Five from Wake Forest earn All-ACC football honors

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest landed a total of five players on the All-ACC football team announced Monday by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Wide receiver Chris Givens and safety Josh Bush were both first team All-ACC selections. Offensive guard Joe Looney and nose tackle Nikita Whitlock were second team selections while freshman cornerback Merrill Noel was an honorable mention choice.

Givens leads the ACC in receiving yards per game and set the school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,276. He has 74 receptions on the season and nine touchdown catches. The 6-0, 195-pound junior from Wylie, Texas had seven 100-yard games this season including a season-high of 191 yards receiving vs. Maryland.

Bush, a 5-11, 205-pound senior from Lexington, NC (West Davidson), is second in the ACC with six interceptions. He posted 115 yards in returns. Bush finished the regular season with 56 total tackles and an additional five pass breakups.

Looney, a 6-3, 320-pound senior from Lake Worth, Fla., was Wake Forest's highest-rated offensive lineman in 2011, grading out at 86-percent for the year. He led all Demon Deacon offensive linemen in knockdown blocks with 73.5.

Whitlock, a 5-11, 260-pound sophomore from Wylie, Texas, finished fourth on the team with 58 total tackles this fall. He leads the team with 12.5 tackles for loss which includes three sacks. Whitlock had four or more tackles in 10 of 12 games this season.

Noel, a 5-10, 180-pound redshirt freshman from Pahokee, Fla., leads the nation in passes broken up with 19. He also leads the country in passes defended (break ups plus interceptions) with 20. Noel finished the season third on the team with 59 total tackles including 48 solo stops.