Week 11 off ACC football was a great one for rivalries, rallies and onside kicks. It wasn’t a very good week for referees.

Both on the field and in the replay booth.

The bottom line is that Florida State is still undefeated. Louisville will have to wait another week for a chance to clinch a spot in the conference title game. And North Carolina still has possession of the Victory Bell thanks to another standout performance from Drake Maye.

There were also 3 onside kicks in situations other than the one we’re used to seeing them, 2 of which were recovered by the kicking team – Virginia Tech and Duke.

Which brings us to the zebras.

Their week got off to a rough start on Thursday when they raised the ire of Virginia fans on social media by picking flags 3 times on calls that would have resulted in major penalties on Louisville.

Both teams in the FSU-Miami game were unhappy with missed calls that were inexplicably allowed to stand after video review. The most egregious was a sack of Seminoles’ quarterback Jordan Travis that should have been – but wasn’t – ruled a safety.

The coupe de grace came in the final game of the weekend. While it’s debatable whether a ball that was ruled a catch by UNC’s Bryson Nesbit should instead have been a Duke interception or not, there’s no question that Tar Heels offensive lineman Willie Lampkin was 5 yards downfield in the end zone on the 2-point conversion pass in the 2nd overtime that turned out to be the difference in the game.

Now that we’ve learned how bad the ACC’s officials were, let’s go to school and see what we learned about the teams that actually played the game.

Boston College

The Eagles put together a 5-game winning streak on the strength of a ground attack that leads the ACC in rushing at 212 yards per game. But as we learned Saturday, it’s tough to stick with a running game – even one as potent as BC’s when you fall behind early by multiple scores.

That’s what happened to Jeff Hafley’s team at Virginia Tech.

Thomas Castellanos was intercepted twice in the 1st quarter and the Eagles dug themselves into a 31-7 hole by halftime, rendering them 1-dimensional the rest of the way. It didn’t help that top running backs Kye Robichaux and Pat Garwo were out with injuries, but BC was held to a season-low 124 rushing yards in a 48-22 loss.

Clemson

Remember that misguided fake punt from the Tigers’ own 30-yard-line in the 2015 ACC Championship Game that prompted Dabo Swinney to chew out his punter on the sideline for trying it? Well, Saturday against Georgia Tech, we learned that the Tigers still haven’t learned that it’s not a good idea to try fake punts from that deep in your own territory.

Aidan Swanson was stopped short of the yard to gain on a 4th-and-9 play from the Clemson 21.
This time, though, the fake appeared to be a planned play. And it showed us how much confidence Swinney has in his defense. Because even though the Yellow Jackets converted the opportunity into the game’s 1st touchdown, the Tigers dominated the rest of the way. They intercepted 4 passes, including a pick-6 by true freshman Shelton Lewis, to keep Tech off the scoreboard again until long after the outcome was decided. All 4 of the interceptions were by freshmen.

We also learned that with their 6th win, the Tigers will be going to a bowl for the 19th year in a row.

Duke

Some quarterbacks go their entire careers without leading clutch game-saving drives late in regulation. True freshman Grayson Loftis has done it each of the first 2 starts.

Last week, he drove the Blue Devils for the winning field goal as time expired to beat Wake Forest. Although Saturday’s heroics didn’t result in a victory, we still learned a lot about the poise and talent possessed by the 3rd stringer who was forced into action because of injuries to Riley Leonard and Henry Belin IV.

Loftis capped a 9-play, 75-yard drive by hitting Jordan Moore with a 30-yard touchdown pass on 4th down to give Duke a 36-33 lead with 41 seconds remaining in regulation. Then in the 2nd overtime he got his team into the end zone again, this time on a 6-yard completion to Moore.

Loftis finished the game 16-of-128 for 189 yards and 3 scores in a performance that would have made him an instant Blue Devils legend had officials chosen to review a controversial call late in regulation or his final pass on the decisive 2-point conversion attempt not been broken up.

Florida State

The Seminoles got big plays from their best players – quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson and receiver Keon Coleman among them – to win their 3rd straight against Miami and finish off a perfect ACC schedule for the first time since 2014.

