Sunday, Sep. 07, 2008

ACC Roundup: Ga. Tech scrambles to turnaround

BOSTON — After surviving three fumbles in the first half, Georgia Tech knew a big play of its own could quickly turn things around in the second.

“A couple of times when we called the play, we thought, ‘This is going to be it,’” quarterback Josh Nesbitt said after leading Georgia Tech to a 19-16 victory against Boston College on Saturday. “It only takes one play to score.”

Jonathan Dwyer scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 43-yard, fourth-quarter run, rushing for 108 yards as the Yellow Jackets came back from a turnover-filled first half to beat BC. Nesbitt ran for 50 yards, including a 30-yard scramble for a first down that helped Tech run out the clock and a 1-yard sneak on fourth-and-inches to clinch it.

“Our quarterback played well for us, once we stopped turning the ball over,” said Paul Johnson, who is the first Georgia Tech coach ever to win in his first Atlantic Coast Conference game. “I thought he made some great plays today. Some of our best plays were him scrambling, or taking it himself.”

Getting the game in before the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna swept through New England, BC took a 16-10 lead when Chris Crane hit Ifeanyi Momah on a tug-of-war touchdown pass with 3:03 left in the third. But Crane was sacked in the end zone by Vance Walker for a safety, and four plays after the free kick Dwyer broke free on a pitch around the right side for the touchdown.

“The problem with this team is, if you miss your assignment on one play, it could go to the house,” BC linebacker Mark Herzlich said. “That’s what happened.”

Nesbitt completed 6-of-13 passes for 73 yards, and he also ran it in from 1 yard out in the first quarter to give Tech a 7-3 lead.

VIRGINIA 16, RICHMOND 0

At Charlottesville, Va., Virginia’s Chase Minnifield stopped a late Richmond threat with an interception, and Vic Hall returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown to lead the Cavaliers.

Richmond kept it close until Mikell Simpson’s 1-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter finally gave Virginia (1-1) a little breathing room at 10-0.

N.C. STATE 34

WILLIAM & MARY 24

At Raleigh, backup quarterback Harrison Beck threw two touchdown passes to lead North Carolina State to its first win of the season.

Beck replaced Daniel Evans late in the second quarter and completed 17-of-25 passes for 246 yards for the Wolfpack (1-1). His 22-yard scoring strike to Jarvis Williams with 33 seconds left in the second quarter gave N.C. State a 14-0 lead.