Cash and Skura Garner USA Today All-America Honors

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke redshirt senior safety Jeremy Cash and redshirt senior center Matt Skura received All-America accolades from USA Today, according to an announcement by the publication Tuesday. Cash was placed on the first team while Skura earned second team honors. Both were elected team captains for the 2015 Blue Devils.

It is the first time Duke has had two USA Today honorees in the same year and Skura is the third Blue Devil to be selected for a USA Today All-America squad. Cash earned second team accolades in 2013 and Laken Tomlinson was a first team pick in 2014. It is the first All-America honor of Skura's career from any organization and the fifth for Cash.

A 6-2, 210-pound native of Miami, Fla., Cash has tallied 101 tackles, 18.0 tackles for lost yardage, 2.5 sacks, eight quarterback pressures, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He is one of only three active players with three or more 100-tackle seasons. This season he was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the Jim Tatum Award recipient as well as first team all-league. He was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award, Jim Thorpe Award, Senior CLASS Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy as well as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award.

A 6-4, 305-pound native of Columbus, Ohio, Skura has been the anchor of Duke's offensive line for the last three seasons and recently earned first team All-ACC accolades. The Blue Devil offensive front ranks second in the ACC in fewest sacks allowed per passing attempt (29.31) while protecting quarterbacks Thomas Sirk and Parker Boehme, who have combined to throw 17 touchdowns against just seven interceptions as Duke averages 253.4 passing yards per week, marking the fourth-best output in the league.

With the first of the 2015 All-America honor haul, Duke has had 12 student-athletes who have earned a total of 36 All-America honors in the eight years (2008-15) under head coach David Cutcliffe. In the previous eight years of the program (2000-07), Duke had two All-Americans, Mike Hart, a Football News Honorable Mention selection at tight end in 2001, and punter Brian Morton, who was on three All-America teams in 2000.

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