Football

ACC Football Players of the Week for Week 9

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its Football Players of the Week following standout performances in Week 9. The honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.

QUARTERBACK – Billy Edwards Jr., 6th, QB, North Carolina (Springfield, Virginia)
  • Was 28-for-34 for 341 yards with a career-high four passing touchdowns versus No. 1 Miami.
  • His 82% completion rate was one of the best of his collegiate career.
  • Logged a quarterback rating of 205.4.
  • Connected with nine different receivers in the contest with eight tallying more than one catch.
  • Earned a season-high 87.7 overall grade by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
  • After missing on his first two throws, Edwards connected on 12 consecutive passes and ended the game by hitting on his last eight pass attempts.
 
RUNNING BACK – Nate Sheppard, So., RB, Duke (Mandeville, Louisiana)
  • Rushed for 97 yards and five touchdowns and caught one pass for 32 yards in Duke’s 47-2 victory against Boston College.
  • He set the Duke single-game record with five rushing touchdowns against the Eagles with bursts of one, two, 54, four and one yards in helping Duke to the conference victory.
  • The 54-yard blast is the longest touchdown run of his career. 
  • Tallied three rushing touchdowns in the first half (1, 2 and 54 yards), becoming the first Blue Devil with a trio of rushing scores in a half since Gunnar Holmberg had three in the second half against Kansas on September 25, 2021. 
  • Also became the first individual to have three rushing touchdowns in a half versus a Power Four opponent in 2026.
  • Became the eighth ACC player since 1996 to score five or more rushing TDs in a game.
  • With his five scores, Sheppard set the Duke single-season record with 18 touchdowns scored this fall.
  • Has totaled 30 career touchdowns scored, the third-most in a career by a Blue Devil.
  • He leads the FBS in points per game scored and total touchdowns scored so far this fall.
  • Earned his third ACC Running Back of the Week honor this season.
 
OFFENSIVE RECEIVER – Tre Richardson, Sr., WR, Louisville (Topeka, Kansas)
  • Finished with 189 total yards on 14 touches in the win over Stanford.
  • Hauled in 10 passes for 140 yards, while rushing four times for 49 yards.
  • Helped Louisville score 52 points and total 545 yards of offense in the win over the Cardinal.
 
CO-OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Johnnie Brown III, 5th, OL, Louisville (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Part of a Louisville offensive line that paved the way for the Cardinals to rush for 296 yards and four touchdowns on 9.0 yards per carry in the win over Stanford.
  • The Louisville line did not allow a sack in the win as the Cardinals racked up their highest scoring output against an FBS team in more than three years.
 
CO-OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Will Way, Sr., OL, Wake Forest (Tucson, Arizona)
  • Helped power Wake Forest’s offense to more than 500 yards of offense and six touchdowns including five on the ground in the Demon Deacons’ 51-7 win over Virginia. 
  • The 538 yards of total offense were the fifth-most by an ACC team in conference play this season. 
  • The 309 rushing yards were third-most by an ACC team in conference play this season. 
  • The five rushing touchdowns were tied for the third-most by an ACC team in conference play this season. 
  • Helped create time and space for the Demon Deacon offense to record seven plays of 15 yards or longer.
  • Also helped limit Virginia to just two sacks on the day. 

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Marquise Lightfoot, Jr., DL, Miami (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Recorded seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in Miami’s 38-35 road win over North Carolina.
  • With Miami leading 31-28, Lightfoot stripped quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. on a sack, and Justin Scott recovered at the North Carolina 37-yard line with 5:33 remaining.
  • The turnover set up a six-play touchdown drive that extended Miami’s lead to 38-28 with 2:33 left.
  • His two sacks accounted for 10 yards lost.
 
LINEBACKER – Popo Aguirre, Sr., LB, NC State (Fayetteville, Georgia)
  • Was a key contributor in the Wolfpack's 31-10 win over California.
  • Tallied 16 tackles in the contest, the second-highest total of his career.
  • Added 2.0 tackles-for-loss and registered a QB hurry.
  • From his middle linebacker position, helped hold Cal to just 73 rushing yards for the game.
  • Helped hold the Golden Bears scoreless in the second half.
  • Ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally in tackles per game on the year.
  • Earned his second ACC Linebacker of the Week honor this season.
 
DEFENSIVE BACK – Jerome Carter III, Jr., S, Clemson (Lake City, Florida)
  • Recorded five tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a sack, an interception and a pass breakup in Clemson's win at Florida State.
  • Became the first Clemson player to record a sack and an interception in a single game against a power conference opponent since All-American Jeremiah Trotter Jr. did so in a national player-of-the-week performance against Notre Dame in 2023.
  • Was the only player in the ACC this week to record both a sack and an interception. He became only the second ACC defensive back to record both a sack and an interception in the game this season, joining Syracuse's Davien Kerr against Louisville in mid-October.
  • Recorded his first career sack on the game’s opening drive, forcing Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels out of bounds shy of the line of scrimmage to force a three-and-out.
  • Added his first interception as a Tiger in the second quarter. 
  • The interception was the seventh of his career, including six in 2025.
  • He is the son of former Florida State defensive back Jerome Carter Jr. He tied his father for both sacks and interceptions at Doak Campbell Stadium, as only one of the elder Carter’s 2.5 career sacks and one of his three interceptions came at home.
 
