Duke’s Star Thomas named the ACC Running Back of the Week after dominant UNC game

After he finished with more than 200 yards from scrimmage against North Carolina, Star Thomas was named the ACC Running Back of the Week.

The ACC revealed its Players of the Week on Monday, and the conference honored Duke running back [autotag]Star Thomas[/autotag] as the best player at his position in Week 5.

Thomas finished with more than 100 yards for the third straight week against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and he battered the UNC defense for his best performance yet.

He compiled 166 rushing yards on 30 attempts, averaging more than five yards per carry for the third consecutive game, and he added 45 yards on two catches in the passing game. He scored two of Duke’s three touchdowns, and his 211 yards from scrimmage made up more than 53% of Duke’s total offense against the Tar Heels.

The former New Mexico State transfer kick-started the Blue Devils’ comeback with a 29-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter, but his most important sequence didn’t include the end zone. On Duke’s go-ahead touchdown drive, the Blue Devils faced a first-and-20 while down six points midway through the fourth quarter. Thomas gained it all back in two plays, picking up 16 and 19 yards on two touches to move the chains.

Thomas has 480 rushing yards through the first five games of the season, the fourth-most in the conference, and 399 of those have come in the past 12 quarters.