Football

ACC Football Players of the Week for Week 3

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced its Football Players of the Week following standout performances in Week 3. The honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.
 
QUARTERBACK – Darian Mensah, Sr., QB, Miami (San Luis Obispo, California)
  • Completed 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in Miami’s 33-20 road win at Wake Forest.
  • Completed his first 24 pass attempts, setting a new ACC single-game record for consecutive completions.
  • Combined with his final 11 consecutive completions in Week 2 and his 24 straight pass completions in Week 3, Mensah set an ACC record for consecutive pass completions with 35 (one shy of the NCAA record).
  • Finished with an 88.2 percent completion rate while throwing touchdown passes to three different receivers.
 
RUNNING BACK – KeyJuan Brown, Sr., RB, Louisville (Anniston, Alabama)
  • Rushed for a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries in a 41-31 win over No. 16 SMU.
  • Broke free for a 58-yard touchdown on the second play after halftime to give the Cardinals the lead.
  • Later raced 53 yards for a touchdown to put the Cards back in front for good in the fourth quarter.
  • Led a Louisville rushing attack that piled up 265 rushing yards in the top-25 win.

OFFENSIVE RECEIVER – Keenan Jackson, Jr., WR, NC State (Waxhaw, North Carolina)
  • Recorded nine catches for 102 yards and three touchdowns on the road at Vanderbilt.
  • Hauled in touchdown catches from 30, 6 and 23 yards out for the Wolfpack offense.
  • His nine receptions and three touchdown catches were both career highs.
  • Has posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games over the last two weeks.
 
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Eryx Daugherty, Sr., OL, Louisville (Troy, Michigan)
  • Was part of a Louisville offensive line that paved the way for the Cardinals rushing attack that amassed 265 yards in a 41-31 win over No. 16 SMU.
  • The 265 rushing yards were the most allowed by SMU since the 2022 season.
  • Helped open holes on touchdown runs of 58, 53 and 27 yards.
  • Cleared the way for ACC Running Back of the Week KeyJuan Brown to rush for a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns.
 
CO-DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Will Heldt, Sr., DE, Clemson (Carmel, Indiana)
  • Recorded 2.0 sacks for a second straight game, helping lead Clemson to an ACC win over North Carolina.
  • Has recorded 2.0 sacks in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
  • Became the first Clemson player to record 2.0 sacks in consecutive games since Jeremiah Trotter Jr. against South Carolina and North Carolina in 2022.
  • One of two ACC players and one of only three players nationally to have reached 2.0 sacks in multiple games this season.
 
CO-DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Kevin O’Connor, Sr., DE, Duke (Easton, Maryland)
  • Recorded 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble on a strip sack in helping Duke defeat Stanford 35-7.
  • Recorded his first career solo sack in the opening quarter, dropping Davis Warren for a five-yard loss.
  • Reached Warren again, sacking him for another five-yard loss and forcing the first fumble of his career in the second quarter. Duke scored on the ensuing drive for its first points off a turnover this season.
  • Part of a Duke defense that held Stanford to just 77 yards after intermission, including just four rushing yards in the second half.
  • The Cardinal were shut out in the second half. Duke has allowed only three total points over the last two second halves O’Connor has played.
  • Joins Tyshon Reed Jr. and Bryce Davis as Blue Devils with 2.0 or more sacks this season. Duke joins Virginia Tech as the only ACC school with at least three players who have recorded 2.0 or more sacks this season.

LINEBACKER – Alex Sanford Jr., Sr., LB, Pitt (Oxford, Mississippi)
  • Matched his career high with 11 tackles and established a career high with 2.5 tackles-for-loss in Pitt’s 27-13 victory over Syracuse.
  • Led all ACC linebackers in tackles-for-loss during Week 3 and ranked second in tackles. He was the only ACC linebacker to record double-digit tackles and more than two tackles-for-loss.
  • Led all players in the game in tackles and tackles-for-loss, while adding three quarterback hurries.
  • Helped Pitt record eight tackles-for-loss while limiting Syracuse to one touchdown and only three second-half points.
  • The Panthers held Syracuse scoreless in the first and third quarters, improving to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in ACC play.
 
DEFENSIVE BACK – Kaleb Beasley, Jr., DB, Louisville (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Finished with a team-high 10 tackles and two interceptions in the 41-31 win over No. 16 SMU.
  • Recorded an interception in the second quarter and added another late in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
  • Part of a Louisville secondary that limited Kevin Jennings to 222 passing yards and one touchdown after he entered the weekend as the national leader in total offense.
 
SPECIALIST – Nolan Hauser, Jr., PK, Clemson (Cornelius, North Carolina)
  • Went 3-for-3 on field goals and 1-for-1 on PAT attempts, accounting for 10 points in Clemson’s eight-point victory at home over North Carolina.
  • His 49-yard field goal in the first quarter marked his 12th consecutive made field goal of 40 or more yards, dating to last season.
  • Converted a 22-yard field goal in the third quarter, giving him his fourth career game with three or more made field goals.
  • Improved to 9-for-9 on field goals to open the season.
  • His nine consecutive field goals to start the season are tied with B.T. Potter’s 2022 mark for the second-most consecutive field goals to start a season without a miss by a Clemson kicker since 1980, trailing only Chandler Catanzaro’s 12 in 2012.
  • Leads the nation in field goals made with nine on a perfect 9-for-9 mark this season.
  • Earned his second consecutive ACC Specialist of the Week honor.
 
ROOKIE – Damon Ferguson Jr., Fr., RB, Pitt (Gwynn Oak, Maryland)
  • Recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game in Pitt’s 27-13 victory over Syracuse, gaining 102 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in his second collegiate start.
  • Led all ACC true freshmen in rushing for the week and ranked fourth nationally among FBS true freshmen.
  • Was the only ACC true freshman to reach 100 rushing yards in Week 3.
  • Averaged 10.2 yards per carry, highlighted by a 32-yard touchdown run that gave Pitt a 14-0 second-quarter lead.
  • Helped the Panthers rush for a season-high 245 yards and improve to 3-0 to start the year.
  • Added two receptions for 104 total yards from scrimmage.
  • Has scored a touchdown in each of his first three collegiate games, totaling two rushing touchdowns and one receiving score.