Associated Press
The ACC roundup …CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ó Cedric Peerman ran for 173 yards and two long touchdowns, and Virginia turned back a second-half East Carolina rally for a Z35-20 victory Saturday.
East Carolina converted a pair of interceptions into an early 6-0 lead. But Peerman rallied the Cavaliers (3-3) with scoring runs of 78 and 60 yards, and the rout was on.
Or so it seemed after Mikell Simpson added a 5-yard touchdown run to cap a 61-yard drive, and Marc Verica connected with Kevin Ogletree on a 30-yard touchdown pass for a 28-6 halftime lead.
But the Pirates (3-3) got a lift from Dwayne Harris’ 59-yard return of the second-half kickoff and cut the lead to 28-20 on Jonathan Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run and Patrick Pinkney’s 10-yard scoring pass to Brandon Simmons.
The momentum seemed clearly in East Carolina’s favor after Virginia turned the ball over on downs at the Pirates’ 33. But Pinkney fumbled on a sack by Matt Conrath, and the Cavaliers’ Alex Field recovered at the 24 midway through the fourth quarter.
Virginia stalled at the 12 and lined up for an apparent field goal attempt. Holder Scott Deke, a senior backup quarterback, took the snap and tossed his first career touchdown pass to a wide-open John Phillips to make it 35-20.
East Carolina’s dim hopes vanished with another Pinkney fumble, recovered by Clint Sintim, with just over two minutes left.
Miami 20, Central Florida 14
MIAMI ó Graig Cooper had a career-high 23 rushes for 90 yards, including the clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter and Miami pulled out a sloppy 20-14 victory over Central Florida to snap a two-game losing streak.
Ga. Tech 10, G-Webb 7
ATLANTA ó Derrick Morgan tipped a 43-yard field goal attempt by Gardner-Webb’s Ryan Gates with three seconds left, helping Georgia Tech squeak out a difficult 10-7 victory over an FCS opponent.
Despite boasting a ground game that ranked fifth in the nation, the Yellow Jackets (5-1) rushed for just 79 yards, nearly 210 under their average.