Sept. 5, 2006
ATLANTA–Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson was named Atlantic Coast Conference Back of the Week for his performance against second-ranked Notre Dame, sharing the honor with Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.
Johnson caught seven passes for 111 yards and one touchdown in Georgia Tech’s 14-10 loss to second-ranked Notre Dame.
The junior All-America from Tyrone, Ga., scored Tech’s only touchdown on a four-yard scoring pass from Reggie Ball. He set up the touchdown with a 29-yard catch-and-run. Johnson lingered at the line to haul in a short pass, then burst through two defenders and rumbled all the way to the Notre Dame 4 for a 29-yard gain. On the very next play, Ball took a couple of steps back and simply lofted the ball toward the 6-foot-5 Johnson, who easily outleaped the cornerback for the touchdown.
Johnson also set up Tech’s other score with a 45-yard catch down to the Notre Dame 11-yard line, leading to a field goal that gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-0 lead late in the first half.
ACC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK, Games of Sept 2-4, 2006:
CO-OFFENSIVE BACKS
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson share offensive back honors this week. Ryan, a 6-5, 221-pound junior from Exton, Penn., had a career-best day to lead the Eagles to a 31-24 win at Central Michigan. Ryan completed 32-of-48 passes for 323 of the team’s 408 total net yards with no interceptions. Johnson, a 6-4, 235-pound junior from Tyrone, Ga., caught seven passes for 111 yards and one touchdown in the Yellow Jackets’ 14-10 loss to second-ranked Notre Dame. Johnson scored Georgia Tech’s only touchdown late in the first quarter on a four-yard scoring pass from Reggie Ball.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Wake Forest tackle Steve Vallos played all 73 snaps on offense and graded out at a team-best 95 percent in the Deacons’ 20-10 victory over Syracuse Saturday. The 6-3, 290-pound senior from Boardman, Ohio recorded 7.5 knockdown blocks with zero missed assignments as the Deacons totaled 363 yards of total offense, including 245 yards on the ground.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Florida State middle linebacker Buster Davis recorded a game-high 12 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, in the Seminoles 13-10 road win at No. 12 Miami Monday evening. The 5-10, 246-pound senior from Daytona Beach, Fla., had two sacks of Miami quarterback Kyle Wright and was responsible for 36 of the Hurricanes’ 58 yards in losses.
DEFENSIVE BACK
In his first career start, Florida State weak side linebacker Geno Hayes responded by making a career-high eight tackles in Monday’s 13-10 road win at No. 12 Miami. The 6-2, 211-pound sophomore from Greenville, Fla., had 2.5 tackles for loss for 14 yards in the third quarter as the Seminoles overcame a 10-3 halftime deficit.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Florida State place kicker Gary Cismesia made both of his field goal attempts in Monday’s 13-10 win at No. 12 Miami, including a game-winning 33-yarder with 8:01 left to play. The Parrish, Fla., junior gave Florida State a 3-0 lead with a 37-yarder on the Seminoles’ first drive of the game. The last time a Florida State place kicker did not miss a field goal in a game against Miami was in 1999.
ROOKIE
North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks had seven receptions for 63 yards in Saturday’s 21-16 loss to Rutgers. Nicks, a 6-1, 210-pound freshman from Charlotte, N.C., caught a two-yard scoring pass from Tar Heel quarterback Joe Dailey with 5:09 left to play in the fourth quarter.
