WEEK 7: Three Players from ACC, Big 12, Pac 12 Earned Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll
Trio Combines for 558 Yards, Five Touchdowns, 10 Tackles Playing Offense, Defense, Special Teams
Louisville, Ky. – October 16, 2017 – Nyheim Hines (NC State) and Joel Lanning (Iowa State) return to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for the second week in a row, joined by first-time honoree Troy Williams (Utah). The trio combined for five touchdowns four different ways, and accounted for 558 yards and 10 tackles playing offense, defense, and special teams.
The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football. The winner of this year’s award and his family will be honored on March 7, 2018, at a banquet presented by KentuckyOne Health at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky.
NC State running back / return specialist Nyheim Hines led the Wolfpack to a 35-17 road win over Pitt with 249 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Hines set the tempo early with two, first-quarter touchdowns – an 83-yard run and a 92-yard punt return. For the game, he tallied 16 carries for 135 yards, two receptions for five yards, one kick return for 15 yards, and two punt returns for 94 yards. NC State is 6-1 on the season, ranked No. 16 and sits atop the ACC Atlantic Division at 4-0.
Iowa State linebacker / quarterback Joel Lanning continued to perform as a three-way player as the Cyclones ran their record to 4-2 by shutting out Kansas 45-0 at home, holding the Jayhawks to 106 yards of total offense. Lanning led the ISU defense with 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss; on offense, he played quarterback and carried the ball eight times for 34 yards and twice gained first downs; and he played eight downs on special teams. ISU is in a five-way tie for second in the Big 12 at 2-1 and received votes in the national polls.
Utah quarterback Troy Williams accounted for three touchdowns three different ways and 275 all-purpose yards as the Utes dropped a heartbreaker 28-27 on the road to USC. Williams completed 16 passes for 262 yards and a score, carred the ball 14 times for eight yards and a score, and caught a five-yard pass for the Utes’ first offensive touchdown of the game. He led Utah on an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive and ran one yard for the game’s final touchdown with 0:48 to play. The Ute’s two-point conversion attempt failed. Utah is now 4-2 on the season.
The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son, and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed. Previous winners by year are:
2010: Owen Marecic of Stanford won the inaugural Paul Hornung Award as a two-way starter and All Pac-10 performer at fullback and honorable mention at linebacker;
2011: Brandon Boykin of Georgia won the award as a lockdown, All-American defensiveback who also excelled on offense and special teams;
2012: Tavon Austin of West Virginia won the award as one of two players in the nation with more than 500 yards in three different categories (rushing, receiving, and kick returns);
2013: Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU won the award after finishing the season ranked second in the nation and first in the SEC with 2,222 all-purpose yards and 185.2 average yards per game;
2014: Shaq Thompson of Washington won the award as a two-way player, earning first team All-America honors at linebacker and finishing as the Husky’s second-leading rusher at tailback;
2015: Christian McCaffrey of Stanford won in 2015 after amassing 3,496 all-purpose yards with 1,847 rushing, 540 receiving and 1,109 return, breaking Barry Sanders record of 3,250 set in 1988; and
2016: Jabrill Peppers of Michigan won the award playing 15 different positions, earning consensus All-America at linebacker, and becoming the first player ever to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the year, Linebacker of the Year, and Specialist of the Year.
Texas Roadhouse signed on as presenting sponsor of the Paul Hornung Award in 2011 and will team with the Louisville Sports Commission to power fan voting again this season. College football fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Fan voting factors into the selection of the Paul Hornung Award finalists and winn