As we lean into the final weeks of the regular season, the award voting time of the year begins. Some ballots for semifinalists start going out this week. With some of the repeat ACC Players of the Week, we are likely to see some of their names on the very short lists for some of the post-season accolades. Here is what we have for Week 11.
Quarterback of the Week
Fernando Mendoza of Cal had quite the game Friday night against Wake Forest. He had completed 30 of 40 passes IN THE FIRST HALF. Wake Forest had not even run 30 plays on offense at that point. Mendoza finished the game 40 of 56 for 385 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears win.
Running Back of the Week
Boston College running back Kye Robichaux ran for a career-high 198 yards on 28 carries in the win over Syracuse. He also had two touchdowns. The yards and carries come to an average of just under eight yards per carry.
Receiver of the Week
Oronde Gadsen II of Syracuse had nine catches for 114 yards in the loss to Boston College. He had the game-high in both receptions and receiving yards.
Offensive Lineman of the Week
Georgia Tech right tackle Jordan Williams led a Yellow Jackets offensive line that helped produce 271 rushing yards against the eighth-ranked run defense in the country in the win over Miami. The Hurricanes had been allowing only 95 rushing yards per game until last Saturday against Williams and GA Tech.
Defensive Lineman of the Week
Cal edge rusher Xavier Carlton had five tackles in the win over Wake Forest. He also had two of the Bears’ seven quarterback sacks. He added two quarterback hurries in Cal’s first-ever ACC win.
Linebacker of the Week
Sammy Brown of Clemson is not only the linebacker of the week. He is also the conference’s rookie of the week. Saturday at Virginia Tech was his first career start. He finished the day with a team-high eight tackles to go with a sack. Of those tackles, two-and-a-half were for a loss. Clemson’s defense held the Hokies to a season-low 40 yards rushing. The sack was his fourth of the season.
Defensive Back of the Week
Jonas Sanker, the safety from Virginia is the winner here this week. He had five tackles, an interception, and a blocked field goal in the Cavaliers’ win over Pitt. Sanker’s plays also set up two Virginia scores. The blocked field goal led to the go-ahead touchdown in the resulting series. The interception was returned 45 yards to set up the eventual game-winning score.
Specialist of the Week
If there were a comeback player of the week, Ryan Coe of Cal would also get that. He was replaced a few weeks back due to significant consistency issues with his field goals. But even with that, possessing the strong leg of Cal’s two kickers he was called upon Friday night against Wake Forest. The result was not one career-long, but two career-long 54-yard field goals in the 46-36 win against the Demon Deacons.
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