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UVA D lineman Chico Bennett Jr. among ACC Football Player of the Week honorees

Chris Graham
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(© Jamie Lamor Thompson – Shutterstock)

UVA defensive lineman Chico Bennett Jr. was honored among the ACC Football Players of the Week for his standout effort in the Cavaliers’ 16-9 win over Georgia Tech.

QUARTERBACK – Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, QB, Charlotte, N.C.

Named ACC Quarterback of the Week for the second time this season after completing 25-of-40 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday’s 43-15 win over Boston College • Added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter • Active streak of 28 consecutive games accounting for a touchdown is the longest in the nation • Now ranks third in ACC history with 93 career touchdown passes.

RUNNING BACK – Will Shipley, Clemson, RB, Weddington, N.C.

Named ACC Running Back of the Week for the second consecutive week and the third time this fall following his performance in Saturday’s 27-21 win over No. 14 Syracuse • Rushed for a career-high 172 yards on a career-high 27 carries with two rushing touchdowns • Finished with 242 all-purpose yards, four more than his previous career high set a week earlier at Florida State (238) • Scored Clemson’s go-ahead touchdown on a 50-yard fourth-quarter run, the longest scoring run of his career • Notched his eighth career multi-touchdown game on the ground in his 18th career game.

RECEIVER – Colbie Young, Miami, WR, Binghamton, N.Y.

Young, a transfer from Lackawanna College, turned in a big performance against Duke with a game-high six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns • Young, who has played in five of Miami’s seven games, now has 18 catches for 271 yards to rank fourth among the Hurricanes’ pass receivers.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Jordan McFadden, Clemson, OT, Spartanburg, S.C.

Graded out at 92 percent with five knockdowns while allowing zero pressures or sacks in Saturday’s 27-21 win over No. 14 Syracuse • Helped Clemson rush for a season-high 293 yards, the most among Power 5 conference teams this week • Key contributor as Clemson’s ground game and a backup quarterback helped the Tigers overcome an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit for the first time since the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl versus LSU.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Chico Bennett, Virginia, DL, Ashburn, Va.

The Georgia Tech transfer had a huge game in his “homecoming” to help lead the Cavaliers’ 16-9 win over the Yellow Jackets on Thursday night • Virginia’s defense did not allow a touchdown, held Georgia Tech to a total of 201 yards total offense (including 55 rushing yards) and notched eight sacks as the Cavaliers defeated the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta for the first time since 2008 • Bennett had seven total tackles and two sacks to contribute to a UVA single-game sack total that tied for the second-most in program history.

LINEBACKER – Yasir Abdullah, Louisville, LB, Miramar, Fla.

Paced the Louisville defense in a 24-10 win over Pitt with seven tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, one interception, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, and three quarterback hurries • Moved up to fourth on Louisville’s career list for tackles for loss with 36.5, while helping hold Pitt to 326 yards of total offense and 10 points • His forced fumble resulted in a Louisville touchdown.

DEFENSIVE BACK – Brandon Johnson, Duke, NB, Newton, N.C.

Became the first Duke player since 2015 to be named Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in the Blue Devils’ 45-21 win over Miami • Logged a career-best and team-high nine tackles with 2.0 sacks, 2.0 TFL, a fumble recovery and an interception he returned 28 yards for a touchdown • His fumble recovery in the second quarter also set up a Duke score • Registered two of Duke’s season-best six sacks.

SPECIALIST – Todd Pelino, Duke, PK, Cornelius, N.C.

Playing in his first career game, scored nine points in the Blue Devils’ 45-21 win over Miami • Connected on a 28-yard field goal for a 17-7 Duke lead in the second quarter and finished 6-of-6 on PAT attempts • Tied for third in program history for PATs by a freshman in a single game.

ROOKIE – Chandler Rivers, Duke, DB, Beaumont, Texas

Tied for second on Duke’s team with six tackles and two pass breakups in the Blue Devils’ 45-21 win at Miami • Helped hold a Miami offense that was averaging 30.7 points per game to 21 points and an average of 463.7 yards total offense per game to 327 yards.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, 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, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].