The Atlantic Coast Conference has had a significant impact on this year\u2019s National Football League Playoffs.<\/p>\n
Through the NFL\u2019s first eight playoff games, receivers who have played collegiately at current ACC schools have accounted for 51.5% of all of the passing touchdowns thrown, 35% of the passing yardage and 27.6% percent of the pass completions.<\/p>\n
In all 15 former ACC players\u2014including 14 who played Atlantic Coast Conference Football\u2014have totaled 93 catches for 1,586 yards and 17 touchdowns in the eight NFL Playoff Games to date. ACC pass receivers have averaged an eye-opening 17.1 yards a catch average. By comparison, the non-ACC receivers in those games averaged just 11.2 yards per catch.<\/p>\n
All told, the teams in those eight NFL games have a combined total of 355 pass completions for 4,527 yards (12.8 average) and 33 scores.<\/p>\n
Of the top seven pass receivers in terms of yardage in the NFL Playoffs, six are from current ACC schools including the top two. Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech) of Denver leads with 297 yards and a 29.7 per-catch average, followed by Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina) of the New York Giants with 280 yards and a 21.5 per-catch average. Marques Colston, who played collegiately at Hofstra, of New Orleans is 3rd (256), but the next four are ACC products in Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech) of Detroit (211); Andre Johnson (Miami) of Houston (201); Vernon Davis (Maryland) of San Francisco (180) and Jimmy Graham (Miami) of New Orleans (158).<\/p>\n
Nicks and Davis are still alive in the playoffs and their teams will collide in this Sunday\u2019s NFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n
Receivers from ACC schools have topped the 100-yard mark in receiving seven times in this year\u2019s playoffs, twice topping the 200-yard mark for a single game. Georgia Tech\u2019s Calvin Johnson had 12 catches for 211 yards for Detroit against New Orleans and Georgia Tech\u2019s Demaryius Thomas had 204 yards on only four catches versus Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Here is a listing of NFL players who played at ACC schools in the playoffs who topped the 100-yard mark for a game:<\/p>\n
Name Team School Rcp. Yards TD Opponent<\/p>\n
Calvin Johnson Detroit Georgia Tech 12 211 2 New Orleans<\/p>\n
Demaryius Thomas Denver Georgia Tech 4 204 1 Pittsburgh<\/p>\n
Vernon Davis San Francisco Maryland 7 180 2 New Orleans<\/p>\n
Hakeem Nicks New York Giants North Carolina 7 163 2 Green Bay<\/p>\n
Hakeem Nicks New York Giants North Carolina 6 115 2 Atlanta<\/p>\n
Andre Johnson Houston Miami 8 111 0 Baltimore<\/p>\n
Jimmy Graham New Orleans Miami 5 103 2 San Francisco<\/p>\n
Other ACC pass receiving performances in the NFL Playoffs:<\/p>\n
Name Team School Rcp. Yards TD Opponent<\/p>\n
Demaryius Thomas Denver Georgia Tech 6 93 1 New England<\/p>\n
Anquan Boldin Baltimore Florida State 4 73 1 Houston<\/p>\n
Heath Miller Pittsburgh Virginia 5 60 0 Denver<\/p>\n
Jimmy Graham New Orleans Miami 7 55 1 Detroit<\/p>\n
Andre Johnson Houston Miami 5 50 1 Cincinnati<\/p>\n
Eddie Royal Denver Virginia Tech 3 49 1 Pittsburgh<\/p>\n
Frank Gore San Francisco Miami 7 38 0 New Orleans<\/p>\n
Jericho Cotchery Pittsburgh NC State 1 31 1 Denver<\/p>\n
Eddie Royal Denver Virginia Tech 2 25 0 New England<\/p>\n
Will Heller Detroit Georgia Tech 1 10 1 New Orleans<\/p>\n
Jason Snelling Atlanta Virginia 2 9 0 NY Giants<\/p>\n
Lance Ball Denver Maryland 1 6 0 Pittsburgh <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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