Ruggiero Named Finalist for FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year
12/22/2021 12:14:00 PM | Football
He was one of five finalists for the award and the only current ACC coach named as a finalist.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest offensive coordinator and quarterbacks Warren Ruggiero was named as one of five finalists for the FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year Award, announced Wednesday.
Ruggiero was one of five finalists for the award and the only current ACC coach named as a finalist. Winners will be announced in the coming days and weeks and honored at the AFCA Convention in San Antonio next month.
Warren Ruggiero has helped orchestrate not only one of the most potent offenses in the history of the program, but also one of the most prolific in the history of the ACC this season.
With Nick Sciba's third quarter field goal against Clemson two weeks ago, Wake Forest broke its all-time scoring record for a single season (2017: 459).
The Demon Deacons are now up to 536 combined points this season. They became the first Wake Forest team to cross over the 500-point mark in school history against Boston College.
The Atlantic Coast conference record is 723 points by Florida State in 2013 (14 games, 51.6 average).
Wake Forest became just the 20th ACC team in the college football modern era (Post-WWII) to cross over the milestone of 500 points scored in a single season. The Deacs continue to climb:
ACC Single-Season Scoring
723 - Florida State (2013)
664 - Clemson (2018)
659 - Clemson (2019)
588 - Clemson (2016)
577 - Clemson (2015)
570 - North Carolina (2015)
563 - Florida State (1995)
559 - Pitt (2021)
553 - Louisville (2016)
550 - Florida State (2012)
536 - Florida State (1993)
536 - Wake Forest (2021)
Wake Forest is currently averaging 41.2 points per game, which would be another school-record setting season.
Coach Dave Clawson and Warren Ruggiero averaged 36.0 ppg. in 2020, 35.3 ppg. in 2017, 32.8 ppg. in 2018 and 31.8 ppg. in 2019.
Wake Forest and Clemson are the only schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference to average over 30 ppg. over the past four years. The Demon Deacons are well on pace to achieve this mark again.
Wake Forest is currently averaging 42.9 points per game, which would be another school-record setting season. The Deacs are currently the third highest scoring offense in the nation:
FBS Leaders in Scoring Offense
1 Ohio St. (Big Ten) 45.5 PPG (546 total points)
2 Western Ky. (C-USA) 44.2 PPG (619 total points)
3 Pittsburgh (ACC) 43.0 PPG (559 total points)
4 Alabama (SEC) 42.5 PPG (553 total points)
5 Wake Forest (ACC) 41.2 PPG (536 total points)
In addition to having an explosive offense, Ruggiero has helped train Sam Hartman into being one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season.
Hartman is in the midst of the greatest single season for a Demon Deacon signal caller while also eclipsing numerous career milestones along the way.
Sam Hartman finished the ACC Championship game 22-of-46 for 213 yards with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score.
Over the past 10 games, Hartman has thrown the ball for 3,233 yards, 30 touchdowns while completing his passes at a 56.9 clip.
He continues to inch closer to the all-time passing yardage list as Hartman has now thrown the second-most yards in program history.
Career Passing Yardage List
1. Riley Skinner (2006-09) 9,762
2. Sam Hartman (2018-present) 8,962
3. Tanner Price (2010-13) 8,899
4. John Wolford (2014-17) 8,794
5. Brian Kuklick (1994-98) 8,017
6. Mike Elkins (1985-88) 7,304
7. Gary Schofield (1981-83) 7,205
Hartman scored the Demon Deacons second score of the game with an 11-yard scamper into the endzone.
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The TD run marked his 11th scoring jaunt of the 2021 season, which ranks second in program history for touchdown rushes by a QB in program history.
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1. Larry Russell (1971) -- 15
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2. Sam Hartman (2021) -- 11
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John Wolford (2017) -- 10
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Larry Russell (1970) -- 10
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Freddie Summers (1967) -- 10
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6. Kendall Hinton (2015) -- 7
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Freddie Summers (1968) -- 7
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7. John Wolford (2016) -- 6
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Jamie Newman (2019) -- 6
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Hartman's first touchdown pass to A.T. Perry in the first quarter against NC State marked the 61st touchdown pass of his career. He added to his total with two touchdown passes on Saturday:
1. Sam Hartman (2018-Pres.), 69
2. Riley Skinner (2006-09), 60
3. John Wolford (2014-17), 59
4. Tanner Price (2010-13), 52
5. Gary Schofield (1981-83), 44
Brian Kulklick (1994-98), 44
7. Mike Elkins (1985-88), 43
8. Jay Venuto (1979-80), 37
Additionally, Hartman is now tied for the ninth-most career touchdown passes in ACC history, joining Lamar Jackson and Brad Kaaya.
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1. Tajh Boyd, Clemson 2010-13 -- 107
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2. Philip Rivers, NC State 2000-03 -- 95
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3. Deshaun Watson, Clemson 2014-16 -- 90
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Trevor Lawrence, Clemson 2018-20 -- 90
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Sam Howell, North Carolina 2019-present --91
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6. Chris Weinke, Florida State 1997-00 -- 79
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7. Russell Wilson, NC State 2008-10 -- 76
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8. Jacory Harris, Miami 2008-11 -- 70
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9. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, 2018-pres. - 69
Brad Kaaya, Miami 2014-16 -- 69
Lamar Jackson, Louisville 2015-17 -- 69
Hartman is also rising the ranks in ACC single season history as the Charlotte, N.C. native moved into 11th on the all-time list 17th and could become just the 10th 4,000-yard passer in conference history with 76 yards:
ALL-TIME ACC SEASON PASSING YARDS
1. Deshaun Watson (2016) 4,593 Clemson
2. Matt Ryan (2007) 4,507 Boston College
3. Philip Rivers (2003) 4,491 NC State
4. Brennan Armstrong (2021) 4,444 Virginia
5. Kenny Pickett (2021) 4,319 Pitt
6. Chris Weinke (2000) 4,167 Florida State
7. Deshaun Watson (2015) 4,109 Clemson
8. Jameis Winston (2013) 4,057 Florida State
9. Mike Glennon (2012) 4,031 NC State
10. Ryan Finley (2018) 3,928 NC State
11. Sam Hartman (2021) 3,924 Wake Forest
12. Jameis Winston (2014) 3,907 Florida State
13. Tajh Boyd (2012) 3,896 Clemson
14. Tajh Boyd (2013) 3,851 Clemson
15. Tajh Boyd (2011) 3,828 Clemson
16. Anthony Dilweg (1988) 3,824 Duke
17. Mitch Trubisky (2016) 3,748 North Carolina
With three touchdown passes against Boston College, he became the 9th player in ACC history with at least 34 touchdown passes in a season on Saturday. He broke the school record with his final touchdown pass against NC State and continues to add to his program record:
SEASON PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Sam Hartman (2021) -- 36
2. John Wolford (2017) -- 29
3. Riley Skinner (2009) -- 26
Jamie Newman (2019) -- 26
With his one rushing touchdown and two touchdown passes against Pitt, Hartman is now responsible for 47 touchdowns this season which is the highest total in the conference entering Saturday's slate of games. Only five other players in ACC history have been responsible for at least 44 touchdowns in a season:
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Lamar Jackson (51 TDs)
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Deshaun Watson (50 TDs)
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Deshaun Watson, Sam Hartman, Kenny Pickett (47 TDs)
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Tajh Boyd (46 TDs)
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Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawerence (45 TDs)
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Tajh Boyd, Jameis Winston (44 TDs)
Ruggiero has also played a key role in forming one of the best receiving tandems in the country this season.
Jaquarii Roberson and A.T. Perry have combined for 132 catches for 2,244 and 22 TDs this season. Perry has tallied 61 catches for team-best 1,166 yards and a team-best 14 TDs. Roberson leads the Deacs with 71 catches to go along with 1,078 yards to go along with eight touchdowns.
The duo is the one of two pairs of teammates to rank in the top-40 nationally in receiving touchdowns and top-30 in receiving yards.
Perry's 14 touchdowns ranks fourth in the NCAA and ranks second in the ACC while Roberson's eight touchdowns rank 35th in the country and fourth in the ACC.
With a touchdown catch in the ACC Championship Game, A.T. Perry now has 14 touchdown receptions this season, marking the most in program history. Additionally, Perry is just the fourth Demon Deacon to post double-digit receiving touchdowns in a single season.
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1. A.T. Perry (2021) 14
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2. Kenny Duckett (1980) 12
3. Sage Surratt (2019) 11
Ricky Proehl (1989) 11
5. Greg Dortch (2017) 9
Cam Serigne (2017) 9
Marlon Estes (1995) 9
Chris Givens (2011) 9
9. Jaquarii Roberson (2020) 8 -
Greg Dortch (2018) 8
Chris Givens (2009) 8
Ricky Proehl (1988) 8
Desmond Clark (1998) 8
Wayne Baumgardner (1979) 8
John Zeglinski (1975) 8 -
Jaquarii Roberson (2021) 8
Perry also is now second in school history with 1,112 receiving yards this season, becoming just the eighth wide receiver in school history to cross over the 1,000-yard barrier. Roberson also crossed the barrier for the first time in his career on Saturday at Boston College. Iy marks just the second time in program history Wake Forest has had multiple 1,000-yard receivers in the same season (2019):
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1. Chris Givens (2011) 1,330
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2. A.T. Perry (2021) 1,166
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3. Jaquarii Roberson (2021) 1,078
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3. Greg Dortch (2018) 1.078
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5. Ricky Proehl (1989) 1,053
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6. Kenneth Moore (2007) 1,011
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7. Sage Surratt (2019) 1,001
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Kendall Hinton (2019) 1,001
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9. Wayne Baumgardner (1979) 1,000
