Noel named ACC’s Top Rookie Defender

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest redshirt freshman cornerback Merrill Noel is the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as announced by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association on Tuesday.

Noel led the nation in passes defended for the Demon Deacons, and received 31 votes for the defensive honor. Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan was second with seven, followed by Miami defensive end Anthony Chickillo with five.

The redshirt freshman from Pahokee, Fla., has one interception and a school-record 19 break-ups for the Demon Deacons, who are expected to return to postseason play after missing out the previous two campaigns. Noel’s total of 20 defended passes is the highest by an FBS freshman in the nine seasons in which the NCAA has kept the statistic on a weekly basis.

Noel’s play is one of the major reasons for the Demon Deacons’ improvement from a 3-9 team a year ago to a 6-6 group that contended for the Atlantic Division title. The Deacs, 98th nationally in pass efficiency defense last year, are 45th in 2011, and Noel has been credited with a pass break-up in nine games this season.

Voting for the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference defensive rookie of the year awards, as voted on by 45 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Five from Wake Forest earn All-ACC football honors

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest landed a total of five players on the All-ACC football team announced Monday by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.  Wide receiver Chris Givens and safety Josh Bush were both first team All-ACC selections.  Offensive guard Joe Looney and nose tackle Nikita Whitlock were second team selections while freshman cornerback Merrill Noel was an honorable mention choice.

Givens leads the ACC in receiving yards per game and set the school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,276.  He has 74 receptions on the season and nine touchdown catches.  The 6-0, 195-pound junior from Wylie, Texas had seven 100-yard games this season including a season-high of 191 yards receiving vs. Maryland.

Bush, a 5-11, 205-pound senior from Lexington, NC (West Davidson), is second in the ACC with six interceptions.  He posted 115 yards in returns.  Bush finished the regular season with 56 total tackles and an additional five pass breakups.

Looney, a 6-3, 320-pound senior from Lake Worth, Fla., was Wake Forest’s highest-rated offensive lineman in 2011, grading out at 86 percent for the year.  He led all Demon Deacon offensive linemen in knockdown blocks with 73.5.

Whitlock, a 5-11, 260-pound sophomore from Wylie, Texas, finished fourth on the team with 58 total tackles this fall.  He leads the team with 12.5 tackles for loss which includes three sacks.  Whitlock had four or more tackles in 10 of 12 games this season.

Noel, a 5-10, 180-pound redshirt freshman from Pahokee, Fla., leads the nation in passes broken up with 19.  He also leads the country in passes defended (break ups plus interceptions) with 20.  Noel finished the season third on the team with 59 total tackles including 48 solo stops.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College redshirt-junior receiver Ben King (Archdale, N.C./Trinity (Appalachian State)) captured First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football recognition according to a vote of the league’s head football coaches Wednesday. 

Teammates Robert Smith (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) and Satiir Stevenson (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark) both received second-team commendation and were the lone rookies on either the first- or second-team all-league squads. Guilford’s Faris El-Ali (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell), Hunter English (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) and Chris Jessup (Eastover, N.C./Cape Fear Academy) each earned Third Team All-ODAC honors.

Washington and Lee University senior quarterback Charlie Westfal was named the league Offensive Player of the Year. Teammate Brett Murray, a running back, took home Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors and Emory & Henry College linebacker Devan Sproles was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Hampden-Sydney College mentor Marty Favret collected his third ODAC Coach of the Year plaque and Randolph-Macon College quarterback Zac Naccarato was named ODAC Rookie of the Year.

King, a 5-10, 185-pound receiver, led Guilford with 71 catches for 1,020 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games. He had five games with 10 or more catches and surpassed 100 receiving yards five times. King ranks 23^rd nationally and third in the ODAC with 7.1 receptions per game. His 102.0 receiving yards per game stands second in the league and 25^th in NCAA Division III. He stands 10^th in the ODAC in points per game (5.8). King’s best outing was in Guilford’s Nov. 5 win at Catholic University of America where he made 13 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown. The 200 receiving yards ranks fifth all-time at Guilford and the 13^th catches stand 11^th. King earned Guilford’s game Most Valuable Player Award for his efforts in the Quakers’ Soup Bowl win over Greensboro College when he made 10 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He caught three touchdowns (second in Guilford history) among his 10 receptions for 191 yards versus league-champion Hampden-Sydney.

In just 20 career contests, King ranks eighth among Guilford’s career receptions leaders (150) and ninth in career receiving yardage (2,076). His 18 receiving touchdowns stand seventh all-time at Guilford and his 10 games with at least 100 receiving yards are the Quakers’ fourth-best total. The 2010 Second Team All-ODAC pick set the school standard with 251 receiving yards on 15 catches in a 2010 game with Bridgewater College. While he has a year of athletic eligibility remaining, King plans to graduate in May and then begin full-time service in the United States Army.

