By Carlos Pineda
SouthernPigskin.com

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FSU won its 23rd-straight win with a thrilling 31-27 win over Notre Dame

This is the way its supposed to be. A battle of top five teams that lived up to the hype and delivered a thrilling game. Florida State came out on top, but boy did it need to dig deep to get this win. The Seminoles survived Notre Dames upset effort to remain undefeated.

Heres a look at how the ACC did in week eight:

Pitt 21, Virginia Tech 16 (Thursday)

The Panthers took an early 14-3 lead and just when Virginia Tech mounted a comeback, running back James Conner scored a 13-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to ensure Pitt wouldn’t let this one slip away. As a result, the Panthers ended a three-game losing streak and are currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Coastal Division with a 2-1 record. Pitt quarterback Chad Voytik had a career night as he ran for a career-high 118 yards. ACC leading rusher Conner gained 85 yards. The Hokies got off to a slow start, struggling to run the ball (26 rushing yards) and going only 2 of 14 in third down attempts. Even so, Virginia Tech cut into a 12-point deficit late in the fourth quarter when Michael Brewer threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cam Phillips to make it 21-16. But on the Hokies last-ditch effort, a fourth-and-long pass attempt sailed high with 1:08 left and Pitt ran out the clock.

Syracuse 30, Wake Forest 7

The Orange snapped a four-game losing streak with a big defensive performance. Syracuse held an already poor Wake Forest offense to 170 total yards, while scoring two defensive touchdowns. Quarterback AJ Long scored the lone offensive touchdown for the Orange x94 a four-yard run in the first quarter x94 and Syracuse slowly pulled away. Demon Deacons’ QB John Wolford left with an injury in the second quarter after being hit by Syracuse linebacker Dyshawn Davis. The play resulted in a fumble, which the Orange returned 42 yards for a score to take a 17-7 lead with five minutes left in the quarter.

Duke 20, Virginia 13

The Blue Devils have rebounded nicely since losing to Miami three weeks ago. With wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia, Duke took control of the Coastal. Despite playing spotty, the Blue Devils made it count when they needed to. After allowing a 10-0 lead evaporate, they took the lead for good after backup quarterback Thomas Sirk threw a three-yard touchdown pass to David Reeves with seven minutes remaining. While the Cavaliers outgained Duke 465-334, they failed to produce turnovers. Virginia entered Saturday’s contest with a 2-0 record in the division, but is now in a three-way tie for first with the Blue Devils and Pitt. Cavaliers’ quarterback Matt Johns passed for a career-high 306 yards, but had only one touchdown pass in a low scoring game.

Clemson 17, Boston College 13

The Tigers once again relied a huge defensive performance and the offensive delivered in a critical moment as running back C.J. Davidson scored a 32-yard touchdown with nine minutes left to lift Clemson. The offense struggled for the second consecutive game without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who broke a finger last week, but prevailed. The Eagles had a chance to win the game on a fourth-and-15 play from the Clemson 31, but an open Tyler Rouse could not hold onto the ball in the end zone. The Tigers held Boston College’s fourth-ranked rushing attack to a season low 120 yards as Clemson won its fourth straight game. Tyler Murphy was held to 55 rushing yards.

Louisville 30, NC State 18

The Cardinals held off NC State and bounced back from an agonizing loss to Clemson last week. Former Auburn running back Michael Dyer had his breakout game in his first start, gaining 173 rushing yards and scoring the clinching 46-yard touchdown run with 44 seconds left. Receiver DeVante Parker added nine catches for 132 yards, as the offense was able to put up points. For the Wolfpack, Jacoby Brissett passed for 223 yards and two touchdowns, but NC State trailed the entire game.

North Carolina 48, Georgia Tech 43

The Tar Heels are quite familiar with disappointment this season. But on Saturday night, they re-wrote the script by scoring more points than the opposition to beat Georgia Tech in yet-another high-scoring affair. Despite yielding 611 total yards and 43 points, North Carolina won the game on a two-yard run from T.J. Logan with 11 seconds left. Despite blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, UNC but had enough in the tank to knock off the Yellow Jackets, who have now dropped two games in a row after starting 5-0. Marquise Williams passed for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas got into the mix too as he completed eight passes for 235 yards and three scores. The Jackets rushed for 376 yards and appeared to be victorious after DeAndre Smelter gave them a 43-42 lead on a 75-yard run with 3:07 left. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be enough.

Florida State 31, Notre Dame 27

The Seminoles survived the best shot taken at them all season. In the face of a better opponent, FSU rallied in the second half to outscore Notre Dame 21-10 for the victory. Quarterback Jameis Winston was nearly perfect in the final two quarters, throwing just one incompletion. The Seminoles took the Irishs best shot and it seemed to be enough to slay FSU. But the go-ahead score with 13 seconds left was called back for on an offensive pass interference call. Florida States defense continued to give up big plays, but the Noles kept toe-to-toe with Notre Dame before finally taking the lead for good with 7:39 to play. Rashad Greene once again was lights out (eight catches 108 yards and a touchdown) and Travis Rudolph stepped up with a six-reception, 80-yard performance.

Looking Back at Week 8:

x94 To say the Seminoles were tested is quite an understatement. But it was impressive to see just how they responded to everything Notre Dame threw their way. The Irish were by far the better team in this one, but it was FSUs unwavering play and attitude that won the game.

x94 It seems like every week theres a shuffle in the Coastal Division. Georgia Tech looked poised to be the front-runner two weeks ago after starting off 5-0. But now the Yellow Jackets have lost two straight games to Duke and North Carolina. Virginia got a surprising win against Louisville back in September and after beating Pitt last week was in sole possession of first place. Now the Blue Devils have the inside track by virtue of a 20-13 win over Virginia.

Looking Ahead to Week 9:

x94 Miami faces Virginia Tech Thursday night with the loser sitting with three conference losses. Both teams are desperate for a win to keep in contention.

x94 Virginia can stay in the hunt with Duke if it can beat North Carolina at home. This could be a high-scoring affair.

x94 Georgia Tech at Pitt could be an elimination game of sorts. Pitt is 2-1 in the league and still has to play Duke, while Georgia Tech is 2-2. Even with two conference losses, the Jackets are still alive in the race.

Week 9 Schedule:

Thursday

Miami at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m. ET

Saturday

North Carolina at Virginia, Noon ET

Boston College at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m. ET

Georgia Tech at Pitt, 3:30 p.m. ET

Syracuse at Clemson, 7 p.m. ET