ACC Football wrap-up
By Peter Bergman
Contributing Reporter

Florida State 48 - Duke 17

Florida State was outplayed in this game ... for all of one quarter. Duke tied the game early in the second quarter at 3-3, having out-gained the Seminoles up to that point. Then the 'Noles offense clicked as Chris Rix threw two touchdowns in a 21-point burst before halftime. They extended the lead to 45-3 in the second half before cruising to victory at Doak Campbell Stadium Sept. 21.

Duke fell to 0-1 in the ACC, and 1-3 overall, while Florida State appears to have regained the dominant form they displayed for a decade before last year, improving to 3-0 in league, 4-0 overall. The Seminoles threw for 404 yards behind 244 yards from Chris Rix.

N.C. State 51-Texas Tech 48

In one of the most exciting games last weekend in all of college football, N.C. State edged out Texas Tech in overtime after a furious comeback by the Red Raiders came up short. State blew a 38-10 lead in the second half, but kept their composure in the extra frame where they won on an 8-yard run by T.A. McLendon. In a game that was hyped as a match-up between quarterbacks Phillip Rivers and Kliff Kingsbury, two second-tier Heisman trophy candidates, it was McLendon that was most impressive. He ended up with 150 yards on 32 carries.

Upcoming:

Georgia Tech (3-1, 0-1 ACC) at North Carolina (1-2, 0-0 ACC)

This is an important matchup for both teams, as North Carolina is set for their ACC opener, and Georgia Tech looks to redeem itself after an opening loss to Clemson. Georgia Tech lost that game 24-19, but looked solid in their other three wins. UNC, however, was routed by Texas and upset by Miami of Ohio, a game in which they committed nine turnovers. North Carolina lost two Top-10 draft picks off their defensive line, but the defense has been playing relatively well. Quarterback Darian Durant needs to be more consistent under center for the Tar Heels; he has looked bad much more than good so far.

Georgia Tech is going to be hurt immensely from the loss of Tony Hollings, who was injured during the BYU game last week. It could turn out to be a good game; however, as five of the last seven meetings have been decided by less than seven points.

No. 4 Florida State (4-0, 3-0 ACC) at Louisville (2-2, 1-0 C-USA)

Florida State visits Louisville for this nationally televised game Sept. 26. Florida State's secondary will be tested by Heisman hopeful Dave Ragone who has thrown for 985 yards in his first four games. Louisville, which entered the season with high hopes and a No. 17 ranking, suffered an upset at the hands of Kentucky 22-17. They also lost to Colorado State, 36-33, as Ragone looked shaky at critical parts of the game.

The Seminoles had a scare in their first game of the season, blowing a 31-7 lead before winning 38-31 by stopping Iowa State on the one-yard line. Since then however, the Seminoles have cruised to victories over Maryland, Virginia and Duke, with none of them being close. This should be an aerial battle between Ragone and Rix.