Wake Forest's Sam Hartman named ACC QB of the Week
Quarterback Sam Hartman shined in Wake Forest’s 43-15 win over Boston College, completing 25 of 40 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns, while also adding his first score on the ground this season. The game marked Hartman’s 28th-straight game registering a touchdown, dating back to Wake Forest’s Sep. 19 loss to NC State in 2020, the nation’s longest streak.
Despite a slew of spectacular performances, Hartman is arguably still undervalued on a national scale. Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson is bothered by this:
“He’s a really, really good quarterback,” Clawson said after the game. “He doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Last year, he was the second-team All ACC quarterback. The first-team guy got drafted and somehow he went into the season as some people's fifth-best quarterback in the ACC. That's so disrespectful to what he's doing and what he's accomplished. There's not another quarterback in the country I would rather have.”
READ: Three stars from Wake Forest's win over Boston College
But today, Hartman was named the ACC Quarterback of the Week by the conference and graded as the best Power Five quarterback of the week by Pro Football Focus. Later on Monday, Hartman was awarded the Manning Star of the Week and Davey O’Brian Great 8.
🏆 ACC QB of the Week 🏆
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) October 24, 2022
Let's go, @sam_hartman10 🎩 pic.twitter.com/IYRjSDuCTL
Along with his passer rating being the best in the Power Five (90.9), Hartman also notched the highest overall offense rating (91.5). Hartman’s 62.5% completion rate against Boston College was also adjusted to nearly 72% by the site.
Hartman registered one completion that PFF designated as a Big Time Throw, which is defined as a “ball with excellent location and timing in a tight, downfield window.” The redshirt junior now has 14 Big Time Throws on the season — he notched five, his season-best, against Clemson. Hartman only has five Turnover Worthy Throws according to PFF, accounting for just 2% of his passes this season.
The 313-yard performance on Saturday moved Hartman within 1,000 passing yards of Tajh Boyd, who is currently third all-time in the ACC. Hartman is also within 2,500 yards of leader Philip Rivers.
READ: Five Takeaways from Wake Forest's win over Boston College
Hartman’s five passing touchdowns against BC allowed him to surpass Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson and Sam Howell for third-most all-time in the ACC. He is now two touchdowns behind second-place Rivers, and trails Boyd’s record by 14.
Hartman and the Deacs travel to Louisville this weekend. Kickoff is set for 3:30 on the ACC Network.
Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.