ACC Week 1 Honors
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its weekly football accolades on Thursday, recognizing standout performers from opening weekend across its member schools.
Mason Heintschel of Pittsburgh delivered a historic showing, completing 31 of 41 passes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception in a 59-14 victory over Miami (Ohio), establishing new ACC marks for passing yardage and touchdowns in a single game.
Duke’s Nate Sheppard powered his team to a fifth consecutive season‑opening win with 227 rushing yards, the fifth‑best single‑game total in Blue Devil history and a key factor in the 17-3 triumph over Tulane.
Miami’s Malachi Toney shattered a 42‑year‑old school record, amassing 234 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 45-6 road triumph at Stanford, a performance that highlighted his explosive playmaking.
Other notable contributions included SMU’s PJ Williams, who secured his 28th straight start and helped the Mustangs post a 585‑yard offensive outburst against Florida State while the line posted zero sacks.
Duke’s defensive end Bryce Lewis recorded a career‑high six tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in a 17-3 victory over Tulane, underscoring a dominant first half that saw the Blue Devils shut out their opponent.
Wake Forest’s Vincent Firenze was the top‑rated Demon Deacon on defense, posting six solo tackles and a forced fumble in a 38-16 win over Akron.
Georgia Tech’s Rahkeem Smith returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the Yellow Jackets’ opener, marking the first such return since 2018.
Syracuse freshman Shavane Anderson Jr. made an immediate impact, rushing for 102 yards and three scores on an average of 10.2 yards per carry, while also helping the Orange convert two‑thirds of their third‑down attempts.