Here are some observations from the games in the ACC on Saturday:
1. Boston College's Amidon has big day
Boston College struggled to move the ball in its 24-14 loss to Clemson, but senior WR Alex Amidon showed why he is a potential third-day pick. Amidon had six catches for 121 yards and a TD, a 69-yarder in the third quarter that gave BC a 14-10 lead. Amidon (6-0, 182 pounds) has decent speed and good hands, and now has 38 receptions for 547 yards and three TDs in six games. It was his third 100-yard game of the season and his ninth since the beginning of the 2012 season. He needs 120 more yards to set the school's career receiving-yardage record.
2. Hokies' Thomas doesn't throw an interception
Virginia Tech usually needs to run effectively to win, but that wasn't the case in Saturday's victory over Pitt. The Hokies won, 19-9, despite managing just 76 rushing yards on 38 carries. Hokies QB Logan Thomas was 19 of 34 for 239 yards and a TD. It was just the fifth time in 18 games that he didn't throw an interception. Thomas (6-foot-6, 254 pounds) has one of the strongest arms in the nation, is a physical runner and has been clocked as fast as 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Faulty mechanics, poor decision-making and inconsistent accuracy have hurt his draft stock, but he has played relatively well in his last three games.
3. Van Noy heads strong BYU defense
BYU's defense proved too strong for Georgia Tech's triple-option offense, limiting the Yellow Jackets to 242 rushing yards -- 58 below Tech's average heading into the game -- in a 38-20 victory. BYU senior LB Kyle Van Noy (6-3, 245), a lock to go in the first two rounds of the 2014 draft, had two sacks and added another tackle for loss; he finished with six tackles overall. BYU forced two turnovers, had three sacks and added three quarterback hurries. Georgia Tech has lost three in a row after a 3-0 start.
4. Smith helps Orange run past Wolfpack
Syracuse piled up 362 rushing yards in upsetting host North Carolina State, which had been allowing just 107.6 rushing yards per game. Orange junior TB Jerome Smith (6-0, 226) rumbled for 140 yards and a TD on 19 carries, his second 100-yard game in a row. Smith lacks breakaway speed, but he does have quick feet and runs with toughness. He generally shows good patience when he runs and has eight rushing TDs this season. Backup TB Prince Tyson-Gulley, a sophomore, ran for 132 yards on nine carries, including a 55-yarder.
5. Terps' passing attack has big day
Maryland backup QB Caleb Rowe threw for 332 yards and a TD and guided an offense that rolled up 468 yards of offense in a 27-26 win over Virginia. He was in the lineup for C.J. Brown, who suffered a concussion in last week's loss at Florida State. Maryland WRs Stefon Diggs and Deon Long combined for 10 receptions for 194 yards, but neither scored. They enabled the Terps to make some big plays in the passing game against a Virginia secondary that was supposed to be a team strength.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
