ACC game balls for Week 5
ACC action for Week 5 is complete.
Here are game balls for every ACC team who played this weekend:
Boston College: Grayson James, QB
That was close, BC. The Eagles needed a double-digit comeback in the 4th quarter to beat Western Kentucky on Saturday. No Thomas Castellanos, but still. Grayson James finished off both 4th quarter scoring drives with touchdowns — 1 passing, 1 rushing — so he gets the game ball.
Clemson: The entire defense
Clemson’s defense showed out on Saturday vs. Stanford. Tigers forced 3 Ashton Daniels interceptions and held the Cardinal to just over 5 yards per play on the day. Clemson’s defense also got off the field on all 3 of Stanford’s fourth down attempts.
Duke: Star Thomas, RB
What a workhorse Star Thomas was on Saturday night. He carried the ball 30 times for 166 yards and a touchdown in the Blue Devils’ comeback win over UNC. Thomas also caught a touchdown pass to put Duke on the board in the second half. They’re gonna remember this performance in Durham for a long time.
Florida State: Sione Lolohea
I’ve looked up and down the box score of this game and can find very little evidence that anyone played well for Florida State in this game. A possible exception may be Sione Lolohea, who was credited with 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 pass breakup in the loss.
Louisville: Ja’Corey Brooks, WR
Ja’Corey Brooks gave Louisville a chance to get back into the game with a 24-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals did get the ball back with a chance to take the lead, but were unable to tie the game. Still, a good effort from Brooks with 2 TD receptions on the night.
Miami: Cam Ward, QB
It wasn’t pretty — he threw 2 interceptions and lost a fumble — but Cam Ward continues to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the entire country. He’s on pace to smash Miami’s single-season passing yardage record.
NC State: Devin Vann, DL
Devin Vann was all over the place on Saturday against Northern Illinois. He was credited with 3.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack in the win. The Wolfpack needed every bit of that defensive performance as their offense struggled mightily once again.
North Carolina: Alijah Huzzie, DB
Horrific loss for the Tar Heels after they blew a 20-0 second-half lead. It’s tough to give out a game ball to someone after that — Jacolby Criswell turned it over, Omarion Hampton wasn’t efficient and UNC’s defense collapsed in the second half. Alijah Huzzie gets the nod because he had 4 pass breakups on the night.
SMU: Kevin Jennings, QB
Credit to Kevin Jennings for his play on Saturday vs. Florida State. He took advantage of a bad Noles defense to the tune of 254 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on 23 attempts.
Stanford: Micah Ford, RB
This is a pretty easy pick for Stanford, who got crushed by Clemson this weekend. Ford had 122 yards on 15 carries.
Syracuse: Jackson Meeks, WR
Jackson Meeks had a huge day on Saturday vs. Holy Cross. He caught 10 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Meeks is 1 of 4 Syracuse pass-catchers with over 200 yards already this season.
Virginia Tech: Bhayshul Tuten, RB
Bhayshul Tuten had another tremendous game out of the backfield for Virginia Tech. He rushed for 141 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries. He also caught 4 passes and continues to look like Virginia Tech’s most important offensive player outside of Kyron Drones.
Wake Forest: Demond Claiborne, RB
Wake Forest lost to Louisiana in Week 5, but you can’t really blame the offense — at least not the running game. Claiborne carried the ball 12 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.
FSU players checked out do that game!