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Motuapuaka Named ACC Linebacker of the Week
Motuapuaka continues his strong junior campaign as he is named ACC Linebacker of the Week
The Atlantic Coast Conference named their Players of the Week for Week 13, and one Virginia Tech player was voted to the list after the team’s 52-10 victory over in-state rival Virginia.
Redshirt junior linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka was named as the ACC Linebacker of the Week following his strong performance against the Cavaliers.
In what was perhaps Motuapuaka’s best game of the season, he registered two takeaways that included an interception, as well as a fumble recovery that he returned 70 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Senior Day rout.
The Hokies forced three turnovers in total on the day, quickly dispatching of the Cavaliers by outscoring the Virginia offense 52-3 over the course of the first three quarters before the benches were emptied and the backups got some playing time.
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In total, the Virginia Tech defense allowed only 247 yards of total offense to Virginia on the day, with Motuapuaka’s play in the middle of the unit being a major reason why Bronco Mendenhall’s club struggled so mightily on Saturday.
The Hokies defense will hope to have a similar performance against a much more explosive offense this coming Saturday in the ACC Championship in Orlando, when they take on Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers in primetime.
The Hokies are playing in their first ACC Championship since the 2011 season, and are seeking their first conference championship since 2010.
Both of those seasons resulted in bowl game losses (2010 Orange to Stanford, 2011 Sugar to Michigan).
The ACC Championship will be played on Saturday night at 8 PM ET and will be televised nationally on ABC.
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