Smith, a 6-0, 190-pound freshman linebacker, ranked second on the team and 14^th in the ODAC with 6.4 tackles per game. He made 40 solo stops and had 12.5 tackles for loss, which led the team and stands third in the conference. Smith also forced two fumbles and had a sack in 10 appearances. He enjoyed three games with 12 or more tackles, including 13-tackle efforts versus Southern Virginia University and Emory & Henry College. He made four tackles for loss among his nine stops and forced a fumble Oct. 29 against league champion Hampden-Sydney College.

Stevenson, a 5-11, 180-pound freshman safety, started all 10 games for the Quakers and ranked fourth on the club with 51 tackles (37 solo). He had two interceptions and broke up five passes, both team highs. Stevenson also scored twice on defense, once on a 12-yard fumble return at Bridgewater and again on a 55-yard interception return at Catholic. His score and seven tackles in the Quakers’ win at Catholic earned ODAC Defensive Player of the Week and Guilford College Student-Athlete of the Week recognition. Stevenson brought down a season-high nine ball carriers in Guilford’s games with Bridgewater and Randolph-Macon.

El-Ali, a 6-4, 280-pound sophomore, consistently graded out among the Quakers’ top offensive linemen. He started Guilford’s first five games at center before missing the next three due to injury. El-Ali returned to the lineup for the season’s final two contests, starting once at guard. Guilford had the ODAC’s fourth-best passing offense (234.5 yards per game) and the loop’s fifth-best rushing offense (103.8 yards per game). The Quakers allowed 1.40 sacks per outing, which ranked fifth in the league.

English, a 5-6, 150-pound safety, led Guilford’s tacklers and ranked 13^th in the ODAC with 6.5 stops per game. He made 44 solo tackles and ranked fourth in the league with 12 tackles for loss. English also forced two fumbles and broke up three passes. He twice recorded team highs in tackles, including the game versus Randolph-Macon when he made a season-best 11 tackles (7 solo). English had nine takedowns and made his first college interception against Southern Virginia.

Jessup, a 6-0, 210-pound defensive end, enjoyed his finest college season as a senior. The team captain started all 10 games and ranked third on the team with 61 tackles (39 solo), including a club-high five sacks among eight tackles for loss. Jessup is 16^th in the league with 6.1 tackles per game and third with 0.5 sacks per game. His 0.80 tackles for loss per outing is the ODAC’s eighth-best figure. Jessup led the Quakers’ tacklers three times and made a season-high 12 tackles against Southern Virginia. He made two sacks at Catholic, including one on the game’s final play, which secured Guilford’s 34-27 road victory.

Jessup played in a school-record 40 games over the course of his career and made 250 tackles in that time. He made 138 solo tackles and had 27.5 tackles for loss. His 13.5 career sacks rank sixth in school history and are the most by a Quaker since 2007. Jessup was an honorable mention All-ODAC performer in 2010 after making a career-high 83 tackles, including 10 behind the line of scrimmage. The two-time Student-Athlete Honor Roll member is on pace to graduate with his degree in exercise and sports sciences.

First-year head coach Chris Rusiewicz’s Quakers posted a 2-8 overall record (1-5 ODAC), which marked a two-win improvement over the 2010 season. Guilford regularly started at least 20 students in their first or second college football season and expects as many as 51 letter winners back in 2012, including 19 starters.

Kyle Butler

Six weeks have come and gone, and here’s what we’ve learned so far in the NFL.
1- The Packers are ridiculously good.
2- The Dolphins and Colts aren’t.
3- Rex Grossman continues to exhibit signs of colorblindness…or perhaps stupidity.

In any event, here’s hoping Week seven turns out to be a lucky one for my Redskins. Grossman’s out, and I’ll be in Charlotte to see the debut of the John Beck era against Carolina. If Beck resembles Grossman in any way, shape or form, then when you see a crazed individual attack him on the field, well, you’ll know who it is…

BUTLERS PICKS

Cleveland over Seattle (go rake leaves instead…)

Detroit over Atlanta  (Don’t shake Schwartz’s hand too hard…)

Houston over Tennessee  (Upset Special!!)

Denver over Miami  (Tebow Time!!)

NY Jets over San Diego  (Oh man, I’m hoping for another coaches fight here…)

Chicago over Tampa Bay  (in London)

Washington over Carolina  (Grossman/Newton tied for NFL lead in INT’s)

Oakland over Kansas City  (Carson Palmer…really?)

(and now for some real stinkers)

Pittsburgh over Arizona (AZ hasn’t won a game since beating Carolina)

Dall-Ass over St Louis  (Even Cowboys can’t screw this up)

Green Bay over Minnesota  (Sure, why not start Ponder and get him killed…)

New Orleans over Indianapolis  (In the words of NFL Countdown…C’mon, Man!!)

