Football

Week 11 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 11. Honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.
 
QUARTERBACK & ROOKIE – Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Fr., QB, California (Ewa Beach, Hawaii)
  • Completed 30 of his 47 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns en route to leading Cal to its 29-26 upset victory over No. 15 Louisville.
  • His completions, attempts and passing yards were all career highs.
  • Threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jacob De Jesus on fourth down during the first possession of overtime as the Golden Bears defeated the Cardinals at L&N Stadium.
  • The victory made Cal bowl-eligible for the third year in a row.
  • It was the Bears' first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 21 Oregon 21-17 on December 5, 2020, and their first win over a top-15 foe since a 20-19 triumph at No. 14 Washington on September 7, 2019.
  • Earned his first ACC Quarterback of the Week honor and his third ACC Rookie of the Week accolade.
 
RUNNING BACK – T.J. Harden, Sr., RB, SMU (Los Angeles, California)
  • Carried the ball 16 times for 130 yards, including a long run of 53 yards in the win at Boston College.
  • Posted season highs for both total rushing yards and longest rush.
  • His 130 yards marked his second 100-yard rushing game of the season.
  • Played a key part in SMU recording a season-high 574 yards of total offense for the game.
 
RECEIVER – Jacob De Jesus, Sr., WR, California (Manteca, California)
  • Tied the Cal program record with 16 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Bears’ road win at No. 15 Louisville.
  • Hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on fourth down during the first possession of overtime to give the Bears the upset win.
  • The victory made Cal bowl-eligible for the third year in a row.
  • It was the Bears' first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 21 Oregon 21-17 on December 5, 2020, and their first win over a top-15 foe since a 20-19 triumph at No. 14 Washington on September 7, 2019.
 
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Francis Mauigoa, Jr., OL, Miami (Ili’ili, American Samoa)
  • Lined up at right tackle and helped lead a Miami offense that totaled 385 yards and 38 points in the win over Syracuse.
  • The offense recorded 261 yards through the air and 124 rushing yards on 32 carries.
  • Also added a 3-yard rushing touchdown to his stat line on a lateral pass from Carson Beck.
 
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Isaiah Smith, Sr., DE, SMU (Washington D.C.)
  • Tied the SMU program single-game record with 4.0 sacks, held by Justin Lawler (vs. UConn in 2017) and Luke Johnson (vs. UTEP in 1999).
  • Also finished with nine tackles, including seven solo stops.
 
LINEBACKER – Khmori House, So., LB, North Carolina (Pasadena, California)
  • Turned in his best game as a Tar Heel Saturday night to lead North Carolina to a 20-15 win against Stanford.
  • Tallied a career and game high 13 tackles, including eight solo tackles, and also grabbed his first interception of the season and second of his career.
  • Recorded a crucial pass breakup on Stanford's final drive of the game, as the Cardinal looked to find the end zone and make a comeback.
 
DEFENSIVE BACK – Hezekiah Masses, Sr., CB, California (Deerfield Beach, Florida)
  • Tallied six tackles, a pass breakup and intercepted his fifth pass of the season to help lead Cal to the 29-26 overtime win over No. 15 Louisville.
  • He is tied for the ACC lead with five interceptions on the season.
  • The victory made Cal bowl-eligible for the third year in a row.
  • It was the Bears' first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 21 Oregon 21-17 on December 5, 2020, and their first win over a top-15 foe since a 20-19 triumph at No. 14 Washington on September 7, 2019.
 
SPECIALIST – Carlos Hernandez, Jr., WR/RS, Wake Forest (Alhambra, California)
  • Returned three punts for a total of 124 yards, including an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter that was the only touchdown in Wake Forest’s win at No. 14 Virginia.
  • His 88-yard return was the second-longest punt return in program history and marked the first punt return for a touchdown since Taylor Morin’s 73-yard return against North Carolina A&T in 2024.
  • The road win at Virginia clinched bowl eligibility for the Deacs for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons. 
  • Saturday’s ranked win in Charlottesville marked the Demon Deacons’ first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 22 Florida State on October 1, 2022, and its first over a top-20 foe since topping No. 16 NC State 45–42 at Allegacy Stadium on November 13, 2021.