Tag: acc player of the week

Duke’s Cameron Bergeron named ACC Linebacker of the Week after Wake Forest win

Duke linebacker Cameron Bergeron racked up an ACC award after his strong showing against Wake Forest on Saturday.

Duke linebacker Cameron Bergeron has played a key role in the Blue Devils’ defensive success in 2024, and the Georgia native earned some recognition for his work on Monday.

Bergeron was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week after he finished Saturday’s game against Wake Forest with nine tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. The Blue Devils fell behind 17-3 early in the third quarter, but Bergeron and his teammates held the Demon Deacons scoreless over the final quarter-and-a-half to let the offense claw back into the game.

After only recording 17 total tackles over the previous three seasons, Bergeron racked up 75 during the 2024 regular season with 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He forced two fumbles and even intercepted a pass against SMU in Week 9.

Saturday was Bergeron’s fifth game of the season with at least eight total tackles, including a season-high 10 against Virginia Tech in Week 13, and recorded multiple tackles for loss in three of the team’s first four games this year.

Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers named ACC Defensive Back of the Week

Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers was one of two Blue Devils named to the ACC Players of the Week.

Following the Blue Devils win over the Florida State Seminoles on Friday, cornerback [autotag]Chandler Rivers[/autotag] was named one of the ACC Players of the Week.

Rivers was named the conference’s best defensive back for Week 8 after he returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, Duke’s first touchdown of the game.

It was his first interception of the season. In fact, it was the first time Rivers recorded a pick since he returned one for a score against Florida State just last year. He took a tipped pass from Jordan Travis 13 yards to the house in  Tallahassee, but Rivers said himself that he thinks this one was definitely the better of the two.

“I like this one more,” said Rivers in comparison of the two. “I love this one more because last year, it was a tip, and I just caught the tip. This year, I actually caught the pick, so I like this one more.”

While his pick six didn’t result in a win last year, it did this year as the Blue Devils’ picked up their first-ever victory over the Seminoles.

Duke linebacker Ozzie Nicholas, who forced two turnovers in the second quarter, was also honored by the conference.

Omarion Hampton earns weekly ACC honors after monster outing in UNC’s win over NCCU

Omarion Hampton found himself amongst the ACC’s top producers with Saturday’s performance.

The North Carolina Tar Heels played NC Central way closer than they should’ve in Saturday’s victory.

UNC only led the visiting Eagles by seven heading into the final quarter, then exploded for 28 fourth-quarter points. North Carolina was harmed by 16 penalties – 10 of which came in the first half.

While the Tar Heels’ offense struggled for the first three quarters, there was one Tar Heel who compiled the best game of his young 2024 season: Omarion Hampton, the best running back in college football.

Hampton played so well Saturday that, on Monday afternoon, he was named the ACC Running Back of the Week.

After NC Central scored halfway through the opening quarter, Hampton opened the second quarter scoring with his first of three touchdowns: an 11-yard run. Four-and-a-half minutes later, Hampton scored UNC’s eventual game-winning points on a 2-yard run, making the score 14-7.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, then Hampton added his third touchdown – on a 4-yard run – just five minutes into the final frame.

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When the clock hit zero, Hampton finished his night with 210 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. This was Hampton’s second career 200-yard game, as he did the same against App State last year.

What will Hampton do for an encore against JMU this weekend?

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Two Tar Heels ACC Player of the Week honors

UNC football stars Noah Burnette and Jahvaree Ritzie were rewarded for Thursday night’s performances.

The North Carolina Tar Heels gutted out a 19-17 win against Minnesota last Thursday, securing a much-needed victory in its season-opener that was highlighted by a clear kicking advantage and much-improved defense.

There were four separate lead changes, with UNC taking the last lead on star kicker Noah Burnette’s fourth and final field goal try. North Carolina’s defense, which played well for most of the night, relapsed into 2023 form by allowing the Golden Gophers to set up a game-winning field goal try.

There were a few Tar Heels who stood out Thursday night: not just on the team, but in the entire ACC.

Jahvaree Ritzie, who showcased his ability as one of the country’s premier defensive tackles with a 3-sack, 3-TFL outing and Burnette, who converted his lone extra point and all of his four field goal attempts, earned ACC Player of the Week honors.

Minnesota likely scores more points without Ritzie’s impact, plus UNC only scores six points without Burnette’s leg.

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Burnette showcased how special he was in 2023, converting 60-of-61 kicks into points. Ritzie was good in each of his first three seasons at North Carolina, but last Thursday showed he can be a much-needed star and X-factor in Tar Heel victories.

Will Burnette and Ritzie continue to shine in this coming Saturday’s home opener against Charlotte?

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Shaun Crawford, Tommy Kraemer Earn Weekly ACC Honors

Notre Dame is reaping the benefits of its win over Boston College.

Notre Dame is reaping the benefits of its win over Boston College. Not only did it retain its No. 2 ranking, but the ACC has decided to reward a couple of players for their performances in that game. Shaun Crawford and Tommy Kraemer have been named the conference’s Defensive Back and Offensive Lineman of the Week, respectively. That makes 11 weekly ACC awards for the Irish.

Against the Eagles, Crawford had a team-leading and career-high nine tackles, an 8-yard sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. No other defensive back in the ACC this past week recorded nine tackles and a sack. Without him, Phil Jurkovec would have had a better day against his former team.

Anyone on the offensive line could have won Offensive Lineman of the Week, but the honor went to Kraemer. The Irish’s offense gained 561 total yards, and Ian Book never was sacked during the contest. If the unit is to repeat that success at all the rest of 2020, it will have to do so without starting center Jarrett Patterson, who suffered a season-ending foot injury in the game.

Notre Dame’s Sweet Named ACC Player of the Week

Playing at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, Sweet recorded 10 hits, six runs, eight RBI and a home run in six contests.

Notre Dame softball centerfielder Abby Sweet (junior, Hart High School/Newhall, California) was named the ACC Player of the Week for her efforts this weekend that helped the Irish to a 3-3 mark and included an upset win over No. 16 Arizona State.

Playing at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, Sweet recorded 10 hits, six runs, eight RBI and a home run in six contests.  She also slugged a remarkable .850 while totaling 17 bases, hitting four doubles and stealing four bases in four tries.

Notre Dame sits with a 10-5 overall record and will travel to Duke this weekend for three games against the Blue Devils to kickoff ACC competition.  The Irish ranked third in the Pre-Season ACC Coaches Poll that was released in late January.