Clemson sets record with 17 All-ACC selections |
CLEMSON, S.C. — A record 17 Clemson players were named to one of three All-ACC teams announced Monday by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Sophomore quarterback
Deshaun Watson was joined on the first team by offensive players
Eric Mac Lain and
Artavis Scott, as well as defensive players
Mackensie Alexander,
Shaq Lawson and
Carlos Watkins.
Clemson’s entire starting offensive line was honored for the first time ever, as Jay Guillermo was a second-team choice, while Tyrone Crowder, Joe Gore and Mitch Hyatt were all third-team selections. Other All-ACC selections on offense were running back Wayne Gallman and tight end Jordan Leggett, who were named to the second team. Placekicker Greg Huegel also got a second-team nod.
Defensively, four Tigers were named to the second and third teams. Starting linebackers Ben Boulware and B.J. Goodson were both second-team honorees, along with safety Jayron Kearse. Starting cornerback Cordrea Tankersley was a third-team selection.
Watson concluded the regular season with an ACC-best 3,979 yards of total offense and 36 total touchdowns. A finalist for the Maxwell and O’Brien awards, he also leads the conference with a 161.9 passing efficiency, and is second with 268.6 passing yards per game. Mac Lain, the starting left guard, has had a lot to do with Clemson’s success on offense. The Tigers ended the regular season with eight straight games tallying at least 500 yards on offense.
Scott is second in the ACC with 6.4 receptions per game, snagging 77 passes for 709 yards and four touchdowns. Leggett, a finalist for the Mackey Award, finished the regular season with 31 receptions from his tight end spot, with six touchdowns. On the ground, Gallman is third among ACC backs with 104.1 rushing yards per game, while contributing nine scores.
Huegel has been quite the success story, converting 21 of 23 field goal attempts. His 91.3 percent clip is tops among ACC kickers. He has made 16 straight entering Saturday’s ACC Championship Game.
Lawson leads the ACC with 20.5 tackles for loss and is fourth with 8.5 sacks. He has had at least one tackle for loss in all but one game, and is a finalist for both the Lombardi and Nagurski awards. Watkins, a defensive tackle, has accumulated 60 stops this season, including six behind the line of scrimmage.
Alexander and Kearse have been big factors behind Clemson’s success against the pass this season. Alexander has five pass breakups in 571 snaps, and has not allowed a touchdown in man coverage all season. Kearse is tied for sixth on the Tiger defense with 70 tackles, including 6.5 for loss. He is second on the team with eight pass breakups as well.
Goodson and Boulware are Clemson’s top two tacklers in 2015 with 118 and 116, respectively. Goodson’s total includes 15 tackles for loss, while Boulware has seven. Goodson is second on the squad with 5.5 sacks, while Boulware is third with six pass breakups.
Tankersley, a third-teamer, leads Clemson with four interceptions on the season. He returned one for a score in the Tigers’ 58-0 rout of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., on October 24. Tankersley has also added a team-high nine pass breakups.
The 2015 ACSMA All-ACC Football Teams:
First Team Offense
WR Tyler Boyd Jr. Pitt 147
WR Artavis Scott So. Clemson 130
WR Isaiah Ford So. Virginia Tech 124
TE Jaylen Samuels So. NC State 93
T Roderick Johnson So. Florida State 102
T Joe Thuney Sr.-R NC State 82
G Landon Turner Sr.-R North Carolina 132
G Eric Mac Lain Sr.-R Clemson 113
C Matt Skura Sr.-R Duke 94
QB Deshaun Watson So. Clemson 150
RB Dalvin Cook So. Florida State 150
RB Elijah Hood So. North Carolina 123
PK Roberto Aguayo Jr.-R Florida State 86
Sp. DeVon Edwards Jr.-R Duke 103
First Team Defense
DE Shaq Lawson Jr. Clemson 132
DE Ejuan Price Sr.-R Pitt 111
DT Carlos Watkins Jr.-R Clemson 101
