the weekend and the way things are looking, those two programs could be meeting again in December for the ACC Championship.

Here’s a recap of Saturday’s ACC results plus an updated look at the conference standings.

#1 Clemson 34 – Boston College 28:
Clemson has another star quarterback on their roster as DJ Uiagalelei stepped in for Lawrence and rallied the Tigers from an 18-point first half deficit to down Boston College. Uiagalelei threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns along with running for a 30 yard touchdown. The other headline from the game was Clemson running back Travis Etienne became the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, passing NC State’s Ted Brown (4,602 yards). Clemson was also missing starting linebackers James Skalski and Mike Jones Jr., who were sitting out with injuries. In the defeat, Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec was 12/24 with 204 yards and 2 TD passes.

Wake Forest 38 – Syracuse 14:
Wake Forest picked up their 4th win of the season by completely dominating Syracuse on the road by the score of 38-14. The rushing tandem of Christian Beal-Smith and Kenneth Walker III led the Deacons with each averaging close to 5 yards per carry. Beal-Smith finished the game with 19 carries for 87 yards and Walker rushed 16 times for 79 yards and three TD’s. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman finished the game 19-33 for 250 yards and a score. This is Wake Forest’s fourth consecutive win after opening the season with loses to Clemson (37-13) and NC State (45-42).

#4 Notre Dame 31 – Georgia Tech 13:
Led by a dominating defense and an efficient offense, Notre Dame kept their perfect season alive with a convincing win over Georgia Tech. The Fighting Irish controlled things on offense by rushing for 227 yards, compared to just a season low 88 yards for Georgia Tech and controlled time of possession 36:54 to 23:06 for the Yellow Jackets. Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book was 18 of 26 for 199 yards and a TD. Running back Kyren Williams led the way on the ground with 15 carries for 76 yards and two TD’s. Defensively, defensive lineman Daelin Hayes registered four tackles along with two sacks for the Irish.

Virginia Tech 42 – Louisville 35:
After jumping out to a 21-0 led, Virginia Tech held on to defeat Louisville. Following a game against Wake Forest where he turned the ball over frequently, Hokies quarterback Hendon Hooker rebounded by completing all 10 of his passes for 183 yards and also rushing 19 times for 68 yards and three TD’s. Hooker also got help from running back Khalil Herbert, who rushed a season-high 21 times for 147 yards and a TD. Herbert has now done over 100 yards rushing in 5 of 6 Virginia Tech games. In defeat, Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham passed for 350 yards and three TD’s but also threw three interceptions. Cardinal running back Javian Hawkins continued his impressive season by rushing for 129 yards on just 17 carries (7.6 yards/carry).

Duke 53 – Charlotte 19:
As expected, Duke dominated Charlotte from the opening kickoff to pick up their second win of the 2020 season. The story of the game was Duke’s rushing game as they had two backs go over 100 yards. Mataeo Durant rushed 12 times for 104 yards and two TD’s, Deon Jackson had 10 carries for 101 yards and two TD’s and Jordan Waters chipped in 78 yards on five carries.

Virginia 44 – #15 North Carolina 41:
In shootouts, North Carolina usually comes out on top but not last night as Virginia outlasted the Tar Heels, to end a four-game losing streak. Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong lost the statistical battle with North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell but Armstrong won the most important thing, which was the game. Armstrong completed 12 of 22 passes for 208 yards and three TD’s while rushing for 66 yards and one TD. Howell finished the game with 443 yards passing and four TD’s and 0 interceptions. North Carolina WR Dyami Brown had a career-game with 11 catches for 240 yards and three TD’s. The play of the game was late in the game and his team holding onto a three point lead, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall called for a fake punt on 4th and 3 from the Virginia 40 yards. The Cavaliers converted and iced the game.

ACC STANDINGS:

Clemson: 6-0
Notre Dame: 5-0
Miami, Florida: 4-1
North Carolina: 4-2
Virginia Tech: 4-2
NC State: 4-2
Wake Forest: 3-2
Boston College: 3-3
PITT: 2-4
Virginia: 2-4
Georgia Tech: 2-4
Florida State: 1-4
Duke: 1-5
Louisville: 1-5
Syracuse: 1-5