ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Here are the ACC's top five performers for Week 9:

North Carolina's defense: The UNC that showed up in the first half against Florida State was the one that showed up for all four quarters of a 20-17 upset over No. 13-ranked Virginia Tech on Thursday night. The Tar Heels proved they really are as good as advertised, as they held the Hokies to only 95 rushing yards and 11 first downs. Virginia Tech struggled on third downs and had two turnovers.

FSU quarterback Christian Ponder: He should be the ACC's first-team all-conference quarterback at this point. Ponder led the Seminoles to their second straight fourth-quarter comeback in a 45-42 win over NC State, and he did it with significantly bruised ribs. A lot of other quarterbacks out there would've been out at halftime. This was a tough call, because Bert Reed and Jermaine Thomas also had outstanding games, but Ponder gets the nod for his toughness.

Miami quarterback Jacory Harris: Never count this guy out, even if he's not having a good day to start, because it's how he finishes that counts. Harris led his team to a come-from-behind 28-27 road win over Wake Forest on Saturday and pulled the Canes out of a 17-0 hole. He finished with 330 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner with 1:08 to go.

Duke's Gulliver Prep duo: For the second straight week, former high school teammates Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon recorded over 100 receiving yards each, this time in a 28-17 road win over Virginia. Varner finished with seven catches for 113 yards, his third straight game with over 100 receiving yards. He is averaging 129 yards per game over the past three games. Vernon had seven catches for 103 yards and one touchdown, and he became Duke's all-time leader in receptions by a freshman Saturday. Vernon has three 100-yard receiving games in his first season. Duke only had three 100-yard receiving games by freshmen all-time entering the season.

Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt: Vanderbilt's defense did a good job on Georgia Tech's triple option, forcing the Yellow Jackets to expand their playbook, and Nesbitt was able to get it done. He rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more, leading Georgia Tech to a 56-31 win. He completed 6 of 13 passes for 193 yards and no interceptions.