Two Duke defenders shined in the Blue Devils’ victory over the Florida State Seminoles on Friday. One of them, fifth-year senior [autotag]Ozzie Nicholas[/autotag], who was named the conference’s Linebacker of the Week for Week 8.
Nicholas, a transfer from Princeton who joined Duke this offseason, had previously recovered a fumble earlier this year against Northwestern. However, Friday was the first time he forced a turnover of his own.
He punched the ball out from quarterback Brock Glenn’s hand on an option run, giving Duke the ball and setting up a touchdown drive for a 14-3 lead.
One offensive play later, he jumped in front of a quick seam route for a pick and took the ball 29 yards, setting Duke up in a position to score once again.
Nicholas recorded nine total tackles (six assisted and three solo) against the Seminoles on top of the turnovers.
In addition to Nicholas’ honor, teammate Chandler Rivers was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week. He recorded an interception of his own, taking it back for a touchdown. That actually came one play before the aforementioned fumble, so Rivers and Nicholas combined to create three turnovers on three consecutive FSU plays.