Oct. 29, 2012

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Maryland's Joe Vellano and Stefon Diggs earned weekly honors from the ACC for their play against Boston College, the league announced Monday.

Vellano was named the defensive lineman of the week, while Diggs was named Rookie of the Week. It's the first weekly honor for Vellano this season and the fourth for Diggs; he has earned Rookie of the Week honors three times and Specialist of the Week honors once.

Vellano was part of a defensive line that allowed Boston College to rush for just 8 net yards on 27 attempts. The senior recorded five tackles, including 2.5 sacks to total minus-22 yards, and also forced a fumble that the Terrapins recovered. Vellano leads the ACC and is tied for ninth nationally with 1.75 tackles for loss per game. He's played a big role on a defense that ranks fourth nationally against the run, having surrendered just 77.6 yards per game.

Diggs, meanwhile, turned in his most productive receiving game this season, setting career marks with 152 receiving yards and 11 catches. The freshman caught a career-long 66-yard touchdown pass, marking the fourth time in the last five games he's had a catch of at least 50 yards. It was the third 100-yard receiving game of the season for Diggs and vaulted him into 16th place on Maryland's single-season receiving yards list with 666. That ranks second all-time among freshmen, trailing only Darrius Heyward-Bey's 694 in 2006.