The ACC may as well give out two Receiver of the Week awards going forward this season: one to Virginia wideout Malik Washington, the second to the best of the rest.
Washington won his third weekly ACC honor, and second straight, after his sixth 100-plus-yard game in Saturday’s 29-26 OT loss at Miami.
Washington, a grad transfer from Northwestern, had 12 catches on 15 targets for 152 yards in the loss.
The 12 catches tied as the most by an FBS player during Week 9.
The sixth game with 100-plus yards receiving ties him with Dontayvion Wicks and Germane Crowell for the most in a single season in UVA program history.
Washington ranks third in the country and leads the ACC in receptions (68), receptions per game (8.5), receiving yards (935) and receiving yards per game (116.9).
Week 9 ACC Football honorees
QUARTERBACK – Haynes King, Georgia Tech, QB, Longview, Texas
King accounted for 377 yards of total offense and four touchdowns to lead Georgia Tech to a 46-42 win over No. 17 North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets’ quarterback completed 23-of-30 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 90 yards, including a 52-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up his game-winning five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brett Seither with 4:28 to go in the ballgame. King led Georgia Tech to scores on seven of its final nine possessions of the game (not including a kneel-down at the end), including three straight touchdown drives of 75 yards or more in the fourth quarter. His 377 yards of total offense were the 11th-most in Georgia Tech history, while his 76.7 completion percentage was the second-highest in school history for a passer with at least 30 attempts. King became the second quarterback in Tech history to throw at least four touchdown passes three times in a season, joining Joe Hamilton in 1999, who did it three times en route to finishing second in voting for the Heisman Trophy that year.
RUNNING BACK – Jawhar Jordan, Louisville, RB, Long Island, N.Y.
Jordan rushed for a career-high 163 yards on 21 carries, scoring on runs of 14 and 23 yards in a 23-0 win over No. 20 Duke. Jordan had his ninth career 100-yard rushing game, all coming within the past 13 games, and recorded his fifth career game with multiple rushing touchdowns and sixth game with multiple touchdowns scored. The weekly conference honor is the second of the season for the Louisville running back.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Weston Franklin, Georgia Tech, C, Jesup, Ga.
Franklin anchored an offensive front that paved the way for Georgia Tech to rush for 348 yards – including 246 in the fourth quarter alone – and did not allow a sack in the Yellow Jackets’ 46-42 win over No. 17 North Carolina. The center was especially impressive in the Jackets’ dominant fourth quarter, as two of the biggest plays of the period – a 70-yard touchdown run by Dontae Smith and a 52-yard run by Haynes King – came on middle runs that followed key blocks from Franklin. Behind Franklin, Tech’s 348 rushing yards were the most by an ACC team and the 18th-most by any NCAA Division I FBS team this season. The Yellow Jackets’ 635 yards of total offense were Tech’s most ever in an ACC game, the second-most by an ACC team against an FBS opponent this season and the 23rd-most in a single game overall in 2023. Franklin and the Jackets did not allow a sack for the second-straight game and the fourth time in eight games this season.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Rueben Bain, Jr., Miami, DL, Miami, Fla.
Bain garnered his second consecutive weekly honor and the third of the season with another strong week for the Hurricanes. The first-year standout started in Miami’s overtime win over Virginia, totaling seven tackles and adding 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a pair of solo sacks (2.0), one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. He was a key part of a dominant Miami defensive front that finished the game with 10 tackles-for-loss and six sacks.
LINEBACKER – Payton Wilson, NC State, LB, Hillsborough, N.C.
Wilson secured his fourth weekly honor with a standout performance in NC State’s 24-17 win over Clemson. Wilson logged 52 snaps on defense for the Wolfpack, and although he did not lead the team in tackles for the first time this season, he still managed eight tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss before leaving the game early with an injury. Wilson ended up scoring what would be the winning touchdown for the Pack, as he picked off Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and returned it 15 yards – going airborne for the score. Wilson continues to lead the ACC in tackles per game, ranking sixth in all of the FBS.
DEFENSIVE BACK – Kamren Kinchens, Miami, S, Miami, Fla.
Kinchens had another strong outing Saturday, helping lead Miami to a 29-26 win over Virginia in overtime. The veteran captain had his second career pick-six – a 29-yard touchdown early in the second half – to help spark Miami to a come-from-behind victory. Kinchens, one of the FBS leaders in career interceptions, added nine total tackles and 0.5 tackles-for-loss in the victory.
SPECIALIST – Andres Borregales, Miami, K, Miami, Fla.
Borregales helped to get the Hurricanes into overtime where they defeated Virginia 29-26. The Lou Groza candidate finished 3-for-3 on field goals, with all three conversions 45 yards or longer. He hit a 50-yard kick in the fourth quarter and followed it up with a 48-yard boot with 1:23 remaining in the game to push the contest into overtime. He also had a 47-yarder in the second quarter and went 6-for-6 on touchbacks in kickoffs and 2-for-2 on extra points.
ROOKIE – Kevin Concepcion, NC State, WR, Charlotte, N.C.
Picking up his third Rookie of the Week honor, Concepcion tallied 134 all-purpose yards in the win over Clemson. The true freshman wideout recorded 51 rushing yards and 83 receiving yards, as well as two touchdowns in the victory. While his first touchdown of the game was a nine-yarder, the second score was a simple slant that he turned into a 72-yard dash to the endzone for the longest reception of the season for the Wolfpack. He tallied 77 yards after the catch in the receiving game and recorded a 50-yard rush, which was the longest rush of the year for NC State. Concepcion ranks third among true freshmen in the FBS with 5.2 receptions per game and fourth overall in the ACC.
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Chris Graham