But as we learned during a 2nd quarter in which they were held to minus-1 yard rushing, and again late in the game after going up by 2 touchdowns before having to hold on for dear life, they still haven’t learned how to keep the hammer down and put opponents away when they have the chance.

Georgia Tech

We learned that even in a “down” year for Clemson, the Yellow Jackets still can’t figure out a way to beat the Tigers. Saturday’s loss at Death Valley was their 9th straight in the series dating to 2014. It’s their longest losing streak in the 90-game history of the rivalry.

Although anything is possible, this latest setback has made next week’s game against Syracuse a win-or-else proposition for Brent Key’s team to get the 1 win it still needs for bowl eligibility. Tech hasn’t been to the postseason since 2018. Its final regular season game is against 2-time defending national champion Georgia.

Louisville

The Cardinals, ranked No. 11 in the CFB Playoff rankings, moved one step closer to a date with Florida State in the ACC Championship Game by beating Virginia. But as we learned earlier in the season against Pittsburgh, Jeff Brohm’s team has a habit of playing up or down to the competition.

It took recovering a blocked punt in the end zone and 17 4th-quarter points for Louisville to survive another upset bid and improve to 9-1 overall (6-1 ACC). If there’s one positive that we learned about the Cardinals despite their balky performance, it’s that they have a deep, talented running backs room.

While Jawhar Jordan picked up 95 yards on 17 carries to nearly match his per-game average of 97, which ranks 2nd in the conference, his backup Isaac Guerendo provided the biggest run of the game with a 73-yard dash for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:24 to go. It was the 2nd straight game in which Guerendo came up big. He scored 3 touchdowns a week earlier in a lopsided win against Virginia Tech.

Miami

The Hurricanes might have lost their rivalry game to No. 4 Florida State. But in the process, they showed us that they’re a much better team with freshman Emory Williams at quarterback than with Tyler Van Dyke.

Williams didn’t put up spectacular numbers against the Seminoles on Saturday. But he did put them in a position to tie the game and force overtime when Miami got the ball back with 4 1/2 minutes remaining, down by only a touchdown.

Unfortunately for Mario Cristobal’s team, Williams suffered what appeared to be a serious injury while scrambling for a drive-extending 1st down and was taken from the field with an inflatable cast on his left arm. Any hopes for a comeback were then dashed when Van Dyke was intercepted by FSU’s Jarrian Jones on a bad decision to throw late, back over the middle, while on the run. It was the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year’s 11th interception in his past 5 games – 4 of them Hurricanes losses.

North Carolina

The football rivalry between the Tar Heels and Duke isn’t nearly as hyped as the 2 games each year that the neighboring schools play on the basketball court. But as we learned from the field-storming celebration following UNC’s double-overtime win to retain possession of the Victory Bell late Saturday night, it still means a lot to the folks in Carolina blue.

It was the Tar Heels’ 5th straight win against the Blue Devils and Mack Brown’s 13th straight dating to his first tenure in Chapel Hill. But it didn’t come easy. It took a 342-yard passing performance by Maye, a desperation drive for the tying field goal in the final 41 seconds of regulation and a little luck for UNC to pull out the victory and avoid a 3rd straight 4th-quarter collapse against an ACC opponent.

The luck came in the form of the previously mentioned jump ball that was ruled a catch by Nesbit, setting up a late UNC touchdown and the missed call on the ineligible receiver downfield on the winning conversion play.

Beyond all that, we learned that after several seasons of balky kicking, the Tar Heels have finally found a reliable leg in Noah Burnette, who tied a school record by making 6 field goals – including pressure kicks at the end of regulation and the 1st overtime to keep his team’s hopes alive.

NC State

We learned that reports of Brennan Armstrong’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Same goes for the Wolfpack’s chances of adding onto their win total after MJ Morris’ shocking decision to redshirt after leading the team to a 3-1 record in his 4 starts.

Armstrong returned to the starting lineup for the 1st time since Week 5 and was a difference-maker in State’s 26-6 win at Wake Forest. The graduate transfer ran for 96 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries while completing 12-of-17 passes for 111 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions.

