By Chatham Journal staff
Pittsboro, NC – All 12 games involving ACC teams are final. The weekend produced five conference games, with Pitt, Miami, Clemson, Louisville and Duke collecting ACC victories. Outside the league, Virginia Tech delivered a notable Power Four road win at Maryland, while Florida State, NC State and Virginia lost their nonconference tests.
| Date | Final | ACC team record after game | ACC record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 17 | Pitt 27, Syracuse 13 | Pitt 3-0; Syracuse 1-2 | Pitt 1-0; Syracuse 0-1 |
| Sept. 18 | No. 5 Miami 33, Wake Forest 20 | Miami 3-0; Wake 2-1 | Miami 2-0; Wake 0-1 |
| Sept. 19 | Georgia Tech 44, Mercer 11 | Georgia Tech 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Sept. 19 | Clemson 28, North Carolina 20 | Clemson 2-1; UNC 2-1 | Clemson 1-0; UNC 0-1 |
| Sept. 19 | Vanderbilt 35, NC State 31 | NC State 1-2 | 0-1 |
| Sept. 19 | Boston College 22, Maine 16 | Boston College 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Sept. 19 | No. 10 Alabama 50, Florida State 36 | Florida State 1-2 | 0-1 |
| Sept. 19 | No. 23 Louisville 41, No. 16 SMU 31 | Louisville 2-1; SMU 2-1 | Louisville 1-0; SMU 1-1 |
| Sept. 19 | California 49, Wagner 7 | Cal 2-1 | 1-0 |
| Sept. 19 | Duke 35, Stanford 7 | Duke 3-0; Stanford 1-2 | Duke 1-0; Stanford 0-2 |
| Sept. 19 | West Virginia 38, No. 25 Virginia 27 | Virginia 2-1 | 1-0 |
| Sept. 19 | Virginia Tech 35, Maryland 26 | Virginia Tech 3-0 | 0-0 |
North Carolina ACC Football Teams
The regional picture was mixed: Duke went 1-0, while UNC, NC State and Wake Forest all lost. Duke emerged from the weekend as the state’s lone unbeaten ACC program at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Duke 35, Stanford 7
Duke Blue Devils delivered the state’s most convincing performance. Running back Nate Sheppard rushed for 154 yards on 23 carries and accounted for three touchdowns – two rushing and one receiving. Duke piled up 268 rushing yards and held Stanford to 237 total yards.
The Blue Devils improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the ACC, winning their fifth consecutive conference opener. Sheppard has already surpassed 500 rushing yards through three games. Stanford fell to 1-2 and 0-2 in league play.
Takeaway: Duke’s running game is becoming one of the early defining strengths among the four North Carolina ACC programs. The Blue Devils have followed victories over Tulane and Illinois with a 28-point conference win.
Clemson 28, North Carolina 20
North Carolina Tar Heels led by 14 points in the first half, but Clemson rallied in a game disrupted by a lightning delay of roughly 2½ hours.
Clemson running back Gideon Davidson rushed for 105 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes remaining. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, making his first career start, completed 20 of 29 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown.
UNC running back Benjamin Hall rushed for 135 yards and caught a touchdown pass, while quarterback Billy Edwards finished 13 of 30 for 135 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Clemson improved to 2-1, 1-0 ACC, while UNC dropped to 2-1, 0-1 ACC.
Takeaway: This was a missed opportunity for the Tar Heels. UNC had Clemson under substantial pressure before the long weather interruption but couldn’t close out its ACC opener.
Vanderbilt 35, NC State 31
NC State Wolfpack fell to 1-2 overall and remained 0-1 in the ACC with the four-point nonconference loss in Nashville.
The result is particularly notable because it followed NC State’s extraordinary 73-0 victory over Richmond, when the Wolfpack accumulated a school-record 734 yards of total offense, including 428 rushing yards.
Takeaway: NC State has now lost both of its Power Four games – Virginia and Vanderbilt – while its lone victory came against FCS Richmond. The Wolfpack returns home next week for its Sept. 26 matchup with Appalachian State.
