Miami running back Duke Johnson, North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard, Duke receiver Conner Vernon and Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner all come to mind, as Heather noted with her helmet stickers.
But the one that stood out the most: Clemson running back Andre Ellington, my choice for ACC player of the week for what he did against Auburn in a 26-19 win Saturday night. Ellington was not just good. He was the best in the country.
Ellington racked up a career-high 231 yards rushing to put him squarely atop the NCAA rushing leaders list after Week 1. I can guarantee you that nobody would have guessed that headed into the season because, quite frankly, he sometimes gets overshadowed in this offense with playmakers like Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins.
But there is no question he is just as valuable to this team as they are, and he proved it with some of his incredible feats of balance against Auburn. Not once, but twice, he somehow stayed on his feet after getting oh-so-close to having his knees hit the ground. He broke through tackles, and he showed an incredible second burst. He showed what a healthy Ellington looks like, and that has got to make Clemson fans smile today.
Of course, everybody in the ACC knows just how good Ellington can be because they have seen him play. Last season, he also had a 200-yard rushing game against Maryland. But he took his game to another level on Saturday night. Ellington now has three straight 100-yard rushing games, dating back to last season.
In all, he has 10 career 100-yard rushing games -- tops in the ACC.
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