His performance also helped us learn that the Wolfpack are actually capable of winning in Winston-Salem. Saturday’s win was only their 2nd in their past 11 trips to Wake Forest dating to 2003. Of course, the defense also had a lot to do with breaking the curse. It held the Deacons to just 163 total yards while recording 3 sacks, 2 turnovers and allowing Wake to go 1-for-12 on 3rd down.

Even when State finally gave up a touchdown late in the game – its first in 8 quarters – it turned a defeat into victory when linebacker Jaylon Scott intercepted a 2-point try and returned it for a defensive conversion.

Pittsburgh

The Panthers are a mess. Especially on offense. Of course we didn’t just learn that. Since upsetting Louisville on Oct. 14, Pitt has been outscored 131-44 in consecutive losses to Wake Forest Notre Dame, Florida State and now Syracuse.

Things got so bad that Pat Narduzzi’s team had no answers for an opponent with an injured quarterback who it knew couldn’t pass the ball. At least they got to play at Yankee Stadium, where their own offense struck out as much as that of the 2023 version of the baseball team that calls the ballpark home during the summer.

Syracuse

The Orange’s game against Pittsburgh was played at the big ballpark in the Bronx to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first football game ever played at the original Yankee Stadium. For a while Saturday, it appeared as though Syracuse coach Dino Babers was trying his best to recreate that 1923 contest – won 3-0 by the Orange.

But as we learned afterward, the ultra-conservative game plan was the result of a quarterback unable to throw the ball because of an injury. Garrett Shrader executed nearly as many backflips in the game as he did passes. He performed one somersault as a diversionary tactic while completing only 1 of his 2 throws for 5 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Dan Villari ended up taking a majority of snaps. He went 3-of-5 for 12 yards but led the team with 154 rushing yards and a touchdown to break a 5-game losing streak and keep Syracuse alive for a 2nd straight bowl berth.

Virginia

It might not seem like it sometimes, but there are more important things than football. On Thursday, less than a week away from the 1-year anniversary of the shooting that killed 3 members of the UVa football team, we got another reminder.

Unfortunately, it also came at the Cavaliers’ expense when running back Perris Jones suffered a serious neck injury early in the 4th quarter against Louisville. Jones is the roommate of Mike Hollins, who was wounded in the incident that ended the lives of teammates Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler last Nov. 13.

He suffered a blow to the head on a carry that resulted in a UVa touchdown and was taken from the field on a backboard. We learned Saturday that he underwent spinal surgery and thankfully, was able to walk briefly afterward.

As for the game itself, we learned once again that despite a 2-8 record (1-5 ACC), the Cavaliers have plenty of promise for the future. They’ve led or have been tied in the 4th quarter of half their losses. That includes Thursday, a game in which quarterback Anthony Colandrea (403 total yards) and linebacker Kam Robinson (game-tying pick-6) were among 7 freshmen who saw action in the game for Tony Elliott’s team.

Virginia Tech

Last week’s lopsided loss to Louisville could have been a soul-crusher for the young Hokies. Instead, we learned that they were energized by the opportunity to bounce back and move 1 step closer to bowl eligibility.

They wasted little time getting going by getting an interception from cornerback Dorian Strong on the 1st play of the game. They executed a surprise onside kick to perfection and blew their game against Boston College open by halftime on the way to their 1st road win of the season.

Quarterback Kyron Drones continued his strong play by throwing for a pair of touchdowns and running for 135 yards while Tech churned out 600 yards of total offense as a team to cool off what was a hot BC team on the way to an impressive 48-22 win.

Wake Forest

We learned even a visit from NC State isn’t enough to save the Deacons’ rapidly deteriorating season. Wake had beaten the Wolfpack 9 out of the past 10 times they’d played at the venue now known as Allegacy Stadium. But Dave Clawson’s team was never in this one. It trailed 21-0 at halftime and could do little offensively, managing only 163 total yards. Seven on the ground.

Afterward, Clawson sounded like a beaten man, taking the blame for his team’s struggles by saying that his team has “lost our way.”

Although the loss doesn’t mathematically eliminate Wake from bowl contention, it practically ends its school-record string of 7 straight postseason appearances. In order to have any shot at getting to the 6-win mark, the Deacons will have to beat Notre Dame and their former quarterback Sam Hartman in South Bend next week.