Game Balls: ACC Championship

Florida State did what it had to Saturday night in Charlotte as the Seminoles rallied from an early hole to beat Georgia Tech 37-35 to win a third straight ACC title. The Seminoles will now await their fate at the hands of the College Football Playoff committee, who will name the four playoff teams Sunday afternoon.

As FSU hopes for a trip back to Pasadena or to New Orleans, the Seminoles will head into the new year with the nation’s longest winning streak which now sits at 29 games. To spotlight which players stood out in Saturday night’s hard-fought win in the ACC Championship, the Noled Out staff hands out game balls:

Offense
Mike Ferguson and Jon Marchant’s Game Ball: Dalvin Cook, RB
Dalvin Cook had a second straight career-game finishing with 177 yards on the ground and a touchdown to go along with 43 yards receiving on five catches. All in all, Cook accounted for 220 yards of offense, which was about 45 percent of FSU’s offensive output. The freshman from Miami now sits just 95 yards shy of becoming the second Seminole to rush for 1,000 yards in as many seasons.

Defense
Mike Ferguson’s Game Ball: Reggie Northrup, LB
Against a run-heavy Georgia Tech attack, Reggie Northrup made the most of his opportunity, finishing with a game-high 12 total tackles. Northrup was very good on the inside against the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option attack and is the first Seminole since Buster Davis in 2006 to record 100 tackles in a season.

Jon Marchant’s Game Ball: Jalen Ramsey, S
It wasn’t a monster night for Jalen Ramsey, but he continued to be the leader of a Florida State defense that settled down in the second half of Saturday night’s 37-35 victory. On the night, Ramsey finished with six total tackles.

Special Teams
Mike Ferguson’s Game Ball: Roberto Aguayo, K
Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo was money in the second half, kicking three consecutive field goals to break what was a 28-28 tie. Aguayo’s kicks were from just 33, 32 and 28 yards, but all were critical in the victory. The sophomore kicker and reigning Lou Groza Award winner also had five kickoffs go for touchbacks.

Jon Marchant’s Game Ball: Cason Beatty, P
Florida State punter Cason Beatty came on the field to punt just twice Saturday night, but averaged 42 yards-per-punt including a beautiful one late that rolled dead at the Georgia Tech 3-yard-line. Beatty is averaging a career-high 41.7 yards-per-punt this season.