SPECIALIST – Nolan Hauser, Jr., PK, Clemson (Cornelius, North Carolina)
  • Went 5-for-5 on field goals, 3-for-3 on PATs and averaged 44.0 yards on two punts in the road win at Florida State. 
  • Is now 23-of-24 on field goals this season and 58-of-69 for his career.
  • With the performance, his 84.0 career field-goal percentage moved past Bob Paulling's Clemson record of 82.9 from 1979-83.
  • Converted a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter, recording a field goal in his 17th consecutive game to pull within one game of Greg Huegel's school record of 18 set across the 2015-16 seasons.
  • On his third field goal — a 50-yarder to end the first half — he became the first Clemson kicker with three or more field goals in three consecutive games since Greg Huegel in 2015 against NC State, Florida State and Syracuse.
  • Recorded his sixth career field goal of 50 or more yards to pass Donald Igwebuike (five from 1981-84) and Chris Gardocki (five from 1988-90) for sole possession of second place in Clemson history.
  • Recorded his third field goal of 50 or more yards this season to match the single-season school record shared by B.T. Potter (three in 2019), Richard Jackson (three in 2009) and Chris Gardocki (three in 1990).
  • Converted a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter, matching his career high with his fifth field goal of the night.
  • Tied Nelson Welch for the most career three-field-goal games in Clemson history, with three.
  • Extended his streak of consecutive made field goals to a career-long 13 attempts. His 13 consecutive made field goals tied B.T. Potter (2021) for the fourth-longest streak in Clemson history.
  • His five field goals covered 215 yards, two shy of the single-game school record (217, Richard Jackson vs. Boston College in 2009). It marked only the second time in Clemson history that a kicker made field goals totaling 200 or more yards. 
  • Also punted twice, including a long of 53 yards. The 53-yarder was his second punt of 50 or more yards on four punt attempts this season.
  • Picked up his fifth ACC Specialist of the Week honor this season and third consecutive honor.
 
ROOKIE – Damon Ferguson Jr., Fr., RB, Pitt (Gwynn Oak, Maryland)
  • Led all ACC players and all FBS freshmen with 185 rushing yards in Pitt’s bowl-clinching 34-11 victory over Georgia Tech.
  • His total ranked sixth nationally for the week and were 46 yards more than the next-highest ACC performance and the next-highest FBS freshman performance by 62 yards.
  • The true freshman established career highs with 185 yards, 31 carries and two rushing touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per attempt.
  • He added an 11-yard reception to finish with a game-high 196 all-purpose yards.
  • Ferguson rushed for 112 yards in the first half, helping Pitt build a 17-3 halftime lead.
  • He scored the Panthers’ first touchdown on a three-yard run and capped their scoring with a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
  • His 185 yards were the most by a Panther since Ja’Kyrian Turner gained 201 at Georgia Tech on November 22, 2025.
  • He accounted for 65.8% of Pitt’s season-high 281 rushing yards.
  • It was his third 100-yard rushing game of the season.
  • Over Pitt’s last three games, he has rushed for 343 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per carry.
  • Earned his second ACC Rookie of the Week honor this season.
 

Purchase Tickets and Premium Hospitality Options Today
  • Tickets for the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game are on sale now and can be purchased through theACC.com and Ticketmaster.
  • Groups of 20 or more can take advantage of exclusive pricing and special on-field experiences. For group benefits and pricing, visit theACC.com/FCG or email tickets@theacc.org.
  • Premium hospitality options provide fans with an elevated gameday experience. To learn more or secure premium seating, visit the ACC Football Championship page.
    • Registix Reserve is a field-level experience featuring VIP club access, a parking pass, private entrance, exclusive access to an all-inclusive culinary experience in a climate-controlled lounge and postgame field access. The experience is available from gate opening through the conclusion of the championship awards ceremony.
    • Gridiron Club is a club-level shared-suite experience that includes reserved seating and all-inclusive food and beverage. The experience is available from gate opening through the conclusion of the championship awards ceremony.
    • Pregame Field Passes provide field access beginning 90 minutes before kickoff through the final 25 minutes of the pregame clock.
    • Postgame Field Access provides fans the opportunity to experience the championship awards ceremony from a designated on-field area.
 
Fan Fest
  • ACC Football fans of all ages can take part in Championship Saturday weekend festivities throughout the Queen City, including Fan Fest at Romare Bearden Park.
  • The free, two-day event will be open Friday, December 4, from 4-10 p.m. ET and Saturday, December 5, from 8-11:30 a.m. ET. Fan Fest will reopen following the game and remain open until 8 p.m. ET.
  • Fans can enjoy appearances by all 17 ACC Football mascots, a Friday night concert, games, giveaways, food trucks, a beer garden and more. ACC Network will also broadcast ACC PMlive from Fan Fest on Friday afternoon.
  • Additional Fan Fest activities include:
    • Appearances by ACC Network personalities
    • Participating team band performances
    • QB Challenge, field goal kick and football pong
    • Tailgate games, photo opportunities and giveaways
    • ACC Football Championship Game merchandise available from Event1
    • Extra Yard for Teachers Foundation activation
    • Championship game viewing on LED screens
 
Additional event information will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans are encouraged to secure their seats now and make plans to join the ACC in Charlotte for Championship Saturday.