CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. --- Thaddeus Lewis and his Duke teammates don't know if opponents are starting to believe that the rumors of the Blue Devils' vast improvement are true.

And, he said, he doesn't care.

Lewis threw for 343 yards and hit Conner Vernon for a 42-yard touchdown with 3:45 to play Saturday as Duke rallied for its third consecutive victory, 28-17 against Virginia.

"We just know what we have," Lewis said.

What the Blue Devils had at Virginia was a dynamic passing game led by Lewis, a four-year starter who shook off six sacks and made the big throws when his team needed them.

"That route was open all day," Lewis said of the go-ahead TD. "Donovan (Varner) did a great job of carrying the first guy, and then I saw the window open up for Conner."

The play gave the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1 ACC) an 18-17 lead. They essentially sealed it 23 seconds later when Ayanga Okpokowuruk forced Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell to fumble and Charlie Hatcher recovered and took it 7 yards into the end zone.

"We're having fun right now," Okpokowuruk said. "We're enjoying every minute of it."

Will Snyderwine made five field goals for the Blue Devils as they won their third game in a row -- all in ACC play. It's their first three-game winning streak since the 1994 season.

The victory also kept Duke in the thick of the ACC Coastal Division race, with a game against division leader No. 11 Georgia Tech on Nov. 14 in Durham, N.C., potentially decisive.

But Lewis said the Blue Devils don't care to look that far ahead, either, especially not with a game against in-state rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill next Saturday.

"We're going to let everyone talk and we're just going to continue with the plan that we have of taking it one by one, taking it a game at a time," Lewis said.

NO. 18 MIAMI 28, WAKE FOREST 27

In Winston-Salem, N.C., Jacory Harris threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin with 1:08 left, and Miami rallied to beat Wake Forest .

Harris threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns for the Hurricanes (6-2, 3-2 ACC), who trailed 27-14 going into the fourth quarter. Miami took advantage of a muffed punt to score a touchdown, then took its first lead when Harris directed an 82-yard scoring drive in the final minutes that ended with Benjamin's diving catch near the left pylon.

Riley Skinner threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns for the Demon Deacons (4-5, 2-3), but may have sustained a concussion when he took a hard hit on a keeper that ripped off his helmet with about 61/2 minutes left. The four-year starter sat out the rest of the game, watching backup Ryan McManus direct Wake Forest's desperate final drive.

FLORIDA STATE 45, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 42

In Tallahassee, Fla., Bert Reed's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left lifted Florida State over North Carolina State.

N.C. State took its first lead in the game at 42-38 with 3:50 left when Russell Wilson found Jarvis Williams for his third touchdown catch of the game.

Jermaine Thomas ran for a career high 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns and freshman Chris Thompson scored twice on short runs for the Seminoles (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Wilson threw for 349 yards and a career-best five TDs in a losing effort for the Wolfpack (3-5, 0-4).

The smallest home crowd at Florida State since 1993, at 67,712 fans, witnessed the game.

BOSTON COLLEGE 31, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 10

In Boston, former walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicius became Boston College's all-time scoring leader in the Eagles' win over Central Michigan.

Montel Harris finished with 136 yards rushing on 27 carries and two 3-yard scoring runs for the Eagles (6-3), who improved to 6-0 at home. BC snapped the Chippewas' (7-2) seven-game winning streak -- their best since consecutive seasons with eight-game streaks from 1979-1980.

Aponavicius had an 18-yard field goal and four extra points, giving him 267 total points to surpass place-kicker Brian Lowe's (1986-89) mark of 262.

Dave Shinskie was 18 for 28 passing for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles.