Associated Press
The ACC roundup …
WINSTON-SALEM ó Miami’s offense didn’t do a lot for most of the game while the defense couldn’t seem to stop Riley Skinner and the Wake Forest offense.
Yet none of that mattered, thanks to Jacory Harris and his opportunistic Hurricanes teammates.
Harris threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin with 1:08 left and No. 18 Miami rallied past the Demon Deacons 28-27 on Saturday.
Harris threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns for the Hurricanes (6-2, 3-2 ACC), who trailed 27-14 going into the final period. Despite being outplayed most of the way, Miami hung around thanks to some mistakes by Wake Forest ó then made its move when the Demon Deacons made a few too many.
The biggest was a muffed punt near the goal line that the Hurricanes recovered and quickly converted into a short touchdown. While the Demon Deacons still led 27-21, it gave the Hurricanes some momentum in a game that seemed to be slipping away only a few minutes earlier.
It was a frustrating finish for the Demon Deacons (4-5, 2-3), who scored the first 17 points and looked to be in control. Skinner looked sharp in leading their offense, throwing for 349 yards and touchdowns to Chris Givens and Tommy Bohanon while keeping Miami’s defense off balance with quick and accurate throws.
Clemson 49, Coastal 3
CLEMSON, S.C. ó Jacoby Ford was happy to give Clemson teammate C.J. Spiller a break. That’s what happens when you’ve got two of the fastest playmakers in college football.
Ford caught a touchdown and threw for another in the Tigers 49-3 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday. It was Clemson’s third straight win since a 2-3 start and improved the team to 23-0 all-time against Football Championship Subdivision opponents.
“We knew that we could drive the ball if we went out there and executed like we were supposed to,” Ford said.
Usually, it’s Spiller who executes best for the Tigers. He had a school-record 310 all-purpose yards, including his 18th and 19th touchdowns of 50 yards or more, in Clemson’s 40-37 overtime win at then eighth-ranked Miami last week.
But it was Ford who caught the game-winner against the Hurricanes last week, then kept up his momentum against the overmatched Chants (3-5).
“Like I’ve said before, we have guys that can make plays,” Ford said. “They just have to be given the opportunity.”