Week 3 was chock full of big plays on both sides of the ball, meaning there were plenty of contenders for ACC helmet stickers. Here are the top performers.

Syracuse LB Cameron Lynch: Two weeks after a discouraging opener against Villanova, the Orange looked much improved against Central Michigan in their 40-3 win. Quarterback Terrel Hunt was exceptional, accounting for four touchdowns, but it was the defense that really set the tone. Syracuse had five sacks in the game, led by Lynch, who recorded eight tackles, 3.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks while helping to hold CMU to just 34 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas: There are concerns for the Yellow Jackets, who’ve been tested against three lower-tier opponents early this season, but Georgia Tech has to be pleased with the performance of its new starting quarterback. Thomas rushed for a team-high 137 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown while throwing for four more scores, including the game-winning 13-yard pass to Deon Hill with 23 seconds remaining, as Georgia Tech rallied past Georgia Southern 42-38. Thomas already has six TDs on the year — halfway to the team’s total through the air from 2013.

Virginia LB Henry Coley: The Hoos got their first ACC win since 2012 thanks to another dominant defensive effort. Coley helped lead the charge in the 23-21 victory, racking up seven tackles, including two for a loss, one sack and a pass breakup. The Virginia front seven tormented Louisville throughout, while the secondary came up with two big interceptions. Overall, UVA had three takeaways, and all three led to points.

Pitt RB James Conner: Another week, another helmet sticker for the ACC’s most prolific runner. Conner had 31 carries — his second straight week with 30-plus — for 177 yards and three scores, leading Pitt to a 42-25 road win over FIU. Conner has topped 150 yards in four straight games dating back to last season, just the fifth Power 5-conference runner to do that since the start of 2009.

Miami QB Brad Kaaya: In the first two games of his career, Kaaya looked every bit a true freshman, completing 57 percent of his passes, throwing just three TDs to go with four picks and racking up 351 yards. In his third start, Kaaya made a huge improvement, throwing for 341 yards and four touchdowns while playing without star receiver Stacy Coley. With Coley out, however, Phillip Dorsett shined in Miami's 41-20 win with four catches for 201 yards, including a pair of 63-yard scores.

Duke RB Shaun Wilson: The true freshman had just nine career carries on his resume entering the weekend, but he finished Saturday’s 41-3 win with the Duke school record for yards by a running back. Wilson had TD runs of 69, 68 and 45 yards and finished the game with 245 yards on just 12 carries — but it was an 8-yard carry on the game’s final play that set the record. The 245 yards were the 10th most by an ACC running back since 2004, and he was just the third player with three touchdown runs of 45 yards or more against a Power 5 team in the past decade.

And rather than a helmet sticker, how about a red bandana to everyone at Boston College? The Eagles looked fantastic in upending No. 9 USC while wearing red bandana designs on their uniforms to honor 9/11 victim and former BC lacrosse player Welles Crowther. It was a group effort for the Eagles. Quarterback Tyler Murphy was electric in the 37-31 win, accounting for 244 yards of offense. Freshman RB Jon Hilliman had 89 yards and two touchdowns. The ground game racked up 452 yards, while the defense had five sacks and held USC to just 20 yards rushing. And for the second time in as many weeks, an ACC team knocked off a Top-10, nonconference foe.