Phillip Merling Garners ACC Player of the Week Honors

Sept. 5, 2007

Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling was chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Week. Merling, a junior out of St. Matthews, SC, helped the Tigers to a 24-18 victory against No. 19 Florida State on Monday night, coming up with several big plays throughout the evening. For the night, Merling registered eight total tackles, include five solo ones, one sack and two tackles for a loss. He also was credited with a forced fumble on the night.

Other ACC Player of the Week Selections

Offensive Back: Matt Ryan, Boston College, Quarterback, 6-5, 218, Senior, Exton, Pa.

Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan has been chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s first Offensive Back of the Week for the 2007 season. A senior from Exton, Pa., Ryan led the Eagles to a hard fought 38-28 win over the 2006 ACC Champion Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. He completed 32-of-52 passes for a career-best 408 yards and five touchdowns, becoming the first Boston College quarterback to throw five or more touchdown passes since Doug Flutie in 1984. With his performance, Ryan also passed the 5,000 yard passing mark for his career. He is one of only five Boston College signal callers to achieve the feat.

Offensive Lineman: Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech, Offensive Tackle, 6-6, 298, Junior, Tyrone, Ga.

Offensive tackle Andrew Gardner of Georgia Tech was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Week. Gardner, a junior from Tyrone, Ga., helped pave the way for Georgia Tech running backs to pile up 265 yards on the ground in Tech’s 33-3 win at Notre Dame. Gardner played in 61 snaps during the game, registering 11 knockdowns and providing the blocking that allowed the Georgia Tech offense to accumulate 386 yards on the day. Behind Gardner and the dominating Yellow Jacket offensive line, Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice ran for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensive Back: Dejuan Tribble, Boston College, Cornerback, 5-9, 190, Senior, Cincinnati, Ohio

A cornerback for the Boston College Eagles, Tribble earned the season’s first Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Back of the Week honor with his performance against the Wake Forest on Saturday. Tribble, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, picked off three Wake Forest passes, including one in the end zone that denied the Deacons a score. Tribble’s three interceptions give him 14 for his career and tied his career-high, set last year at Miami. He also added seven tackles, including one for a loss an returned the three interceptions a total of 42 yards.

Specialist: Travis Bell, Georgia Tech, Placekicker, 6-0, 220, Senior, Roswell, Ga.

Georgia Tech placekicker Travis Bell was named the ACC Specialist of the Week after his performance in helping lead the Yellow Jackets to a 33-3 win over Notre Dame at South Bend. Bell connected on four field goals in five attempts, making three-pointers from 29, 32, 39 and 40 yards. He also was perfect on all three PAT attempts which extended his current string to 104 extra points without a miss.

Rookie: T. J. Yates, North Carolina, Quarterback, 6-3, 205, Freshman, Marietta, Ga.

Redshirt freshman quarterback T.J. Yates of the North Carolina Tar Heels has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Week after playing in his first game on Saturday. Yates, from Marietta, Ga., led the Tar Heels to a 37-14 win over James Madison on Saturday, completing 13 of 18 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. With his first-ever pass attempt as a college quarterback, Yates hooked up with receiver Brooks Foster on a 65-yard pass play to give the Tar Heels a 7-0 lead. He also threw touchdown passes of 28 and eight yards, helping North Carolina to the win. °©°©After the season’s first week of games, Yates leads the ACC and ranks sixth in the nation with a 217.84 pass efficiency rating.