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SPORTSSaturday 19 December 2015
Clemson QB Deshaun Watson voted ACC offensive player of year
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college Whitehead - share the title.
football game against Florida State in Clemson, S.C. Watson, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was award for top newcomer. Clemson (13-0) will play
honored as the ACC’s offensive player of the year this week by The Associated Press. Watson received 11 votes Oklahoma in the Orange
for the offensive award Bowl semifinal on New
(AP Photo/Richard Shiro) from a panel of 14 report- Year’s Eve.
ers, one for every school in In winning the Davey
JOEDY McCREARY week by The Associated ney said. ‘’I haven’t caught the league. The other three O’Brien Award as the top
Associated Press Press while lineman - and a ball. I haven’t made a votes went to Florida State quarterback in college
No. 1 Clemson swept fellow AP All-America se- tackle. (Coaches) of the running back Dalvin Cook. football, Watson led the
through the Atlantic Coast lection - Shaq Lawson was years are really made by In defensive voting, Law- ACC with 3,512 yards pass-
Conference this season picked as the defensive the players. That’s just the son had seven votes to ing and added 887 yards
and that helped three Ti- player of the year and way it is. It’s an honor and six for Duke safety Jeremy rushing - good for seventh-
gers claim league-wide in- Dabo Swinney was select- it’s great to be recognized, Cash. Swinney received most among all ACC rush-
dividual awards. ed as the coach of the but it’s truly a reflection of 10 votes for the coaching ers. He’s the only player in
Heisman Trophy finalist De- year. the team and the staff.’’ award and four went to the nation with more than
shaun Watson was hon- ‘’I enjoy it, but I enjoy it for A pair of Pittsburgh play- North Carolina’s Larry Fe- 3,500 yards passing and
ored as the ACC’s offen- our team because that’s ers - running back Qadree dora. 850 yards rushing.
sive player of the year this just a team award,’’ Swin- Ollison and safety Jordan Ollison and Whitehead Clemson finished with the
each had five votes for ACC’s most productive
the award for newcom- offense, averaging 510.6
ers while Clemson’s Mitch total yards, and ranked
Hyatt received two votes. second in total defense,
Six players were unanimous giving up 295.7 yards per
selections to the inaugural game. The Tigers rank in
AP All-ACC first team: Wat- the top four in each of the
son, Cook, Lawson and eight major statistical cat-
Cash plus Pitt receiver Tyler egories.
Boyd and North Carolina ‘’The game is about per-
guard Landon Turner. formance so if I win or lose
Watson and Lawson were some awards, I’ve pretty
joined on the first team by much got to still go out
teammates Eric Mac Lain there and do my job,’’ Wat-
at guard and Macken- son said. ‘’You celebrate
sie Alexander at corner- and enjoy it and appreci-
back. Nine more made ate all the hard work and
the second team follow- support of your teammates
ing Clemson’s best season and coaches around you.
since 1981, when the Tigers You make sure you don’t
claimed their only national take it for granted.’’q
Duke tunes out distractions, focuses on Pinstripe Bowl
JOEDY McCREARY Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk (1) looks to pass against North Forest and worsened dur- working on them.’’
Associated Press Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game ing the second half of that Having a coordinator
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Duke in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015. game. Cutcliffe said team take a new job - but stick
is tuning out some distrac- doctors told him an MRI re- around for the bowl - isn’t
tions ahead of its Pinstripe (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) vealed that ‘’this needed exactly new territory for the
Bowl matchup with Indi- to be done, and it needed Blue Devils. Two years ago,
ana. The Blue Devils (7-5) will It’s been a busy week off emy Cash - an All-America to be done immediately. then-OC Kurt Roper took
need to find a new offen- the field at Duke: Offensive safety who was voted the ‘’It’s really frustrating to the same job at Florida but
sive coordinator soon and coordinator Scottie Mont- team’s MVP - will miss the him, but I get it,’’ the coach called plays for Duke in the
their team MVP will miss the gomery was hired Sunday bowl game after having added. ‘’The health of the Chick-fil-A Bowl against
bowl game with an injury. to coach East Carolina, right wrist surgery. player is always first.’’ Texas A&M.
Despite that, coach David but will call plays in the Cutcliffe said Cash was Cutcliffe said he won’t start ‘’When Coach Roper (took
Cutcliffe said his team’s bowl game before taking injured in Duke’s next-to- searching in earnest for a the Florida job), we found
focus hasn’t wavered over the Pirates’ program. last game at Virginia, was new offensive coordinator that out and came back
heading into the Dec. 26 Three days later, the team bothered during practice until after the bowl game, to practice, and it was
game against the Hoosiers announced that senior Jer- before the finale at Wake saying he’s received more business as usual,’’ center
(6-6) at Yankee Stadium. than 100 emails and about Matt Skura said. ‘’That’s
‘’The challenge for us is 90 phone calls about re- kind of the same thing it’s
to play our best game - placing Montgomery. been here. (Montgomery)
that’s what you should do ‘’The process is always hasn’t mentally moved on.
in your last game, that’s started because my brain He’s probably coaching us
what you should do in a does work,’’ Cutcliffe said. harder right now than he
bowl game,’’ Cutcliffe said ‘’I don’t have time for that ever has, and we’re taking
this week. ‘’It’s about the and to do the job I should it as business as usual. Ev-
preparation right now and be doing for our squad. I eryone’s locked in. ‘Coach
we’ve been very focused am totally focused on the Mo’ wants to win this game
and very pleased with Pinstripe Bowl preparation. just as bad as all of us do,
what we’ve gotten ac- ... I have some thoughts, and we’ve been seeing
complished to this point.’’ I have plans, but I’m not that in practice.’’q