Trevor Lawrence is nearly perfect. JMA’s picks for ACC Players of the Week.
There were some surprising and wild finishes, especially in the ACC on Saturday. But what’s new.
They were marked by big performances from the players on those teams.
Each week, I serve as one of the voters for the ACC’s players of the week. I vote on the best quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive lineman, defensive lineman, linebacker, defensive back, specialist and rookie for that week.
When voting, I take into account a number of things. For instance, strength of opponent, touchdowns, forced turnovers and wins hold the highest weight for me.
Here are my picks for Week 9:
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence (Clemson): The sophomore was nearly perfect against Boston College. He was 16-of-19 for 275 yards passing and three touchdowns to help the Tigers to a 59-7 victory. He was also mistake-free, and did not throw an interception. It was probably his best performance of the season.
Running back
Cam Akers (Florida State): The junior led all ACC running backs with 144 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a 35-17 win over Syracuse. His four touchdowns rushing also tied program record. He was the reason the Seminoles won this game.
Wide receiver
Diondre Overton (Clemson): Overton, a senior, finished with three receptions for 119 yards and an ACC-leading three touchdowns receiving — tying a school record — in Clemson’s 59-7 win over Boston College.
Offensive lineman
Mekhi Becton (Louisville) Becton, a junior, was part of an offensive line that helped the Cardinals gain 227 yards rushing against Virginia, which had the nation’s eighth-ranked defense. Louisville beat Virginia 28-21. Becton also allowed zero sacks.
Defensive lineman
Jason Strowbridge (North Carolina): The senior was all over the place in UNC’s 20-17 win over Duke. He had a hand in two turnovers, and finished with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Entering the game, Duke’s offensive line had been among the best in the country, but they struggled with the 6-5, 285-pound lineman.
Linebacker
Chazz Surratt (North Carolina): This was a tough one because there were a lot of good candidates, including three in the Duke-UNC game on Saturday. But ultimately I chose Surratt, a junior, because he led the Tar Heels with 12 tackles, and his interception sealed the 20-17 victory over Duke. He also added a sack.
Defensive back
Hamsah Nasirildeen (Florida State): Nasirildeen, a junior, had a career-high 17 tackles in Florida State’s 35-17 win over Syracuse. His 17 tackles were the most for a player in program history since 2005. Only four ACC players have had 17 tackles in a game this season.
Specialist
Austin Parker (Duke): Parker, a senior, consistently flipped field position for Duke, and made the Tar Heels start their drives deep in their own territory. His finished with eight punts for 388 yards, a 48.8 yard average. Four of his eight kicks were downed inside the UNC 20.
Rookie
Shaka Heyward (Duke): The redshirt freshman linebacker finished with a team-high 15 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in Duke’s 20-17 loss to UNC. Heyward also had a fumble recovery inside Duke’s five yard line with less than three minutes left to play, saving a touchdown that would have ended the game.
Here are the players who actually won in Week 9:
Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence (Clemson)
Running back: Cam Akers (FSU)
Wide receiver: Diondre Overton (Clemson)
Offensive lineman: Tremayne Anchrum (Clemson)
Defensive lineman: Jason Strowbridge (UNC)
Linebacker: Chazz Surratt (UNC)
Defensive back: Hamsah Nasirildeen (FSU)
Specialist: Kicker Alex Kessman (Pitt)
Rookie: Running back Javian Hawkins (Louisville)
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 1:46 PM.
