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ACC Football Players of the Week: Top players in Week 3

Chris Graham

ACC NetworkThe ACC Players of the Week have been recognized following their standout performances in Week 3 games.

The selections are determined by a vote of a 15-member media panel. The following are this week’s honorees:

CO-QUARTERBACK – Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, So., QB, Cartersville, Ga.
Lawrence completed 22 of 39 passes for a career-high 395 yards with three touchdowns in Saturday night’s 41-6 win at Syracuse, guiding Clemson to its 13th consecutive victory by 14 points or more • Lawrence also tied his career high with 42 rushing yards and ran for a touchdown for a third consecutive game.

CO-QUARTERBACK – Bryce Perkins, Virginia, Sr., QB, Queen Creek, Ariz.
Perkins led Virginia’s 31-24 come-from-behind win over Florida State on Saturday night with 30 completions in 40 attempts (both career highs) for 295 yards and one score • Perkins completed 17 of 19 throws in the second half, including 16 consecutive completions • He drove UVA to three TDs in the fourth quarter • Perkins’ management of the offense allowed Virginia to control the clock for 39:44 of the game • Rushed for 46 yards and tap-danced his way to a two-point conversion for the final points of the game that gave the Cavaliers a 7-point edge • Perkins also converted a critical fourth-down rush in which he was initially stopped behind the line of scrimmage but powered ahead to gain yardage.

RUNNING BACK – AJ Dillon, Boston College, Jr., RB, New London, Conn.
Dillon posted his 17th career game with at least one rushing touchdown Friday night against visiting Kansas • With 151 yards, he earned his 13th career 100-yard game and his eighth with at least 150 yards to tie for the fifth-most 100-yard rushing games in BC history • Dillon moved into a tie for 13th all-time in career scoring at BC with 180 points • Dillon also became the sixth Boston College player to rush for 3,000 career rushing yards (now 3,015 for his career).

RECEIVER – Sage Surratt, Wake Forest, So., WR, Lincolnton, N.C.
Surratt had nine receptions for a career-high 169 yards in Friday night’s 24-18 win over visiting North Carolina • Surratt’s 157 yards receiving in the first half were the most by an FBS receiver in the first half of a game this year and set a school first-half record • His 51-yard touchdown catch marked his fifth consecutive game with a scoring reception • The ACC Receiver of the Week honor is the second for Surratt this season and the third straight for a Wake Forest player.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – John Simpson, Clemson, Sr., OG, North Charleston, S.C.
Simpson earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for the second week in a row following his performance in the Tigers’ 41-6 win over Syracuse • Graded out at 94 percent with two knockdowns, according to the team’s coaching staff • Helped Clemson hold Syracuse without a sack and helped power the Tigers to 612 yards of total offense, their second 600-yard game this season.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Carlos ‘Boogie’ Basham Jr., Wake Forest, Jr., DE, Roanoke, Va.
Basham had five total tackles and a career-best 2.5 sacks in the Demon Deacons’ 24-18 win over North Carolina • Each of his sacks led to UNC having to punt the ball away • Basham was instrumental in helping the Wake Forest defense hold the Tar Heels to 2-for-16 on third down conversions.

LINEBACKER – Isaiah Simmons, Clemson, Jr., LB, Olathe, Kan.
Simmons was also named Walter Camp Football Foundation FBS National Defensive Player of the Week following his effort in the Tigers’ 41-6 win over Syracuse • Posted a game-high 11 tackles, including a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks • Both sacks effectively ended Syracuse drives, as one came on a third down which led to a Syracuse punt and another came on fourth down.

DEFENSIVE BACK – Nasir Greer, Wake Forest, So., SS, Rex, Ga.
Greer had a career-high 10 tackles in the Demon Deacons’ win over North Carolina, including five solos and five assists • He added a pass break-up and a forced fumble which was recovered on the North Carolina 20 and led to a two-play scoring drive.

SPECIALIST – Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse, Sr., P, Valrico, Fla.
Hofrichter punted nine times for 470 yards against Clemson • His average of 52.2 yards per punt was the fourth-best single-game mark in school history (minimum three punts) • A career-best six punts traveled at least 50 yards, including a career-long matching 65-yarder • Averaged 51.9 net yards per kick, as only two of his punts were returned for a total of three yards • Three Hofrichter punts ended up inside the Clemson 20-yard line and five resulted in fair catches.

ROOKIE – Jarren Williams, Miami, R-Fr., QB, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Williams delivered a standout performance in the first win of his career in Saturday’s 63-0 win over Bethune-Cookman, finishing near 80 percent on completions (19 of 24) with a career-high three touchdowns and no interceptions • Williams, who had a career-long 54-yard pass in the win, has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions to start his career.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].