ACC team notes

By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlantic Division

Boston College (7-4, 4-3)

Next game: at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

While the Eagles won’t be returning to the ACC title game, they’ve overachieved. They’re headed for their 11^th straight bowl despite being picked to win four or five games. ... The team’s 91 percent graduation rate paced the ACC and was one of only six in Division I at 90 percent or better. ... Freshman linebacker Luke Kuechly is coming off a 19-tackle performance.

Clemson (8-3, 6-2)

Next game: at South Carolina, noon Saturday

Clemson has won its past four by an average of 23.7 points. ... C.J. Spiller’s Heisman candidacy took a hit with his 58-yard rushing effort against Virginia. He needs monster games against South Carolina and Georgia Tech to have a shot. Spiller’s 15 touchdowns are three shy of the school’s single-season record of 18, set by Travis Zachery in 2000. His 2,066 all-purpose yards are an ACC record. ... The Tigers have won 10 of the last 12 against the Gamecocks.

Florida State (6-5, 4-4)

Next game: at Florida, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

The Seminoles, who have won four of their last five, need to play a perfect game to upset the top-ranked Gators, according to coach Bobby Bowden. “Ain’t nobody gonna beat them with an imperfect ballgame,” Bowden said. “They’re too good. We’d have to play the very best we can play and they’d have to turn the ball over.” ... FSU has lost five straight in the series. ... Former players gave retiring defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews a new garnet Ford crew cab pickup at his final home game last Saturday.

Maryland (2-9, 1-5)

Next game: vs. Boston College, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

It’s already the worst season in the Ralph Friedgen era. If Maryland loses to the Eagles, it will be the first 10-loss campaign in school history. Expect staff changes, at the least. ... Quarterback Jamarr Robinson is showing improvement. He threw for 214 yards and ran for 56 in the loss to Florida State. ... Da’Rel Scott returned from a broken wrist and ran for 83 yards on 19 carries. ... The Terps are 1-3 against B.C. since the Eagles joined the ACC.

N.C. State (4-7, 1-6)

Next game: vs. North Carolina, noon Saturday

Coach Tom O’Brien will enter his fourth season in Raleigh in 2010 and more will be expected. The Wolfpack has not finished with a winning record under O’Brien, although last year’s team went 6-6 in the regular season before losing a bowl game to Rutgers. Senior defensive end Willie Young said he wishes he had one more season at State. “I’m excited about the young guys,” he said. “I know they’re just going to light it up.” O’Brien, whose team suffered an inordinate number of injuries, said team morale remains high. “I don’t think we’ve lost anybody, by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.

Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5)

Next game: at Duke, noon Saturday

The Demon Deacons come off their off-week trying to end a five-game skid, their longest since 2000. Wake has won nine straight over Duke, but the last three have been decided by a total of nine points. ... The game matches Wake’s Riley Skinner and Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis. Both have thrown for 9,000 career yards, a first in 57 years of ACC football. ... Wake is 60-60 since the start of the 2000 season, so this game determines whether it finishes with a winning decade. Wake’s 22 seniors also need a victory to finish as the winningest class in school history.

Coastal Division

Duke (5-6, 3-4)

Next game: vs. Wake Forest, noon Saturday

Duke won’t play in a bowl for the 15^th straight year. Still, the Blue Devils have a chance to finish .500 overall and in the ACC. ... Thaddeus Lewis is third in ACC history with 9,678 passing yards. “I’m getting a lot more questions [from NFL scouts about him],” coach David Cutcliffe said. ... Wideout Donovan Varner has broken 16 plays for 20 or more yards. He caught eight balls for 165 yards against Miami. ... Duke has forced at least two turnovers five times this season.

Miami (8-3, 5-3)

Next game: at South Florida, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

The No. 19 Hurricanes aim for their first 10-win season since 2003, when they were 11-2. “It will be a bust if we lose the last two games with the remarkable season we’ve had this year,” quarterback Jacory Harris said. “We’ve had a couple of ups and downs this season, but at the same time we fought through a lot of things and have made it to where we are right now.” ... Miami won the only previous meeting with South Florida, 27-7, in 2005. ... Tight end Jimmy Graham, a converted basketball player, caught a career-high five balls for 73 yards last week.

North Carolina (8-3, 4-3)

Next game: at N.C. State, noon Saturday

The Tar Heels rebounded strongly after losing their first three ACC games. “There were a lot of nay-sayers out there who got on us when we started off bad,” quarterback T.J. Yates said. “It’s good, as a team, to come out of that hole.” ... UNC will try to break a two-game skid against the Wolfpack. ... Safety Deunta Williams celebrated his 21^st birthday last Saturday by making three interceptions in the 31-13 win over Boston College. “God gave me three gifts,” Williams said.

Virginia (3-8, 2-5)

Next game: vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

The Cavaliers lost by a field goal in this rivalry game last year and have dropped five straight in the series. “We might not have a bowl game,” defensive end Nate Collins told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “but we feel like beating Virginia Tech would be better than winning any six-win bowl game we were going to end up in anyway.” ... The Cavaliers’ eight losses are their most since 1986. ... Al Groh will coach his 178^th ACC game, which ranks fourth in conference history. Groh also coached at Wake Forest. This likely will be his last as UVA’s coach.

Virginia Tech (8-3, 5-2)

Next game: at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

After the Oct. 29 loss to North Carolina, the Hokies ranked 29^th in scoring and total defense nationally. Now they’re 13^th in both cateogies, with 16 points and 300.5 yards allowed per game. They are angling to finish in the top 10, just as they have the previous five seasons. ... Senior linebacker Cody Grimm leads the nation with seven forced fumbles, an ACC record. ... The Hokies have blocked just one kick this season, a Miami punt. Since coach Frank Beamer arrived in 1987, the Hokies have blocked at least two kicks every year.