Johnson, Rivers, Pelino Tabbed ACC Players of the Week

The following is from Duke Sports Information.

Sophomore defensive back Brandon Johnson, freshman defensive back Chandler Rivers and freshman kicker Todd Pelino all earned ACC Player of the Week honors following Duke's 45-21 win over Miami.

Johnson was tabbed the conference's defensive back of the week, after his career-high nine tackles and two sacks. The Newton, N.C. native added a fumble recovery in the second quarter and Duke scored three plays later to push the Blue Devils' lead to 17-7. With five minutes remaining in the game, Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it 28-yards for a touchdown to seal the victory. Earlier this week, Johnson was Named the Walter Camp National FBS Player of the Week, becoming the first Duke player named to the honor since 2015 (Jeremy Cash).

Rivers was awarded the conference's rookie of the week after helping Duke hold a high-powered Miami offense to just 21 points and forced eight turnovers. He finished tied for second on the team with six tackles and two pass breakups. Duke's defense limited Miami to just 327 yards of offense, after seeing the Hurricanes average 463.67 yards a game this season.

Pelino appeared in his first career game on Saturday, converting on a 28-yard field goal after Duke forced a turnover to extend the Blue Devils lead to 17-7 midway through the second quarter. The Cornelius, N.C. native finished 6-for-6 on PAT attempts, tied for third in program history for PATs by a freshman for a single game. After scoring in his first contest, Pelino becomes the first freshman to score in his first collegiate game since Eric Weatherlydid so earlier this year.

The ACC's other weekly honors included Wake Forest's Sam Hartman (quarterback), Clemson's Will Shipley (running back) and Jordan McFadden (offensive line), Miami's Colbie Young (wide receiver), Virginia's Chico Bennett (defensive line) and Louisville's Yasir Abdullah (linebacker).