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There were bright spots in the Syracuse Orange's 23-17 loss to the Penn St. Nittany Lions, hard as they might be for some of us to see. One of them was defensive end Robert Welsh, who is looking to lay claim to Brandon Sharpe Award for Defensive Player Who Seemingly Comes Out Of Nowhere And Becomes A Key Player. Welsh recorded six tackles, his first career sack and ran back an interception 31 yards. Not bad for a guy making his first start.
The effort was good enough to earn honors as the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week. Welsh is now the first Syracuse player to receive a conference honor. Hopefully not the last...
The Clemson Tigers dominated the weekly honors, earning four of the nine awards. And as you might imagine, Jameis Winston was named Rookie of the Week. Barely edging out Drew Allen, I'm sure...
Check out the full list of award winners here.