DT Luther Maddy Sr.-R Virginia Tech 60
DT Connor Wujciak Sr.-R Boston College 60
LB Micah Kiser So.-R Virginia 93
LB Brandon Chubb Sr.-R Wake Forest 87
LB Keith Kelsey Jr. Louisville 78
CB Jalen Ramsey Jr. Florida State 122
CB Mackensie Alexander So.-R Clemson 81
S Jeremy Cash Sr.-R Duke 122
S Quin Blanding So. Virginia 88
P Riley Dixon Sr. Syracuse 77
Second Team Offense
WR Travis Rudolph So. Florida State 96
WR Canaan Severin Sr. Virginia 88
WR Mack Hollins Jr.-R North Carolina 63
WR Kermit Whitfield Jr. Florida State 63
TE Jordan Leggett Jr. Clemson 77
T Jon Heck Jr.-R North Carolina 79
T Adam Bisnowaty Jr.-R Pitt 77
G Dorian Johnson Jr. Pitt 49
G Caleb Peterson Jr.-R North Carolina 45
C Jay Guillermo Jr.-R Clemson 88
QB Marquise Williams Sr.-R North Carolina 95
RB Wayne Gallman So.-R Clemson 115
RB Qadree Ollison Fr.-R Pitt 69
PK Greg Huegel Fr.-R Clemson 77
Sp. Ryan Switzer Jr. North Carolina 83
Second Team Defense
DE Mike Rose Sr.-R NC State 96
DE DeMarcus Walker Jr. Florida State 81
DT Nile Lawrence-Stample Sr.-R Florida State 58
DT DeAngelo Brown Jr.-R Louisville 46
LB Steven Daniels Sr. Boston College 65
LB Ben Boulware Jr. Clemson 60
LB B.J. Goodson Sr.-R Clemson 60
LB Reggie Northrup Sr. Florida State 60
CB M.J. Stewart So. North Carolina 65
CB Artie Burns Jr. Miami 51
S Jayron Kearse Jr. Clemson 69
S Justin Simmons Sr. Boston College 47
P Alex Kinal Sr.-R Wake Forest 75
Third Team Offense
WR Stacy Coley Jr. Miami 58
WR Ryan Switzer Jr. North Carolina 34
WR Quinshad Davis Sr. North Carolina 28
TE Bucky Hodges So.-R Virginia Tech 52
T Mitch Hyatt Fr. Clemson 66
T Joe Gore Sr.-R Clemson 59
G Tyrone Crowder So.-R Clemson 39
G Kareem Are Jr.-R Florida State 38
C Lucas Crowley Jr. North Carolina 58
QB Brad Kaaya So. Miami 30
RB Taquan Mizzell Jr. Virginia 43
RB Travon McMillian Fr.-R Virginia Tech 30
PK Ross Martin Sr. Duke 56
Sp. Brisly Estime Jr. Syracuse 34
Third Team Defense
DE Sheldon Rankins Sr. Louisville 47
DE Ron Thompson Jr. Syracuse 24
DT Nazair Jones So.-R North Carolina 33
DT Derrick Nnadi So. Florida State 31
DT Darryl Render Sr. Pitt 31
LB Shakeel Rashad Sr. North Carolina 58
LB James Burgess Sr. Louisville 53
LB Dwayne Norman Sr. Duke 43
CB Cordrea Tankersley Jr. Clemson 47
CB Des Lawrence Jr. North Carolina 45
S Jordan Whitehead Fr. Pitt 41
S Derwin James Fr. Florida State 30
P Will Monday Sr.-R Duke 39
Honorable Mention Offense
TE Cam Serigne So.-R Wake Forest 39
T Bryan Chamberlain Sr.-R Georgia Tech 29
T Casey Blaser Jr.-R Duke 23
T Geron Christian Fr. Louisville 20
G Chad Mavety Jr.-R Florida State 36
G Lucas Patrick Sr.-R Duke 35
G Ross Burbank Sr.-R Virginia 28
G Trey Braun Sr.-R Georgia Tech 25
C Quinton Schooley Sr. NC State 23
RB Matt Dayes Jr. NC State 29
RB Joe Yearby So. Miami 26
PK Nick Weiler Jr. North Carolina 36
PK Michael Badgley So. Miami 27
Sp. Nyheim Hines Fr. NC State 25
Sp. Kermit Whitfield Jr. Florida State 23
Sp. Bra'Lon Cherry Jr. NC State 22
Honorable Mention Defense
DE
Kevin Dodd Jr.-R Clemson 22
DT Adam Gotsis Sr. Georgia Tech 28
DT David Dean Sr.-R Virginia 28
DT Corey Marshall Sr.-R Virginia Tech 21
LB Trevon Young Jr. Louisville 41
LB Terrance Smith Sr.-R Florida State 39
LB Devonte Fields Jr. Louisville 39
LB Matt Milano Jr. Boston College 38
LB Jeff Schoettmer Sr.-R North Carolina 25
CB Trumaine Washington So. Louisville 38
CB Shaq Wiggins So.-R Louisville 23
CB Avonte Maddox So. Pitt 21
S Deon Bush Sr. Miami 29
S DeVon Edwards Jr.-R Duke 27
S Donnie Miles So.-R North Carolina 26
S Josh Harvey-Clemons Jr.-R Louisville 21
S Lamarcus Brutus Sr.-R Florida State 20
P Nicholas Conte Jr.-R Virginia 31
P Cason Beatty Sr. Florida State 27
Tags: Clemson Football,
Deshaun Watson,
Joe Gore,
Eric Mac Lain,
B.J. Goodson,
Jay Guillermo,
Kevin Dodd,
Carlos Watkins,
Shaq Lawson,
Cordrea Tankersley,
Wayne Gallman,
Ben Boulware,
Jordan Leggett,
Tyrone Crowder,
Mackensie Alexander,
Jayron Kearse,
Artavis Scott,
Mitch Hyatt,
Greg Huegel