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For the second consecutive week, Sean Tucker was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Running Back of the Week. The second-year player tied SU’s program record with his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game, an achievement he reached with time still left in the second quarter.

Tucker is second in the nation in rushing yards with 948 rushing yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He’s second in the country in all-purpose yards too, averaging 167.4 per game.

In SU’s 17-14 loss to Clemson, Tucker had 177 all-purpose yards but slowed down in the second half after a strong first-half outing. He broke loose on a 54-yard rush during the first quarter, but quarterback Garrett Shrader’s red zone interception negated the gain. His 39-yard rush in the second quarter helped set up SU’s first touchdown.

“I came out a little slower in my run game towards the end. I picked up a little bit, but it was definitely a little slower coming out of the half,” Tucker said after the game.

Still, the star running back spearheaded SU’s offense in a game where it threw a season-high 37 times.

“Sean is different, OK, and the biggest waste that we can do is treat him like he’s not different, is treat him like he’s the same when he’s not,” head coach Dino Babers said of Tucker on Monday. “He’s something that doesn’t come along very often, so we need to use that, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Tucker’s 948 rushing yards through seven games is on pace to shatter SU’s single-season record (Joe Morris, 1,372 rushing yards).

Published on October 18, 2021 at 3:41 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16