BOSTON (AP) — Devin Leary scrambled free and threw a jump pass to Thayer Thomas for a 79 touchdown to help No. 22 North Carolina State run away from Boston College and win 33-7. Leary threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed a 40-yard TD on the opening drive on a pass that bounced off the back of the defender before Devin Carter gathered it in. The Wolfpack also scored on a muffed snap by BC punter Grant Carlson. N.C. State has its first road win and three straight overall — including a victory over then-No. 9 Clemson — since a loss at Mississippi State on Sept. 11. 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Sam Howell threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as North Carolina held off Miami, 45-42, sending the Hurricanes to their worst record at the midway mark of a season in more than two decades. Miami was in position to tie or win when reaching the North Carolina 16-yard line in the final minute, but linebacker Cedric Gray intercepted a tipped pass with 6 seconds left. Ty Chandler ran for two touchdowns for the Tar Heels in a matchup of two teams that began the season in the Top 15, but are trying to gain traction midway through the season. The Hurricanes are 2-4 for the first time since 1997 when they were on NCAA probation and stuck with scholarship limitations.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Kenny Pickett threw two touchdown passes and rushed for a score to lead Pittsburgh to a 28-7 victory over Virginia Tech. Pickett threw touchdown passes of 8 yards to Gavin Bartholomew and 36 yards to Jared Wayne, and he scored on a 3-yard run — all in the first half — as the Panthers won their third straight game. Pittsburgh moved into sole possession of first place in the ACC’s Coastal Division. Virginia Tech finished with a season-low 225 yards. The Hokies’ lone score came on a 2-yard pass from Braxton Burmeister to Tayvion Robinson in the third quarter.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Brennan Armstrong threw for two first-half touchdowns and ran for another and Virginia scored on all six possessions before halftime in a 48-0 victory over Duke. It’s the Cavaliers’ seventh straight win in the series. Armstrong hit Dontayvion Wicks on a 20-yard corner route and Jelani Wood with five seconds left in the first half as the Cavaliers built a 34-0 lead. The touchdown just before halftime came as intermittent rain began to fall more significantly, sending fans to the exits. The margin is the Cavaliers’ largest in an Atlantic Coast Conference game since they beat Miami 48-0 in 2007.  

UNDATED (AP) — In the Southeastern Conference, the coach on the hot seat can change week to week. Welcome, Dan Mullen. The Florida man had a lot of explaining to do after the 20th-ranked Gators lost to LSU and last week’s coach-in-big-trouble Ed Orgeron. While Gators fans are starting to run short on patience for Mullen, he seems safe. Certainly much safer than Oregeron and a couple of other coaches at programs with championship pedigree. Nebraska’s Scott Frost and Miami’s Manny Diaz against subjected their fans to excruciating losses. Meanwhile, No. 2 Iowa’s unbeaten season came to end against Purdue.

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