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Often times, the academic accomplishments of college football players is overlooked by the on-field accolades such as conference player of the year, rookie of the year, etc. So, it’s no surprise that nearly a month ago, four Virginia Tech Hokies were named to the ACC’s All Academic football team, but the news got very little press.

The following Hokies were named to the team:

Brent Bowden, Punter
Jarrett Boykin, Wide Receiver
Chris Drager, Defensive End
John Graves, Defensive Tackle
To be eligible for consideration, a player must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career. All 12 ACC schools were represented by at least one selection on the team. The ACC has selected an ACC All-Academic Football team every year since 1954.

To see a complete list of this year’s team, visit theacc.com.

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Blacksburg, VA — He won the Rookie of the Week award seven times this season, so it came as no surprise that Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year today.

Williams broke the ACC and Tech freshman rushing records with 1,358 yards in his first season. He also set new ACC and Tech single-season records for touchdowns with 20 (19 rushing, 1 receiving). It is also the 4th-best single-season rushing total in ACC history.

The former Stonewall Jackson High School standout received 34 votes from 40 voting members. Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly finished second with 29 votes.

Williams was also was named ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year while Kuechly took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

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Blacksburg, VA — The No. 11 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (6-2, 9-3) finished their 2009 regular season with a 42-13 mauling of in-state rival, the Virginia Cavaliers (2-6, 3-9) in which redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams rushed for a career-high 183 yards and four touchdowns.

Today, the ACC recognized Williams’ dominating performance by named him Rookie of the Week for the seventh time this season. In addition to running roughshod over the Cavaliers, Williams broke the ACC’s freshman single-season rushing and touchdown records.

Williams has 1,358 yards this season, which sets a new Virginia Tech and ACC freshman record and ranks second on Tech’s list of best single-season rushing performances. The phenom from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Va., needs only 110 yards to break the program’s record, set in 2003 by Kevin Jones, who rushed for 1,647 yards.

The rushing record isn’t the only record that fell to the humble, no-frills freshman. He now owns the ACC’s freshman TD scoring record with 20, breaking N.C. State’s T.A. McLendon’s 2002 record of 18.

See a complete list of the ACC’s weekly awards.

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Blacksburg, VA — I fully expected Virginia Tech’s freshman running back Ryan Williams to earn his seventh ACC Rookie of the Week award today. I was so convinced that his 120 yards rushing and four touchdowns, along with breaking the ACC’s freshman rushing record and tying the ACC freshman TD record was more than enough to lock up the award. I even had an article written last night and ready to go as soon as the announcement was released. I was wrong. Sort of.

I also figured that Cody Grimm would get his third Defensive Player of the Week award after tying an NCAA record with three forced fumbles in a game, so I got that right. But I missed on Williams getting another ROTW award.

Boston College freshman outside linebacker Luke Kuechly received that honor this afternoon when the weekly press release went out. Kuechly registered an ACC season-high 19 tackles, including eight solo and 2.5 tackles for loss, in the Eagles 31-13 loss to North Carolina.

I am not here to disparage or take away from Mr. Kuechly’s accomplishment because 19 tackles in a game is incredible, especially for a freshman. Plus, he did it against a pretty good rushing offense that was limited to 96 yards. I was just surprised, that’s all. I am merely surprised.

Perhaps Ryan Williams has set his bar so high that a paultry 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns in a game — which tied a Virginia Tech freshman record — and breaking the ACC’s freshman rushing record just aren’t enough considering what he’s done week in and week out this season.

Williams has become so dominant that he’s literally running over defenders and dragging them effortlessly into the end zone. He’s en route to becoming the most prolific running backs in Virginia Tech’s history. He already:

• owns the ACC and Tech freshman rushing records (1,355 with two games to play);
• obliterated Tech’s freshman scoring record and tied the ACC’s;
• crushed Tech’s freshman record for most 100-yard games in a season and has a shot at breaking the overall school record;
• has been named ACC Rookie of the Week six times;
• ranks seventh in the nation in rushing;
• named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist; and
• has been mentioned as a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

So, when you look accomplishments like those, 120 yards and four touchdowns doesn’t seem like a big deal.

I am not upset or outraged that Williams didn’t get his seventh ACC Rookie of the Week honor — Kuechly is more than deserving — I am just surprised that such a stellar performance did not warrant either Offensive Player of the Week or at least Rookie of the Week. 

I guess the ACC coaches figured that Williams has already made his mark and that another equally deserving performance, like that of Kuechly, should be recognized.

Regardless, it is an individual award that means more to media types like me than it does to the players. I guarantee that Williams, and even Kuechly, would gladly give up all six of his weekly awards for a win or two on the field.

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Blacksburg, VA – Cody Grimm, a redshirt senior linebacker for the 14th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, earned his third ACC Defensive Back of the Week award after leading the Hokies’ defense in shutting down N.C. State’s high-powered offense. Tech won its final home game of the 2009 season, 38-10.Grimm tied an NCAA record with three forced fumbles in the first four N.C. State offensive plays.

