Junior punt returner J-Shun Harris II was named the Big Ten's Special Teams Player of the Week and first-year running back Morgan Ellison was honored with the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award for their performances against Georgia Southern, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday.
Harris returned a punt for a touchdown for the second game in a row and picked up his second special teams conference award of the season for his performance in the return game. Harris' 70-yard return touchdown made him just the second player in IU history, along with Rob Turner in 1990, to have back-to-back games with a punt return touchdown.
Ellison broke out in his third collegiate game Saturday by rushing for 186 yards — the fourth-most in a single game by an IU true freshman. Ellison also recorded two touchdowns. Ellison is the first Hoosier to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Tyler Natee picked up the award Oct. 31, 2016. That was also the last time IU had two players earn Big Ten honors in the same week, as Marcus Oliver was also named Defensive Player of the Week last October.
Harris has already tied IU's single-season punt return touchdown record with two, and he ranks third in the NCAA with 26.1 yards per punt return. Ellison's 44 rush attempts and 257 yards on the ground lead IU in both categories this season.
Jake Thomer
