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ACC action for Week 9 is complete.
Here’s a game ball for every ACC team who played this weekend:
Boston College: Treshaun Ward, RB
It was a nice day for Treshaun Ward despite the loss to Louisville. Ward averaged nearly 5 yards per carry and also led the Eagles in receiving yardage with 81.
Cal: Fernando Mendoza, QB
Cal obliterated Oregon State 44-7 on Saturday, largely due to Fernando Mendoza’s excellence. He threw for 364 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Golden Bears snapped their troubling losing streak.
Duke: Eli Pancol, WR
Eli Pancol caught 11 passes for 138 yards and 1 touchdown in Duke’s upset attempt against SMU. The senior already has a career-high 36 receptions so far in 2024.
Georgia Tech: Romello Height, DL
Romello Height was credited with 1.5 sacks in a loss to Virginia Tech this weekend. The Yellow Jackets continue to fight without the services of starting quarterback Haynes King.
Florida State: Darrell Jackson Jr., DL
Darrell Jackson Jr. gets the nod as he picked up 2 sacks against his former team.
Louisville: Tyler Shough, QB
Tyler Shough made some mistakes in this game, but he came up clutch in the end. Shough led 3 touchdown drives over the final quarter and some change in order to squeak out a win. Credit to Nate Kurisky as well, who caught 2 touchdown passes — including the game-winner — in the second half.
North Carolina: Jacolby Criswell, QB
Jacolby Criswell threw for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns in a dominant win over Virginia. This was arguably the best game of his college career from an efficiency standpoint. It was also a much-needed win for Carolina, who had lost 4 in a row.
Miami: Damien Martinez, RB
Cam Ward almost always finds himself in this spot for the Canes, but this week the nod goes to running back Damien Martinez. He averaged almost 10 yards per carry, rushing for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day.
Pitt: Rasheem Biles, LB
What a day for the Pitt defense! Syracuse averaged just 3.5 yards per play and Kyle McCord threw 5 interceptions. Biles filled up the stat sheet to the tune of 12 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 2 quarterback hurries.
SMU: Brashard Smith, RB
Brashard Smith had a big game in SMU’s overtime win over Duke on Saturday. He finished with 117 yards and 2 touchdowns in the victory.
Stanford: Elic Ayomanor, WR
Elic Ayomanor had 11 catches for 96 yards on the day. He’s one of the best-kept secrets in college football, largely because Stanford’s QB situation has been so disappointing this season.
Syracuse: Justin Barron, DB
Syracuse got blown out, but it wasn’t because of its defense. The Orange did their job by holding Pitt to just 4.9 yards per play. Justin Barron led the way with 7 total tackles and 2 tackles for loss.
Virginia: JR Wilson, WR
JR Wilson made a 68-yard touchdown catch in this game. With that one play, he accounted for almost 24% of Virginia’s total offense on the day.
Virginia Tech: Kyron Drones, QB
Kyron Drones scored 2 total touchdowns in a 21-6 win over Georgia Tech. If not for that controversial finish at the end of the Miami game earlier this year, the Hokies would be undefeated in ACC play.
Wake Forest: Hank Bachmeier, QB
Hank Bachmeier threw for 3 touchdowns in a win over Stanford. It’s never pretty with the Demon Deacons, but they’re 4-4 with 2 home games left. A bowl game is still possible.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
