Football

Week 9 ACC Football Players of the Week

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced its Football Players of the Week following standout performances in Week 9. Honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.
 
QUARTERBACK – Haynes King, R-Sr., QB, Georgia Tech (Longview, Texas)
  • Turned in one of the top all-around performances by a college football quarterback in recent memory, accounting for 395 yards of total yardage and five touchdowns in Georgia Tech's 41-16 win over Syracuse.
  • Became only the fifth NCAA Division I FBS player since 1995 with 300 passing yards, 90 rushing yards, three TD passes, two TD runs and an .800 completion percentage in a game.
  • Broke the Georgia Tech single-game completion percentage record with an 80.6% mark.
  • Led Georgia Tech to scores on 7-of-10 possessions before coming out of the game in the fourth quarter.
  • Guided the Yellow Jackets to 543 yards of offense, their most in an ACC game in two years.
  • Earned his fourth ACC Quarterback of the Week honor this season.
 
RUNNING BACK – Isaac Brown, So., RB, Louisville (Miami, Florida)
  • Ran for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown in Louisville’s 38-24 win over Boston College.
  • Logged the ninth 100-yard rushing game of his career and fourth of the season.
  • Ran for a 73-yard gain on Louisville’s first play of the game before adding a 67-yard touchdown run later in the contest.
  • Became the third Louisville player to rush for 200 yards on fewer than 15 carries in a game.
  • Earned his second ACC Running Back of the Week honor this season.
 
RECEIVER – Kenny Johnson, Jr., WR, Pitt (York, Pennsylvania)
  • Caught seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the first half of Pitt’s 53-34 win over NC State.
  • Despite missing the entire second half, he finished with the second-most receiving yards in the ACC with 112.
  • Averaged 16.0 yards per reception in the win.
  • Logged his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, both of which have come in Pitt’s last four games.
 
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Ethan Mackenny, R-So., LT, Georgia Tech (Marietta, Georgia)
  • Helped lead the Yellow Jackets to 41 points and 543 yards of offense in a 41-16 win over Syracuse.
  • At left tackle, earned an 87.0 pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus to help Georgia Tech complete 25-of-31 passes totaling more than 300 yards.
  • Did not allow a sack, hit, hurry or pressure.
  • Also helped pave the way for 239 rushing yards on 37 carries, good for 6.5 yards per rush.
 
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Kemari Copeland, R-Jr., DT, Virginia Tech (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
  • Tallied seven tackles, including three sacks, in the Hokies’ double-overtime win over California.
  • Became the first Virginia Tech defensive tackle to record at least three sacks in a game since JC Price in 1995.
  • Four of his seven tackles were solo stops.
  • Logged 34 sack yards in the win.
 
LINEBACKER – Cade Uluave, Jr., LB, California (South Jordan, Utah)
  • Recorded a career-high 19 tackles in Cal’s double-overtime contest at Virginia Tech.
  • Became the first ACC student-athlete with 19 or more tackles in a game since Clemson’s Baylon Spector in 2021.
  • Added a career-high three tackles-for-loss and two sacks against the Hokies.
  • His first tackle in the contest was the 200th of his career.
 
DEFENSIVE BACK – Davaughn Patterson, R-So., DB, Wake Forest (Jacksonville, Florida)
  • Led the Wake Forest defense with seven tackles, one-half tackle-for-loss, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in the win over SMU.
  • Anchored the defense, which allowed just 246 yards, including 75 on the ground.
  • Helped hold SMU to its lowest offensive output since 2015.
 
SPECIALIST – Connor Calvert, R-Fr., K, Wake Forest (Bend, Oregon)
  • Drilled the game-winning 50-yard field goal as time expired to lift Wake Forest over SMU.
  • Marked the Demon Deacons’ first 50-yard field goal since 2014.
  • Gave Wake Forest its first walk-off win since the 2021 season.
  • Added a 25-yard field goal in the first quarter.
 
ROOKIE – Mason Heintschel, Fr., QB, Pittsburgh (Oregon, Ohio)
  • Completed 28 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns as Pitt defeated NC State.
  • The 423 passing yards marked a freshman record at Pitt.
  • His 423 passing yards were the most in the ACC and second-most nationally last week.
  • Became the first ACC freshman in the past 30 seasons to throw for 400 yards and three touchdowns in a game.
  • Also became the first Power Four freshman quarterback to throw for 400 yards this year.
  • Since taking over as a starter in Week 6, Heintschel ranks second in college football in passing yards (1,210), fifth in completions (92) and seventh in passing touchdowns (9).
  • Earned his second ACC Rookie of the Week honor.