Thomas Sirk and the offense stole the show against the Hokies, but Saturday's game was business as usual for Jeremy Cash.
The redshirt senior safety piled up 11 tackles—2.5 for loss—and added a sack to continue his strong season, and now has some midseason accolades to go with a host of preseason honors.
Cash was named one of 16 semifinalists for the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award, according to an announcement Monday by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association. The Miami native joins Florida State’s Jalen Ramsay and Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander as ACC representatives on the watch list for the award, which recognizes the nation's top defensive back.
A Duke player has never received the award.
A 2014 All-American, Cash ranks fourth in the country with 14.0 tackles for loss and second in the nation with 2.0 tackles for loss per game. The safety also leads Duke with 2.5 sacks and is second on the team with 58 total tackles.
After Duke’s 34-20 win against then-No. 20 Georgia Tech, Cash was named the Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week as well as the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week. The former Ohio State transfer was instrumental in the victory against the Yellow Jackets, frequently played near the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Cash registered 12 tackles and forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter—his second of the game—to seal the victory.
The Thorpe Award is the latest in a string of postseason awards to recognize Cash. Earlier this season, the Lott IMPACT Trophy for the nation’s best in character named Cash a quarterfinalist. Cash has also been placed on six midseason All-America squads.
The Thorpe Award will announce three finalists Nov. 23 with the winner to be named Dec. 10.
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