On the offensive side of the ball, Sergio Render was named the Offensive Lineman of the Week. The senior from from Newnan, Ga., graded out at 82 percent and recorded a season-high 10 knockdown blocks in the Hokies’ 38-10 win over the Wolfpack. Render helped the Hokie offensive line lead the way for a Virginia Tech offense that piled up 397 yards of total offense, including 200 yards on the ground and 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns from the ACC’s leading rusher Ryan Williams.

The Hokies (5-2, 8-3) play at Virginia (2-5, 3-8) on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 1 p.m.

Complete list of weekly ACC awards.

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Blacksburg, VA — While the Heisman Trophy may be a long shot for Virginia Tech freshman running back Ryan Williams, the Doak Walker Award, given to college football’s premiere running back, appears well within his reach.

Today, the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors announced today the 10 semifinalists for the 2009 Doak Walker Award and Williams is on the list.

Williams and Pittsburgh’s Dion Lewis are the only freshmen on the list. And despite what many consider a down year for the conference, the ACC has three running backs on the list. In addition to Williams, the ACC’s leading rusher, Clemson’s C.J. Spiller and Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer are also named as semifinalists.

Williams has earned the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Week award six times this season. The talented freshman is the first ACC running back to rush for more than 1,100 yards in 2009 and needs only 157 yards to break Tech’s freshman rushing record (1,265) set by Darren Evans last season.

The complete list of the 2009 Doak Walker Award semifinalists and their national ranking for rushing:

Donald Buckram (Jr.) UTEP (4th)
Jonathan Dwyer (Jr.) Georgia Tech (16th)
Toby Gerhart (Sr.) Stanford (2nd)
Mark Ingram (So.) Alabama (6th)
Dion Lewis (Fr.) Pittsburgh (7th)
Ryan Mathews (Jr.) Fresno State (1st)
Jacquizz Rodgers (So.) Oregon State (15th)
C.J. Spiller (Sr.) Clemson (44th)
Ben Tate (Sr.) Auburn (12th)
Ryan Williams (Fr.) Virginia Tech (9th)

About the Doak Walker Award

The 130 members of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast their votes to determine the 2009 finalists. On Monday, November 23, three finalists will be named, and a second vote by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will determine the recipient. The 2009 Doak Walker Award recipient will be announced live on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10.

The Award is named after three-time SMU All-American running back and 1948 Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker. Walker, who also punted, returned kicks and kicked extra points, led the Mustangs to two Southwest Conference Championships. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions and led the league in scoring his rookie year. During his six years with the Lions, he led the team to two NFL championships and was chosen All-Pro four times. Walker is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

For more information about the Doak Walker award, visit http://smu.edu/doakwalker/

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Blacksburg, VA — There has been talk among Virginia Tech Hokie fans about Frank Beamer possibly hiring Ralph Friedgen as offensive coordinator should Maryland fire him after what has been a disappointing season.

This scenario assumes that Maryland could afford to buy out the remainder of Friedgen’s contract, but given Maryland’s financial woes, it appears very unlikely the university can afford such a move.

Keep in mind that following last season Maryland named James Franklin, offensive coordinator, the successor to Friedgen once the Fridge’s contract ends following the 2011 season.

If the Terps want to make an earlier-than-expected change at head coach, they will need to buy out the remaining two years of Friedgen’s contract, valued at $4.5 million. Given the tough economic situation facing the state of Maryland, it would be hard for the university to justify spending that kind of money on a football coach, so expect the Terps to ride out the final two years of Friedgen’s contract.

Attendance and season ticket sales have been on the decline for the last five seasons at College Park. Unless the Terps (1-4, 2-7) can turn things around in the next two seasons, expect the Fridge to be out in two years. If he’s not, Maryland owes Franklin a cool $1 million per the “successor” contract given to him earlier this year.

Even if the Terps can the Fridge, there is still the issue of Beamer’s loyalty to embattled offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring.

Many Hokie fans are calling for offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring’s ousting in the wake of another statistically abysmal year. The offense touts a great deal of talent and experience, yet the Hokies rank 70th in total offense, thanks in large part to phenom freshman running back Ryan Williams, who is on pace to break every major freshman rushing record at the school.

During the past four seasons, the Hokies’ offense has hovered around 100th out of 120 teams in Division I-A. During those season, while the offense struggled at times, Tech’s defense generally helped out enough to push the team to consistent 10-win seasons. This year, however, the defense is struggling and the lack of offense is much more noticeable as evidenced by three losses.

Beamer and his team still have a shot at a sixth straight 10-win season if they can win their remaining three regular season games and then a bowl game.

If the Hokies tank their last three game and finish 6-6, expect there to be a lot of pressure on Beamer to sack or demote Stinespring and bring in a new offensive coordinator. If the Hokies win out and finish 10-3, don’t expect any changes on the coaching staff. Not many programs in the country can boast five straight 10-win seasons.

