Duke pair picks up three ACC weekly awards
DURHAM – Nate Sheppard and Brian Parker II were voted winners of ACC weekly awards for Duke’s dominant offensive performance at Syracuse on Saturday.
Sheppard was named the league’s running back of the week after rushing for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He was also named ACC rookie of the week.
Parker was named the league’s offensive lineman of the week, having helped pave the way for Sheppard.
Those were only a couple of the standout performances from Duke’s offense, which put up more than 500 yards and averaged 7.7 yards per play in a 38-3 win at Syracuse.
Sheppard is the 11th freshman in the country to rush for multiple scores in a game this season. He’s only the second one to do it against a power-conference team.
Along with 168 rushing yards, Sheppard had 33 receiving yards. His 201 all-purpose yards are the second-most nationally by a freshman this year.
“How he plays without the ball, how he plays in pass pick-up, he plays beyond his years,” coach Manny Diaz said of Sheppard on Monday afternoon. “And he has obviously transformed our offense in terms of our ability to be really dynamic in the running game.”
Parker had an 88.2 overall grade on Pro Football Focus for Duke’s game at Syracuse. It’s the highest grade among offensive tackles in the nation. His run-blocking grade was an 88.1.
“The counter hit behind him for a big one,” offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer said on Monday, referencing Sheppard’s 49-yard touchdown. “Pass protection, he’s been extremely solid. He’s playing at a very, very high level.”
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