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Sheppard and Parker II Receive Weekly League Honors
9/29/2025 2:05:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshman running back Nate Sheppard and redshirt junior offensive lineman Brian Parker II received ACC weekly honors following their performances at Syracuse on Saturday. Sheppard was named both the ACC Running Back of the Week and Rookie of the Week while Parker II was chosen as the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
The two helped Duke to 503 yards of total offense while rolling to a 38-3 victory against the Orange. The 35-point margin of victory in an ACC game was Duke's first since a 45-10 win at Virginia Tech during the 2019 season.Â
Sheppard made his first career start last Saturday at Syracuse. The Mandeville, La., product rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns. His rushing yardage total is the fourth most by a Duke freshman in a game in program history and the most nationally by a freshman in a game this season. Sheppard tallied 33 receiving yards to finish with 201 all-purpose yards, tied for fifth most by a Duke freshman in a game and the second most nationally by a freshman in a game this season, behind only North Texas' Caleb Hawkins' 218 yards against South Alabama, also on September 27.
Sheppard averaged 11.2 yards per rush, the highest by a Duke freshman (minimum 15 attempts) in a single game.
Parker II was named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) National Team of the Week for his efforts at tackle. He had an 88.2 PFF offensive grade for Week 5, the highest among tackles nationally. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native produced a 88.1 PFF run blocking grade, which was the highest among tackles nationally in Week 5. No other tackle reached a grade of 85.Â
Parker II helped Duke surpass 500 yards of total offense for a fifth consecutive game, the most for the program since the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl and the first four contests of the 2014 season. Duke's offensive remained explosive at Syracuse, adding seven more plays of at least 20 yards, including four plays that went for at least 30 yards. The Blue Devils are up to sixth nationally in offensive plays of 20+ yards this season and third in plays of 30+ yards.Â
The ACC's other weekly honors included Virginia's Chandler Morris (quarterback), Mitchell Melton (defensive line) and Ja'son Prevard (defensive back), Louisville's Chris Bell (receiver) and T.J. Quinn (linebacker) and Virginia Tech's John Love (specialist).
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