Five Eagles Earn All-ACC Honors

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Five members of the Boston College football team earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, voted on by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Senior Connor Wujciak earned first-team accolades while classmates Steven Daniels and Justin Simmons were named to the second team and junior Matt Milano and senior Alex Howell collected honorable mention.

The four members of the BC defense led the Eagles to the best ranked defense in the nation for 12 of the 13 weeks of the season and finish the regular season tops in total defense (254.4 yards/game), yards per play (4.07), touchdowns allowed (19), rushing yards per carry (2.4), tackles for loss (115) and tied for the least third-down conversions allowed (42). The Eagles also ranked second for rushing yards allowed (83.3 yards/game), eighth for passing yards allowed (171.2 yards/game), second for first downs allowed (13.8 per game), fourth in points allowed (15.3 points/game) and second in third-down conversions (24.1).

Wujciak, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive end from West Caldwell, N.J., racked up 31 tackles, including 11 for a loss of 43 yards and 4.5 sacks for a loss of 38 yards while starting all 12 games at nose tackle. He forced a fumble at Louisville to go along with four tackles and a TFL. He combined on at least one tackle for a loss in eight games, including the final five, and registered two TFLs three times. Wujciak earned All-ACC third-team honors by ACSMA and the league's head coaches in 2014. He ended his career at The Heights with 112 tackles – including 62 solo stops – 21.5 tackles for a loss of 91 yards, 7.5 sacks for a loss of 54 yards, three forced fumbles and two blocked kicks over 49 games.

Daniels, a 6-foot, 243-pound linebacker from Cincinnati, Ohio, led the Eagles with 82 tackles on the season after starting all 12 games. He tallied 51 unassisted stops, 16 tackles for a loss of 73 yards, six sacks for a loss of 51 yards and an interception with a return of 18 yards at Clemson. After the regular season, he ranked sixth in the ACC in tackles for loss and tied for 20^th in the nation, tied for 13^th in the league for his sack total and ranked 16^th for tackles. Daniels recorded a career-high 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss of 10 yards and one sack at Duke. He notched 11 tackles at Louisville and against Virginia Tech, including four tackles for a loss of 24 yards and two sacks against the Cardinals. He tied for sixth on BC's single-season list for tackles for a loss. In 47 games in the Maroon and Gold, Daniels racked up 267 tackles, 30 tackles for a loss of 100 yards, 10.5 sacks for a loss of 60 yards, three interceptions, one forced fumble and three recoveries.

Simmons, a 6-foot-3, 201-pound safety from Stuart, Fla., started all 12 games at free safety and finished the season third on the team with 67 tackles, including 49 solo stops. He was second in the ACC with five interceptions, tying for 13^th in the nation. He also ended the season tied for second with three fumble recoveries. In the three-point loss then fourth-ranked Notre Dame, Simmons caused three turnovers, a forced fumble and recovery and two interceptions, to go along with eight tackles. He earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors for his performance. He recorded a season-high nine tackles, including eight solo stops, at Clemson and intercepted a pass, returning it a career-long 28 yards. The defensive back finished his BC career with 229 tackles, including 165 unassisted tackles, over 50 games, with four tackles for loss, one sack, 22 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and eight interceptions with 50 return yards.

Milano, 6-foot-1, 218-pound linebacker from Orlando, Fla., started all 12 games and ended the season with 60 tackles, including 17.5 for a loss of 81 yards and 6.5 sacks for a loss of 45 yards. He ranked fourth in BC record books for single-season TFL total and tied for 13^th in the nation and ranked fifth in the ACC. His sack total also tied for 11^th in the league. He blocked two punts on special teams. Milano recorded a career-high nine tackles at Duke, including eight unassisted and three for loss. He registered at least one tackle for loss in 10 games, and more than one eight times.

Howell, the 6-foot-5, 214-pound punter from Florence, S.C., set the BC record with 92 punts on the year. He racked up 3,838 yards, averaging 41.7 yards per punt, with six touchbacks, 24 fair catches, 30 inside the 20-yard line and 14 50 yards or more. He was not blocked on the season. He ranked second in the nation in yards, punts, yards per game (319.8) and punts per game (7.7). Howell earned the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week honors after tying notching 10 punts, totaling 452 yards at Clemson. He had a season-long 58-yarder, landed six inside the 20-yard line and did not allow a touchback. In the third quarter, Howell punted from the Clemson 33-yard line and landed a perfectly placed ball at the two-yard line. He recorded career highs in punt attempts (12) and punt yards (507), with five that fell inside the 20 at Louisville. The 12 attempts tied a BC single-game record set by John Cooper in 1980. Over 28 games, Howell punted 157 times for 6.602 yards, averaging 42.1 yards per punt, tying for fourth in BC record books.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Florida State running back Dalvin Cook were unanimous first-team selections. The Eagles held Cook to just 54 rushing yards without a score in the September Friday night battle in Chestnut Hill. Nineteen student-athletes were chosen as repeat selections from 2014. For the complete list, click here.

The 2015 All-ACC Teams voted on by the league coaches will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

Boston College Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Steven Daniels

Alex Howell

Matt Milano

Justin Simmons

Connor Wujciak

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