UVA Football was, once again, well-represented among the ACC Football Players of the Week for Week 6, with edge rusher Mitchell Melton, linebacker Kam Robinson and punter Elijah Slibeck earning weekly honors.
We could also celebrate Louisville wideout Chris Bell here, because he wouldn’t be the ACC Wideout of the Week if not for the poor pass coverage from the UVA secondary on Saturday.
Anyway, the select panel has had its say.
QB: 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.
Tailback: 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).
Wideout: 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.
Special teams: 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 Pickett 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 2024.