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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Fourth-ranked Florida State leads a group of eight student-athletes recognized as Atlantic Coast Conference Football Players of the Week, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. Running back Chris Thompson was honored as ACC Offensive Back of the Week, while end Cornellius Carradine earned Defensive Lineman of the Week honors following FSU’s impressive 52-0 ACC win over Wake Forest.

Thompson, back at full speed after suffering a serious back injury in 2011, led the Seminoles with 197 yards rushing and touchdown runs of 74 and 80 yards, despite carrying the ball just nine times and playing less than a half.

Carradine keyed FSU’s scoreless defensive effort with 2.5 quarterback sacks and a pair of QB pressures.

Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech each had one ACC Football Player of the Week honoree.

BC’s Nick Clancy was named Linebacker of the Week after recording 24 tackles – one shy of the school record – in the Eagles’ 22-13 loss at Northwestern. Duke’s Ross Cockrell was honored as Defensive Back of the Week after intercepting two passes in a 54-17 win over North Carolina Central, one of which he returned 32 yards for a touchdown.

Georgia Tech’s Will Jackson was named Offensive Lineman of the Week after helping the Yellow Jackets pile up 594 total yards, including 461 on the ground, in their 56-20 ACC win over Virginia. Miami’s Duke Johnson was named Rookie of the Week after scoring four touchdowns in three different ways in the Hurricanes’ 38-10 victory over Bethune-Cookman.

North Carolina’s Romar Morris earned Receiver of the Week honors after making five catches for 149 yards and a touchdown and contributing in several other ways in the Tar Heels’ 39-34 loss at No. 19 Louisville. Virginia Tech’s Kyshoen Jarrett was named Specialist of the Week after his 94-yard punt return against Pittsburgh, the fourth-longest scoring punt return in ACC history.

SPECIALIST – Kyshoen Jarrett, Virginia Tech, So., PR, 5-10, 180, Tannersville, Pa.
Pennsylvania native Kyshoen Jarrett went back home and electrified his friends and family in attendance with a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown in Virginia Tech’s loss at Pittsburgh. The return was the second-longest in school history behind Frank Loria’s 95-yard return in 1967 against Miami and was the longest under head coach Frank Beamer. It is the fourth-longest scoring punt return in conference history and the longest since 1970 when South Carolina’s Dick Harris returned one 97 yards for a score against North Carolina.

OFFENSIVE BACK – Chris Thompson, Florida State, Sr., RB, 5-8, 190, Greenville, Fla.
Thompson authored one of the finest rushing performances and one of the most compelling storylines in Florida State history against Wake Forest, dashing to a career-high 197 yards on nine carries (21.9 yards per carry), and a pair of touchdowns. The 10th highest rushing game in school history came in just one half of action against the Demon Deacons, which was significant in its own right. Last season, Thompson suffered two broken vertebrae in his back at Wake Forest, which threatened to end the career of the Seminoles’ 2010 rushing leader. This time out, he broke off touchdown runs of 74 and 80 yards on consecutive second quarter plays from scrimmage as the Seminoles cruised to victory. Thompson owns four of the 17 longest rushing touchdowns in school history and his career per-carry of 6.38 yards currently ranks second only to all-time rushing leader Warrick Dunn (6.88).

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Will Jackson, Georgia Tech, Jr., OG-OT, 6-3, 285, Knoxville, Tenn.
Jackson, who has played guard the majority of his college career, made the move to tackle prior to the Virginia game and responded with one of his best performances. Jackson helped the Tech offense put up remarkable numbers against the Cavaliers: 56 points, 461 rushing yards, 9.2 yards per rushing attempt, and 594 yards of total offense.

RECEIVER – Romar Morris, North Carolina, R-Fr., TB, 5-10, 180, Salisbury, N.C.
Morris posted a career-high 202 all-purpose yards in Carolina’s 39-34 loss at No. 19 Louisville. He had 149 yards receiving, 23 yards rushing and 30 yards on kick returns. He also blocked a punt in the fourth quarter, which led to a Carolina touchdown on the next play. Morris is the first Tar Heel to block a punt since Bruce Carter blocked one at Rutgers in 2010. Morris became the first Tar Heel running back with a 100-yard receiving game since Anthony Elzy had 178 in 2010 vs. NC State. Morris caught five passes for 149 yards and scored on a 44-yard wheel route down the sideline and a 50-yard catch-and-run that pulled the Tar Heels to within five with 4:23 remaining.

DEFENSIVE LINE – Cornellius Carradine, Sr., Florida State, DE, 6-5, 267, Cincinnati, Ohio
Carradine was once again a force for the nation’s top-ranked rushing, scoring, pass efficiency and total defense as the Seminoles limited the Demon Deacons to 126 total yards and posted their second consecutive shutout of the season. FSU has yet to yield a touchdown in 2012, in no small part due to the senior defensive end, who has picked up the slack after All-American Brandon Jenkins’ season-ending injury. Carradine finished with three tackles, including a team-high 2.5 quarterback sacks, and added two quarterback pressures against Wake Forest. Through three games he leads the team in tackles with 12.

LINEBACKER – Nick Clancy, Boston College, Sr., LB, 6-3, 232, Plainfield, Ill.
Registered a career-high 24 tackles – 14 solo and 10 assisted tackles – in Boston College’s 22-13 loss at Northwestern, marking the second-most tackles in one game in school history and the highest single-game tackle total since Frank Chamberlain matched the school record with a 25-tackle performance against Syracuse in 1999. Chamberlain shares the school record with Stephen Boyd, who tallied 25 tackles against Virginia Tech in 1994, and Tom McManus, who recorded 25 tackles against Rutgers in 1991. Clancy, a senior who entered the season with a career single-game high of seven tackles vs. Wake Forest in 2009, leads the ACC in tackles (43) and tackles per game (14.3) through three games in 2012.

DEFENSIVE BACK – Ross Cockrell, Duke, R-Jr., CB, 6-0, 180, Waxhaw, N.C.
Cockrell led Duke to a 54-17 win over N.C. Central by carding six tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. Cockrell’s first interception set up a 20-yard field goal by Ross Martin, and he returned the second interception of the night 32 yards for a touchdown. Cockrell is currently tied for the national lead in both passes broken up (6) and total passes defended (9) while ranking tied for third in interceptions (3). With two broken passes broken up against NC Central, Cockrell moved into a tie for eighth place on Duke’s career chart (22).

ROOKIE – Duke Johnson, Miami, Fr., RB, 5-9, 183, Miami, Fla.
Johnson accounted for 245 all-purpose yards in four touchdowns in Miami’s 38-10 home-opening win over Bethune-Cookman. The freshman rushed 14 times for career-high 94 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson also posted three receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown – a 50-yard TD reception in the third quarter. He added 95-yard kickoff return for a TD in the first quarter. The return is tied for eighth-longest in UM history and was the first kickoff return for a TD by a Hurricane since Lamar Miller in 2010. Johnson became first Miami player to score four TDs in game since Tyrone Moss in 2005 against UNC and is the 10th FBS player since the start of 2006 season to have a receiving, rushing and return TD in the same game. Johnson has 638 all-purpose yards through three games with six touchdowns.

ACC Players of the Week Link

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