TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Tar Heels' D Keys Win Against Yellow Jackets

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ryan Houston ran for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to help No. 19 North Carolina beat No. 22 Georgia Tech 28-7 on Saturday.
Cameron Sexton added two touchdown passes for the Tar Heels (7-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who earned a critical win in the muddled Coastal Division race and ensured their first winning season in seven years.

North Carolina - among the nation's leaders in turnover margin - also hung in defensively against the Yellow Jackets' triple-option offense and converted a pair of fumbles into Houston's touchdowns to break the game open.

Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3) finished with 326 yards rushing and 423 total yards, but never could sustain a scoring drive nor push deeper than the Tar Heels' 23-yard line until Jonathan Dwyer's 85-yard touchdown run - the longest rush allowed by North Carolina - with 6 minutes left.

By then, however, the Tar Heels already had a 21-0 lead.

North Carolina's offense didn't give its defense much help, getting Sexton's touchdown pass to Zack Pianalto on the opening drive but little else for the next two-plus quarters.

BOSTON COLLEGE 17,

NOTRE DAME 0

BOSTON - Paul Anderson intercepted Jimmy Clausen twice, running one back 76 yards for a touchdown, as Boston College beat Notre Dame and extended its winning streak against the Fighting Irish to six in a row.

With the victory, BC (6-3) pulled even in the all-time series between the nation's only catholic schools playing top-tier football - a tally that was unthinkable only a decade ago, when Notre Dame had won eight of 10 matchups and had 11 consensus national championships to one for Boston College.

Clausen threw four interceptions for the Irish (5-4), who also had a fumble and a blocked punt.

BC avoided a three-game losing streak and qualified for a bowl game for the 10th year in a row.

WAKE FOREST 28, VIRGINIA 17

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Brandon Pendergrass rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown, Kevin Patterson returned an interception for another score and Wake Forest surged to the top of the jumbled Atlantic Coast Conference standings with a win against Virginia.

Behind a dominant defense that forced four turnovers and stymied the league's most accurate passer, the Demon Deacons ended years of futility against the Cavaliers, moved atop the Atlantic Division and became bowl eligible for the third straight year.

Riley Skinner threw touchdown passes to Ben Wooster and Devon Brown for Wake Forest (6-3, 4-2), which had lost 20 of 21 games to Virginia, including 10 straight at home.

But in holding on after building a 28-3 halftime lead, Wake Forest positioned itself to reach the ACC title game for the second time in three years. Wake Forest needs wins over North Carolina State and Boston College and one loss by Maryland to reach another goal and continue the best stretch in school history.

Virginia (5-5, 3-3) could have moved into sole possession of first place in the Coastal Division with a win, but didn't reach the end zone until the fourth quarter and lost its second straight game.

N.C. STATE 27, DUKE 17

DURHAM, N.C. - Redshirt freshman Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns and matched a season high with 218 yards passing to help North Carolina State beat Duke and snap a four-game losing streak.

J.C. Neal returned a kickoff 89 yards for the go-ahead score for N.C. State (3-6, 1-4), which entered as the only team winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play but scored on its first four possessions to win the matchup of the league's two last-place teams.

Thaddeus Lewis was 37 of 52 for 317 yards with two touchdowns for Duke (4-5, 1-4), which had three plays from the 1-yard line on its opening drive of the second half but came away with no points.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT