Etienne, Hyatt Earn ACC Honors After Win Against Syracuse

CLEMSON, S.C. (WOLO) – A pair of Tigers earned ACC honors for their Saturday showings, as Travis Etienne was named Running Back of the Week, while Mitch Hyatt was named Offensive Lineman of the Week after Clemson topped Syracuse 27-23.

With the two selections, Clemson has now collected a total of 448 ACC weekly honors since 1978. This week represents the third time this season and the second week in a row that multiple Clemson players have earned Player of the Week honors (Week 2 at Texas A&M, Week 4 at Georgia Tech and Week 5 vs. Syracuse).

Last week, Etienne recorded career highs in rushing attempts (27), rushing yards (203) and rushing touchdowns (three). His 200-yard rushing performance was only the 16th 200-yard rushing game in Clemson history and the first since Andre Ellington’s 228-yard effort against Auburn in the 2012 season opener.

Etienne’s selection marks his fourth all-time ACC Player of the Week award. He collected Rookie of the Week honors twice as a freshman last season following wins against Boston College and Florida State in 2017 and has now collected back-to-back Running Back of the Week honors this year. He becomes the first Clemson running back to earn ACC weekly honors in consecutive weeks since C.J. Spiller in 2009 against Florida State and NC State.

Hyatt played a key role in Clemson’s come-from-behind victory, earning a 92 percent grade from the Clemson coaching staff with two knockdowns. He and his teammates on the offensive line helped the Tigers to a total of 293 rushing yards and helped engineer the 13-play, 94-yard game-winning drive to push Clemson to 5-0 this season.

The Offensive Lineman of the Week award is Hyatt’s second of the season and sixth of his career. He previously secured the award following wins against Texas A&M in 2018, Georgia Tech, NC State and South Carolina in 2017 and against Florida State in 2015. His six career selections push him past Thomas Austin and Stacy Long for the most among offensive linemen in program history. He joins Keith Adams, Tajh Boyd, Woodrow Dantzler, Anthony Simmons, C.J. Spiller, Sammy Watkins, and Deshaun Watson as the only nine players in school history to earn at least six career ACC Player of the Week selections.

Clemson Athletics contributed to this article.