No. 5 Miami 33, Wake Forest 20
Wake Forest Demon Deacons mounted a second-half challenge against one of the nation’s highest-ranked teams, but Miami’s defense shut down four consecutive fourth-quarter possessions.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah completed his first 24 passes, setting an ACC single-game record for consecutive completions to start a game. He finished 30 of 34 for 220 yards and three touchdowns and extended his streak across two games to 35 consecutive completions, also an ACC record.
Wake quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns. The Demon Deacons pulled within 31-20 early in the fourth quarter, but Miami subsequently recorded a safety, two fourth-down stops and an Ethan O’Connor interception.
Wake was also hurt by 13 penalties for 137 yards.
Miami improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 ACC, while Wake Forest fell to 2-1 and 0-1.
Takeaway: Wake demonstrated it could challenge a top-five opponent but repeatedly undermined its comeback with penalties and failed fourth-quarter possessions.
Around the ACC
Pitt 27, Syracuse 13
Pitt established itself on the ground, rushing for 245 yards. Damon Ferguson Jr. produced 102 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown, while La’Vell Wright and quarterback Mason Heintschel also scored rushing touchdowns.
Pitt moved to 3-0 and 1-0 ACC; Syracuse fell to 1-2 and 0-1.
Georgia Tech 44, Mercer 11
Justice Haynes rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and another receiving, as Georgia Tech earned its first victory after opening with losses to Colorado and Tennessee.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 1-2.
Boston College 22, Maine 16
BC survived a much tighter game than expected. Evan Dickens broke a 39-yard touchdown run, while Mason McKenzie threw a 31-yard scoring pass and finished 14 of 21 for 173 yards with two interceptions.
Linebacker KP Price intercepted two passes for the Eagles.
Boston College improved to 2-1 ahead of its ACC opener against Virginia Tech.
No. 23 Louisville 41, No. 16 SMU 31
One of the weekend’s biggest ACC games featured eight lead changes.
Louisville’s Keyjuan Brown rushed for a career-high 163 yards and two long touchdowns, while Lincoln Kienholz passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score.
The decisive sequence came late. Isaac Brown’s 27-yard touchdown put Louisville ahead by 10, and the Cardinals then forced SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings to fumble just before crossing the goal line, with the ball rolling through the end zone for a touchback.
Louisville improved to 2-1 and 1-0 ACC; SMU fell to 2-1 and 1-1.
California 49, Wagner 7
Cal generated 626 yards of offense behind a career day from quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw for 413 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-33 passing.
Running back Adam Mohammed scored three first-quarter touchdowns, while safety Kingston Lopa recorded another interception – his NCAA-leading fifth of the season.
Cal improved to 2-1 overall while remaining 1-0 in ACC play.
No. 10 Alabama 50, Florida State 36
Florida State’s second consecutive loss dropped the Seminoles to 1-2 overall and 0-1 ACC. It followed FSU’s 27-24 conference loss to SMU, decided by a field goal with 21 seconds remaining.
The result gives Florida State two losses against ranked opponents through three games.
West Virginia 38, No. 25 Virginia 27
Virginia suffered its first defeat after opening with convincing victories over NC State and Norfolk State.
The Cavaliers entered the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 2-0 after outscoring their first two opponents 93-11.
Virginia falls to 2-1 overall but remains 1-0 in the ACC.
Virginia Tech 35, Maryland 26
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns, and Virginia Tech scored touchdowns on five of its first six possessions.
The Hokies built a 35-14 lead entering the fourth quarter and held off Maryland’s comeback to improve to 3-0 under James Franklin.
The victory also ended Maryland’s 20-game nonconference winning streak. (Atlantic Coast Conference)
North Carolina snapshot after Week 3
| Team | Overall | ACC | Week 3 result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 3-0 | 1-0 | W 35-7 vs. Stanford |
| North Carolina | 2-1 | 0-1 | L 28-20 at Clemson |
| Wake Forest | 2-1 | 0-1 | L 33-20 vs. No. 5 Miami |
| NC State | 1-2 | 0-1 | L 35-31 at Vanderbilt |
The clearest regional development is Duke’s start. The Blue Devils are the only one of North Carolina’s four ACC programs still unbeaten and the only one to own an ACC victory through Sept. 19. UNC and Wake each suffered their first losses this weekend, while NC State has dropped two of its first three.