Around the ACC: Week 6

Hopefully, you, our dear reader, are having a better week than Mario Cristobal is having after one of the most brutal, disheartening losses in ACC history.

Week 6 was a wild week for the ACC conference as we saw a former powerhouse further establish itself as a favorite, a current powerhouse struggle to move the ball offensively, Notre Dame’s ACC dominance end and… Miami.

The fourth quarter of Georgia Tech’s win over Miami was so chaotic that it deserves a deep dive.

Coming into this game, Miami was undefeated and ranked No. 17 in the AP poll. Georgia Tech was a team coming off a loss to Bowling Green.

That didn’t matter come game time. After two straight Miami drives ended with interceptions, the Yellow Jackets turned those miscues into 10 points in taking a 17-10 lead.

Miami did not flinch. On the next drive, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke found wide receiver Colbie Young for a 57-yard gain, and on the next play, running back Henry Parrish Jr. was able to punch it in from three yards out to tie the game.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King threw an interception on the next drive, giving the ball back to the Hurricanes inside the red zone.

Miami ended up going backward on that drive, but still mustered a field goal to take the lead. After Tech punted on their next drive, Miami took possession with five and a half minutes to go, and things were looking good for the unbeaten Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes went on a long, time-draining drive, picking up first downs with chunk running plays while forcing Tech to burn their timeouts.

Miami ran the clock down all the way to 33 seconds, and all they needed to do was get in victory formation and kneel one time to emerge victorious.

They did not.

Cristobal inexplicably called another run. Miami fumbled, Tech recovered.

Unfortunate for Miami, but it should not be that big of a deal. The Yellow Jackets had the ball at their own 26 with 25 seconds left and no timeouts. All they needed was one more defensive stand.

They could not.

After a 30-yard pass got Tech into Miami territory, wide receiver Christian Leary somehow got over the secondary down the field on a preventive defense. King found him, threw a perfect 44-yard pass and touchdown Georgia Tech. Final score: 23-20, Yellow Jackets.

What was a miracle for the Yellow Jackets is also a nightmare for the Hurricanes, and this type of loss can demoralize a team who all know they should still be undefeated.

Miami is going to need a short memory, as they take on unbeaten North Carolina next week in a game they need to win to stay in the ACC Championship mix. UNC is coming off a very strong showing in a massacre of the Syracuse Orange.

Elsewhere in the ACC, No. 25 Louisville used an opportunistic defense and a star outing from running back Jawhar Jordan to upset No. 10 Notre Dame 33-20.

The Cardinals’ secondary picked off Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman three times and Jordan ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns for Louisville, who jumped all the way to No. 14 in the AP poll after the win.

No. 4 Florida State continued to assert itself as the ACC favorite and a College Football Playoff hopeful after destroying Virginia Tech 39-17.

Running back Trey Benson contributed 200 yards on only 11 touches for the Seminoles, who used dominant first and fourth quarters to overcome a shaky middle part of the game.

Clemson hosted Wake Forest in a matchup that has ended in shootouts in recent years. While Clemson got the win by a final score of 17-12, their offensive struggles continued as quarterback Cade Klubnik struggled to move the ball through the air.

The Tigers avoided another embarrassing conference play loss, but there are still major issues for a team college football fans have gotten accustomed to seeing breeze through conference play.

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.