Morgan Ellison and J-Shun Harris Earn Big Ten Honors For Performances Against Georgia Southern

Morgan Ellison ran for 186 yards against GSU Saturday Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

IU Athletics Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana return specialist J-Shun Harris II earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors and running back Morgan Ellison was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the league announced today. The accolade is the second in as many games for Harris and the second of his career, while Ellison captured his first career recognition.
 
Kicker Griffin Oakes is the last Hoosier to claim back-to-back specialist honors (Nov. 16 and Nov. 23, 2015) and running back Tyler Natee is the last IU freshman honoree (Oct. 31, 2016).
 
Harris took a punt return back for a touchdown (70 yards) for the second consecutive contest in the Georgia Southern victory, joining Rob Turner (1990) as the only players in program history to return a punt for a score in back-to-back games. 
 
The redshirt junior shares the Indiana record for most punt returns for a TD in a season with two. Harris leads the Big Ten and is third nationally with 26.1 yards per return, while the Fishers, Ind., native's two touchdowns also lead the league (T-2nd nationally).
 
Ellison rushed for 186 yards on 25 carries (7.4 average) with two scores. The Pickerington, Ohio, product tallied the fourth-most rushing yards for an IU true freshman in a game and became the 11th true freshman in program history to reach the century mark.
 
His 85.7 yards per game stand third among true freshmen running backs in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. Ellison paces the team with 257 yards, 44 attempts, a 5.8 average and two TDs.
 
The last time two Hoosiers won conference awards on the same week came on Oct. 31, 2016 – Natee and linebacker Marcus Oliver (defense).