Pitt’s Ollison, Hamlin Honored by ACC

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published October 9, 2018 4:17 am
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PITTSBURGH — Pitt senior running back Qadree Ollison and junior free safety Damar Hamlin have been honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference for their performances in the Panthers’ 44-37 overtime victory over Syracuse.

(Photo of Pitt’s Qadree Ollison. Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)

Ollison was named the ACC Running Back of the Week, while Hamlin earned the conference’s Defensive Back of the Week honor.

Ollison (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Canisius) was Pitt’s driving force on offense, rushing for a season-high 192 yards with a touchdown on 24 carries (8.0 avg.). He added two receptions for 15 yards for a total of 207 all-purpose yards.

Ollison played a prominent role from the opening quarter all the way through the extra frame. When Pitt fell into a 14-0 first-quarter hole, he seized momentum for the Panthers by ripping off a 69-yard touchdown run. Late in the fourth quarter when Pitt trailed 37-34, Ollison was the workhorse on the game-tying field goal drive, grinding out 39 of the 48 yards covered.

With 596 total rushing yards this season, Ollison ranks 18th nationally, while his average of 6.48 yards per carry ranks 22nd. He is striving to become only the sixth player in Pitt history to achieve multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

This is the third career weekly ACC honor for Ollison. He was twice named Rookie of the Week in 2015.

Hamlin (McKees Rocks, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) covered the entire field against Syracuse’s potent offense. He collected a career-high 14 tackles and played a critical role in helping to limit the Orange to 195 passing yards, their lowest output of the season.

Hamlin is the Panthers’ second-leading tackler with 35 stops on the season. He has also collected three tackles for loss, a pass breakup and an interception (returned 79 yards in the opener against Albany).

This is the first career ACC weekly award for Hamlin.

The Panthers (3-3, 2-1 ACC) will play at No. 5 Notre Dame (6-0) this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised by NBC and shown locally on WPXI-TV, Channel 11.

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