FSU running back earns ACC Player of the Week honors after third consecutive career game

Three awards in three weeks for the breakout redshirt sophomore.

Redshirt sophomore Trey Benson is the ACC’s Running Back of the Week and redshirt sophomore Maurice Smith is the league’s Offensive Lineman of the Week. It is Benson’s third consecutive Running Back of the Week award, while Smith’s is the first of his career and the third straight week a Seminole has won the honor.

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Benson, from Greenville, Mississippi, earned the award after running for a career-high 163 yards on 18 carries in the Seminoles 38-3 win at Syracuse. His 9.1 yards per carry were a career high and he now ranks second nationally with 7.37 yards per rush this season. Benson had runs of 24, 27 and 30 yards against the Orange and is tied for the ACC lead with 13 rushes of longer than 20 yards this season. It was Benson’s third consecutive career-high rushing game, crossing the 100-yard mark in all three games. He became the first Seminole since Dalvin Cook in 2016 with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

Benson is the first player in ACC history to be named the outright ACC Running Back of the Week in three consecutive weeks.

Smith, a center from Miami, Florida, played 59 snaps against the Orange without allowing a pressure while coordinating the offensive line calls. The offense ran for 230 yards, extending FSU’s streak of consecutive 200-yard rushing games to five, the Noles longest since 1995. Syracuse ranked in the Top 15 nationally in points (18.4) and yards allowed (306.9) per game before FSU scored 38 on 420 yards of offense. Along with Benson’s award-worthy performance, FSU quarterback Jordan Travis completed 21-of-23 passes and accounted for all five touchdowns, with three in the air and one each rushing and receiving.

This is the first time since 2010 that FSU has had three different offensive linemen earn the ACC’s weekly honor, and the first time any team in the league has had three different players win in consecutive weeks since Georgia Tech in 2000.

Florida State has now won 11 ACC player of the week honors this season:
Player Award Opponent
Ontaria Wilson Receiver vs. LSU
Jared Verse Defensive Lineman vs. LSU
Shyheim Brown Specialist vs. LSU
Johnny Wilson Receiver at Louisville
Jammie Robinson Defensive Back Wake Forest
Trey Benson Running Back Georgia Tech
D'Mitri Emmanuel Offensive Lineman Georgia Tech
Trey Benson Running Back at Miami
Dillan Gibbons Offensive Lineman at Miami
Trey Benson Running Back at Syracuse
Maurice Smith Offensive Lineman at Syracuse

Florida State is back in Tallahassee for a 12:00 p.m. game Saturday against Louisiana. The game will air on regional sports networks throughout the country.

*Press release courtesy of Florida State Athletics

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