Football

Week 10 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 10. Honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.
 
QUARTERBACK – Darian Mensah, R-So., QB, Duke (San Luis Obispo, California)
  • Led Duke to a 46-45 victory at Clemson to improve to 4-1 in ACC play.
  • Marched the Blue Devils down the field for a 94-yard game-winning drive with a deciding touchdown and two-point conversion with 40 seconds to play.
  • In the game-winning march, Mensah completed six of eight passes for 83 yards and two third or fourth-down conversions.
  • Helped Duke go five-for-five on fourth-down plays at Clemson with four completions for firsts.
  • Passed for 361 yards to lift his season total to 2,572, the most through a QB’s first eight starts in Duke history and the second most by any Duke QB through the first eight games of a season.
  • Threw three of his four touchdown passes in the opening frame. The three scores are the most in a quarter by a Blue Devil since Daniel Jones in 2018.
  • His performance helped Duke to its first win in Death Valley since 1980 and the first time the Blue Devils had consecutive victories against Clemson since 1969 and 1970.
  • Helped the Blue Devils extend their road ACC winning streak to five games, the program’s longest since 1961-63.
  • Has not thrown an interception since the 3:28 mark of the second quarter at Tulane on September 13. The string of 209 consecutive passes without an interception is the longest in Duke history, the longest active streak in the ACC and the third longest active streak within the FBS.
 
RUNNING BACK & ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Jayden “Duke” Scott, R-Fr., RB, NC State (Stockbridge, Georgia)
  • Rushed for 196 yards on 24 carries, an average of 8.2 yards per carry, in his first career start.
  • His 196 yards were tied for the No. 11 mark in school history for a single game and were the highest by a Wolfpack player since 2018.
  • Also had two receptions for 11 yards, giving him 207 all-purpose yards in the win over No. 8 Georgia Tech.
  • Scored on a 30-yard touchdown run.
  • Had a 69-yard run on the Pack's first possession of the third quarter to set up the TD two plays later that would put NC State up double-digits in the Top-10 win.
 
RECEIVER – Duce Robinson, Jr., WR, Florida State (Phoenix, Arizona)
  • Caught five passes for a game-high 148 yards and a touchdown in the 42-7 win over Wake Forest.
  • His receptions consisted of 65, 39, 29 yards and an 11-yard touchdown.
  • Recorded his third 140-yard receiving game of the season, the most in the ACC and most for a Seminole since 2000.
  • Ranks fifth nationally and second in the ACC behind teammate Micahi Danzy with an average of 20.26 yards per catch.
  • The 148 yards were the most receiving yards Wake Forest has allowed to a player since September 2024.
  • His second ACC Offensive Receiver of the Week honor of the season.
 
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Teague Andersen, R-Jr., OT, NC State (Lehi, Utah)
  • Lined up at right tackle and helped pave the way for 243 rushing yards and 583 yards of total offense for the Wolfpack in the home win over No. 8 Georgia Tech.
  • Graded out at 90% for his 70 snaps, tallying six pancake blocks, three knockdowns and one Raleigh Railroad.
  • Did not allow a sack or quarterback pressure in the win.
  • Had the key block on Jayden “Duke” Scott's 69-yard run to set up a touchdown, the Wolfpack ran the ball directly behind him for 118 yards. 
 
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Melkart Abou Jaoude, R-Jr., DE, North Carolina (Newton, New Jersey)
  • Tallied a team-leading six tackles, which was also tied for the game high, in the Tar Heels’ road win at Syracuse on Friday night.
  • Logged at least two sacks for the second consecutive game to increase his season total to seven, which leads the ACC and ranks among the top 10 nationally.
  • One of his sacks versus the Orange was a strip sack in the fourth quarter to help put the game away and record an ACC road win for the Tar Heels.
 
LINEBACKER – Kam Robinson, Jr., LB, Virginia (Tappahannock, Virginia)
  • Sealed Virginia’s seventh-straight win with an interception return for a touchdown, his second of the season, in Virginia’s 31-21 win on the road against California.
  • Became the second player in UVA history with two interception returns for a touchdown in a season.
  • Added a team-high six tackles, a half sack and a tackle-for-loss.
  • Recorded the fourth-highest grade (91.9) of any defender in the country and the highest of any linebacker nationally, according to Pro Football Focus.
  • His third ACC Linebacker of the Week honor this season.
 
DEFENSIVE BACK – Ahmaad Moses, Sr., S, SMU (Arlington, Texas)
  • Led SMU with a career-high 15 tackles, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss, in the Mustangs’ overtime win over No. 10 Miami.
  • Also had two interceptions in the win, tying his career high.
  • His second ACC Defensive Back of the Week honor of the season.  
 
SPECIALIST – Samir Hagans, Gr., WR/KR, Duke (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Turned in a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at 8:33 in the third quarter to help Duke tie the game at 35-35 en route to a 46-45 victory on the road at Clemson.
  • The score marked Hagans’ second career kickoff return for a touchdown after a 99-yard return against Ole Miss in the 2024 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
  • Tallied the seventh 100+ yd kickoff return in program history and the first since DeVon Edwards versus Georgia Tech in 2015.
  • Became the second Blue Devil in program history with multiple 99+ yard touchdowns, joining Edwards (4).
  • Also caught the game-winning, two-point conversion with 40 seconds left in the victory.
  • His performance helped Duke to its first win in Death Valley since 1980 and the first time the Blue Devils had consecutive victories against Clemson since 1969 and 1970.
  • Helped the Blue Devils extend their road ACC winning streak to five games, the program’s longest since 1961-63.