ACC FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Justin Fuente wins in Virginia Tech debut

The Justin Fuente era got off to a rocky start, but when the final gun sounded on Saturday, the first-year head coach at Virginia Tech was the first Hokies head coach to win in his debut since Jerry Claiborne defeated William & Mary in 1961.

Junior college transfer Jerod Evans threw for 221 yards and four touchdown as the Hokies overcame a sluggish start to defeat Football Championship Subdivision opponent Liberty 36-13 at Lane Stadium in Blackbsurg, Va.

Saturday also marked the first game since 1987 that Frank Beamer didn’t roam the Hokies sideline. Instead, it was the 40-year-old Fuente, the former Memphis head coach, who guided the Hokies through troubled waters in the first quarter.

The Flames overcame early jitters and took a 13-10 lead when Alpha Jalloh returned a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter.

Pittsburgh 28, Villanova 7

Junior running back James Conner scored two touchdowns in his return from a serious knee injury and a cancer battle to help Pittsburgh record a victory over Villanova at Pittsburgh.

Conner rushed for 53 yards and one touchdown and added a 9-yard scoring reception for the Panthers (1-0). Conner, the 2014 ACC Player of the Year, suffered a serious knee injury in last season’s opener and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in November before recently being declared free of cancer.

Sophomore Quadree Henderson returned a kickoff 96 yards for Pittsburgh. Senior quarterback Nate Peterman completed 19 of 32 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

Villanova (0-1) totaled just 172 yards and its lone points came on a fumble return by junior safety Rob Rolle.

Richmond 37, Virginia 20

First-year coach Bronco Mendenhall’s Virginia debut was spoiled by in-state foe Richmond as the Cavaliers were dominated on both sides of the ball at Charlottesville, Va.

The win marked Richmond’s first triumph over the Cavaliers since the 1946 season.

Quarterback Kyle Lauletta paced the Spiders’ offense completing 24 of 35 pass attempts for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

Richmond (1-0) controlled the game from the opening kickoff as it scored on its first four possessions of the first half, which included three field goals and an 11-yard touchdown pass by Lauletta.

Duke 49, North Carolina Central 6

Daniel Jones’ college debut was a big success as the quarterback threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score as Duke demolished cross-city opponent North Carolina Central at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Jones, a redshirt freshman, completed 10-of-15 passes for 189 yards. He became the starter after redshirt senior Thomas Sirk sustained another Achilles’ injury nine days before the opener.

Running back Jela Duncan rushed 50 yards for a touchdown on Duke’s second snap. He ran in from three yards out later in the first quarter on his way to 115 yards on 15 carries.

Jones’ first touchdown went for 55 yards to receiver Johnathan Lloyd, a redshirt sophomore who scored his first college points. The Blue Devils went up 21-0 in the first quarter.

Jones ran for a seven-yard touchdown before tossing a 20-yard score to tight end Erich Schneider.

Backup quarterback Parker Boehme passed for a touchdown and ran for a score, both coming in the final minute of the first half. He threw to tight end Davis Koppenhaver for four yards and ran for right yards, making it 49-0 at the half.

Duke has won all five meetings since the teams first played in 2009.

N.C. Central quarterback Malcolm Bell was held to 7-for-25 passing for 74 yards.

N.C. Central, a Football Championship Subdivision team, added second-half field goals of 48 and 34 yards by Brandon McLaren.

Miami 70, Florida A&M 3

Miami scored touchdowns on nine of its first 11 possessions and rolled past overmatched Florida A&M in Miami Gardens, Fla., to make Mark Richt’s debut as Hurricanes coach a successful one.

The Hurricanes (1-0) took a quick 14-0 lead after capitalizing on an interception and blocked punt to set up short scoring drives. Then, after missing a field goal attempt, Miami added two more touchdowns in the second quarter for a 28-0 cushion before Florida A&M (0-1) got on the scoreboard with Austin Miller’s 31-yard field goal in the second quarter.

The Hurricanes came out after halftime and scored touchdowns on their first three series with a bad snap on a punt setting them up at A&M’s 15-yard line for the third. Then wide receiver Braxton Berrios scored on a 41-yard punt return for yet another Miami score.

Miami running back Joe Yearby, who lost his starting job to Mark Walton, scored on a 1-yard run on his first carry, then scored again on a 64-yard dash on his third. He finished with 105 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just seven carries.

Walton rushed 15 times for 116 yards and scored on a 37-yard burst during the first series of the second half. Gus Edwards scored on a 74-yard run late in the third quarter as Miami rushed for 373 yards as a team.

Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya passed for 135 yards and four touchdowns on 12 completions in 18 attempts in less than three quarters.

Florida A&M managed only 197 yards in total offense. The bulk of that came from quarterback Kenneth Coleman, who was 9-of-16 passing for 135 yards.