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Blacksburg, VA — For the sixth time in this season, the Atlantic Coast Conference named Virginia Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams its Rookie of the Week. The talented freshman is the first ACC running back to rush for more than 1,100 yards this season.

Cody Grimm, a redshirt senior linebacker for the Hokies, earned the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Week award following his dominating performance against the Pirates. Grimm led the team with 12 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.

Grimm played like a man possessed en route to his second ACC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season.

On the offensive side of the ball, Williams rushed for 179 yards on 26 carries in the Hokies’ 16-3 win over East Carolina.

The freshman from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Va., has rushed for 100 or more yards in six games this season, breaking Darren Evans’ freshman record of four 100-yard rushing games in a season set just last season.

Williams averages 123 yards rushing per game, has 1,109 rushing yards through nine games this season, and is on pace to rush for more than 1,500 before the end of the regular season.

The Hokies are bowl eligible for the 17th straight year, so Williams will have at least four more games to add to his total. Evans set the ACC and Tech freshman record with 1,265 yards rushing last season.

Williams also tied Evans’ record of 11 touchdowns in a season and barring an injury, will likely shatter the old mark set in 2008. The Virginia Tech record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 27 set by Lee Suggs in 2000. Suggs also holds the school record for total TDs in a season with 28, also set in 2000.

Williams and the Hokies (3-2, 6-3) play at Maryland (1-4, 2-7) on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m.

Complete list of weekly ACC awards.

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From HokieSports.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Sunday all of its game times and TV networks for Nov. 29. Tech and Virginia will kick off at noon with a game shown on ESPN. If the Hokies win, they will advance to the ACC Championship game in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 6.

The Atlantic Division will be decided by the Boston College/Maryland game.

Saturday, Nov. 29

• Miami at NC State, Raycom, 12 Noon
• Georgia Tech at Georgia, CBS, 12 noon
• South Carolina at Clemson, ESPN2, 12 Noon
• Virginia at Virginia Tech, ESPN, 12 Noon
• Florida at Florida State, ABC (ESPN2*), 3:30 pm
• Maryland at Boston College, ABC (ESPN2*), 3:30 pm
• North Carolina at Duke, ESPNU, 3:30 pm
• Vanderbilt at Wake Forest, ESPNU, 7 pm

* ABC Regional telecast, seen in other parts of the country on ESPN2.

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By VTHokiefans.com Follower “Jordan”

With Georgia Tech and Miami playing tonight and the Canes having only two conference loses, they control their own destiny – win out and they are Coastal Division champs. If the Yellow Jackets win, they finish 5-3 and that means that UNC, VT, and UVA must win out (all three have two remaining conference games) to finish tied with Georgia Tech and possibly Miami, if the Canes beat NCSU).

So, a 4-4 record gets you nothing. Finish 5-3 and you are still at the table, but there are several possibilities for who takes the pot. The Hokies need GT to beat UM (like everyone else). If this occurs and VT wins out (which would knock UVA out the picture), AND UM beats NCSU, AND UNC wins out; then VT, GT, UNC and UM all finish 5-3.

A four-way tie between these teams would mean that we come to the ACC’s first tiebreaker step; head-to-head records against the teams tied for first. This narrows the tiebreaker down to Virginia Tech (beat UNC, GT) and UNC (beat UM, GT), each with a 2-1 record against the other teams. Miami (losses to UNC and GT) and GT (losses to VT and UNC) have 1-2 records in this scenario.

Now that it is narrowed down to two teams (VT and UNC), head-to-head record is used to break the tie and Virginia Tech beat UNC.

If UNC loses along the way, the Hokies are still in the game since the three tied teams (VT, GT, UM) all have head-to-head records of (1-1).  The next tie breaker is divisional record and VT (4-1) has the edge over UM (3-2) and GT (2-3). If UM were to lose both remaining games, VT could either finsh 5-3 tied with GT and potenially UNC. In either case VT goes to the ACC Championship game, as it beat both these teams (UNC and GT) in the regular season.

Poor UVA (not really):

The Hoos could win out and actually be hurt it UNC loses. All the same that is stated for VT must be true for UVA (win out, UM lose to GT). If the four-way tie is UVA, UNC, UM, and GT; UVA wins like tech did; having a 2-1 head-to-head record with the other tied teams which matches UNC and having beat UNC. If UNC loses and there is a three-way tie (UVA, GT, UM), UVA is ousted by UM since all three teams are 1-1 against the others, UM and UVA have the same divisional record (3-2), but UM beat UVA. (Lost yet?) The diffence being VT only lost to UM within the division (4-1), but UM loses to GT and UNC (3-2); therefore the third tie-breaker, of head-to-head, is not needed.

Clear as mud? Good! Now GO other Tech!

Official ACC Tiebreaker Rules

*Our thanks to Jordan for putting this together! Great work, dude!

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