With the lingering memory of last season's 51–7 shellacking serving as motivation, Georgia Tech avenged its lopsided loss to Virginia Tech with its own brand of Beamerball.

The Yellow Jackets turned up the defensive pressure on Frank Beamer's team and got a little help from special teams – a Virginia Tech specialty – as well. Georgia Tech's Troy Garside blocked a Nich Schmitt punt, setting up tailback Tashard Choice's 5-yard touchdown run for a 21–0 lead. The Jackets needed just 12 offensive snaps to seize momentum in the game, then withstood a pair of Reggie Ball interceptions in the second quarter to hang on.

Virginia Tech was limited to a pair of Brandon Pace field goals after Ball's miscue before the Jackets regained complete control just 90 seconds into the second half. That's when Jackets linebacker Philip Wheeler smothered Hokies quarterback Sean Glennon, forcing a fumble. Gary Guyton picked up the ball and raced 38 yards for a touchdown and an insurmountable 31–13 lead. Three plays later Adamm Oliver recovered another Glennon fumble and Choice's 10-yard touchdown run made it 38–13.

An A-Wakening in Winston-Salem
A rare sellout crowd of Groves Stadium will await Saturday's showdown between the ACC Atlantic Division-leading Wake Forest Demon Deacons and No. 15 Clemson.

Off to its first 5–0 start since 1987 – and the last unbeaten team in the ACC – the Deacs will try and get to 6–0 for the first time in 62 years against the Tigers, after squashing overmatched I-AA Liberty 34–14.

It will mark the third time in the last four years the Tigers have visited Winston-Salem. Wake Forest has won the last home games 45–17 (2003) and 31–27 (2005), though the teams have split the last four meetings. Four of the last five games have been decided by eight points or less.

Even more rare than the sellout, the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Tiger trio hits for C-note
Clemson tailbacks James Davis, C.J. Spiller and  Demerick Chancellor each eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark as the Tigers mauled Louisiana Tech, 51–0 Saturday in Death Valley.

"Their offensive line is as good as I've seen," Louisiana Tech coach Jack Bicknell said.

The Tigers' veteran five-man front opened gaping holes for their trio of backs, who combined for 393 rushing yards. Davis led the way with 143 yards on 11 carries despite playing just one half, yet still found time to score a pair of touchdowns for the fourth consecutive game. Spiller added 127 on 15 totes, while Chancellor, a freshman, completed the mop-up with 113 on 11 carries.

Clemson is averaging 358.5 yards a game on the ground over its last two games.

It was the first shutout win for the Tigers since a 38–0 drubbing of The Citadel in 2000.

BC drops Black Bears, 22–0
Boston College and Maine are bitter rivals in the ice hockey rink, but the Black Bears were no match for the Eagles on the football field.

Still recovering from a 17–15 upset loss at N.C. State, the Eagles broke up a 3–0 game in the second quarter with a safety following a blocked punt and tailback Andre Callendar's 25-yard touchdown run. Short-yardage specialist Brian Toal's touchdown run with 3:14 to play in the third capped the scoring.

The sloppy win – BC turned the ball over twice and failed to capitalize on four turnovers by its I-AA visitors – earned the Eagles an 11-day reprieve before playing host to Virginia Tech on Oct. 12

The Eagles' much-maligned defense limited the Black Bears to 148 total yards.

'Hoos squelch upset talk
Virginia's labor-intensive offense may still be a work in progress, but the Cavaliers' defense was far more than upset-minded host Duke could handle.

The Cavaliers forced five turnovers, including three interceptions of Blue Devils' freshman quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, as Duke suffered its third shutout loss of the season.

Duke managed just 100 total yards on 61 plays; a problem that was compounded by a blocked punt to set Jason Snelling's 1-yard touchdown run. Lewis' fumbled snap led to a UVa field goal, and he coughed up the ball in the third quarter, which freshman defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald intercepted. Fitzgerald also returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown as the Cavaliers broke a two-game losing streak with their first ACC win of the season.

Player of the week: Georgia Tech, WR, Calvin Johnson
For the second consecutive week Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson has stood head-and-shoulders above the competition. Collecting six receptions from quarterback Reggie Ball for 115 yards and pair of touchdowns against Virginia Tech, Johnson notched his ninth career 100-yard game. The ACC leader in receptions (25), yardage (426) and touchdowns (7) has caught at least one pass in all 29 of his career games.

Game of the Week: Georgia Tech 38, Virginia Tech 27
Georgia Tech wrestled control of the Coastal Division lead by dispatching the Hokies 38–27 in Blacksburg, Va., the scene of last season's 51–7 massacre. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 21–0 lead against a Virginia Tech team that won the ACC title in 2004 and the division in 2005 and held on.

Freshmen of the Week
One week after attempting just five passes in a 27–3 rout of Ole Miss, Wake Forest redshirt freshman quarterback Riley Skinner was 13-of-21 for 218 yards with a touchdown in a blowout of I-AA Liberty. ... Virginia defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald came up big in the Cavaliers' 27–0 whitewash of Duke with a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown, an interception and three tackles. ... Miami tailback Javarris James celebrated his first career start by setting the Hurricanes' freshman record with 148 rushing yards on 18 carries, including a TD. ... Clemson tailback C.J. Spiller was one of three Tiger backs to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a 51–0 rout of Louisiana Tech. Spiller piled up 127 yards on 15 carries to go with two touchdowns.

Noteworthy
•    Wake Forest improved to 5–0 for the first time since 1987 with a 34–14 win over I-AA Liberty heading into Saturday's home game with Clemson.

•    Virginia cornerback Marcus Hamilton picked off a pair of passes against Duke and is tied for second among active NCAA I-A players with 13 career thefts.

•    The quarterback position is the best indicator of the ACC's youth movement. The 12 league teams have started 18 different quarterbacks through five weeks, nine of whom have made their first starts.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds