Photo courtesy of Boston College

Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich was named the ACC defensive player of the year on Wednesday.

Mark Herzlich and B.J. Raji have more in common than the apartment they share.

They are teammates, NFL prospects and two of the best defensive players in the ACC.

And on Saturday, they could be two big headaches for the Virginia Tech football team.

Herzlich is an outside linebacker for Boston College (9-3), which will face the Hokies in the ACC title game for the second straight year. Raji plays defensive tackle.

They are the cornerstones of a unit that is ranked in the top 10 in Division I-A in total defense, run defense and pass-efficiency defense, and 14th in scoring defense.

"A lot of teams we play, we're just a little bit tougher," Raji said Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Herzlich was named the ACC defensive player of the year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer was named the ACC's overall player of the year and the offensive player of the year.

Raji and Herzlich were named to the All-ACC first team Monday. NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper ranks Raji as the No. 1 senior defensive tackle in the nation on espn.com. On Kiper's list of the country's best juniors, Herzlich is rated the No. 1 outside linebacker.

Herzlich is leaning toward returning to BC for his senior season, but he plans to make up his mind later this month about whether to enter the 2009 draft.

"You have to look at the competition in your position and see what's best," said Herzlich, who shares a four-bedroom apartment with Raji and six others.

The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Herzlich was an all-state linebacker at Conestoga High School in Wayne, Pa. He orally committed to Virginia during the summer of 2005, before his senior year at Conestoga.

But when the UVa assistant who recruited him, Al Golden, left his job as the Cavs' defensive coordinator in December 2005 to become Temple's head coach, Herzlich changed his mind.

Herzlich has played a different linebacker position in each of his three seasons with the Eagles. He has flourished this season at the strongside spot, recording a team-high 98 tackles. He also has three sacks and ranks fifth in I-A in solo tackles (6.1 per game).

"He practices really hard. The way he practices is the way he plays," coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "He brings a tremendous amount of energy to our defense, and I think guys feed off of him."

Even though he plays linebacker and not cornerback, Herzlich leads BC in interceptions (six) and pass break-ups (seven). He has returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

"I needed to get better on my footwork and my pass-coverage abilities, and I think it's helped my game a lot this year," said Herzlich, who ranks sixth in I-A in interceptions. "I'm 6-4, and when I get out there in space, some quarterbacks might not judge how long my body actually is.

"I'm big, but I'm still a pretty mobile linebacker for my size."

Herzlich said Raji plays a tougher position than he does.

"He is constantly being double-teamed," Herzlich said. "He's going against two guys on every play and still making plays."

The 6-1, 323-pound Raji has recorded 33 tackles and a team-high seven sacks. The Washington Township, N.J., native has 11 tackles for loss.

"He is probably the most powerful man I've ever met," Herzlich said. "He has incredible leg strength, as well as upper-body strength.

"One thing that he has that a lot of guys his size don't have is unbelievable quickness. He gets out of his stance so fast and is able to use his hands so well that it's really hard for a guard -- or even a guard and a center -- to be able to block him."

Raji wonders how many tackles he might have if more foes were willing to run against a BC team allowing just 87.3 yards rushing per game. "That game plan is shut down pretty early," Raji said. "To accomplish what I have this season, I'm very happy with myself because a lot of teams aren't running the ball at all on us."

Raji -- actually, Busari Raji Jr. -- made the All-ACC second team in 2006 but was academically ineligible last season.

"I couldn't wait to play" this year, he said.

Herzlich and Raji said the key to winning Saturday will be containing quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

"We have a stout run defense, so I'm concerned [about other Hokies], but I'm not nearly as concerned as [I am about] getting a grip on No. 5," Raji said.

The Eagles will be facing Tech for the fourth time in two seasons, including a 28-23 win in Chestnut Hill in October. But Tech beat the Eagles in the title game last year.

"Our team is very motivated," Herzlich said. "We want to win this game for ourselves, rather than get revenge for last year. This is something that would really cap off a great season."