The immediate aftermath of Georgia Tech's 30-27 overtime victory against Wake Forest has made Paul Johnson look like a coach who threw conventional wisdom aside to take a huge risk that ultimately paid off for his team.

In reality, Johnson's decision to keep his offense on the field on fourth down in overtime came as no surprise. He simply did what he does on a regular basis. He played the percentages, and he opted to try to win the game rather than attempt to avoid losing it.

For those who missed the drama in Atlanta, Georgia Tech trailed Wake Forest 27-24 after the Demon Deacons kicked a field goal on the first possession of overtime. The Yellow Jackets had two options — and everyone knows how much Johnson loves options — as they faced fourth and inches on the Wake Forest 5: kick a field goal to send the game into a second overtime or go for the first down and try to win the game.

Oh, and one more thing: Georgia Tech had been 0-for-4 converting fourth downs so far in the game. Even with that fact under consideration, Johnson's decision wasn't as difficult as many analysts are making it seem.

First of all, it's not like the potential 22-yard field goal was automatic. No kick under that kind of pressure is a sure thing for a college kicker, and Georgia Tech's Scott Blair (9-for-13 on field goals this season) had missed from 27 yards earlier in the season. Plus, even if they had made the kick, the Yellow Jackets had to defend Wake Forest at least one more possession. And in the second round of overtime, Wake Forest would have gotten the ball second. That means the Demon Deacons would have known what Georgia Tech did — touchdown, field goal or nothing — and had the opportunity to one-up it for the victory.

By going for the first down, Johnson removed all of those variables. He simply put the onus on his spread-option offense, which ranks second nationally in rushing and already had run for 407 yards at that point in the game.

"I play to win," Johnson said. "The kids work hard and put in a lot of time and effort. If we can't make an inch there, we don't deserve to win the game."

After talking with his coach during back-to-back timeouts — one by each team — quarterback Josh Nesbitt got the inch on fourth down. In fact, he gained 2 yards. One play later, he was standing in the end zone after a 3-yard touchdown run that won the game.

The play that set up the game-winning score provided a memorable moment after a dramatic decision. But given who Johnson is and what he stands for, he really had no choice other than to do what he did.

"Coach is the type of person you want to play for," Nesbitt said. "He keeps fighting until the end, and that makes the whole team fight until the end."

Scoreboard

Virginia Tech 16, East Carolina 3
Clemson 40, Florida State 24
Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 27, OT
Miami 52, Virginia 17
North Carolina 19, Duke 6
NC State 38, Maryland 31

Tigers claw way to top of Atlantic Division

Clemson and Georgia Tech, which met on the second Thursday of the season in a game the Yellow Jackets won 30-27 in Atlanta, could be headed for a rematch in Tampa. The Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1 ACC), who have ripped off seven consecutive wins for the first time since 2000, can clinch the Coastal Division title this week with a win at Duke. The Tigers (6-3, 4-2), sky high after their rout of Florida State, will join them in the ACC championship game if they beat NC State and Virginia in the next two weeks.

Clemson's resurgence in the first full season under Coach Dabo Swinney has been startling. The Tigers have posted four consecutive wins since limping into their bye week with a 2-3 record, benefiting from tremendous defense and Heisman Trophy-caliber play from senior tailback C.J. Spiller.

Clemson registered four interceptions against Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, who entered the game with three interceptions in 297 pass attempts for the entire season. Junior safety DeAndre McDaniel picked off Ponder's final pass, tying a school record with his eighth interception of the season and running over Ponder on the ensuing return.

Offensively, Spiller was nothing short of spectacular. Again. He racked up a school-record 312 all-purpose yards — he had totaled 310 all-purpose yards just two weeks before in a win over Miami — and rushed for a career-high 165 yards on 22 carries. He had a 45-yard run and a 58-yard touchdown catch, his eighth touchdown of 50-plus yards this season.

The touchdown catch came on the same route he ran against Miami for a 56-yard score. It's the same route Spiller has been terrorizing opponents with for two years, so it's not like the Seminoles were surprised. They were just powerless to match up against Spiller's elite sprinting speed.

"I doubt if anybody is playing better than him in the country," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "I look at the running back at Alabama, and he is mighty good, but Spiller is such a dynamic player. The happiest I was, was when he was off the field. I knew he couldn't get the ball. We talked all week about the wheel route, and he runs it one time, and it was about 90 miles per hour for a touchdown. That is why I say he is mighty hard to handle."

As good as things are for Clemson right now, the Tigers probably need to spend some extra time in practice this week on their kicking game. Clemson entered the FSU game having made 116 consecutive extra points, but the team misfired on three PATs against the Seminoles. Kicker Richard Jackson, who was just 2-for-4 on PATs, also missed field-goal tries of 38 and 26 yards.

FSU's Ponder does something not smart, for once

In addition to putting up big numbers on the field, Ponder also excels academically. FSU's fourth-year junior quarterback graduated summa cum laude with a finance degree in 2 1/2 years, and he is on track to complete his master's degree in business administration later this year. So, he's got plenty of smarts.

Ponder should have used his head — not his heart — after throwing his fourth interception against Clemson. Already ailing with bruised ribs that he suffered the previous week against NC State, Ponder raced over to try to tackle McDaniel in a game in which the outcome no longer was in doubt. He suffered a separated shoulder, which will require surgery and will keep him out for the rest of the season.

