Blanks Earns Second UAA Football Honor

(ROCHESTER, N.Y.) – Carnegie Mellon University junior running back Patrick Blanks (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Football Offensive Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.  Blanks receives the honor following his performance this past Saturday in the Tartans' 28-13 victory at the University of Chicago.

In the Tartans' 500th win in program history, Blanks turned in a career performance.  The junior carried the ball 16 times for 171 yards giving him an average of 10.7 yards per carry.  He also added three touchdowns, tying a career-high.  His 171 yards rushing was the most by a Tartan since Robert Gimson totaled 185 yards in 2007.

Blanks currently leads the UAA with 892 rushing yards and is second in scoring with 12 touchdowns.  Blanks will attempt to become the fourth Tartan rusher to reach the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.  It will mark the sixth time this has occurred, as Travis Sivek and Robert Gimson rushed for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007.  The other player was Scott Barnyak in 1990.

Carnegie Mellon will close its season Saturday, November 12, as they host Case Western Reserve in the 26th Academic Bowl.  Kick is set for 2:00 p.m. on the turf of Gesling Stadium.