Baltimore over Jacksonville  (Blaine Gabbert, it’s been nice knowin’ ya…)

LAST WEEK: 8-5

FOR THE YEAR: 62-28  68%

Desmond Johnson

Quick Notes…

Why did the Cowboys run three straight running plays and give the ball back to Tom Brady with over 2 mins to go in the game?  Because the media has made Coach Jason Garrett not trust Romo….thats why.

Carolina would be 4-2 right now without the turnovers and lack of linebackers.  They are going to need a WR, CB and new offensive tackle next year.  Its not looking good for Jeff Otah…

Can the Packers go undefeated?  I actually think they can….

49ers are for real.  Period.

Dont look now but the best team in the AFC is….the Baltimore Ravens.  Equally good on both sides of the ball.

This Week’s Picks
Cleveland over Seattle (I agree with Kyle…)

Detroit over Atlanta

Tennessee over Houston (not trusting Houston, too many big injuries)

Denver over Miami  (Thank God for NFL Sunday Ticket)

San Diego over NY Jets  (Jets are missing a running game and Sanchez is not a franchise QB)

Chicago over Tampa Bay  (Why must we keep going to London in the middle of the season?  Make it the Pro Bowl or something)

Carolina over Washington  (Beck’s first meaningful start in 4 years?)

Oakland over Kansas City  (Oakland has the #1 rushing attack and a bye week coming, look for Palmer after the bye)

Pittsburgh over Arizona  (Steelers quietly hanging around)

Dallas over St Louis  (Bradford out for game)

Green Bay over Minnesota  (undefeated countdown begins.)

New Orleans over Indianapolis  (If Indy gets the #1 pick will they draft Luck or trade?)

Baltimore over Jacksonville  (Baltimore defense hates guys named Blaine)

LAST WEEK: 7-6 (what is going on here?)

Year: 53-37  58%

Desmond Johnson

Please, for the love of God…let Carolina get a win today….so close the past few games.  Dallas vs New England for my late game.  Im going with the Cowboys…4th rated defense overall (yards) going into the game and they will need it to slow down Tom Terrific.  If St Louis ends up with the #1 pick, Im predicting right now that they will trade it to San Francisco…Harbaugh is doing something down there, and I like it…smashmouth football.

Johnson’s Picks

Another week, and another upset special called by yours truly! Anyone else have the Bungals over the Bills? Didn’t think so…but it was letdown central for Buffalo after knocking off Belichick’s boys the week before. But while the Bills fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, Detroit remains unblemished, thanks in large part to Tony Romo’s unique ability to throw the pick-six! So…what happens in Week 5? Read on, friends…

BUTLERS PICKS

Philadelphia over Buffalo (Is Lebron on the Eagles? They look like the Heat)

Jacksonville over Cincinnati

Pittsburgh over Tennessee (Assuming Ben is playing, and not abusing someone)

Indianapolis over Kansas City (Colts have to win at some point…right?)

Minnesota over Arizona (Vikes have to win at some point…right?)

Houston over Oakland

New Orleans over Carolina (I’m thinkin about 800 combined pass yards in this game)

NY Giants over Seattle Tampa Bay over San Francisco (mild UPSET SPECIAL!!)

San Diego over Denver

New England over NY Jets

Green Bay over Atlanta (I’m so glad Aaron Rodgers is on my fantasy team)

Detroit over da Bears (Can I be ready for some MNF w/out Hank Jr? Haha)

LAST WEEK: 14-2 (I just realized that we failed to pick the SD-Miami game last week, but I think I speak for Dez and myself in saying we would have picked the Chargers)

FOR THE YEAR: 47-17 73%

Johnson’s picks

The cream is starting to rise to the top….some expected (Pats, Saints, Packers) some not so expected (Bills? Lions?).  I think Im looking for upsets this week.  Lots of interesting matchups….lets go!

Philadelphia over Buffalo (Eagles need to get it together)

Cincinnati over Jacksonville

Tennessee over Pittsburgh (Titans quietly running the AFC South)

Indianapolis over Kansas City (hmmm)

Minnesota over Arizona (ugh)

Oakland over Houston (No way Raiders lose this for Al Davis)

Carolina over New Orleans (upset of the week, Panthers have been in all 4 games til the end, Saints have suspect pass defense)

NY Giants over Seattle

Tampa Bay over San Francisco

San Diego over Denver

NY Jets over New England

Green Bay over Atlanta

Detroit over Chicago (I dont care what you meant, Hank.  You cant say Hitler on Weekday morning TV.  Its like yelling Bomb on an airplane.)

LAST WEEK: 9-7 (Need a bounce back week!)

FOR THE YEAR: 39-24 61%