That leaves the Seminoles (4-5, 2-4) with redshirt freshman E.J. Manuel — he of four career pass attempts — under center as they fight for bowl eligibility. Florida State must win two of its final three games — at Wake Forest, home against Maryland and at Florida — to avoid its first sub-.500 regular season since 1976. A win in the Swamp in the regular-season finale is unlikely to say the least, so these next two games are crucial. Although Manuel was a high school All-American and has tremendous athletic ability, Florida State would be better off with Ponder's experience down the stretch.

UNC wins game, loses tailback

North Carolina looked dominant in its victory over Duke, finding a way to make due without starting tailback Shaun Draughn to win its second game in a row. Draughn suffered a broken shoulder blade on UNC's first play from scrimmage and will miss the rest of the season.

Junior Ryan Houston, who had been gaining playing time with UNC's base offense after starting the season as a short-yardage specialist, filled in admirably against the Blue Devils. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Houston, who entered the game with career highs of 18 carries and 74 rushing yards, bulled his way for 164 yards on 37 carries. He toted the ball on 10 of 12 plays on the game's lone touchdown drive.

The Tar Heels (6-3, 2-3) will benefit from Houston's bruising style — he can pick up tough yards even on plays in which the offensive line fails to create a running lane — but they will miss Draughn's speed and big-play ability this week against Miami.

The key matchup in that game is how well UNC's defense can contain Miami's high-powered offense. The Hurricanes (7-2, 4-2) rolled up a season-high 515 yards in their blowout win over Virginia, with 13 players catching passes and three players rushing for at least 50 yards. Plus, tailback Graig Cooper (career-high 152 yards on 18 carries against the Cavaliers) finally is healthy after being bothered by nagging injuries all season. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, rank fifth nationally in total defense and eighth in the country against the run. UNC held Duke to just 125 total yards, including 43 yards in the second half and 0 yards on 14 plays in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Tech's game at Duke and Clemson's game at NC State are bigger with regard to the divisional races, but this game could be the most interesting contest of the week in the conference. UNC coach Butch Davis, who was the head coach at Miami from 1995-2000 after working there as an assistant from 1984-88, is 2-0 against the Hurricanes since taking over the Tar Heels.

Quick slants

• Clemson's balance was nearly perfect against Florida State. The Tigers rolled up 483 total yards — 241 on the ground and 242 through the air. Clemson improved to 51-0-1 all time in games in which it gains at least 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing.

• Spiller was part of yet another record performance over the weekend, teaming up with classmate Jacoby Ford to set the NCAA career record for all-purpose yardage by a duo. Spiller and Ford now have combined for 10,334 yards, better than the previous mark of 10,253 set by San Diego State's Marshall Faulk and Darnay Scott from 1991-93.

• Duke (5-4, 3-2) had been averaging 440 total yards and 391 passing yards per game during its three-game winning streak, but the team generated just 125 total yards and 113 passing yards against the Tar Heels. Duke's tailbacks rushed for a combined 6 yards on nine carries against UNC.

• Georgia Tech B-back Jonathan Dwyer got off to a slow start this season, but "The Diesel" has been running at full speed lately. A week after rushing for a career-high 186 yards against Vanderbilt, Dwyer gained 189 yards on 23 carries against Wake Forest. He now has 1,093 rushing yards this season, making him the third player in school history with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons to his credit. He and Tashard Choice, now a member of the Dallas Cowboys, are the only players to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons at Georgia Tech.

• NC State became the last ACC team to record its first conference win of the season, ending a four-game losing streak with its victory over Maryland. The Wolfpack (4-5, 1-4) got three touchdown passes and a touchdown run from quarterback Russell Wilson, but they also allowed at least 30 points for a school-record sixth consecutive game.

• Virginia didn't enjoy many good moments in its loss at Miami, but the Cavaliers (3-6, 2-3) did block two punts in the same game for the first time since 1996.

• Not surprisingly, Virginia Tech star freshman Ryan Williams was able to shake off his late fumble that set up North Carolina's game-winning field goal a couple of Thursdays ago. Williams was back to his usual slashing and dashing at East Carolina, rushing for a career-high 179 yards on 26 caries to help the Hokies become bowl eligible for the 17th consecutive season. Williams enters this week with 1,109 rushing yards and is in position to break the school freshman record of 1,265 yards set by Darren Evans last season.

• The Hokies (6-3, 3-2) will be heavily favored when they go on the road to play a Maryland team that has lost four games in a row, but the Terrapins (2-7, 1-4) could be even more outmanned than usual. Senior quarterback Chris Turner, who injured his left knee in the second quarter against NC State and didn't return to the game, is questionable for this week. Sophomore Jamarr Robinson, who completed 5 of 11 passes for 27 yards in relief of Turner against the Wolfpack, will start if Turner can't.

• Wake Forest has suffered four consecutive losses for the first time since 2000. It's of no consolation to the Demon Deacons (4-6, 2-4), but they have to be the best 4-6 team in the country. Five of Wake Forest's losses have come by a combined 13 points, and two of them have come in overtime.

• A pair of dominating efforts by defensive ends deserve recognition. Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan posted six tackles and three sacks against Wake Forest, and North Carolina's Robert Quinn registered seven tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup on fourth down against Duke. All-ACC voters could do a lot worse than making those two guys the bookends on the all-conference first team.

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