Henderson Pulls Down His 5th ACC Player Of Week Honor
11/12/2001 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 12, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Junior linebacker E.J. Henderson of the University of Maryland headlines this week's Atlantic Coast Conference Players of the Week following his stellar performance in the Terrapins' 37-20 win over Clemson last Saturday.
Henderson, who totaled 17 tackles and in the process broke Randy White's 27-year-old school record for tackles behind the line of scrimmage, earned the ACC honor for the fifth time this season, the most by any conference player.
Following are this week's honorees:
OFFENSIVE BACK - Ray Robinson, RB, NC State
NC State's Ray Robinson, a 5-9, 202-pound senior from Hilton Head, S.C.,
spearheaded an offense that rolled up 463 total yards in a 34-28 win
over Florida State. Robinson carried the ball 21 times for 106 yards and
a pair of touchdowns, and also caught eight passes for 39 yards. He had
145 all-purpose yards, and his rushing performance against FSU was his
third consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing. Robinson's
longest rushing play against the Seminoles was 24 yards and his only
other rush for double-digit yardage was a 23-yard carry, but he had nine
carries of at last five yards.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN - Kevin Bailey, Virginia & Vince Azzolina, Wake Forest
In just his second start at center since moving over from left tackle,
Virginia's Kevin Bailey had a superb game. The 6-6, 295-pound sophomore
from Lexington, Ky., graded out at 97% overall, including four knockdown
blocks with no missed assignments. Wake Forest's Vince Axxolina, a 6-4,
275-pound senior from Easton, Pa., started for the 35th consecutive game
Saturday, helping Wake Forest accumulate 354 yards and 32 second-half
points in a 32-31 win over North Carolina. Azzolina's blocking
prevented Deacon QB James MacPherson from being sacked all day.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN - E.J. Henderson, LB, Maryland
Junior linebacker E.J. Henderson had 17 tackles, including four tackles
for losses in Maryland's 37-20 win over Clemson. The win assured the
ninth-ranked Terps of at least a tie for the ACC title. Henderson's
four tackles for loss gave him 25 for the season, breaking the existing
school mark of 24 set by Randy White in 1974. In addition, the
Abderdeen, Md., product had his first career interception and two
quarterback sacks and keyed a defense that limited Clemson QB Woodrow
Dantzler to 30 yards rushing on 11 carries, his least productive game of
the season.
DEFENSIVE BACK - QUINTIN WILLIAMS, S, Wake Forest
Demon Deacon Quintin Williams, a 6-2, 195-pound safety from Goldsboro,
NC, forced a fumble on North Carolina's final possession of the game
Saturday, preserving Wake Forest's 32-31 victory. Williams had eight
tackles on the day, including six solo stops and he added one pass
deflection.
SPECIALIST -- TAVON MASON, WR/KR, Virginia
Virginia's Tavon Mason, a 5-11, 181-pound wide receiver/kick returner
from Baltimore, Md., had the best return game of his career against
Georgia Tech. After the Yellow Jackets took a 26-21 lead, with 9:24 in
regulation, Mason gave the Cavaliers the lead back by taking a kickoff
100 yards for a touchdown, setting a new school record for longest
kickoff return. It was the first UVa kickoff returned for a touchdown
since 1996. Mason averaged 33.3 yards on five returns in the 39-38
victory and also caught four passes for 31 yards and a receiving
touchdown.
ROOKIE - Darian Durant, QB, North Carolina
Darian Durant, a 5-11, 226-pound freshman from Florance, SC, was 24 of
32 for 361 yards and threw four touchdown passes in the Tar Heels' 32-31
loss to Wake Forest. Durant established UNC freshmen single-game
records for completions, passing yards and touchdowns. His 361-yards
passing were the fourth-most in UNC history. Durant had 347 total yards
of offense, the eighth-highest total in UNC history, and broke Ronald
Curry's freshman record for single-season total offense. Durant now has
1,716 total yards of offense. Durant's four touchdown passes were the
most by a Tar Heel since Chris Keldorf threw four TD passes vs. Duke in
1997. In the second quarter, Durant had a 75-yard touchdown pass to Sam
Aiken. The pass was both the longest pass and longest touchdown pass by
a UNC freshman.
