Football

Week 6 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 6. Honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.
 
QUARTERBACK – Carson Beck, Sixth Year, QB, Miami (Jacksonville, Florida)
  • Completed 20-of-27 passes for 241 yards and four touchdown passes in Miami’s 28-22 road win over No. 18 Florida State.
  • Threw two touchdown passes apiece to Malachi Toney and CJ Daniels.
  • Finished with a 190.4 passer rating and no turnovers in the top-20 win.
 
RUNNING BACK – Hollywood Smothers, R-So., RB, NC State (Charlotte, North Carolina)
  • Averaged an incredible 30.8 yards per rush in the 56-10 win over Campbell.
  • Rushed just four times but recorded his fourth 100-yard game of the season with 123 total yards (all in the first half).
  • 59-yard rush for a score was the longest run of his career.
  • Hit paydirt again on a 16-yard pass from CJ Bailey, as one of his two receptions for 30 yards in the contest.
  • Leads the ACC and ranks second in the FBS in rushing yards with 693 (115.5 ypg).
 
RECEIVER – Chris Bell, Sr., WR, Louisville (Yazoo City, Mississippi)
  • Led all ACC receivers with 170 yards on 12 receptions in the overtime contest versus No. 24 Virginia.
  • Had touchdown catches of 15 and 13 yards, giving him nine career touchdown receptions.
  • With his 170 yards, he recorded the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career.
  • His 170 receiving yards are the highest total by a Louisville player in a single game since Dez Fitzpatrick had 182 yards at Boston College in 2020.
  • Earned the Receiver of the Week honor for the second consecutive week.
 
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – James Brockermeyer, R-Sr., OL, Miami (Fort Worth, Texas)
  • Anchored a strong offensive line that powered Miami to 404 total yards (272 passing, 132 rushing) in a 28-22 win at No. 18 Florida State.
  • While at center, he helped protect Carson Beck, who threw for four touchdowns.
  • Helped lead a unit that did not allow a sack in the win.
  • Miami’s offense converted 4-of-5 third downs for the game.
 
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Mitchell Melton, Gr., DE, Virginia (Silver Springs, Maryland)
  • Recorded the first multi-sack game of his career in Virginia’s 30-27 overtime win over Louisville.
  • To go along with his 2.0 sacks, he added five tackles (three solo), a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
  • One of seven ACC players with multiple forced fumbles this season.
  • Earned the Defensive Lineman of the Week honor for the second straight week.
 
LINEBACKER – Kam Robinson, Jr., LB, Virginia (Tappahannock, Virginia)
  • Registered a team-high 10 tackles (six solo), one tackle-for-loss and one quarterback hurry in Virginia’s 30-27 overtime win at Louisville.
  • Gave UVA its first lead of the second half by returning an interception 47 yards for a touchdown.
  • Marked the second interception return for a touchdown for his career and the first by a Cavalier since his pick-six against Louisville in 2023.
  • Recorded double-digit tackles in each of the last two games.
 
DEFENSIVE BACK – Jakobe Thomas, Fifth Year, DB, Miami (Tullahoma, Tennessee)
  • Delivered a standout defensive effort in Miami’s 28-22 win at No. 18 Florida State.
  • Finished the game with five tackles, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and two pass breakups.
  • Helped the Hurricanes move to 5-0 on the season and record their third win over a top-25 ranked opponent this year.
 
SPECIALIST – Elijah Slibeck, Jr., P, Virginia (Fishers, Indiana)
  • Punted five times for a total of 243 yards, an average of 60.8 yards per punt.
  • Blasted a 71-yard punt in the third quarter that pinned Louisville at the 1-yard line and led to a three-and-out by the Cavalier defense.
  • The 71-yarder is tied for the fourth-longest punt in FBS this season.
  • Long punt was the longest by a UVA punter since Nash Griffin booted a 78-yard punt in 2019, also at Louisville.
  • One of only 11 punters in Virginia history to record a punt of at least 71 yards.
 
ROOKIE – Mason Heintschel, Fr., QB, Pitt (Oregon, Ohio)
  • Became the first true freshman quarterback at Pitt to win his first career start since Kenny Pickett in 2017, when he defeated No. 2 Miami.
  • Completed 30-of-41 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns in Pitt’s 48-7 win over Boston College.
  • Became the first ACC true freshman with 300 passing yards and four touchdowns in his first career start since Deshaun Watson in 2014.
  • Became the first Pitt freshman to throw for 300 yards and four touchdowns in a game without an interception since at least 1995, and the first Pitt quarterback overall to do so since Kenny Pickett against Georgia Tech in 2021.
  • Also, the first ACC freshman to accomplish that feat since Drake Maye did it three times in 2022.